December, 2018
It was December in Metropolis, the winter solstice only a day away. However, aside from the decorations of winter wonderlands that adorned the city, the weather seemed to have not gotten the hint. Inside the apartment of Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent there was fervor on just that topic. The face of a four year old girl was smashed up against the glass of the window as she looked outside. She sighed heavily.
"When is it going to snow?!" She called out to her parents.
Her father walked up behind her and gazed out toward the city. It was a clear day and from their apartment they could see the globe turning on the roof of the Daily Planet. The city was bustling and nothing was occurring that couldn't be handled by Metropolis' bravest and finest. Superman's attention wasn't needed in the city at the moment. It belonged to his family, more specifically his daughter and her distress at the lack of winter precipitation.
He replied, "I don't know, sweetie."
"But, it's December. Isn't it supposed to snow in December?" She whined.
"Welcome to global warming." Lois commented, coming out of the kitchen.
Callie scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What's that?"
"It's kind of complicated, but it basically means that sometimes the seasons are not going to act the way they're supposed to." She explained, leaving out how seasons could be volatile, but she didn't want to scare her daughter.
Callie's little blue eyes started to water as she turned to her parents. "So, it's never going to snow?"
"Oh, crap." Lois whispered under her breath and hurried to their daughter, crouching in front of her. "No, no, no. It doesn't mean that. It just means that it might not snow when it's supposed to."
"It'll snow in the summer?" She yelped.
"Uh….Smallville, a little help here?" Lois begged as she looked at Clark, floundering in the conversation.
He tried to hide the smirk forming on his lips. Things like this seemed to happen from time to time. Another save from Super-Dad.
"It just means that sometimes it'll be a little warmer or colder than it's supposed to be. Like today. It's too warm for it to snow. But when it gets colder, the snow will come."
The answer perked Callie's ears up. If only somehow it could get colder...
She looked up at him. "Daddy, can you make it snow?"
His mouth fell open. "Uh…."
Now, Lois was the one trying to hide the smirk forming on her lips. This had also been something that seemed to happen from time to time. Their daughter was aware of the powers that her father had, and the powers that she was forming, as well. Clark was grateful to be able to explain to Callie that part of her heritage, to help her understand how she was different and how to cope with it. His parents had done the best they possibly could to help him, but nothing compared to someone who had experienced it themselves. What surprised him was how much of a natural Callie was and that her differences didn't seem to faze her. There was no dwelling. She just wanted to know how everything worked. He assumed she got that from her mother.
"Can't you blow the air with freeze breath like you do for Mommy's coffee when it's too hot?" She tried to blow air herself, but only managed to blow the little bangs on her forehead.
"Arctic breath." He muttered, which garnered an eye roll from Lois. He then added, "Callie, I don't think that's a good idea."
She started to jump. "But it would make everyone happy! Snow makes people happy!"
Lois' face contorted, "Not during rush hour."
"Just a little bit? Please?"
Callie stuck out her bottom lip, making it tremble just the right amount. Her blue eyes stared into his and then cast their gaze down just right. She was good.
Lois looked at Clark then back to their daughter. She whispered, "You've got him on the ropes, kid."
Clark let out a sigh. He wasn't going to win this one.
"Do you know where your coat and boots are?"
Callie nodded her little head emphatically.
"Then go get them."
She smiled wide, her blue eyes sparkling. She started to flail as she ran down the hallway towards her room skipping and screaming, "Daddy is going to make it snow!"
"Are you really going to change the forecast for that little face?" Lois asked.
"I have an idea." He leaned in. "Do you know where your winter coat and boots are?"
Lois nodded her head emphatically like their daughter just had. His forehead touched hers.
"Then go get them." He whispered close to her lips.
Mimicking their daughter again she skipped down the hall saying, "Smallville, is going to make it snow!"
He shook his head and smiled brightly. These were the moments he wanted to capture and relive forever. If anyone were to actually analyze the moment they would find it strange; a man with superpowers dangling the idea of making it snow to his wife and small daughter. However, for Clark, it was far from strange or weird. He was a father wanting to please the two most important people in his life. He never felt more normal.
After a few minutes both of his girls returned to the living room and stood in front of him.
"Hats?" He asked as he acted serious in his inspection, like he was The General.
Lois and Callie both pointed to their hats.
"Gloves?"
They raised their hands to show their gloves, Lois adding some jazz hands.
"Snow boots?"
Callie stomped her little feet and Lois bounced heel to toe.
"Can you help me zip my jacket?" His daughter asked.
He crouched down before her and helped guide her little hands with placing the pin into the slider. When she was able to grab the pull tab and zip up the jacket herself she smiled a toothy grin proudly.
He gave a nod of approval. "Looks like we're ready."
"You haven't exactly told us the plan, honey." Lois asked, a hand on her hip.
Lois was always up for throwing on an outfit for an adventure, but she could see Clark had an idea and she hated to be out of the loop.
While Clark was not going to make it snow in Metropolis, he knew of another location where there was always snow and his daughter had been curious as to what she heard was "Superman's house".
"Yeah, what's the plan?" Callie asked, copying her mother with a little hand on her hip.
Clark couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the mini-Lois in front of him.
"We're going to go someplace special. Up north."
"We're going to the North Pole?! Are we going to see Santa?!" Callie exclaimed.
Lois snorted as she thought about the Kryptonian ice castle in the Arctic and her A.I. father-in-law being a front for Santa and his workshop.
"No. It's not there."
"But where?"
"Where Superman has to go sometimes."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?!"
"Yup. It's been a while since you've been up there. You were a baby when we took you."
"And now I'm this many!" She said holding up four fingers.
"Yes, you are. Hopefully, old enough to remember it now." Clark hoisted his daughter up in his arms and pulled Lois close. "Hold tight."
-Whoosh!
Once in the Fortress Lois pulled at her jacket, the sudden change in temperature giving her a sudden chill. The thermostat of the place needed to be more easily accessible in her opinion. Clark noticed her shudder at the cold and using his heat vision warmed her up. She mouthed 'thank you' and he smiled bashfully. How she could make the Man of Steel blush with a look was one of her greatest achievements. They broke out of their spell when their daughter reacted to the new surroundings.
"Wooow," their daughter breathed as she scanned the Fortress. "It's so pretty."
"You think so?" He asked her.
"It's like from Frozen! Like a castle!" She looked at her father. "Are you a prince?"
"A regular Prince Charming." Lois smirked.
Clark rolled his eyes at Lois and answered his daughter. "No, I'm not a prince."
Callie's face fell. "I thought maybe that I'm a princess from Crouton."
Lois laughed at the mistake. "Krypton, lovebug."
"That's what I said!"
Clark kissed his daughter on the cheek. "You're my little princess."
She smiled and clung to her father, her little arms barely making the width of his chest. He rubbed her back and looked at Lois. Lois would have said how cheesy that line was, but he had pulled it off. Even in the cold she felt like she could melt at their interactions.
"Welcome." A loud voice sounded from almost nowhere.
Callie's eyes grew large. "Santa?"
"Not Santa." Lois remarked.
"My son, you have returned with your family. Your life mate, Lois Lane, and your daughter, Callie-El."
"He knows my name." Callie whispered with surprise.
"Still not Santa." Her mother reminded her. "That's Daddy's, erm...you want to fill in the blank, babe?"
"This place is a part of Krypton. My parents wanted to make sure I had a piece of it with me. And that voice is my father, Jor-El from Krypton. He helps guide me when I need help." He explained.
"Like when you're flying and stopping bad guys?"
Clark nodded. "This is where I go sometimes. And I wanted to share it with you."
A bright light appeared above the console and a small crystal in a diamond shape and the family crest was left when the light dissipated.
"This is for my granddaughter."
"A present!" Callie squealed. "Like Christmas!"
"Okay, I give up." Lois said, throwing her hands in the air.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"Krypton lives on through her. She should have a piece of it."
Lois gasped. "This isn't some type of kryptonite, is it?"
"Do not fear Lois Lane. It is a piece of this fortress; a key. If your daughter shall ever need the resources and knowledge bound to this structure, it is granted to her. The next generation."
"If he utters the word destiny, we're out of here." Clark said out of the side of this mouth to his wife.
"While I don't doubt that coming up at some point, I think right now he's busy trying to be…"
Clark raised an eyebrow. "Trying to be what?"
"A grandfather."
"Can I get my present?" Their daughter asked.
Clark looked at Lois who gave a nod. He was hesitant, but bowed down to let Callie jump to the ground. She walked over to the console, reached up, and grabbed the crystal. She examined it and then held it close to her.
"Thank you!" She called out.
"You are welcome, my granddaughter."
"Grandpa Jorl?"
Lois went to correct her, but waved it off. At least she didn't call him Santa.
"Yes?"
"Can you make it snow?"
"Yes, I can." He replied, with what Clark could have sworn was a light chuckle in his voice.
The wind picked up in the Fortress and snow began to fall.
Callie jumped up and down in glee. "I like this place!"
"I think he stole your thunder." Lois said, patting Clark on the shoulder.
Clark's face twitched, "Not all of it."
"Something else up your flannel sleeve?"
"I didn't bring the both of you here just to stand around."
She narrowed her eyes at her husband. "What do you have planned, Super Sneak?"
Clark had sped to the farm and back in a few seconds with his old red sled in hand. When they exited the Fortress, Callie had been speechless at the vast amount of snow before her. With a twinkle in her eyes she looked back at her parents and then ran. The snow was deep and she fell over a few times, but her laughter echoed.
"Can we stay here?"
"You do have that bed you can pull out." Lois uttered, thinking back to icy clandestine interludes with her husband.
"We'll think about it. How about we put this to good use?" He said, putting the sled down.
Callie ran back over, her face rosy with ice crystals in her brown hair. Clark's heart grew in size as his daughter not only learned about another piece of her heritage, but was in love with it. He hadn't had the same experience. As a parent he wanted to make her experiences an improvement on his. It also made him appreciate what he had after years of trying to push it away.
Callie hopped on the sled and grabbed at the rope. Lois pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket and had to capture the moment.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Callie yelled as she squirmed in her seat.
"Hang on! I'm taking a picture of you and winter. Chill." She said as she aimed her camera phone at her child on the red sled.
"Smallville, get on there with her."
"Are you going to pull us, Lois?" Clark asked, sitting behind Callie on the sled and trying not to tip it over.
"I may work out, but I don't think I'll be able to unless Jor-El wants to make me a thousand percent more awesome again. Now smile!"
Callie and Clark smiled at the camera lens on the phone. Lois took the shot and then gazed at it once more on her screen.
"Adorable." She threw her phone at Clark who swiftly caught it. "Now all of us."
Lois ran over and squatted down behind Clark, her chin on his shoulder. Clark extended his arm out and took the picture of the three of them.
"Looks like I have a new winter wallpaper." Lois commented.
Clark texted the photos to himself and gave the phone back to his wife.
"Alright, Clark," she said, patting his back. "Off."
Clark stood up and did as ordered, while Lois scooted up behind Callie so they both fit.
"Come on, Balto. Move this sled!"
Clark turned to his wife. "Balto? Really?"
"Daddy! Pull us!" Their daughter demanded.
"What do people say to sled dogs, baby?"
Callie thought for a moment then replied to her mother, "Mush?"
"That's right! Now, tell Daddy." she said, pointing to Clark.
"Mush, Daddy! Mush!" Callie yelled.
Clark shook his head as he pulled the sled with his wife and daughter on board. He ran through the snow, sometimes with superspeed and other times at regular speed. The laughter behind him prompted him to keep moving. He knew Lois was recording at various moments and he was grateful for the technology. He wanted to be able to replay the home movies over and over again.
Clark never thought he'd ever consider the Fortress to be a winter chalet for him and his family, but he had also never thought the dream of feeling normal and having a family would come to fruition. Yet, there he was. Clark Kent in his red and black plaid shirt, pulling a sled in the snow. His wife and daughter having the time of their life. The monstrosity in the background was nothing to bat an eye at. This was all normal. To all of them.
As he continued to pull the sled with ease the back of his head suddenly was hit with something cold and wet. He slowly turned his head over his shoulder to witness his wife and daughter with balls of snow in their laps. He dropped the rope.
"Oh, that's how you want to play this."
Lois shrugged her shoulder. "All's fair in love and war."
Soon playful screams erupted as snow flew through the air. Callie ran to hide behind one parent then to the other. Her snowballs didn't have as much of an impact as her parents did on each other. Soon they all collapsed together in a huddled mass on the ground.
Lois and Clark gave each other knowing looks. She had been right all those years ago. Right there, with their daughter in their arms, the white snow bouncing the sun's light, and the Fortress behind them- they had truly found heaven on Earth.
