In honor of DS's birthday, I'm posting this morning. Not that we have anything special planned. We had pizza and cake at the babysitter's yesterday [he slept through most of it]. Maybe I'll make cookies. His party isn't until next weekend. I'm just so glad he made it this far and is healthy!!! Even if he is still really small - that's okay.
That and there were no good smoochies in another fic posted today *grumble*.
Thanks, as always, to Alisha, Beth, Nancy, and CarolynK.
48 will be Monday.
[TMI - Too Much Information]
*****
Chapter 47
*****
Lois sat down on the bench outside Motherhood Maternity.
Her feet were tired and she hated the fact that she couldn’t fit into any of her clothes anymore. She knew there was a good reason for it and all that, but it didn’t make it any less true.
She didn’t want to go overboard on a wardrobe she’d only wear for a few months, but she did need some work clothes and some casual clothes and...
Well, Clark’s clothes would work for pajamas. At least his T-shirts would. She’d bought several pairs of bike shorts and had stopped at CostMart a few days earlier to get a couple packs of big pocket Tees to wear. She was already contemplating giving the new shirts to Clark and taking a few of his instead.
Lucy joined her once she was done checking out. "You know, this was a lot more fun with the guys a couple of years ago."
"We just didn't wear out as easily."
"That could be part of it. And they both had to work today. And I absolutely cannot wear any of my clothes. Even my sweats are too small. And I don't have the advantage you do of a husband who's a lot bigger than I am. Taller, yes. Bigger, yes, some, but not like Clark." They both sat there for a minute before Lucy spoke again. "Are you ever going to give me *any* details? I don't want TMI, but something?"
Lois sighed. "All I'm going to say is that it was our anniversary and leave it at that."
"Was it everything you could have dreamed of?"
Lois paused, wondering how to answer without lying. "I can't remember anything like it." That was the truth.
"That good?" Lucy asked with a grin, elbowing her sister in the side.
"I'm not saying anything else. I shouldn't have said that much. Clark and I agreed that beyond knowing that I'm pregnant and all that goes with that, we're not going to talk about the rest of it."
Lucy sighed. "Fine. I bet you're not even going to tell me – and I don't want specifics mind you – if there was anything... special because of... you know." There was a wicked grin on
her face.
Lois glared at her. "No, I'm not going to tell you that."
"I'll take that as a 'yes' then and leave it at that."
Lois sighed. "Take it however you want; you are *not* getting details of any kind."
"Fine. I'm surprised you guys told us you were pregnant because that means we know you're having sex." Lucy's words were laced with sarcasm.
Lois stood and picked up her bags. "I'm not having this conversation with you, Lucy."
"Wait, please. Don't be mad. You're my big sister and I love you. That's all."
She sat back down. "Don't push me on this, Lucy. I don't want details of your sex life and I'm not going to give you details of mine."
"You knew the first time we had sex," Lucy pointed out.
"It was your wedding night. It was kind of obvious," Lois reminded her.
"True."
They sat for a few more minutes before standing and heading to the next store.
*****
"She was grilling me about it," Lois ranted as she wandered around their room. "She wanted *details* about our sex life."
Clark sat on the bed, back to the wall, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. "And that upsets you?"
She glared at him. "I think you've been spending too much time with Dr. Friskin. Of course it upsets me! I've never asked for details about their sex life. She volunteered a little – very little – when they were in Paris after their honeymoon, but that's it and that was almost too much. And you'd better not be sharing with Jimmy – in either direction. I don't care if it is a 'guy thing'."
"Jimmy's told me less than Lucy's told you. He just said it was a great week and that's about it. Finding out about the whole beach thing was all Lucy. After we told them you were pregnant, he said something about being happy for me – for us – but that's it. And I've never told him anything."
"She actually wanted to know if you do anything... 'special'. You know because..." She waved a hand in his direction. "...of you."
He shrugged. "Well, I think it would surprise me if she wasn't curious. Not that I think she *should* have asked, but it's not surprising. I mean, seriously. I can float and all that other stuff, it's only natural that she's curious. I'm quite certain they've never made love on the ceiling," he pointed out. "And I don't know that because he's told me either."
Lois sighed and sat down on the chair. "I guess you're right. But that still doesn't mean I want to tell her about it or that I want her to ask."
"I know."
"And I really don't want to tell her how things really are, what really happened," she said quietly.
"I know. If she presses you for information again, you could always just tell her that Dr. McCorkle has recommended that we cease and desist for a while. That's the truth, after all."
"I guess. I'd rather she just not mention it at all."
They sat for a minute.
"So did you get some good clothes?" Clark asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah – I got some work clothes and some other stuff. I'm still absconding with some of yours for pajamas though."
He looked critically at the Smallville High T-shirt he'd bought at the Corn Festival. "It looks better on you anyway. I *like* seeing you wear my clothes. I always have."
Lois blushed slightly. "I know and I've always liked wearing them." She paused. "For a while after I found out about you and Mayson, I refused to wear any of the sweatshirts and stuff that I'd already taken from you. Then I decided that if you could sleep with another woman, I could wear your clothes because they were more comfortable than mine anyway. I didn't very often though," she said quietly. "Most of the time it just reminded me of what someone else had and I never would."
Clark gazed at her tenderly. "She never had me; she never even came close."
"I know that now, but then..."
"You know we may run into her from time to time," he said quietly. "She said she always wanted to work for the DA's office so..."
"Well, she should still be in law school."
"I know but it's still possible."
"Yeah."
"I will say that my favorite was still that white shirt," he told her with a grin.
She blushed again, furiously this time. "Was that because of the shirt or what it represented?"
"Both," he said seriously. "You looked amazing but it also represented what I'd been hoping for, what I'd wanted for so long."
"So you wouldn't be averse to seeing me in one again? Even if we still can't..." she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Clark groaned. "Please don't. Not until we can again and we're ready to."
"Not even as a maternity shirt? Fully buttoned and pants and everything."
"I think I'm gonna have to go with 'no' on that one."
Lois yawned. "I'll remember that."
"Good. You should get some sleep, though. You had a busy day and you have to work tomorrow."
Lois nodded as she yawned again. She crawled into bed as Clark slid under the covers with her, pulling her back towards him. "I think I'm extra glad we went with a king size bed after we got married. The double was bad enough when I wasn't getting as big as a house."
"You're a duplex, honey."
"I know, but I still feel huge already."
"Would it help if I told you you're going to get bigger?"
"No."
"Okay, then I won't, but at least you weren't sick tonight."
"Just a little bit, but not bad at all."
"I'm glad."
She turned her head to look at him over his shoulder. "Thanks." She smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He kissed her softly. "Get some sleep."
She nodded and closed her eyes, snuggling back into him.
*****
April 1990
*****
Lois sat on the bathroom floor wondering who in the world called it morning sickness. It was the biggest misnomer she'd ever heard. And it had only gotten worse as the months had passed.
She guessed it was a good thing that her morning sickness came at night – and hadn't started until she was nearly 12 weeks pregnant. She could eat a big breakfast and a good lunch and even an early dinner most days and keep it down. She didn't get sick until seven or eight at night so if she ate before four-thirty or so, she was pretty good.
The dry heaves were absolutely no fun regardless.
Four and a half months pregnant and it showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.
"How're you feeling?" Clark asked, sitting down on the floor next to her.
She shrugged. "I've been better."
"Is it getting any better at all?"
"Some. Last night wasn't as bad as it has been the last couple weeks. Tonight doesn't seem quite as bad either."
"I'm glad."
She yawned. "I'll be glad when I'm not exhausted all the time either."
"Well, Dr. McCorkle said that's common."
"I know."
He reached for her hand. "You know, if this baby is... like me, then it's possible that he or she could be taking a bit more out of you than a regular baby."
"True."
They sat in silence for long minutes. Finally, she pushed herself up from the bathroom floor. "I think I’m going to go lay down."
Clark nodded. "I'm going to take a shower and I'll be in soon."
She moved to the bedroom, took one of his sweatshirts out of the drawer and pulled it on over a pair of her maternity shorts.
She grabbed a peppermint out of her nightstand, curled under the covers and sighed, hoping that tonight she'd be able to sleep and not get up seventy-two times to go to the bathroom.
It wasn't long before Clark was lying next to her, his arms wrapped around her as she snuggled into him.
"How're you doing? Really?" Clark asked her quietly.
"I'm okay. Tired, but that's par for the course these days."
"How're you feeling about the baby?"
She gave a one-armed shrug. "Better, I guess. I don’t resent him or anything like that but I still wish I was as excited as Lucy and Jimmy are."
"I know."
"You're not either," she pointed out.
"I know." He gasped at the same time she did. "What was that?"
"I think that was the baby," she whispered, in awe.
"Really?" he whispered back.
Lois nodded. "I think so." She pushed up until she was sitting against the headboard, both hands on her expanding stomach.
"Have you felt that before?" he asked moving to sit facing her, silently asking permission to touch her belly.
She nodded slightly before answering. "No. I've felt a few little flutters I thought might have been the baby but nothing like that."
His large hands practically covered her entire stomach. "Do you think we'll feel it again?"
"Why are we whispering?" Lois asked with a smile.
Clark grinned back. "I don't know. Just seems like the right thing to do?" He was still whispering.
Her eyes grew wide as they met his. "Did you feel that?"
He nodded. "That was him?"
"Or her."
"Or her."
A smile crossed her face. "There's a baby in there," she whispered.
"I know."
"Have you peeked?"
He shook his head. "No. I can't say I haven't been tempted a few times, but no, I haven't."
Her face grew serious as she looked at the expression on his face. "I love you, Clark."
One hand left her stomach to cradle her face. "I love you." He leaned over and kissed her gently.
She smiled again. "We're having a baby."
"Yes, we are."
This time she leaned over and kissed him softly. "We're having a baby." She was whispering again.
"My baby and me," he whispered back with a grin.
*****
"No cheating," Jimmy warned.
"You know I don't cheat," Clark reminded him with a roll of his eyes as he tossed the basketball to his friend.
"I know, but it never hurts to remind you," the younger man said with a grin.
Thirty minutes later, Jimmy was wiping sweat off his face with his shirt. "You could at least try to break a sweat."
Clark grinned. "I can't help that." He tossed Jimmy a water bottle.
Jimmy mumbled something about uppity aliens, but Clark just smiled serenely, moving to sit next to him on the bench. "How's Lucy doing?"
"Better. She's only been sick once in the last couple weeks."
"That's good."
"How about Lois?"
"A little better. She's still sick almost every night, but it's not quite as bad."
"How're you two doing?" Jimmy asked quietly.
"Whaddya mean?"
He shrugged. "I just get the feeling that something's a bit off. Maybe because you guys don't seem very excited about this. I know it wasn't what you planned and it wasn't what we planned either, but maybe you're just being... reserved about it in front of others, but I wouldn't think that would apply to when you're around us."
Clark sighed. "We're fine. We just didn't plan on having a baby just yet. The first time we finally took that step and she gets pregnant. It worries me a bit about the potential for her to get pregnant again later. I mean, it was probably random luck this time, but..."
"Yeah." Jimmy paused for a minute. "Do you mind if I ask what kind of precautions you were taking? For future reference, of course?"
It was a long moment before Clark answered. "She... got caught up in the moment, so to speak, and didn't tell me she wasn't on birth control like I thought. Since I thought she was on birth control and she didn't say anything different..." He shrugged. "There you go."
"Note to self: always make sure Lucy's actually on birth control and not taking antibiotics." Jimmy grinned at him before turning serious again. "But you guys are okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Clark's face split into a wide smile. "We felt the baby move the other night."
"Really?"
"Yeah, first time."
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Jimmy was smiling himself.
Clark nodded. "Makes it more real. Honestly, we've just been in shock still. Still working though some stuff from before. Made it hard to get excited, but we are. Getting more excited every day."
"Scary, too," his friend said quietly. "I'm going to be a dad and that scares me. I don't know when the last time I saw my dad was. I sent an invitation to the wedding to his office because I didn't have a home address for him. I never got it back, but I never heard from him either."
"I'm sorry about that, Jim."
"And it's not like Lucy and Lois had the world's best example for a mom."
"But they know what not to do."
"Maybe, but it's still scary."
"Yeah." Clark took a big swig of water. "My folks were great and Wayne and Lewis were too even though it wasn't like they were my dad."
"You still miss them, don't you?"
Clark nodded. "Every day. I wish I could have done something to save them, but..."
"Man, if you weren't you, you wouldn't have been able to save them anyway. There's nothing you could have done."
"I know, but sometimes..."
"Yeah." Jimmy paused again. "So now that you two... you know. Are things going as well as you would have hoped?"
Clark didn't say anything immediately.
"I mean, I know that it was great for us because it was finally right and all," Jimmy went on. "But it still took a while to..." He suddenly blushed furiously. "Oh, never mind."
Clark gave him a small smile. "Well, it was pretty great, but Dr. McCorkle said we can't for right now anyway."
Jimmy winced. "Aw, man. That stinks."
"Tell me about it," Clark said wryly, knowing that Dr. McCorkle's instructions wouldn't have mattered anyway.
"Is everything okay though? I mean you guys would have told us if there was something wrong with Lois or the baby, right?"
"Yeah. It's more a precaution than anything."
"That's good. I mean, it stinks, but it's good."
"Exactly."
"Listen, Clark, can I ask you something serious?" Jimmy asked, his tone suddenly changing.
"Of course."
"Lucy and I were talking about it the other night. If something ever happens to us, we want you two to take the baby."
"Of course, we will," Clark said a bit shocked. "Nothing's going to happen to you two though."
"Don't plan on it, but if it does... We don't want my mom to do it and even though you guys are the only other family we have, we'd pick you guys anyway."
"Yeah. No problem."
"And if anything ever happens to me, will you look after Lucy and the baby for me? Help take care of them?"
Clark clapped him on the back. "You don't even have to ask. I don't know what might happen to me. I'm invulnerable as far as I know, but you never know what the differences in my physiology may mean. So if something ever happens to me..."
"Taken care of, my man." Jimmy tossed the basketball his way. "Enough of all this serious stuff. Let's play some ball."
Clark laughed. "You're on."
*****
May 1990
*****
"Two tickets to 'Back to the Future', please." Tickets and cash were slid under the window.
"Thanks for taking me."
"Like I had a choice. It was a bet."
"That's right. A bet's a bet and if you lose the bet, you lose the bet."
"Exactly. And treating you to the movie is mine."
Clark put his arm around Lois' shoulders as they walked into the theater. They were finally nearing the place where she was completely comfortable with him touching her in their everyday life again, but any plans to date again or pursue their physical relationship were currently on the back burner. They continued to see Dr. Friskin and she suggested taking things at whatever level they were comfortable with, not trying to push things.
Regardless, Dr. McCorkle was still recommending curtailing those sorts of activities anyway. Though she wasn't recommending bed rest at this point, she didn't rule it out as the pregnancy progressed. Pregnancy was taking a greater toll on her than it was Lucy and they felt the biggest reason was probably the baby's potential Kryptonian heritage. They'd discussed it and had decided that even if they were ready to take that step again, it was probably best to wait until after the baby was born – or at least until 36 weeks or so when the baby would be considered 'full term' – just to be on the safe side.
"Does that mean you're going to buy me popcorn and a soda, too?"
"Was that part of the deal?"
"The deal was that the loser had to treat the winner to the movie. Candy, popcorn and soda are all part of the deal."
"Fine. What do you want?"
They headed to the counter and walked away laden with junk food.
"So am I ever going to win anything again?"
Lois looked at him as she put her change in her back pocket. Why did so few maternity pants have front pockets anyway? "No," she told him. "You won't."
Clark grinned at her as they walked into the theater. "I didn't think so."
*****
June 1990
*****
"Ugh."
Clark looked up from where he was trying to get his tie straight. "What?"
"I still feel like a whale."
He smiled at her. "You look great."
She glared at him. "I guess Mayson doesn’t have questions about the solidity of our marriage anymore does she?"
"Her eyes did get a bit big when she realized you were pregnant."
"Still, I'd rather give them our business and there's no way I was going to fit into any of my other dresses tonight."
Clark moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her, gently placing his hands over hers on her stomach. "That's because you're making our baby and you're making a great home for him." They'd decided not to find out if they were having a boy or a girl, but instead used whichever pronoun seemed to fit at the time.
She sighed. "Still."
"You look great, honey." He kissed her hair. "Honest."
She sighed again. "I guess I'm just a bit... scared about tonight, too."
"Why?"
"What happened the last time we went to a shindig?" she asked with a raised brow.
"Gotcha." He pulled her a little closer. "How's this – I won't leave your side tonight. Promise."
"I don't know about *that*," she replied with a smile. "I'll probably have to go to the bathroom eighty-seven times and I'm sure you don't want to go to the ladies' room with me."
"I can wait outside."
"And what if Perry wants to dance with me? Are you planning on making us look all weird? Both of us dancing with Perry?" There was a gleam in her eye.
"No, but I'll keep my eyes on you."
"Glad to know there's a reason for you to keep your eyes on me."
Clark laughed. "Honey, every eye is going to be on you."
She shuddered lightly. "I hope not every eye."
"We went over the Embassy list a bunch of times. There may be a few of the same people there tonight but..."
"The big one being Luthor."
Clark looked skeptical. "I can't see Luthor needing to drug women though. From what I've heard, he's quite the playboy. Discreet, but a playboy."
She shrugged. "He still gives me the creeps."
"Me, too." He ran his hands up and down her arms. "If we ever get separated tonight, and he gets close, just start saying my name really loud as part of your conversation and I'll be there in a flash, okay? There won't be any reason for you to be alone with him."
She nodded. "Okay." She turned to look at him, reaching up to tweak his tie. "There. Perfect."
He smiled at her before giving her a light kiss. "Thanks. I knew I kept you around for a reason."
"And it has nothing to do with being an incubator?"
"Nope," he grinned. "Because you can get my tie straight."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm glad I'm good for something."
*****
"The place looks great, Chief," Lois said as she greeted Perry with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was the Daily Planet's Annual Fundraiser Ball. Every year, the paper hosted a fundraiser to help with literacy and children's causes around the world.
"Well, Stern went all out this year, darlin'." He glanced at the line behind her. "I gotta greet the bigwig mucky mucks. Save me a dance, will ya?"
"Always." She kissed his cheek again before taking Clark's arm and walking into the ballroom.
They set their things at their designated table. Clark bowed slightly, "May I have this dance?"
"Of course."
His hand rested lightly on her back as she walked to the dance floor, pulling her close as soon as they were on it. After two dances, they switched with Jimmy and Lucy.
"How're you feeling?" Jimmy asked his new dance partner.
"Fortunately, I feel pretty good tonight. I was afraid I'd spend half the night in the bathroom throwing up." She smiled up at her brother-in-law. "Or worse, not making it to the bathroom. Nothing ruins a good fundraiser faster than a puking pregnant woman."
Jimmy grimaced. "That was a mental image I didn't need."
She laughed. "Sorry."
"You look great, though. Seriously."
"Thanks."
Jimmy's eyes gleamed wickedly. "I heard Mayson was at the store when you went in. Do you mind if I ask what her reaction was?"
Lois groaned. "She was nice and polite and professional and her eyes got as big as my stomach when she realized I was pregnant. You know, I think in another lifetime I might have even been able to be friends with her."
"But not in this one?"
"Not a chance, but should we ever need to work with her when she makes it into the DA's office, we can without any problems."
"That's good."
The song ended and Lucy and Lois were both ready to head back to the table for a bit of a break. They had eaten some of the appetizers being served when Lois noticed Clark shifting a bit uncomfortably in his seat.
She leaned close to him. "What is it?"
He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me," she hissed.
"Nothing for you to worry about."
"Too late."
He sighed. "I overheard a radio broadcast about a volcano erupting in Japan."
"So go," she whispered.
"I am *not* leaving you tonight," he whispered back.
She smiled at him with more conviction than she felt. "I'll be fine. This is Metropolis. A Daily Planet thing, not the Embassy. I have friends and family all over the place. I'll be fine. Really."
"What's up?" Jimmy whispered, catching on that something was going on.
"Clark heard about a volcano in Japan and won't go."
"I'm not leaving her tonight," Clark insisted. "I promised."
"I told him to go," Lois hissed.
"We'll keep an eye on her and make sure she gets home okay if you're gone that long. Promise," Jimmy assured him.
Clark sighed and tossed his napkin on the table. He looked earnestly at Lois. "Are you *sure*?"
She nodded. "I'm sure. I'll be fine."
He kissed her. "Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed her again, whispering in her ear before he left. "Tell Perry if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable and yell if you need anything, okay?"
"I'll be fine."
He kissed her cheek before leaving.
She watched him go and prayed that she was right.
*****
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Lane."
Chills instantly ran up and down Lois' spine and the ballroom seemed to darken. "It's *Mrs.* Kent and I'm afraid I don't remember, Mr. Luthor. When did we meet?"
"In Tokyo. At the American Embassy about six months ago."
Lois' hand almost unconsciously went to her stomach. "I'm afraid I don't remember much of that night, Mr. Luthor. I had the worst migraine of my life that night and I really don't remember much of it at all."
"Well, Ms. Lane, we danced and you enjoyed yourself very much."
Lois suddenly felt the chills again. "In my private life it's Mrs. Kent, Mr. Luthor. I'm a married woman."
"And your husband? Where is he?"
"He had to step out for a moment. He should be back shortly."
"Ah, he's left you alone again, Ms. Lane?" He bowed slightly at the waist. "May I then have the pleasure of this dance? Perhaps you will remember this time."
Lois opened her mouth, unsure exactly how she was going to refuse, when a booming voice interrupted.
"Lois, darlin'. There you are." Perry approached and held out his arm. "I promised that husband of yours I would look after you till he got back."
Lois moved to accept the offered arm but was blocked by Luthor.
"I assure you, Mr. White, Ms. Lane is in excellent hands."
Perry refused to be intimidated, holding Luthor's eyes with his own. "Just the same, Mr. Luthor, *Mrs.* Kent has agreed that I get at least one dance this evening, and I believe it's time to collect. Lois, shall we?"
She smiled slightly at Luthor. "Perhaps another time, Mr. Luthor, though I'm afraid it may not be any more memorable than the last." She turned and walked to the dance floor with Perry. She moved into the protective, fatherly circle of his arms. "Thank you, Perry."
"For what, darlin'?"
"Something about him gives me the creeps."
"You and me both, Lois." He smiled at her. "I have to warn you – I dip suddenly and deeply."
Lois laughed. "I'll stay alert," she said as he did just that, laughing some more as he did so and grateful that he didn’t take the ‘deeply’ part too literally given how off her center of balance was.
"Now, where did that husband of yours run off to?"
"Oh, he forgot to pick up my prescription of prenatal vitamins and I'm out. He ran to get them before the pharmacy closes." She was sure Perry would read between the lines, that he would understand the unspoken – that Clark was helping out somewhere.
Lois and Perry danced before returning to their table, unaware of Lex Luthor's eyes tracking them.
*****
TBC
