The Best Christmas Gift

By RodStewFan <gclooney26fan@yahoo.co.uk>

Rated: PG

Submitted: October, 2005

Summary: What do you get for the man who has everything he wants?

***

Lois came down the stairs almost at a sprint, but she stopped at the landing to watch her handsome husband carefully arrange the decorations on the beautiful seven foot Christmas tree. The room and the tree were tastefully decorated with unique ornaments Clark had acquired during his travels around the world. Lois took a deep breath and got the scent of cinnamon and pine.

Lois smiled as he rearranged the gifts under the tree. He had lovingly wrapped all of them himself. It was five days until Christmas, but he had been organized since Thanksgiving. Lois still had all hers to wrap and something special to get for Clark. She was maybe not as organized as she would like, but she had learnt to go with the flow and enjoy it (Something which Clark had taught her.

She looked at the tree. Again, her eye was caught by something, her three favourite decorations. The first was a simple but beautiful star which Clark had given her on their second Christmas together and the second were two baubles: one a shiny pastel pink and the other a shiny pastel blue. Both had writing on them in silver glitter. The pink one read 'To Lois. Merry Christmas, love, Clark' and the blue one read 'To Clark. Merry Christmas, love, Lois'.

Lois recalled their last Christmas when they had decorated the tree and then handed each other the small boxes. They opened them at the same time and gaped at them, amazed at how much they thought alike. It made the knowledge that they were truly soul- mates stronger.

Lois continued to stare at the two ornaments while chewing on her bottom lip. She looked at the clock.

<<If I left now, I could catch the stores before they close,>> she thought.

"Clark," she said as she jogged down the last five stairs and pulled on her coat.

"Mmm?" was the reply she got from him as he continued to fiddle with the tree.

"I'm just popping out. There are some things I need to get."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no you carry on playing with the tree." She winked at him as she grabbed her purse and the keys to the Jeep. She heard him snort and mutter something that sounded like 'Playing! Not playing.' She grinned all the way to the Jeep.

***

Lois smiled at the salesman and thanked him as he handed her the gift bag. Lois took it and felt her heart race with excitement as she got into the Jeep and drove home. She couldn't wait for Clark to open it.

***

She returned home to find Clark sitting on the sofa, admiring his handy work, and the grin that she was sure was going to be permanent, broadened.

"I'm back," she said, taking off her coat and hanging it on the coat tree. She then walked over to him and sat next to him on the sofa, placing the bag on the coffee table.

"Did you get everything you needed?" he asked. Lois nodded and looked at the tree and the gifts expertly arranged under it.

"Tree looks good," she said and moved to sit on his lap. His right arm went around her waist while his left hand caressed her knee.

"Yeah," he said as he began kissing her neck. "I…noticed…there's…nothing…under…there…for…me…yet !" Each word was punctuated by a kiss. He then smiled against her neck and whispered in her ear, "But then Santa doesn't come for another five nights." He then began kissing and sucking her earlobe.

"Mmm…I…don't…think…ohgod…that…Santa…oh that feels good…will…be …paying…you…a…visit…this…year." She struggled to form the sentence, given the attention he was paying to her ear and the hand wandering slowly up her thigh.

"Oh, really! Why?"

"Because you've been a naughty boy this year."

"Humm. How's that?"

"You've got me into trouble."

"I think, my sweet… I've gotten you out of trouble more times than I can remember."

"No!" She shook her head and reached for the bag. "Here, this will explain." He looked at her, then took the bag, wondering what game she was playing.

"OK!" He opened the bag and removed the white tissue paper and found a white glass bauble with silver glittery writing that read 'To', then a space for a name to be added, followed by, 'Merry Christmas, love, Mommy and Daddy'." Clark seemed to stare at it for an eternity.

"Clark?"

"Huh?" He looked at her open-mouthed. "Lois, are you trying to tell me that you're…?"

"Pregnant," she finished for him and smiled.

"I'm going to be a daddy?" he asked her, When she nodded, he jumped up, taking her with him, and spun her around yelling, "I'M GOING TO BE A DADDY!"

"Clark, put me down, you daft fool." She giggled.

He laid her on the sofa and lay over her, taking his weight on his forearms. She put her hands on either side of his face and looked into the two pools of chocolate that shone with love. "Are you happy? I know we didn't plan this."

"Oh, sweetheart, I couldn't get any happier. This is the best Christmas gift." He leaned down and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

***

Epilogue

One year later.

Clark held the three-month-old baby with jet-black hair and big, brown eyes. He hooked a silver bauble on her chubby little fist and helped her hang it on the tree. It spun, its message reading: 'To Holly. Merry Christmas, love, Mommy and Daddy'.

"There we are, princess," He whispered and kissed her head.

"Hey, all done?" Lois asked as she came down the stairs, from where she had watched the scene.

"Yeah, tree's all done, isn't it?" Clark asked his daughter and was answered by a gurgle and a real little laugh. "Hey, you laughing at me already? What took you so long?"

"Come on, it's time for you to be in bed," Lois said softly as she took the baby from Clark and received a smile of her own. "Because there are only thirteen more sleeps until Santa comes and I know one little girl who's been really good."

Clark smiled. Watching Lois with their daughter made his heart swell and he wondered how she could ever doubt her skills as a mother. She was so relaxed and natural with her.

"Honey, you do know that she's too young to understand all this?"

"Err who's the one who's been reading her 'The Night Before Christmas' and 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' every night since Thanksgiving."

"Guilty." He raised his hand and smiled shyly.

"Well, come on, we want our bedtime story. Don't we?" The baby gave another gurgle and the three of them went upstairs.

THE END