Part of the reason this is so short is because I have a headache. I don't have an excuse for the other 7 parts, though. <g> I hope you like it anyway.
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From Part 7:
“Well, Lois? Is it good news?”
When Lois came out of the bathroom, tears were streaming down her cheeks. She smiled and held up the test. “Congratulations! It’s positive. I’m officially pregnant.”
**********
And Now, Part 8:
“Oh, Clark! That’s wonderful!”
“Congratulations, Son!” Jonathan shook Clark’s hand and thumped him on the back.
Clark grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”
Martha beamed. “I can’t believe it; we’re going to be grandparents!”
“I could barely believe it myself,” Clark said. “I was pretty floored when she told me. I’d always been kind of afraid that my being an alien would make it impossible for me to ever have children with an earth woman. It’s nice to know I was wrong.” His smile broadened. “I’m going to be a father!”
The excitement in the room was almost tangible. Then Martha asked, “So, will you be bringing Lois over to see us? I want to get a head start on spoiling my future grandchild!”
Clark’s smile vanished. “Um, about that, Mom…”
Martha frowned. “Oh Clark, don’t tell me---”
“---She doesn’t know.”
Martha and Jonathan exchanged concerned glances.
“You didn’t tell her, Son?”
“I just couldn’t get up the nerve!” Clark explained, “And every time I *tried* to tell her, something came up!”
“Yes, we heard about all those disasters at Wilson Park. Funny how one place can attract so much trouble; what was the latest one again?”
“Hijacked army tank. Razed the east end of the park, blew up most of the buildings there except for Paul’s Barber Shop.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Clark, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know! If I don’t tell her, then I’ll be depriving her of something she has a right to know and I’ll also probably be depriving our child of his real father. On the other hand, if I tell her now, she will more than likely have my head on a plate.” Clark sighed. “I’ll just have to wait until the timing is right. Right now, I’ll work on getting closer to her both as Clark and as Superman. Then later on, when she’s ready, we’ll have a calm, rational discussion about it.”
“Clark, how much do you know about pregnant women?”
“Not much. Why?”
**********
Lois frowned and tried to focus on her menu. Clark had been acting odd the past week. Not exactly “odd” odd, but just---extra friendly, like he’d done something wrong and was trying to make up for it, or he was planning to ask for a big favor and was trying to get on her good side. Not that she really minded his strange behavior--- to be honest, she really liked coming to work and finding Clark standing by her desk with a double fudge crunch bar and a rental of her favorite movie. She couldn’t help but wonder what was going on, though. Maybe it was nothing; maybe Clark just decided to “upgrade” from bringing her a cup of coffee. Maybe his ultra buddy-buddy behavior wasn’t so strange at all. Maybe hogs could sprout wings and fly.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a pop followed by the sound of liquid being poured. She looked up from her menu and saw the waiter pouring a bottle of champagne into her glass. “What’s this?”
“A special ‘88 vintage from Mr. Luthor’s private collection,” the waiter answered.
“Taste it, darling,” Lex insisted, “I’m sure you’ll find it quite to your liking.”
Lois stared at the bubbling fluid in her glass and her hand immediately went to cover her stomach. She couldn’t drink that! “Erm, no thanks, Lex. I think I’ll pass.”
Lex frowned. “Perhaps you’d prefer something else? Some white wine? A nice Merlot?”
“No, just water will be fine.”
“I see.” Lex waved the waiter away. “So. How are you enjoying the view?”
Lois looked out over the illuminated city. It was no wonder Paris was called the city of lights! Even the Eiffel tower was lit up, creating a dazzling effect. If she were with Superman, he could take her to get an aerial view of the city; he could take her anywhere her heart desired, and he wouldn’t even need a jet.
And if she were with Clark, he would take her to a quaint little bistro in Metropolis or to his apartment for an intimate dinner for two. Nothing lavish, nothing surreal, just home. Just Clark. Just perfect.
“Just perfect,” she whispered dreamily.
Lex smiled. “Excellent. I brought you to this place because there’s something special I wanted to ask you tonight, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Lois---” He began to reach into his coat pocket.
Lois drew in a breath. Oh no. No, not---
“I want you to marry me.” He opened the small box in front of her, giving her a clear view of a gold ring with a huge diamond perched on it.
Lois’ jaw dropped. “Lex, I---I---”
“I understand; you’re a little speechless. But I think we’ve been seeing each other long enough, and I’m sure the answer is obvious…”
“I can’t.”
Lex’s eyes widened and his mouth clapped shut.
“I’m sorry, Lex.”
“Lois, you can’t be serious! Why?”
“It’s complicated, Lex. I have a lot of things I need to think about.”
“Then think about it. You don’t have to give me an answer right away…”
“No, Lex. I can’t marry you and, frankly, I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
Lex looked very angry, but Lois knew she had to stick to her guns. Saying yes to Lex while she was carrying Superman’s baby wouldn’t be very fair to either of them, and her newfound feelings for Clark Kent made the whole thing more tangled than the latest plot line of Ivory Tower. From the way Lex’s eye was twitching, she half expected him to launch into a tantrum, but he kept his cool and was gracious enough to take her back to her apartment.
**********
Lex stormed into his office and sat down in a plush leather chair. He pressed a button on his desk. “Mrs. Cox?”
“Yes, Mr. Luthor?”
“Tell Nigel to select two loyal ‘employees’ and have them follow Miss Lane. I want to find out who my competition is.”
“I’m right on it, Sir.”
Lex leaned back in his chair. If what he suspected was true, then perhaps he could use Lois’ condition to his advantage. Once her pregnancy had progressed to the point where her emotions were solidly in control of her thinking, he’d eliminate her other suitor and she would come sobbing back into his arms. It was so much more efficient than going to all the trouble of eliminating every last element of stability in her life…
**********
TBC
