Christmas was right around the corner, and every house on the block showed it. Roofs, fences, trees, and bushes were decorated with lights, and the more… eccentric neighbors were in a bit of a fork on the road.

Roy Harper glared at Jason Todd, before thanksgiving had rolled around, Roy had lived three miles away from Jason. But after Roy had once again royally screwed himself, Roy and Anna had moved into a bigger house with the extra bedrooms needed now that the doctor said there would be two little bundles of joy popping out this time around. That house happened to be right across the street from Jason.

Kyler and Justin had both turned three, and Justin had finally caught up to Kyler in potty training. The closer the two girls got, the more their parents argued.

"I'm telling you, my house is more festive." Roy growled out.

Jason rolled his eyes, "No, it's to over the top, multi-colored lights? Bah. I'll stick with the white ones, thank you very much."

Kim and Anna rolled their eyes at the men, going back to taking the third batch of cookies out of the oven, swatting away Jay's hands as he tried to grab one for himself. "Jay, you wait for them to cool off!"

Jay sighed, "Yes ma'am."

When Kim turned back to look at the cookie tray, eight of her chocolate shipped goods were gone, and two little girls running out the back door were the culprits. Kim glared at Jay, smart enough to recognize a plot when she saw one. "You better be damn glad that we need a baby sitter that has two fully functioning legs young man. Other wise, you're be in the ER right about now, needing a cast."

Jay's eyes grew wide, "Well… uh, I'm really glad that I just have a wonderful mother like you who loves me very much, and is beautiful beyond comparison?"

Kim paused, before sighing, "You're gonna make one hell of a husband one of these days boy. Until then, you're doing the dishes tonight."

"Love you too mom!"

OUTSIDE:

Justin and Kyler sat on a log in the snow, Justin was stuffing her face with the cookies, Kyler was scribbling down their recent adventures in the book they had taken to writing their code in. Their personal way of writing was boxes, triangles, circles and rectangles with designs inside them, and various lines.

"And then Jay was never allowed to see or call my cousin Caitlin again." Kyler concluded, finally putting her pencil down, "Wow, we finally got done writing down our Halloween adventure!"

Justin looked up, chocolate smeared across her lips, "Do you think we'll have a Christmas adventure too?"

"I sure hope it isn't a long one." Kyler said, "My hands hurts."

Justin pulled her mitten back on, "Hey, ya wanna walk around the woods to try and find one?"

"Find what?"

"A Christmas adventure!" Justin beamed.

Kyler nodded, "Alright, we can take my sled, and try and slide down the biggest hill we find!"

Justin sighed, "Well, it'll do for now."

They headed down to the woods next to the retention pond, but once they got there, Justin wasn't so sure about the sled anymore.

The retention pond was always nearly full to the brim with run off water from the cigarette factory nearby, so it was more like a man made pond, and once winter had set in, it had frozen over.

Justin beamed, "Let's go ice skating!"

Kyler frowned, "Don't be stupid, ginger, we don't have ice skates."

Justin glared back at Kyler, "Don't call me stupid, you fat Jew!"

The girls had heard both of their fathers yell such insults at each other and other people, and considering Kyler was Jewish, Justin had taken up calling her that, whenever their parents weren't around.

"We don't need ice skates anyways!" Justin smirked, "We have boots, they'll work, just like sliding across the kitchen floor in your socks."

To prove her point, Justin stepped out onto the ice, slipping forward, and landing on her stomach, "Ouch!"

Kyler laughed, and Justin glared at her, "Don't laugh at me, Jew!"

Justin stood up shakily again, and started slipping closer and closer to the middle. Kyler stopped laughing, seeing the ice start cracking in hair thin crevices, "Justy, Justy, stop!"

"I can't Kylie!" Justin shouted, fear crossing her face.

Kyler watched helplessly as the ice cracked more beneath her friend, "Justy! Someone, Help! Help! Help!"

Justin trembled, not sure what to do, until she looked up, seeing a teenager rush out of the woods, and onto the ice.

"No, you'll make it crack even more!" Kyler shouted in warning, but the teenager didn't seem to hear her, he just waited until the ice started cracking beneath him, and then he froze, five feet from Justin.

Justin looked up in fear, and the teenage boy looked back at her. He had blonde hair in a tight crew cut, black pants, and a dark grey hoodie. He glared down at her, "Why the hell did you run out here!?"

She just shook with fear, "I… I'm scared."

The boy shook his head, "I can't believe I have to do this." He finally seemed to acknowledge her, "Alright, don't be scared, okay? Have you ever played hop scotch?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He nodded, "Alright, just do what I do." He stepped forward, the ice cracking and creaking. Justin stepped forward too, and the boy reached out, grabbing the front of her jacket, "Alright, get ready to hop, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay!"

The boy paused, "Jump!" Justin jumped into the air, and the boy used the front of her jacket, tossing her off the pond and onto the snow. The Ice underneath him cracked, and he fell into his waist, "GOOD GOD THAT'S COLD!"

Justin and Kyler stared at him as he rushed out of the water, barely looking at them as he rushed past, "Go home you stupid kids!"

Justin and Kyler didn't have to be told twice, but needless to say, they were in big trouble for not telling anyone where they went, and for even trying to go out onto the ice in the first place.

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Jay stepped outside of his room, sneaking down the hallways, out through the back door, and into the woods.

He stopped, when he saw a tall teenager boy leaning against a tree, sniffing white powder from the palm of his hand. Jay stiffened, "I knew it was you, the minute Jusitn told us what happened."

The boy looked up at Jay, smirked, quickly snorted the rest of the powder up his nose, and said, "Nice to see you too little brother. I hear you've got a name now. What, is Four not good enough anymore?"

Jay glared at him, "Look One, I didn't come here to argue with you. What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping an eye on our little plan b." One explained, "If you don't turn out to be a good enough Jason Todd, then that little rug rat you're running around with is next on the block."

Jay shook his head, "Tell father that won't happen. I'm improving already, and I'll reach the level they want by the time I'm eighteen."

One just laughed, his eyes starting to turn red and puffy from the crack. "Try taking two years off of that number Jay. You've got to be able to beat Jason Todd in three years. And stop fooling around with that hot piece of ass from Halloween. Focus on your mission, then afterwards, have your fun."

Jay grit his teeth, "Don't call her that."

One jerked his head to look at Jay, "What did you just say to me, punk ass?"

Jay swallowed his pride, "Forget it, alright? I'll focus on my training, tell father he doesn't need to worry."

One nodded, "Damn straight. If he was worrying, then you'd be dead little brother."

THE NEXT DAY:

Justin scribbling madly into the little notebook, "And then the dumb blonde boy ran away, because we don't know his name, we're going to call him Jack Frost."

Kyler looked up as Justin shut the book, "Do you really think that guy was Jack Frost?"

"He saved me from falling in a frozen pond, just like his little sister, in that new movie!" Justin explained, "And he had on a hoodie, just like Jack Frost."

"He had shoes on Justy." Kyler frowned, "And he didn't have white hair, he was a blonde. And his hoodie wasn't blue. And he didn't have an ice staff."

"Shut up you stupid Jew, I don't see you coming up with any ideas!" Justin snapped.

Kyler crossed her arms, pouting, "I have a feeling I'm gonna be second wing to you for the rest of my life."

"Damn straight!" Justin said gleefully.

Kim froze, having heard that part of the conversation ,walking past Justin's room down the hall. She sighed, shaking her head, "Jason Peter Todd!"

Jason froze stiff, bending over his desk, fiddling with a gun, "Uh oh."