Hark the Herald Angels Sing...
Merry Christmas, F-list!
Familiarity (DC: Tim/Cassie)
When Cassie opens her eyes, she realizes it's morning. It's morning and they are still talking. She fell asleep on the living room couch to the sound of them discussing Amazonian politics and she's now awakening to the sound of them swapping archeology stories.
"So my dad thought that the amulet that he'd uncovered would make a great wedding present for my step-mom, Dana. It wasn't exactly the most subtle piece of jewelry, but the real problem was that the thing was cursed. It took me a second to figure out she was possessed. I thought she was just reverting to "evil step-mom mode" now that she had my dad's ring around her finger."
"Oh really, Tim..."
"I was fifteen, Ms. Sandsmark. It didn't seem that far-fetched at the time. Plus, my friend Ives had been telling me all these horror stories..."
"Call me Helena, please. No need for formalities at this hour. And please do go on, sweetie..."
Sweetie. Her mom has just called her boyfriend "sweetie." This could be a good sign. On the other hand, it could be a rather intimidating one. Moving a little fast there, Tim? Cassie sniffs. Pancakes. Her mom is making her special apple and blueberry pancakes usually reserved for birthdays and sleep-overs. Yup. The boy wonder is definitely making an impression.
Then again, it doesn't get much more impressive than helping your daughter break you out of a US internment camp and calming her down from a godly rage. Cassie's pretty certain that was the moment her mother became a Robin fan. Finding out that he is equally smart, sweet, and fascinating in his civilian identity is just icing on the cake. Cassie's almost tempted to roll her eyes at his resume, it it weren't for the fact that she's also a little more than impressed in hindsight.
It almost disturbs her how Tim and her mother seem to share a secret little smile as she stares blearily at them from beneath sleep-crusted eyelashes. They bid her good morning as Tim pulls out a chair for her and her mother chuckles a little at his unthinking bit of chivalry. He seems to elicit that reaction from her quite a bit. Cassie tries not to think too much about that.
It's good to be awake and included in the conversation, not just because she's wanted to catch up on events with her mom and introduce her to Tim, but also because it's always a wonder to watch Tim work. And it is an impressive bit of work. She's not sure if it's him being Robin, or just plain Tim, that allows him to artfully navigate the darker bloodier aspect of their adventures in favor of highlighting the funny parts or the profound conclusions.
All too soon, the moment comes in which Tim checks his watch, and it becomes obvious to all that he has to go. Cassie sighs, trying not to sound too childish. He has other responsibilities, but as far as Cassie's concerned, he could stay all day. It seems unfair that he and her mother managed to stay up all night when she, the demigoddess of the bunch, fell prey to sleep and missed seven hours of Tim's company and her mom's good mood.
Her mother seems to sense this, and backs off a ways to give her a bit of space to talk to him alone.
"Sure you can't stay?" she whispers.
"I'm torn. I've had a wonderful time, but it's New Year's eve, and I need to get back to Gotham. Dick and Bruce both agreed to spend the holiday together as a family and I...
"It's okay. I understand."
She smiles and offers him a small kiss. He told her about how much Bruce had changed. Tim loved the fact that the man behind the bat had become more open, almost affectionate...but he was terrified that it wouldn't last. Terrified that something would happen to erase the progress that his new father had made in the past year, and so the young Gothamite was determined to enjoy all the time with his new family that he could.
She's a little surprised that he holds onto her a lot longer than Alfred's Rules of Gentlemanly Behavior dictate, but just as quickly, he's out the door, in his car, and out of sight.
The thing that bothers her most after he's gone, is the fact that her mother seems to be more depressed over his departure than she is. Helena Sandsmark seems to be in a strange little daydream-trance, that her daughter sees fit to awake her from in time to fix lunch.
"Mom? Do you want me to put that chicken in the oven now?"
"Hmm? Sure Cassie. Say, how do you feel about three?"
"Three? Three what, Mom?"
"Children, of course. I think three grandchildren is a good number to start with..."
Cassie sighs. Once her mother gets on a topic, she tends to stick to it.. At least they can agree on one thing: Tim Drake's next visit could never be soon enough.
fin
Dimensional Instability (DC/SW: Young Justice/Young Jedi Knights)
Robin's problem was that the other group had no apparent leader. The one-armed girl--Tunnel Kah, was it?--seemed to be the most sensible of the bunch, but none of the others seemed to take cues from her. If he really tried to make a guess of it, he'd say that the twins seemed to eventually decide what the rest of the group did. The girl, Jaina, seemed to occasionally pull rank on her brother, but that didn't really mean that she told him or anyone else what to do. Or maybe she usually did, but was just too distracted flirting with Kon to bother.
"So exactly how fast can you fly?" he heard her ask.
"Fast enough to give you the ride of your life, babe...provided you're interested."
"Well, hmmm. I guess. Might be fun, actually. Can I clock your speed?"
"Well, uh, if...that floats your boat...I guess..."
Robin stiffled a smile. Kon used his powers to impress girls all the time, but this was probably the first time he'd actually met a girl more interested in his powers than in him...
He looked back to he one-armed red-head. He had hoped to talk to her about possibly finding their way back to both their respective universes rather than being stuck in this inter-dimensional rift, but she seemed to be engaged in a gripping conversation with Wondergirl about Amazon warrior philosophy.
"On Dathomir, it is considered important to rely on one's physical prowess above any outside power. This has sometimes conflicted with the Jedi perogative to trust the Force."
"I get that. Sometimes I wonder if I rely on my powers too much instead of making use of all the training that Artemis put me through..."
Robin's evesdropping was interrupted by a familiar red and white blur.
"HeyRob! Haveyoumetmynewbestfriend? Say"hi"toLowie! Lowie,meetRobin!"
"Grrrahhrr."
"Master Lowbacca wishes to convey his most congenial greetings..."
Bart pressed a button on the talking box at Lowie's belt.
"Yeah.That'sEmteeDee. Ignorehim. He'ssupposedtotranslateforLowiesincehecan'tspeekEnglish--err,Basic,whatever--buthe'snotveryaccurate. Lowieactuallysays 'Hi'. HewastellingmeabouttheawesomeholovidgamestheyhaveonKashyyk--that'sLowie'shomeplanet..."
"Bart, don't forget to be polite. You don't want to ignore your new friend."
"Ohyeah! HeyLowie,let'sgocheckoutthis..."
Robin was about to resume his attempts to find a way home when he overheard a tremulous conversation behind him.
"Do you worry sometimes that you might...you know...be evil?"
"I...yes. Yes, I do. Thought in my case, I think it might be a question of 'am I still evil?'."
Robin sighed. Whoever that tall, black-haired boy was, he would need to get him away from Secret. She was obsessing too much over morally grey areas as it was.
"Get if off, Mon! Get it off; Get It Off; GET IT OFF!!"
Anita appeared to be...wiggling? As though something were stuck in the loose upper part of her costume...
"Um...could you hold still? It's just my crystal snake. She likes warmth, you see. And I guess when you sat down for a nano-second--"
"I don't care! Just get it off!"
The male twin--Jason? No, Jacen--blushed bright red and he moved his hand up Empress's shirt. A moment later, he pulled his arm back, with a shimmering, nearly invisible serpent coiling up towards his shoulder.
"I'm really sorry. She kinda has a knack for escaping from her cage..."
Anita starred.
"Er...um, wanna hear a joke?"
Robin felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Ray, scratching his head and looking even more befuddled than Tim felt.
"Huh. I thought she liked snakes. Didn't you tell me that she had a pet boa or something that one time?"
"Alternate universe. Various personality aspects of individuals shift with the change in reality. I don't think our Anita seems to like snakes at all."
"Well, if that was an alternate universe, what do we call this?"
"Technically? I'm not sure."
"How can you not be sure? I thought you were trained by the worlds' greatest--"
"Shut up."
"Maybe we should just wait for the next inter-dimentional buss stop? Or for Slo-bo to rescue us?"
Robin sighed. Ray had meant to be sarcastic, but the former Young Justice leader had heard of stranger things.
"I guess, yes. That's exactly what we're going to do."
"Huh. Well, kriff."
Robin raised an eyebrow under the mask. They had to get out of here. And soon.
fin
Small Outrage (SW: Ben Skywalker)
Ben watches his father real back from the holo screen when they get the news. Jacen was hiding more than just his darkside nature from them. He was hiding a kid as well. Ben isn't really shocked, but is upset...more than usual. Allana, Allana, Allana...why does this news not feel like news? Why does it even seem familiar? His father is more than understanding when he goes off on his own to meditate.
As Ben pears into his own mind, he rips into his own childhood with a frightening clarity.
"Everything I tell you is a lie."
Suppose the lie is not limited to what Jacen tells him? Suppose the lie is everything Jacen has shown him, made him feel, made him remember...
There was no camping trip.
Ben sees that now. Kriff, he even fought the memory implant at the time, but it had been a game to him then. He didn't realize that when playtime was over he really wouldn't remember things they way they happened.
There were no Ewoks...there was Gorog. That swarming insect entity that he had once felt as a part of himself...no. He had been a part of her. It. Them. Stang it. Some of that childhood brainwashing still stuck after all.
He remembers Jacen's fingers around his throat.
What?
Seven hells...he must have been what? Ten? But why? Not even Jacen did things without reason. Danger. He was putting them in danger by calling the nest to him. He was putting the baby in danger. Baby? Allana. Gods...he remembers Allana.
He remembers her tiny infant face and the wonderment in Jacen's eyes. He remembers the insidious sense of disappointment in realizing his cousin's imperfection, and the puerile sense of triumph in realizing that he actually had some decent blackmail material on the man for once. Ben snorts at his own misbegotten recollections. He's got more than gossip on his former master now. He's got the Jedi equivalent to a warrant for his arrest, and if the opportunity arises, he will take it without hesitation.
Inevitably, all thoughts circle back to Allana. Was she the reason? For Jacen's desperation? For his obsession with running the galaxy the right way? No--his way? Ben doesn't know.
He holds her picture in his mind. Those chubby little cheeks, and those beginning wisps of dark red hair. She's his baby cousin. She's family. This revelation should be a moment of joy in a dark tide of machinations and funerals.
Instead, it's just one more lie that Jacen told him.
fin
Familiarity (DC: Tim/Cassie)
When Cassie opens her eyes, she realizes it's morning. It's morning and they are still talking. She fell asleep on the living room couch to the sound of them discussing Amazonian politics and she's now awakening to the sound of them swapping archeology stories.
"So my dad thought that the amulet that he'd uncovered would make a great wedding present for my step-mom, Dana. It wasn't exactly the most subtle piece of jewelry, but the real problem was that the thing was cursed. It took me a second to figure out she was possessed. I thought she was just reverting to "evil step-mom mode" now that she had my dad's ring around her finger."
"Oh really, Tim..."
"I was fifteen, Ms. Sandsmark. It didn't seem that far-fetched at the time. Plus, my friend Ives had been telling me all these horror stories..."
"Call me Helena, please. No need for formalities at this hour. And please do go on, sweetie..."
Sweetie. Her mom has just called her boyfriend "sweetie." This could be a good sign. On the other hand, it could be a rather intimidating one. Moving a little fast there, Tim? Cassie sniffs. Pancakes. Her mom is making her special apple and blueberry pancakes usually reserved for birthdays and sleep-overs. Yup. The boy wonder is definitely making an impression.
Then again, it doesn't get much more impressive than helping your daughter break you out of a US internment camp and calming her down from a godly rage. Cassie's pretty certain that was the moment her mother became a Robin fan. Finding out that he is equally smart, sweet, and fascinating in his civilian identity is just icing on the cake. Cassie's almost tempted to roll her eyes at his resume, it it weren't for the fact that she's also a little more than impressed in hindsight.
It almost disturbs her how Tim and her mother seem to share a secret little smile as she stares blearily at them from beneath sleep-crusted eyelashes. They bid her good morning as Tim pulls out a chair for her and her mother chuckles a little at his unthinking bit of chivalry. He seems to elicit that reaction from her quite a bit. Cassie tries not to think too much about that.
It's good to be awake and included in the conversation, not just because she's wanted to catch up on events with her mom and introduce her to Tim, but also because it's always a wonder to watch Tim work. And it is an impressive bit of work. She's not sure if it's him being Robin, or just plain Tim, that allows him to artfully navigate the darker bloodier aspect of their adventures in favor of highlighting the funny parts or the profound conclusions.
All too soon, the moment comes in which Tim checks his watch, and it becomes obvious to all that he has to go. Cassie sighs, trying not to sound too childish. He has other responsibilities, but as far as Cassie's concerned, he could stay all day. It seems unfair that he and her mother managed to stay up all night when she, the demigoddess of the bunch, fell prey to sleep and missed seven hours of Tim's company and her mom's good mood.
Her mother seems to sense this, and backs off a ways to give her a bit of space to talk to him alone.
"Sure you can't stay?" she whispers.
"I'm torn. I've had a wonderful time, but it's New Year's eve, and I need to get back to Gotham. Dick and Bruce both agreed to spend the holiday together as a family and I...
"It's okay. I understand."
She smiles and offers him a small kiss. He told her about how much Bruce had changed. Tim loved the fact that the man behind the bat had become more open, almost affectionate...but he was terrified that it wouldn't last. Terrified that something would happen to erase the progress that his new father had made in the past year, and so the young Gothamite was determined to enjoy all the time with his new family that he could.
She's a little surprised that he holds onto her a lot longer than Alfred's Rules of Gentlemanly Behavior dictate, but just as quickly, he's out the door, in his car, and out of sight.
The thing that bothers her most after he's gone, is the fact that her mother seems to be more depressed over his departure than she is. Helena Sandsmark seems to be in a strange little daydream-trance, that her daughter sees fit to awake her from in time to fix lunch.
"Mom? Do you want me to put that chicken in the oven now?"
"Hmm? Sure Cassie. Say, how do you feel about three?"
"Three? Three what, Mom?"
"Children, of course. I think three grandchildren is a good number to start with..."
Cassie sighs. Once her mother gets on a topic, she tends to stick to it.. At least they can agree on one thing: Tim Drake's next visit could never be soon enough.
fin
Dimensional Instability (DC/SW: Young Justice/Young Jedi Knights)
Robin's problem was that the other group had no apparent leader. The one-armed girl--Tunnel Kah, was it?--seemed to be the most sensible of the bunch, but none of the others seemed to take cues from her. If he really tried to make a guess of it, he'd say that the twins seemed to eventually decide what the rest of the group did. The girl, Jaina, seemed to occasionally pull rank on her brother, but that didn't really mean that she told him or anyone else what to do. Or maybe she usually did, but was just too distracted flirting with Kon to bother.
"So exactly how fast can you fly?" he heard her ask.
"Fast enough to give you the ride of your life, babe...provided you're interested."
"Well, hmmm. I guess. Might be fun, actually. Can I clock your speed?"
"Well, uh, if...that floats your boat...I guess..."
Robin stiffled a smile. Kon used his powers to impress girls all the time, but this was probably the first time he'd actually met a girl more interested in his powers than in him...
He looked back to he one-armed red-head. He had hoped to talk to her about possibly finding their way back to both their respective universes rather than being stuck in this inter-dimensional rift, but she seemed to be engaged in a gripping conversation with Wondergirl about Amazon warrior philosophy.
"On Dathomir, it is considered important to rely on one's physical prowess above any outside power. This has sometimes conflicted with the Jedi perogative to trust the Force."
"I get that. Sometimes I wonder if I rely on my powers too much instead of making use of all the training that Artemis put me through..."
Robin's evesdropping was interrupted by a familiar red and white blur.
"HeyRob! Haveyoumetmynewbestfriend? Say"hi"toLowie! Lowie,meetRobin!"
"Grrrahhrr."
"Master Lowbacca wishes to convey his most congenial greetings..."
Bart pressed a button on the talking box at Lowie's belt.
"Yeah.That'sEmteeDee. Ignorehim. He'ssupposedtotranslateforLowiesincehecan'tspeekEnglish--err,Basic,whatever--buthe'snotveryaccurate. Lowieactuallysays 'Hi'. HewastellingmeabouttheawesomeholovidgamestheyhaveonKashyyk--that'sLowie'shomeplanet..."
"Bart, don't forget to be polite. You don't want to ignore your new friend."
"Ohyeah! HeyLowie,let'sgocheckoutthis..."
Robin was about to resume his attempts to find a way home when he overheard a tremulous conversation behind him.
"Do you worry sometimes that you might...you know...be evil?"
"I...yes. Yes, I do. Thought in my case, I think it might be a question of 'am I still evil?'."
Robin sighed. Whoever that tall, black-haired boy was, he would need to get him away from Secret. She was obsessing too much over morally grey areas as it was.
"Get if off, Mon! Get it off; Get It Off; GET IT OFF!!"
Anita appeared to be...wiggling? As though something were stuck in the loose upper part of her costume...
"Um...could you hold still? It's just my crystal snake. She likes warmth, you see. And I guess when you sat down for a nano-second--"
"I don't care! Just get it off!"
The male twin--Jason? No, Jacen--blushed bright red and he moved his hand up Empress's shirt. A moment later, he pulled his arm back, with a shimmering, nearly invisible serpent coiling up towards his shoulder.
"I'm really sorry. She kinda has a knack for escaping from her cage..."
Anita starred.
"Er...um, wanna hear a joke?"
Robin felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Ray, scratching his head and looking even more befuddled than Tim felt.
"Huh. I thought she liked snakes. Didn't you tell me that she had a pet boa or something that one time?"
"Alternate universe. Various personality aspects of individuals shift with the change in reality. I don't think our Anita seems to like snakes at all."
"Well, if that was an alternate universe, what do we call this?"
"Technically? I'm not sure."
"How can you not be sure? I thought you were trained by the worlds' greatest--"
"Shut up."
"Maybe we should just wait for the next inter-dimentional buss stop? Or for Slo-bo to rescue us?"
Robin sighed. Ray had meant to be sarcastic, but the former Young Justice leader had heard of stranger things.
"I guess, yes. That's exactly what we're going to do."
"Huh. Well, kriff."
Robin raised an eyebrow under the mask. They had to get out of here. And soon.
fin
Small Outrage (SW: Ben Skywalker)
Ben watches his father real back from the holo screen when they get the news. Jacen was hiding more than just his darkside nature from them. He was hiding a kid as well. Ben isn't really shocked, but is upset...more than usual. Allana, Allana, Allana...why does this news not feel like news? Why does it even seem familiar? His father is more than understanding when he goes off on his own to meditate.
As Ben pears into his own mind, he rips into his own childhood with a frightening clarity.
"Everything I tell you is a lie."
Suppose the lie is not limited to what Jacen tells him? Suppose the lie is everything Jacen has shown him, made him feel, made him remember...
There was no camping trip.
Ben sees that now. Kriff, he even fought the memory implant at the time, but it had been a game to him then. He didn't realize that when playtime was over he really wouldn't remember things they way they happened.
There were no Ewoks...there was Gorog. That swarming insect entity that he had once felt as a part of himself...no. He had been a part of her. It. Them. Stang it. Some of that childhood brainwashing still stuck after all.
He remembers Jacen's fingers around his throat.
What?
Seven hells...he must have been what? Ten? But why? Not even Jacen did things without reason. Danger. He was putting them in danger by calling the nest to him. He was putting the baby in danger. Baby? Allana. Gods...he remembers Allana.
He remembers her tiny infant face and the wonderment in Jacen's eyes. He remembers the insidious sense of disappointment in realizing his cousin's imperfection, and the puerile sense of triumph in realizing that he actually had some decent blackmail material on the man for once. Ben snorts at his own misbegotten recollections. He's got more than gossip on his former master now. He's got the Jedi equivalent to a warrant for his arrest, and if the opportunity arises, he will take it without hesitation.
Inevitably, all thoughts circle back to Allana. Was she the reason? For Jacen's desperation? For his obsession with running the galaxy the right way? No--his way? Ben doesn't know.
He holds her picture in his mind. Those chubby little cheeks, and those beginning wisps of dark red hair. She's his baby cousin. She's family. This revelation should be a moment of joy in a dark tide of machinations and funerals.
Instead, it's just one more lie that Jacen told him.
fin