A/N: Almost that time again, Christmas is on the way. What better way to bring in the festivities then with our favorite duo, Clois. Set sometime in Season 8 after Bride, a little AU since the whole Davis thing with Chloe didn't happen. Chloe and Jimmy are happily married and Perry White is the new editor .

Will try to write one chapter a day or every few days until the 25th. Hope you guys Enjoy!

Own Nada, except this story idea.

Prologue:

November 28th

Metropolis

It was only a few days after Thanksgiving but Mother Nature sure didn't get that memo. Nor did she seem to care, because outside making the lives of Metropolis' residents freezing and wet, were big, white, fluffy flakes pouring down all around. And, man, was it coming down...

Children laughed at the abundance of white stuff falling from the sky, allowing the playful battles of snowball fights among them. While horns honked loudly amidst delayed traffic, shovels clanked against concrete sidewalks filled to the brim with the powder and other adults grumbled, crunching about in the new fallen snow toward one destination or another. The bustling city covered in a glittery blanket of white.

The wintry scene unheeded by one hazel-eyed, chocolate hair beauty whose mind had better things to occupy it at the moment. A moment that wasn't coughing up `any chance of figuring out a good story to write a Pulitzer piece. To move one from the basement and impress the new Editor. Perry White.

"Why? Why?" Lois droned on, rubbing at her temples while eyes glared at the blank white screen of her computer. Where words to a grand story should be.

"Why, What?"

Lois looked up pointedly as Clark appeared from thin air like always, tossing his black top coat over his chair and settling down the cup carrier with two coffees on his desk. Blue eyes sparkling, boyish grin on face and black curls sprinkled with melting white flakes, no doubt from the downpour that wasn't stopping anytime soon.

"Why can't I get out of this basement?" Lois answered, more like whined, but Clark wasn't dumb enough to bring that to her attention. "I can't think of a single news line and it's not like the weather is cooperating any. Since this snow has been falling for days now, crime has seen it's all time low in Metropolis. Too cold to even do petty thefts."

"Lois, you should be happy that for once the city is actually a safe place to live." Clark teased, handing a cup of coffee her way.

She slumped back with a huff into her seat after accepting the cup from Clark's hand. "I'll be happy once bad guys grow a pair and get back to business so I can finally have something to write about."

He chuckled at Lois' dramatics, taking a seat at his own desk conjoined to hers. "It's not that bad and you don't mean that."

"I'm going to get fired!" Lois wailed, dropping her head back before snapping it back up and glaring at the chuckle sounding across from her.

Clark cleared his voice, amusement still played on his features as he tried to look serious. "You're overreacting."

"Do you not get it, Smallville? We're going to meet the new editor, Perry White, today and it's been days since my name has been on the byline of anything newsworthy."

He looked hesitantly away, pulling at the collar of his dress shirt, not going unnoticed by one quick set of hazel eyes. "Actually...I've already met him."

Lois sat straight up in her chair at that bit of info. "What? When?"

"Oh, quite a few years ago." Clark replied uneasily. "I kind of saved his life."

"Well looked who moved on up to teacher's pet!" Lois exasperated and then reached over and quickly snatched his golden name plate from his desk. "I swear I will burn this if you move out of the basement before I do."

"Hey, Lois, Clark." They both turned their heads to see Jimmy, apparently the editor's new gofer boy, standing next to their desk. "Mr White wants to see you now, Lois."

Distracted, Clark took back his name plate from Lois' hand receiving a glare before her face dropped in defeat. "Well, you might as well start packing up my desk, Smallville, I'm sure I'll be finishing when I come down."

Clark shook his head at her nonsense, a smirk on his lips as he surveyed the mess she called a "desk". "Humph, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

She cut her eyes hearing his mumbling as she rose to her feet then tearing her attention from the annoying farm boy.

"Well, Jimbo, lead the way."

Jimmy only laughed good naturedly at the two, his red head shaking side to side, mega watt smile, before assisting Lois to the new boss' office on higher floors.

At the door, bold white letters of the editors name and title along with the insignia of the Daily Planet's famous globe, the two stood. Jimmy seemed more spooked then her to step behind that door and enter the boss' lair. Lois put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder as he turned his head, fear and embarrassment she could read on his face.

"It's just, he's really been riding me all day. Every time I step into his office, he sends me on some stupid errand that isn't even my job." He jumped in to explain seeing the concern on her face and his face speedily changed realizing what he just said, but saying the next words truthfully too. "I mean don't get me wrong, he seems like a great guy...but come on, he had me fix his feet sauna machine. Said something about, 'It helps me deal with stress.'"

"Don't worry, Jimmy, you're secrets safe with me." Lois squared her shoulders, smoothing down her hand down the front of her dress suit. "I can see my way in."

She tapped a couple times on the frosted window before stepping inside. His chair was turned toward the wall of windows; a great view of the winter wonder land that Metropolis had become. The back of his chair and his slightly balding head facing her way.

"Mr White, Sir." Lois said as she made her way further inside the impressive room.

He swivled around in his chair, his face lighting up some seeing his soon to be star reporter...he had a feeling about this one. "Ah, yes Lane..."

Lois followed his movement looking behind herself as he tilted his head trying to peer around. "Where's that Olsen, kid? I got a real hankering for some Mexican food."

"Mr White, you wanted to see me?" Lois distracting the new editor before he could unleash on her cousin's poor husband again.

"Ah, yeah. Come in, come in." Perry waved her in, gesturing to the leather seats in front of his desk. "So, I've read your work."

"You read my work?" Lois said sounding more flattered then she should, her hand going to her chest as she smiled smugly.

"I'm the new editor, of a very successful news paper. I make it a habit to read all my reporters' work." Perry deadpanned in a gruff voice, his eyes relaying that should be obvious.

Her pride deflating as she came to that realization. "Oh, right. Of, course." She rolling her eyes at herself, feeling stupid, as she looked away at the red heating her cheeks.

"I gotta say out of all the would be Investigative Reporters at this print..."

"Mr White just let me say, I know I've been dry lately. But with the weather and all...Well, not that I'm saying I can't get a story because of..."

Perry held a hand up, bringing the rambles of her mouth to an end instantly. "Do you make it a habit of interrupting your boss?"

"Um...no, but..." Lois stumbled awkwardly, at a loss for words before steeling her eyes, remembering exactly who she was. "Mr White, I'm a damn good reporter. Despite the past few days...or weeks... well, doesn't exactly give credence but I've brought some top notch stories to the Daily Planet. Some that, due to biased opinions according to those who owned the Planet at the time, didn't make it to see the light of day. Would have in my..."

"Ha-Ha!" Perry clapped and snapped his fingers pointing at her as a huge smile widen on his face. "That's the fire I keep hearing about. See I got a feeling about you, kid. You have drive and passion for the story you take on, most reporters I've seen in this place just want something to stick their name too. Not you...but you need work, Lane."

"Excuse me?" Lane all but sputtered out about to give him an ear full and he saw it, holding his hand up for her to hold her tongue.

"I can tell spell check is your friend." He let out a hardy laugh, holding up a rough copy of her work in his hands as he stood and paced behind his desk. "There's greatness there, I can see it, I been in this game too long to not know when I see it. But you got to tap into that flowing well, inside, waiting for the taking. You've got a Pulitzer or two there. Hell, maybe even more."

Lois look taken back, of all the moments she should looked smug, she wasn't. She was touched, that someone could have such great faith in her. Well, Clark mentioned that more times then she could count, but he was a friend. Friends just said things like that. This was an editor, but not just any editor, this was the Perry White.

"Thank you, Mr White." Lois said with gratitude.

He waved her off. "Perry's fine and don't thank me yet, Lane. I said you need work and I'm giving you a chance to prove to me and yourself what I already know. That's why I've got the perfect assignment...with the holidays and all coming up."

Lois did not like the sound of where this was heading, not one little bit. Her head began to shake before he could even begin to explain what exactly that entailed. Christmas was just weeks away and she so wasn't the person to do a fluff piece on said holiday. She wasn't a person who did fluff at all! Not well, anyway.

The Scrooge and Grinch combined didn't have anything on one Lois Joanne Lane when it came to Christmas. Don't get her wrong, the whole true meaning behind the season was just dandy. Baby Jesus being born, knowing he would grow up to be the savior of the whole world. She just couldn't admire one red-blue hero and not give props to another whose work was much greater then any in the scheme of things. Just to her, Christmas always seem, in the end, to be about the pretty things people found under the tree, then the great things already in their lives. Like family, friends...loved ones.

For Lois, she hadn't had a real Christmas since she was a little girl when her mom was still alive. There was Christmas cookies, and caroling around the tree while decorations were hung, and sneaking a peak downstairs in the middle of the night at the slightest noise that it may be Santa Clause. Later after her mom's death, all those beautiful traditions became her, miserably trying her best, to keep alive a dying memory. A twig or branch to decorate from wherever she and her sister Lucy where stationed at, with the many times the General just couldn't stay in one place. Lucy sniffling through carols, Lois pretending not to cry, as they used meaningless items around their temporary bunker to decorate the dried stick. The noise that woke them up in the middle of the night wasn't a jolly, fat, man in a red suite anymore. But the loud snoring of the General passed out after downing his sorrows in a whole bottle of whiskey. Christmas was always a hard time.

"I want you to write about Christmas Traditions." Perry said, breaking her from her revere into the pained past.

"Not gonna happen."

He tilted his head slightly, not sure his ears were working properly. "You wanna run that by me again?"

Lois cleared her throat, remembering her place. "With all due respect, Mr White, you want to take down Mobsters, an expose on the Red, Blue, Blur, bring down a multibillion dollar, corrupt, tycoon. I'm your girl...but seriously, a fluff piece?"

Perry chuckled inside at the sour expression on her face, he liked this one out of all the reporters he met so far. Well, maybe except for one other. She had spunk. She was going to be a handful, this one. He could see that right off the bat, but he also saw that's how she got the work done.

"Yes, seriously, a fluff piece..." He stood up tall, squaring wizened eyes at the fiery one. "I said you need work, Lane. Any wannabe with a pen and notepad can call themselves a reporter. Just like any nut with a computer can type out some words and call it an article. It takes a certain someone to take any ole' topic and turn it into greatness. And that boys and girls is how Pulitzers are born, not because of the topic but because of what great reporters can do with that topic."

He had her backed up into a corner, she knew he did, but she wasn't going to let him see that. No, all he saw was a flash of annoyance claiming the stubborn features of the young woman before him. "Unless, you're telling me you're not one of the great ones, as I thought?"

Lois' lips twisted up to the side in a smirk. "No, Chief, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'll take the fluff piece and write the hell out of it."

After a pause, stunned by her bite and the nick she called him, knowing it was to annoy him. Perry pointed his fore-finger toward her. "Don't call me that...Besides, I'm going to give you some help on this, Kid. Knowing a hard edge army brat like yourself probably haven't experienced much in the way of good ole' American Christmas Cheer. You know with being shipped all over the world and what have you. I'm giving you a good ole' American boy to be your partner on this assignment..."

Lois squeezed her eyes shut, her face scrunched up in regret of what was to come. "Please! Please! Please, no!"

"And I can't think of any place more American than Smallville, Kansas. I've spent some time there in the past and where you'll be reporting from and if this wasn't a sign from the great one himself, we actually have a reporter from said town."

Right on cue, a knock sounded on the door before it opened. "You wanted to see me, Mr White?"

They turning their heads to see a bumbling, shy but tall and extremely handsome 6ft 3, black hair, blue eyes, once a upon a time farm boy. Lois took a gulp, finally allowing herself to see her partner today that wasn't through a set of glaring eyes and the reason for regretting taking Perry up on his offer. Ever since one almost written in the stars kiss at the crash-bash wedding of the year, of her cousin Chloe and Jimmy Olsen. She began to keep a much needed distance from he who shall not be named.

Avoiding any and all investigations together, no free time together like they once did-late night rock band of White Snake songs when she was drunk out of her mind, he never seem bothered. No lunch breaks or dinner plans because they had nothing better else to do. It was just about food, anyway, eating nothing else...not like it was a date or anything. And if the company happen to be enjoyable, well, that was just a bonus. Not even so much as a text or phone call after she came back from her months long hiatus of playing Nurse with a wounded Jimmy and missing cousin.

The real reason for her leaving was maybe a little more selfish then wanting to help take care of her Cousin's injured husband, while said cousin couldn't. If she had to admit, which she has done countless times over and over again on many lonely nights, she just couldn't sit back and witness another debacle flop out between Lana and Clark. No matter how much in love they tried to convince themselves and others they were in. Lois' heart just couldn't take it. Not after she thought their might have been an inkling of something there for her from Clark. That for once he needed her...

Lois found herself nibbling on her bottom lip lost in thought before quickly squashing them away. The façade of annoyance rearing it's head back on her face.

"Smallville."

"Lois?" Clark questioned, surprised to see her still in the office. Well, he didn't see her come back to her desk, either, but he figured the way she's been keeping from him lately, it was just habit for her to stay away...from him.

Perry looked between his two reporters, an amusing smirk on his lips. The tension palpable, bouncing between the two. "Well, since everyone is all acquainted. Clark come in, meet your new partner."

Lois quickly turned in her chair to face their boss, fear in her throat. "Just for this story right?"

"See, I thought so too, but seeing the other pieces you guys dragged in together and the pieces you guy produced alone when competing against each other. Well, hell, I'll damn near would have to be a blind man to mess with a chemistry like that."

"Chemistry?" Lois and Clark said at the same time to one's amusement and the other's annoyance as Clark took the seat next to Lois. Whose glare seemed permanently glued to her eyes, she's been doing it all day to him.

Perry took his seat as well behind the grand expanse of his mahogany desk, his finger pointing from one to the other. "There something going on between you two?"

"Not in this lifetime." Lois smirked, folding her arms tightly against her chest.

Clark rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, though the brunette next to him still caught his words and cut her eyes to him "Apparently, not."

"Good. Good, because I wouldn't want a conflict of interest on this assignment. No emotions getting in the way of work and all." Perry warned in a fatherly voice, as he stared each one down. He knew something was there, whether they knew it, he could see, both were in denial. "Now, the first day of December is in three days, take that time to get through this storm and to Smallville, Kansas. I hear you have a home down there, Kent?"

"Yes, Sir." Clark nodded, his eyes turning toward Lois who was mocking him.

Teacher's Pet. She mouthed to him with a fake grin, this time it was his turn to set steely set of blues her way.

"Good, no work expense needed for hotel rooms then. If you have the room Kent, I'm sure Lois wouldn't mind shaking up."

"Sure-"

"Lois minds, besides I have a cousin who lives in Smallville too. I can stay at the Talon with her and her husband." Lois interjected, it was bad enough she would have to endure a three hour long car ride with boy wonder. She wasn't staying under the same roof with him for almost a month during all of the festivities. She needed to kill what was left of those feelings she was, well, feeling that came from the night at Chloe's wedding. And distance and ignoring him was the only way that was going to happen.

How she was going to do that during this month? That was something she yet to figure out. Lois sighed heavily at that thought, her eye of their own accord glancing Clark's way, noticing a bit of disappointment crossing his chiseled face? Not, that just couldn't be right.

"Well, that's settled then, living arrangements are taking care. I want you guys to head out there by tomorrow morning. Roads should be cleared enough by then and gives you guys some time to pack tonight."

Perry's focus going solely to Lois. "You want out of the basement? Show me what you're made of, kid. I want the works, I want to feel like I'm right there with ya, joining in the Christmas cheer. Give me Jingle Bells, snow men, mistletoe, the whole kit and caboodle."

The editor rose to his fee, signaling he was done with his instructions as the two follow suit and headed to the door. They stopped to look back at the rough clearing of their boss' throat. "And Remember, this isn't a vacation. I want serious pieces of print from you two."

Lois didn't like the glint in the old man's eyes, like he was implying something about them. Lois looked up at Clark beside her as they were halted by the open door, his cheeks red as the implication didn't go unnoticed by him. Their eyes met and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head at his innocence before turning her brunt attention to the Daily Planet's new editor. She decided she liked him, but she wasn't going to let him know or make it easy for him.

"Yes, Sir...Chief." She said with a snarky reply, a taunting grin on her lips, before pushing the wall of steel in front of her out and shutting the door a little too roughly behind them.

"GREAT CEASAR'S GHOST, QUIT CALLING ME THAT!" A high blood-pressured boom rattled from behind the closed door.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Thanks for REading! Please let me know how you guys liked it or didn't like it lol Review!

Chapter 1: Sleigh Ride