Hi Mary!
A/N: If your favorite part of Lord of the Rings was all the walking, then this story is for you!
/cuts to Jon Snow and Sam Tarly, walking up and down their stretch of the Wall/
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
You know, when you posted this, we had the hottest day of the year. /refrains from making a snow joke, like how it was just five degrees below zero/
The wind roared over the ice, blowing Lois Lane's hair in every direction and biting the exposed skin on her face and legs as she fought to keep pace without slipping.
Yes, best not cut it. Keeps heir ears from freezing. But wait, does she not bring pants? Is she in one of her customary Season One skirts?
and upon whoever was responsible for making high-heeled shoes a mandatory part of women's fashion.
/points at other women while checking tapes for numerous movies from the 80s where women office workers in New York came to work in sneakers and only switched to heals for the office space/ She should know better. She has to run from, erm,… chase after criminals all the time. She should be wearing shoes that work for her job.
she still remembered Lex's eye twitching as the items were destroyed for their materials.
Considering the lifestyle he was probably used to, Lois didn't envy him at all.
And that’s before he has to use moss instead of Three Shells
“I'm fine. Just...making sure everyone else is doing alright.” His gaze fixed ahead at Jimmy's back, then swept over to the other sled where Dr. Diggory was struggling to help pull a load rather than be one.
Funny how you are showing Clark warming Jimmy and the good doctor, but not Lex. I’m sure that’s just a coincidink.
They probably won't even realize you were gone.” She mentally reviewed her words, then frowned. “I just made everything worse, didn't I?”
Yes.
By some miracle, she hadn't yet gotten frost-bite despite the lack of socks or gloves. Clark was obviously concerned about it, as she'd caught him staring at her hands and feet frequently throughout the trek.
/Spock voice/ Fascinating.
Before she could even yelp, Clark somehow caught her under the arms and held her steady. “Are you alright?”
[…]
After a moment, he seemed to realize where his hands now were on her body. He withdrew them, his face turning bright red beneath the burgeoning scruff.
/does match/
Hmm…
/points at Lois’s slip-of-hand during Home Is Where the Hurt Is/
You are just as evil as the show. Even if that was a production accident.
CLARK: You’re sure that you’re not cold, Lois?
The awkward silence was broken by Jimmy. “Sure could use some lunch, though.”
Clark stared as though he had somehow forgotten that Jimmy was even standing there, then shook his head.
CLARK: Who’s Jimmy?
“Ah.” Jimmy shivered. “You know, every time Dr. Carroll looks at me, I swear he's thinking about which seasonings to use!”
Dr. CARROL: Mustard seeds.
Clark patted him on the shoulder. “He isn't; I'm sure of it.”
“KETCHUP!” Dr. Carroll suddenly yelled from some distance ahead.
Jimmy turned nearly as white as the surrounding ice.
Aww….he’s already developing camouflage skills!
“CATCH UP!” Dr. Carroll repeated, releasing one hand to wave at them.
Lois headed back to her rope, one step in front of the other in an effort not to slip again. “I'd think more of a mustard,” she teased as they once again took up their positions. “Or maybe horseradish.”
/points at earlier FDK/
She shoved the wrapper into the pocket of Clark's jacket.
What will happen when they find twice the rations worth of wrappers in Lex’s jacket?
He held the compass out to her. “Lois, Dear, are you able to read a compass?”
Oh boy.
We will head back to the portal, and I will determine the best way to divide our remaining resources!”
Evenly. One portion for Dr. Carrol. One portion for Lex. One portion for Lois. One portion for Lex. One portion for Jimmy. One portion for Lex. One portion for Dr. Plummer. One portion for Lex. One portion for Lois. One portion for Lex. One portion for Jimmy. One portion for Lex. One portion for Dr. Carrol. One portion for Lex…
“The sun has been rising on our left all this time. If that's still east in this universe, then south is in front of us.”
“When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east," she said sadly. "When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When my womb quickens again, and I bear a living child. Then you will return, my sun-and-stars, and not before." -Daenerys Targaryen”
He turned his head, staring off into the distance, then cleared his throat and raised his voice to be heard at the front of the procession. “Hey, everyone? I...have a hunch...that we'll find some trees if we head a little bit more towards the west.”
Huh. Fascinating.
Dr. Plummer didn't even look up from her compass. “Do you have any empirical evidence to support your idea?” she shouted back.
Yes, the tundra seems to be a slight bit less frozen in that direction, like there’s a natural wind barrier over there.
Clark looked torn for some reason. “Reporters' intuition?”
The claim made Lois snort. “Reporters' intuition only works for finding stories, not plant-life.”
It also works for finding trouble.
LOIS:
/points right/ so… /points left/ that way is safer.
“GRASS!” Dr. Lewis suddenly yelled from up ahead.
The rope fell from Lois's hands and she crept forward, as fast as she could without slipping, to see what Dr. Lewis was pointing at. Sure enough, a few struggling blades of grass poked through the frost just ahead of the other sled.
See? Less frozen.
It was a more valuable discovery than oil or gold.
LEX: I doubt that.
Looks like a larch.”
“What? Let me see.” Dr. Carroll put his hand out for the telescope and, a moment later, peered through it. He scoffed. “That's a pine!”
Yes, *that’s* the relevant part.
Dr. Lewis shook his head. “Is not. It's definitely a larch.”
“Perry had better give us all a raise after this,” she muttered.
PERRY: You all just had six months of paid vacation and team building. Now you want a raise? Go! Get a story!
“At least you don't have frost-bite,” Clark noted, looking at her toes. They started to feel warmer from her rubbing,
Clark does have quite the interest in her naked feet.
Jimmy sandwiched himself between her and Clark,
Jimmy Interruptus!
JIMMY: What? I figure I’ll stay warm if they want to hug it out.
At least we found the woods.”
Yes, but they shouldn’t celebrate yet. It’s not like they’re out of the woods yet.
, but let us rejoice because now we are near some bushes!”
Someone seems to be in desperate need of some bushes
“How are...you and I...fixed for supplies?”
/points at moss/
“I have a proposal about the sleeping arrangements.”
Lex gets the two women to keep him warm?
TWO WOMEN: there’s a wonderful pile of snow over there. He’s welcome to form a … shape from it.
“I understand Olsen is to be changing tents?”
Yes, he’s moving in with Lois and Clark.
“Of course, we needn't leave Lois without a companion.” He turned to smile at her. “In light of our budding relationship, I certainly wouldn't be averse to sharing my own accommodations, however meager they may be. What say you, Lois?”
LOIS:
Something like relief washed through Lois, though she couldn't think why. Sharing living arrangements with Lex would eventually be a natural progression in their relationship if things kept going well, as would...sharing warmth.
Yes, the reason is that she doesn’t like reptiles. They’re cold at night and in the tundra. Best stay close with Kryptonians. They also harness the power of the sun but due to their denser body mass, they store the energy for a much longer duration.
Her eyes involuntarily flicked to Clark, and his innocently-made offer of assistance with the “monthly problem” played through her mind again.
I wasn’t going to suggest it…
Besides which, Dr. Plummer had been right about one thing: now that they'd left the port-a-johns behind, she really wanted to see those bushes.
“Just thinking about Mr. Kent's offer to help with the menstrual situation.” The corners of her mouth twitched. “I mean, he's not really my type, but it would be an effective solution!” She let out a rich, full laugh.
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/nahrung/a055.gif)
Lois started to join her, then stopped as something the woman said snagged in her brain. “Wait, what do you mean he's not your type? Clark's gorgeous!”
“There's more to consider than just looks, of course,” she decided. “A guy has to be smart, and caring...and...and...” Her fingers drifted to the lapel of the jacket Clark had given her when they first arrived, the one he'd still refused to take back.
Uh-huh.
“My type is Superman!” she blurted out. “Yes, Superman's my type, so...” she looked over at Dr. Plummer, only to find that the woman was sound asleep.
Yes, but human-kryptonian procreation requires the presence of a third party, usually in the form of a human secret identity because superheroes usually lack the necessary parts.
LOIS:
/points at Ken doll/
“And they're both a bad influence on me,” she muttered, though it was drowned out by the roaring wind.
Uh-huh…
What a fun part, Mary! Glad you found the inspiration
Michael
