Sladin or Bust! Explicit One Shots from the Vault of Sladin –

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So, horror suspense image popped up. It will be Slade coming after Dick Grayson like in the Shining. But yeah, this is more of an alternate dystopia feel. Dick is only dreaming or…is he? And, it's a Christmas theme too? Better!

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LET THE LUNACY TAKE HOLD INSIDE OF OUR DREAMS

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The horrific mall Santa line up was a totally hopeless bundle of burning lumps of coal; in the streets of Gotham City, the slickened trail of blood and fire lit up a walkway and an avenue for one to walk along, gasp and stare. Hung as victims of some unnecessary godly squabble, Dick Grayson pulled up his winter hood and walked faster. The headless Santa the least of his troubles as grey snowfall made the city look to its hero. Only to find the dead moon overhead, whispers of what was nice and who…

Who had been naughty enough to destroy the world in a single night.

/

Dick moved as the gates would allow.

Auld lang, indeed.

He walked to a worn bit of wood, provided it was a door in its own right at one time. He nudged the doorway, dirtier tinsel on the other side hanging off like the body parts some psycho had rearranged to decorate a perfectly good abandoned lot.

"Jay, Tim. It's me. I've got the stash."

Candles. Packs and packs from the only store he could rob blind after Hanukkah had ended three days ago.

He whispered a code to get in, the darkly lit air moving about with faces cast in black and whispered of smoke. A match being lit as a young boy emerged from the blackness. The true meaning was a menorah from Bruce's mother, Martha Kane's family that he'd never parted with.

"What a perfectly good time to be together, huh?"

"I'd rather it be with a real tree…" Tim leaned into the wall behind him, his face no older than the night Klarion had screwed up by taunting the mythical Krampus into getting a new body to bludgeon old Saint Nick.

How he'd wished it had been a complete stranger the devil had torn his impish claws into. But, no. It had to have been a mercenary. And a very good one at that.

Dick slunk by with all eyes on him. He wasn't to blame, but he was the reason they were now wanted on the counts of hiding the new Krampus's favorite plaything. (Dark, warned ye hath been!) ''Slade will eventually find this place Grayson; father isn't even done locating Zatanna to stop this madness from spreading across the globe. And it's all because –

''Don't say it, short stack.'' Jason Todd shot a look at both Dick and Damian who looked to the menorah for some wise afterthought. '' Slade was asking him; he didn't reply and…how should we not sacrifice the worst of us off to that red horned psychopath!'' Spat the youngest of the Robins angrily. '' He was supposed to say yes. I would have never stood up a peace offering and let a demon eat the sul of the person I cared for.'' Boasted the youth, his eyes turned to Dick, who put his hands in his pockets while ignoring the last part. '' Slade isn't an unfriendly, guy.'' Dick bit the inside of his cheek. '' He was bashful and, I'm still not interested.''

''Dick.'' Tim put up a palm. "Arranged marriages held societies together." The techie explained as Dick ducked into his collar, seating himself on the floor next to Jason. "It's a pity date, Timbo." Groaned Jay with a grumble and a hand over his eyes. "Dick could have averted all of this by having Christmas fucking supper in the swankiest place and he blew it."

"He, didn't invite me on a date."

"Huh?" Todd put down his hand. "What? Then why is Krampus as Slade so hell – bent on spanking half of our asses? Really? Do elaborate –

"Richard." Damian's face was lit by the menorah's last few flickers. They'd be breaking tradition by burning more oil in it in a single night, but surviving a hoard of Krampuses? That was worth every drop.

"What was Wilson's proposal before he lost to the demon inside of him? Will you tell us, or is this all we can do. Sit here and bicker with one another while father is off healing a sick magical toymaker."

"He…invited me to his lodge. His cabin this season, with his kids…. I was freaked out by that! Ah, so…. I said, no."

"You…. goody – two shoes Goldie….aw… shit –

"Grinch." Tim huffed, feeling betrayed by the fact that Slade wasn't the creep this year.

"It's weird! I mentored those kids, I…I don't want to end up the mistress here! –

~ HO HO HO…. ~

Slade had been so jaded, so controlling in his own way, that he took over the body and became the murdering, messy howler on that very eve. Santa was lying in the snow, licking his wounds while Bruce –

Well, Bruce was safer than the rest of them.

The stamping of hooves and the ho hoping it wasn't the big man in red…. that, was something for the record books to go down in history. While Dick crouched, as the others made sure to stay silent.

Tim however, was a bit too nervous and when a small, stray bead of sweat pooled at his brow. Jay and Dami bit their lips at his ability to be the least inconspicuous than Grayson was getting his butt to the fortress in one piece.

"I KNOW YOU'RE CLOSE, LITTLE BIRDS…I CAN SMELL THE NAUGHTY ONES…. STRONGLY. REEKING OF DESPERATION…." Chuckled the meanest of them all.

Dick tried to stay statuesque as the two others went to cover their middle brother's snout. "I'LL FIND YOU. WHIP YOUR HIDES RAW UNTIL THAT JOLLY FAT FOOL HAS NO MEANING TO THE NAME, SAINT…ANY LONGER. YOU'LL BE BRANDED LIKE CATTLE. ALWAYS MINE TO SEE TO ON COLD NIGHTS. JUST LIKE THIS…." Hissed the hideous demonic devil on two cloven legs of iron. "I'll find you, make you into one of those good little group of boys no more. So, give up and come home for MY Ex – mas…."

Jay puffed his cheeks up, trying not to giggle.

Dick and Dami shook their heads slowly. Idiot. The cloven one was leaving, his ire lost and yet the odor of despair was still to linger by the last, flicker of their menorah…. burning out.

~ HERE'S DADDY! ~

/

Dick looked to the metallic axe in the man's claws. "Slade No! You're not…. I'm not into you like that! YOU'RE RUINING CHRISTMAS FOR EVERYONE!"

"Hey, smart-ass. Did you even think he cared anymore?" Dami sniped at the eldest.

"He's possessed! He just wants to eat us!" Tim screamed and whimpered all over Jason's shoulder. "CAN we Please just fight back?? I'm sick of playing the victim! That damned smack- happy sleaze ball needs a pounding."

Dick still didn't think it wouldn't help, but the tail came too soon, slithering in as Dami grabbed the menorah to fence at it like a sword with many prongs. "Back! Get back!"

" Wheeere are B and Zee!?!"

Tim was sobbing all over Todd's shirt, he was already a mess from hiding in a hole in a dark alleyway.

~Then let Grayson be my sacrifice, and you shall all go free…why not? He rejected my puppets pining proposal… How sad. Oh, ho…and on the happiest of all holidays. It was easy to sink into his flesh and tear what was left of his cold heart away. To replace it with my lust for punishing brats like YOU! ~

"You forgot one thing." Dick's body shook and stiffly he moved, letting the tail be his guide, he got ready to do something dumber and more obvious when it was in the back of his jingle all the way- noggin. When he finally did for another to be…. happy. He internally shuddered at the imagery.

"Slade Wilson…will you…. invite me to your cabin to…spend time with you and your family…. this Christmas? I'm not trying to trick you. It was…. because I thought you wanted to ask me out on a date! Or make me the mistress of your kids! I'm sorry! Your act was so vague, I swear!"

"DICK." Dami stared at the two. His anger teetering on a thin line. "He. CAN'T. HEAR. YOU."

~ Was all….."

The men looked up, Tim sniffling as Jay brushed his snot away in disgust with a groan. "You….had to…"

"Wilson? Is…he is?"

"Slade. It's ok. The world is ok…there is nothing to hurt you. Or me, come on…remember? You can beat me up for real in a spar."

"Dick….bad, bad call!"

Tim pointed to the branch in his tails grip that magically appeared.

"RUN!! HE'S GOT A FLOGGER!" Jason dragged Tim and Dami back as Dick was dragged across the monster's knee. His screaming body asking to be let go of, to apologize for scaring everyone as the horror…the red assed horror!

Tim looked away and whimpered, while Jason seethed at each blow. The demon…leaving?

"It….how is he gone??"

The snow that fell that night became lighter as out of the rush, a tear strewn Grayson looked up to find a panting Slade. Not a demon, banished was it from him.

"ALL …YOU HAD….TO SAY…"

Both fainted, as did Tim while the world was soon lifted of its curse. The streets of Gotham still as cold and empty on Christmas eve while the moon stayed up. Two near dead on their feet enemies, putting aside their hatred for one night as the bat brats made sure to find a warmer place to rest.

And with that, a star appeared in the sky. Todd blinked upwards as it blared down, the cloak of one dragging through the lightened portal.

Zee, and a book in her hands. "Did the Krampus….what exactly happened here?? Where's Bruce??"

/

A few hours later, he smelled wood from a burning fire in the hearth. His heart well away from tracing along with icy fingers as the sound of coffee being poured was his alarm clock. On a sofa in the den of some well furnished lodge, the heads of once proud elk staring down did not impress nor disturb the hero. He rose slowly, seeing that there was no way that had all happened before.

"You up?" A soft set of blue eyes landed onto him. A girl, long snow white hair, and a boy he knew all too well. Blonde curls and green eyes like his mother.

~ Father should know. Let me tell him, lie still. ~ The blonde boy moved swiftly to an attached kitchenette as the noise of one sipping his drink and the rest a grunt, there was another blurry face that soon became clearer the closer it grew.

"Grayson? Grayson? Are you alright?"

Dick clutched his skull. Was that…."Where….are we? Joe? Rose, too?..." He groaned. "Slade….what…what's today?"

"Tonight, you mean. Nearly midnight. It's Christmas Eve." Rose told the hero "off his ass."

"Dad invited you to stay but you went out to grab some firewood and…we had to fish you out of the pond. You took hours to get warm. Dad used the serum to heal you a bit from….but, you're ok now. You decided to see how I was after…"

"Slade…when did…ow…I agree to join you?"

"Never." Slade blinked. "You had a truce in mind since Rose wanted to know your last call from the crisis in space went well…not sure which one. You seemed a bit lost, so. Well, I had no choice but to patch things up."

"Huh…?"

Slade smirked. "Kidding. Renegade. You're still here, nothing else matters. However." He checked the time over. "Santa would be saying otherwise. Get to bed, you two. I don't want any energy wasted overnight. Could bring unwanted attention to us." Both teens moved quickly as Dick wanted to know his age, that dream…it was all a dream? Slade as Krampus…that wasn't real. Right?

"I….Could have sworn I was in a dystopia Gotham where a blood sucking demon took over the city." Dick saw Slade turn back to him, eye sparkling to life. "Who's to say I didn't have you then, to be such a good boy because of that dream. I can't do everything at once –

"WAIT!"

"Hum?" Slade moved, turning to go as Dick sat up. "You…that was a dream, to get me to come home. Why?"

Slade stood, a hand to the man's face as if wondering that for himself, kneeling as Dick saw darkness in that lone orb absorbing his body heat. "Saint Nick is given too much praise for fattening up the world's youth." Smirked the merc in his casual attire for the holidays. "Who says that I'm not capable of reversing the process? Oh, and your brothers are fine. You don't want to be my mistress, really?"

Dick blushed, teeth gnashed as Slade shook his head and chuckled. Hair swaying from his face. "Just sleep here and return to Blud in a few days. See if the cold wears off those skimpy bones if yours. Unless, I decide to fatten YOU up… Devour you !"

/

Dick woke to a squeal from Kori right in bed beside him, Little M'ari whimpering as she crawled under the covers to join her papa. "Daddy? Is the boogeyman, real?"

Dick looked with a blank face out the window. "He's only make believe, sweetheart." He turned to his teary eyed daughter with the warmth if her presence melting away the lady of the cold left in place. "Only in dreams, not in real life."

"Daddy? Why are you shaking?"

"Dick….oh, M'ari….Mr. Santa the Claus will not come if you do not rest in your own bed, little one." Starfire scooped up her baby as M'ari nuzzle closer. Dick whispered a thank you softly as Starfire smiled over her shoulder, taking their pride and joy to her room until he could no longer hear reindeer hooves on the roof of their complex.

"Ba humbug…." Dick was very, tuckered out. Maybe he was going to be visited by three ghosts next time. Maybe, or….he just needed a good whack on the behind after all.

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Silly, dark. Went from dream to alt dream to reality. Like that. So? Read on! Next is a Christmas Carol with Lex and the Titans, and guess who plays Future.