Hi hi hi! So this was written for the 12 days of Clois 2011 Christmas challenge which just ended like, yesterday. My prompt was #14, which was the shopping list and you can see the picture at the 12 days of Clois livejournal page. I hope you guys like it and yeah, it definately isn't the best thing i've written so please review and feedback. Thanks.
Disclaimer: All rights for Superman belong to DC Comics/Time Warner and the heirs of Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel. This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the above mentioned as well as Warner Brothers. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement is intended.
"Look mommy, gummy bears! Can we get gummy bears? Daddy can make gummy bear cookies! Oh wait candy canes! Can we get candy canes please? Please please please."
"Jason, you know candy canes are nothing but sugar and colour."
"But it's Christmas mommy, you can't have Christmas without candy canes."
Lois was never one for Christmas cheer but she had to admit that her sons' spirit was slightly infectious.
He get's that from Clark. Definitely.
With a sigh, she reached out and grabbed the smallest box of candy canes on the shelf before placing it in their shopping cart. Jason smiled and clapped his hands together before reaching up and adjusting the reindeer beanie tucked snugly over his ears.
"You can't have more than two alright."
Her son nodded enthusiastically before returning his attention to the shopping list clutched tightly in his hands. His blue eyes, the eyes of his father, narrowed slightly in concentration as they trailed down the list, mentally ticking off each item written in Clark's neat script.
"So munchkin, what's left on the list?"
"Um…the turkey and potatoes."
"Let's get the potatoes first then since they're just up ahead."
Jason nodded and took off, sprinting down the aisles of the grocery store, the shopping list clutched tightly in his little fist. Lois pushed the cart slightly faster, keeping him in her line of sight. Her son had reached the potatoes and was bent down, carefully scrutinising each bag. Lois had to smile. He always put his all into whatever he was doing whether it was drawing something for Clark or picking out potatoes. Finally finding one to his liking, Jason picked up the sack of potatoes with ease before standing on his toes and placing it in the cart.
"Now only the turkey's left," Jason exclaimed triumphantly; a smile lighting up his features, before marching off down the aisle "Come on mom!"
Clark straightened his tie before dropping down into the lift and running a hand through his hair to smooth the spit curl. The lift doors opened, revealing the chaos the bullpen usually was before Christmas. People rushed trying to get stories done in time for the Christmas paper, while others worked doubly hard and churned out two articles so that they could take a weekend break for the holidays. In the background, the news channel played on the flat screen TVs, the din of the bullpen making the newscaster's voice barely discernable.
People in China will be eternally grateful to Superman for blowing a snowstorm away just two hours ago and preventing what would have been a rather miserable Christmas. More details from our China correspondent, Bobby Stanley, so Bobby tell us…
Clark stumbled over to his desk, not knocking over anything but somehow making walking seem like an extremely difficult task. Slouching in his seat, he started up his computer while tuning his hearing four blocks away to the grocery store. The steady thump-thump of Lois and Jason's heartbeats assured him that all was fine, well, as fine as grocery shopping with Lois could be.
"What do you mean sold out? How can turkey be sold out? It's the Christmas season!" Lois huffed, her arms crossed as she glared at the teenager re-stocking cans of beans. The teen shrugged her shoulders and resumed her task obviously not feeling or sensing Lois's glare boring into her back. Taking a deep breath, Lois pushed the cart towards the checkout counter with Jason following closely behind.
No point in getting all riled up. Let it go Lane, let it go.
"But mommy, we can't have Christmas without turkey." Jason looked up at her, his blue eyes reflecting the worry he felt as he passed his mother their shopping list. Christmas without a turkey, heaven forbid those who even dared contemplate that thought. Lois sighed and scribbled a star by the word 'Turkey' before folding the list and dropping it in her purse.
"Don't worry munchkin, I'll get one tomorrow. Let's pay up and go home, your dad should be back from China by now."
Despite it being Christmas, Lois Lane let nothing stand between her and her by-line, she was therefore one of the few who didn't mind the additional workload during the holiday season. She sat, hunched over her desk, chin propped up in one hand and her brow furrowed in concentration. Jimmy was perched at the edge of her desk, snapping candid shots of people and the chaos of the bullpen.
"So Jimmy, you coming over tonight?" Clark asked, leaning back in his chair while his fingers flew over his keys with the very speed that Perry hired him for.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world CK! I haven't seen Jason for almost a week now and it'll be really nice-"
"OLSEN!"
"Annnnd I got to run," Jimmy waved at Clark in parting before backing off in the direction of the chief's office, "But I'll see you tonight!"
Clark chuckled, pushing his thick frames up his nose before turning back to his computer. A few clicks later and his article whizzed off to copy, leaving him officially on Christmas leave. He turned to the desk next to his where its occupant was seated, her head in her hands and glasses perched on the end of her nose.
"Lois?"
"Hmmmm?"
"I think I'm going to head home and start cooking. Are you almost finished?"
Lois turned to look at him while removing her glasses. Her hazel eyes, now no longer hidden behind her frames, were a sight to behold. Clark had always loved her eyes. She sighed and brought a hand up to rub at her nose bridge. Clark rolled over to her desk, parked himself behind her, and brought his hands up to gently ease the tension from her back.
"Well, almost I suppose. You go on ahead; we can't be serving our guests takeout for Christmas can we."
Clark chuckled before leaning his head on her shoulder, "No, we can't. My mother would be appalled." Clark gave Lois's shoulders a final squeeze before standing up and putting on his overcoat. Hat in hand he leant down and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.
Lois stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck before planting a firm kiss on his lips, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth playfully. Clark kissed her back, smiling against her lips.
"I'll see you later. Don't be too late and don't forget to get the turkey, the store closes at 5."
"Daddy, do you think Mommy forgot to get the turkey?" Jason was perched on a bar stool helping Clark peel carrots. Clark released the usually tight reign he held on his senses so as to pinpoint the location of Lois's heartbeat. That heartbeat was now so ingrained in his system that it took hardly any time or effort to locate it.
The steady thump-thump of Lois's heartbeat was accompanied by the clicking of keyboard keys and the whir of the copying machine, the gentle trickle of coffee in the coffee pot and the rustling of paper. She was definitely still at the Planet and it didn't seem like she would be leaving anytime soon.
Clark glanced up at the kitchen clock once more before switching off the stove flame and reaching for his glasses. He walked over to the French doors and opened them revealing the apartment's balcony which overlooked most of snow-covered metropolis and was high enough that its hero could fly in and out undetected. Clark stepped out into the balcony and motioned for Jason to join him.
"Come on Jace, let's go get some turkey."
At his father's words, Jason's eyes widened in glee before he scampered off the stool, nearly knocking it over in his haste.
"Yaaaayy! We're going flying!"
The jingling of keys could be heard alongside the steady click-clack of high heeled shoes against the tiled floor. A muffled curse word followed with the sliding of a key into its lock. The door swung open revealing a slightly irritated and frazzled Lois Lane, her keys and purse in one hand, her shoes in the other.
The Lane-Kent apartment had tinsel strung up along the walls and an impressive Christmas tree in one corner of the living room. Light-hearted music played softly in the background as white snowflakes could be seen drifting down through the apartment's frost-covered balcony doors. While the increased confidence of Clark Kent may have been Lois's doing, credit for their apartment's decorations most certainly went to Clark.
"Moooommyyyyyy!" yelled Jason before launching himself at her legs and hugging her tight.
"Hey Jace." She ruffled his hair before turning up to look at her husband a strange grin on his face. The kind of I-know-something-you-don't-know grin, Clark Kent style of course. He was standing behind the kitchen counter, plates of food in front of him, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, glazed ham and a wonderfully browned turkey…turkey.
Lois's mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she realised just what she had forgotten.
"Oh." She breathed out, part embarrassed for letting it slip her mind and part amused that her husband had actually gone to get the bird himself. Lois had never been the sort for Christmas or any other holiday. Decorating and food preparing was never done by her. When Jason came along, Richard handled the Santa Claus issue and the tree decorating and the turkey getting. Those duties were now Clark's, this year's slight deviation from the plan was not normal, and she was therefore allowed to have it slip her mind in the grand scheme of things. It was an honest mistake with completely justifiable reasons.
"Oh," Clark mimicked her and smiled before walking forward to kiss her on the forehead.
"Daddy said you were having a busy day and that we could go and get the turkey for dinner. We went flying Mommy! I saw a bird and a plane and we went real fast!" Jason was practically jumping up and down with excitement. His cheeks flushed and his eyes wide and bright. Clark was looking right at Lois, his lips parted in a smile and his eyes sparkling with barely contained amusement. Lois laughed and gave Jason a hug before prodding him gently in the back and asking him to go clean up and change his shirt. The little boy hurried off, doing as his mother told. Being a good boy during Christmas was essential as Jason most definitely wanted presents from Santa.
Lois turned her attention back to her husband. "In my defence, I was having a very busy day." She said, her eyebrows arched and chin lifted defensively.
"Of course you were. I never doubted that and it just seemed like something I could take of your long list of really important things to do." Clark moved closer, placing his arms around her hips and drawing her to him. Her arms came up to drape around his neck as they swayed slowly to the music playing softly in the background. "You are…quite the workaholic."
"I prefer to call it a passion for bringing truth to the ever deserving people of Metropolis."
"And getting your by-line."
Lois smiled and nudged him playfully. "That too."
"Which is why," he started, with an ever-growing grin "you are so extremely fortunate to have a husband who can just zip off whenever-"
"Hey! It was an honest mistake okay. The store ran out of turkey and I had other more…pressing matters to handle."
Clark laughed and kissed her nose. "Of course you did."
The doorbell rang and the couple broke apart just as Jason came racing out from his room.
Quite some time later, as Martha and Ben, Perry and Alice, Lucy and Ron,Jimmy, General Sam and Ella sat around the table with Lois, Clark and Jason, Lois realised that forgotten turkey or not, this Christmas, in fact, Christmas in general, wasn't as bad as she had always thought it was.
Please do review!
And I wish you very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
