Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Teen Titans: Future Storm ❯ Side Story 3: A Titanic Christmas ( One-Shot )

 

“Teen Titans: Future Storm”

Side Story 3: “A Titanic Christmas”

Disclaimer: The concept of Teen Titans does not belong to me. Nightstar, Mercury, and anyone else you might recall from the DCU (comic or animated) do not belong to me. Everyone else is mine.

Author's note: Christmas is coming, so I figured I'd write a story for it with the characters I borrowed or invented for this story. I have no more to say besides that, so I might as well get on with the story. Peace and goodwill toward all.

“I'm home!” Nightstar announced, holding a giant Christmas tree above her head.

“It always creeps me out just how strong you are,” Mercury remarked.

“You saying you don't like strong girls?” Nightstar asked in a teasingly threatening voice.

“No, no, no!” Mercury replied, waving his hands frantically. “I'm not saying that at all!”

Everyone else laughed merrily, even Beast Girl.

“Et tu, Terri?” Mercury asked in mock hurt, dramatically clutching his chest for good measure.

“Been watching the life and times of Julius Caesar again, Peter?” Inferno asked.

Nightstar carried the tree into the common room and planted it peripheral to the center. “Who's ready to decorate?”

Mercury sped away and returned a few seconds later with multicolored Christmas lights. Nightstar took the lights from him and flew around the tree, wrapping it in the lights. Bladefire came with the ornaments and painstakingly decorated the tree with them. Samara telekinetically levitated an angel ornament onto the top of the tree. Beast Girl plugged in the lights and they all shone brightly.

“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?” Mercury sang. “In the rain, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland.”

“Stop singing,” Samara growled. “You suck.”

Mercury glared. “It's not my fault you don't have any Christmas spirit.”

“Excuse me for not giving in to the crass commercialism that characterizes this holiday,” Samara sneered.

“You have got to be the most arrogant girl I ever met,” Mercury declared.

“Many have told me that before,” Samara answered nonchalantly.

Inferno darted between the two. “It's the holidays.”

“So we should get along because of some commercialized holiday?” Samara asked.

“No, we should get along because we've spent most of our lives together and there're more important things to argue about than the fact that Mercury is tone deaf,” Inferno replied.

“I'm not tone deaf!” Mercury protested.

“Mercury, get voice lessons,” Inferno stated briskly. “Samara, try not to be mean to anyone. I know you don't like Christmas, but please don't ruin it for the rest of us.”

Samara let out a sound that was somewhere between a hiss and a sigh. “Fine. I'll leave your precious holiday alone.”

Nightstar began to sing. The language was foreign but it did not sound unpleasant at all.

“What's that?” Raziel asked.

“A Tamaranean song my mother taught me,” Nightstar replied. “When she heard me sing it, she said I had a better voice than she did.” She resumed the song, her voice rising through the refrain. Bladefire joined her, adding his deep tenor to Nightstar's alto. When the twins finished, the other five Titans applauded.

“If the superhero thing doesn't work out, you could just hook up with the Steel Angels,” Beast Girl remarked.

“Thanks,” Nightstar answered. “Anyway, we'd better hurry up and get changed.”

“Why?” Mercury asked.

“You forgot?” Samara asked. Catching the confused glance from Mercury, she sighed. “The Steel Angels are doing a charity tour for the next week and a half until Christmas, raising money to save a homeless shelter, and they'll be here for the next two days. They want us to help collect the charity money and we're supposed to be dressed up in Christmas outfits.”

“Oh,” Mercury uttered. “Do we have to dress as elves?”

“No,” Nightstar replied. “I've already designed our outfits and none of them are elves.”

The Titans arrived at the amphitheater where the Steel Angels' benefit concert was to occur. All of them were dressed in Christmas-themed versions of their combat attire.

Nightstar wore a red bustier and miniskirt with white fur trim, a thick black belt, and thick black boots. Bladefire wore a red sleeveless sweatshirt with the hood trimmed in white fur and red pants with black boots. Beast Girl wore a midriff-baring red shirt with a low collar trimmed in white fur and low-rise red pants with black boots. Samara wore a red cloak trimmed in white fur over a red short-skirted dress with the hem trimmed in white fur and black boots. Mercury and Inferno chose to wear their normal outfits but with Santa Claus caps on their heads. Raziel wore a red jacket trimmed in white fur over his usual black clothes.

And all the Titans wore Santa hats on their heads.

“Hey, you're here!” Mallory Duncan, alias Hornet, greeted. She ditched her keyboard and ran up to Nightstar, high-fiving the Titan leader.

“Hey, Mal, how've you been?” Nightstar asked.

“I've been doing good,” Mallory replied.

The Amazonian warrior known as Avia Free rose from her drum set and strode over to the Titans, who had to look up at her due to the fact that she was 6'4” and Raziel - the tallest of them - was only 5'10”.

“Hello,” she greeted.

“You're . . . tall,” Mercury uttered dumbly.

Avia narrowed her eyes. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, not at all,” Mercury answered sheepishly.

Avia suddenly giggled.

“What's so funny?” Mercury asked.

“You,” Avia replied, reaching around and pinching his butt, causing him to yelp in surprise. That just made the Amazonian New God giggle even more.

Beast Girl glared at the much taller girl.

“Avia,” Nightstar spoke. “It's been a while.”

“Indeed, it has, Mar'i,” Avia answered. “How are you and the Titans doing?”

“We're doing all right,” Nightstar replied.

Avia grew serious. “I've missed you. Olivia's missed you, too.”

“I know,” Nightstar admitted. “I've missed you both, too. It's just that with all the Titans missions and that assassin Ravager . . . I haven't had so much free time on my hands.”

“Try to make time, then,” Olivia remarked as she entered, guitar slung around her shoulders.

Nightstar smiled softly. “I will. You guys can come to the Tower on Christmas Day. Bring your parents or other friends if you like.”

“Sure,” Avia replied. She leaned down and whispered in the half-Tamaranean girl's ear, “And you'd better be ready for a spar. We'll see if you've gotten any better.”

“Bet on it, Avia,” Nightstar whispered back.

“What are they whispering about?” Mercury wondered.

“Anyone goes off about their lesbian fantasies - I'm looking at you, Memnoch - and I'll rip out their vocal cords,” Bladefire declared. “That's my sister you'd be talking about, you perverts.”

“I'll keep him in the cage,” Raziel somberly vowed.

“Good,” Bladefire stated.

“We'd better get to the stage,” Olivia said. “The audience is waiting for us.”

Speaking of the audience, thousands of fans had crowded into the amphitheater to watch the Steel Angels, who took their places on the stage.

“Everyone ready to get in the spirit?” Olivia asked, wearing a throat mike so that she wouldn't be bound to one spot on the stage.

The answer she received was a resounding roar of applause. Olivia strummed her guitar, playing a few notes, followed by Avia thundering on the drums and Mallory weaving an ethereal melody on her keyboard. After about forty-five seconds of this, Olivia began to sing.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

`Tis the season to be jolly

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la

Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

See the blazing Yule before us

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Strike the harp and join the chorus

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Follow me in merry measure

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

While I tell of Yule-tide treasure

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Fast away, the old year passes

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Hail the new year, lads and lasses

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Sing we joyous, all together

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Heedless of the wind and weather

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

The audience applauded raucously as the Steel Angels finished “Deck the Halls.”

Olivia grinned. “This next song goes out to a guy I've had my eye on for a while. I won't say who he is, but he makes magic sexy . . . and I'm absolutely hot for him.”

Once again, she began to sing.

What I want for Christmas can't be bought

What I want for Christmas can't be sold

What I want for Christmas I've so long sought

I just want you to hold

Come on, Santa, give me my angel

Give me the man who makes my heart race

All I want in this world

Is just to see his beautiful face

Come on, my sexy mage

Come and hold me tight

Come on, my angel babe

Come to me this Christmas night

Come on, Santa, give me my angel

Give me the man who makes my heart race

All I want in this world

Is just to see his beautiful face

All I want in this world . . .

Is just to see his beautiful face

Santa can't make me happy with toys

He can't make me happy with the world to call mine

The only thing he can give me that'll make me happy . . .

Is you to make me fine

Come on, Santa, give me my angel

Give me the man who makes my heart race

All I want in this world

Is just to see his beautiful face

Come on, Santa, give me my angel

Give me the man who makes my heart race

All I want in this world

Is just to see his beautiful face. . . .

“That . . . was a beautiful song,” Samara uttered.

“I thought you didn't like Christmas,” Inferno remarked.

“I don't,” Samara stated. “However, I can appreciate sincerity . . . and Olivia was oozing sincerity with that song.”

“Who was she talking about?” Mercury asked.

“She alluded to a sorcerer,” Nightstar replied. “She could have meant Zatara II.”

“You mean John Zatara?” Samara asked.

“Yeah,” Nightstar confirmed.

After the concert was over, Mercury counted the money they'd collected from those that had attended. “This ought to go a long way toward saving that shelter.”

“Yeah,” Inferno agreed.

Mercury grinned at Beast Girl. “You look cute in that outfit.”

“Thanks,” Beast Girl responded. She pulled Mercury down and, blushing the whole time, whispered in his ear, “You mind if you come to my room wearing nothing but that hat?”

This brought a deep blush to Mercury's face. “Uhhhhh . . .”

Beast Girl giggled. “Now who's the pervert, hmm?”

“I'm rubbing off on you, aren't I?” Mercury remarked.

“Yeah, you've certainly corrupted me,” was the shape-changer's impish response.

“Thanks for helping out,” Olivia said.

“Anything for you,” Nightstar answered.

Olivia blushed. “Why, Mar'i, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were propositioning me.”

“Heh, no, I didn't mean it like that,” Nightstar denied. “Guess I should have chosen my words better.”

“It's all right,” Olivia remarked with a grin. “I like teasing you.”

“Oh, you just like teasing any attractive girl,” Mallory commented.

“I can't help it, Mal,” Olivia stated as she reached out and played with one of Mallory's two braids. “It's just so much fun to see their reactions.”

“You're incorrigible, you know that?” Mallory declared.

“Yeah, I am,” Olivia shot back lightly. “What are you gonna do?”

Mallory grinned and held up a hand whose fingers were connected by tiny streams of bioelectric energy. Olivia sucked in a deep breath.

“You two can do that somewhere other than here,” Avia spoke as she stepped between Mallory and Olivia. Olivia exhaled harmlessly while Mallory defused herself.

“Does this happen often?” Raziel asked.

“Yeah,” Avia replied. “The price of dealing with such strong personalities, particularly when one of those personalities happens to be such a tease. Most of the time, it's just for the fun of it and not really because either one of them feels like hurting the other.”

“Reminds me of me and Iris,” Mercury remarked. “Or me and Adam. Or me and Jenny. Or Iris and Jenny. Or Iris and Adam. Or Adam and Jenny. We're all always trying to see who's the fastest of us. Mostly for fun and not because we're all a bunch of hypercompetitive maniacs. Although that description might fit Jenny.”

“So am I going to see you guys for Christmas?” Nightstar asked.

“Sure,” Olivia replied. “I'll bring Lian.”

“Now how did you know I was going to ask about her?” Nightstar inquired.

“Because you two were practically joined at the hip when you were younger,” Olivia responded. “You're like sisters, for crying out loud.”

“With the way Lian flirts with me, we'd be committing incest if we were sisters,” Nightstar remarked.

“I suppose you have a point there,” Olivia conceded. “See you on 25.”

The next day, the Titans congregated in the common room. Nightstar stood before the other six holding a bowl containing seven red and green strips of paper.

“What's this?” Samara asked.

“Secret Santa,” Nightstar replied.

“I told you once, I told you twice, I told you thrice - I am not getting involved in the crass commercialism of this holiday,” Samara declared.

“It's not `crass commercialism!'” Nightstar exclaimed. “We are simply going to get presents for each other out of the goodness in our hearts . . . and we'll all get presents, so we all win.”

Samara harshly exhaled. “Christmas isn't even the day Jesus Christ was born. In the B.C. era, the Romans celebrated that day as Saturnalia, which was dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture.”

“So?” Beast Girl asked. “I could care less about how they came up with the idea of Christmas. I just wanna celebrate, drink eggnog, and maybe make out with Mercury.”

“Maybe?” Mercury asked with a slight note of hope in his voice.

“Everyone pick a name out of this bowl,” Nightstar instructed. “And don't say who you picked. Otherwise, you all put the names back in and we start all over again.”

One by one, the Titans reached into the bowl and removed a red or green strip of paper. Mercury looked at the name on his strip and let out a “Hell yeah!”

“Three guesses who you got and I'm saying nothing,” Bladefire remarked.

“If you happen to be shopping for a girl, stay away from Valentine's Treasure,” Nightstar instructed. “If you choose not to stay away, at least keep whatever you buy out of the sight of our parents. They'll be coming on Christmas Day and I don't feel like being scolded because they think we're nothing but balls of raging hormones.”

“Yes, Mom,” Mercury droned.

The next day after school and homework, Bladefire found himself in a shop that sold martial arts weapons, such as escrima sticks, Bo staffs, nunchaku, shuriken, and even katana.

“Beautiful weapons, aren't they?” a familiar voice, silky and feminine, remarked.

Bladefire looked into the faint reflection in the glass and saw The Ravager standing next to and slightly behind him, dressed in a black vinyl jacket over a gray shirt and black jeans.

“Rose?” Bladefire uttered in hushed astonishment. “What are you doing here?”

“Just browsing,” Rose replied softly. “Christmas shopping, lover?”

“Yeah,” Bladefire confirmed.

“For whom?” Rose inquired.

“Don't see any need to tell you that,” Bladefire answered curtly.

“I'm hurt,” Rose said. “You let me take your virginity, but you won't tell me for whom you're shopping? I thought we had something.”

“Please don't get started,” Bladefire sighed. “Please don't.”

“Do you regret it?” Rose asked. “Our night together?”

“Don't ask me that,” Bladefire requested.

“Do you or don't you?” Rose insisted.

“It was a mistake,” Bladefire answered. “A moment of weakness and a desire to be close to someone. The irony is that I don't regret it at all. I should. Any rational person should regret it, but I don't. I honestly don't and therefore, I doubt my rationality.”

Rose pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket and slipped it into Bladefire's hand. “Meet me at the address on this slip on Christmas night. We'll have our own private celebration.”

The emphasis on the word “private,” combined with the smoldering look in her singular blue eye, sent chills down Bladefire's spine . . . and not the unpleasant kind, which worried him a great deal.

“I'll see you there,” he finally spoke.

“Good,” Rose answered with a Cheshire grin. “And by the way, I recommend the escrima sticks.” With that said, she sauntered out of the martial arts shop, leaving a befuddled Bladefire behind.

Meanwhile, a civvies-clad Mercury was speeding through the mall, moving faster than the naked eye could see. To his delight, his movements left behind a strong enough breeze to momentarily blow up the skirts of any women he passed. He raced into Game HQ and searched through the stacks for a fantasy RPG called Chaos Heart VIII, which centered on the students of an academy that trained ninja for “a kingdom hidden in the mist.” He picked it up and dashed into a line, waiting not-so-patiently for everyone else to be finished with their purchases so he could buy Chaos Heart VIII.

“Holy crap, it's Mercury!” someone in Game HQ shouted.

Mercury sighed. The price of having a public identity: being recognizable out of costume.

“What are you doing in line?” a messy-haired boy asked. “You oughtta be in front.”

“I don't think so,” Mercury answered. “The line isn't so long. Just you and one other guy besides me.”

“No, come on,” the other guy, a tall boy with dyed blue hair, said. “You can go ahead.”

“No, really, I'm fine,” Mercury insisted.

“You can go ahead of us,” the blue-haired boy persisted. “We wouldn't wanna delay you in case you get called to save some lives.”

“Now that you put it that way . . . I suppose I'll take your offer,” Mercury conceded. He moved ahead of them and planted Chaos Heart VIII on the counter.

The cashier rang it up with an electronic scanner and smiled at Mercury. “That would be $49.99, but with the twenty percent discount, you just have to pay $39.99 plus tax.”

Mercury slapped down a crisp $50 bill on the counter. The cashier took the bill and placed it in the cash register, proceeding to calculate the amount of change. She gave him back seven dollars and eleven cents and Chaos Heart VIII bagged.

“Thank you and have a nice day,” she said.

“You're welcome,” Mercury answered with a wink. He briskly walked out of Game HQ and to his other destination, the aforesaid destination being Valentine's Treasure. Fighting off a blush at the sight of so many enticing articles of not-quite-clothing designed for the female form, the platinum-haired speedster bravely marched through the store. After about five minutes of speed searching, he found a forest green satin negligee and bikini-style satin panties.

“Hi,” a young saleswoman greeted.

Mercury nearly jumped when he heard her voice but turned to face the saleswoman. “Hi,” he greeted back slightly shakily.

“Is this your first time?” the saleswoman asked with a friendly smile on her face.

“My first time what?” Mercury prompted.

“Buying underwear for your girlfriend,” the saleswoman elaborated.

“Yeah,” Mercury admitted. “It's a Christmas present.”

“That's sweet,” the saleswoman remarked. “I hope she likes it.”

“Thanks,” Mercury answered, some of his embarrassment fading. “I hope she likes it, too.”

Christmas morning came and all the Titans had finished buying presents for each other by Christmas Eve. Nightstar awoke first, greeting the sun with a smile. She flew out the window and onto the rooftop, where she stood before the sun and bathed in its rays. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Bladefire doing the same in just his boxers.

About two hours later, the other Titans awakened and ambled down the stairs to the common room, spotting all the presents under the Christmas tree. Mercury darted to the gifts and began opening his. The first present he unwrapped was . . .

“Sweet! Tournament of Darkness III!” the speedster exclaimed.

Samara unwrapped her present with a bored expression on her face. Her expression of mixed disdain and boredom lightened into surprise and secret joy when she saw what her Secret Santa had gotten for her.

“The latest album from Savage Spiral,” she murmured. “Whoever got me knows what I like.”

Inferno whistled innocently as he burned through the gift wrapping to get at his present, which turned out to be a highly advanced chemistry set. “Whoever got me this, thanks!”

Beast Girl opened her gift bag and dug through the layers of chiffon to find a satiny negligee and panties. Blushing heavily, she asked, “Ok, whose brilliant idea was it to buy me this?”

“Mine,” Mercury admitted. “Like it?”

“I'm not sure whether I should hit you or kiss you,” Beast Girl replied.

“Can't you do both?” Mercury asked with a grin.

“You're incorrigible,” Beast Girl stated.

Mercury leaned over and whispered in Beast Girl's ear, “You're the one who suggested that I come to your room tonight in nothing but a Santa hat.”

Beast Girl blushed an even deeper red at the memory. “Oh, yeah. So are you?”

“I would, but we've only been dating for a few months,” Mercury admitted. “I'm starting to think we might be rushing things.”

“Were you thinking that when you bought me these?” Beast Girl inquired, holding up the negligee and panties.

“Hey, keep those out of the sight of our parents,” Nightstar suggested as she and Bladefire came down the stairs from their sunbathing.

Bladefire sighed tolerantly. “Just like you, Peter. Just like you.”

Beast Girl stuffed the negligee and panties back into the bag and covered it up with the layers of chiffon. She crouched in front of the remaining presents and found another one addressed to her. Tearing through the wrapping with her sharpened nails, she found Chaos Heart VIII.

“Thanks!” she exclaimed, hugging Mercury.

“You're welcome,” Mercury answered. Leaning to whisper in her ear, he added, “You're not as uncomfortable about being touched as you used to be.”

“Not with you,” Beast Girl whispered back. “You'd never hurt me.”

“I'm glad you know that,” Mercury spoke softly. “Merry Christmas, Terri.”

“Merry Christmas, Peter,” Beast Girl answered before kissing him chastely on the lips.

Bladefire found a present addressed to him and removed the gift wrapping, revealing two boxes, one short and one long. He opened the short box and found a set of kunai, shuriken, and explosive powders. He opened the longer box and found a katana with a sleek, polished blade. He also found a note addressed to him.

“Hey, Blade, come to the address I gave you when we last spoke. Bring the sword. -R.”

Nightstar opened her gift-wrapped box and found a pair of escrima sticks.

Raziel opened his present, revealing it to be the latest volume of Digitize, a cyber-manga about teen hackers battling corporate oppression with the help of a mysterious AI in the form of a pink-haired girl.

Bladefire opened another box and found the box set of the second Hellsing animé.

“All right, if we're done unwrapping our presents, we'd better shower and get dressed,” Nightstar suggested.

So the Titans went to the communal showers, which were divided by gender. After that, they all went to their rooms and dressed in their uniforms.

The first guests to come through the door were Richard and Barbara Grayson, along with Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Roy and Lian Harper.

“Hi, Mar'i, Joh'n,” Richard greeted. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Dad,” Nightstar answered. She looked at Barbara and added, “You, too.”

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Tim, Aunt Stephanie,” Bladefire greeted.

“Merry Christmas,” Tim responded.

Stephanie pulled a snow globe out of her bag and gave it to Bladefire, who gratefully accepted it from her. He shook it gently and the artificial snowflakes inside fluttered around inside the globe.

Nightstar and Lian embraced. “Merry Christmas,” Nightstar greeted.

“Merry Christmas,” Lian echoed.

“Been a while, hasn't it, Dick?” Roy remarked.

“Yeah,” Richard agreed. “It's good . . . us being here together again.”

“You think Garth's gonna show?” Roy asked.

“He will,” Richard answered.

True enough; the Atlantean mage arrived with his wife Dolphin and their son Cerdian.

“Whoa!” Roy exclaimed when he saw Cerdian. “You're growing like a weed!”

Cerdian arched one graceful eyebrow at the red-haired man.

“You'll have to forgive Cerdian,” Garth remarked. “He's not exactly one for socializing.”

Cerdian wasn't paying attention to his father or Roy, as his amethyst gaze had landed on Lian.

“Someone's in love,” Dolphin teased gently.

“Fascination and love are not the same, Mother,” Cerdian answered. “One can lead to the other, but they are not the same.”

“It's still something,” Dolphin remarked. “I was scared you'd end up lonely.”

Cerdian grunted.

“Cheery guy,” Roy commented.

Lorena Marquez, alias Tidal, came through the door a few minutes later. “Sorry I'm late.”

“It's ok, Lorena,” Garth said. “We're just happy you're here, anyway.”

A split second later, multiple blurs raced through the door, stopping to reveal Wally West (the former Flash) holding his wife Linda, Bart Allen (the current Flash) holding his wife Carol, Thaddeus Thawne (Bart's formerly evil “twin”) holding his wife Cissie, Max Mercury, Wally and Linda's twin children Iris and Barry, and Thad and Cissie's son Adam.

“Merry Christmas!” Bart declared.

“Merry Christmas, Dad,” Mercury greeted, hugging his father and mother.

Carol ruffled Peter's hair affectionately. “Merry Christmas, Petey.”

“Mom!” Mercury whined in embarrassment.

Beast Girl giggled.

“Is she your girlfriend, Peter?” Carol asked teasingly.

“Yes,” Mercury admitted with a wide grin on his face.

“Aunt Carol, mind letting go of Pete for a minute?” Adam asked. “I have to see if he's improved at all in the art of speed combat.”

“Long as you two don't break anything,” Carol replied.

Mercury slipped out of his mother's arms and stared down Adam Thawne, alias Velocity. “I'll let you make the first move.”

Velocity dashed at Mercury and aimed a quick punch to his face, only for Mercury to block the punch and retaliate with a swift spinning kick. Velocity jumped out of the way of the kick and performed multiple somersaults at super-speed, building up momentum for a fierce kick. Suspecting what his cousin was up to, Mercury ran up a wall and flipped off it, tackling a still-somersaulting Velocity before the older speedster could come down hard on him. The two speedsters traded blows so quickly that they were blurs to anyone observing who wasn't a fellow speedster.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Barbara asked.

“Technically, fighting is never safe,” Richard remarked, “but you do have a point.”

“Relax,” Wally admonished lazily. “They've been rivals since they were kids and neither one's put the other in the hospital yet. Then again, they can just speed-heal any wounds they get from each other.”

“Go, Mercury!” Beast Girl cheered, inexplicably dressed in a short blue kimono with white lightning designs and a headband saying in Japanese, “I love Mercury-sama!” Not to mention she was waving around a pair of Japanese fans.

It was this sight that Gar and Tara Logan (formerly Changeling and Terra) and Brion and Gail Markov (alias Geo-Force and Gaia) had the luck to walk in on.

“What's going on?” Tara asked.

“Yes, I would like to know that also,” Brion added.

“Terri!” Gail exclaimed.

“Gail!” Beast Girl squealed.

The two earth elementals hugged each other.

“How've you been?” Gail asked.

“I've been all right,” Beast Girl replied. “You?”

“League business keeps me busy,” Gail answered.

Speaking of League business, Conner Kent and Cassie Sandsmark, alias Superman and Wonder Woman, walked in through the door.

“Hey, Tim,” Conner greeted.

“Hi, Kon,” Tim greeted back. “Hi, Cassie.”

“Merry Christmas,” Cassie said.

“Same to you and Kon,” Tim answered.

“So why are Peter and Adam fighting?” Conner asked. “I thought they'd give it a rest for Christmas.”

Cassie laughed merrily. “It's just them being them.”

“I'd kick your butt right now, but I got something better to do,” Velocity stated.

“Like what?” Mercury asked.

“Like your present, doof,” Velocity replied. He handed him a small box, which Mercury opened to reveal a starter deck for the fantasy card game Swords and Dragons.

“Thanks!” Mercury exclaimed, pulling a box out of his pocket and giving it to Velocity, who opened it to reveal a different starter deck for the same game.

“Funny how we seem to think alike,” Velocity remarked. “Merry Christmas, cousin.”

“Merry Christmas, cousin,” Mercury answered.

Max Mercury just grinned watching the two.

“Hey, I see you got Tournament of Darkness III,” Barry remarked. “Mind playing me?”

“You do realize you'll lose like you did in Tournament of Darkness II,” Mercury answered.

“I've gotten better,” Barry rejoined.

Soon enough, the two speedsters were playing the game, with Beast Girl acting as Mercury's personal cheerleader.

Later that day, Olivia, Avia, and Mallory had arrived, Mallory bringing her parents Karen and Mal Duncan (formerly Bumblebee and Herald) with her. In addition, the rest of the Titans' parents, as well as other former Titans, had arrived.

“Bumblebee!” a familiar voice exclaimed.

“Sparky!” Karen exclaimed, hugging her old friend and onetime boyfriend Victor Stone, alias Cyborg. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” Vic answered.

While the other Titans mingled with their parents and former members, Bladefire slipped out of the Tower through the window, taking the katana with him. He flew to the address Rose had given him, which turned out to be an uptown apartment complex. The red-haired young man entered and walked to the elevator, pressing the “UP” button. Soon enough, the elevator opened up and he entered, pressing the button for the top floor. When the elevator stopped, he exited and walked straight to the door marked with the number 13.

He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. The person that answered was none other than Rose, dressed in a white gi and hakama.

“Hi, Blade,” she greeted with a soft smile. “Come in.”

Bladefire entered and she guided him into the dojo that she'd converted the living room into. “Shall we begin?” she asked, picking up her own sword.

Bladefire drew his katana. “Let's.”

Rose struck first, swinging at him quickly. Bladefire raised his sword to block her swing and push back against her. Rose swung her leg out and knocked his feet out from under him. Bladefire nearly fell, only to flip back into a fighting position. He swung at her, but she jumped over his swing and kicked him in the head. Seizing her opportunity, she pinned Bladefire to the ground.

“Merry Christmas, Joh'n,” she whispered before kissing him passionately.

Bladefire broke the kiss after a minute and smiled warmly at Rose. “Merry Christmas, Rose.”

The sun set on the two lovers as they kissed once again.

End Notes: This is my first Christmas special and man, was it full of guest stars. However, that can't really be helped due to the fact that the Titans have such a rich history that I'd be loath to not tap it as much as I could.

Garth = Real name of Aqualad, who is Tempest in the current comics.

Dolphin = Garth's wife, looks like a human with webbed hands but considers herself more a sea creature than a human

Cerdian = Garth and Dolphin's son, a baby in present Aquaman canon

Avia = Another Kingdom Come guest star, daughter of Big Barda and Mr. Miracle and close friend of Nightstar in KC continuity

Mallory = Original character

Zatara II = Also a Kingdom Come guest star, although he is only mentioned and not seen, son of Zatanna and John Constantine

Lorena Marquez/Tidal = Newest girl to call herself Aquagirl in the current Aquaman comics, apparently will become a Titan if the “Titans Tomorrow” storyline is any indication

Linda = Wife of Wally West in the present Flash comics

Carol = Onetime love interest of Bart Allen during his days as Impulse

Thaddeus Thawne = Bart Allen's “evil twin” Inertia during Bart's days as Impulse, turns good in the timeline of this story due to inspiration from a DC RPG site called Brave and the Bold

Cissie = Cissie King-Jones, formerly known as the heroine Arrowette

Iris and Barry West = More Kingdom Come guest stars, the former is Kid Flash and the latter is a lazy bastard who doesn't give a crap about the Flash legacy

Adam Thawne = Original character

Brion Markov/Geo-Force = Terra's half brother in the comics

Gail Markov = Original character

Mal Duncan/Herald = Will be appearing in the last three episodes of Teen Titans Season 5

All right, now you know who any characters you probably didn't know are. More notes on the way.

Game HQ is a take on GameStop. Tournament of Darkness is a hybrid of Mortal Kombat and Dead or Alive. Chaos Heart is basically a more darkly inclined Final Fantasy. Valentine's Treasure is essentially Victoria's Secret.

As you can obviously tell from the concert scene, I borrowed “Deck the Halls,” but I also came up with an original Christmas song in the vein of Mariah Carey's “All I Want for Christmas.” I call it “Christmas Angel (Come On, Santa).”

Ok, that's enough talk out of me. You're free to tell me if you liked or hated this story.

Merry Christmas!