A/N: This is a little interlude to tide over the masses until the next chapter is posted. I had a couple of requests from some of my friends at the D2C message board for a little scene on the Christmas gifts... so here it is! Enjoy!

Ch 12 – Interlude


"Okay, so, we're a day late but it's the thought that counts, right?" Lois smiled as she tossed a wrapped package to Clark.

He grinned and pointed to the slim package he'd just placed on the table. "You go first."

She ripped open the gift and looked with surprise at the framed document.

"You framed my first article?"

Clark shrugged. "I figured it might be worth something one day, like when you win your first Pulitzer."

A conflicted expression crossed her face. She lightly ran a finger across the glass over her name. "This is sweet, Clark. Thank you… but you broke the rules! Gag gift, remember?"

"Well, if you feel that way- I could always take it back," he replied, reaching for the frame.

Lois pulled it to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. "Watch yourself, Kent. I tend to be territorial."

Clark laughed. "Lois Lane, territorial? That's a shocker," he mimicked.

Lois glared at him. "Just open your gift!"

Smiling, he tore off the paper and opened the box. His eyebrows rose as he held up a black eye mask and cape.

"Like 'The Lone Ranger,'" she explained, fingering the bottom of the cape. "I figure the next time you decide to go leaping tall buildings, you can at least accessorize."

They shared a laugh as he placed the items back into the box. "Okay, if I'm The Lone Ranger… I guess that makes you Tonto, the trusty sidekick."

"Don't push it, Smallville."

"Hey, you could be Silver if you'd like."


A few hours later, Lois smiled as she placed her gift on the nightstand next to her bed. Clark was certainly full of surprises.

Hearing her phone beep to signal a message, she picked it up and flipped it open.

"New ringtone received. Do you accept?" the message read.

Frowning in confusion, she pressed 'yes' and waited while it loaded. The sound of The William Tell Overture belted from her phone. Her jaw opened slightly when the short tune ended with a shout of "High-ho Silver, Away!"

Going to the door, she yelled down the steps, "Funny, Kent! Very funny!"


tbc