I was right! As soon as I put this on the shelf, my muse comes walking down the street singin "Do-a-diddy-diddy dum-diddy-dee"! :rolleyes:
I don't know if this post is going to be up to par, and you guys might be sick of this fic by now anyway. Still, I would like to thank those of you who are sticking with it, and I hope you post lots of feedback. I need all the help, criticism, and inspiration I can get.
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From Part 11:
Lois forced herself to snap back to reality and turned back to face her computer. “Well, you’re off the hook this time, Farmboy. Just remember: I am Lois Lane. I am not some fragile china-doll who needs to be constantly mothered and treated with kid gloves. I can take care of myself!”
“Yes ma’am.” She felt him move away from her and heard his footsteps as he began to head back to his own desk. She whirled around and caught his sleeve. “Clark?”
He stopped and turned immediately. “Yes?”
“Some antacids would be nice, if you have any.”
He grinned. “Sure, Lois.”
**********
And Now, Part 12:
When Lois wasn’t looking, Clark dashed off to the drugstore at superspeed and returned with a bottle of antacid tablets. Naturally, being Superman, Clark had no need of them himself. Of course, Lois didn’t know that.
But she should.
Clark silently pleaded with the voice in his head to cut him some slack. He wanted to tell Lois the truth; he really did, but she just wasn’t ready to listen yet. She had made it very clear yesterday that she only saw him, Clark Kent, as a friend, nothing more, and she seemed to get very upset at the mere *suggestion* of the two of them ever becoming any closer. If he were to go up to her right now and tell her that they had actually *slept* together, and that she was carrying *his* child, she’d hit the ceiling!
So for now, he would have to wait until Lois realized that being with a mild mannered reporter from Kansas was not as bad an idea as she might think. When she was ready, he would tell her everything. If he played his cards right, he might get away with only a slight maiming.
In the mean time, he was going to look after her as best he could and make sure that she and the baby were all right. Clark smiled. Even though the circumstances were far from ideal, he was still looking forward to being a father.
**********
It was morning. Somewhere, off in the distance, Lucy heard the buzz of an alarm clock followed by what sounded like a muffled “whump” and the squeak of mattress springs. Other strange noises followed. She heard the patter-patter of hastily running feet, the slam of a door, and the all-too-familiar sound of major party aftermath. For a brief, disoriented moment, Lucy thought that she was back in LA. Slowly, the memories of yesterday’s flight to Metropolis came back to her. There was a small crashing sound, followed by some cursing. Lucy rolled over and snuggled deeper into the pillows. Yesterday had been a long day.
**********
Yesterday had been a long day, Lois reflected as she cleaned up. Between Lucy and Jimmy and what’s-his-name, Jimmy’s friend, Lois had thought she was going to explode! It had been a nice reprieve when Clark took her to lunch and let her vent all her frustrations out on him. He hadn’t even said anything when she’d inexplicably burst into tears in mid-rant. He was being very understanding, perhaps unusually so. When she’d asked him to mention to Superman (should he see him) that Lucy was staying at her apartment, he didn’t blink an eye; he just said okay.
Was it possible that Clark knew? Superman mentioned that he told two people who were close to him; could Clark have been one of those people? On the other hand, if Superman did tell Clark, wouldn’t he have told her that he told him, seeing as how they were friends and partners? Lois sighed. She wished she could just ask Clark what he knew, but she didn’t want to tip him off if he didn’t know.
She cast a glance at the door of her sister’s room. One person she *definitely* didn’t want to tip off about anything was Lucy. Lois hoped Lucy hadn’t heard her throwing up. A quick peek inside the room revealed that Lucy was fast asleep. She probably hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.
Speaking of out of the ordinary, Lois thought as she got dressed, she had to figure out what to do about these dreams. Because that’s what they were, *dreams*! If they weren’t, then she was in *really* big trouble!
Why wasn’t this stupid button fastening? She couldn’t be starting to show yet, it was too soon! It had to be from that tub of strawberry ice-cream she’d polished off yesterday. For some reason, she’d had a sudden desire for strawberry ice-cream. Her sister was shocked to see her consuming something that wasn’t chocolate, but Lois had lied and said that the store was out. She hoped Lucy bought it. While Lucy was shocked at Lois’ switching of flavors, Lois herself was shocked at how quickly she’d eaten the thing! It was as though she simply inhaled it!
Okay, forget the stupid button! She would just have to wear something else, that’s all. Something loose. She tore off the stubborn, non-buttoning slacks and tossed them onto the bed. However, she missed, and the slacks went sailing over the bed, knocking a few items off of the nightstand on the other side.
<<Why am I being so clumsy all of a sudden?>> Lois thought, <<It’s like I don’t know my own strength anymore!>>
Putting that thought out of her mind for the moment, Lois fished some new clothes out of the closet and managed to get them on with little difficulty. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the new mess right now, so once she was dressed, she headed straight to the living room and grabbed her purse.
There was a soft knock on the door.
Lois opened it. “Clark?”
“Good morning, Lois.”
“Um, good morning.”
He stood in the doorway, staring at her with a peculiar look on his face. Why was he acting so weird? “Did I wake you?”
“Yes, Clark. I always sleep with my clothes on and my purse in my hand.”
His cheeks turned pink.
“No, you didn’t wake me. Lucy’s still asleep, though.”
“Ah.” Clark handed her a small, brown paper bag. “I brought you this. I just thought you might like them; they’re blueberry muffins. My mom made them.”
“Isn’t your mom all the way in Kansas?” Was it her imagination, or did Clark just turn white for a second?
“She sent them over,” he finally mumbled. “Are you ready to go to work?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Muffin bag in hand, Lois shouldered her purse and joined Clark at the door. The muffins smelled okay, but her stomach didn’t seem to be too thrilled about them. Actually, what would really hit the spot was something---cold. And creamy. And---and---strawberry! Strawberry ice-cream! And to wash it down, a nice, cool, thick glass of tomato juice! “Hey, Clark? How about we stop somewhere on the way and get some ice-cream cones?”
Clark looked at her. “Ice-cream, Lois? At this hour?”
“And some juice.”
Clark made a face. “Lois, I really don’t think ice-cream is very good for---”
“Listen, farmboy,” Lois snapped, “I don’t need you to tell me what’s good for me or not! I’m a big girl; I can take care of myself! Besides, I don’t think *you* of all people has any place in lecturing me in how I eat, Mr. Dozen-ding-dongs-a-day!” Confident that she’d made her point, Lois smiled, stepped out into the hall, then called to Clark in a sing-song voice, “Come on, Clark, let’s go get some ice-cream.”
Clark stared at her for a few moments, then nodded and fell into step beside her.
**********
It was fifteen minutes past noon when Lucy finally dragged herself out of bed and padded to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
<<Something happened here>> her foggy brain told her. <<There was a sound. A party!>> No, that didn’t seem quite right. Why would Lois throw a party in her bathroom? Well, *something* odd had registered in her brain this morning. If it was important, and it probably wasn’t, she’d remember.
One of the draw-backs of leaving on a whim was that Lucy hadn’t packed much of a selection of clothes. Oh, she had clothing and plenty of it in her suitcase, but there was nothing she was in the mood to wear. She would just have to go shopping today. Maybe she would call Wendy, Julie and Pam and make a day of it. Yes sir, four girls and a mall. That was just what she needed today! Who knew, maybe some of the guys would come.
In the mean time, Lucy would just borrow something of Lois’ to wear. She wandered into Lois’ bedroom and opened the door.
“Sheesh! What happened here, a hurricane?!”
Lucy would remember this next time Lois wanted to lecture her about her housekeeping habits. She went over to the nightstand and picked up the slacks, then gathered the small objects that had fallen and opened the nightstand’s drawer to stuff them in.
<<What on earth?!>>
Lucy stared into the open drawer.
Your Baby and You,
What Every First-Time Mother Needs to Know About Pregnancy
By Dr. Dina Shepherd, M.D
<<Oh, my…>>
The things Lucy was holding fell to the floor, forgotten, as she stared, mesmerized, at the book in Lois’ drawer. The sounds she remembered from this morning suddenly became a little clearer in her memory.
<<Oh my goodness…>>
Not sure what else to do, Lucy stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed the phone…
**********
TBC
