"Ok...open your eyes!" Dick whispered, taking his hands off my face. In front of me lay two pairs of ice skates and a designer faux fur vest. "I remembered you saying you used to go ice-skating with your family every Christmas Eve, but stopped when things went pear-shaped." I gasp. Of course he remembered! He must remember everything about me if I remember everything about him! I throw my arms around him.
"Oh Dick! Thank you!" I whisper.
"Well, what're you waiting for?" He asks.
"A drive to the city square ice rink." I laugh.
"Oh no, Miss Gordon, I have something much better planned." Dick says mysteriously, leading me out the back door of the mansion.
The small pond on the outskirts of the property is completely frozen over. Dick has hung fairy lights and lanterns from the trees surrounding it, and set up a table with two chairs, with piles of Alfred's peanut butter chocolate cookies stacked on it. A small Christmas tree is decorated in red and green baubles.
"Oh!" I sigh, hugging him.
"You know, I took figure skating for two years, when I was eight. Same year I did ballet." He bragged.
"Nice, Boy Blunder. I did figure skating from when I was four, till I was nine." I responded smugly. Dick helped me with my skates, then pulled me into the ice. I glided in front of him effortlessly, I even did jumps and twirls, before I crashed into a snow bank. "Maybe I'm a little out practice." I confessed.
"Just a little." Dick laughed. "It's not like I've been out here for two weeks practicing to impress you...or anything." He said sheepishly.
"Let's see what you got!" Dick skated towards me, lifting me up by my waist, doing spins. "Put me down this instant, Richard John Grayson!" I cried. He put me down and twirled me around, kissing my nose before I spun around him effortlessly.
I had my mojo back. Although there was none, I could hear the music in my head, a Latin beat, of fast and romantic love. I did spins and jumps, letting Dick think he's got me, before I skated away. Then he finally grabbed my hand and pulled me to face him. I almost tumbled over. He started to lift me up and throw me in the air, then catch me before I fell.
"Ok, I'm getting tired. Can we sit for a while?" I begged. Dick carried me off the ice and plopped me on a chair. "Thank you." I whispered, letting him run his fingers through my hair. I leant on his shoulder. "Stop! You're making me sleepy." I sighed. Dick got up, then bent down to the ground, grabbing a handful of snow.
"Can't have that, can we?" He laughed, then throws a snowball at me.
"Oh it is on!" I declared, quickly switching to my boots, getting three more snowballs in the face. Our battle escalated towards the house. Bruce opened the door.
"Dick, Barbara! Dinner's-who threw that?" A snowball hit him in his neck. Dick and I pointed at each other, although it was really me. "You just messed with the wrong Batman!" He yelled, and actually started laughing as he pelted us with snowballs. Guess everyone gets a Christmas miracle. Tim, Damian, Stephanie, Cassandra, Charlie, Alfre and even Jason stood in the doorway.
"May I help you defeat the imbecile?" Damian asked.
"Sure, Son." Bruce replied.
"Oh, no, father. I was talking to Gordon." He declared, throwing a ball at Bruce. Soon every one of us bats were in a full on snowball war. Tim and Damian had built a snowfort and were currently under siege from Alfred and Steph. Dick and Bruce were nowhere to be seen, and Cassandra was hiding with me in the trees. I could see Charlie, the only super powered bat, teleporting in and out of hiding places. She returned with a snow patch on her ribs.
"So, what's our next move." Cassandra asks.
"Find Dick and Bruce, take 'em-" A fistful of snow hit my butt.
"Think we found them." Cassandra shouted, pointing to two figures high fiving.
"Good aim." A voice so deep it had to be Bruce said. Cassandra and I jumped down on them in perfect sync. I tackled Dick into the ground, stuffing his face into the snow.
"Who'd would've thought we could all have fun on Christmas Eve?" Dick said, muffled by the snow. Bruce turned his face to us, half of it covered by the snow Cassandra was shoving into his face.
"Not me." I could see Damian, Tim, Alfred and Steph all running towards us. Guess when you put trained heroes into a snowball fight, it gets serious.
"A disaster has occurred!" Tim declared.
"No turning back!" Steph emphasised.
"We must return to the manor at once!" Alfred laughed.
"What they are trying to say is: You imbeciles let the roast get cold." Damian said bluntly.
"Well what're we waiting for?" I yelled, pulling Dick up. Although he just couldn't resist kicking me back down before carrying me back to the manor.
"Delicious as always, Alfred." Bruce complimented. "We haven't had a Christmas altogether since Damian's tenth birthday."
"Hey Bruce, are we going to do that present hunt you told us about?" Tim asks excitedly.
"I don't see why not!" For once Bruce was actually happy, the whole family was happy. I wasn't going to do anything to ruin it.
We talk for a while, waiting for Brice to finish hiding some presents from his 'emergency present supplies', which are actually just private bat gear, since we open our real presents tomorrow. Not matter how old you get, I think you still love Christmas. And the giant tree with literal piles of presents is definitely a good sign.
Everyone has gone to bed except Dick and I. We were given the long and tedious job of cleaning up, on account of losing the present hunt. I finally toss him the last plate. We walk out of the door and up the grab stair case that splits around the tree. We meet under a moonlit window. Dick grabs Botha my hands.
"Look up." He whispers.
"Mistletoe." I reply. Dick kisses my forehead, before he lifts me up by my waist. I part my lips slightly before he kisses me again. He tastes of strawberry tarts and candy canes. I rake my fingers through his hair, messing it up. Suddenly he flips me around and carries me bridal style to his room. I pull on one of his over sized t-shirts, and he changes into his shirts and boxers.
I fall asleep tracing circles on his chest, his hand running through my damp, snow-flake sprinkled hair.
"WAKE UP YOU IMBECILES!" Damian screams, banging on a pot. It's his first Christmas with the whole team. "THE FAT, BEARDED MAN OF WHOM APPEARS TO WATCH OUR EVERY MOVE, AND THUS KNOWS OUR IDENTITIES, BUT IS JUSTIFIED BY RUNNING A FACTORY OF SMALL, UNDER SIZED PEOPLE NAMED SANTA CLAUS HAS BEEN! OR FATHER HAS JUST BROUGHT OUT EXTRA PRESENTS!" I laugh into Dick's hair.
"You know that Santa just drops off all the toys with our names marked on them at all the stores across the world." Dick whispers. I move my hand to his bedside table and grab a pair of reindeer antlers and a Santa hat. I plonk on the antlers and pull on the hat up to his eyebrows.
I got a sketch of me flying around Gotham from Damian, a new black cape from Cassandra, a pot plant of orchids from Steph, a gun designed to throw candy canes from Jason(Wow, I said, If anyone attacks me, I can candy them to death.) a new communicator from Tim and a new computer, Batsuit, batarangs, rope and grappling hook from Bruce. Alfred have me a large bag of peanut butter chocolate cookies. I gave Alfred a specially decorated picture frame with the entire family in it, Bruce a black hoodie with the words 'Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman, then alway be Batman.' Written on it, Damian a sketchbook and new pencils, Tim a poster of the Teen Titans, Jason a custom ammo belt with a picture of us all in our suits on it, Cassandra a black expandable rucksack with a built in parachute, And Stephanie a $500 gift voucher to 'Gotham Outfitters'.
Dick and I exchanged presents last.
"So, Boy Blunder, what did you get me this year?" I asked. He handed me a roughly wrapped box. I pulled it open. Inside was a black photo frame shaped like a bat with a photo of us when we were ten, and one someone must've taken last night. "I love it! You've still got that smirk." I squeal. I hand him my neatly wrapped package. Inside is a black and blue stationary set, with the words 'I'm not saying I'm NightWing. I just saying that no one's ever see me and NightWing in a room together.' Written on the book. Dick laughs his head off.
"Thank you, Girl Wonder. Thank you."
