Fic: 12 Years of Christmas 6/12: It's a Wonderful Life [DCU: Tim/Cissie]
Title: 12 Years of Christmas, 6/12
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Bruce and Tim try to duck an age-old Bat-family tradition.
Note: According to our calculations and timeline, this is Tim and Cissie's fourth year of college. Dick, Roy and Lian alternate Christmases between the Bat and Arrow families; some years they do Christmas Eve in Gotham and Christmas Day in Star City. They are well-traveled.
PS--It is not only her fathers that Lian has wrapped around her little finger.
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
6. Year 8: It's a Wonderful Life
~*~
"Tim, I need you to run that chemical analysis again-there's an anomaly I want to check on. If it's not just a glitch, it's something we should look into."
Tim nodded. "On it."
“Grampa Bruce. Uncle Tim,” Lian called, entering the Cave. “You said you weren’t working tonight.”
Tim shot Bruce an uneasy look.
"Something came up," Bruce said, and it was only Tim's long experience with the man that allowed him to hear the discomfort in his voice.
“What?” She asked, climbing on the back of Bruce’s chair.
Tim eyed her warily. "Some new evidence on an open investigation," he said carefully. "But you go ahead upstairs and tell Dick to start the movie-we'll be up as soon as we can."
Lian shook her head. “Papa said we can’t start it until everyone is there. It’s a tradition.” She leaned forward and hooked her arms around Bruce’s neck. “You promised you weren’t going to work tonight.”
"I'm sorry, it was unavoidable," he said stiffly.
She pouted. “You had to work on Thanksgiving,” she said petulantly. “And it’s Christmas Eve.”
Bruce shot Tim a desperate look, and he spoke up. "We're really sorry, Lian. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours-we'll be up by the time the movie is over, I promise."
She gave him a suspicious look. “You’ll miss it. It’s a tradition.”
"Like I said, we're really sorry," Tim said, trying to sound sincere.
“Sorry about what?”
Tim shot Bruce a look of naked panic. "Fix this," he mouthed silently.
"He's sorry that we have to work a little while tonight," Bruce said, glancing up at Cissie as she came into view. "It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours."
“Hmm.” She stopped behind Tim, dropping a hand to his shoulder. “That’s too bad,” she said dryly. “Something came up?”
He nodded once. "Yeah-but we'll be up as soon as we can."
“Oh, that’s fine,” Cissie said lightly. “Dick said we’ll wait.”
Tim froze. "You… really don't have to-it could get late."
“We can always watch it tomorrow.”
"You shouldn't break tradition on our account," Bruce said, sounding choked.
Lian tugged on Bruce’s shoulders. “Please, Grampa Bruce? It’s not the same if you don’t watch it with us!”
Cissie leaned down and kissed Tim’s cheek, whispering, “Give it up, sweetheart. It’ll be less painful in the long run, I promise. You don’t want to know what Dick’s got planned if you two skip out tonight.”
"Dare I ask?" he muttered in an undertone.
“He wouldn’t tell me, but I saw his DVD stash.”
"Possible frontrunners?"
Cissie raised an eyebrow at him. “A Christmas Carol-not the Muppets. And The Grinch.”
He hesitated a moment, considering. Finally he stood. "All right, this can wait." Bruce shot Tim a dark look, but he shook his head. "No-you don't know what we're being threatened with. This is why you have a Robin-to help you do the right thing on the tough calls. We're going upstairs."
Lian cheered and hopped in place, clapping before she grabbed Bruce’s hands and began pulling him from his chair. She dragged him across the Cave to the stairs leading to the Manor, chattering excitedly. Cissie took Tim’s hand and squeezed it, following them. “It’s not that bad,” she said to him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Three words: Charlie. Brown. Christmas."
Cissie couldn’t help wincing before shooting him a narrow look. “Okay, fine,” she said grudgingly. “But I have watched that with you for four years now and I don’t complain half as much as you do.”
Tim made a disgruntled noise. "Maybe. But Dick's been doing this since before he had you to back him up. It's almost as much of a tradition for Bruce and I to try to duck it as it is for us all to watch it."
Cissie shook her head. “I think it’s a nice tradition.” She raised an eyebrow. “Not the ducking out, mind you.”
"Mmph. Say that again after a long patrol. We had to watch it twice that year, because Bruce and I fell asleep."
She smirked a little. “Would you have rather been subjected to The Grinch?”
He gave her an indignant look. "That one wasn't even out yet."
“True,” she admitted. “But there’s always A Christmas Carol.”
"That was the revenge movie. He was kind of pissed that we fell asleep."
She laughed and stopped him before they followed Lian and Bruce into the rec room. “Then don’t fall asleep,” she said lightly, putting her arms around his waist. “Can you at least pretend it’s not cruel and unusual punishment to watch a movie with your family?”
He let out a dramatic sigh. "Only if I get to sit between you and Bruce. I love my family-" he said quickly. "But only Bruce shares my dislike of this movie, and we need to stick together."
“Well, I hope you sit with me,” she replied. “But if you and Bruce are going to make snide remarks through the whole thing and ruin it for me, I’m going to go sit with Lian and maybe I’ll spend the night with her.”
Tim frowned. "We'll be quiet."
“Hmm.” She kissed him lightly. “I happen to like this movie.”
"I know," he said with a slight grimace.
She sighed and shook her head. “We’d better go in before Dick comes looking for us.”
"All right," he said. He took her hand and tugged at it until she turned toward him. "I love you. I'm sorry I'm so difficult."
She made a face and hugged him. “It’s a good thing I love you so much,” she said.
"A very good thing," he agreed, kissing her lightly on the nose. "Shall we?"
She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “Let’s go. You only have to watch It’s A Wonderful Life once a year, so I think you’ll live.”
"Probably," he agreed, walking slowly toward the room, where he could already hear Dick teasing Bruce for trying to avoid the tradition this year. "But couldn't we watch Die Hard instead one year?"
She snorted, elbowing him lightly. “You can keep trying, but that will never be a Christmas movie.”
"Why not?" Tim asked. He held his hand up and began ticking off his fingers as they entered the rec room. "It takes place at Christmas time. There is Christmas music. It has a heartwarming message. How it is not a Christmas movie?"
“Give it up,” she told him. “Not gonna happen.”
He made a disgruntled noise and dropped into his usual Christmas position on the couch next to Bruce. He glanced up at the older man. "I tried."
Dick looked up from putting the DVD into the player and raised an eyebrow at Cissie. “Die Hard?”
She nodded, sitting next to Tim. “Of course.”
Dick rolled his eyes as he hit the play button on the DVD's menu. "And he was ritually shot down, as usual?"
“Of course,” Cissie replied, smiling at Tim’s eye rolling.
“Shh!” Lian commanded from her spot at Roy’s feet. “It’s starting!”
“Sorry Princess,” Dick murmured, dropping a kiss on the top of her head on his way to his seat.
Tim leaned close to Bruce as the prayers stopped and the stars started talking. "Now, I know we've seen some weird stuff," he muttered in an undertone. "But I'm pretty sure astronomy doesn't work that way."
Cissie elbowed him. “It’s hardly started! If this is an indication of how you’re going to behave, I’m moving now.”
He gave her a sheepish look while Bruce laughed quietly. "Sorry. I'll try to be good." This earned another almost silent laugh from Bruce, but he ignored it.
“Uh huh,” she grunted.
Tim made a face. "Well, maybe not good, but not horrible, either."
Cissie rolled her eyes, leaning back against him. “I’ll believe it when I see it, Mister.”
"What, I really will try…" his voice trailed off as Bruce muttered something under his breath. He snickered lightly.
She sighed. “You’re both impossible.”
"You love us anyway?" Tim asked hopefully.
She heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Despite your clear lack of culture, against all reason, apparently I do.”
He smiled contentedly and leaned over to kiss her. "Lucky us," he murmured.
“Be quiet,” Lian called, turning to glare at them.
“Sorry, Lian,” Cissie called. She kissed Tim back and settled back against him, muttering, “Now behave. Both of you.”
They each made a noncommittal noise and smirked silently at the television screen.
"Yeah. Right."
~*~
Tomorrow, Part 7: Baby, It's Cold Outside.
Authors: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Continuity: Follows Young Justice and Teen Titans and main continuity up to the OYL events of Flash 13, then deviates.
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie.
Rating/Warnings: PGish
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Summary: Bruce and Tim try to duck an age-old Bat-family tradition.
Note: According to our calculations and timeline, this is Tim and Cissie's fourth year of college. Dick, Roy and Lian alternate Christmases between the Bat and Arrow families; some years they do Christmas Eve in Gotham and Christmas Day in Star City. They are well-traveled.
PS--It is not only her fathers that Lian has wrapped around her little finger.
Each of the twelve parts of this fic take place on a different year--they *are* in order, but they are not twelve consecutive years. We skipped over a few. Huge thanks to xenokattz for beta-reading! ♥
Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
6. Year 8: It's a Wonderful Life
~*~
"Tim, I need you to run that chemical analysis again-there's an anomaly I want to check on. If it's not just a glitch, it's something we should look into."
Tim nodded. "On it."
“Grampa Bruce. Uncle Tim,” Lian called, entering the Cave. “You said you weren’t working tonight.”
Tim shot Bruce an uneasy look.
"Something came up," Bruce said, and it was only Tim's long experience with the man that allowed him to hear the discomfort in his voice.
“What?” She asked, climbing on the back of Bruce’s chair.
Tim eyed her warily. "Some new evidence on an open investigation," he said carefully. "But you go ahead upstairs and tell Dick to start the movie-we'll be up as soon as we can."
Lian shook her head. “Papa said we can’t start it until everyone is there. It’s a tradition.” She leaned forward and hooked her arms around Bruce’s neck. “You promised you weren’t going to work tonight.”
"I'm sorry, it was unavoidable," he said stiffly.
She pouted. “You had to work on Thanksgiving,” she said petulantly. “And it’s Christmas Eve.”
Bruce shot Tim a desperate look, and he spoke up. "We're really sorry, Lian. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours-we'll be up by the time the movie is over, I promise."
She gave him a suspicious look. “You’ll miss it. It’s a tradition.”
"Like I said, we're really sorry," Tim said, trying to sound sincere.
“Sorry about what?”
Tim shot Bruce a look of naked panic. "Fix this," he mouthed silently.
"He's sorry that we have to work a little while tonight," Bruce said, glancing up at Cissie as she came into view. "It shouldn't be more than a couple of hours."
“Hmm.” She stopped behind Tim, dropping a hand to his shoulder. “That’s too bad,” she said dryly. “Something came up?”
He nodded once. "Yeah-but we'll be up as soon as we can."
“Oh, that’s fine,” Cissie said lightly. “Dick said we’ll wait.”
Tim froze. "You… really don't have to-it could get late."
“We can always watch it tomorrow.”
"You shouldn't break tradition on our account," Bruce said, sounding choked.
Lian tugged on Bruce’s shoulders. “Please, Grampa Bruce? It’s not the same if you don’t watch it with us!”
Cissie leaned down and kissed Tim’s cheek, whispering, “Give it up, sweetheart. It’ll be less painful in the long run, I promise. You don’t want to know what Dick’s got planned if you two skip out tonight.”
"Dare I ask?" he muttered in an undertone.
“He wouldn’t tell me, but I saw his DVD stash.”
"Possible frontrunners?"
Cissie raised an eyebrow at him. “A Christmas Carol-not the Muppets. And The Grinch.”
He hesitated a moment, considering. Finally he stood. "All right, this can wait." Bruce shot Tim a dark look, but he shook his head. "No-you don't know what we're being threatened with. This is why you have a Robin-to help you do the right thing on the tough calls. We're going upstairs."
Lian cheered and hopped in place, clapping before she grabbed Bruce’s hands and began pulling him from his chair. She dragged him across the Cave to the stairs leading to the Manor, chattering excitedly. Cissie took Tim’s hand and squeezed it, following them. “It’s not that bad,” she said to him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Three words: Charlie. Brown. Christmas."
Cissie couldn’t help wincing before shooting him a narrow look. “Okay, fine,” she said grudgingly. “But I have watched that with you for four years now and I don’t complain half as much as you do.”
Tim made a disgruntled noise. "Maybe. But Dick's been doing this since before he had you to back him up. It's almost as much of a tradition for Bruce and I to try to duck it as it is for us all to watch it."
Cissie shook her head. “I think it’s a nice tradition.” She raised an eyebrow. “Not the ducking out, mind you.”
"Mmph. Say that again after a long patrol. We had to watch it twice that year, because Bruce and I fell asleep."
She smirked a little. “Would you have rather been subjected to The Grinch?”
He gave her an indignant look. "That one wasn't even out yet."
“True,” she admitted. “But there’s always A Christmas Carol.”
"That was the revenge movie. He was kind of pissed that we fell asleep."
She laughed and stopped him before they followed Lian and Bruce into the rec room. “Then don’t fall asleep,” she said lightly, putting her arms around his waist. “Can you at least pretend it’s not cruel and unusual punishment to watch a movie with your family?”
He let out a dramatic sigh. "Only if I get to sit between you and Bruce. I love my family-" he said quickly. "But only Bruce shares my dislike of this movie, and we need to stick together."
“Well, I hope you sit with me,” she replied. “But if you and Bruce are going to make snide remarks through the whole thing and ruin it for me, I’m going to go sit with Lian and maybe I’ll spend the night with her.”
Tim frowned. "We'll be quiet."
“Hmm.” She kissed him lightly. “I happen to like this movie.”
"I know," he said with a slight grimace.
She sighed and shook her head. “We’d better go in before Dick comes looking for us.”
"All right," he said. He took her hand and tugged at it until she turned toward him. "I love you. I'm sorry I'm so difficult."
She made a face and hugged him. “It’s a good thing I love you so much,” she said.
"A very good thing," he agreed, kissing her lightly on the nose. "Shall we?"
She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “Let’s go. You only have to watch It’s A Wonderful Life once a year, so I think you’ll live.”
"Probably," he agreed, walking slowly toward the room, where he could already hear Dick teasing Bruce for trying to avoid the tradition this year. "But couldn't we watch Die Hard instead one year?"
She snorted, elbowing him lightly. “You can keep trying, but that will never be a Christmas movie.”
"Why not?" Tim asked. He held his hand up and began ticking off his fingers as they entered the rec room. "It takes place at Christmas time. There is Christmas music. It has a heartwarming message. How it is not a Christmas movie?"
“Give it up,” she told him. “Not gonna happen.”
He made a disgruntled noise and dropped into his usual Christmas position on the couch next to Bruce. He glanced up at the older man. "I tried."
Dick looked up from putting the DVD into the player and raised an eyebrow at Cissie. “Die Hard?”
She nodded, sitting next to Tim. “Of course.”
Dick rolled his eyes as he hit the play button on the DVD's menu. "And he was ritually shot down, as usual?"
“Of course,” Cissie replied, smiling at Tim’s eye rolling.
“Shh!” Lian commanded from her spot at Roy’s feet. “It’s starting!”
“Sorry Princess,” Dick murmured, dropping a kiss on the top of her head on his way to his seat.
Tim leaned close to Bruce as the prayers stopped and the stars started talking. "Now, I know we've seen some weird stuff," he muttered in an undertone. "But I'm pretty sure astronomy doesn't work that way."
Cissie elbowed him. “It’s hardly started! If this is an indication of how you’re going to behave, I’m moving now.”
He gave her a sheepish look while Bruce laughed quietly. "Sorry. I'll try to be good." This earned another almost silent laugh from Bruce, but he ignored it.
“Uh huh,” she grunted.
Tim made a face. "Well, maybe not good, but not horrible, either."
Cissie rolled her eyes, leaning back against him. “I’ll believe it when I see it, Mister.”
"What, I really will try…" his voice trailed off as Bruce muttered something under his breath. He snickered lightly.
She sighed. “You’re both impossible.”
"You love us anyway?" Tim asked hopefully.
She heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Despite your clear lack of culture, against all reason, apparently I do.”
He smiled contentedly and leaned over to kiss her. "Lucky us," he murmured.
“Be quiet,” Lian called, turning to glare at them.
“Sorry, Lian,” Cissie called. She kissed Tim back and settled back against him, muttering, “Now behave. Both of you.”
They each made a noncommittal noise and smirked silently at the television screen.
"Yeah. Right."
~*~
Tomorrow, Part 7: Baby, It's Cold Outside.