Peter had no idea what had happened. One second, he was about to explode again and he was asking Clark to kill him. The next, he was high in the sky, with his nuclear abilities in check.

Where the heck am I? And why is it snowing?

Before Peter could contemplate further, he was knocked over by a man in a purple and green suit of armor. A red and blue blur quickly followed. Peter couldn't believe his eyes. It was like a fight straight out of an issue of Warrior Angel. He went invisible and went in closer to get a better look. The man in the red and blue costume clearly had the upper hand, until the armored figure pulled out a glowing green rock. The one in red and blue became weak instantly and fell into the streets below them.

I could be tripping over a lot of butterflies by interfering, but I don't care. Something tells me I have to help that guy.

Peter quickly moved in, grabbed the costumed hero and then soared into the air as fast as he could.

"I appreciate the help, friend, but stopping Luthor is more important than saving me."

"Luthor?"

Before the conversation could go any further, the armored figure began flying towards them. Peter went invisible again and set his "friend" on a rooftop. The armored figure (who Peter could now see was bald) began firing energy blasts from his hands, not caring at all about who was hurt. Peter flew into the villain, held on tight and kept flying as fast as he could. Once they were high above the clouds, Peter let go of him and began powering up for a move he had never tried before.

"Who are you and why are you interfering in my extermination of the alien freak?"

Peter could now see the face of the man who was wearing this engine of destruction. It was Lex Luthor's.

"That freak isn't the one who was firing at innocent people!"

Peter unleashed an electromagnetic pulse, an extension of his radioactive powers. It effectively shut off Luthor's suit and sent him falling to the ground below. The thought crossed Peter's mind to just let him fall to his death. After all, he had just seen him with his head sliced open in what seemed like minutes ago. This was obviously the future and Luthor had now found a way to cheat death. But Peter quickly dismissed the thought. Whether someone lived or died was not his decision to make. He managed to save him in the nick of time, right before he would have splattered all over the pavement. He made sure to remove every piece of that armor before handing him to waiting police officers.

He then teleported back to the rooftop where he had left the guy in the costume to see if he was alright.

"I'm sure glad you came along…Peter?"

As if Luthor being alive again wasn't enough of a surprise, Peter now found himself staring into the face of Clark Kent. With only a slight bit of hesitation, Clark moved in and gave Peter a hug.

"It's so great to see you again. This must be it."

"What do you mean?"

"Four years ago, when we were at that Luthorcorp genetics research lab. You were about to explode again. You asked me to kill you, but of course I refused. I said you wouldn't allow this to happen again. That's when you teleported into the future."

"I remember now."

"You didn't tell us when or where you went, but you came back more confident in yourself than ever."

"So it's 2011, I'm obviously in Metropolis. What day is it?"

"I'm glad you came to this specific day. It's Christmas Eve."

"At least I get one last Christmas Eve before I die."

"What makes you think your dead?"

"Come on, Clark. It's obvious. The look on you face when you saw me. It was a dead give away."

"I…I guess it was. I just haven't been in a situation like this before. Rip Hunter would be so pissed at me."

"Who's Rip Hunter?"

"That's not important. What's important is that you're here. And you're spending Christmas Eve with me and my family."

"Don't you think I should get back to the past?"

"Don't argue with someone who has lived the future. You'll get back when you're supposed to get back, trust me. Now come on."

Peter followed Clark, mostly because he didn't seem to have any choice in the matter. While they were out Christmas shopping, Clark explained what had changed in these past four years. He had developed a double identity. To the world, Clark Kent was just a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet who wore glasses. Only he and a few others knew that he was also Superman, guardian and protector of Metropolis and the world. Clark delivered all of this great exposition in between stopping a few attempted robberies and muggings. Finally, after all of the shopping and spreading of holiday cheer was over with, they made it back to Clark's apartment. Over coffee, Peter decided that now was the time to ask him some questions he had.

"So explain to me why you have this double identity thing."

"Well, you know I like to help people. Someone helped me realize that I couldn't always do that at superspeed. I needed to slow down, let people see my face. I thought wearing a mask would only create more distrust, so I opted to let Clark Kent become the disguise. The fact that it keeps my loved ones safe is also a plus."

"Okay, I get that. So tell me more about this girlfriend of yours. What's she like?"

"She's pushy, stubborn and a little snarky, but she's also incredibly driven, supportive, strong, loving and compassionate. In short, she's everything I need. And I think tonight is the night I pop the question."

"Really? Congratulations."

"She hasn't said yes yet, but I hope she will. You know, you can ask."

"Ask what?"

"The question you want to ask. About Chloe."

"How…how is she?"

"Your death wasn't easy on her, not at all, but it did make her stronger. An old friend of ours came back into our lives and really helped her get through everything. Eventually, that led to romance. Ever since they got together, she's been incredibly happy."

Peter let out a sigh of relief. All he's ever wanted is her happiness. Even if it isn't with him, he was relieved to discover that she finds it in the future.

"There's one more thing I want to say before the guests get here. I know that you have a lot of doubts, mostly in yourself and your abilities. Listen to me when I tell you that they are all without merit. You're an incredible person and in the short time we knew each other you inspired me more than anyone else, save for my own father. I'm telling you now to put your doubts to rest for once and for all."

Peter was at a loss for words.

"Thanks Clark. Thank you so much."

Just before they could go in for the bro hug, the doorbell rang.

"That should be Lois. I can't wait for you to meet her."

Clark walked to the door and opened it.

"Wait a second, you don't mean…Chloe's cousin."

"What? How?"

"Time traveler."

"Oh. Thanks. So you were my cousin's pen pal during her young and impressionable years. Glad we can finally meet. Seems like if she wasn't crushing on you it was Smallville here."

"Lois!"

"What? It's all in the past now. Like you. Literally. Are you staying for the party? Could be a tad messy considering my cousin will be here."

"I'll be around, but I'll be invisible."

"Creepy…yet convenient. We should still have a few minutes. I'll make you some hot chocolate while you tell me about yourself."

A brief conversation with Lois was all it took for Peter to realize how perfect Lois was for Clark. They complemented each other perfectly. Soon, the guests began to arrive. Peter, as he promised, stayed invisible and stood in a corner. He could see Clark's mother, his boss, Perry White, his photographer friend, Jimmy Olsen, Oliver Queen and many others, but the one he couldn't take his eyes off of was Chloe. She was somehow even more beautiful than she was in his time. He found out through eavesdropping that her boyfriend's name was Pete Ross. From what he could see, Pete was a warm, funny guy who cared for Chloe, which put him at ease. He was so caught up in watching Chloe that he almost completely missed Clark's proposal, only catching Lois's "Yes!". Seeing how happy everyone was in this moment made Peter realize that this was a future that he would fight to ensure. No matter what the cost. While Clark was hugging Lois, Peter briefly made himself visible, gave Clark a nod and then teleported back to his own time. Chloe, whose eyes were wandering, could have sworn she had just seen him.

No way. I'm just seeing things. He couldn't have been here. Could he?