The entire city of Bayville was covered in a blanket of snow.
In one backyard, a 8 year old girl was crying uncontrollably as her kitten was stuck in a tree.
"What's wrong, honey?"
She didn't recognize the voice, but she was too upset to care.
"My kitten won't come down!" She wailed.
"It won't come down?" The guy asked. "Leave it to me."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a red streak dart up the tree. She stopped crying and strained to see...she only saw red boots in the light of the sun.
"Santa?" She asked.
"Not Santa." He replied.
He descended to the ground without a sound.
Then the young girl saw the red 'S' on his uniform.
"Superman?" She murmured.
He nodded and handed the kitten back to her.
"Don't tell anyone you saw me, alright." He whispered.
She smiled, and held the kitten in her arms.
"Alright." She promised.
Superman smiled back and then took off into the sky, becoming a small red dot on the horizon.
Xavier Institute
As the sun set, Kitty, Kurt and Evan took a seat on a couch in the living room, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Even though Kitty was Jewish and didn't celebrate Christmas, she loved the movie, especially the scenes when little Cindy-Lou Who was trying to convert the Grinch from his mean, Grinchy ways.
Things had been quiet lately. There were now four members of the Brotherhood. Pietro had been bailed out of jail as the charges against him were dropped for unexplained reasons. They had remained under the radar; Kitty guessed they were taking a break for the holidays. She had decided to spend a few days with her friends before heading back to Northbrook to celebrate Hanukkah with her parents. She figured that she could ask Logan to fly her there with the Blackbird, or ask Clark to give her a lift.
"What are you thinking about?" Kitty saw Bishop head into the kitchen.
"Nothing Bishop." Kitty replied.
Bishop was one of the few members of the team staying at the Mansion for the holidays.
Kitty smiled to herself as thoughts of Clark reminded her of her little plan.
'Super speed or not, Clark, I am so catching you under the mistletoe!' She thought.
Then, while the movie was on a commercial break, she stepped out to get a drink.
Entering the kitchen, she found Rogue there.
"Hey Rogue, any word from Clark?" She asked.
"Ah heard the Professor talkin' to him a few minutes ago on his communicator." Rogue replied. "He said he was gonna do one last patrol before he called it a night. Whah?"
"Oh, I was just wondering what time I should have the mistletoe ready." Kitty said, smiling.
Rogue rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Gawd." She muttered.
"What?" Kitty asked. "Rogue, can you blame me for crushing on him."
"Ya can crush on whoever ya lahke." Rogue replied. "Just ask yerself one thing - who are ya more interesting in kissing? Clark or Superman?" By then the commercials had ceased so Rogue headed out to the living room, having nothing better to do, leaving Kitty with her thoughts.
Kitty stopped and thought about what Rogue just told her. Was it really Clark that she wanted to kiss, or was it the idea of Superman that she was infatuated with?
Truth be told, both Clark and Superman were incredibly similar - which made sense, as they were one and the same. If Kitty had to come up with her own definition of "the perfect guy" Clark would fit it to the letter. He had the looks and physique of a Greek god, with an athletic ability to match, as well as the intelligence of a scientific genius, the manners of a perfect gentleman, the heart of a dreamer, and the soul of a paladin. Furthermore, he went out every night to help people while taking no credit whatsoever for his deeds.
'How on Earth is he still single?' Kitty asked herself, smiling.
But did she have any real feelings for him.
Kitty sighed. She had to talk to him and resolved this once and for all.
It was a few minutes after sunset when Clark returned to the Institute, darting into his room to change out of his uniform and back into his regular clothes. He walked down the stairs into the main hall, the entire Institute in full holiday regalia, with a shiny new menorah on the main table; it was for Kitty, who celebrated Hanukkah. He headed into the kitchen, to get a drink...
"Clark?"
Turning around, Clark saw Kitty there, smiling nervously. "Can I talk to you?" she asked.
"Sure, Kit." Clark replied. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." Kitty said. "I just wanted to clear something up."
"Okay."
Kitty took a deep breath. "Clark..." She began, lightly blushing, "...for the longest time, I have had a huge crush on you. Tonight, I was going to catch you under the mistletoe."
Clark happened to look up; sure enough, there was mistletoe right above his head. "Well, you sure caught me." He said.
Kitty's blush intensified. "I've wanted to be your girlfriend for quite a while." She admitted. "I'd planned to kiss you under the mistletoe and 'seal the deal'..."
Clark gulped. He liked Kitty as a friend, but nothing more than that; as much as he hated to hurt her feelings, he had to nip this in the bud. "Kitty..."
"...but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I felt was only a crush." Kitty finished. "Don't get me wrong, Clark; you're, like, the perfect guy...but I just don't feel any 'fireworks' when I picture myself with you." Her smile turned sheepish. "I want us to be friends; is that okay?"
Clark smiled. "Sure."
"Great!" Kitty exclaimed. "And don't worry; I'm still your biggest fan – I'm not tearing up my Superman Fan-Club membership card, anytime soon!"
Clark groaned. "Why is everyone making such a big deal about me?" He lamented.
Kitty smiled. "
Because of what you do!" She said. "Clark, you have more power than every armed force on the planet combined, and look at what you do with it! You use that power to help people, and take absolutely no credit for it!" Her smile grew. "Clark, you're not just a hero...you're a superhero."
Clark smiled. "Thanks, Kitty."
"Don't mention it." Kitty said. Smiling, she stood up on her toes, and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.
"Happy Holidays, Clark." She whispered. Then, smiling, she left.
Clark then heard a soft chuckle, and he turned to see Rogue there.
"Looks lahke ya got dumped." She joked.
Clark grinned. "I think she let me down pretty easy." he replied.
"So," Rogue asked, "any plans?"
"I just need to take care of a few things before tomorrow comes." Clark said. "I was going to check in with the Professor before I headed out. After that, I was going to spend Christmas here." Then, he asked, "How about you?"
Rogue sighed. "Ah was gonna stay here, too." she said. "Ah've got nowhere else ta go; Ah neva knew mah real parents – the closet thing Ah have to a mom was Irene Adler. She was nahce enough, sure, but..."
"...there's still a gap in your life." Clark finished. "One that only your birth parents could have filled, no matter how wonderful the parents you have are."
Rogue looked at him. "Is that...how you feel?"
Clark nodded. "Even after I heard my father's voice in the Fortress' computer records, I still felt that gap; I never knew him...and I never will."
The two looked at each other, a kinship of mutual loneliness formed. They glanced up at the mistletoe, and then just inched closer...
The kiss was completely innocent, lasting only a few seconds, never escalating into passion. Afterwards, they just looked at each other; nothing had changed.
Clark blinked a few times; he hadn't felt anything – no 'fireworks', no 'music'...zip. "Did...you feel anything?" he asked Rogue.
"No." Rogue answered, blinking in turn. "Did you?"
Clark shook his head. "Nope. Sorry."
Rogue sighed. "Figures." She muttered. "The one guy Ah can kiss without killin' him has ta turn out ta be the one guy Ah don't want ta kiss." She looked at him apologetically. "No offense."
"None taken." Clark replied. Smiling, he added, "My Ma always said, 'There's someone for everyone.' I guess you still have to find your 'someone'."
Rogue groaned. "Oh, Gawd...Ah swear, if mah 'someone' turns out ta be that smooth-talkin' Swamp-Rat, please just fry meh with yer eye-rays!"
Clark laughed.
"I hope you don't mean that!" He exclaimed. "Who knows? He might turn out to be your type!"
"Don't even joke about that, Wonder-Boy!" Rogue laughed, playfully swatting his shoulder, not hard enough to hurt her hand on his invulnerable frame. "So, what kind of girl is Superman's tahpe? The female population of Bayville High wants ta know!"
Clark laughed. "I'll tell you when I figure that out."
Rogue chuckled. "Well, ta impress you, she'll have ta be out of this world!" she said. "The girl that can catch Superman's eye must be dazzlin'!"
Clark chuckled...and then froze, as his hearing picked something up: there was an airplane in distress over Ontario, caught in a blizzard – somehow, its navigational computer had gone offline due to electromagnetic interference.
Rogue must have noticed his expression. "Looks lahke a hero's job is neva done."
Clark shrugged. "Guess not." he replied. "Later." With that, he bolted off, picking up his uniform and changing, flying out the nearest window in two seconds.
It hadn't taken Superman too long to guide the airplane down safely; the blizzard made great cover, allowing him to fly off completely undetected. Once he was a safe distance from the Toronto Airport, where he'd set the plane down, the contacted Professor Xavier with his belt-communicator, and explained his idea to him; the Professor had smiled, and agreed. Superman then shut off the comm-link, and flew north...far north.
The Fortress of Solitude had not changed; it was still the gleaming, impressive crystalline stronghold it had been when Superman had left it. He had dropped by the Fortress every so often, for training, and to brush up on his lessons from the knowledge chamber.
Superman stood before the massive crystalline doors, before the four crystal orbs that composed part of the high-tech lock on the Fortress. Each of those orbs – when struck by his eye-rays – emitted a distinct sound. Just above the door itself was a sequence of seven characters in the Kryptonian language – a sequence that changed every time the door was unlocked – that corresponded to characters on the orbs...and these characters were only visible to one capable of seeing in infrared.
Superman's eyes glowed red, as he fired pencil-thin eye-rays at the first, third, fourth, first, second, fourth, and third orbs, completing the sequence. The instant the last tone faded, the central circle in the door began to glow. Superman walked over and touched it; instantly, three holographic discs came out of the circle, which had to be aligned just so – the second part of the lock. Superman turned the discs until the Kryptonian characters lined up perfectly, and then pushed the discs back into the circle.
Instantly, the glowing crest of the House of El appeared in the circle, and then the crystal doors became glowing blue energy, with only the circle – the lock – still solid. Superman simply walked through the energy, as it re-solidified once he was through, the lock automatically re-randomizing itself.
As he walked through the Fortress, Superman looked about the place that had been his home. The Fortress was so unlike the Institute; its technology was infinitely more advanced than anything on Earth, and was a repository of knowledge greater than any other on the planet...
...but it was so lonely.
In his four years here, Kal-El had not minded the solitude. He had been grieving over the loss of his father; the solitude had given him time to think, to truly define himself...and learn what he could do.
But now...the loneliness bothered Clark.
'This could have been my life.' Clark thought, looking sadly around the Fortress. He had been ready to go, that day, when the Professor had located him. If he had left any sooner...he would have missed them entirely.
It had been one of Jor-El's first lessons: "My son, you must always remember this: though you live among them, you are not one of them. This is likely the hardest truth you will have to face, in your life on Earth, Kal-El." That lesson had made the solitude here so much easier to face; despite his family's love, he was alone on the Earth, and he always would be. No matter where he went, who he knew, who he loved...there would always be that distance between them; even before, as a child, his 'difference' bade him to keep so much of himself back from his friends, even his childhood crush, Lana Lang. That had made it all too clear: he could never find love on this world, for he could never share this secret with any human woman.
But, during his time at the Institute...he hadn't felt that way even once. They were different, too. He hadn't ever had to conceal his heritage from them. For the first time in his life...he could be himself; he had been accepted, for all that he was, Last Son or not.
'I guess even Kryptonian scientists make mistakes, Father.' Clark thought, smiling. Then, his silent musing complete, he headed for the Fortress' workshop...to get the presents he'd made for his family.
Xavier Institute, December 25, 2006
It was mid-morning Christmas day at the Institute, and everyone had gotten up late, including the instructors. The entire Institute family – excluding Clark, who was mysteriously absent at the time – had gathered around the Christmas tree, even Kitty, as they had decided to celebrate a hybrid-holiday of Christmas and Hanukkah.
Everyone had started to open their presents, when Kitty noticed it first. "Where's Clark?"
"Right over there." Thunderbird gestured to him.
Everyone turned to see Clark, in his normal clothes, walk out of the kitchen.
"I had to go get your presents, last night." He explained. "Sorry if I worried you."
"Don't worry about it." Bishop remarked.
At that point, everyone noticed the identical, flat, silver-metal boxes – all addressed "From Clark" – around the tree. Everyone took the boxes addressed to them, and opened them.
Each box contained a crystalline medallion, with a simple black cord, and each was different. Scott's medallion was that of four arrows, all in a circling pattern before returning to one point.
Jean's depicted a single eye.
Kurt's depicted two people shaking hands.
Kitty's was a symbol that reminded her of a musical note.
Rogue's looked like a person praying.
Evan's was that of two people talking.
Ororo's depicted one person giving something to another.
Logan's was that of one person preparing for battle.
And Xavier's showed a single person meditating.
"What's up with the medallions?" Archangel asked.
Everyone looked at their gifts.
"These are really nice, Clark; thanks!" Jean said, smiling. "I've never seen anything like these."
"And you probably won't, anywhere else." Clark said. "You see, those pendants depict the nine virtues of the various Kryptonian philosophies; there were several philosophies on Krypton, but they all had these nine in common, and believed them all necessary to live well."
He turned to Scott, gesturing to his medallion. "La'Neth: Loyalty." he explained. At that, Scott smiled.
He gestured to Jean's medallion. "Shir'Niu: Sincerity." Jean smiled at the explanation.
He turned to Kurt. "Fre'Mos: Friendship." Kurt grinned.
He gestured to Kitty. "Jir'Na: Joy." Kitty beamed.
He turned to Rogue. "Hi'Ma: Hope." Rogue lightly smiled.
He gestured to Evan. "Ha'Re: Honesty." Evan smiled.
He then turned to Ororo. "Ki'Du: Kindness." At that, Ororo smiled warmly.
Turning to Logan, Clark said, "Ku'Re: Courage." Logan just gave his usual half-smile.
Turning to Xavier, Clark smiled, and finished, "And Va'Rek: Wisdom." Xavier smiled at that.
"Wow...thanks." Scott murmured, as the others gave similar thanks.
"Our own little piece of Krypton..." Jean said, smiling. "Thank you."
"Now our gifts to you probably seem lame..." Evan murmured.
Clark chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that; you've all given me the best gift already." he said. He took a deep breath. "During my four years in the Fortress, one of the lessons my father left for me was 'Though you live among them, you are not one of them.' All my life, I've had to hide who I really was, what I could do, even before learning where I came from." He looked at them all, smiling. "But with all of you, I never felt that. I've never felt out-of-place around all of you. You've all given me something I had long given up on ever getting: acceptance." His smile grew. "Thank you."
Everyone was silent for a few moments...and then Kitty ran forward, hugging him. "You're welcome!" she exclaimed.
Scott smiled. "That's what families do, Clark."
Jean nodded. "You're one of us, Clark."
Rogue chuckled. "Like it or not, Wonder-Boy, you're stuck with us."
Kurt grinned. "Ve're zhe lucky ones! Ve get to hang out vith a superhero!"
Evan nodded. "Hey, with some of the stuff going these days, we're likely gonna need you, CK!" he said, grinning.
Clark chuckled. "Thank you all." he said. "Now, for my last gift, to all of you."
Kitty's eyes widened. "There's more?"
Clark nodded. "While I was at the Fortress, finishing up those medallions, Professor Xavier and Logan were picking up a very special guest."
"Who?" Rogue asked.
"Follow me." Bishop instructed.
He led them to the dining room.
When they reached the dining room, everyone – save Clark, Xavier, Logan, and Ororo – were astounded...as they gazed upon the culinary masterpieces resting upon the table. Lying upon the dining room table was the kind of Christmas/Hanukkah dinner that could have only been put together by a master chef. And then, from a side door leading to the kitchen, Martha Kent stepped out. "Have cooking utensils, will travel." She said, smiling.
"You made all this?" Sunfire asked.
"Everyone." Clark said, smiling, "For those of you who don't know, this is my Mom, Martha Kent."
"It's nice to meet all of you." Martha said. "Oh, and Kitty, you'll be glad to know that this meal is kosher, and that vegetarian dishes have been prepared."
"Wow." Jean murmured.
"I had no idea that any kitchen could do this!" Ororo admitted, smiling.
Martha just smiled.
"Well, grab a plate and dig in, everyone!" She said. At that, everyone proceeded to do just that.
As usual, Ma Kent's Christmas dinner had been a smashing success. Clark couldn't help but smile as he heard his friends singing the praises of his Ma's cooking.
The Christmas turkey had been a huge hit: even the ever-stoic Logan had a kind word for the main course. Kitty had loved the vegetarian dishes his Ma had whipped up. And everyone – even the Professor – hadn't been able to stop talking about Martha's soy-milk Christmas fudge.
After the meal – and the dishes had been cleared away – Clark and his Ma had just sat down for a little chat. "You've been busy, Clark." Martha said.
Clark nodded. "The world's a big place – lots of people to help."
Martha smiled. "You seem more at peace." she said. "I'm glad."
Clark smiled. "I've found my place, Ma." he replied. He looked to his friends, around the room. Chuckling, he added, "As crazy as it can get around here, I wouldn't change a thing!"
Martha smiled, and then looked worried. "While you were out, Professor Xavier told me about this...'Magneto' person." she said softly. "Clark...you'll be careful, won't you?"
"Of course, Ma." Clark assured her.
"Hey, CK!" Evan called, now in his jacket. "We were all gonna have a snowball fight! Wanna join in?"
"I want Clark on our team!" Kitty laughed, as she zipped up her jacket.
"No vay! He's on our team!" Kurt laughed.
Chuckling, Clark said, "I've got a better idea: I'll take you all on! You've all got a thirty-second head-start!"
At that, everyone bolted out the door, running into the snowy woods as fast as they could.
Clark laughed. "I'll be right back, Ma; I don't think this'll take too long!" he joked.
Martha laughed. "Take your time, honey; I'll be fine." she replied. After thirty seconds had passed, Clark put on his winter jacket and was out the door in a flash.
Martha smiled as she watched her boy go, to have fun with his friends; it was the first time she'd ever seen him do that.
By then, Charles had rolled his wheelchair over to have a cup of tea with her. "I hope you're enjoying your stay here, Martha." he said.
Martha nodded. "Just seeing Clark so happy made the trip worthwhile." she replied. She smiled. "Charles, it always broke my heart when Clark was always alone, as a child; we all knew that he could never just goof around with other children his age, not with what he was capable of; even Clark knew that. But now, you've welcomed him, for everything he is, giving him what Jonathan and I never could, no matter how much we tried." Her eyes got a little misty. "Bless you." she whispered.
Charles just smiled. "We should be thanking you, Martha." he replied. "We may have given him a place to truly be himself, but you – and your husband – have molded Clark into the hero he is now; the kind of example that all mutants can look up to with pride." He raised his cup in a toast. "Merry Christmas, Martha."
Smiling back, Martha returned the toast. "Merry Christmas, Charles."