Earth 119.
Dec 25th
Queen estate.
Jacob Lance sat on the wooden staircase, gazing at the antique clock in the foyer as he waited impatiently. Garland and lights were strung all along the walls, cinnamon-scented pine cones joined them filling the air with a holiday flavor.
Where are they? He grumbled to himself, standing up to look out the frosted windowpane. How can a speedster be late?
He turned away from the window, not seeing any lights coming up the twisting driveway, and looked over the balcony. In the next room stood dozens of people all merrily chatting away, some carried champagne flutes in one hand. He watched as they laughed, drank and sang along with a variety of holiday music gently playing behind them. In the crowd, he spotted Oliver Queen and his new wife Laurel Lance-Queen, stuck side by side and cheeks were slightly flushed. Thea Queen wandered throughout the crowd, face giving off a bored air before she caught Jacob's gaze. She smiled in a coy manner, giving a little wave to him. He smiled happily, returning the wave.
A loud series of chimes broke him out of his gaze, making him jump. Finally! He thought, bolting down the stairs and brushing by Moira Queen as she headed to greet the newcomers.
"Slow down!" She laughed, stumbling a step as he rushed for the door and wrenched it open.
Barry Allen, Iris West-Allen and their teenage son Wally all stood at the door, smiling away.
"Come in, come in!" She laughed waving them inside. "Welcome everyone!"
They all three shuffled in, saying hellos and removing their coats.
"Hello Moira," Barry said, hugging her and kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."
"And to you too dear," she replied, smiling and hugging Iris in turn.
"Did you get it?" Wally asked Jacob, ducking underneath the hugging and talking a little too loudly.
"Shut up man," Jacob hissed, shushing him and pulling him away from the parents.
"Boys," she said turning to both Jacob and Wally. "Why don't you go and find Thea?"
Another chime of the doorbell interrupted their response. Moira laughed and opened the door. Harrison Wells stood side by side with his daughter Jessi, both shaking off the cold.
"Hi, Mrs. Queen!" Jessi spouted, giving her a huge hug.
"Well hello dear!" She laughed returning the affection with a squeeze. "How are your classes going at Central Academy?"
"She made the honor list for the fourth time," Harrison laughed butting in and hugging Moira.
"Daaaaad," Jessi sighed, brushing the hair out of her face.
"Isn't a father allowed to be proud?" He grinned.
She shook her head, rolling her eyes before she spotted Wally trying to discreetly wave her over. Ducking past the adults, she weaved her way through the room over to her friends.
"It looks wonderful Moira," Harrison mentioned, looking all over the foyer and into the main room. "Robert would have loved it."
"After the year we've had, I think we all need it," she sighed.
"What's taking so long?" Wally asked impatiently, staring at the clock and foot vibrating against the floor.
"Dude you were late, and you're a friggin speedster," Jacob laughed as Jessi found her way over and gave a little wave. "They'll be here."
"Wheres Thea?" She asked, holding Wally's hand and looking around the room.
"I'm here," she announced, walking up quietly.
"Did he get it?" Wally asked, turning to Thea.
"Shut up," Jessi hissed, elbowing him in the side as her father walked by; Harrison raised his eyebrows at her, getting an innocent smile before continuing.
"Can we just…." Wally started before the doorbell rang again, cutting him off.
They all turned to see Moira opening the door. There stood the Wayne family: Barbara and Jason stood the closest, her face bright and merry with her red hair shining, Jason looked less glum than usual with his short black hair an absolute mess, Dick stood off to the side and even seemed to be in a good mood with Bruce towering above them all.
"Hi, Mrs. Queen!" Babara giggled excitedly, rushing inside to give her a huge hug.
"Well hello all!" She laughed, squeezing the excited redhead. "It is so good to see you all again!"
"Hello Moira," Bruce called back, ushering his remaining children inside; Jason gave a small smile as Dick quickly ducked his head in and disappeared into the crowd.
"Come in, come in. It's getting chilly out there and warmer in here," she laughed merrily as she swept the remaining three guests into the foyer so she could close the door.
As Moira shut the door, Barbara turned to Bruce and whispered something so quietly it was hardly heard.
"Go ahead," he replied with a nod, making the teen smile brighter and pull her little brother away with her.
"Merry Christmas Moira," Bruce said, turning around to shrug off his coat and hang it on a line of pegs. "I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to talk since the funeral."
"Oh it's alright Bruce," she assured him as she watched the children slip into the other room. "I haven't been the most attentive friend lately either. I'm partly hoping to fix that with this party."
"Well it's marvelous, you've truly outdone yourself this year," he admitted, turning to gaze around the room. "How are your children handling it?"
"It's been hard," she admitted, sighing and folding her arms across her chest. "Especially on Thea and Jacob. I would've thought Oliver to take it harder but if he is, he refuses to show it."
"I'm sorry, would it be in bad taste for a toast?" He asked, pulling a bottle of single malt out from behind his back. "Roberts favorite."
"Not at all," she agreed, smiling sadly. "It's what he would've wanted. Let's see if we can find Harrison as well."
Bruce nodded in wordless agreement, extending his arm out and offering his opposing arm. Moira smiled happily and followed as he led her into the crowded room.
In no time at all, they managed to find not only Harrison but also Oliver, Laurel, and Malcolm Merlyn as well.
"It's the same argument," Harrison spat, irritants showing on his face. "Robert managed to get his point across to me, why do you seem so steadfast?"
"Because Harrison," Malcolm groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Investors make Merlyn Global a reality, it's a fact. The people working in each building help to run it, but without the money, we wouldn't be where we are."
"I understand that Malcolm, I really do, but without your employees what good is your investor's money?"
"Gentleman please," Moira broke in before Malcolm could retort. "It's Christmas, can we leave all the corporate sparring for a few days?"
"Of course Moira," Harrison sighed, taking a drink. "Bruce, good to see you."
"You as well Doctor," Bruce nodded in reply. "Malcolm, how are things?"
"Aside from business," Moira warned.
"In that case," Malcolm laughed. "Things are going very well. How is Selena fairing?"
"She's coping," Bruce sighed, smiling sadly. "Arkham has been hard on her but she truly is working on her rehabilitation."
"That's good to hear," Malcolm congratulated as Harrison murmured his agreement. "When do you think they'll release her?"
"Hard to say," Bruce replied grimly.
"Well I hope we see her soon," Laurel broke in, trying to steer the conversation.
"I brought a little something," Bruce said after a cough, taking the hint. "Roberts favorite, single malt, aged 52 years."
"Oliver, would you get some glasses?" Moira asked as Bruce unboxed the bottle.
Oliver nodded in response and disappeared into the crowd. A few minutes later he reappeared holding six scotch glasses with a few ice cubes in each. As he passed them out, Bruce poured a portion from the bottle in each.
"To Robert," Bruce said holding up his glass. "Gone but not forgotten."
"To Robert," they all agreed in unison.
Jacob Lance and Thea Queen quickly ducked out of the main room, slipping away from the party and into a side closest. In a matter of seconds, the whole group of children managed to slip away unseen. Moving a bunch of coats, both Thea and Jacob pulled their perspective bows and quivers free, rearranging the coats and slipping back into the hall. With a wave, they beckoned the group to follow them outside.
"Did you get it?" Wally asked yet again, noting a roll of cloth in Jacob's quiver tucked under his arm.
Jacob ignored him and pulled open the side door, leading the group outside.
The winter cold had lain a thick blanket of snow all across the queen mansion and still threatened to cover it as it snowed more. The kids trudged on, moving farther away from the main house and towards the tree line.
"This should be good," Thea called, waving everyone to come closer.
"Can we get some targets, Wally?" Jacob asked.
With a lopsided grin, he took off, blurring around in a circle. His wavy red hair was the most defined sight as the snow flew and spun. A few seconds later, six targets appeared. Wally stood a few steps away grinning.
"Ta-Da!" He exclaimed with his hands spread out. Jessi gave an excited squeal and clapped as he bowed low and grinned.
"Show off!" yelled Thea, trying to hide her grin of delight as well.
Wally just laughed harder in response, rushing over to Jessi and canoodling.
"Watch this," Jacob said through a grin to both Babs and Jason before nodding to Thea.
Simultaneously, the two archers raised their bows, nocked an arrow and pulled back. They held for almost a second before letting loose. With a slicing sound, the two arrows pierced the snowman's head, almost passing through completely, the red and black flights spaced perfectly and resembling eyes.
Everyone started laughing and clapping before Babs produced a bright red throwing star in the shape of a bat. Drawing back her arm, she flicked it forwards, spinning end over end till it came to rest flat on the snowman's face. Now it had a smile.
Before anyone could react, Jason mimicked his sister's movements with a similar device, this one jet black. The tip struck the snow, sinking deep inside till only a small sliver was sticking out for a nose.
"That's awesome," Jessi laughed as they all clapped.
"Uh guys," Wally started, squinting at their motley mess. "Whys it blinking?"
Everyone turned their heads in confusion, staring at the snowman. Directly where Jasons batarang landed was now a glowing red light, blinking slowly at first but starting to accelerate.
"You didn't," Babs whispered, looking down at her little brother's grinning face.
A small explosion answered her, sending snow and ice everywhere. Everyone dove for cover as the debris rained down. Silence filled the clearing as the debris finished.
"I can't believe Bruce taught you guys how to use those," Thea laughed as she peeked her head up; her laugh triggered all the rest to start slowly laughing.
"That's nothing," Jacob chuckled through a grin.
Very carefully, he reached over his shoulder and fished out a roll of cloth before setting it gingerly down on the ground. He quickly flipped a few corners of the cloth out of the way before pulled an odd-looking arrow out.
"What is that?" Jason whispered from beside Babs.
"Explosive arrow," Jacob answered, knocking the electric green tip onto his bowstring and hefting it up. The head of the arrow was normal shaped, pointed and sharp. The body just below the head was enlarged, sporting a bright silver mass.
"How did he…." Babs started to ask before being shushed and pushed lower down by Thea.
Jacob took a breath, sighting at his target before starting to pull back.
"JACOB ROBERT LANCE," came an older man's voice from behind the group.
Jacob jumped slightly, letting the string settle back into position as they all spun around towards the sound.
Roy Harper stalked through the snow towards them, face glowing red from the cold. His hands were stuffed deep into his jacket pockets with the collar pulled up high to his neck.
"Oh, shit…." Came a whisper from one of the teenagers.
"Uh...hey Roy," Jacob stammered, hiding the bow behind his back. "What are you doing out here?"
"Your mother heard the noise and asked me to check it out," he growled, walking right up in front of him. "What are you guys doing out here?"
"Nothing," Jacob coughed, avoiding Roy's angry eyes.
"Ahuh," he grunted, looking over Jacob's shoulder and at his arrows. He turned his head and saw the bright green fletching attached to his bow. "Hand it over."
With a sigh and grumble, Jacob unhooked the arrow from his string and placed it in Roy's waiting hands.
"Do you know what this does?" Roy asked looking over the arrow and spinning it between his fingers.
With merely a nod, he indicated the affirmative.
"What do you think you were going to do with it?" Roy asked again.
Without speaking, Jacob just pointed at the snowman targets Wally had assembled.
"Do you know what Ollie would do to both of us if he found out you had one of these?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jacob stayed silent, rolling his eyes slightly and looking away.
"You know what…" Roy sighed, looking from the arrow to the targets, before tossing Jacob back the arrow. "Make it quick."
"Yessss…" Thea and the rest hissed happily from their hiding spots.
"Are you serious?" Jacob asked him, hesitantly taking the arrow.
"I'd say don't miss, but I've seen you shoot," He replied through a grin, heading over to the rest.
Jacob grinned, re-nocking the arrow and drawing back the string.
"Everybody stay down," Roy grunted, throwing an arm over the shoulders of the closest two to him and pushing them down in an overprotective manner.
Jacob took a second, aiming carefully before letting loose. The arrow whistled as it rocketed forward. As soon as it hit the snowman's chest, it exploded in a giant fireball. Instinctively, Jacob shielded his face from the roaring heat as the snowman disintegrated into nothingness, leaving a bare patch of ground where the target once was.
"Jacob wins," Jason burst out, breaking the silence after the explosion and causing everyone to laugh.
"Agreed," Roy laughed, a smile breaking to his normally serious face as he looked at Jacob with pride.
"Absolutely," Thea agreed, smiling and gazing fondly at Jacob.
Inside at the party, a very nervous Kaldur'ahm turned his head towards the outer doors. The sound of the explosions trickled to his ears, seemingly going unheard by the rest of the party guests. The eel-like tattoos covering his bare forearms flickered with a pale blue glow before becoming solid black again.
"Something wrong?" Tula, his fiancee, and companion asked from beside him.
"Sudden explosions, close by," he muttered, eyes darting around the room.
"How close?" Dick asked, setting his drink down at a nearby table and instantly becoming alert.
"Not far," Kaldur answered, spreading out his webbed hands and feeling for tremors in the air. "Outside this structure, in the open."
"Are we under attack?" Dick asked, looking around for Roy and the rest of his team.
"I do not believe so, there are no screams."
"We should investigate then," Tula insisted, tugging on her fiance's opposing hand; Dick nodded his agreement.
The three companions looked around and discreetly began to leave the party. Kaldur led the group, one webbed hand held out and sensing the vibrations in the air. They walked past the coat room which had housed the younger children's bows, stopping for a second as Dick looked inside and then shut the door quietly. The sound of a scuffle and the occasional thump of something hitting the house spurned them forwards and to the outer door. The group hesitated at the door, mentally and physically preparing themselves for a fight. Dick pulled two small cylinders of metal up and out of his boots and with a flick, extended them both into two full metal batons. Kaldur reached behind his back, pulling a single silver and black-handled device. With a squeeze, the tattoos on his arms began to glow, racing down to the handle and lighting it up as well. Tula began chanting underneath her breath, her face and bare arms revealing hidden tattoos as well, her eyes lighting up with a crystalline glow. With a nod from Dick, Kaldur opened the door and the three rushed through into the snow.
After a few steps outside they came to an abrupt halt. In front of them was the most curious sight. Snowballs flew through the air from every direction. Thea and Jacob were teamed up, back to back, aiming carefully and letting fly as both Jason and Barbara flipped around in the air like acrobats and deftly dodged the projectiles. Roy and Jessi had teamed up against Wally, throwing as many as they could, as fast as they could as he superspeed around them, laughing as he went.
Instantly, the two Atlanteans tattoos dimmed, leaving Tulas skin completely bare. The trio stood there, rooted to the spot and dumbfounded.
As Roy was chucking another snowball at Wally, he stopped, noticing his teammates standing there in bewilderment. With a massive grin, he formed another snowball from the pile at his feet and drew back.
"Get them!" He roared, pointing at the trio standing in the same spot still.
All the remaining children turned, saw the older compatriots and followed Roy. In a matter of seconds, a wall of snowballs began to fly at the three, laughter following them all the way. With a quick whisper in Atlantean, Tula managed to bring up a wall of water, shielding herself and her two companions. The snowballs pattering against it, blocked in their path. After the assault ended, Tula waved her hand and the shield disintegrated.
"That's just cheating!" Roy called, bending down to prepare another snowball. As he stood up, three managed to hit him in rapid succession.
"I am afraid we would have to disagree, my friend!" Kaldur called back, the device in his hand glowing with his tattoos. A thin electric blue line connected to a trio of snowballs behind him, spinning in the air and surrounded by the electric blue hue of Atlantean magic.
Tula turned to look behind her, seeing if Dick was joining in, only to find him gone; the only thing left was the sound of his laughter.
"It is very unsettling when he does that," she muttered to her fiance, before closing her eyes and starting to chant. After a few seconds, several glowing tentacles began to appear, scooping up snow and forming them into balls.
"Where did your brother go?" Jacob asked Babs as he turned around in a circle.
"I don't…" She started before being cut off by a snowball impacting her head.
Dick laughed out loud, preparing two more and throwing at both Jason and Jacob as well. As they flew, the kids turned towards the sound and began chucking as fast as they could. Unfortunately, Jacob was not fast enough, getting hit in the chest as Jason backflipped and rolled. Sliding through the snow and staying low, Thea helped Jacob up and began to join in. He smiled at her as she grasped his hand and hefted him up, keeping a hold of it for a few seconds longer than normal. She took notice, heat rising to her cheeks before letting go and scooping up a handful of snow. With a laugh, she smashed it into his chest before dashing off.
Laurel Lance-Queen stood practically attached to her husband's side, barely taking notice of the conversation going on around her as she scanned the room. People were everywhere, the West-Allens stood smiling and laughing over by the huge fir tree that Oliver and Malcolm had somehow managed to stuff inside. Moira and Bruce even seemed to be in higher spirits, smiling and drinking merrily.
"Ollie," she blurted out, tugging at his hand gently and interrupting his conversation by accident. "Have you seen the kids anywhere?"
"I'm sure they're here somewhere love," he assured, turning and kissing her on the forehead.
"I don't see Jacob anywhere," she pressed, urgency starting to bleed into her voice as she squeezed his hand harder. "I asked Roy to keep an eye out for him almost an hour ago and now I don't see him anywhere either."
"Will it make you feel better if we go and look for them both?" He asked, looking around and starting to get worried himself.
She nodded, eyes never leaving her frantic search. Oliver excused himself politely, sitting his opposing hands drink down on a standing table nearby. With a tug on his hand, Laurel led him away and through the crowd. Where did he go? Shit, I don't see Thea anywhere either. She began to ask herself, panic starting to sink in. She hustled through the crowd, gaining a few side looks from people when she accidentally bumped into them, apologizing as best she could.
"Excuse me, Bruce, Moira," she pressed, tapping on Bruce's large shoulders. "Have you two seen Jacob or Thea anywhere?"
"I'm sure they're here somewhere dear," Moira laughed, taking a sip from her glass, her cheeks flushed.
"They slipped out a little while ago," Bruce mentioned, seeing the panic on Laurels' face. "My youngest two were with them as well as Harisons and I think mister Allen's children."
"At least they're all together," She sighed, relief washing over her. "Did you happen to see if Roy joined them?"
"I'm afraid I didn't see him," Bruce chuckled. "I should check on mine though, there's no telling what trouble Jason could have gotten into by now."
He politely excused himself from Moira's side, Moira getting an irritated look on her face as the three adults walked out of the main room. As soon as they had gotten far enough away from the noise of the party, they began to hear children laughing and the patter of snowballs making contact.
As soon as they walked through the outer door, all of Laurel's fears vanished. She could see Jacob running around, dodging snowballs that rained from every direction and laughing as he tried to throw one back at Thea.
"See, I knew they were alright," Oliver laughed, wrapping his arms around his wife and pulling her closer to him. He smiled, watching the kids all enjoy themselves.
"You were right," She sighed, a smile creeping to her face as she wrapped her hands around her husband.
As she watched, Jacob slid behind a tree not far from where Roy crouched behind another. With a wave to him, Roy lightly tossed a made snowball over to Jacob, who caught it. After a series of hand signals, Roy picked up another one, counting down from three on his hand before they both launched their snowballs at Dick. He managed to turn in time to dodge one but was hit by the second.
"Nice shot, little brother," Roy laughed, high fiving Jacob as he ran past him and joined in on the fray.
"Oh Oliver," Laurel giggled through a smile. "Maybe we should…'
"Hush sweetness," He laughed, interrupting her. "We have all the kids we need right here."
Out of nowhere, a snowball flew towards the three adults, impacting directly with Bruce's chest. With a puff, it left a white starburst on his all-black shirt, some of the impact hitting him in the face and instantly turning into liquid. His face lost all sign of joy, turning instantly into the terse stare of The Dark Knight.
"Richard, Barbara, Jason," he called, his voice becoming a thunderous boom that made even Oliver flinch.
Instantly the laughing and chaos turned to silence, with everybody turning towards the adults and dropping their frozen projectiles.
"He went full name," Thea whispered, voice seeming to carry throughout the silence. "Y'all are in trouble."
Each one of the Wayne children snapped their heads towards her and glared daggers.
"Relax Bruce," Oliver sighed, walking over and gripping his shoulder. "They're just kids."
Bruce turned wordlessly towards him and glared the same glare that his children sported; Oliver lifting his hand from the man's shoulder and holding both hands up in the air.
"Who threw that?" Bruce asked as he stepped away from him, his voice echoing in the cold silence.
Jason, silent and a look of terror spreading across his face, raised his hands slowly. Everyone turned their heads, looking for the culprit. As soon as they noticed Jason's raised hand, their eyes grew wide.
"You idiot," Barbara sighed, shaking her head and sending her red curls dancing.
Before anyone could even blink, Jason was knocked backward and into the snow. They turned, looking to see what had just happened. Bruce stood still with Laurel and Oliver, but instead of the terse stare he had just had, a smirk was now plastered across his face. Laughter began to fill the silence as Jason sat up, face now bright red and covered in melting bits of snow. The children couldn't help it, the sight made them all laugh uncontrollably one by one. By the time Jason had stood up, there wasn't a single person, adult or child, who wasn't laughing happily. Even Bruce's deep laughing had joined them.
"My goodness," Came Moiras voice, head poking out the door behind the adults. "What's going on out here?"
"Just a friendly snowball fight," Olliver laughed, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Well come in and eat, everyone else is waiting," she said, waving everyone inside.
A loud cheer echoed in the air from all the children as they abandoned their snowball fight and started rushing towards the house. The three adults managed to duck back into the house before the torrent of children came flooding in, Bruce barely getting inside before Roy and Dick shouldered their way through.
They all managed to make it to the table without any fiasco happening. Faces all red from laughter and the run, they each found a seat; Wally and Jessi managing to snag a seat next to Barry. Jacob and Thea found the last two seats, sitting together happily.
"Are you sure?" Laurel grumbled into her cellphone, face showing disappointment. "Well, I guess we'll save you a plate. Merry Christmas, daddy."
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, helping himself to a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes as she hung up.
"Dads not going to be able to make it tonight," She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and helping herself to a slice of ham.
"But he's the ranking Lieutenant," Oliver replied, still shoveling food onto his plate.
"You know how he is, he thinks if anyone should have to be there, it should be him."
Jacob shook his head, catching the entire conversation from where he was sitting.
"I'll be back," he whispered to Thea, getting a raised eyebrow but smiling to her. He scooted his chair out, standing up and walking over to where Barry and Wally sat.
"Can you two help me with something?" he whispered to each of them, quiet enough that no one else would hear. They both nodded, getting up from the table and following him into the next room.
"What's up?" Barry asked, frowning.
"Grandpa Quentin is stuck at the station tonight so I was thinking…" Jacob started.
"You want one of us to speed you there?" Wally finished, smiling.
"Well, yea but also I was hoping Uncle Barry could help me get some food to the whole precinct also," Jacob nodded. "There's probably not that many people there."
"You think you can take Jacob?" Barry asked, looking down at his son and grinning.
"You think you can not throw up this time?" Wally asked Jacob laughing.
"Dude that was one time," Jacob groaned, rolling his eyes. "And you didn't exactly warn me."
Both the West-Allen boys shared a look and chuckled.
"Are we doing this or not?" he asked in irritance.
"You take Jacob, ill grab the food," Barry said, disappearing right after.
"Deep breath," Wally advised Jacob, putting one hand on his chest and one on his neck.
In a burst of yellow and white lightning, they disappeared. After what felt like mere seconds, Jacob was looking at the doors of the Star City police department.
"Wow," he gasped, stumbling forwards a step before catching himself on the stonework flower bed and trying to refill his lungs.
"Dude come on, don't hurl," Wally urged, rolling his eyes and vibrating his foot.
"I'm fine," he shot back, standing up straight and shaking his head. "Just a little off balance."
"Well come on, dad'll be here any second," Wally pressed, holding open the door and waving him on.
They hurried inside, well Jacob hurried and Wally impatiently walked beside him. After opening the second set of glass doors they came to a large oak frame with a desk in the center. woman in her mid-thirties with tight pinned up brown hair stood at a computer screen.
"Welcome to Star City police department, how may I…" She paused once seeing both the boy's faces. "Oh, hello Wallace, Jacob. What are you two doing here on Christmas day?"
"Hi, Denise!" Both the boys said at the same time, making the woman smile warmly.
"Is the Lieutenant in?" Jacob asked.
"Of course," she admitted, adjusting her dark-rimmed glasses on her face. "He's in his office."
"Would you buzz us in?" Wally asked, putting the plastic container, that Jacob could only guess Barry had sped into his hands while he was recovering from the trip, on the counter and opening the lid. "We bring offerings."
"Boys, you didn't have to do that," she sighed, smiling happily at them.
"Everyone deserves a good meal at Christmas," Jacob chimed in.
"Well thank you two, so very much," She gushed, taking the container and inhaling the aroma before reaching down below the desktop and pushing a button. With a high pitched beep, a door off to their right clicked and opened slightly.
"Merry Christmas," they both called to her, waving slightly before swinging the door open and heading through
They navigated the precinct with ease, having been through multiple times; sometimes with Barry and Laurel when they were both working a case. A few officers waved to them as they went, calling out seasons greetings and smiling happily at them. Passing through the main bullpen, they found their way to Quentin's office.
"Go ahead and grab the food," Jacob said turning to Wally. The redheaded boy nodded, disappearing off into another burst of yellow and white lightning.
He walked closer to the door, pausing to knock lightly on the glass pane. Inside was Lieutenant Quentin Lance, his black hair sporting more and more streaks of silver through it with each passing day. He sat in a well worn brown leather chair, the same one Laurel had bought for him the day he was promoted to Lieutenant. On his desk sat a mountain of paperwork and manilla folders, several of which were open in front of him, his pen dancing across the bottom lines.
"Long night ahead of you?" Jacob asked, making Quentin look up quickly.
"Well heya kiddo," Lance chuckled, eyes adjusting and noticing him standing in the doorway. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Christmas party up at the Queens?"
"Mom said you couldn't make it," Jacob replied, sliding out a metal chair from the wall and sitting in it.
"Yea, I'm sorry about that," He admitted, sighing and rubbing his eyes. "This mountain of bureaucracy here is going to keep me pretty late. Plus there's men and women out there who aren't able to spend it with their families, wouldn't be fair for me to skip out on them."
"I understand that," Jacob nodded, fiddling with a paperweight on the desk.
A cheer came from the bullpen outside the door, causing Lance to look up and frown.
"What in the world…." He grunted, standing up from his chair and walking over to the window. Looking out all he could see was his entire staff huddled around in a group. With a shake of his head, he scooted past Jacob and leaned out his door.
"Walters!" he called, making a heavier set detective closest to the door jump and turn. "What's all the ruckus?"
"A Christmas miracle, Lieutenant!" The fat detective answered back, hustling over to the group.
"Stay here a minute," Lance ordered Jacob, following Walters and shouldering his way through the crowd.
After a few grunts and a rough shove, the crowd managed to part for the Lieutenant. In the center of the crowd sat two folding tables, covered in dishes of food. The aroma rolling off of them seemed to be the cause of the clamor. He stood there for a second, dumbfounded and confused before the crowd surged forward and began to hustle him away from the table.
"Alright, you friggin vultures!" He growled, pushing himself a path back towards his office. "Where did this come from?"
His question was lost in the clamor to get the plates and to dig in. He looked around the room, expecting his question to be answered at least by someone. Instead, he found both Barry and Wally standing to the side and laughing.
"Allen!" Lance called, storming over to him. "Was this your doing?"
"No sir, Lieutenant," Barry laughed, shaking his head. "I helped, but it wasn't entirely my idea."
He looked down at Wally, wordlessly asking the same question; Wally just watched and laughed. In a matter of seconds, the realization began to hit Quentin. Putting the pieces together, he turned back towards his office to find Jacob standing in the doorway. A smile was plastered across his teenage grandson's face.
"Was this your idea?" He asked in a slightly gentler tone.
"You said you couldn't make it," Jacob repeated, smiling and nodding. "So I asked Uncle Barry and Wally for some help bringing dinner to you and your men."
"You…how...I…" Lance stammered, scratching his head. "Ah hell, come here kiddo."
In a matter of seconds, Quentin had picked Jacob up and held him in a bearhug, laughing the whole time.
"Gramps.." Jacob choked out. "Come on...put me down…"
With one last squeeze, Lance sat him down and groaned. Straightening his back, a loud series of pops rang out and he coughed.
"Great spread Lieutenant," came a call from one of the officers as they passed, carrying paper plates piled so high full of food that they threatened to cave in.
"This is awesome, thank you," came another.
"Welcome, your welcome," Lance blustered, shaking the men's free hands and saluting the ones who had both hands full. "Now I had better not see a single one of you nodding off!"
A laughing cheer and a series of affirmations rang out as the crowd dispersed.
"I'm so friggen proud of you," Quinten beamed, gripping Jacob by the shoulder and starting to mist up a little in his eyes. "But you should get back to that party before your mother has my head."
With a sigh and a laugh, Jacob nodded, squeezing Quentin's hand before heading over to where Wally and Barry waited.
"Thank you two boys as well," Quentin called before they all three waved.
With a burst of yellow and red lightning this time, they vanished from sight; papers scattering from the closest desk. After shaking his head, his smile still plastered all across his face, he knelt down to pick them up. With a quick look to see who they belonged to, he tossed them on a desk and headed to claim his own bounty of food.
Coming to a literal screeching halt, the trio made it back to the Queen mansion. Jacob let out a gasp, this time managing not to lose his balance.
"That was a pretty awesome thing you two did," Barry told the two younger boys as they started towards the dining room, gaining a smile from each.
The three adjusted their clothes, slightly askew from super speeding and sat back down in their seats.
"Where did you three go?" Oliver asked, looking up from what Jacob could only guess was his second plate of food.
"Running an errand," Barry laughed, winking at both the boys and grinning; Oliver looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Before he could ask again, Laurel's phone began to ring. With a startled jump, she reached down and checked out the name flashing across the screen. After frowning at it slightly, she tapped it twice.
"Daddy?" she asked, worry starting to flood her flood. "What's wrong?"
"Nothings wrong sweetheart," He assured her. "I had a little visit from my grandson a few minutes ago."
"You...wait what?" She asked, confused and looking Jacobs way; He put on his best innocent look and continued helping himself to food.
"Yeah, Jacob, Wally, and Barry showed up at the precinct," Quentin went on, his voice changing to a laugh. "The three of them brought the whole place food. Did you know about it?"
"What..I," She choked up, looking at Jacob and started to cry. "No, I didn't know anything about it."
"What did you do…" Oliver growled at Jacob, looking from Laurel to the young man a few times.
Laurel wordlessly laid a hand on his and made a shushing noise.
"Well you should be proud of him," Lance went on. "Barry said it was completely Jacob's idea. Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you, and Merry Christmas babydoll."
"Merry Christmas, daddy," She managed to get out between tears before she tapped the phone again to hang up.
"What's wrong hun?" Oliver asked again, more urgently and squeezing her hand.
"Nothings wrong," She replied, kissing him. "I'm just proud of our son. He took Quentin and the precinct Christmas dinner."
"Is that where you three went off to?" Oliver asked, looking from Barry to Wally then to Jacob.
"The kid had a good idea," Barry said simply, heaping on more food to his now empty plate as Wally nodded, face stuffed full.
"Why'd you do it?" Oliver asked, staring Jacob down.
"Simple," Jacob sighed, sitting down his fork and wiping his mouth on his napkin. "Grandpa couldn't come. Plus its Christmas, if people can't be with their families because they're doing the right thing, they at least deserve a good meal. Everyone at this table, and a few people who aren't here, have done countless things for me. It was the right thing to do."
Oliver sat there for a few seconds, completely shocked. Everyone looked at Jacob in amazement, making him frown and start to feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Thirteen years old and already starting to act like his father," Moira laughed, standing up and walking over to hug Jacob.
"Let's just hope that's all of me that he emulates," He whispered sheepishly, gaining an elbow to the ribs from Laurel.
A chuckle of amusement and then a slow clap began to fill the air. Un-seen to anyone at the table, Thea's hand snuck over to Jacobs. With a smile and delicate movement, she slipped her fingers around his.
A few hours later, and several platefuls of food for each speedster, the entire party had moved back into the main room. The adults managed to find seats ranging from the few couches that remained, to the standing chairs next to small bar tables.
"Come on children," Moira urged, beckoning them all closer to the massive fir tree. "Presents."
"It is still strange to me," Kaldur whispered to Tula, the two sitting slightly apart from the rest. "I will never understand this ritual."
"Shush," Tula giggled.
All of the younger children, after some protests, circled around the tree in front of Moira. After asking for a bit of help from Bruce, she managed to corral an assortment of oddly wrapped packages within arms reach.
"Wally looks like yours is first up," she called, tossing it to him where he sat.
Without even waiting for it to reach him, Wally super sped up, snatched the package out of mid-air and had it unwrapped in a split second. Wrapping paper flew everywhere with all the adults laughing and the older children trying to gather up the scraps.
"Sweet!" he cried out, holding up a pair of yellow and red sneakers with bright white laces. "New shoes!"
"They're not just regular shoes either," Bruce commented, pointing down at the tag attached to the tongue. "Take a look."
He obeyed, peering inside the shoe to the label and found both a Wayne Enterprises logo alongside a Star Labs symbol.
"Took us weeks to figure out," Harrison explained. "With your abilities kicking in full swing, it was either keep buying you new shoes, once you charred a pair, or figure out how to make a friction proof pair."
"You made these?" Wally asked, looking from his dad, to Bruce then to Harrison.
"It was a group effort," Barry laughed, raising the glass he held in salute to both Harrison and Bruce.
"Jessi, your next," Moira called, as Wally launched into hugs and thank yous to everyone involved. She hefted up a rigid stack that looked fairly heavy and nudged it over to her.
"Please be books, please be books, please be books," Jessi whispered, gleefully tearing through the paper as fast as she could.
She was right, revealing a stack of four different textbooks, each one's size rivaling a normal phonebook.
"Quantum Entanglement Theory, Nostradamus Prophecy Compendium(Harrison muttered something about him being a complete crackpot, under his breath.) Einstein: metahuman? And A complete history of Arkham Asylum," She called out, reading each of the titles.
"Selena found that last one," Bruce called to her. "She wanted you to know she was thinking of you and is just as proud of you as the rest of us."
"Would you thank her for me, the next time you see her?" Jessi asked, holding onto the one book and smiling happily at Bruce; he nodded. "Thank you, everybody!"
"You're welcome dear," Moira cooed, picking up another one, this one seeming to be lighter and slightly longer than the rest. "Jacob, I'm pretty sure this one is for you."
He took it willingly, fumbling with it slightly when he found it to be lighter than he thought.
"What is it?" He asked, shaking it slightly and listening to a metallic rattle come from inside.
"Open it, silly," he heard Laurel call from the couch behind him.
Without an argument, he tore into the wrapping. After shredding the middle section out, he flung the two outer ends revealing a new solid black compound bow and a leather quiver. Inside the quiver was a dozen metallic arrows with real feathers attached as flights, each arrow being tied together so it didn't fall out. He gazed at the quiver, running his fingers over the warm brown leather, feeling the feather-like texture that adorned it. At the very top, his fingers met a metal emblem, turning it over and staring at it for a second.
"It's a blackbird," he whispered, fingers tracing the outline.
"I figured it was time," Oliver called, smiling happily at him. "Instead of using my old quiver all the time, you should have one of your own."
"Its…" he started, turning back around to look at Laurel and Oliver smiling at him. "It's perfect...Mom...Dad ...thank you."
"It wasn't just us," Laurel admitted, standing up to hug him. "Roy made the arrows."
"It was nothing," Roy admitted, waving off the attention. "I have a few sets made for you as you grow."
"The bow was made in our new fabricator," Harrison chimed in. "We needed something to put it through its paces, and that came out perfect."
"Is that a new blend of composite steel?" Bruce asked, looking over the bow. "Do you think I could take a look at the designs?"
"I'll fax the specs over to Lucius in R&D in the morning," Harrison agreed, smiling and taking a drink.
"Thea, there's one for you," Moira called as Bruce got up to talk to Harrison, the two men chattering over at a separate table.
A light sack of paper was handed over to Thea, Moira having no trouble lifting and moving it. Thea carefully and wordlessly opened it up, peering inside and pulling out a series of dark red and black colored dresses. Olliver snickered, as she did so, gaining another smack from Laurel.
"They're beautiful," Thea said happily, holding one up to her slender frame and stretching it out to see. "What do you think, Jacob?"
"They're...um.." He coughed, finding his throat suddenly dry.
Everybody chuckled and giggled respectively, seeing Jacob's poor face start to redden slightly.
"Moira, I think there's another one in there for her as well," Iris called, pointing to a smaller package.
"Oh, how did I miss that?" Moira laughed, scooping it up and handing it to Thea.
"What is it?" Thea asked, tearing open the simple brown paper.
Inside was a black and red tasseled leather motorcycle jacket, complete with armor. Instantly all laughter was gone from Oliver's face, instead, a look of panic spread across it with his eyeballs growing wide.
"Does this mean I'm getting that motorcycle?" She asked expectantly to Moira.
"I don't think so, dear," Moira grumbled, looking at the tag to see who it was from.
"It still looks awesome, either way," Thea cheered, spinning it around and putting it on. "Thank you to…." She tried to look at the tag before Moira quickly folded it up and hid it from her, gaining a frown.
"You're welcome," Both Iris and Laurel said at the same time, instantly gaining confused looks from each husband.
"Well anyway," Moira coughed, fishing around for the next child present. "Barbara, your next."
She handed the squeaking redhead a package, but before Jacob had a chance to see her open it, he was being tugged away by Thea.
"What?" He tried to ask before being shushed and waved to follow her.
"Shut up and come here," She urged, pulling him by the hand into the hallway and slipping into the next room.
"Thea what…" he tried again before being interrupted by her.
"I have a present for you, from just me," She whispered, urging him forward before stopping him at a fixed spot. "I didn't want to give you it in front of everybody."
"What do you mean?" He asked, finally able to get a whole sentence out.
She wordlessly pointed up, smiling. He frowned at her, not understanding until she started jabbing her finger up in the air a few times. Looking up, he finally saw what she was pointing at. Dangling from the ceiling and tied with a red bow, was a sprig of green and white looking plants. Each sprig seemed to have a pale white berry attached to it.
"Mistletoe," Thea muttered, face starting to blush.
Taking his eyes off the plant, he looked down just in time to see Thea rushing at him. Unable to react, he was greeted by the warm touch of her lips. What the...he thought to himself, freezing and caught off guard. Thea opened her eyes, seeing the expression of panic on his face.
"Oh Rao…." she sighed, taking a step back from him. "I shouldn't have done that, I…"
Regaining his senses and before she could finish babbling, he closed the distance between them and kissed her back. This time neither one froze, instead, Jacob reached around her, pulling her closer to him and holding tight to her. Thea smiled into his kiss, putting a hand on his back and one in his hair. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into what felt like hours as they both enjoyed the embrace.
Jessi and Wally silently peeked around the corner of the room, spying the two lovebirds in their liplock; Wally snickering as Jessi cooed in awe. Unfortunately for the two, neither one was very quiet. The sudden sound and presence of onlookers broke Jacob and Thea from their daze, lips parting and heads turning in the direction of the noise. Wally started to hoot and cheer in delight for his surrogate brother, with Jessi beginning to cheer. Instantly, Jacob's face reddened before a grin crept to his face.
"Hey Wally," He called, pointing up above where Wally was standing. "Look up dude."
Wally's head snapped upwards, eyes threatening to bulge out of his head when he spied another sprig of mistletoe above both his and Jessi's head.
"Now you two have to kiss," Thea called, giggling at the sight.
Now it was opposing couples turn to shade red, with Wally and Jessi blushing as Jacob and Thea laughed. Wally regained his composure pretty quick, leaning over to kiss Jessi quickly on the cheek.
"Oh come on," Jessi laughed, grabbing Wally by the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. "Kiss me like you mean it."
Wally grinned, leaning in and giving her an overly dramatic kiss, making both Thea and Jacob roll their eyes.
"Come on," Thea said, taking Jacob's hand and pulling him back towards the main room. "I want to see what cool gadgets the Waynes got."
Jacob nodded, gripping Theas hand tighter and refusing to let go. As they passed Jessi and Wally, still goofing about and overselling it, they joined them in their return.
When the four reached the main room, Jessi and Wally walked off to sit on an empty couch, leaving both Thea and Jacob standing in the doorway, still holding hands. Laurel noticed the change, turning her head and spying the hand of the two clasped together. With a nudge to her husband, she discreetly pointed it out to Oliver.
"Well it's about time," he chuckled, low enough not many others took notice, but loud enough the couple heard him.
There will be one more remaining chapter in Birth of The Blackbird.