Christmas Eve …

An enormous fire was roaring in the huge rustic fireplace, filling the room with its amber glow; which reflected off of the living room's Lincoln log like walls. The flames were dancing and prancing much like Trigon's fire demons had done so many years before. The Titans and their families were seated around it on rugged leather couches, drinking egg nog and other more potent beverages. Raven and Cyborg were in the kitchen, preparing the evening's feast, and they promised it would be unforgettable. Rita volunteered to help and she was given the role of setting the table in the adjacent dining room.

The "kids" were sitting on the floor, around the huge Christmas tree, which was surrounded by brightly wrapped presents. There was a veritable mountain of cookies on the coffee table and everyone listened to the group's patriarch, Mento, as he shared a story of a bizarre mission the Doom Patrol had on a Christmas Eve long ago.

"… so there we were, in the Doom Patrol jet chasing the Brotherhood of Evil when they disappeared into a bank of fog over Scotland. They turned on their radar jammer and we lost them. Of course we don't give up that easily so we turned on our brand new air sonar system. At first there was nothing, but then something showed up, a faint blip on the very edge of the sonar's range. Cliff banked the jet to the right and turned on the after burners. We were catching up with them and fast and soon we were right on them, we had them in our crosshairs."

"So did you shoot them down?" Mar'i asked.

"We couldn't do that until we could visually identify them, and that fog was like pea soup; we had zero visibility. So we followed them. Then as expected, we reached the end of the fog, and it's a good thing we didn't shoot, as it wasn't the Brotherhood's jet we were following."

"So was it an airliner?" Coraline asked.

"No, it wasn't. I know you aren't going to believe this, but it was a flying sleigh being pulled by eight …"

"Grandpa, that's lame! We aren't little kids anymore." Dylan protested.

Mento raised his hands in a defense gesture. "I can only tell you what I saw."

Dylan glanced at Negative Man. "He's full of crap, right Uncle Larry?"

Before Larry could reply, Raven entered the living room and rang a small silver bell in her hand.

"Dinner is served." She announced in her monotone.

The group quickly rose and ambled over to the dining room, where they took their seats. The table was set with Raven's new Christmas China and with real silverware. The menu was amazing as Raven showed that her culinary degree was well earned. There was plenty of cheerful banter as they served themselves and once everyone was ready Raven rose from her seat, holding a wine glass in her hand, ready to make a toast.

"I'm very happy that we could all get together this year. You are my family and I love you more than words can describe. For most of us life has been peaceful lately as we've all retired from the superhero business, except for Tommy and Teether who are members of Titans East. As I look around our table I see the young faces of our children who have made clear their intention to follow in out footsteps."

She paused, closing her eyes before reopening them and continuing.

"The path you have chosen is a noble one. Not everyone who has powers is cut out to be a super hero. It's also a dangerous choice. One thing that differentiates you from us is that you have parents who care and worry about you. We support you in your choice, but we will always worry about you. You are our babies and always will be, even when you hair turns gray. That said, I know you will be great heroes and will no doubt surpass and eclipse us."

She paused again, then smiled.

"I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. And we have an announcement. Gar and I made an offer to buy this house, and we would like everyone to come back here every Christmas to be together. I would like this to become a new family tradition. Even if you have to come all the way from Tamaran."

She raised her wine glass. "Cheers"

"Cheers!" Everyone shouted.

-( - )-

Much later that evening …

Everyone chipped in to help with the clean up and the kitchen was spic and span clean. It was late, well past midnight, and unlike in the old "Twas the Night Before Christmas" story not everyone was asleep.

Raven was in the dining room, packing the Christmas China back into boxes to put onto storage where they would stay until next year. She picked up a large serving platter and noticed it had a small smudge one it, probably from someone's greasy fingers as it was otherwise clean. She wiped it off with a damp tea towel and inspected it carefully. It had a cheerful Christmas tree in the middle and she saw her reflection on its now immaculately clean surface. She stared at her reflection. Gar told her that she still looked like a teenager and while it was true that she didn't look like she was in her mid forties it was self evident that not even she could cheat father time. As she put the plate back into its box she sensed someone enter the dining room.

"You need any help?" He asked.

She turned to her husband. "You can help me put them away. Has everyone gone to bed?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We were playing Monopoly, Justice League Edition; but we just finished. Chrome Dome won."

Raven took his hand and led him into the dark living room, where the huge tree glittered like a diamond.

"I feel so peaceful when I look at it."

"Me too." He replied.

"Remember when I was young, how I would get all cranky around Christmas?"

"It wasn't your favorite time of the year."

"It's hard to get excited about Christmas when you know that you're The Gem. Demons aren't known to celebrate Christmas. We also didn't celebrate it in Azarath. I'm sure my father felt nothing but contempt for it."

"And yet, now you do like Christmas."

She nodded. "After I left my father behind, something changed. Something big."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Believe me, I noticed."

"Remember how we used to sit together on the Tower's roof. We'd just sit there, not saying anything."

"You didn't have to say anything."

She gave him one of her tiny smiles.

"It's funny … you just understood me. You didn't have to say anything either."

"I was afraid to say anything; you might have thrown me off the roof." He smirked.

"You can fly, and for the record; I never threw you off the Tower or out a window."

"That's because I kept my mouth shut."

"Not when you were younger, you gave me plenty of excuses to toss you."

"And yet you never did."

She turned and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks for waiting for me. Eight years is a long time."

He wrapped his arms around her and they shared a tender kiss.

"It was worth the wait. It couldn't have been anyone else but you."

Raven suddenly jerked and turned toward the kitchen. "I know you're there. Come here."

Their five kids trotted out of the kitchen and approached their parents. They shared a group hug.

"Merry Christmas, my beloveds." Raven droned in her monotone.

More hugs and kisses were exchanged. Garfield cleared his throat. "We should get to bed; it's late."

Dylan glanced at the tree. "Uh … Mom, Dad … do we have to wait until tomorrow morning? Can we open our presents now?"

"Nope." Garfield responded. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"But we can't sleep!" Arella complained.

"Then you can put all the boxes of dishes away in the storage room in the basement." Raven commanded them.

"Mom! That's not fair!" Marie protested. "It's Christmas!"

"The shelf space is already labeled; it should be easy. Your father and I are going to bed. Good night."

Raven and her husband, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and hers around his waist, left the room; ignoring their protests.

Mark looked at the mountain of presents and sighed.

"Come on, let's put the dishes away."

"Some Christmas." Dylan complained as he picked up a box. "You know what, after we put the dishes away, we should open our presents."

His four siblings gave him a collective glare. Coraline's eyes even turned red.

"You know what? You guys are whipped!"

They ignored him as they carried boxes out of the room. He groaned unhappily.

"Mom and Dad never let us have any fun." He muttered to himself as followed his siblings to the basement.

-( - )-

And that is the end of the vacation epilogue.