When Lois Lane finished typing, she looked up to see Peter Parker standing in front of her desk.

"Peter! What are you doing here? It's the middle of the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure it's the middle of the week."

"Correct on all counts," Peter replied. "But I don't have to go to school any more this year."

"What happened?"

"Oh, a little semi-religious event . . . you may have heard of it . . . an early winter celebration of life and family . . . "

"Christmas . . . " Lois muttered. "I completely forgot . . . "

"Time . . . two minutes after one, four days before Christmas!" Ben Urich exclaimed from the next cubicle.

"What are you talking about?" Lois asked, pushing her chair back, and rolling over to her co-worker's office space. She noticed the dry-erase board with the names of many staff members, as well as dates and times.

"An informal annual tradition," Ben replied. "A few years back, several of us noticed that you always seemed to forget about Christmas until the last minute. Couple years back, we started a pool." He looked at the board. "And the winner this year is . . . Peter!?"

"Don't be so surprised, Urich," Peter said. "I'm not at the top of my class for nothing. I already figured that she'd notice me being here in the middle of the day."

"I don't believe it," Lois grumbled as Peter walked over to collect the envelope of money.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Ben said with a smile. "And, only four shopping days until Christmas!"

"Shopping? Aw, crud!"

Maxwell Dillon was down on his luck. It wasn't shaping up to be a very merry Christmas. He has lost his job a few months earlier to corporate downsizing, and he had been evicted from his apartment just a week ago. He had nowhere to go. He didn't have many friends in the city, and those few he did have were unable to put him up even for a night. His parents had disowned him, thanks to a Thanksgiving travesty.

Max Dillon stood in front of the Rockefeller tree to hopefully feel better. That had always helped him when he was down at Christmas time. Just seeing the tree always put him into the Christmas spirit.

However, this year, it did not work out quite as he had hoped. He was still feeling depressed. Maybe it was because it was still daytime, and the lights could not be seen. He turned to walk away.

He walked to a mall. He didn't have enough money to buy anything - nor anybody to buy presents for - but at least it was a warm place to spend the afternoon.

Max walked around, looking at all of the various stores, just wandering to pass the time. He came upon the Santa in the middle of the mall. He smiled as he saw a little girl sitting on Santa's lap. But then the smiled turned to a frown when he thought about how much better her life must be than his right now.

Then, he looked up and saw a string of lights break loose from the ceiling. Bringing his eyes back down, he could tell that it would hit one of Santa's female elves, possibly causing serious injury.

Instantly, he sprang to action, leaping at the elf and getting her out of harm's way. The lights swung right where she had been standing.

However, the elf could not see this, and pushed Max off of her.

"Freak!" she shouted.

Max was tossed into the fountain, and the light string snapped off, falling in. The exposed wires made contact with the water and sent a charge through Max's body.

"Oh, my gosh!" the elf shouted. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know!"

Several parents tried to shield their children. Santa gave the girl on his lap to one of his helpers and rushed over.

Max tried standing up. He felt something surging through his body . . . power. Finally, he was able to kick the string out of the water. He fell to his knees.

Immediately, several people gathered around, wanting to help, but very weary of touching him.

"He might still be charged," Santa said. Max leaned over the side of the fountain, and then stood up. Suddenly, he felt fine.

"You probably shouldn't be standing, son," Santa said. "I'm sure someone is calling 911. Medical help will be here soon."

"I'm fine," Max said. "I don't need help?"

"But you were just electrocuted!"

"I said I'm fine!" Max growled. "Now let me go!" As he exclaimed, sparks of energy flew from his body. Everyone jumped back.

"Maybe I should call the cops."

"No!" Max said, getting out of the fountain, and running out of the mall.

"We got a live one!" someone shouted. "I'm getting reports of some guy getting electrocuted at the mall, and then running out!"

"What?" Ben, Jimmy, and Peter all exclaimed at the same time. Ben got out of his chair and hurried over, reading the note.

"Yeah, says that some guys saved an elf from a string of lights that snapped. He got knocked into the water and the lights fell in. However, when some people tried to help, he got angry and ran out."

"You mean he was perfectly fine?" Jimmy asked.

"That's right," Ben replied, coming back to his desk. He looked at Peter. "You wanna go?"

"Actually, take Jimmy along. I have some contacts at the police. I want to try to get a lead on the guy, maybe find him and get some pictures."

"Good idea," Ben replied. "C'mon, Jimmy, let's go!"

After scouring the city for over an hour for any trace of the electric man, Spider-Man found the NYPD staked out in front of an apartment building.

"I take it this is where the electric guy is," Spidey said.

"Yes, it is," Captain Stacy replied without turning around. "The weird thing is that it isn't even abandoned. Most of the time, these superpowered crazies go to abandoned buildings."

"Want me to scout it out?"

"Sure," Stacy replied. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Like I ever do."

"That's what scared me."

"Funny . . . Where is he?"

"We're guessing third floor, second window from the right."

"I'm on it."

Spidey leapt up to the third floor, and crawled over to the second window. He peered in, and saw a man spewing electricity sitting in the middle of the empty apartment. He crashed through the window.

"Spider-Man!" Max exclaimed. "Stay back! I won't hesitate to hurt you!"

"So, who are you? Or should I just call you 'Electro' or something?" Spidey asked.

"Hmmm, that name has possibilities . . . "

"Look, I'm not here for a fight. I just want to help you."

"How can you help?"

"If you turn yourself into police, I'm sure that they will take you to a place that can help you. I'm sure somebody, like Tony Stark, has some sort of equipment to contain your power."

"And then they'll turn me back into the poor loser that I was? Spider-Man, do you know how bad my life was? It's Christmas, and I don't have a job, a home, or a family to go to. I had nothing. But now, I have this power."

"Which won't mean anything if you can't contain it and get it under control!"

"So? At least it's something."

Spider-Man took a step. "Electro . . . "

"Stay back!" Electro shouted, releasing a burst of electricity. It hit Spider-Man dead center in the chest, knocking him down. Electro jumped out of the window as Spider-Man's suit began to malfunction from the power overload.

Spider-Man jumped out of the apartment.

"I'm sorry, Captain Stacy, but there is no reasoning with him. I think the electricity made him lose it."

"It's okay. We'll be able to find him."

"I can't help you though. He overloaded my suit. It's barely able to stay together. I gotta go home and fix it."

"I understand. We can handle this. Take care, and merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too."

As Spidey ran off, he though, I wonder what Victor is up to.

"I don't know how you talked me into this," Victor said. "Or how your aunt and uncle did either."

"It hasn't been that bad," Natalie replied. "Besides, I thought you liked kids."

"I don't not like them, but having to put up with three of them for an entire afternoon . . . "

"You love it."

Victor smiled. "Well, it beats having to turn invisible and fight the bad guys."

"At least they're not two."

Victor looked out the window. "But I have a strange feeling that we'll be stuck with them longer than we had intended."

"Why do you say that?" Natalie replied. She came over to the window and saw the snow falling fieriously from the sky. It was already piling up, over a foot high. "Oh, no . . . "

"Yeah, it looks like we'll be here a little longer than we thought . . . "

The phone rang, and Natalie went into the kitchen and answered it. One of Natalie's cousins came up to Victor. He was five years old, with brown hair.

"Can we play in the snow?" he asked.

Victor shook his head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Gary. It's really deep. You might get lost."

"But I'm a big boy!"

"Not big enough. Look!" Victor picked the boy up and let him peer out the window.

"Wow . . . "

Natalie returned as Vic was letting Gary go. "That was my aunt. She said that they're probably going to be out for a while, but they would try to get back. There should be plenty of food for dinner."

"What about the kids?"

"What about them?"

"How do we keep them entertained?"

"Oh, I guess we could let them watch some television after dinner, and then get them to bed early. Then we could spend some quality time together . . . " Natalie replied, coming closer to Victor.

"I like that idea," Victor said as he kissed her.

"Ew!!!!!" Emily exclaimed. "You're eating lips!"

Vic pulled back and smiled sheepishly, looking away. Natalie looked down at her cousin. "Emily, I thought you were playing in your room."

"I was," the blond girl replied. "But then Gary and Andy came into my room and started messing up all my toys."

"A five year old and six year old torturing the four year old . . . I better see what's wrong," Natalie said.

"I wonder what Peter's up to . . . " Victor mumbled as he followed her out.

Perry looked over the photos. "These are excellent shots of Spider-Man and Electro," he said. "How did you get them?"

"Zoom lens from across the street," Peter lied. "I kinda enhanced one that I bought."

"Nice work," Perry replied. "So, what happened after this confrontation?"

"I don't know," Peter said. "Electro ran off."

"I can fill you in," Ben added. "Apparently, this guy went to Stark to get some help. After they fitted him with a suit, he went away. No one has seen him since."

"Well, we have enough for a story. Get working on it," Perry ordered.

"Should we worry about what happens next?" Peter asked.

"No," Perry replied. "If I understand correctly, he's just some guy down on his luck. After a while, he should come to his senses. It's not like he's done anything majorly wrong anyway."

"Okay," Peter said, walking to the darkroom.

Victor and Natalie had gotten the kids settled down. Natalie was starting dinner while Victor was watching the kids, deciding how to keep them occupied. He spotted the family bible, and picked it up.

"Okay, kids, you want to hear a special story?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"Well, sit down on the sofa, and I'll tell it to you."

Victor opened up the bible to the gospel of Luke. "This story begins a long time ago, and tells about the very first Christmas . . . "

Mary had yet to become fourteen when she became betrothed to Joseph the carpenter. Before the two were married, a miraculous occurrence took place that was to change the direction of their lives.

Victor tried to come up with the best explanation he could think of. "When a man and a woman love each other very much, they want to get married. Today we call that engaged, but a long time ago, the people called it betrothed."

"Are you and Natalie going to get married?" Gary asked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now," Vic replied, blushing. "Back to the story . . . "

"How can this be?" Mary asked. "I am still a virgin."

"Oh, great. I knew you were going to ask that . . . " Victor muttered.

"I think I can explain this," Natalie spoke up, coming from the kitchen. "A virgin is a girl who is not ready to be a mommy."

"But the angel just said that Mary would be one," Gary argued.

"Dummy," Andy said. "That's why Mary was surprised."

"Hey!" Natalie snapped. "Stop the name calling."

"Now, back to the story," Victor said.

Joseph became a tender and loving husband, comforting her through her pregnancy and watching in wonder as the child grew inside her.

"What's what?" Natalie asked.

"I thought I heard something . . . "

All five were quiet. Sure enough, there was a rustling noise outside. Victor stood up and turned on the back light.

"Oh, man," he said when he saw how high the snow was.

"There's no possible way anyone could get back," Natalie said. "It's almost up to the top of the first story!"

"The only thing we can do right now is continue the story," Victor replied, sitting back down. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Joseph was a tender husband . . . "

After the angels left, the shepherd ran into the city, looking for the stable. When they arrived, they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. After they had seen him, they spread the word . . .

"I am going to find out what that noise is!" Victor exclaimed. "It's been right by the front door for at least a half an hour now."

"Victor, wait!" Natalie said.

Victor walked over to the door and swung it open. He saw a tunnel dug into the snow, and four people there.

"Hi," Natalie's uncle said. "We're home. And we brought a few friends!"

Victor opened the storm door. "Come on in. You must be cold!"

"The blizzard came so fast. We didn't think we could make it in time."

"That's okay," Natalie said. "We kept the kids entertained, and got dinner made. Merry Christmas."

"And God bless us, every one!" Gary exclaimed.

"Wrong story," Victor said with a smile. "But I think it'll do."

A snowflake tumbled down from the overcast sky, one of hundreds spiraling through the chilly air, each one different from the other. This one in particular fell on a soft outstretched palm, melting because of the body heat. Clear blue eyes, the same color as the sky hidden beneath the clouds, gazed in wonder at it.

"Oh my God . . . this is too funny! An Amazon princess, who can move mountains, float through the air, and has seen gods and monsters that would impress those role-playing obsessed geeks in high school, is amazed by snow?" Callista Domaine chortled as she walked towards her friend, the thin sheet of snow crunching beneath her expensive boots. A shopping bag swung from one gloved hand. "Although, snow here is pretty rare, I will admit. You'll see tons more where we're going."

"Snow may be rare here . . . but I've never seen it on Paradise Island," Diana replied as she followed Callista towards her waiting limousine.

Callista brushed her sleeve away from her wrist, revealing a shiny golden watch. "Damn . . . Troia's Tienda is having a Christmas sale, but it's all the way over in Maycomb . . . that's in the opposite direction of the airport, and our plane is leaving in an hour . . . better hurry."

Diana slid into the seat after Callista.

"I trust your shopping was enjoyable, ladies?" came the English tinted voice of Charles Wellington, Callista's chauffeur.

"It was, thank you," Diana replied.

"Psh . . . you didn't buy anything!" Callista snorted. "Well, at least not anything I didn't force you to buy!"

"I bought a Pepsi."

Callista rolled her eyes. "More like six or seven of them . . . "

Diana raised a delicate eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"If I have to deal with a hyperactive Amazon for a few hours there is!" The limo sped off towards the airport.

"I hate the cold," Callista mumbled. The sky was overcast, threatening to dump more and more snow onto the rocky mountain range, and the freezing wind had already caused her delicate skin to flush a cherry red. Diana smiled as the wind whipped at her body, causing her lustrous raven curls to dance on the wind behind her. "Put a coat on, Di. Normal people don't have Amazon Endurance, and wouldn't last five minutes out here."

Diana slipped into the coat she had slung over her arm, all the while staring around her. "It's so beautiful," she said breathlessly.

"It is," Callista replied, musing at how fascinating Diana found the entire world.

"Where is your aunt's dwelling, Calli?" Diana asked.

"Up a bit," Callista replied, jerking her head towards the peak of the mountain they had driven up. "This is as far as we can drive."

"So we have to walk?" Diana asked, a mischievous grin forming on her crimson lips. Callista recognized the look instantly, and groaned. "Race you!"

The Amazon darted off, running at normal speed. Normal speed for an Olympian athlete, that is. Callista sighed, expelling a cloud of steam into the chilly air as she reluctantly sprinted after her friend. "Remind me . . . are you three thousand years old or three years old?" she huffed, but the mountain winds blasted her words away.

A few minutes later, Diana had arrived at the porch of a good-sized home. She was breathing normally, but her face was flushed red, adding an extra beauty to her features.

The house was a quaint country home. It was made of wood and two stories tall, with lamps lighting the sides of each window. The roof was delicately iced with a fine layer of snow. Panting, Callista arrived next to her. Hands on her knees, Callista dipped her head, breathing heavily.

"Phew!" she gasped, gulping the frigid air. Diana raised a gloved hand and rapped on the door. After awhile, the door swung open, and a pleasant looking woman appeared, framed by the warm light of the kitchen. She was in her mid-fifties, and wore a baggy baby blue sweater and worn jeans. A wild wisp of blonde hair capped off her head, and sparkling blue eyes welcomed Diana and Callista from behind tiny gold-rimmed spectacles. The woman pulled these glasses away, letting them hang from a fine, glittering gold chain around her neck.

"Calli! Hello, how are you?" she cried, pulling Callista into a warm hug. "My goodness, did you run the entire way up here?"

"Y-yeah . . . " Callista replied, still trying to catch her breath. "H-hi, auntie . . . "

"Come in, come in, it's absolutely frigid outside!" the woman said as she ushered Diana and Callista inside her home. They stepped onto a colorful welcome mat, as the oak door swung shut behind them.

"You must be Diana! Callista's told me so much about you! I'm Julia Kapatelis," the woman said, holding out her hand.

Diana shook the woman's gnarled fingers in her own, slender hand. "Calli's favorite aunt. I've heard much about you, and I'm glad to meet you, Mrs. Kapatelis."

"Please! Call me Julia."

"Julia," Diana corrected herself, pulling her scarf and jacket away. Julia hung them on an ornate coat rack nearby.

Julia led Diana into the house. It was quite spacious, but nonetheless cozy, furnished and decorated with an old-fashioned country theme.

"Nessie! Calli and her friend Diana are here!" Julia called up winding steps.

"Coming . . . " a none-too enthusiastic voice replied. A teenage girl, perhaps sixteen years of age, walked slowly down the steps. She had sleek auburn hair streaked with gold, and wore hip-hugging black pants. Her short-sleeved red shirt had the word 'Princess' written gracefully across her chest in golden glitter. "Hey."

"Nessie!" Callista rushed forward and embraced her cousin. "It's so good to see you again!"

"What up? I've missed ya!" the girl replied.

"Diana," Callista said. "This is my cousin Vanessa. Nessie, this is my friend Diana."

"A pleasure to meet you," Diana said as she held out her hand. Vanessa tentatively shook it.

"Yeah . . . " she said, running her eyes up and down Diana, gauging her. "Nice to meet you, too."

Suddenly, a loud ring from upstairs echoed into the room. "Oh, I gotta go get that!" Vanessa replied. She spun and hurried up the stairs. Julia rolled her eyes.

"I told her not to bring her cell phone! Teenagers these days!" Julia said disapprovingly. Diana laughed. "Hmmm . . . Would you guys like something to eat? I have a plate of cookies that just came out of the oven!"

"Nessie, come on!" Callista encouraged. "Going out and chopping down a tree is tradition."

"It's tradition to do it with everyone else."

Julia rolled her eyes. "Everyone else is busy, Nessie. Now come on!"

"No. I don't want to."

"You're coming or no cell phone."

Vanessa bit her lip in frustration. "Fine." She reluctantly complied, pulling on a stylish coat and scarf, and the group headed out into the blasting winds.

"Beautiful," Julia replied. "Diana, would you like to do the honors?"

Diana reached into the wagon they had brought and pulled out a large axe. "I'd be delighted to!" she said.

A deft swing brought the tree tumbling to the ground. Julia and Vanessa stared in shock, and Callista had to stifle a groan.

"Oh my God!" Julia gasped at the amazing feat. It had taken her husband, a fit, healthy man who ran daily and lifted weights, many more swings to bring down their past Christmas trees.

{Diana!} Callista's thoughts flared up in Diana's skull.

{Hmmm?}

{Normal people can't chop a tree down in one stroke.}

{Oops.}

The Amazon knelt, carefully lifting the tree from its snowy crater, feigning a struggle. Vanessa and Julia were still shell-shocked.

"Omigod! You're amazing! Even Daddy couldn't do that! That's so kewl!" Vanessa babbled as her tongue became animate again, and struggled to give voice to the thoughts pouring from her mouth like water from a burst dam.

"My . . . you must be an Olympic athlete," Julia surmised, gazing appreciatively at Diana.

Callista rolled her eyes, which glanced over Diana's shoulder to a large, barren tree. Perched like a falcon was an obscure shape; it looked like a woman, but it was too far to tell. Callista did, however, recognize the brilliant streak of flaming hair that fluttered on the wailing wind as the figure bounded like a lemur through the leafless branches.

"Oh my God . . . " Callista meant to give Diana a warning, but instead came an ear-piercing shriek that echoed over the peaks of the mountains.

"Dammit, Callista! What the hell are you doing?" Julia snarled, glaring at her niece. "This high up that kind of noise could cause an avalanche!"

As if on cue, a distant rumbling, like thunder on a humid summer night, rolled over the four women. This time, it was Vanessa's shriek that tore through the mountain skies, as a seething wall of white rolled towards them at an alarming speed. Diana stared in awe, before it clicked in her brain exactly what was going on. You couldn't blame her; Paradise Island had never seen a snowflake before, much less a phenomenon like the deadly frigid tsunami that bore down upon the Amazon and her friends.

"Suffering Sappho!" The wagon, axe, and tree were hurled onto another mountaintop. Julia felt an arm possessing impossible strength wrap around her torso as Diana's other arm curled around Vanessa. Callista leapt onto her friend's back, hooking her arms tightly around Diana's neck. "Hang on, my friends!"

Diana leapt into the air, soaring up and over the mass of snow. Her legs pumping madly, the Amazon nimbly danced across the snow as if it were completely solid.

"Di . . . it's Artemis*!" Callista hissed in her ear.

*(The feisty, fire-haired Amazon, Artemis, first appeared in issue #3 - Kevin)

"Great Hera, not again!" Diana moaned.

"Di, look out!" Callista hissed. A huge chunk of wood, a tree, or perhaps an unfortunate soul's home, surged up from the snow. Debris was another aspect Diana hadn't expected, and it caught on her foot. Normally, Diana would have been able to catch her balance immediately, but she was running on rapidly moving snow, holding onto three other people and moving at incredibly high speeds. She tripped, but barely managed to launch herself and her passengers free of the snow, and sent them spiraling through the air.

"Callista! Julia, Vanessa!" Diana called, glancing around for her friends.

"Unh . . . " Diana heard a groan. She spun, and saw Julia lying in the freezing snow, barely conscious. A quick examination revealed that she was only stunned.

"Are you all right, Julia?"

"I'm fine . . . " Julia replied. "I'm a tough old bird . . . But . . . Nessie! Oh my God, where is she?" Julia leapt to her feet with surprising agility for a woman of her age, and glanced around frantically for her daughter.

"Diana! Auntie!" Callista came sprinting out of the trees, eyes wide.

"Calli! Thank the Gods you are all right! Have you seen Vanessa?"

Callista frowned. "No, I haven't."

Julia turned on Diana, pointing an accusing finger in the warrior's charming face. "You, lady, owe us an explanation!"

Diana sighed. A quick flick of her wrist removed the mask of Proteus and sent brilliant bolts of electricity cascading over her body. With the lightning subsided, the young, tanned girl with an exceptional beauty and athletic physique was replaced with the living embodiment of Greek perfection. She grew a few inches taller and her skin became a few shades darker. Arms and legs lengthened, each muscle perfectly proportioned. Dark, fluffy brown hair became sleek raven tresses, held away from her smooth, impeccable face by a golden tiara, at the center of which was placed a gleaming ruby star.

"My God . . . " Julia murmured, paling. "Wonder Woman! I . . . "

"I am Diana of Themyscira, Princess of Paradise Island and Champion of the Amazons," the mythical warrior said. "I am sorry to have deceived you before, but if what Callista says is true, this is no time for apologies."

Julia was still shocked. "What do you mean?"

"We have to find Nessie, before Artemis does."

"Artemis? The goddess of the hunt?"

Diana shook her head. "No, although hunting is one thing she excels at. Artemis is an Amazon from a separate tribe of women back home on Paradise Island. They live in a different city, called Bana-Mighdall, and choose to worship Ares and his ilk as their prime deity, dedicating their lives to war. You could think of them as Sparta, while my home city of Themyscira is Athens. Normally, we just accept each other's differences, but all Amazons are proud, and when I won the contest to become Wonder Woman, the Bana-Mighdallians decided that they must regain their lost honor and choose a champion to defeat me. Artemis is that champion, but I defeated her and sent her home, powerless, because of her dishonorable tactics."

"Dishonorable tactics?" Julia questioned.

Callista stepped in. "Yeah . . . like kidnapping me to use as bait!"

"Oh God . . . Vanessa!" Julia's eyes lit up; her fear, her rage, and most of all her determination were nearly luminescent in her pale blue orbs, glowing with a spark that Diana had only seen once before; in the eyes of her own mother, Hippolyta. Her wonderment at her niece's new best friend being a creature from myths both ancient and modern would have to wait. Her daughter was in danger.

"Be calm, sister. Our hunt for your daughter begins now," Wonder Woman said.

"Dammit, I don't see why we can't be out there with her!" Julia snarled. Callista turned up from the examination of her finely manicured nails to stare nervously at the metal shaft that her aunt had thrust into her face.

"Auntie, please wave your gun in that direction!" Callista implored, edging away nervously. When Julia complied, Callista proceeded to examine her styled blonde hair in the nearby mirror as she continued talking. "We'd just cramp Diana's style. She's one of the best there is, y'know? She does all that 'put your ear to the ground and listen' type of tracking. I know Grampa taught you and Mama and everyone how to hunt, but you've spent thirty years tracking Bambi and friends through the nearest woods. Diana's spent thirty centuries tracking the living creatures of Greek Myth. Stop worrying; Diana's thrown it down with Artemis before; she whipped her the first time and she can do it again. Plus, Nessie's tons smarter than me; she has the brains to keep her mouth shut, while I sat there and nagged Artemis until she belted me."

"Wench," Julia huffed, resuming staring out the window. Callista glanced at the shiny old hunter's rifle that was laying across the table she perched on. Julia had gathered every weapon in the house, from an ancient Native American hunting spear to a steak knife, despite Callista's protests than none could do any good against an Amazon.

Callista shivered. Artemis brought back memories of humiliation and indignities that Callista, top in everything from age three onwards, had never suffered before, as well as an uncommon and unsettling fear.

"Am not," a mock-indignant voice echoed from behind. Callista froze. She recognized that voice, filled with confidence, power, and warning, like the growl of a wildcat. She turned slowly, and felt her fear and rage swirl like a tornado within her.

Walking calmly towards Julia and Callista was a tall woman, nearly six feet in height. Her fiery long hair was pulled away from her harshly beautiful face by a golden clasp, and twisted intricately into a multitude of tiny braids that flowed down her back. She wore a metallic bronze halter-top that left her midriff bare, and billowing pale-green pants, similar to what a dancer from some Arabian myth of genies and lamps would wear. Around her large left bicep was a sturdy golden ring. An ornate sheathed dagger hung from a belt around her slim waste, and about her wrists were clamped the silvery bracelets that were the symbol of the Amazons.

"Artemis!" Callista cried. Julia wasted no time, and her shotgun echoed throughout her home like a thunderclap as she unloaded its fury towards the fire-haired warrior that stood before her.

Callista felt despair sink in. Artemis moved with supernatural speed and skill that only an Amazon born could hope to match. The stinging bullets bounced off of her bracelets, carefully controlled to bit into the floor. Suddenly, Artemis seemed to vanish. Before Julia could pull the trigger the vengeful warrior had torn the gun from her hands.

"Hold!" A thin cord of shining gold whipped through the air. Artemis fell back, avoiding the loop of the Golden Lasso. Wonder Woman, moving with the speed of Hermes, fell on Artemis, who diverted a punch aimed towards her head.

"Princess, wait!"

Diana halted. Artemis had always used her title in addressing her, but the insolent, mocking tone was absent.

"Please, Princess, I have come to make amends."

"Amends? Like hell! Where's my daughter, you murderous whore?" Julia snarled.

"I'm right here, Mom." Vanessa stepped timidly into the kitchen. Her face was pale and she was obviously frightened, but a heavy cloak had been draped around her shoulders, and she seemed to be unharmed.

"Artemis, tell me why you are here!" Diana demanded; her lasso whipping around Artemis's body. "I sent you back to Paradise Island to be re-educated by my sisters. You obviously didn't escape; the Venus Girdles negate any powers and even if it was removed you couldn't have gotten past the guards."

"I was released Diana. Your sisters' teachings have made me see the errors of my ways," Artemis said. "They released me, and I came back here to apologize. Plus," Artemis added, "with my powers gone because of the Venus Girdle, I had a lot of time on my hands to read. I learned about a special American holiday, one that I knew you and Callista would be participating in. It is customary to bring a gift, and I decided that's what I'd do."

As if by Artemis's unspoken command, Vanessa strolled to Diana, carrying a rectangular shape wrapped in gaudy red and green paper. Diana's lasso slid down her arm until it was cradled in the crook of her elbow. Her long, agile finger delicately unwrapped the package, revealing an ornate wooden box. Julia rushed upward, sweeping her daughter into a hug.

"Gaea, could it be?" Diana gasped breathlessly as she carefully opened the box. Within lay two golden sandals, and from the heels of each sprouted two tiny, pearl wings. "The Sandals of Hermes!"

"Yes . . . they were your mother's . . . and my sisters stole them. For that I am truly sorry. Your sisters showed me the true meaning of being an Amazon . . . and I have chosen to dedicate my life to showing the world how to live by these ideals. Princess Diana . . . Merry Christmas."

The car pulled up in front of the post office. A man got out. The postmaster walked up and greeted them. He was a short, balding man, and was gradually losing the battle of the bulge.

"Captain America, I'm so glad you could come. It's been a long time since you've done this. But, might I ask where your teammates are?"

"They should be arriving right about . . . now," Cap replied.

Just then, Flash came running up, and Iron Man descended from the sky.

"Everyone else was busy with their own holiday traditions," Cap explained. "So, it's only going to be the three of us."

"Well, let's come on in out of the cold," the postmaster said. The four walked into the post office, and continued walking past the main area where most civilians are allowed to go. They finally stopped when they reached a room with the Avengers League icon on it. The postmaster opened it, and let the door swing open. The room was stuffed - wall to wall, floor to ceiling - with letters, all addressed to the Avengers League.

"Holy . . . " Flash whispered in awe.

Cap sighed.

"It's been so long, we had to throw away some of the mail. We had hoped that someone would continue the tradition while the League was disbanded, but no one came. When we learned of your reforming, we made sure to have it ready for you this year."

"Yes, thank you," Cap said. "We appreciate it."

"Well, I'll leave you three alone. You have a lot to do."

The postmaster left and closed the door.

"Cap, I completely forgot how much mail we used to get," Iron Man said. "There's no way we can get through all of this."

"I don't plan to," Cap replied. "Most of it is probably junk from people wanting business propositions. No, we are here to help those who need it."

"Let's get started," Flash said.

"Hand me a bag . . . " Cap sighed.

The vast amount of mail should have made Cap proud and happy. But it didn't. In fact, it made him depressed. The sad fact was that most of these letters were requests for help from people all over the world. Some of them were valid problems, some were just silly, but each request was heartfelt. It was a source of great sadness to Cap that the League could not help the most of these people. There just weren't enough hours in a day to help everyone in the world who needed help. Captain America wished he could help everyone, and knowing he couldn't haunted him.

This being Christmas, the amount of mail had increased drastically. At this time of year, people looked for miracles. Cap, as he often did, took a look at a few letters. In fact, due to it being the holidays, he read more than usual. He hoped that he could help more people this month than he normally gets the chance to.

After about twenty minutes of reading letters, he spotted one that really struck him. It was a request for Cap to visit the home of a dying man. That wasn't unusual. But what was unusual was that the letter came from someone who was familiar to Cap from years past. The man Cap knew as the Black Spider, a criminal who Cap and other heroes had thwarted back in World War 2. He was now asking Captain America, a man he had once tried to kill, to come to him on his deathbed. It was very strange and very nervy. But Cap was very curious. What did the Black Spider want from him after all these years? Cap decided to answer the summons and visit his old foe.

A middle-aged woman answered the door. She was surprised to see Captain America at her door. Her jaw dropped.

"Hello," Cap said. "I'm looking for Roger Stuart."

"Come in," she said, watching Cap intently.

There was a ten-year-old girl playing in the room. She saw Cap.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Sheila. Are you a superhero?"

"Hello, Sheila. Yes, I am a superhero. I'm Captain America."

"Do you know Wonder Woman?"

"Yes, I do."

"She's my favorite."

"I don't blame you," Cap said. "She's a great woman."

The mother intervened. "Sheila, would you go into the other room for a minute? I want to talk to the Captain."

The little girl walked out. "Goodbye, mister."

"Goodbye, Sheila."

The mother looked at Cap. "Captain. I know who my father used to be. I know all about the Black Spider. I don't excuse him. But my father is very old and very sick. He's dying. Please don't harass him."

"I didn't come here to harass him," Cap said. "He wrote me a letter asking me to come here."

He showed her the letter. She read it, then she pointed to the bedroom. "He's in there. Please don't upset him."

Cap walked into the bedroom. He saw a frail, thin, sickly old man lying in a bed. He looked up at Cap and offered a weak smile. "Captain America," he whispered. "I didn't really believe you'd come."

"I'm not exactly sure why I did. What did you want to see me about?"

"I'm dying, Captain."

"So you told me in the letter. I'm sorry."

"That doesn't matter," the old man said. "I don't matter. What matters is my granddaughter, Sheila."

"I don't follow you," Cap said.

"She doesn't know about me," the old man said. "Not yet. But someday, she's bound to find out. I'm not proud of what I did in the past, but that was a long time ago. I've been on the straight and narrow for many years now. After I got out of prison, I married and had a daughter. You just met her. She grew up to find out about me and didn't talk to me for many years after. Finally she forgave me, but she still has resentment for me. Disappointment. And shame. It may have affected her life, and her marriage. I don't want that to happen to Sheila. One day, when she finds out, I don't want her to be psychologically screwed up. And more than that, I don't want her to hate me. After I'm gone, I want her to have good memories of me."

"What does this have to do with me?" Cap asked.

"I want you to lie to her," the man said.

Cap looked surprised.

The old Black Spider continued. "Please talk to her. Tell her something good about me. Once she gets older, she'll hear about what a great hero you are. About what a great hero you were in the old days, and still are. You're a legend. When you talk, people believe you. And because you're trusted, I want you to lie to her."

"You realize how hypocritical that is, don't you?" Cap asked.

"I do," the old man said weakly. "But please, do this. Tell her something good. Twist the real story around. Add in some little white lies. Maybe you could tell her I was an undercover good guy all that time. Something. Anything. Just find a way to keep her from hating me when she gets older and learns the truth. Whatever else she may hear about me, she'll always be able to remember that the greatest hero of all, Captain America, put in a good word for me."

Cap sat undecided.

"Please," the old man begged. "Grant an old man's dying wish. I know I haven't earned it. But I love my granddaughter. And this is all I can leave her."

Cap sighed and nodded. The old man grabbed Cap's hand. "Thank you, Captain. You really are a great hero."

Cap left the room. The mother looked at him. She nodded at him. Cap gave her a polite smile. He saw little Sheila in the other room. He went over to the little girl. "Hi, Sheila."

"Hi, mister," she said. "Do you want to play with me?"

"Sure I do," Cap said, sitting down with her. "And maybe we can talk about your grandpa. I knew him a long time ago."

Iron Man came across one, however, that he couldn't put into a pile. It seemed so urgent to him that he decided he must take care of it himself.

"I'll let you know what happened when I get done with this, Flash," Iron Man said as he rushed out of the room. His repulsors lit up as he took off into the sky.

The content of the letter went through Iron Man's head.

My biggest wish for Christmas is for Iron Man to see my father's battlesuit.

Iron Man's GPS system directed him as he flew toward the address specified in the letter. Finally he arrived at a ranch-style house on the end of a quiet street in the shadow of a towering steel mill. Tony had visited a lot of factories in his career, but he had not spent a lot of time in the towns that usually existed around them.

The street was pretty cheery, with holiday decorations up on the houses. One house did not have as many decorations as the others. Iron Man's sensors picked up the sound of hammering and arc welding from the garage of the house.

As Iron Man walked toward the house, he noticed that this was the address from which the boy's letter had come.

Iron Man knocked on the door. A seven-year-old boy answered the door.

"Dad! Dad! He came! He answered my Christmas wish in my letter!"

"Hello there," Iron Man said. "You must be Seth Peters, the one who wrote me the Christmas letter."

"Yeah! Come on and meet my dad! He's in his garage!"

The boy led Iron Man through a relatively clean but humble house toward the back yard. There was a rather large shed out in the yard, from which Iron Man could hear the sound of a hammer pounding against metal.

Seth knocked on the door of the shed and then opened it. A lean, middle-aged man stood in a grease-covered shirt and a pair of jeans. He wiped some sweat from his brow.

"What do you need, Seth . . . jeez!" The dad caught sight of Iron Man.

"Hello!" He put out his hand and Iron Man shook it gently. "Ron Peters, nice to meet you, Iron Man. My son was talking about you coming to meet me, but I thought it was just another one of his daydreams!"

"Pleased to meet you. You building something there, Mr. Peters?"

Mr. Peters was a little embarrassed. "Oh, it's nothing special, really."

Seth ran over to what looked like a battlesuit made of steel and scrap metal. The materials were rough, but Mr. Peters had crafted a rather decent-looking suit. Strapped to the back of the suit was a flamethrower-like device, which seemed to be controlled by circuitry in the gauntlets.

"It's dad's battlesuit!" Seth said, running over to show it off. "It's just like yours, Iron Man, but I don't think he has any lasers in it yet."

"Wow!" Iron Man exclaimed. "Most guys build cabinets and stuff in their workshops . . . you put Tim the Tool Man to shame with that!"

"Aw, it's nothing special, just something to pass the time. Time is all I have nowadays."

"Don't you work over at the mill?"

Peters frowned. Seth looked very sad. Iron Man had said something that touched a very deep nerve.

"I used to work over at the mill. I got laid off, along with about fifty other decent workers, about a month ago. I've looked for work, but the mill is the center of the town around here. Not too many other places to work, you know? "

"I'm sorry," Iron Man replied. "I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Fifteen years I put into that place. A lot of product going out there showing my attention to quality, and my dedication. And they lay me off, just like that. You know what I want to do the most?" Peters walked over to the suit and started looking as if he was going to put it on. "I'm going to put this on, and go over to that mill, and show them a thing or two . . . "

"That wouldn't solve anything, Mr. Peters. If the police caught you, who would take care of Seth?"

"It would give me some satisfaction. It would pay them back for what they did to me, and this town."

"You know, I can't say that I have ever had to face not having a job. Tony Stark has me pretty set up for life," Iron Man mused. "But you have a lot of skills. Maybe I can talk to my employer and see if he has anything open for a metallurgist."

"Would we have to leave town?" There was a little bit of sadness in Mr. Peters' eyes.

"I would think so. The closest plant Stark Enterprises has is outside of New York City. Given your situation, I'll suggest that Stark offer you some relocation money."

"My family has been in this town for two generations . . . but there's nothing left here if I can't get work." He shook Iron Man's hand again. "I'll take it! It would get me out of the house and working with metal again."

Peters went over to his workshop table and got a piece of paper. "You have my address, otherwise you wouldn't have come to visit." He wrote his telephone number on the scrap of paper. "If Mr. Stark, or whoever does the hiring, wants to give me a call, I'm here all day."

"I'll give him the number," Iron Man replied.

For the next hour or so, Iron Man examined the design of the Argent Avenger armor, and then Seth showed him some of his airplane and spaceship models. Iron Man showed Seth and Mr. Peters some of his own suit's features.

It was finally time to leave. "Happy Holidays, Mr. Peters," Iron Man said as he prepared to lift off into the sky.

"Happy Holidays, Iron Man," Mr. Peters and Seth said.

Iron Man flew back toward New York feeling better than before. He knew, however, that the steel mill layoffs had hurt more people than Mr. Peters - but if Iron Man had helped to redirect just one man's energy toward furthering his talents rather than destroying someone out of revenge, then he had done some good in the end.

Captain America and Iron Man returned about the same time. They found that Flash had finished sorting most of the mail. He was down to the last five sacks.

"I see you have a system worked out," Cap commented. "Nice."

"Yes," Flash replied. "We put the junk mail in that corner. Over the other corner are outdated requests. And the rest . . . " He sighed.

"Did you run across anything special?" Iron Man asked.

Flash held up the letter in his hand. "As a matter of fact, I did." He looked up sheepishly at his teammates. "I guess this one's mine, huh?"

"If you feel you must . . . " Cap said.

"Oh, I do. I wouldn't feel right if I came to help with the mail and didn't do anything. I will take care of this. I guess I'll see you in a while?"

"We'll be here," Iron Man said.

Flash raced off.

"Mrs. Simonson?" Flash asked. He had just run from New York City to Fawcett City, but was not out of breath.

"Yes, that's me," the elderly lady on the other side answered. She peered through the door, leaving the chain on. Flash could see that she was wearing a pink housecoat.

"May I come in?"

She shifted over to get a good look at her visitor.

"Who are you?"

"I am Flash. I'm from the Avengers League. I got your letter."

"Well, good heavens me!" Mrs. Simonson exclaimed. She closed the door, and then opened it all the way. "Come on in."

"Thank you, ma'am," Flash said as he entered.

"Let's come into the sitting room," Mrs. Simonson offered. "Would you care for something to drink? Coffee? Soda? Eggnog?"

"No thanks," Flash replied politely. "I'm fine."

The two entered Mrs. Simonson's "sitting room." Mrs. Simonson took a seat on the sofa. Flash sat down in the armchair beside her.

"So, Mrs. Simonson, your letter said something about finding your son?"

"Yes. You see, I was diagnosed a couple of months ago with a terminal illness. The doctors are not sure how long I have to live. I was hoping to spend one last Christmas with my son."

"But you haven't heard from him in a while."

"That's right. For some reason, it seemed like he fell off the face of the Earth."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"The last letter I received from him had a return address of Keystone City."

Flash perked up when he heard this. "Keystone City?" he asked. "Then you're in luck. That's my home base!"

"Oh, can you please find him? His name is Bill." She stood up and walked to a desk. She picked up a picture and handed it to Flash. "Here take this. It's the latest picture I have of him."

Flash stood up. "I'll be on my way."

"Oh, thank you, Flash." Mrs. Simonson gave the hero a hug.

"Sure, no problem . . . "

"Excuse me," Flash said. "Do you need some assistance?"

The man turned around. "No, jus' lookin'."

Flash was shocked. It's him! It's Bill Simonson! Is he . . . Out on the street?

"Pardon me for asking," Flash said, "but is your name Bill?"

"Yes," the man grunted. "What of it. It's a common enough name."

"Your last name wouldn't be Simonson, would it?"

Bill stopped rummaging and turned around. "What are you, one of those superheroes?"

"Well, yeah - "

"And how do you know my name?" Bill snapped. "Did someone tell you to find me? To give me handouts?"

"Actually, your mother wrote a letter to the Avengers League. I answered it. She wants to see you, Bill."

"Does she know I'm like this?"

Flash shook his head. "No. She wanted to find you because she has a terminal illness."

"What?" Now it was Bill's turn to be shocked.

"She told me herself. Bill, she just wants to spend Christmas with her son. It may be her last."

Bill was almost in tears. "How bad is she?"

"She seems to be in good spirits now. But I don't know how far along she is."

"Can you . . . can you . . . take me to her?" Bill almost choked on his words.

"Sure," Flash said. "Although I'm not used to carrying another person, I'll try."

"Use this," Bill said. He pulled a shopping cart from the corner of the alley and climbed in.

"Okay. Hang on tight. But first, I think you should go somewhere to get cleaned up a bit. I think I know just the place."

When Flash knocked on the door, it opened immediately.

"Oh my word!" Mrs. Simonson exclaimed. "Bill!"

"Hi, mom," Bill said. Instantly, both were in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Flash," Mrs. Simonson said. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Just enjoy the holiday, and help your son out. And both of you, if you ever need to talk to someone about anything, just let me know. Just call the League, and they'll contact me."

"Thank you, Flash," Mrs. Simonson repeated, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "And merry Christmas."

Flash smiled. "Merry Christmas. Both of you."

"Merry Christmas," Bill said as Flash ran off.

On his way back, Flash had received a message saying that Cap and Iron Man had finished the going through the mail and he should report to the Hall of Justice.

When he arrived, he found Captain America and Iron Man standing in what used to be an empty room with another man. Flash recognized him as Henry Gyrich, the man instrumental in reorganizing the League.

"So nice of you to join us," Gyrich said. "You are fortunate to be one of the first to see my Christmas gift to the League. Today, we have moved these transporters to the Hall of Justice to allow you to access your new base of operations."

"And where is that?" Cap asked.

"A watchtower, on the moon," Gyrich replied. He pushed a button on the remote control he was holding and a large screen lit up with the specs of the moon watchtower. "It's fully functional, and with even more technology than you have here. From the moon, you'll be able to monitor the situation on Earth more efficiently, and be able to serve more of the planet."

"Well, thank you," Captain America said. "I don't know what to say . . . "

"Then don't say anything. Merry Christmas, Cap."

"Oh, excuse me," Peter said as he bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," the other person replied. She looked at Peter. "Peter?"

"Lois! What are you doing here?"

Lois held up her bags. "Last minute Christmas shopping."

"Well, tomorrow would be considered last minute."

"Not for me. I have to get my gifts to the people beforehand."

"Why don't we sit down for a while," Peter suggested. He led Lois to a bench. She put down her many shopping bags.

"Ohhh. That feels nice to not carry all of that weight. What do you have in your bag?"

"Well . . . " He pulled something out. "It's for you. Might as well give it to you now."

"Peter, thanks . . . "

"Go ahead. Open it."

Lois ripped the paper off. She saw a large picture in a beautiful frame. The picture was of Spider-Man and herself. It was one that Peter had taken. She looked down to the corner. Something was written there.

"Lois, stay cool. Merry Christmas, Spider-Man."

Lois could feel a tear coming to her eye.

"I took one of my shots and had it enlarged. Just got it framed and giftwrapped twenty minutes ago." Peter pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Lois. "Here," he said. "You should have this."

She took it and looked inside. There were several dollar bills of various denominations inside. "What's this?"

"I was thinking about the bet going around the office, and realized that it probably wasn't in the spirit of Christmas. So, I took a little out for your present, and decided to give you the rest."

"Oh, Peter . . . " Lois said. She put the picture down and gave Peter a hug. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too," Peter replied. Backing away from the embrace, he asked, "So, are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

Lois shook her head. "My parents decided to go visit my sister for the holidays. Most of my friends have plans, so it's just me."

"Would you like to come to my house for dinner? I'm sure Aunt May wouldn't mind."

Lois thought for a second. "I'd love to, as long as you're sure it's fine."

"Trust me . . . Aunt May makes so much that we usually end up throwing some of it out. She'd love to have you over."

"Okay, what time should I be there?"

"How about if I call you tomorrow morning? After I can talk it over with my aunt?"

"That's fine." Lois glanced at her watch and picked up her bags. "It's getting late. I should be getting home. I have to wrap these and FedEx them to my family." She stood up.

"Do you need any help?" Peter asked as he stood.

"It would be nice," Lois said with a smile.

"How about if we call a few people from the Planet and have a little impromptu Christmas party? We can help you with your gifts and just have some fun."

"That would be nice. It seems like I've been working non-stop for a while. Come on, we can call the others during the cab ride."

"So glad you could come," Lois said as she taped up the last side of the present. "Even though it was short notice."

"Hey, you said party, so we came," Ben said. "And I prefer smaller groups for something like this. The four of us is perfect."

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "It's also kinda cool. Plus it gives me a chance to wrap my mom's gifts without her spying on me."

"Maybe we could make this an annual tradition," Ben added. "Our annual Christmas wrap party."

"Whatever," Lois replied. "I'm just trying to make it through this holiday."

"Let's make a toast," Peter said, raising his bottle of Coke. "To the Christmas spirit!"

Everyone else raised their drinks. "Hear, hear!"

"X-Men . . . welcome to our new home," Angel said happily as he ushered the team in. "It's still not finished, but it's pretty close. Everything works, there's just some finishing touches to be done, and then it needs to be fully furnished . . . but Worthing Enterprises spared no expense making this place for me. We've got ourselves a headquarters."

"Sweet," Iceman said as he looked around.

"It's not the school," Beast said, "but it will more than do. Thank you, Warren."

The X-Men were a team of a mutants brought together by the deceased Professor Charles Francis Xavier to be a force of good.

Clark Kent is Superman. He's super strong, super fast, invulnerable, he can fly, shoot beams out of his eyes, breathe ice cold air and plenty other things that truly allow him to live up to his codename. He's the team's leader, Charles' first student.

Jean Grey is a telepath and telekinetic of un-recognized potential. She spent most of her life training with Charles, slowly developing control over her amazing powers.

Bobby Drake is Iceman. He can control the temperature around him and turn things to ice. He also can turn his body to ice, and travels around on ice slides.

Hank McCoy is the Beast. His hands and feet are exceptionally large, and he's extremely agile. His enhanced strength is surpassed only by his phenomenal intellect.

Warren Worthington III is the Angel. He has large, white, feathery wings growing out of his back which make it obvious that he's a mutant, yet give him the ability to fly. His eyesight is also as keen as a hawk's.

Morph's true name is unknown. He's a shapeshifter, able to look like whoever and whatever he wants.

The mysterious man named Logan is also called Wolverine. He's got enhanced senses and an unbeatable healing factor to go along with his Adamantium laced, unbreakable bones. He also has a set of three, retractable Adamantium claws on each hand.

"Well, Hank, you're right that it's not the school," Warren continued, "but the layout is pretty darn close. Let me go over it with you guys. The second floor is the living quarters. As before, the right side is the men's dormitory, women's is on the left. We've got study rooms on each side. In the middle there's the automated laundry service, the computer link-up, and a master bedroom . . . which was originally Professor Xavier's room. The first floor has the parlor room, the dining room, the kitchen, the patio, the day room, a library, a main office area, a living room, a gallery, a den, and the main entrance. The basement has the laundry room, a ready room, a book storage room, furniture storage, a wine cellar, a workshop, the water heater, and the computer system main memory and power back-up for the mansion."

"Wow," Morph said. "That's a lotta stuff."

"Well, I changed my plans for the place slightly when I decided the X-Men would be living here," Warren smiled. "But wait, there's more. Like the school, we've got two sub-basements for our extra-curricular tights-activities. The first sub-basement has two more dormitories, an electronics lab, a physics lab, locker rooms with showers, a sauna and whirlpool, a gym, a pool, a chemical/bio-chemical/bio-electronic lab, a med lab, a heavy transport tunnel and a high-speed personnel transport tunnel to the hanger bay. The second sub-basement has a world communication monitor, a mission planning room, a courtesy area, a mission files room, training coordination, a war room, a room that, hopefully, will one day house Cerebro again, a ready room, a debriefing room, and a brand new, state-of-the-art Danger Room."

"Holy crap," Bobby said.

"Warren, how--?" Jean asked.

"My family's incredibly wealthy, Jean, you know that," Warren replied. "All rooms are ductlessly electronically heated and cooled. Security is computer controlled and effected by redundant sensors and robotic agents. We've got an almost fully-operational defense grid, too. Elevators, staircases, and high-speed transportation tubes. The hanger bay is underground and will soon have a modified SR-71 Blackbird stealth jet for our use. There's also an outdoor pool, plenty of grass, hills and trees, a boathouse, docks, a small beachhouse, tennis courts, basketball courts and open space for us to enjoy."

"Seems a bit much," Clark frowned at the over-spending of Warren.

"Hey, if we're gonna be heroes, might as well take every advantage we can get, right?" Warren asked. "When this place is finished, the Avengers League will be jealous!"

"I do like the idea of having so many labs open to me," Hank grinned.

"Consider it a Christmas present," Warren smiled.

"Christmas?" Bobby asked. "Wow . . . it is Christmas eve tonight, isn't it?"

Hank nodded. "We've gotten so wrapped up in our recent actions, that we've completely forgotten about the holidays!"

"Well, I didn't," Warren said. "Come on . . . there's a tree in the living room."

The group turned to follow Warren inside. Logan, however, turned the opposite direction, heading outside.

Jean noticed and turn to go to him, but Clark took her arm. "Let him go, Jean."

"But Clark, why?"

"I don't think he's leaving us just yet," Clark said. "But it's clear that this mansion is not something that he's anywhere near accustomed to. Just give him some time to take it all in."

"I suppose . . . " Jean said. She gazed back on more time, then turned and walked with Clark to see the tree.

Logan stood in front of the door, lighting a cigar and slowly taking a drag from it.

Well, Logan . . . whattaya think? Belong to a team again? Maybe not. I've always been a loner . . . I work better when I don't have to worry about anyone else. But then again . . . these guys have a decent goal. Fightin' so that mutants and humans can live together in peace. It's a dream . . . prolly an impossible one to realize . . . but it's a noble goal. And with all the money Wings' got, and all that tech this mansion has . . . I might stand a good chance of learning more about Weapon X and what the hell happened to me.

He sighed, blowing the smoke out from his lungs.

"Logan?" Bobby came out from the mansion to see him.

"What is it, kid?" Logan asked.

"Kid?" Bobby asked. "I'm twenty."

"Compared to me, you're still wet behind the ears," Logan replied.

"I just came to ask you if you were leaving."

"Oh."

"I don't think you should leave," Bobby said. "You're a good fighter . . . and a good guy. You did save my life, after all. The X-Men could use someone like you. You've got experience that most of us couldn't even dream of . . . or at least you seem like it. And we'll be able to help you get to the bottom of this Weapon X thing. It's a long road to Xavier's dream . . . and we need all the help we can get."

"I'll say," Logan said. "I'm not too good working with a team."

"You'll learn."

"I suppose."

"You mean . . . ?"

"Yeah, I'll join. Someone here's gotta be around to keep you kids from getting yourselves killed . . . "

"Sweet," Bobby grinned. "You won't regret this."

"The past few months have been difficult," Jean replied. "With Xavier dying, and the school being destroyed."

"The school . . . I hope those kids are all okay. We haven't heard from them since it happened."

"Well, we haven't exactly been the easiest people to get hold of, have we?"

Clark chuckled. "I guess not." He paused for a moment. "Jean, there's something I need to tell you. Can you meet me at the shed in the back in five minutes? And please, no mind reading?"

"Sure," Jean said. "Anything."

"Clark?"

Clark turned around and saw Jean peering in. "Hi," he said. "Come on in."

"What's up?"

"Remember this?" he asked.

"Yes, it's the thing that brought you here."

"It also has a lot of the history of Krypton stored inside. Whenever I get near it, it seems to transmit something else to my brain. Would you like to hear of Kryptonian holiday traditions?"

"Sure."

Clark thought for a moment. "Not here. Say, have you seen the tree at Rockefeller Center?"

"Not recently."

"Let's go," Clark said, grabbing Jean's waist, flying up into the night sky.

"Warren, this is absolutely, positively amazing," Hank grinned. "The toys in these rooms will keep me busy for months!"

"Hopefully everything we've got in here will make it easier for you to reassemble Cerebro," Angel said.

"Hopefully indeed."

"This is gonna be great," Warren grinned. "You, me, Bobby, Jean, Clark . . . together again. Just like old times, only better!"

"You're forgetting Morph and Logan."

"Morph's a little out there . . . and I'm not sure about Wolverine. He kinda gives me the creeps."

"Give 'em a chance, wings," Hank said. "I'm sure they'll both more than prove their worth to you."

Morph finished his slow trek up the staircase to the second floor. His neck extended to various lengths as he peered into room after room. Finally, he came across a slightly larger, corner room with a view.

He put down his stuff on the bed and grinned. "This'll do for me. Dibs have been called."

It's here we find an abandoned Concordia Resort, a giant mansion-esque building that went into receivership a few months back. Just recently, however, it became the new home of the super hero team Young Justice.

The mansion was fully furnished and fully stocked with food, computers, cable, internet access, pool tables, and all kinds of ways to pass time. Comfortable beds, hot showers, a pool and more. It was a nice change of pace from what the team had recently endured.

After Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club sought to take the team down, that is. The Department of Extranormal Activities was manipulated into issuing an arrest warrant for the young heroes, and actions made by a clone of Superboy who had infiltrated the team caused YJ to be on the run. They fought with DEO troops, their team Generation Next, the Super-Unit Police, Sentinels, the Point Men, the Living Monolith, Hellfire goons, demons, and finally, the Avengers League.

The clone was exposed with the return of the true Superboy. The clone, then naming itself Match, fled. A new member, Jolt, joined just as the crisis started . . . former members Magik and Cannonball were released to Muir Island's custody. The Red Tornado, the team's mentor, was told to stay away. And, it appeared as though Robin had quit. In actuality, he just switched codenames to Nightwing.

[[For those of you keeping score, that's a very brief explanation of the Young Injustice storyline, raging from YJ 17 to 26, Detective Comics 12 and 13, YJ Annual 2, YJ: Moonstar, YJ: Hellions, Generation Next Secret Files #1, and Generation Next/Young Justice 1 and 2. Whew. - Paul]]

Having apparently wrapped up most of the loose ends and turning anything else over to the League, the team decided that now would be a good time to catch a break. For those of you new to the book, let's give a little role call:

Chuck Barnes is Nightwing, formerly Robin. He's broken away from Batman to become his own, independent hero, but lived for years under Batman's guidance. He's an incredible detective and trained in several different fighting styles. Armed with several gadgets and a bo-staff, Robin's an ordinary human pushed to peak physical conditions.

Bart Allen is Impulse. The speed force is something he doesn't understand, nor does he know that he controls it. He can move faster than one can think, and for him, this is very true, often not thinking and of an intellect comparable to that of a five year old. He can also vibrate the molecules of his body so fast that he becomes intangible.

Kon-El is Superboy. Though his origin is unknown, he uses his powers of tactile telekinesis to be a hero and take after his inspiration, Captain America. The tactile telekinesis makes him invulnerable, super strong, and capable of flight. He also wears a photonic 'S' shield as an homage to the Captain. Currently, his powers are slowly being drained away by his clone. The only way to reverse the effect is to kill his clone, who is on the loose. In the mean time, the mysterious Graviton gave him a power boost to tide him over.

Cassie Sandsmark is Wonder Girl. Originally, she believed that her powers were given to her by Odin, Lord of Asgard. Recently, though, she discovered her powers were ionic in nature, given to her by Arnim Zola, the bio-fanatic. She can fly, is super strong, and pretty darn near invulnerable. But now, when she powers up, she bursts into ionic energy. What her body can handle is unknown.

Cissie King-Jones is Arrowette. A normal teenage girl to the naked eye, she is an excellent markswoman. Her eyes are keener than anyone else around and she can hit any target. She also runs around with another identity, called the Spoiler, who is apparently having a pseudo-relationship with Robin.

Linda Danvers is Firebird. She was originally super strong, invulnerable, and could fly, as well as had the gift of telekinesis, but then her powers started manifesting themselves as large, fiery wings behind her back. She was manipulated by the Hellfire Club and for a time fought against YJ, but was freed and came to her senses. Her wings seem to grow more powerful every time she calls upon them, while her original powers seem to dwindle. Recently, she had called herself the Phoenix and unleashed large psionic attacks upon foes, which she would not remember later. The mystery remains unsolved.

Jennifer-Lynn Haden is Jade. She's hard to miss with her emerald green hair, eyes and skin. Her power allows her to create and sustain anything she can think of with her own force of will. Anything from wings to fly on to a huge battering ram to slam into an enemy, so long as she's confident, she's strong.

Hallie Takahama is the newcomer, Jolt. A tortured prisoner of Arnim Zola, she was freed and sought to join the team, seeking a home and eventual revenge. Her body absorbs any and all ambient energy and releases it in increased agility, endurance, speed, and electric shock punches.

All caught up? Hope so . . . 'cause now we can begin the actual story, on the streets of New York City, December 24th, around 4:30 p.m . . .

"I can't believe I waited 'till the last minute to do all my Christmas shopping," Cissie frowned.

"I can't believe how much money it costs to buy people gifts," Jennifer said.

"I can't believe how many cool video games there are!" Bart exclaimed.

Cissie, Jen, Linda and Bart were together doing their shopping in and around Times Square. Needless to say, the place was packed.

"I think it was a poorly planned move to stick us with baby-sitting duty," Linda said, referring to the oblivious Bart.

"Eh . . . he's harmless," Cissie smiled.

"But the others knew we were gonna be out and about," Linda continued. "That we'd be doing a lot of shopping . . . "

"Well, the others are probably gonna be in a more serious mood," Cissie answered. "For Hallie, this is her first Christmas in awhile, and, well . . . we did find out that her family was killed. She's hanging out with Robin--er, Chuck, since he went through the same thing . . . they're gonna have a sad Christmas."

"Well, this isn't a merry Christmas for any of us," Jen sighed. "Chuck just broke away from Batman, who's been a father to him . . . Kon's dealing with the fact that he was replaced by a clone which drove us all to hate him . . . Since Cassie's powers went crazy and she blew up her house, she hasn't even mentioned her mother and what might have happened to her . . . Cissie, you've never gotten along with your mother, and she's the only family you've got . . . Hallie I already said . . . Linda, after everything you've been through, and this whole Phoenix thing, I bet you're pretty confused . . . and me, well . . . I miss Sam."

"At least Bart's happy," Linda shrugged.

"Don't get all depressed," Cissie said. "We've still got some shopping to do, and it'll be a lot easier if we stay happy, right? Right. So, come on . . . "

Wonder Girl sat perched upon a tree branch overlooking the residential block that, just recently, was burned almost completely to the ground by a fire. A fire caused when her ionic powers exploded.

"Hey?"

"Huh?" Cassie spun around. "Oh . . . hey, Kon."

Superboy waved slightly. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," she said.

"I had Rob--Chuck look into it . . . there wasn't any list of her name in the casualties or the injured."

"I know," Cassie said, returning to watch what used to be her home. "But I also know she was home when I . . . when I . . . exploded."

"Maybe she had left? Stepped out, went to get something to eat?"

"She would have told me she was going . . . and then she would have tried to contact me after seeing what had happened."

" . . . "

"What if . . . what if she wasn't my mom?"

"What do you mean?" Kon asked.

"Zola said that I was his first successful experiment, right?"*

*(in YJ 15 - Paul)

"Yeah . . . "

"And that he had wanted me to be an agent of his . . . but for some reason the process didn't make me loyal to him . . . I retained my own will power. So he created false memories of how I got my powers and returned me home, to one day retrieve me, right?"

"Right . . . "

"So what if my 'mom' was just some loyal agent of Zola's whose task was to watch over me?"

"That's not . . . I don't think . . . I . . . "

"It's possible," Cassie said, tears welling in her eyes. "My entire life has been a lie . . . "

"No it hasn't," Kon said, putting an arm on her shoulder. "You don't know that that's the truth. And even if it is, your life hasn't been a lie. You have friends . . . people who care about you. You have feelings, you care about people . . . you have these awesome powers that you use to help others . . . your life, though complicated, has been amazing."

" . . . "

"Come on, Cass," he said, helping her to her feet. "It's Christmas Eve. You should be happy."

"Yeah . . . should be."

"Let's go home."

Chuck and Hallie sat in the study. They had been talking for awhile.

"So . . . you have no family left, either?" Hallie asked.

"Nope," Chuck replied. "Not a one."

"My parents were all I had . . . but when Zola took me, well . . . I guess he considered them loose ends," she said, holding back the tears and pain, speaking almost matter-of-factly. "Kinda makes the holidays a bummer, huh?"

Chuck nodded. "I was lucky. I was taken in by Batman . . . given a home, a family of sorts . . . people who cared about me. It wasn't the same . . . but it really helped."

"Must've been nice."

"It was," Chuck nodded. "Just like it will be for you, since you've decided to stay. You'll have a whole family to look out for you and help you through all the bad times."

"Yeah," she said, a smile slowly creeping into her face. "I guess I will."

"At the very least, you can count on Bart's undying loyalty."

She laughed. "That's true . . . "

"Anyways, I just wanted too--eh?" he paused. "The proximity sensors Kon and I set up last week . . . they're going off."

"Unwelcome visitors?" Hallie asked. "On Christmas?"

"Let's go," he said, taking her by the hand and leading the way to the front entrance. Within moments, they were outside. What they found, however, was not what they expected.

"Wow . . . " Hallie said.

"No kidding."

Before the two stood a twenty-foot Christmas tree, fully decked out in lights and ornaments. Beneath it, eight gift-wrapped boxes. And hanging low, a card. Chuck approached and pulled off the card.

"It's addressed to Young Justice," he said.

"What is?" Superboy asked as he and Wonder Girl landed. "That tree?"

"Holy crud," Jennifer exclaimed as she, Linda, Cissie and Bart approached with a shipment of gift-wrapped packages upon one of Jen's green floating discs.

"It says," Chuck started, "To Young Justice: Merry Christmas. I'm proud of you. Signed, the Red Tornado."

"Reddy did this?" Cassie asked. "Awww . . . "

"Presents!" Bart exclaimed, speeding over to 'em.

"And lots more where those came from," Linda said, motioning to the load Jen was carrying.

"That's just too cool," Hallie said.

"Well, everyone, grab your presents and come on in," Chuck said. "I've got some eggnog, some hot chocolate, and plenty of ginger bread cookies inside waiting."

"I'm there," Kon grinned.

"To Jade . . . " Jen read the card from the Tornado. "'Your will is stronger than you believe. Not just anyone could do the things you do. Keep believing in yourself.' Awww . . . " She opened the present. "It's a picture frame with Sam at Muir! He must've flown over there and done it for me . . . "

"To Linda," Linda started. "'May your wings always burn bright with the passion you exhibit. Despite your hardships, your soul is a beacon, a shining light that inspires us all.' What a smoothy. He got me a stuffed Dove . . . heehee. That's kinda awkward . . . maybe he was tight for cash. Or maybe it was, like . . . hope."

"To Cissie," Cissie took over. "'Don't let your past keep you down. You're a hero.' Short but sweet. He got me a photo album? With pictures of all my other family members who were super heroes! Cool . . . even my mom's in there, the original Miss Arrowette . . . "

"To Cassie," Cassie continued. "'You're smarter than you think. Stronger than you think. And just an all around wonderful person. Keep on the path . . . you've got a bright future ahead.' And he got me sunglasses? Reddy, you're so weird . . . but at least they look expensive."

"To Impulse," Bart said. "'Think before you act.'" He shrugged, then tore his present open at lightning speed. "Cooool! An XBOX!!!"

"That's not fair," Superboy frowned. "Ah well . . . 'To Superboy: Despite your ego and attitude at times, you always do what's right. To you, things are almost always black and white. Don't lose that innocence.' And he got me an autographed picture of Captain America from World War II? Sweet, this thing's gotta be priceless . . . "

"He got me something, too," Hallie said. "Which is weird, since he doesn't really know me. 'To Hallie: This may seem weird, since I don't know you, but I just wanted to say . . . welcome to the team. Good luck . . . you'll need it.' Heh! He got me a scrapbook? It's empty . . . but it says 'To fill with all the memories to come.' That's pretty cool."

"What about you, Chuck?" Kon asked.

"It's addressed to Nightwing," he said. "Which is weird . . . I didn't tell anyone I was becoming Nightwing. It says, 'You did the right thing.' Huh."

"Did anyone tell Reddy about Rob--Chuck?" Cissie asked.

Everyone answered no.

"Huh," Chuck continued. "He got me a Batarang?" He grinned. "A Batarang that's done it Nightwing style. I don't know how he found out . . . but it's cool."

"Merry Christmas," Linda said.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Chuck answered. Everyone else followed. "No, come on . . . let's get some music going, and let's have a good time. We've finally got a break that we deserve . . . but we all know it won't last. Eat, drink, and be merry . . . and for the moment . . . don't think about tomorrow."

"Amen, brother," Kon said. "Amen."

Nothing was on Peter's mind as he opened the door except the upcoming Christmas dinner. Nothing Spider-Man related, not even Electro. He saw Lois standing there.

"Oh, hi!" he said. "Glad you could make it! May I take your coat?"

"Sure," Lois replied. "Here," she added, handing him a gift. "Something for your aunt."

"Thanks," Peter said. "I'll go put the coat up. Most everyone else is here, over in the kitchen. My aunt and Mrs. Watson have slaved for the past two days on this meal."

He walked over and put Lois's coat in the closest as she walked into the kitchen. He then put the present until the tree in the living room. Mary Jane was waiting on the couch.

"Must be awkward for you," she said. "Being the only guy in a house with four women."

"Hey, what can I say? It's Christmas."

MJ stood up. "Yeah. Best time of the year."

Peter walked over. They were standing in the entryway to the living room. "All sorts of special things happen," he said, his voice getting quieter. He put his hand on MJ's back. "And we're standing underneath mistletoe."

MJ looked up and giggled.

"Want to see if the myth is true?"

"Sure . . . " MJ said, closing her eyes.

Peter came closer. His lips were about to touch hers when Aunt May called from the kitchen. "Peter! Mary Jane! We need some help in here!"

Peter and MJ snapped to attention, backing away from each other.

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused. Then, they looked at each other.

"Maybe some other time?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, some other time," Mary Jane replied. "I'll be waiting, Tiger," she adding as she walked to the kitchen.

Inside, Peter was jumping for joy, but he kept all of that emotion hidden. Instead, he calmly walked to the kitchen to help his aunt. "Merry Christmas, indeed," he said to himself.

Clark and Jean looked up at the tree.

"It's amazing," Jean said.

"Yes."

"So, did they really have Christmas on your homeworld?"

"Not really," Clark replied, as they started walking to the ice rink. "But I suspect that nearly every civilization has some sort of holiday similar to Christmas. Everyone needs a time to relax. Instead they had another holiday."

"What was it called?"

"I don't know exactly," Clark said. "The matrix is slightly damaged, so not all of the information is still there. It was able to give me glimpses of a family together. Gifts were exchanged."

"Sounds like Christmas."

"But this was so much different. Krypton was a world based on technology. Human interaction rarely existed. But once a year, everyone was together."

"But were there any special traditions?"

"The Kryptonian version of Santa Claus. On the night before this holiday, children would go to bed early. Parents would put special helmets on them, and some artificial intelligence would plant information in their head. It was usually something pleasant, like a story, or some knowledge."

"Sounds . . . interesting . . . " Jean had no idea what to make of this. "So, are you planning on telling the others that you're not a mutant anytime soon?"

"Not really. I don't see why I should."

"I don't see why you shouldn't. More than likely, they'll end up finding out in a battle, and could cost us."

"Don't be so dramatic," Clark said, kissing her forehead. "Wanna go skating?" he asked as they came upon the rink.

Jean thought for a moment. "Sure," she answered. "It might be fun."

"Here they are!" Hank exclaimed as the happy couple walked in the door. "Where've ya been?" he asked.

"We went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center," Clark replied.

"How nice," Morph said. "Now, we can get on with our annual tradition?"

"What's that?" Clark asked.

"How in the world could you forget?" Jean wondered. "Warren even supplied us with an entire cabinet of movies, including all of our Christmas favorites."

"Like the one we watched every Christmas Eve, while we were at the school?" Hank suggested, trying to remind Clark.

"You mean It's a Wonderful Life?"

"That's it!" Morph replied. "Let's go!"

The X-Men wandered into the living room. Jean and Clark hung behind.

"Mistletoe up there," Clark said.

"I noticed," Jean replied.

"Merry Christmas," Clark whispered as he leaned over.

"Merry Christmas."

It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way -- a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" -- which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

*(wise men)

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house,* they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

*(That's right, house. The Magi didn't show up until Jesus was about 2 years old. Mary and Joseph were still in Bethlehem because the census took quite a while.)

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."