"You will not go after him by yourself, young sir," Alfred said imperiously. "I'm sorry, but I absolutely forbid it. Don't argue," he ordered, holding up one hand before Dick could speak. "You know Master Wayne would agree with me if he were here."

"If he was here we wouldn't have this problem!" Dick stressed. "Auuuugh...why couldn't this have just waited until morning?!" Batman would be home in twelve hours, but for now he was away on a mission so secret that only Superman knew where he'd gone. Robin had been left to care for Gotham in the meantime, so naturally the Joker had chosen tonight to break out of Arkham and take over a mall full of last-minute shoppers.

The teen was torn. According to what the Commissioner had said on the phone no threats had been made against the hostages that were being held, but neither had any demands been issued. It was unlike the Joker to put things into motion and then just sit and wait, and Dick could only assume that he was trying to draw Batman to him for some dastardly reason. With innocent lives on the line there was no question that the clown had to be stopped as soon as possible, but Alfred was right that he couldn't do it alone. It would be incredibly foolhardy to go rushing out after the madman all by himself, and even if he succeeded in catching him without incurring any serious injuries Bruce's anger and disappointment would be terrible. The last thing he wanted for Christmas was a lecture, so he had to come up with something else.

There was only one solution he could think of. "...What if I have the team with me?" he ventured.

Alfred's mouth tightened. "Please don't take this as an insult to your team, Master Dick, but frankly I'd prefer that you call Superman. The Joker is not to be trifled with, as you are well aware, and to send six children after him on Christmas Eve...it's unconscionable, in my opinion. Perhaps a more senior member of the League can be spared for this task."

His shoulders slumped. "...But I'm supposed to take care of the city," he murmured. Still, Alfred spoke for Bruce, and Bruce's word was law. "I'll call Superman," he gave in finally, lifting the phone's receiver for the second time in as many minutes. The line rang through to the Watchtower, and was picked up by the very person Dick needed to talk to. "Superman?" he asked, surprised. "...What are you doing answering phones?"

"Robin?"

"Yeah."
"We're short-staffed. I've got people out all over the place on emergencies tonight." He paused. "...Don't tell me there's one in Gotham, too?"

"It's the Joker. He's got hostages."

"Of course he does." A heavy sigh sounded. "Listen, Robin, do not go after him by yourself."

"I'm not. That's why I called. But if you're short-staffed..." He glanced at Alfred. The butler grimaced, but gave a terse nod. "...Can you get the rest of Young Justice here? We can take care of it."

"...I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. But Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." With that, the call ended.

A bare minute passed before the Zeta tube announced an arrival. "'Sup, bro?" Kid Flash asked once he'd zipped to Robin's side. "Superman says there's trouble?"

"Joker trouble," Dick answered. "...Guess I'd better put this on," he added, pressing his mask into place. "I was about to head out on patrol when the Commissioner called. Good thing, too, or I wouldn't have been ready."

"Is Batman on that super-secret mission thing?"

"He's on a super-secret mission. Why?"

"Flash is, too."

"Oh."

"I think everybody's out on something," a new voice ventured. Artemis came around the corner and crossed her arms. "Where're the others?"

"Not here yet," Robin answered. Wincing, he turned to where he'd last seen Alfred. "Are you going to...oh." The butler didn't appear to have budged from his spot, but a spare mask had appeared on his face. Seeing it, the teen grinned. "Didn't know you had super speed, Agent A."

"It's nothing like that, Master Robin. Merely a knack for knowing when one's identity is best kept secret."

"When did you get so zippy, Artie?" Kid Flash queried.

"Yeah, you were here fast," Robin agreed.

"...I was at the Mountain already."

"On Christmas Eve?" KF pressed.

Artemis just shrugged. "It's better than home sometimes, okay?"

"Yeah, but-"

Robin nudged him. "Dude, leave it."

"I...okay."

It took a quarter hour for the rest of the team to arrive. Robin spent the time pacing, aware that he was imitating his mentor but unable to do anything about it. Every time he tried to stop his feet seemed to develop a mind of their own, driving him back and forth across the concrete. Only when the others were gathered around him did he manage to come to a halt. "Okay, guys," he began, "I'm sorry to drag you all to Gotham tonight, but we've got a problem. The Joker's loose," – a vague flutter passed through the other teens as they exchanged glances – "and he's taken hostages at a mall. There's no one else available to deal with him, so...it's on us."

A beat passed. "...Is that all the information we have, Robin?" Kaldur inquired gently.

"Yeah..." He struggled not to blush. Why hadn't he asked for more details? Sure, his mind had been in a hundred different places, but he should have thought further ahead. "...The Commissioner didn't give me much when he called. But we can be there in twenty minutes if we take the Batplane, and then we'll know exactly what's going on. So...are you guys game?"

"Let's get that creepy aaa..." Catching himself, KF looked towards Agent A. "...That creepy jerk," he finished.

"I've never been in the Batplane," Artemis mused.

"Those poor hostages," M'gann frowned. "Let's go so that we can help them get back to their families."

Robin grinned. "Excellent. In that case...to the Batplane!"

The flight was mostly a silent one. Once the initial excitement of having a mission to attend to had worn off everyone retreated into themselves, their faces pensive. Robin knew that they were all aware of what the Joker was capable of, having heard plenty of his horror stories, and he suddenly felt awful for bringing them into a confrontation with the psychopath. "...Hey, KF?"

The redhead, who had stayed with him in the cockpit while everyone else took seats in the main cabin, looked over. "Huh?"

"You're not...you're not mad at me for this, are you?"

"Huh?! Mad at you for what?"

"For calling you guys out tonight."

"Dude, no way. What were you going to do, fight the Joker by yourself?"

"Well...I mean, I could have-"

"No, bro," the speedster cut him off. "That's totally not allowed. I don't want you going after that crackpot all alone. Are you crazy? You had to call for back-up, and who else were you going to call? We're your team, man. Backing each other up...it's what we do."

"Yeah..." Robin relaxed. He'd already known everything that Wally had just said, but it was still nice to hear the words. "Well...thanks."

"Sure. It'll be more fun this way, you know? Scary, but...fun. Oh, hey..." He straightened in his seat and pointed out the windshield. "Is that the place?"

Robin looked. "Yeah. That's it. The Shops at Westward Heights." He gulped. He'd never been nervous like this before, but combining the Joker and his team... If anything bad happens, he thought, it will be my fault. So...make sure nothing bad happens.

"Okay," he spoke into his radio. "We're going to land on the roof and work our way down from there. Stick together, watch your backs, and be careful. The Joker likes surprises, and trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of them. Is everyone ready?"

A chorus of affirmatives came back. "Awesome," he answered, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking. "...Then let's do this."

"...It's so pretty," M'gann whispered once they'd descended into a deserted side hallway. Glittering snowflakes in white, blue, and purple hung from the ceiling, their colors complimenting the decorated trees that ran up the middle of the corridor. The overhead lights had been turned down, leaving only the tiny bulbs on the conifers and in the store window displays to guide them. Had the Joker had nothing to do with it, the effect would have been lovely; as things were, though, Robin couldn't agree with his team mate.

"It's risky, is what it is. He'll have goons around..." He broke off as echoing footsteps reached his ears. The sound drew closer, and a beam suddenly appeared at the far end of the passageway. "Hide!"

They scattered, diving into the nearest shops in pairs. The footfalls grew louder and closer until Robin felt like they were right on top of him. A clatter and a curse sounded just as a glimmer of light shone through the doorway. There were two people, he realized with a jolt; they'd been walking in tandem, marching together down the hall until one of them had stumbled.

"What happened?" a voice asked.

"I fell over this fucking costume he made us wear. Where did he even get nutcracker clothes, huh?"

"Hell if I know. It's just how he is. Just do what he says, keep your mouth shut, and you'll get paid, okay? Here...your lantern went out."

"That's another thing! Why we couldn't have flashlights? What good is it carrying around a lantern all night? And a halberd? How am I supposed to fight off police with a halberd?!"

"Hey, now, I got that security guy good earlier. Practically took his head off. It's not a half-bad weapon once you get used to it."

Robin bit his lip. His plan had been to let the guards pass by unmolested in an attempt to keep the team's presence unknown. If people were dead, though, that changed everything. The man standing outside was a murderer by his own admission; he had to be apprehended, not let go.

"...Superboy," he breathed to the bulk that had slipped into the store behind him. "We need to get those two on the ground without giving them a chance to alert anyone. You're faster than I am, so you take the one further away from the door, okay?" He adjusted his legs so that he could launch straight into a sprint. "We'll go on my say."

"Fine. But I have a question."

"What is it?"

"What's a nutcracker?"

"It's...never mind now. You'll see in a second. Now, ready?"

"...Okay."

"Go!"

The closer goon didn't get more than "hey, wha-" out before Robin hit him at waist-height and knocked the wind out of him. Superboy's target wasn't given an opportunity to say anything at all before he was rendered unconscious. "Wait!" Robin said as the clone approached the wheezing figure that was sprawled out on the floor nearby. "We need one awake! Just take his radio off of him and prop him up against the wall for a sec."

Four shadows approached as Conner dragged their interrogatee into position. "Niiiice," KF complimented. "That's two nutcrackers in the bag, at least."

Superboy frowned as he picked up one of the guards' high, plumed hats and examined it. "This is part of a nutcracker?" he asked.

"Why are they dressed as nutcrackers?" Artemis puzzled. "There's no way they could fight like this. I mean, they're carrying halberds."

"Don't be so sure," Robin interjected grimly. He gestured at the man gasping against the wall. "That one said he almost decapitated someone from mall security earlier."

The team went still. "...He killed somebody with a halberd?" KF repeated.

"So he says." He turned to their prisoner. "...Did you?"

"...Heh..." There was no answer other than that, but the guard smirked.

Kaldur walked a few steps and picked up one of the dropped weapons. "...There's blood on the blade," he reported.

"Oh, that's awful," M'gann moaned.

"That's the Joker," Robin said. "He gives men halberds to fend off bullets, then laughs when they manage the feat. Two nutcrackers in the bag is nothing; we need to find the Mouse King."

"He's not...dressed...as a mouse," their captive, who was still trying to catch his breath, spat out.

"Then what's he dressed as?" KF challenged.

The guard's gaze slid to Robin. "...He said you'd come, you know," he said, appearing to ignore the question. "Said he wanted to make sure you still believe in magic." He shifted, his teeth glinting blue in the glow from the trees. "Just think how happy he's going to be when I bring him not one, but six little children."

Robin stepped back and prepared to fight as the man threw himself forward. His preparations proved unnecessary, however, as both Kid Flash and Superboy literally beat him to the punch. Wally's fist collided with the goon's jaw first, making his eyes roll back in his head. A millisecond later Conner slammed into him, tackling him in mid-air and riding him to the ground. When the teen stood up again, he nudged the insensate man with his boot. "...I don't like nutcrackers," he ruled.

"They aren't all bad, at least in legend," Kaldur explained. "In fact, a nutcracker turns out to be a prince in the eponymous ballet that Robin referenced a moment ago."

"Does that have something to do with this?" Artemis asked. "...Robin? Is the Joker basing all of this off of The Nutcracker?"

"No," he shook his head. "At least I don't think so. The guard said the Joker's not dressed like the Mouse King, remember? Besides, I don't think he'd go that route. The Mouse King is already a baddie; there's no twist to things if he imitates him. It'll be something good, something happy, that he's bastardized."

Not wanting to take any chances, he knelt down to zip-tie the hands and feet of both goons. "Can you hide these guys back in one of these stores?" he asked Superboy. "Maybe put some tape over their mouths in case they wake up."

"I'll help," M'gann volunteered. "I've been practicing my gift wrapping this season. I've gotten good with tape."

"Great," Robin said before lapsing into thought. If he could just narrow down which of the hundred good things about Christmas the Joker might have chosen to ruin, they'd have something to go off of... His eyes narrowed. "...Hey, KF, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"By your feet." Closing the distance between them, he reached down and picked up a flyer.

"Looks like a mall map," Artemis said as she joined them. "They must have had these specially printed for Christmas. I doubt this hallway is normally called '34th Street'."

"It's not," Robin confirmed. "...But look at this." His finger landed in the middle of the floor plan.

"'The North Pole'?" KF read.

"Yeah..." He'd forgotten that the center courtyard of the Shops at Westward Heights was transformed into a replica of Santa's headquarters every December. Even though he had come to Gotham already knowing that Santa was a myth, he still liked to wander through the well-executed displays. There hadn't been time for that during the last two years, not between home and school and the team, but now that he'd been reminded of the mall's annual makeover something clicked into place. "Guys," he gasped. "I know what the Joker's doing."

"What is it?!"

"Where is he?!"

"He's...he's Santa Claus," he announced. "He's made himself into Santa Claus." Remembering what the guard had said about his being expected, he swallowed hard. I'll just bet he's got a 'special' present for me, too, he thought. Great.

"Santa Claus?" Superboy repeated as he emerged from a darkened doorway.

"Please, please don't ask who Santa is," KF begged. "There's no way we have time to explain that."

"I know who Santa Claus is. He's a good man." Conner's lips turned down. "Not someone like the Joker."

"No," Robin agreed. "Not someone like the Joker. But that's exactly why he would have chosen to be Santa; because he's nothing like him."

"So what's the next step?" Artemis asked.

"It's simple, really." He took a deep breath, unable to believe what he was about to say. "...We just have to infiltrate the North Pole, defeat the nutcrackers, tie up Santa, and call the police."

KF snorted. "That's 'simple', huh?"

"Yeah. Simple." It really would be, at least hypothetically; the North Pole never changed from year to year, and they had a map besides. They could do this, he told himself. They could take down the Joker and his minions and be home in time for Christmas morning. His face split into a confident grin. "Let's go do what every kid wants to do at Christmas."

"Capture Santa Claus?" Kaldur asked incredulously.

"Hey, yeah!" KF beamed. "I did always want to do that when I was little. Epic!"

"I tried that one year," Artemis nodded. "I didn't get him, obviously, but...I'd kind of like to make up for that."

They started down the corridor once more. Kaldur brought up the rear, shaking his head as he walked. "A magical man brings you free gifts in exchange for your good behavior, and your first reaction is to try and capture him" He sighed. "...Human children really are strange in some ways..."

Author's Note: My apologies for the late hour of this post. I've had hooligans pulling fire alarms on my property all day, so writing has been scattered at best. I will try to get tomorrow's post out earlier.

Happy reading!