A Holly Jolly Christmas

Away in a Manger

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Smallville?" Lois Lane-Kent huffed for what seemed to Clark to be the millionth time that very morning, alone.

"Lois," he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, ignoring the fact that she'd been scrubbing frantically at one of Jon's feeding bottles, so forcefully in fact that the bottle brush had started to fall apart and bristles were flying all over the sink. Ignoring the soap suds and water currently dripping onto his socks as he held his wife at arm's length, he smiled. "I think that bottle is clean enough."

"Have you been listening to a word I've been saying, Clark?!" Lois snapped, forcefully turning herself back to the sink to carry on attacking another bottle with the remnants of the brush again, clearly using it as a source to vent her frustration on.

"Unfortunately, it's been impossible not to," Clark muttered with a sigh of his own as he ventured over to the fridge, opened it and peered inside, wishing - and not for the first time - that he could feel the effects of the incredibly inviting beers that were neatly arranged within. Along with an entire supermarket's worth of groceries.

"What was that?!" Lois shot him the dirtiest look he had ever seen from the reporter and he held his hands up quickly in a gesture of self defence.

"I said 'Yes Dear'."

Lois scowled at him for a few moments longer, then wagged the soapy, mostly destroyed brush in his direction. "Hands off the food!"

"Absolutely not touching the food," Clark replied, showing her his empty hands, front and back. As soon as she turned back to the sink, he flashed out an arm, using his super speed to snag a handful of cooked chicken bits and a couple of cocktail sausages.

"Clark Joseph Kent, I saw that!" Lois called over her shoulder as he went off into the living room to find some festive music to play and check on their son, who was playing happily in his playpen.

As Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! started to play through the surround sound system, Clark wandered back into the kitchen with their son in his arms, having also demolished any trace of food evidence before daring to show himself in Lois' presence again. All except the small breadstick that Jon was gumming on quite happily.

"Lois," he sighed, seeing that she'd finished brutalising all of Jon's bottles and had now moved on to the small pots they used for his mushed food. "Honey, could you please relax? It's just Kara and Lena. You know Kara and Lena. You love Kara and Lena."

"They're not the problem," Lois growled. "Though I do worry that we may not have enough food. I should go out and get some more."

"There's enough food," Clark reassured her gently, placing one strong hand on her shoulder and turning her to face him once more. She tried to resist, but was no match for his strength, so quickly gave in. "Hey," he offered her a bright smile, and he could see that she was desperately fighting a smile of her own.

"Hi," she grumbled at last, looking away though her resolve was fading rapidly. Especially when Jon, dressed in his little green and red elf onesie, gave her one of his big, gummy smiles as well and reached out his arms to her.

She caved in an instant and took her baby into her arms, cuddling him close and dropping a few kisses into his tuft of silky soft hair as he went back to munching happily on his breadstick again.

"Lo, talk to me," Clark spoke to her gently, releasing his grip on her shoulder but not letting go completely. "What's wrong? What's got you so worked up?"

"It's just... " Lois faltered, and then sighed. "Well, Lena. Do you really think it's a good idea that she comes to us this year? We should have gone to them. It would have been much safer."