One week later… Sunday morning
"Smallville!" Lois' voice echoed through the dense woods. "Don't you dare, chop that tree down. It's ugly as hell."
Clark stilled with axe in hand. "Lois, we've been out here for three hours, already. It's cold and I'm tired!"
"Oh, please. Stop complaining. It's time for you to be channeling your inner Charlie Brown. I want a big, pretty tree. A nice one for me to stand next to, that will look super festive in the pictures we're going to send Mrs. K." Lois trudged through the heavy snow, leaning next to an enormous pine.
"Lois," Clark began very seriously, as he set the axe on the snow covered ground. "If you don't choose a tree in the next ten minutes I will, and then you cannot complain when you don't like it. So turn off the Lane military precision for this little bit and pick a tree!"
"Fine, Ebenezer Scrooge. Way to ruin my Christmas cheer." She started towards Clark, walking past him, staring at the tops of the large trees. Lois' gaze travelled down to the pure snow.
"Thank—"
He was cut off short as a tightly packed snowball hit him right on the back of his head, as loud laughter erupted from behind.
"Looois!" He turned around sharply.
"Serves you right for trying to ruin my mojo," Lois yelled over the rush of wind, throwing at him the other snowball she held. It him square in the face. She burst into more laughter.
"How's that for military precision?" She bent down to gather more snow.
Clark was already ready with the retaliation. He made sure to throw it with less force than usual. He made his mark right above her knee. Lois fell forward, laughing. She landed face down on the snow.
"You're going to pay for that!" From her lying position, she tossed a large snowball. It hit his jacket, disintegrating upon contact.
"Oh it's on!"
He took a handful of snow and ran to rub her face in it. With the finesse that only her military upbringing gave her, Lois dodged his oncoming threat. She jumped to the side, watching all six feet, three inches of him rush into the snow, headfirst.
"Oh, Smallville, clearly you never took ballet class; lessons in grace 101."
"You never took ballet either, Lois," he muttered dusting himself off.
"No, but I have the advantage of being trained in the martial arts, which is an army brat's ballet." She hit him once again with a mass of snow.
This time Clark turned around, as the snow melted on his face. He reached out to grab her, pulling her intimately against him.
"Hey!"
"Hey me this!" Right as he was to kiss her, they both lost their footing, and proceeded to roll down the slope. Wild laughter echoed through the silent woods, as the two of them finally came to a standstill.
"Look what you did!" Lois exclaimed from below. "You're squishing me!"
"What I did? You were the one who started rolling!" He flipped them over, so she lay directly over his chest.
"Only because you can't stand on solid ground, it seems." It was a mass tangle of limbs as Lois squirmed.
Clark tightened his grip on her. "Where do you think you're going, Lane?"
"To pick my damned tree, Kent."
"Not before I do this." He fastened his mouth securely over hers and kissed her fiercely.
"Hmmm…" Lois' complaint was lost in the meeting of tongues and lips. She found herself sighing in satisfied pleasure.
"I hate when you do that," she murmured between a kiss.
"It's the only way to shut you up." Clark fused their mouths together again. For what seemed like eternity, they were lost in one another's kisses and caresses.
That's when the snow started to fall. Before either realized it, they were covered with the soft material.
Lois tore herself away, feeling the growing cold. She stood up, brushing off the snow. "How lovely. Only not! Clark we need a tree! The snow is already coming heavy."
"So pick one."
Lois glanced around the dense woods. A tall evergreen caught her eye. It was tall, a perfect colour, and just the right size for the living room.
"That one." She pointed to it in, several feet in front of her. "And hurry up!"
Several hours and a snowstorm later… the Kent house
He placed the last ornament on the decorated tree. Clark smiled, still wondering how the hell Lois had tricked him into decorating the tree by himself. Well almost. She did keep yelling out orders for where to place each specific ornament, after she made him lug all the old Christmas boxes from the cellar.
Clark had been tempted to use his super speed, but thought better of it when Lois kept running back and forth all over the house. He didn't want her getting suspicious why all of a sudden fifteen boxes were ready to be unpacked.
He heard a sudden loud crash coming from the kitchen.
"Lois!"
"I'm fine!" She yelled back. "The tree better meet my seal of approval."
"If you're making eggnog, it better not be spiked, and don't even think of giving Shelby."
No response. Clark walked to the kitchen and watched as a smiling Lois let his dog lick the eggnog covered spoon.
"Of course you do the one thing I tell you not to."
She looked up. "Smallville, Shelby is not going to die from trying eggnog."
"Not unless you spiked it."
Lois thought for a moment. "I forgot if I added rum to it." She took the bowl and smelled it. "Oh, right, I did."
"Lois!"
"I'm kidding. It's doggie safe."
Shelby with the spoon in his mouth, walked over to Clark and barked, letting the spoon fall to his feet.
"Look at that. He wants to share with you."
Clark looked at her less than amused. "Funny, Lane."
"Here," she handed him a glass. "Try it."
"Just because it's dog proof, doesn't mean it's human safe." He smelled it. It looked alright.
"Clark! For your information, eggnog is one of the things I can make just fine!"
"Sure." He grinned, taking a drink. "It's not half-bad."
"I'll remember you said that." Lois drank hers. "And then make you pay for it." She gave him a small grin.
"My tree better look good." Lois said as she walked to the living room with Clark and Shelby following her.
"You were the one telling me where to put everything, so if something looks off, it's your fault."
"Whatever." Lois stared at the cheery Christmas tree. It looked beautiful. The farm boy had done great. She smiled. "Mrs. K taught you well."
"My mom would be proud," Clark laughed. "Do you want to put the angel on top? He asked, taking the golden figurine from the tabletop.
"Do you even have to ask?" She smiled, taking it from him and walked to the heavily decorated tree. Reaching high, Lois tried to place it on top, but fell back into Clark's arms.
"Here." He lifted her up, while she adjusted the cherubim.
Clark set her back down, but turned her towards him. He looked down at her beautiful face, noticing a hint of worry in the hazel eyes. He wondered what the cause was…
"How about we watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? I'll make us popcorn." He suggested, rubbing her back in soft circles.
"Only if it's with chocolate and caramel." She wrapped her arms around him.
"You'll have so much of it, you won't want anymore."
"That'll never happen, Smallville." She kissed his nose. "Now go make my popcorn!"
Lois tucked her feet beneath her, waiting for Clark to come back with the popcorn. She shivered slightly, feeling colder than usual. Wrapping the red blanket around herself, she leaned back against the couch.
This nagging sensation had been bothering her all day. Actually, if she admitted it to herself, it had started after she'd gotten that surprise call from Uncle Gabe.
He'd sounded rushed and fairly anxious. Said he was back in Metropolis, but no one knew yet, not even Chloe. Congratulated her on the front page article, saying he was proud of her. Rambled on about trivial things, then finally told her he needed to get back to work.
Afterwards, she'd felt oddly unnerved. It wasn't like her Uncle Gabe to call her first and not Chloe; despite their differences, he adored his daughter and she would've been the first person he would call.
There was something that he wasn't telling her. Of that she was sure. She just needed to find out what it was.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice Clark watching her from afar. Something was wrong. He could sense it by simply watching her. The usual smirk was replaced with a preoccupied look.
Clark sauntered over to the couch, handing her the large bowl of popcorn covered in chocolate and caramel sauce. "Eat up."
"Aww, you drowned it in chocolate just how I love it."
Clark sat down next to her. Lois leaned over and brushed a kiss to his cheek.
"I love you forever."
"I'll remember you said that, so when you want to make me suffer, I'll make sure you know."
"You do that." She laughed, through a mouthful of popcorn.
Clark studied her face, noticing the small details that told of her current mood. She was not happy. And he hated that; he wanted to take all that unhappiness away and let her know she could always count on him for strength.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Lois chewed on the inside of her cheek, while Clark kept tapping his legs. Even Shelby, who was lying on the floor at their feet, kept making peculiar noises in his sleep.
Lois turned to look at him, but Clark kept on staring at the T.V. screen. He turned his head to meet her gaze just as she was looking away.
"Lois."
"Clark." They both started to talk at the same time. Clark gave a tight smile. Lois just stared at him.
"Clark, huh? Lois, you just called me by my actual name and you only ever do that when there's something wrong."
Lois fiddled with the corner of the blanket. "How perceptive of you." After a pause she looked up at him. A small sigh escaped her lips. "Smallville, it's Christmastime. And I know how much you love this time of year. I don't want to ruin for you by talking about unpleasant things."
"Lois, listen to me. Christmas is only special because I can share it with you, and if you're not happy, then neither am I." He took her hand, gently grazing his thumb across her knuckles. "You can tell me what's troubling you." He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Lean on for strength," Clark whispered softly.
"Always so sappy, farm boy. I still love you though." Lois gave him a small smile that turned into a sigh. "You know I've been working on that follow up story Brady gave me."
"The recent expansion of Isis Pharmaceuticals and the possible connection to Lex Luthor. What about it?"
"Well I was working on it when my Uncle Gabe called."
"Gabe?"
"Yes, he's back in Metropolis. Congratulated me on the front page headline, and then talked about inconsequential things. Although he did mention that Chloe doesn't even know he's back in the city, which struck me as odd. It's not like him to call me first. Anyhow, he sounded really jumpy and hurried, like something was bothering him. I felt like he was waiting to ask me something but never did."
Clark pursed his lips. "Did he say why he was back?"
"No, didn't give me a chance to ask. But then he said he had to go because he had work to do."
"Well, Chloe should be happy her father is back. And Lois, I know you and that endless curiosity of yours and all the dangerous places it takes you, but maybe Gabe didn't say anything else to you because he has compelling reasons not to. We don't know what's going on."
"Yes, that's the problem! He's my Uncle, Clark, and I need to know why he sounded so apprehensive."
"Lois, he'll talk when he feels it's the right time to. If he didn't say anything to you, there's a reason why…
She was about to say something, but Clark interrupted her.
"…and not because he doesn't trust you."
"I know. I just want to help, Clark. I don't like being passive when I know things are wrong. He's hiding something." She added, unhappily.
"How about we talk about this tomorrow? It's late and we haven't finished the movie." Clark pulled her to him, so she sat on his lap. He adjusted them both, so her head fit perfectly under his chin. Wrapping his arms snugly around her, he hugged her close.
Lois couldn't help but sigh, melting naturally into him. There was no better place to be than in Clark Kent's arms.
It was dark and he couldn't see much. Even in the large parking garage, it was dim. The ceiling lights weren't very bright. Parking his newly leased Jeep near the entrance, Gabe hurried to the glass doors, swiping his employee badge on the side scanner.
The large office building was desolate, an eerie silence filling the empty spaces. Gabe shook off the feeling of restlessness, hurrying to the elevator. Medici had told him that his new office was on the twenty-third floor.
The ring of the lift signaled he'd reached his destination as the doors opened. He glanced over to the wide windows. The view sure was incredible as city of Metropolis sparkled below him, as the snow fell quietly over it. It looked so peaceful, yet beneath the serene façade lay something more sinister; a world of intricate and high-tech crime, a world that Gabe wanted no part of. But a man had to do what was required of him.
Walking down the finely decorated hallway, he stopped when he saw a tall, raven-haired woman at the front desk. Right at that moment, she looked up, acknowledging him.
"You're Gabe Sullivan, right?"
"And you are—"
"Georgina, Mr. Lenhart's assistant here in Metropolis. I came to pick up some paperwork. What are you doing here so late on a snowy Sunday night?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"I came by to check out my new office. You know acquaint myself with the area before the first day of work."
"Oh, well in that case, let me show you!" Georgina added, too enthusiastically. "Follow me." She started down the long hallway, the sound of her high heels muted by the carpet.
Reluctantly, Gabe fell into step behind her, as she led the way to a closed door. Using one of the keys dangling from the bracelet around her wrist, she opened the door, turning on the lights.
"This is it, Gabe. I hope you don't mind if I call you Gabe." She gave him a wide smile.
"That's fine." Gabe looked around the expansive office space. It was much larger than he'd expected, and furnished lavishly. The room was tastefully decorated in shades of blue and green, with a large sofa chair in one corner and plush smaller chairs around his desk.
"Mr. Lenhart allowed me to decorate it, and I hope it suits your tastes." She walked over to a small cabinet, opened it, and retrieved a small device. "This controls the audio system, the TV, the lights, and the windows." Pressing a button, the wall opened to reveal a large plasma screen television.
Gabe walked over to the large pine desk that sat regally in the center of the room. Behind it were expansive glass windows, allowing for a stunning and sweeping view of the Metropolis skyline.
Gabe placed his hands behind his back, looking over the city.
"Marvelous view isn't it? I'm rather jealous of it myself." Georgina gave a small laugh. "The front desk isn't privileged enough to have such a view." She motioned for Gabe to look to his side at the pale blue wall. "I picked out the art as well." A large watercolour painting in the medieval style depicted a knight upon a white horse, standing in front of a King Arthur type figure. Both man and beast bowed to their master; in the background stood an immense castle, complete with moat and guarding wall. The entire painting emanated power, and submission to that power.
"Mr. Lenhart told me to give these to you Monday morning, but since I'm seeing you right now, here you go." She took some papers from the desktop, handing them to Gabe.
"What is this?" Gabe looked down at what looked like basketball tickets.
"Tickets to the Metropolis Mavericks," she beamed. "They're front row."
"I can see that," he murmured.
The dark-haired woman glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. "Oh it's getting late!" She exclaimed. "We ought to go now. Want to be up bright and early tomorrow morning for our first day on the job." With one click of a button, the opening in the wall covered up the high tech screen, and the lights dimmed.
Gabe, with tickets still in hand, walked out the door, as Georgina locked it behind him. She turned to face him.
"Here you go. It's all yours now." She handed him the door key. "Remember to keep it safe. There are thieves everywhere." Winking at him, she turned on her heel, and headed back to the front desk.
Gabe silently followed her. "Good night, Georgina." He nodded to her as he walked by the kiosk.
"Same to you, Gabe." She watched him take the elevator and disappear as it went down.
After a minute's pause, taking out her cell phone, she dialed familiar numbers. A few seconds later a man's voice answered.
"It's Georgina… He came by the office tonight. I'm here right now… I don't know… he wanted to check it out before Monday… I gave him the tickets already." Long pause. "Okay." With that she hung up, and headed towards the elevators, files in hand.