By Nan Smith <hachiban@earthlink.net>
Rated: G
Submitted: January 2002
Summary: In this vignette, which follows the author's "Best Laid Plans," Lois spends a New Year's Eve with the Kents in Smallville.
Disclaimer: The familiar characters and settings in this story are not mine. They belong to DC Comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and whoever else may legally claim them. I'm only borrowing them for a little while and am not profiting by their use.
This story follows the ending of "Best Laid Plans" by one week. It's just a little piece of fluff, for the fun of it and my New Year's present to everyone here.
Nan
***
Lois sat by the window of the Kent farmhouse, looking out at the snowy lawn.
It had been snowing all day, but the snow had stopped barely an hour ago, leaving the moon and stars shining down from a cloudless sky on a snow-covered landscape so white that it hurt the eyes, even at this hour.
From the other room, she could hear Martha Kent humming to herself as she moved around the kitchen, and the occasional clink of glassware. From the fireplace, red and gold, the dancing light from a burning cedar log flickered ruddily across the room. The warmth of the Kent family home surrounded her. In the corner, the Christmas tree glittered in the muted light. Martha had said that they would have to take it down tomorrow, and this time she could help as she had not been able to when the three Kents had decorated it a week ago, although Clark had lifted her so that she could have the honor of placing the star on the very top.
On her finger, the modest diamond that Clark had given her on Christmas Eve glinted with a tiny rainbow of refracted lights. She turned her hand, watching the play of color, smiling a little. It was the season for miracles, she thought, not the least of which was that she was here in Smallville with her family—her new family. Her mother was in rehab again this year, her father was who-knew-where, and her sister was off in California somewhere, "finding herself". If not for Clark, she would have been sitting alone in her apartment with only her fish for company—or worse, she might have been in Paris as the fiancee of the wealthy and powerful Lex Luthor, blindly unaware that he was one of the world's richest and most successful criminals.
But she wasn't. That was her own, personal miracle.
As she watched, a shadow crossed the moon and descended swiftly toward the earth. With a movement as graceful as any dancer's, Superman landed lightly on the snow-covered lawn. He glanced up to see her watching him and a smile lit his face. As he strode toward the front steps, his form shimmered slightly, resolving itself into the figure of Clark Kent. She started to rise, to open the door for him, but before she could get to her feet the door opened and he stepped inside, closing it behind him.
"Hi, honey." It was an ordinary enough greeting, but to her it meant far more than the words. It meant that he had the right to address her in that way; that they belonged with each other. What could be more of a miracle than that?
"How did everything go?" she asked.
He came forward to join her by the window, looking out at the snowy landscape. Superman's footprints showed up brightly in the otherwise pristine lawn, brilliant under the moonlight.
"Metropolis is snowed completely under," he said. "But it didn't stop everyone from ringing in the New Year in Centennial Park. Superman said his piece and made sure the celebration didn't get out of hand before midnight. He even rescued a cat from a tree and caught a couple of pickpockets who thought people might be enjoying themselves so much at midnight that they'd get careless. He left the party early, though—to celebrate his own, personal New Year."
"I hoped you'd get here before midnight," she said.
He glanced at his watch. "With a good five minutes to spare," he said. "I wasn't about to be late. We have the beginning of a brand new year together to toast."
There was a slight stir from the direction of the kitchen and Martha Kent, followed by Jonathan, entered the living room. She was carrying a tray of champagne glasses with great care, and Lois could see the amber liquid sparkling merrily in them.
"Turn on the television, Jonathan," she commanded. "The Topeka station will be doing the countdown."
Her husband hurried to obey, and a few seconds later the sound of the announcer's voice, nearly drowned out by music and the cheers and shouts of New Year's revelers, filled the room. At the bottom of the screen, a digital readout was counting down the minutes and seconds until midnight.
"Three minutes," Jonathan said. "Everybody better get a glass. Clark brought this champagne home from France especially for this occasion."
Clark selected one for Lois and one for himself as the countdown continued. Lois accepted it with a smile.
Jonathan lifted his glass. "I have a toast," he said. "To Lois and Clark—'And they lived happily ever after'."
Martha smiled. "To my new daughter," she said.
"To my new family," Lois said, remembering what she had been thinking about a few minutes earlier.
Clark glanced at the television, and Lois saw that the countdown clock was down to only a few remaining seconds. "To a new beginning," he said.
The clock reached zero and the crowd on the television raised a cheer. Fireworks and glittering confetti filled the screen.
"Happy New Year, everybody," Jonathan said. Together, they drank the champagne.
THE END
Happy New Year, everyone!
Nan