By Jon B. Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)
Summary: The Kents come to Metropolis for Thanksgiving, and everybody — including Lois — gets snowed in at Clark's apartment during a freak snowstorm.
(because I can't force myself to write a Christmas story)
Yes, it's a fourth story from me this weekend… am I incredibly creative, or just need to get a life?
***
Lois Lane looked at her desk calendar with dread… Thanksgiving was three days away, and she'd just had her plans go to hell in a handbasket. At 9:12 that morning, Lois got a call from her mother, with the news that rather than being in Metropolis for Thanksgiving, business was going to take her to the west coast. At 10:48, Lucy called to say that a last-minute schedule change was going to keep her out of Metropolis as well.
Somehow, she couldn't see herself going to Denny's for Thanksgiving… and didn't care for the idea of heating up a frozen turkey dinner, either.
For the last week, she'd overheard everyone else's plans for Thanksgiving. Perry, for example, and his wife Alice were going to spend the holiday weekend with his in-laws in Florida. Jimmy was driving up north with his mother to visit his aunt, uncle and cousins.
Lois suddenly realized that she hadn't heard Clark's plans yet. She figured Clark had definite plans already but it didn't hurt to ask.
"Clark," she said in her most hopeful voice, "what are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?"
"I'm spending it with my parents… how about you?"
"In Smallville?"
"You're spending Thanksgiving in Smallville?" Clark asked, kidding her.
Lois frowned. "No, are you going to your parents' place in Smallville?"
"Actually, this year, Ma and Pa are going to fly out to Metropolis," Clark said.
"That sounds nice… um… this is kind of hard to ask, but…" Lois started.
"You would be more than welcome, Lois," Clark said, sparing Lois.
Lois breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Clark… I was going to spend it with my mother and Lucy, but…"
Clark put up his hand. "Say no more… schedules changed, and you were stuck."
The hint of a smile appeared on Lois' face. "You overheard?"
"Actually, it was just a lucky guess. Not only that, but Ma and Pa were kind of hoping you'd be able to join us… I'd already told them you had other plans, but they'll be glad to hear you'll be there after all."
"Well, I'll be happy to see your parents again, too."
"I'm glad you'll be there, too," Clark said.
"Really?"
"Well, yes, it'll give someone for Ma to talk to while the football games are on."
For an instant, Lois wanted to smack Clark in the head with a 2x4… but then Clark's poker face gave way to stifled laughter.
"I'm kidding, really," Clark insisted. "It'll give someone for Pa to talk to while Ma and I watch the football games."
"Clark, you… you…" Lois looked frantically on her desk for something safe to throw at Clark, and found a rubber eraser, which she threw at Clark with deadly accuracy, striking him in the temple and bouncing away.
"Hey!" Clark said, putting his hand to his temple. Then, in his best Edward G. Robinson voice, he said, "So… tryin' to rub me out, izzat it?"
"One more corny joke like that and I'm going to the supply room to get a whole box of erasers!" Lois warned half-seriously.
Clark raised his hands. "I surrender… no more corny jokes."
"I guess I should've expected corn from a Kansas farm boy, though," Lois said, getting in a zinger of her own.
"Hey, I thought we had a truce!" Clark protested with a smile.
"Sorry, Clark… I couldn't resist… you know me, I always have to get the last word." Lois said that as a joke, but knew it was a real trait of hers nevertheless. That's one thing Lois had benefited from in her relationship with Clark… she was now able to make jokes at her own expense… something that she was never able to do before Clark started at the Planet.
***
Jonathan and Martha Kent's flight from Smallville arrived Wednesday night. Lois had graciously offered to provide them with a ride from the airport (although she insisted she just wanted to show off her silver Jeep Cherokee, Clark suspected it was her way of thanking the Kents for letting her spend Thanksgiving with them.
Clark and Lois waited at the gate for Clark's parents to come off their flight, and didn't have long to wait. Jonathan and Martha were the first two off the plane.
"Jonathan, look! Lois is here, too!" Martha said excitedly. When they approached Clark and Lois, Martha gave Clark a hug, followed by a hug for Lois. Jonathan have Clark a quick hug, but felt uncomfortable giving a hug to Lois.
"Lois, I'm so glad you'll be able to join us for Thanksgiving dinner," Martha said.
"Me, too," Lois said with a smile.
"We'd better get to baggage claim before too much longer," Clark suggested. "It's very close to rush hour, and it'd be best if we could beat the traffic."
"Why? Didn't you two take a taxi here?" Jonathan asked.
"No, Pa… Lois drove us over in her Jeep Cherokee," Clark said.
"That's very nice of you," Martha said.
"A Jeep Cherokee?" Jonathan said, "I've been thinking about buying one of those… what color is it?" "Silver," Lois answered, "although some people have tried to convince me it's gray."
"Well, this is a treat, then… and good planning, too. Martha and I heard on the flight in that it should start snowing any minute now, and I've heard those Cherokees handle the snow easily."
"Pa, Metropolis doesn't get snow like Smallville does. It's usually slush before it hits the ground," Clark said.
"Hmm… but still, it pays to be prepared. Let's collect our bags, Martha, so I can see Lois' new car."
It didn't take long for them to collect the baggage and get to the parking garage. Before long, they were on the freeway, heading towards Clark's apartment.
"Now, Clark," Martha said as they were on the road, "did you remember to buy the groceries?"
Clark's expression told the truth before he could say it. "I knew I'd forgotten to do something."
"Clark! I e-mailed you the shopping list five days ago!"
"I'm sorry, Ma… I've been so busy these last few days…"
"I understand, son. Lois, do you know of a good supermarket on the way?"
"I think there's a LexFoods just off the freeway. We can stop there."
"Thanks. Good thing I always keep the Thanksgiving shopping list up here," Martha said, tapping her temple with her index finger.
"That's your ma, Clark, she never forgets," Jonathan said to Clark.
It had begun to snow… not hard, just a few flakes here and there. "Maybe we should check the weather report," Clark suggested.
Lois turned on the car radio and pressed the preset for the all-news station. A few minutes later, the weather report came on.
"Turning to the weather, the National Weather Service says that we should be able to expect several inches of snow overnight, continuing throughout the day tomorrow. Ha, ha, I'd say those folks are probably just hedging their bets, because as long as I've lived in Metropolis, we've never seen more than one inch of accumulation," the announcer said.
Lois shut off the radio. "I hate it when the weather guys offer their own opinions. If they're so smart, why don't they just use their on predictions?"
"I thought you said there was never much show in Metropolis?" Jonathan asked.
"Now I know where Clark gets it from," Lois muttered under her breath.
"What was that, dear?" Martha asked.
"Never mind."
Clark smiled to himself, having heard Lois clearly.
The snow had increased by the time they made it to LexFoods, so Martha had insisted that they shop quickly. She jotted down the shopping list on two sheets of paper from a pad Lois provided, and they split up… Lois and Martha took one cart, and Jonathan and Clark took another.
Martha hadn't trusted Clark and Jonathan with the turkey and produce, so she and Lois concentrated on that area. There wasn't much of a selection of turkeys left, but they were able to find one that Martha was satisfied with. Then, they were on to the produce section.
"Lois, get us a bag of potatoes while I pick out some yams, will you?" Martha asked.
"Sure." Lois took the first bag of potatoes she saw and brought it back. Martha was still picking over the yams. "Anything else I can get?"
Martha had finally found several yams that she approved of, bagged them, and set them in the cart. "Sure, you can… oh, dear, those won't do!"
Lois looked pained. "I'm sorry, Martha… what's wrong with them?"
Martha looked sympathetic. "Didn't your mother ever show you how to pick potatoes, dear?"
"Um… no, she always took my little sister, Lucy, with her to the store. I'm afraid my shopping experience is limited to the frozen foods section," Lois answered, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh, don't apologize, dear… it's never too late to learn. Now, look closer at the potatoes in this bag…"
Martha started pointing out how to tell a good bag of potatoes from bad, and as they proceeded through the produce section, Lois got quite an education.
While this was going on, Clark and Jonathan were in the canned food section. "What's next on the list, Clark?"
"Cream of mushroom soup, two cans."
Jonathan took two cans and put them in the cart. "It was quite a surprise to see Lois. Have you two started dating?"
"Not yet, pa… we're still at the 'friends' stage. There have been times when I thought she wanted more, but it's only when there's a crisis of some type."
"Well, sometimes people say what they really mean when they're under pressure, son."
"I know… but sometimes people say what they think they want you to hear, too."
"True, true, son."
"Like when I was 'shot' some time ago… after I'd explained how I was still alive, I think Lois was trying to tell me something."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she was driving me home, and started saying something about our relationship…"
"…and?"
"…and I'm afraid I fell asleep. I was trying to stay awake, and I think I started to say something, but I couldn't stay awake a second longer."
Jonathan shook his head in amazement. "I can't say I'm really surprised. You were under a lot of stress for over a day, plus you hadn't slept at all…"
"I did everything I could think of to stay awake… if it weren't for what she was wearing, I would've fallen asleep before we even got to her car."
Jonathan gave Clark a quizzical look.
Catching the look, Clark explained, "Her clothes were covered in cement, and I offered her my jacket to wear… we didn't have time to stop by her place so she could change clothes. While I drove, she climbed into the back seat to change out of her clothes and into my jacket."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at that.
"Pa, I kept my eyes to the road the entire time… not that I wasn't tempted, but I adjusted the rear view mirror so I couldn't see anything. Anyway, just wearing my jacket, it was like she was wearing a mini-skirt. I tried concentrating on her legs to stay awake, but I couldn't fight it any longer. The next day, she didn't say anything about what she was trying to say the night before, so I didn't push it."
"That's probably a good idea. You don't want to push it too much… but don't back off too far yourself. If she really cares for you as more than a friend, you've got to be alert for the signs."
"What kind of signs?"
"It varies from woman to woman. Take your mother, for example. In high school, we knew each other, but I always thought she only liked me as a friend, because she was always dating Billy Masterson, who was on the football team. It turned out that she was only going out with him because I didn't ask her. This lasted for four years, and then finally, she walked right up to me and said, 'Jonathan Kent, if you don't ask me out for a date right now, I'll never speak to you again!' So I finally asked her out, and you know the rest."
"Almost sounds like a scene out of 'Top Gun'," Clark said, smiling.
Jonathan smiled himself. "Well, 'Top Gun' sort of showed the 80's version. Just remember that Lois isn't your mother… she may not be patient enough to wait for you, or she might decide you're like the jackass that you have to shoot first just to get its attention."
"I'll remember that, pa."
Not too much longer afterwards, they met at the checkstand. When they got back to Lois' Cherokee, there were three inches of snow on the ground.
"It's going to take some time to get home in this snow," Clark said. "Lois, maybe my or my Pa should drive… we're more used to driving in this kind of weather than you are."
"Clark, I can handle a little bit of snow," Lois insisted.
Five blocks later, Lois skidded her Cherokee onto the sidewalk, startling some pedestrians. If Clark hadn't grabbed on to the seat and used his flight power to steer, it could've been a disaster.
Lois put her head on the steering wheel. "Ok," she said in a small voice. "I'll turn the wheel over."
When Lois raised her head, Clark could see her face was almost completely white. "It's okay, Lois… like you said, we usually don't get this kind of snow in Metropolis. No harm done."
"Thanks, Clark," she said shakily. She and Clark climbed into the back seat while Jonathan and Martha sat in front, Jonathan driving.
Thanks to Jonathan's practiced skill in driving in the snow, they made it to Clark's apartment without further mishap. Clark had offered Lois a comforting arm around her shoulder on the drive, and she had recovered from her scare by the time Jonathan parked.
Between the four of them, they carried the groceries up to Clark's apartment in one trip. Clark turned the TV on while they put the food away. By the time they were done, Clark's refrigerator was packed full.
The TV was turned to WGBS, where a weather update was being broadcast. "Metropolis is nearly at a standstill this evening, thanks to a freak snowstorm, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 1930's. Road crews will be working around the clock, trying to clear the roads. Metropolis International Airport is closed pending better weather conditions, so those of you who were planning to travel for the holiday weekend may need to change your plans."
"It's a good thing we took an early flight," Martha said as she made a pot of coffee.
The news continued. "Police, paramedics and ambulance services are currently overextended trying to deal with emergencies, so unless you absolutely gave to hit the streets tonight, stay at home. And now, with tonight's sports, here's Steve Lombard."
"Oh, quick, change the channel, Clark," Lois said. "I hate Steve Lombard… he's the most annoying man in Metropolis."
Clark quickly changed the channel, looking for something different to watch. While he did this, he said, "Lois, you're welcome to stay here tonight… with the roads as bad as they are, I wouldn't want you out there driving… I'd be worried."
Lois looked about to protest, but changed her mind. "Thanks, Clark… I really appreciate it."
"It's no problem, Lois… you can take the couch, I'll sleep on the floor. I've got plenty of extra blankets and pillows."
"Oh, no, Clark, I can't ask you to sleep on the floor!"
"Don't worry about it, Lois… I can sleep anywhere, remember?"
"I remember. Okay, I'll take the couch."
"It's settled, then," Clark said. "Now, pa, I think we'd better get your luggage out of Lois' car."
"Oh, Clark, I can help with that," Lois offered.
"Um, that's okay, Lois. I kind of need to talk to pa about something anyway."
Clark and his father put on their coats and left the apartment. Once they closed the door, Clark said, "Pa, as bad as conditions are out there, I think Superman's needed. Why don't you bring a few suitcases up, then tell ma and Lois that I walked down the street to get us a pizza for dinner… you can call them from the pay phone just outside the building."
"Good idea, son. Better hurry."
Clark quickly changed to Superman, stashing his Clark clothes in a hidden panel in the hallway he'd installed after a recent experience in which he'd had to change back and forth in the hallway several times in one day (see "Metropolis Mailbag"). He opened the hallway window, and flew out.
There were a lot of emergencies to handle out there, keeping Superman busy for the next hour and a half. Pa covered for the length of time Clark was away by telling Lois that there was a huge back-up at the pizza parlor (which was the truth) and that Clark would be back as soon as the pizza was ready.
Finally, Superman couldn't find any emergencies that weren't already being taken care of, which relieved him greatly. He flew back to his apartment building, changed back into his Clark clothes, and walked to the pizza parlor, which was only a block away.
He still had a five minute wait before his pizza was ready, but given the circumstances, he wasn't going to complain… in fact, he'd half-expected he'd need to order a new pizza, given how long he was away.
Still, it was cold enough outside that in the short walk to his apartment, he felt he needed to open the pizza box and reheat it with a brief flash of heat vision before walking in.
He found Lois and his parents sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and watching TV. They were laughing heartily. "Pizza's here… what's on the tube?"
"Mystery Science Theatre 3000," Martha said. "They show the worst movies, and this guy and two robots make comments about it all the way through. I was just telling Jonathan we'll have to get a satellite dish so we can see this in Smallville."
"I've seen the show before," Clark said. "It's hilarious."
"I didn't know you were a Mistie," Lois said, surprised.
"Oh, I guess I never said anything about it before. They're running a marathon of 14 episodes, you know… but I've got them all on tape, so I didn't worry about missing it."
"You'll have to let me borrow those tapes sometime… or I could come over and watch them. I wish they'd show the first season's episodes sometime," Lois said.
Before the movie ("Kitten With a Whip") was over, the pizza was gone, and Martha and Jonathan hadn't laughed so much in years. By the time the second movie in the marathon was over, Clark's parents were too tired to stay up any later, so they went to bed. Clark and Lois promised to keep their laughter quiet, but every now and then, they couldn't help themselves.
Clark found himself enjoying spending this time with Lois, even though they weren't talking much except during the commercials. But he found himself getting to know Lois a little bit better on the basis of which jokes she laughed the loudest at, just as he felt Lois was doing in return.
Even fortified with the extra caffeine from the coffee, Clark was finally too tired to stay awake any longer at about 1:00 am, and abandoned the couch for the floor, where he laid out a few blankets and a pillow, went into the bathroom to change into a T-shirt and shorts, and went to sleep, while Lois continued watching.
***
The next morning, Martha and Jonathan were up at 7:00, which was sleeping in for them. The TV was still on, but Lois had drifted off to sleep some time ago. As Jonathan made a fresh pot of coffee, Martha made a quick breakfast for the two of them, and they ate while watching TV from the dinner table.
"It's so nice to see the two of them together, even if it's not on a date," Martha said quietly.
"Give them some time, Martha. I think they'll get together sooner or later."
"I just hope it takes them less time than it did for us… or at least, for you."
"Don't worry about that, I told Clark that story yesterday at the supermarket. Did you get a chance to talk much to Lois while we were there?"
Martha smiled, "Don't worry, Jon, I'm no 'Mary Worth.' I used the time to educate Lois in the fine art of selecting fresh produce. You wouldn't believe now much her mother never taught her!"
"Well, things are different here than in Kansas…"
"Perhaps… she did say her sister was the one to go grocery shopping. I'm planning on asking her to help me out with dinner, too… I don't think she has much practice in the kitchen that doesn't involve opening a can or putting something in the microwave oven."
"Just don't be too obvious, okay?"
"Leave everything to me… remember the old saying about the way to a man's heart."
"Like I said, don't be too obvious."
***
Clark woke up at about 9:15 that morning, and was kidded by his parents about how late he'd slept in. In spite of this, Martha was still happy to make some breakfast for him while Clark showered and got dressed.
The smell of hash browns and sausage was enough to finally wake Lois up, who'd borrowed a pair of Clark's sweatshirts and sweatpants to sleep in. She looked comical in the outfit, but neither Martha or Jonathan allowed even a hint of a smile at the sight.
"Mmmm… that smells great, Martha," she said, wandering into the kitchen.
"Thanks, Lois… I made plenty."
"Great… the smell of home cooking always makes me hungry." She looked around the apartment. "Where's Clark?"
"He's in the shower. I'm sure he'll leave plenty of hot water for you, though."
"Okay." Lois fished around in her purse until she found her keys.
"You're not thinking of driving back to your apartment, are you?" Jonathan said. "The roads are solid ice this morning."
"Oh, no, Jonathan… I wanted to get an emergency bag I stashed in there not long ago. There've been too many times in the last few months where I needed a change of clothes without taking the time to run back to my apartment, so I put some clothes that I don't worry about being wrinkled in a bag, and stuck it under the front seat."
"That's always a good idea," Jonathan said. "Martha and I always keep an extra set of clothes in our car, too, as well as other emergency supplies. Of course, we do it for a different reason."
"I'm glad I did now… there's no way I want to spend the day wearing one of Clark's sweatsuits… I feel like the incredible shrinking woman in this thing!"
"Allow me," Jonathan said, taking the keys from her.
"Thanks," Lois said as Jonathan left the apartment. Walking over to Martha, she said, "Martha, the more I get to know you and Jonathan, the more I see where Clark gets his best qualities from."
"Thank you, Lois. We tried our best with Clark."
"You did a good job. You wouldn't believe how many guys Clark's age are out there who are complete jerks… makes you wonder how many parents just use the TV as a babysitter and hope they learn everything from 'Sesame Street' or Barney the dinosaur."
"I know what you mean, dear… I think a lot of this country's problems wouldn't exist if more parents had brought up their children properly."
"You're probably right."
Clark walked out of the bathroom at that time, dressed casually and drying his hair with a towel. "Right about what?" he asked.
"It's nothing, Clark… Lois and I were just talking. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes, Lois, is that enough time for you to get cleaned up?"
"I'll force myself," Lois promised. "Just have my bag by the bathroom door, okay?"
"Deal," Martha said as Lois darted to the bathroom.
"Her bag?" Clark asked.
"Your father's getting a bag with emergency clothes from her car."
"Oh," Clark smiled. "She took my advice, then."
"Oh, that was your idea? From the way she said it, I thought it was her idea."
"That's Lois for you. But at least I know she's listening to me sometimes."
"Probably more than you think, Clark."
Even when Clark pressed, Martha wouldn't expand on the statement, and then Jonathan returned from Lois' car with her emergency clothes, so Clark abandoned the topic and instead poured himself a cup of coffee.
After a short wait, the bathroom door closed, and Lois reached an arm out to grab her clothes bag… which wasn't there. "Help!" Lois cried.
Clark brought her bag over to her. "I guess Ma forgot to leave this here."
Lois took the bag gratefully. "Thanks, Clark… be out in a minute."
During breakfast, Lois enthused over Martha's cooking, which gave Martha the opportunity to ask Lois if she would help with the cooking.
"Aren't Jonathan and Clark helping?" Lois asked.
"They'll have their own tasks, such as dicing the bread for the stuffing and peeling the potatoes, as well as the other routine things, but I always save the most fun tasks for me… and you, too."
Once breakfast was finished, Clark and Martha washed the dishes, while Jonathan started dicing bread. Lois was going to check her machine for messages, but apparently some phone lines were down from the storm. Looking outside, the snow continued to fall.
***
The next several hours were spent in preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. The Kents were in the habit of eating Thanksgiving dinner in the early afternoon, but since Clark and Lois had such a late breakfast, they decided to time dinner for later in the afternoon.
They were just deciding whether to watch the MST3K marathon or football games when the cable went out.
"The storm strikes again," Clark said. "It might be a while until it gets fixed… if it gets fixed at all today. Anyone have any ideas?"
"How about cards?" Jonathan suggested. "Your mother and I could play against Lois and you."
"Well, that's a good idea, but I'm afraid I don't have a complete deck of playing cards," Clark replied.
"That's my fault, I'm afraid," Lois said. "We were playing cards one night while waiting for a call, and I spilled coffee on the deck. I still owe Clark a deck for that."
"Don't worry about it, Lois," Clark said. "We'll come up with something else. I think I have a few board games stashed in the closet." Going to the closet, he pulled out a few small boxes. "Let's see, I've got Trivial Pursuit."
"Is that the first edition, son?" Jonathan said. "If it is, Martha and I would have an unfair advantage… we've played it enough that we've practically memorized all the questions."
"Okay," Clark said, setting it aside. "Pictionary?"
"That's one game I've got the answers memorized to, Clark," Lois said. "Lucy and I used to play it all the time."
"That's two down. And we can't play Monopoly, because it's incomplete… that leaves Scattergories."
The four of them looked at each other. "Looks like we have a winner!" Lois said.
They played several games of Scattergories, which were either won by Jonathan or Martha, since Lois and Clark's answers kept canceling each other out. "Well, that's great, Clark, we've gotten to know each other so well, we keep coming up with the same answers," Lois complained, although not too seriously.
"Looks like it. How come you and pa haven't canceled each other out?" Clark asked his mother.
"We know how each other think, so we're better able to avoid duplicating answers," Martha answered.
The next several games had different results, as both Clark and Lois tried to come up with more unusual answers, with the result being that by the time they were tired of the game, Jonathan had won three games, Martha four, Clark two and Lois one.
"Any more games in your closet, Clark?" Lois asked.
"The well is dry, I'm afraid," Clark shrugged. He looked at his watch. "And we've still got an hour until the turkey's done, don't we?"
At that moment, the power went out.
"That's par for the course today," Clark said. "I've got some candles in the kitchen."
There was enough light reflected through the windows to put the game away, so Lois occupied herself with that while Martha checked on the turkey. "If we keep the oven closed, there should be enough heat to cook it the rest of the way," she announced. "Looks like we'll have to have baked potatoes rather than mashed, though," she said, putting the peeled potatoes in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.
"That's okay… the important thing is being together," Lois said.
Clark couldn't believe his ears. "Are you okay, Lois?"
"What, I can't be as nice as the rest of you?"
"No, it's not that… it's just that in spite of everything, I'm really enjoying this… it feels more like Thanksgiving than any Thanksgiving has felt like in years." Lois' eyes were starting to tear. "Not since my parents split up… I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying."
Clark offered her a handkerchief and a hug, which was returned.
"Thanks, Clark… for everything… inviting me here, letting me stay when I was stuck… everything."
"Oh, that… well, what else could I do? I couldn't abandon you on Thanksgiving after all, could I? Geez, that didn't sound right."
Lois sniffed and dried her eyes. "I know what you mean." She hugged him again, then gave Martha and Jonathan a hug. "Maybe dinner was ruined, and there's no power and no cable, but it's the best Thanksgiving I've had in a long time. I mean that."
Lois faced all three of them. "I'm thankful to know all of you… you can't know how much this last 24 hours have meant to me."
"You don't have to say anything more, dear," Martha said. "Besides, who said anything about dinner being ruined? I'm sure the turkey and stuffing will be fine, and the potatoes and yams will be fine… so we won't have the green bean casserole, but there's still the salad and cranberry and rolls, plus we get to eat by candlelight!"
***
By the time they were finished eating dinner, the power was returned, with the cable following shortly afterwards. The four of them spent the remainder of the evening watching the remainder of the MST3K marathon.
The following morning, Lois woke up early to help Martha make breakfast while Jonathan and Clark went outside to check the roads. When they returned, they announced that the roads had been cleared. A newscast announced that the storm had cleared Metropolis, and that services had been returned throughout the city.
Once they'd finished eating breakfast, Lois announced that she was going to run out for a while, but that she'd be returning. "Don't any of you leave!" she threatened before going out the door.
"What in the world is she up to?" Jonathan asked.
"Don't look at me," Clark said. "I don't have the faintest idea."
***
Lois returned around noon, just in time for turkey sandwiches. She was carrying a few bags with her, and had changed her clothes. It was obvious to Clark that she'd been busy.
"Lois, what's all this?" Martha asked.
"I wanted to show you all how much this Thanksgiving has meant to me," she replied.
"That's not necessary," Clark protested.
"Yes, it is," Lois insisted. "No arguments. It may be incredibly silly and sentimental, but I wanted to do this." She reached into one of the bags. "This is for you two," she said, handing Jonathan and Martha a small package that was gift-wrapped. "Go ahead and open it."
They did, and inside was a Christmas ornament of the Daily Planet globe in miniature. "They've just started selling these in the Planet's lobby, and I thought it would be a wonderful addition on your tree this Christmas," Lois explained.
"It's lovely, Lois," Martha said. "Thank you."
Lois then took a long, flat gift-wrapped box out and handed it to Clark. "This is for you."
Clark opened it to find a blue tie — hand-painted with a Superman s-shield on it. "You may not have saved my life like Superman has, but you saved my Thanksgiving… and that's just as important to me. Besides, I thought it would be a nice change from all the strange ties you always wear."
Lois then reached into the first bag again. "Now, this I owed you," she said, handing Clark a deck of cards.
"Thanks," Clark said.
"And these are for all of us to enjoy," she said, pulling several board games out of the second bag, including a box of brand-new Trivial Pursuit cards. "After all, we don't want to get stuck without anything to do again, do we?"
"I guess not," Jonathan agreed.
"Well, Lois, since we have some new games here, why don't you spend the afternoon with us playing them? I don't believe we had any other plans for today… Clark said you didn't have to show up at the Planet again until Monday," Martha suggested.
"I can't think of anything else I'd rather do," Lois said.
THE END
(turkey.txt)