From Part 3 ...
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!”
******
And now ...
Winter Wonderland
Part 4/5
*****
“Kimberly?” Lois reeled back in shock as the romance of the moment shattered around her. “Who the heck is Kimberly??”
Clark just stared over her shoulder in dismay. “Aww, man. She is not supposed to be here!”
Overwhelmed by visions of being attacked by a jealous ex-girlfriend, Lois quickly whirled to look behind her … only to come face to face with a furry creature.
“Maaah!” said the creature.
“Ahhh!!” screamed Lois. She flailed backwards, falling against Clark.
“Maah!”
Lois squealed again. “Clark, that’s a goat!”
“Yes,” he agreed, even as he tried to detangle himself so he could crawl past her. “A goat who is in very big trouble.” He reached out a hand to grab the animal’s leg, only to have it jump out of the way, bleating loudly as it tried to keep its footing in the deep snow. “Darn it, Kimberly!”
The animal came to rest a few feet away, watching them warily. “Maaah!” it said again.
Finally realizing that the beast wasn’t going to hurt her, Lois began to giggle at the absurdity of the situation, especially as she sensed Clark’s growing frustration. “I don’t think she’s going to surrender easily,” she managed to get out. “Do you think she wants to make snow angels with us?”
Clark snorted. “Only if we added horns and a pitchfork.” He eyed the animal as it tentatively ventured closer, and he tensed, ready to lunge.
Lois scooted backwards in the snow, trying to get out of Clark’s way, but she only succeeded in tripping him as he tried to get up. “Whoops,” she said, unsuccessfully stifling another laugh as he fell face first into the snow.
He shot her an exasperated look as he surfaced, which only made her giggle harder. “Lo-is!”
“Sorry.” She tried to stop laughing, but as it was a losing battle.
Shaking his head, Clark made one last dive towards the goat as it ran past and was finally successful in tackling it. Kimberly protested loudly, but Clark lifted her easily into his arms and stood up. “Ha! Gotcha!”
Lois gave up all pretense and dissolved in laughter at the sight.
This time Clark just rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his own lips. “This is not funny.”
“Yes, it is,” she choked out.
“Why? Because the farm boy is holding a goat?”
“No,” Lois responded, barely able to get out the words. “Because until today, I thought the worst thing a guy could do was call his date by another woman’s name. But you—you—” She struggled to catch her breath, laughter-induced tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. “You just called me by your goat’s name!!”
*****
Buried up to his knees in snow, his arms full of struggling goat, Clark blushed deeply as he replayed their conversation in his head. Not only had they been interrupted – again! – as he’d tried to kiss Lois, but indeed the goat’s name had popped out of his mouth as he’d seen her come toward them. He was never going to live this down.
Groaning with embarrassment, he tromped through the snow toward the barn, only to meet his father coming out the door.
“Hey, Clark, have you seen—Oh, good, you found her!”
“Yes, I found her,” Clark muttered, shoving the animal into his father’s arms. “Stupid, ridiculous beast.”
Jonathan just laughed. “What did she do this time? I swear, this thing gets into more trouble than a toddler.”
“Let’s just say she has a really rotten sense of timing.”
“Uh oh,” his dad chuckled. “I hope she didn’t do anything to Lois.”
Clark stretched his hearing to confirm that Lois was still laughing out in the snow and he rolled his eyes. “Lois is fine. My ego, on the other hand, may never recover.”
“What happened?”
Clark just waved his hand. “Never mind. Just keep that trouble-maker away from me, OK?”
“I’ll do my best,” his dad agreed good-naturedly. Then he looked at Clark quizzically. “Son, are you getting cold? The tops of your ears are all red.”
Clark felt the blush rise once more on his cheeks. “Just … never mind,” he repeated, ducking his head as he left the building.
As he rounded the corner, Lois was waiting for him on the walkway, still wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Did I scare you off?” she asked teasingly.
“Just returning the beast to her lair,” he replied.
“Thought maybe you were running out on me.”
He couldn’t help but smile, knowing it would be impossible for him to stay away from her. “Never.”
“Good.” She walked closer, holding out her arms to him. “Make up hug.”
Delighted, he accepted her embrace, squeezing her affectionately. “Apologizing for making fun of me, huh?”
“No,” she murmured, burrowing deeper into his neck. “I’m just really, really cold.”
He laughed out loud at that and held her even closer, running his hands up and down her back. “Better?”
“Better,” she agreed, the smile clear in her voice as she tightened her arms around his waist. The shiver that suddenly overtook her body, however, told a different story.
Clark gave her one final squeeze, relishing the feeling of her in his arms, before pulling back. “Come on, let’s go back inside and get you something hot to drink.”
When she didn’t protest, he led her back up the path toward the house, and they paused on the back porch to toe off their snowy boots and brush the snow from their clothing.
Martha was working at the stove when they came into the warm kitchen. “I was wondering how long you two were going to stay out there,” she said with a smile. “It looks cold.”
Lois’s cheeks were rosy, but her eyes were shining. “It is cold,” she agreed. “But lots of fun.”
Clark helped her out of her coat, taking the opportunity to rub his hands up and down her arms. “Now we’ve got to warm you up. Should I make hot tea or hot chocolate?”
“How long have you known me?” she asked in amazement.
Clark laughed. “Sorry, what was I thinking? Extra rich hot cocoa, coming up.”
“That’s more like it,” she said with a grin. Then she shivered again. “Actually, would you mind if I took a shower and changed first? I’d like to get some dry clothes on. You can go first, if you want.”
“No, you go ahead. I’ll get the cocoa going and take my shower after you’re done.”
“Do you mind, Martha?” she asked her host. “I don’t want to use up any hot water if you need it for something.”
“Heavens, no, dear. You go get warm and dry, and we’ll see you down here when you’re done. Take your time.”
As his favorite distraction left the kitchen, Clark turned to his mom and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
“For what, honey?”
“For letting Lois visit. For being such a great mom. For making whatever it is you’re stirring in that pot. Just … for everything.”
Martha put down her ladle and gave her son a hug. “You’re very welcome. And for the record, we’re delighted Lois is here. We think she’s a wonderful woman, and we love seeing how happy she makes you.”
“I just hope the feeling is mutual.”
His mom laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Call it mother’s intuition, Clark, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Now, come help me finish the bread. The soup needs to simmer for a bit, so we should have just enough time before lunch to bake some fresh rolls to go with it.”
*****
A little over an hour later, Lois and Clark had each showered and changed, and were enjoying their hot chocolate around the kitchen table, when Jonathan finally came in from the barn. “Brrr!” he said, hanging up his coat. “It’s getting chilly out there. The wind is really picking up, too.”
“Is it still snowing, Dad?”
“A little. But it’s blowing around so much, it’s hard to tell how much is new and how much was on the ground already.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you kids got outside in the morning,” Martha offered as she glanced out the window. “This looks like a good afternoon to just stay inside and keep warm.”
Lois finished her cocoa and let out a satisfied sigh. “Well, if we have to be snowed in, I can’t think of a nicer place to do it in.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Jonathan agreed. “Especially since this kitchen smells so good, it must be time for lunch.”
Martha laughed and set a stack of bowls and plates on the counter. “Who needs a clock, Jonathan, when we have your stomach? Come on, everyone … the soup is ready, so grab a bowl and come help yourself.”
Lunch was a chatty affair, with lots of conversation around the table and numerous compliments of the cooking. Lois seemed particularly amazed that Clark had helped make the rolls from scratch instead of buying them from a store, and had exacted a promise that he’d come over to her apartment sometime and bake for her. It was a promise he was only too happy to make.
As Clark cleared the table and washed the dishes, Jonathan took Lois over to their game cabinet and invited her to pick out something to play to keep them all entertained that afternoon.
When the pair returned with two decks of cards, Clark began to laugh. “Uh oh, Dad, you may have met your match. Lois is nearly as much of a card shark as you are.”
Jonathan gave her a sideways look, sizing her up. “Pick your poison, girlie. You don’t scare me.”
“Ooo, them’s fightin’ words,” Lois replied with a grin. She started shuffling one of the decks, first showing off with a bridge shuffle, then spreading the cards out on the table and cascaded them over, casino-style.
Chuckling, Jonathan took the other deck and imitated her moves, then took it a step further by adding quad cuts and twirls. By the time he began to sling-shot cards from one hand to the other, Lois’s jaw was hanging open.
“Uh oh,” she squeaked.
He winked. “I’ll take it easy on you. Maybe.”
Lois’s resulting whimper caused them all to laugh, but it wasn’t long before she proved she had earned her reputation, besting the entire Kent family in both Hearts and Spades before Martha surprised them all by dominating in Scrabble. The hours passed quickly, filled with laughter, coffee, hot chocolate, and several different varieties of Christmas cookies.
As pleasant as things were inside, however, the storm outside only seemed to intensify as afternoon turned into evening, and several times, conversation paused inside as their chatter was interrupted by the howl of the wind. Getting up to put his empty mug in the sink, Clark peered out the kitchen window into the darkness, making sure everything on the Kent land was where it was supposed to be. “I hope we don’t lose too many branches,” he commented to his parents. “Those trees are really whipping around.”
“I think the ones around the house will be fine,” Jonathan replied, bringing his own dishes to the sink. “You helped us trim out the deadwood this summer, so what’s left should be pretty sturdy.”
“I never got to the ones down by the road, though. Maybe I should—” Before Clark could finish his sentence, however, a particularly large gust of wind shook the house, causing the lights to flicker for a moment, and then go out completely.
“Oh, my!” Martha exclaimed. “I wonder what caused that.”
Clark lowered his glasses as he looked out the window, confirming his suspicions. “I bet one of our trees by the road came down on the wire leading to the house.”
“Do you still have phone service?” Lois asked. “You should call and report it to the electric company. Might take them awhile to get out here, though, if the storm is taking down trees all over.”
Clark hesitated, his hand going automatically to fiddle with the collar of his shirt before he remembered he was wearing a sweater instead of a tie. “You know what? I’m going to take a quick look outside … see if anything else is out of place.”
Jonathan pulled a couple of flashlights from a drawer. “I’ll join you.”
“In this weather?” Lois asked in surprise. “You’ll freeze to death.”
Jonathan was already reaching for his coat. “The barn should be warm enough, at least for awhile. We’ll make sure the animals are all right, and then Clark can help me look at the generator.”
A match flared to life as Martha lit a few candles. “You know, we never did get that working the last time it broke.”
Jonathan grimaced. “You’re right, we didn’t.” He turned to Clark to explain. “The motor burned out this fall, and I never got around to replacing it.”
Clark grabbed his jacket as he headed out of the kitchen. “Let me look at it. Maybe there’s something I can do.” He was stopped at the doorway, however, by a warm hand on his arm, and looked down to find Lois.
“Be careful,” she said, offering his gloves to him. There was no mistaking the concern in her eyes, even in the flickering candlelight.
He smiled reassuringly as he took them from her. “Always.” He couldn’t resist cupping her cheek with his free hand, stroking his thumb lightly across her soft skin. “Stay in here where it’s warm. I’ll be back soon.”
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” And with a last, longing look, he followed his father out into the snow, slipping on his jacket as he went.
It didn’t take Clark long to zip over to the downed power line and remove the fallen tree, but unfortunately, the same could not be said for fixing the broken power line … or the generator in his father’s barn. After several long minutes of tinkering with it, he had to concede that the motor was indeed completely burned out.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I think we’re just going to have to get a new one.”
“I was afraid of that. Well, that’s what I get for procrastinating. Your mother and I talked about replacing it this fall, but we just never got around to it.”
“I can head out and try to find one for you.”
“With this storm?” Jonathan shook his head. “Generators will be sold out for miles around. Best thing we can do is just wait for the storm to blow over and let the power company do their job.”
“I could try some stores in Metropolis … or maybe somewhere out west where it’s not snowing?”
His father smiled indulgently. “I appreciate the offer, son, really, I do. But the last thing I want is you running from store to store the day after Christmas, fighting the crowds and trying to explain why Superman needs a generator while Clark Kent is stuck in a blizzard. We’ve weathered dozens of storms like this one over the years, and we’ll weather this one, too.”
“But--“
“No buts,” Jonathan insisted, placing a paternal hand on Clark’s shoulder and steering him out the door. “If the power is still out in the morning, we’ll explore our options. But for now, let’s go inside and spend the evening with our favorite girls.” His eyes twinkled playfully. “Besides, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about winter storms, it’s that cuddling up to stay warm is half the fun.”
Clark blushed a little as he accompanied his father back to the house. He’d done a quick flyover the area when he’d been surveying the storm damage, grateful that their home seemed to be the only one in town affected by the power outage. It made it that much easier to justify retiring Superman for the evening. As much as he normally enjoyed helping out, tonight, all he wanted was to get back to Lois. Whether or not there would be cuddling … well, he could only hope.
