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There's something magical about the holiday season, even in a place like Gotham. Smells of cinnamon and nutmeg waft from coffee shops and bakeries, kids build snowmen wherever they can find a patch of empty snow, and there are Christmas tree markets and pop-up Christmas villages all throughout the city. It's in one such Christmas village that we find one family this year, though they are decidedly not enjoying the market or shopping for a tree.
They are fighting an invading force of aliens.
Yes, you read that right. Aliens. Not big scary ones with laser blasters or super intelligent ones with an army of robots, no. Just, stereotypical small gray aliens. I mean, with a terrifying set of sharp teeth and jaws like snakes AND laser guns, but still, not too fearsome for a group of seasoned heros vigilantes like the bats. Even if they'd rather be doing anything BUT fighting aliens in Kevlar and spandex in below freezing temps.
Stephanie shivered as she dropped down on one of the little gray menaces in a side alley. "Why the flying fu-"
"Language," Batman interrupted gruffly.
"Why the flying fishnuggets," Steph rolled her eyes, "is this a thing right now?! Its too cold for this!"
"Well maybe," Tim snarked through the comms as he punched and kicked his way through a pocket of the disturbingly toothy little menaces, "if you had come in and let me do the winter upgrades on your suit last month like I told you to, you wouldn't be so cold."
He whirled around at the wet smack of a snowball to the back of his head. "You shut up and keep your logic and reason to yourself!" Stephanie yelled as she jumped along the nearby stalls.
"Well," Dick said as he dropped down to fight beside Tim, "at least the background music is festive!"
"Tt. Your taste in music is abhorrent at the best of times Nightwing. Do not even attempt to argue that this assult on my ears is music," Damian scoffed over the comms.
Dick gasped, mock offended, "Robin! How could you not like Christmas carols! Thats half the fun of Christmas!"
"I hate to say it," Babs chimed in, "but I'm with the baby bat on this one. Parody Christmas carols on the other hand, those I can get behind. Right B?"
"Do. Not." Bruce growled from the other side of the plaza as he punched an alien with perhaps a little more force than necessary, "I will disown you."
Everyone laughed, all aware of how much Batman hated one particular parody Christmas Carol, and were prepared to end the conversation there for the moment until Jason turned on his comm, chuckling, and began singing as he swung over a group of little gray....things,
"Flying through the air
With a grappling gun
O'er the city we go,
Blasting aliens,"
BLAM BLAM BLAM, he punctuated his verse with perfectly timed gunfire.
"Oh my God, yes!" Stephanie cackled, high fiving Jason as he landed next to her. Robin joined in next, slicing his way through a horde as he sang,
"Capes on bats fly,
Striking fear into their hearts"
"Robin that doesn't even RHYME," Tim said, Laughing despite himself.
"Oh hush," Dick said, grinning, "at least he's participating!"
Duke fired off a net toward a group of the fanged abominations as Cass swung in from the opposite side and kicked the bundle of aliens into a nearby dumpster.
"What fun it is to laugh and sing
A fighting song tonight!"
Duke sang as he and Cass fist bumped on top of the closed dumpster.
"Oh, jingle bells, batman sm- "
Babs began.
"No," Bruce growled, landing beside her as he kicked the last of the aliens she had been dealing with.
"Well you're no fun," she said before they were both interrupted by Tim and Dick as they fought the last few aliens blocking the alley exit,
"Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to fight
A horde of aliens. Hey!"
They sang together as they finally burst from the alley they'd spent the majority of the fight in.
"Well," Steph said as she leaned her elbow on Damian's head, "I don't know about you guys but I think I deserve a bubble bath and a glass of wine after that wonderful outing."
Jason chucked as he grabbed Damian by the cape, holding him back from attacking Steph, "Same."
Dick smiled, joining the post battle group huddle, "I could go for some hot pizza and a warm blanket myself," he said.
Cass smiled, looking around the group, "Sleepover?"
"Sleepover!" The group cheered.
Bruce chucked as his gaggle of children raced back to the cave, arguing over pizza toppings and what movie to watch first. He switched his comm over to a private channel, "Did you get all that Alfred?"
"Of course sir, I've saved the file to the family photo album. Shall I order the pizza?" Alfred responded.
"Please do," Bruce said.
"Excellent sir," Alfred replied, "I shall start the hot coco as well. Mint and dark chocolate for you as always, sir?"
Bruce smiled as he started the Batmobile and headed back to the cave, "You're the best Alfred."
"Thank you sir," Alfred said as his image appeared on the Batmobille's video call monitors, "Merry Christmas Master Bruce."
"Merry Christmas Alfred," Bruce said as he sped off into the night after his family, looking forward to the unexpected, but very welcome, family bonding time that awated him at home.