Teen Titans – Side Stories and After – Snippets; Foxes Upon Foxes and Magical Girls Galore

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A First Snow – Sealed With a Kiss – Part Three: The Nutcracker Ain't so Sweet – A Blizzardy Heart

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Winter. A winter wonderland was what Jax pictured as she walked in absentmindedly through the doors of the lone curio shop. The collected goods and services of this shop was ancient as Jackie pictured a crystal ball telling her future being front and center. Only, oddly enough, the room was filled full of curious treasures. A mini coffin the size of a mushroom's head, (Mummy anime where kid is gifted kawaii mummy by dad.) a monkey's paw with a seal keeping the magic inside it at bay within a row of torn bandages, (xxxholic,) and a crystal-clear snow globe with a inter scene of two friends pulling a sled together within the outer reaches of its snow-white flakes. A true diorama, trapped in time.

The rattle of the chimes above the shop's door brought Jackie's supposed host out from behind a wooden table and a row of dusty glass cases. She had a turban and a long, pointed nose – Jacklyn wondered if she was from the middle east of a traveling kind, with so many goods from around the globe.

"Nice…props?" Jackie sheepishly rubbed her neck with a chuckle. "Ah, hi. Never seen this place before. Are you new to here?" She asked. The woman blinked back as if expecting Jackie to speak…

"I'm looking for something to give to my –

"I know why you are here, child." The archetypical figure spoke in a crone's tone, yet full of mystery that lay beyond her words. "You wish to change your relationship; to make it as grand as an event that queens might envy. I have just the gift for her then…"

Jacklyn knew a fortune teller, and that woman COULD read minds….

"I saw you from my window as I was dusting. You are the picture of a troubled soul that longs to embrace love, though needs a gentle shove in the right direction. If you will wait only a moment, miss." The witch scrambled back to find her box of items and instead tugged out another snow globe, this one housed a smaller nutcracker from the performance within it. "Kings fought for love and it would conquer all. Giving up, that would mean a difficult path ahead…" She handed the gift to Jax with a set of bony fingers, as if a gift to the girl in front of the witch and not to her client's crush.

"Tell me, child, yet is your father a knight? I do think I know, yet I have only to ask that you do not let this globe shatter to the ground – for if you do…" She raised her eyes with a squint up to Jackie as the teen clutched her prize tightly. Frozen, as the witch continued with her warning note.

Jackie shrugged, with a gulp she only tried to be brave. "H – how much –

"Free, as compensation for an old friend…" She turned to her boxe and began to stack and unpack their belongings. "Do not let it be broken, or the love you feel will also be gone. That is my only warning. Kings fight for love, and when they give in; give up, all is soon then lost…Yet, do enjoy it, my dear! It is a precious treasure, indeed from my collection!"

Jax was stuffed out the door; shoved rather quick, with her boxed up snow globe and raised mind full of endless questions. "What just happened??" She asked herself, as she started off towards her bike.

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Why a snow globe? Why did she say anything! Stupid, stupid!

Jackie rode on and clung to the package in her bag as tightly as she could down San Fran's winding side streets. She didn't like this. Why did that old lady ask about her dad being a knight or whatever? Maybe he had gone to that shop too? (Mother may - eye!)

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She got back and was exhausted, only seeing that another car was parked in the drive. Jax's mouth ran bone dry when she saw who was there in the living room. Oh no….

Why them??

The door opened with a click, and lucky Deathstroke at a ski resort, Batman – It was Ami Grayson.

/

Right as the newest onset of illness had come and left him in his cabin abode, Slade did it again. He whooped as Wintergreen whipped out a box of tissues faster than a speeding bullet.

"What is going on??" Slade panicked. Now having heard that damned superstition from Will and reading about it his paranoia would not quit. He was sure of it! There were mysterious forces at –

"Settle down, Slade Wilson this instant. You can still catch a bloody virus, yet it takes its course quicker on average than an average man's." Will explained to his troubled friend in the den. Slade huffed and wiped his nose quickly before picking up his reports again, only to sneeze and then slam the tablet onto the chair in a huff. "I'm getting to the bottom of this, Will." He growled.

"No, Slade. There will be no going out in your current –

"I'm fine! Let me get a hunt in on whoever is –

Another sneeze wracked his body, this time to the point that he started to shiver. "Shit…" Slade sniffled and sat back down, slumping into his chair like some disobedient child. Will sighed, relaxing a bit as soon as the mad man had gotten to blow off enough steam. Slade was handed a large mug of tea as he chuckled, finding this outcome to be pure torture.

"I really am getting sick." Wilson said, bewilderedly. Impressed that he'd been so nuts not to figure out that the paranoia was due to his tiny bug, perhaps…maybe.

Will nodded and got out a wool blanket, letting Slade's realization – his obvious answer, sink in before adding, "Told you so." As Wintergreen smugly left the oblivious male to his tea, Will wondered what kind of virus could harm the great Deathstroke. Must have been a magical one to take him this over the edge, he decided and swept a few table tops in the process. Letting Slade sip his tea and just, letting him simmer like the kettle in the kitchen for a few more minutes. Like a tea pot that man's temper was…...

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"Un…...believable…" Jax gawked at the room and the décor!

Aiden, Dick, Kori, and Ami were all present. Her eyes grew wide as a plate of Santa's cookies. Almond milk sold separately.

"Jackie?" Ami tilted her head and waved in front of the other girl, lost in space (joke from previous snippet) by what she'd come home to witness. She took her bag and gentle had it on the sofa, not thinking of her actions in that moment. "I…. need to go an' change." She excused herself and rushed for the stairs, letting her mom and dad see how troubled she looked.

She'd not taken the bag…was she really going to be just fine this holiday season?

"Want me to go –

"No, Julian. Um, Sorry, Y'all. Dick? Kori? I need to go see my baby girl in a bit. She's been havin' a lot of growin' pains lately." He hinted to the other parents, who nodded in unison. "Ava and Ann flew the coop too early, I get it." Dick responded with an open mind. He also had girls the two had raised – not counting Ava being three when she'd come to stay with them.) "But don't worry about Jacklyn, Vic." Richard smiled at his old friend. Still that positive influence he'd never discarded; of his face as the reliable Nightwing.

"Your youngest bumgorf has always been very bright. You know she believes that seeing her place where her dreams lie is, tempting." Kori spoke of Jax's obsession with N.A.S.A. Cy frowned. He knew all too well, he should have told them.

"I can get through –

"You were gonna help me finalize our plans for our annual holiday dinner, weren't ya, baby?" Karen came out of the room, waving her cell around with a frown. "Jackie just came in. She wants some space so who are we to start buzzin' on her back? You spoil that girl enough, and she's gonna hate you for it if you keep picking at her. Just… Give it time." Karen turned to a downtrodden Ami and coaxed the kid to come help her with a project in the kitchen. "Anyone else wanna learn how to prep a ham?" She grinned at the girl who smiled back and bounded over, happy to oblige.

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Jackie curled up in her bed and stayed under the covers. Why? Ami was right there! Why couldn't she tell her how she really did feel???

No knock came, so Jax took to changing her day clothing into a holiday sweater her Nanna had bought from some novelty shop in the mall. It was….so ugly. A cat – zilla attacking a Christmas tree in holographic print…. ugh!

Ami was so cute. Dressed like dang blue and white snow fairy with that pig tail combo–

Oh no…

She blushed and curled deeper into the blankets again with a groan. "Anngh! I got her some stupid paper…" Jackie looked over to her door. She did feel naked…. oh crap!

"Shoot!"

She dashed down the stairs as she saw stupid, nosy butt – head Julian picking up her box from the shop!

" Stop ! Don't touch my –

He was startled as she showed from out of no where; the fragile trinket now on its way to the ground as a flurry of white coated her vision.

"No!!!!"

Ami gasped with Karen as they dashed over to the snow vortex that had come from within the shattered relic on the floor. Jackie managed to shout as the snow took hold of the ebony haired teen's body, pulling her into the storm of pure white flakes.

"AMI!!"

Jackie flung herself over the banister as the world turned to cold. Snow. White. Empty.

It vanished with them, as if there had been nothing in her heart but a blizzard after all…A rioting storm as she attempted to quell it, all what kings might do for their queens in olden times….

/

Kori let out a gasp as the flakes died down. The room grew quiet, save for the shattered glass orb on the ground in a puddle of wet splatters to the hardwood. Cy dropped his cup of soda and Karen shouted for Dick to get his butt out of the bathroom.

The doting dads; both now fully aware, Julian shook his head as Kori and Cy both tried to calm him. "I…I didn't know! Pop! What do we –

"We are gonna save them. It was an accident, but stay calm, a'ight?"

Julian nodded, thinking now would be the perfect time to meet the Titan known as Rachel Roth.

Only thing? She wasn't a fan of the holidays.

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~ You're a mean one –

Raven felt her temples throb as Changeling got the feeling he was being watched. "Ummmm…..it's my ring tone….ya like?"

Malchior sniffed and flipped through a magazine on steampunk fashion. "Aren't you going to pick it up?" He turned to the green hero who laughed nervously and did just that.

"H…ello? –

~ B! We need Rae and this isn't a Titan emergency. Just a magic one. Is she in?"

Raven sighed and put down her books on the ancient art of telepathic communication. She wasn't going to learn a new spell this year.

"Hello, Victor?"

~ Raven! Thank X'aal you are well! We were in the midst of our joyous merry making when –

Dick interrupted. ~ A magical snow globe that Vic's daughter brought home just broke and she and Ami were taken into a vortex of…snow, it was –

"I'll be right there."

Mal turned and dropped the magazine. "Watch the tower for us, will you Garfield?" He waited for Raven to raise a portal as the two magi left Gar to explain to Damian as he entered what was going on.

"Why is there a magical gateway in our common room, Changeling??"

Dami scowled, expecting the lax Titan superior to hide his reasons.

"You know, we have a lot of fans in other places…. I had to play Santa in –

"Is Rachel here?"

Gar's ears drooped. "No. Mission…. can't leave the tower."

Sighing, the Titan leader shook his head. "I am going with Wonder girl to…. share in good will. We are going to hand out food to those less fortunate and to visit children in the hospital in costume…" He cleared his throat. "I'd understand if you cannot –

"No! Dude, I mean. Beetle and Zee have it covered. We can go….but, I thought your were going home for the holidays?"

Damian shrugged. "Great heroes need to know the citizens they protect and…. Father is busy this year." He sounded disappointed.

"Well then count me in!" Gar grinned and bounded over as a Scottie dog with a cute argon checkered bow for the holidays from memory, right round his scruffy neck. ~ Lead the way, Robin! ~ He barked excitedly, earning a smirk from the current baby bird of the bat clan.

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I had to put DS in that. The cut off point was too perfect. This is a moral to lesson on sharing our felings and not feeling pressure, it is about acceptance and commitment so keep reading! One to two more chapters to go then I am doing a new years run in Tokyo with the kits! Yumi and the bunch. Look alive and happy holidays!