Lionel frowned when his secretery left the mail on his desk and he saw a card right at the top of the pile. He recognized Clark's handwriting from all of the research done on the boy, but the return address was Lex's at the manor. Opening the envelop, he pulled it out and found a glossy, cursive 'Thank You' on the front of a plain white card.

His frown ratcheted into a scowl when Lionel opened it to read the note inside:

Dear Mr. Luthor,

I just wanted to say thanks for leaving me that package last week. It opened up a whole new set of possibilities between me and Lex that I never would have thought about without your help. A lot of questions on both sides have finally been answered, and we've never been happier.

All thanks to you.

Sincerely,

Clark Kent

PS - Mom says hello and Dad is wondering how your blood pressure is these days?

PPS - Just to reiterate what Clark said: thanks Dad. None of this would have come about without your interfe- assistance. Be sure and stop in for the holidays. I hear that Martha makes a mean turkey.

Your Son,

Lex

(She really does, Mr. Luthor!)

Lionel carefully closed the envelop and set it down on his desk.

* * * *

Marcy jumped a mile when Mr. Luthor let out a long shout that sounded like pure and utter fury with a little mayhem thrown in. Looking nervously at the closed office door, she sighed and started packing her things. Mr. Luthor had the highest turnover rate of assistants than anyone the agency knew, so it wouldn't reflect on her when he fired her.

Fortunately, she'd gotten a really nice offer of employment just the day before from LexCorp.