Christmas Visit

Summary: Set in my 'And then they were two' verse. Superman and Wonder Woman's daughter accidentally ends up sending them all on a visit to a Christmas past.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. DC comics does mores the pity.

Part 1

"Look here Jon," Kal-El tells his baby son Jonathan who he is cradling in his hands. "These are your grandparents Jor-El and Lara." What Kal is having his son look at is the giant effigies he erected to his parents in his Fortress of Solitude with them standing side by side as they hold up Krypton between them.

Diana shakes her head slightly at her husband. "Kal he doesn't understand a word you are saying."

"Of course he does. He has my genes after all," Kal points out with a mock air of superiority.

Diana just has to roll her eyes. During her first pregnancy Kal liked to joke about the superiority of his genes that had gotten her pregnant in the first place, something Diana hadn't thought possible, and that his genes would ensure the intelligence of their child. It is something he has continued with through to the birth of their second child. "You don't think that may have something to do with me?" she asks him.

Kal smirks a little bit. "Why would it?" he teases his wife.

"Oh I don't know. Which one of us has the wisdom of Athena again?"

Kal adopts a pose like he is thinking seriously about his answer. "Isn't that Donna?"

Diana narrows her eyes and lets out a low growl while Kal chuckles.

"Mama?" a quiet voice queries.

Diana looks down at her 3 year old daughter whose hand she is holding. "Yes Lois."

"Are you and daddy fighting?" she asks with a slight worry. Her bottom lip is even threatening to quiver a little bit.

Diana bends down and picks her up. "Of course not honey," Diana assures her daughter.

Hearing this as well Kal moves next to his wife. He takes one hand to smooth down Lois' curly raven locks. "Your mother is right Lo. We aren't fighting. We are just joking with each other a little bit."

"Why?" Lois inquires.

"It is just what couples do," Kal answers. After all when he was married to his wife, Lois' namesake, they did this sort of joking and teasing as well.

"Why?" Lois asks.

Kal looks at his wife. It seems their daughter has reached that age when she asks questions about everything.

"When you're older and in a relationship with a boy you'll understand," Diana tells her daughter.

Lois makes a face. "But boys are gross."

Kal manages a smile. "And if she keeps thinking that for the next 20 years we'll be set," he jokes.

Diana hits him lightly on his arm. More seriously "Who told you that?" she asks her daughter.

"Aunt Donna."

Diana will have to have a word with her sister it seems about putting ideas into her daughter's head. Just because Donna's last relationship didn't work out is not an excuse.

Meanwhile baby Jon has started to fidget in Kal's arm. His super keen sense of smell soon picks up the reason behind that. "Jon needs changed," he tells Diana.

With that they head back to the living area of the Fortress where they left the baby supplies they brought with them and Kal sets to work changing his son. Once upon a time not too long ago he was living here permanently. He had lost Lois and it had hit him hard. So hard he had almost completely retreated from the world. Before Diana came back into his life he was in serious danger of becoming a relic like the ones he has collected over the decades.

Thankfully Diana saved him from that. Then they fell in love and soon after that they conceived Lois. A few years after that they conceived baby Jon here. In fact if you look around the Fortress real closely you can still see a few cracks from when they conceived Jon. Diana could play rough sometimes.

Diana simply looks on as Kal changes their baby son. She will rarely openly admit this but she loves the sight of Kal being a parent. Changing diapers, cleaning up sick, bathing their children...it all simply makes her love him all the more.

"Well now there we are," Kal tells his son as he finishes, picks him and swings him gently through the air which makes Jon giggle joyfully. Kal pulls him to his chest and looks up at his wife. "Well we should probably get home," he announces. "Otherwise we'll miss Christmas won't we?" he asks his son. He tickles Jon lightly making Jon laugh. "Yes we will won't we. We'll miss Christmas." Christmas actually wasn't for a few days yet but hey just because his age is in 3 figures now doesn't mean the Christmas spirit can't still infect him like it did when he was younger. Besides he has children now and seeing Lo's face light up when she gets her gifts makes Kal happy in a way he never thought he would experience. His only regret is that his parents didn't live to see their grandchildren. Now they really should be going but there is one problem. "Where's Lo?" he asks Diana since she isn't there.

Diana looks around and can see Lois has given them the slip. Diana utter a few choice curse words in Greek under her breath.

Kal meanwhile uses his vision to locate her. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh?" Diana asks with concern. "What do you mean uh oh?"

"She is in...the vault."

"The vault!" Diana shrieks. "The vault where you keep those dangerous to even touch items?"

Kal nods.

"How did she get in there?!" Diana demands to know. "And why am I standing here asking you stupid questions when my daughter is in mortal danger?"

Before Kal can answer that one Diana is away moving so fast even he almost can't keep up with her. They arrive at the vault to find Lois about to touch a said dangerous item. Both parents move swiftly to their daughter.

"Lois. Don't touch...." Kal begins to say but it is too late as a strange light encompasses all 4 of them and they vanish.

Up in the Watchtower of the Justice League J'onn J'onzz aka the Martian Manhunter is assisting Ray Palmer aka the Atom examine a device they had discovered after they had stopped a recent villain. Neither of them knew what it did or how potentially dangerous it could be. Even though it was Christmas Eve both had volunteered to work on this and make sure it wasn't on some sort of delayed time activation or that it emitted any types of dangerous radiation.

"So shall we begin?" J'onn asks Ray to see if he is ready to proceed.

Ray quickly double checks that he has all the equipment he needs. "Yes. Lets proceed," he replies as he picks up a scanner. He is just about to begin when the device powers up. "Did you do anything?" Ray asks J'onn.

"No," J'onn answers with concern about what is happening.

Ray looks at the scanner in his hand. "The readings are off the scale. I'm detecting massive amounts of chronotons."

A bright light blinds the two of them. It is then they hear a familiar voice.

"...that."

Ray and J'onn wait for their eyes to stop seeing spots. When they do they find Superman and Wonder Woman standing there with a small blue-eyed girl and a baby boy in Superman's arms. It takes J'onn a moment more to register the slight greying in Superman's hair.

Kal looks around and sees two friends he hasn't seen in a long time. He lets out a sigh. "You know there was a time when stuff like this would actually garner a reaction," he tells Diana. "Guess I'm getting old," he laments at the fact he isn't surprised in the least at their current predicament.

"Oh please you are barely over a hundred," Diana says scornfully. "Talk to me about getting old when you are my age Kal."

Kal turns to see J'onn and Ray looking on with stunned silence. "Ok to answer your questions this device is a time machine and we're from the future."

"You kept a time machine!" Diana shouts out with some frustration at him. Time machines were extremely dangerous.

"I was just keeping it in case of an emergency," Kal says in defence of himself.

"You are in so much trouble when we get back Kal," Diana warns him.

Baby Jon whimpers. "Shh Diana. You're upsetting him. He can sense when we argue," Kal tells hers.

Diana moves over and strokes her son's head to soothe him. Meanwhile Ray and J'onn are still looking on quite stunned.

Diana turns her attention to Lois. "Lois what have we said about touching things?" she asks in her reprimand tone of voice.

Lois' lip now does that quivering thing it does.

"That isn't going to work this time Lo," Kal informs his daughter sternly.

There are now tears in Lois eyes. "I'm sorry daddy. I..." she bursts out into tears and cries.

Diana picks her up. She hates seeing her daughter cry. She holds her until she stops and then she wipes the tears from her daughter's face. "Lois we tell you not to touch things in case you hurt yourself. This machine could have done anything to you," Diana tries to explain.

Lois sniffles. "I'm sorry mama. I won't do it again."

Diana kisses Lois' cheek. "I love you. I couldn't bear it if any harm were to come to you."

Lois gives her mother a hug. "I love you mama."

Kal strokes his daughter's hair before he notices that J'onn and Ray are still standing there looking on with puzzled expressions. "So questions?" he asks them.

"You're from the future?" Ray asks wanting to confirm it.

Kal lets out a sigh. They had moved into an interview room out of the way so they could all sit down while they explained this. "No Ray I dyed my hair grey because I thought I was looking too young," Kal says with great sarcasm. This was the third time he had tried to explain it. Tried to explain the device Lois accidentally activated and the one J'onn and Ray were about to examine was a time machine and that it allowed a person or persons to travel to any point in time where the machine exists.

"Well you will dye your hair grey," Diana points out in reference to what the version of him in this time period will do. Kal had done that so it looked like he was ageing.

"I don't start to do that for at least another decade Diana," he counter points before he turns back to Ray. "Look if this will require J'onn to scan my mind to confirm all this then by all means do so. I would like to get back home before we mess up the time-line."

J'onn was never very comfortable scanning other's minds but it seemed the only way to be sure. "Very well. If you will relax and let me in."

Kal nods. He has been through this before even if J'onn hasn't been the one to do it for several decades. He calms his mind. J'onn's eyes light up as he enters Kal's mind. It is instantly familiar in a way but that familiarity is now buried under decades of life the Superman he knows has yet to live. J'onn sees much in this person's mind. On the surface and his strongest thoughts is his love for Diana and their children. Under that is a pain over all those he has lost. J'onn sees an elderly Lois lying in a bed at what seems the end of her life. J'onn can see in fact several decades worth of memories have now built up in this person's mind but it is unquestionably Kal-El. J'onn retreats from it.

"Satisfied?" Kal asks him.

J'onn nods. "You have aged remarkably well Superman," he remarks.

Diana gently touches the grey in Kal's hair. "I know. The grey makes him distinguished don't you think," she says in praise of her husband's appearance.

"Diana," Kal says with some embarrassment.

Diana kisses him on the cheek. "I am allowed to praise my husband. It says so in the marriage handbook."

"There is no such thing," Kal points out.

"Wait," Ray says getting their attention. "Husband? Marriage?" he asks with some confusion.

"Ooh right. I'm married to Lois right now aren't I."

"Yes," J'onn confirms. "You were married this year in fact."

Kal smiles with fond remembrance. "Yes I remember that." He still rates that one of the best days of his life.

"So do I," Diana comments. Even she has a smile as she thinks back on it. Kal had looked most handsome in his suit she remembers.

Kal turns his attention back to Ray. "To satisfy your curiosity Ray we are from about 70 years in the future and yes we are married and yes these two here are our children and of course you can never ever tell our current selves any of this. In fact..." Kal does a quick scan of the Watchtower and notes how empty it is. "Where is everyone?"

"It's Christmas Eve," Ray answers as an explanation.

Kal's face lights up. "Really?" Well that would be a funny coincidence Kal thinks considering it was nearly Christmas back in their time period too.

Ray nods to confirm it.

"Oh I remember this Christmas," Kal says as he thinks back on the his and Lois' first Christmas as a married couple. His face falls slightly. "I had to spend it at Lois' parents. You know with the army general that hated Superman." Kal had never liked Lois' father very much because of that. "And the sister that use to hit on me constantly," he adds in reference to Lois' little sister Lucy.

"Where was I?" Diana asks him.

Kal takes a moment to think on it. "Didn't you spend it with Bruce in Gotham?"

Diana snaps her fingers. "Yes. That is correct. I did." In this time she and Bruce were dating.

Jon starts fussing in Kal's arms. "He's getting hungry," Kal comments. "We should really be getting back."

"Yes you should," J'onn says in agreement. Knowing too much about the future can be dangerous and he and Ray already know too much probably. They head back to the lab with the device only to hit a snag.

"It's on a recharge cycle," Kal says after a momentary glance which means it doesn't have the power to send them back right now.

"How do you know that?" Ray asks him.

"I've had 7 decades more than you to study it Ray." Kal studies the readouts closer. "And at this rate it will take at least 24 hours to recharge." He turns to his wife. "We're stuck here for Christmas."

A little later Kal and Diana are in guest quarters. On the bed Lois is asleep next to her brother while Kal and Diana look down on Earth. Ray had volunteered to go get some baby supplies which is kinda of an amusing image if you were to really think about it.

"You're not looking for yourself are you?" Diana asks her husband. His powers grow as he ages and it wouldn't surprise her if his vision was now such that he could see himself from here.

Kal chuckles softly. "No." He places an arm around Diana's waist and kisses her temple. "I couldn't if I wanted to. Wrong part of Earth. We're actually over Kansas at the moment."

"Oh," she realises. "Your parents. They're still alive aren't they."

"Yes. They are," he says with a little sadness. From his perspective his parents had been dead quite a long time.

Diana places her arm around her husband's waist and squeezes him reassuringly. "It is alright to admit you miss them Kal. I still miss my mother." Diana had lost her mother in the near apocalypse that will soon hit this world and one that neither she nor Kal can tell anyone here about. That is why it is best that they go home as soon as possible. "I wish I could go see her," she admits but knows that she can't.

"I know," Kal says in complete understanding. He wishes he could go see his parents too. Then an idea hits him. "What if we could go see them?"

"What?"

"I mean we could do it as long as they agree never to utter a word about us to our current selves. They could even meet the children."

Diana can't say that the idea is not tempting but it is too dangerous. "Kal even if we could I'm not sure my mother would react too well to knowing that I married you and that we have children and I think I would be too tempted to try and save her regardless of the consequences."

Kal lets out a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry. Forget I mentioned it."

"However," Diana begins.

Kal turns his head to look at his wife. "However?"

"My mother dies of unnatural causes. Your parents live out their natural lives."

It goes unsaid but Kal can cotton on to what Diana means. She means that there is no way they can intervene in how and when his parents lives come to an end. Diana simply didn't say it so not to upset him. Once not so long ago it would have upset him a lot more than it does now. Since Diana came back into his life Kal has been trying to not let himself drown in his grief but to focus on the positives those he has lost brought to his life. He can now see that his parents lives came to their end in the way they were always suppose to. "Will you be alright on your own for a while?" he asks her.

"I'll manage. Go," she tells him.

Kal grins and gives her a kiss. "Have I ever said how much I love you?"

Diana wraps her arms around his neck. "Not recently."

Kal gives her a deep passionate kiss. "I love you," he says his voice husky.

Diana a little bit breathless. "I love you too. Now go or it'll be Christmas day before you get there."

Kal zips off to the nearest airlock and out into space. In no time he is plunging down into the night time sky above Smallville. He can remember really missing his parents this particular Christmas because he had to go to Lois' parents. Maybe this is fate's strange way of making amends. He lands as softly as ever outside the farm house and makes his way to the door trudging through the winter snow as he does so.

Jonathan and Martha Kent were both thinking of turning in for the night. Tomorrow would be a Christmas without Clark for the first time ever. Maybe they should have expected this once he was married. Not that they were unhappy about him being married. Far from it. Jonathan and Martha were extremely happy that Clark had found Lois but it still seems to leave a big hole in their Christmas not to have their son with them. It is now that there is a knock on the door.

"Who can that be at this hour?" Martha asks her husband.

Jonathan doesn't know as he stands up and heads for the door. He opens it to find what he thinks is a very familiar figure standing there. "Clark?" he queries wondering why his son is here.

"Yes and no," Kal answers cryptically. "Can I come in?"

Jonathan wonders why his son is being so formal as he steps aside and gestures for Clark to come in.

"Jonathan. Who is it?" Martha asks as she enters the hallway. "Clark?" Her eyes narrow as she spots something odd. "Since when do you have grey hair?"

"Can we sit down? This may take awhile."

Jonathan and Martha have to say of all the stories Clark has told them and there have been a few almost unbelievable ones this one is up there near the top. "The future?" Jonathan queries.

Kal nods. "Um yeah."

"How far in the future?"

"About 70 years."

Both Jonathan and Martha take a double take at that. Martha gestures at Clark's appearance "But you look..."

"Not like I am over a hundred years old," Kal supplies. He shrugs slightly. "I am Kryptonian Ma. My lifespan is far longer than any human."

"But you warned us about time travel," Jonathan reminds him. "You said how dangerous it was to interfere in the past."

"I did and believe you me being here is an accident. It is just we're stuck here for over a day and I really don't want to spend it hiding up at the Watchtower. Not when I have a chance to see you again."

"Again?" Martha queries. "You mean..."

"Ma. 70 years," Kal says as an explanation not wanting to go into details.

Jonathan leans forwards and places his hand on his son's shoulder. "It's alright Clark. Your mother and I are at the age where we are both aware of our mortality. I'm guessing though you've lost a lot of people you care about haven't you."

Clark smiles sadly. "One or two." The pain in his voice is all too evident.

"Lois?" Martha inquires.

Clark takes a breath. "About 9 years ago."

Both Martha and Jonathan do a quick mental sum in their head and can see that Lois lived to a grand old age which is good.

"You can't ever tell me, I mean the me of this time, about this," Kal tells them. "He's, I'm, not ready to learn about my longevity yet." While Kal had suspected he might live longer than everyone else he did not know for sure. Not until it became obvious that everyone around him was ageing faster than he was. "I know that this is a lot to ask."

"Nonsense," Martha dismisses it out of hand. "Nothing is too much to ask Clark. You are our son."

"Are you sure? I could be some evil clone or something?"

"No. Cheek like that can only come from the Clark Kent I raised," Martha wryly observes. That and she can recognise her son anywhere regardless of how much or little he has aged.

"Ma. I wasn't being cheeky," Clark says in defence of himself

"Don't argue with me Clark. Just because I may have passed on in your time doesn't mean you can suddenly win an argument against your mother."

Clark opens his mouth to say something but shuts it again when he realises his mother is right. He never could win an argument with her.

"Now that is settled," Martha says, "you can tell us who this we is you said came back with you."

"Oh um right. Well you see don't get me wrong here I loved Lois and I spent a long time mourning her but I met someone and remarried. It is my wife who came with me."

"Son. There is nothing wrong in that," Jonathan tells him sensing that Clark thinks they would be upset. "Your mother and I, and I'm sure Lois would agree also, would never want you to spend the rest of your life alone."

"Thank you," Kal says genuinely. He is glad they think that. "In that case there is also something else you need to know."

Martha listens to what Clark says next just before her eyes roll back and she faints.

"Martha!" Jonathan exclaims in a panic

"Ma!" Kal says with the same panic.

It takes a few moments before the two of them manage to bring Martha around. She opens her eyes and looks at her son. "Who did you say came with you?" she asks him wanting to be sure she didn't imagine it.

"Our children," Kal repeats what he said before.

Martha sits up straight. That is what she thought he said. "How though Clark? You said you didn't think humans and Kryptonians were compatible."

"I was wrong. We are. I mean it is not easy and the odds aren't great of carrying the baby to term but it is possible." Kal had learned that from the one time Lois had become pregnant. Sadly she miscarried. Mostly due to the stress on her body of carrying a half-Kryptonian offspring. He needs to add something else. "Also my current wife is not exactly a normal human so that helped tip the odds in our favour."

"Not normal in what sense Clark?" Jonathan asks.

Kal pauses for a moment. "Remind me of something," he requests. "Have I introduced you to Diana yet?"

Jonathan and Martha look at their son puzzled for a few moments. Yes they had met Wonder Woman but what does that have to do with anything. It is Martha that gets it first. "Oh my gracious!"