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Winter Wonderland
Part 3/5

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“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight; we’re happy tonight. Walking in a winter wonderland.”

Clark awoke to the sound of music, and he blinked sleepily as he tried to get his bearings. At the sight of the Christmas tree in the corner of the room, however, he remembered where he was – in Smallville, on the couch in his parents’ living room.

“Gone away is the bluebird. Here to stay is the new bird. He sings a love song, as we go along. Walking in a winter wonderland.”

He smiled as he recognized the voice he heard. Lois had apparently awoken before him. In fact, from the sound of things, she was singing to herself as she got ready for the day.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the couch, Clark sat up on his make-shift bed and stretched. He’d spent much of the night patrolling the streets of Metropolis, making sure no one could connect Clark Kent’s vacation to Superman taking one of his own. It was odd, though … usually when he patrolled in other cities, he felt anxious to get back to Metropolis. But last night, it had been all he could do not to rush back to Smallville.

It wasn’t that hard to figure out why. In the year and a half since he’d met Lois, he’d become used to wanting to be wherever she was. For most of his life, home had been a house in Smallville, and more recently, an apartment in Metropolis. But there was no longer any point in denying it – home for him was now always going to be wherever Lois Lane was at the moment. He only hoped that he’d be able to tell her that someday.

“In the meadow, we can build a snowman. And pretend that he is Parson Brown. He’ll say, are you married? We’ll say, no, man. But you can do the job when you’re in town.”

Grinning, Clark hurried through his own morning routine, noting that his parents had left a pot of oatmeal warming on the stove for breakfast. A sweep of his vision confirmed that his dad was out in the barn checking on the animals, while his mom was organizing a shelf in her art studio. A glance at the clock told him it was eight-thirty, so they’d likely been up for a couple hours already. It was a testament to how recently he’d fallen asleep that he hadn’t awoken when they did. Still, he knew they wouldn’t mind that he hadn’t joined them for breakfast. Even though Superman never got a vacation, it was nice for Clark to be able to sleep in a little during his.

“Later on, we’ll conspire. As we dream by the fire. To face unafraid, the plans that we made. Walking in a winter wonderland.”

As he swept a beam of heat vision across his face to shave in the downstairs bathroom mirror, Clark’s memories drifted to the previous day, and the hours he and Lois had spent together. He could hardly believe that he’d tried to kiss her – twice! – only to get interrupted each time. Even more unbelievable was the fact that she seemed to have been anticipating those kisses just as much as he had. The kiss on the cheek she’d given him before bedtime hadn’t been quite the same thing, but it still made his heart soar. The invitation in her eyes had been clear, and he only hoped he’d get another chance to take her up on it soon.

Walking back into the kitchen, he started a fresh pot of coffee, and then set the table for two. He had just set out the cream, sugar, and two glasses of juice when Lois walked into the kitchen, looking as beautiful as ever in jeans and a wool sweater. He couldn’t have kept the smile off his face if he’d tried. “Good morning, Lois!”

“Morning, Clark,” she replied brightly. “I hope I didn’t sleep too late.”

“Not at all; I just got up myself. Are you hungry? My folks ate earlier, but they left some oatmeal for us. Is that OK, or would you like me to make something else?”

“No, no, oatmeal is fine. Where are your parents?”

“Dad’s out in the barn, and Mom’s upstairs in her art room. How’d you sleep?” As he spoke, he pulled two bowls from the cupboard, spooned a serving of hot cereal into each, and carried them to the table.

“Very well, thanks. How about you, though? Is the couch comfortable enough?”

“It’s fine, believe me. In fact, when I was a kid, my parents used to have to force me to sleep in my own bed at Christmas. Between the lights on the tree and the warmth of the fireplace, I would have slept in the living room every night if they’d let me.”

“Oh, now I’m on to you, Kent. You just invited me here so you could sleep downstairs.” Her eyes were twinkling at him as she sat down.

“Darn, you caught on to my nefarious plan,” he agreed good-naturedly. After pouring them each a cup of coffee, he joined her at the table and they began to eat.

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” Lois asked. “What does the Kent family do the day after Christmas?”

“Well, usually, we go into town for the big holiday party at the lodge, but with all the snow, we’ll have to stick pretty close to home this year. I spent some time yesterday shoveling our driveway to the main road, but I don’t think they’ve finished plowing the main roads themselves yet.”

“So we’re snowed in?”

“Well … kind of. But it’s not that bad. We have everything we need here to last several days, if not a few weeks.”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t complaining. I was actually thinking it was kind of fun.” She grinned. “You know, kind of adds to the whole Currier and Ives thing.”

Clark laughed. “Well, we’ve got plenty of that. In fact, I was going to head outside in a little while to do another round of shoveling on the path to the barn. We got a few more inches last night, and I don’t want my dad to get it in his head to do it himself.”

“Want some company?”

“I’d love some. Just make sure you bundle up; the snow is pretty deep. My mom has clothes you can borrow if your stuff isn’t warm enough.”

Lois snorted. “Kent, please. I grew up in Metropolis. We get snow every year.”

“Not eighteen inches at a time.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

Clark chuckled. “Whatever you say, Lois. Whatever you say.”

She patted his hand with a grin. “See, now that’s the attitude you should have started with.”

Martha walked into the kitchen, her arms full of papers. “What should Clark have started with?” she asked cheerfully.

“Oh, Lois was just saying she didn’t think eighteen inches of snow was any big deal.”

“Actually, I was saying that I’ve seen snow before and know how to dress for it. But Clark felt the need to remind me to bundle up.” Her eyes twinkled at him, showing her good humor.

“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot!” Martha quickly deposited the papers she was holding in the trash bin and scurried back out of the room.

Lois looked at Clark, bewildered. “What did I say?”

“I have no idea,” he answered, equally perplexed.

A few moments later, Martha came back into the room with a wrapped gift in her hand. “Lois, honey, this is for you. I can’t believe I forgot to give it to you last night.”

“For me?” Lois repeated as she took the box. “Martha, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know I didn’t have to,” Martha answered with a smile. “But I wanted to. Go on and open it.”

With a curious look, Lois tore off the red paper, and then pulled the lid off the box to reveal a cream colored wool scarf. “Oh,” she gasped. “It’s beautiful!”

“Keep going; there’s more.”

Indeed, under the scarf was a matching hat and pair of mittens. Lois immediately wrapped the scarf around her neck and put the mittens on her hands with a happy laugh. “They’re wonderful! And so soft! Thank you.”

“Everything is made from merino wool, so it should keep you warm, even in eighteen inches of snow. I finished them last month and put them away for safe keeping.” Martha laughed. “I guess I kept them too safe.”

“You made these for me?” Lois asked in amazement. “Yourself?” At Martha’s nod, she rose from her chair and gave the older woman a hug. “Thank you so much. I love them!”

Martha returned her hug, clearly touched and delighted. “I hope you get to put them to good use.”

“Oh, I will,” Lois laughed as she pulled from Martha’s arms and spun over to Clark’s chair. She patted his cheeks playfully with her mitten-covered hands. “See, told you I’d be plenty warm,” she teased. “Let me get ready and I’ll meet you outside.” And with that, she picked up her gift box and scampered out of the room.

Clark laughed as he watched her head up the stairs, then set about clearing the table. “That was really nice of you, Mom. I didn’t know you were making her something.”

“It was my pleasure. After all, it’s not like my boy needs me to knit him warm mittens anymore.” Her tone was affectionate as she nudged him with her hip.

“Hey, I still wear the scarf you made me in college,” he replied, smiling as he washed and dried the dishes. “As a matter of fact, I brought it with me to wear here.”

“Well, when you go out, be sure to check on your father. The barn is warm enough, but I want to make sure he doesn’t stay out there by himself all day, tinkering the hours away.”

Clark chuckled and kissed her cheek. “No problem. I’ll see if he needs any help, then I’ll start shoveling. Send Lois out when she comes down, OK?”

Martha’s eyes were twinkling at him as he shrugged into his coat and pulled on his boots. “You two seem to be getting along well. Are you glad you invited her?”

Clark didn’t even try to keep the smile off his face as he thought about their time together so far, and he shot his mother a wink as he headed out the back door. “That, Mom, is a gigantic understatement.”

*****

Lois walked down the back steps of the house, shielding her eyes as she squinted into the brightness of the outdoors. The sun wasn’t making much headway through the clouds overhead, but the snow on the ground reflected every bit of the mid-morning light. Even without direct sun, everything was bright and sparkling and very, very white.

Lois smiled as she noticed Clark working on the far end of the path, his shovel lifting the snow off the ground before tossing it to one side. He’d clearly been busy in the time it had taken her to get dressed – she could have sworn that it hadn’t taken her more than ten minutes to brush her teeth and add a pair of long underwear under her jeans, but the long walkway between the house and the barn was nearly clear.

She couldn’t help but release a pleased sigh as she watched him work. He looked good in his jacket and gloves, and though the snow looked heavy, he seemed to be lifting and tossing it with ease. “Gorgeous,” she sighed. “Clark Kent, you are absolutely gorgeous.”

As if he’d heard her, Clark’s head lifted and he stared at her in surprise for a moment before breaking into a delighted smile. “I’m almost done,” he called out to her.

Lois smiled in return and began making her way towards him. “Do you need any help?” she called back to him.

“Nah, I’m good. It wasn’t more than a few inches.”

“Long path, though.”

He shrugged and threw another shovel of snow off to the side. “This was one of my chores when I was a kid, so I guess I’m used to it.”

She’d nearly reached him, but hung back a little, trying to keep out of his way. “Lucy and I were supposed to shovel our walk when we were growing up, but we usually just ended up throwing snow at each other.” She chuckled. “My mom finally gave up and hired a service.”

Clark grinned mischievously, and sure enough, the next shovel full of snow was tossed in her direction.

“Funny, Kent,” she replied, even as she smiled. She picked up some of the snow at her feet and formed it into a ball. The moment his back was turned, she launched it at him.

Clark chuckled as the snow hit the back of his jacket and gave her a calculating look, but the next shovel of snow landed on top of the growing pile off to the side, exactly where it belonged. As did the next two after that.

Watching him speculatively, Lois formed another snowball and tossed it at him, this time hitting him in the arm. She could see him fighting a smile, but he continued to ignore her, seemingly intent on shoveling the remainder of the path.

“Not a snowball fight fan, huh?” she finally asked, keeping her eye on him in case of any sneak attacks.

“Oh, it just wouldn’t be a fair fight,” he replied breezily. “It’s like throwing a water balloon at the person holding the hose. I’d never take advantage of you like that.”

“Oh, really?” she drawled, lifting an eyebrow. “Why do I not believe you?”

Clark finally finished the rest of the walkway, including the snow he’d tossed at her earlier, and leaned the shovel up against the barn. “I have no idea,” he said with an exaggeratedly innocent shrug. “Face it, Lois. I’m just a really nice guy.”

“Uh huh,” she said, even more unconvinced than before. “You’re up to something; I can smell it.”

“That’s just the barn,” he said, his eyes dancing with amusement. “We should move away.”

She laughed. “What, you’re not going to try to sell me on the good, clean country air?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure you could be convinced,” he said, laughing with her. “I’m still waiting for you to compare Christmas to Arbor Day again.”

“Oh … that.” Lois gave a sheepish shrug. “I guess I’ve changed my mind. At least for this year.”

Clark’s smile melted into something much warmer. “So you’re having a good time? Glad you came?”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I am. I guess I found my own Christmas, after all … I just needed to find the right person to share it with.”

“Oh, Lois,” he breathed, looking into her eyes.

She fought to keep her mouth from twitching as she turned away from him. “Yeah, Martha’s been great … she said I can come back whenever I want. Turns out your parents don’t really care whether you visit, but they really want me—” Her words ended in a gleeful shriek as Clark grabbed her around the waist and twirled her around.

“That’s it! No more Mr. Nice Guy!” he trilled as he carried her off the path. “Forget the hose; you’re going into the pool!”

Lois squealed with laughter as he waded deeper and deeper into the snow. “Kidding! I was kidding! Clark!”

“Too late!”

He dumped her in a snowdrift, but she caught his arm on the way down and pulled him down next to her. Still laughing, she managed to sit up first and funnel an armful of snow over his head.

With a chortle of delight, he scooped it up and sent it back in her direction, completely covering her.

They battled for several minutes, until Lois’s ribs ached from laughing so hard. “Truce!” she finally called, gasping for air.

Clark settled back on his heels in the large hole they’d made in the snow, laughing himself as he blew white flakes away from his mouth. His glasses were flecked with snowflakes, but behind them, his eyes were shining. “Had enough?”

“I’m just taking it easy on you,” she assured him, even as she worked to catch her breath. “I’ve got my new scarf and hat to keep me warm, but your head is bare. You must be freezing!”

“I’m fine,” Clark chuckled, brushing the snow from his hair with a gloved hand. “I’m used to this weather. Besides, I worked up a sweat just keeping up with you.”

“If you say so,” she said, pulling her hat down a bit more tightly over her ears. Then she moved several feet behind them, fumbling through the drift to get to an area of fresh snow. She hadn’t played like this in years, but it felt good to just let go and enjoy it. “Remember making snow angels when you were a kid?” she asked, flopping down on her back and trying to move her arms and legs.

Clark waded to the spot beside her and made his own angel, then rose to his feet to admire his work. “Not bad; not bad at all!”

Lois tried to do the same, but every time she tried to stand, she’d just work herself deeper into the snow and fall back down. With a laugh, she finally gave up and held up her hands. “Help!”

Clark laughed and moved through the snow to assist her, leaning down to take hold of her hands and pull her up. She fell against him, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms for a moment, before turning to study her angel. “Hmm, I think it’s kind of crooked.”

“We’re out of practice.”

“Yours looks pretty good.”

“I guess I’m more angelic than you are,” he said with a grin.

“In your dreams,” she chuckled before moving to an untouched patch to try again. They made several more angels, each a little better than the last, until finally Lois just laid down and stayed there, exhausted but happy. It had started to snow again and they stared up at the sky, enjoying the silence.

After a long moment, Clark turned his head to look at her. “You’re my person, you know,” he said quietly.

Still on her back, she turned her head towards him. “Your person?”

“The one who made this Christmas special. The one … I wanted to share it with.”

The quiet assurance in his voice took her breath away. “Wow,” she whispered.

He sat up and moved closer, kneeling in the snow beside her. “It’s OK … you don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know.”

Lois sat up with him, the intense honesty she saw in his gaze both thrilling and humbling. This amazing man, this man she could no longer picture her life without … seemed to be telling her he felt the same way about her. “Oh, Clark …”

He looked breathless and enchanted as she leaned into him, inviting his kiss. “Oh … Kimberly!”