From last time:
“Oh god, Lois, I love you so much,” he breathed against her skin as he trailed soft, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw, her throat, the hollow at the base of her neck. How had he gone weeks without this? The rough beat of her pulse quickened. Heaven help him, he was never going to let her go another minute wondering whether his love for her was as strong as he’d professed.
Later, as she lay in his arms, her fingers trailing up and down the length of his forearm, he pressed a kiss to the crown of her hair, feeling tears sting at his eyes. “A year ago, I would have been useless at defusing those bombs. And I wouldn’t have been able to deal with any of this. I am a better man because you love me. Please, let me be there for you the way you’ve always been there for me,” he whispered.
“Clark,” she said his name so softly he wouldn’t have been able to hear it if he’d been an ordinary man. He felt a sob shudder through her body and he hugged her tighter.
“I’m here,” he whispered. “I always will be.”
********
New stuff:
“Clark! It’s so good to see you!” Lucy exclaimed as he opened the door.
“Hey Luce,” he said warmly as he pulled his sister-in-law into a hug. “How was your flight?”
“Ugh, you know what traveling this time of year is like,” she said as she stepped back. She peered into the entryway of the house. “This place is amazing,” she said.
Clark smiled as he stepped out into the cold to grab her bags. “Let me take these upstairs for you,” he said, carrying her suitcase and carry-on inside. “There’s hot coffee and tea,” he said as he pushed the front door closed. His father came out of the kitchen to welcome their latest arrival.
“Hi Lucy, it’s good to have you here,” Jonathan said.
“Thanks,” she replied enthusiastically. “I’m so glad that I finally get to see the new house and see everyone together.”
Clark made his way up the stairs to one of the guest bedrooms and dropped off his sister-in-law’s luggage. Heading back downstairs, he intercepted his son just as the little boy darted out of the kitchen.
“Hey Daddy!” Jon exclaimed.
Clark lifted Jon up in his arms. “Come on, buddy, Aunt Lucy’s here to see you.”
He carried Jon into the living room and watched as Lucy’s eyes lit up on seeing her nephew. “There’s my little guy!” she said.
“Hi Aunt Lucy,” Jon said as his father set him down on his feet.
“Go give Aunt Lucy a hug,” Clark instructed gently.
Lucy picked the little boy up. “My goodness you’re getting big!” she announced, still smiling.
“I’m in nursery school now,” Jon declared.
“Wow,” Lucy replied.
“Lucy, coffee or tea?” Clark asked.
“Do you have any orange pekoe?” she asked hesitantly.
He grinned. “You came to the right place,” he assured her. He still had the Metropolis’s widest selection of teas outside of the tea houses in Chinatown. Clark made his way to the kitchen to get tea for his father and Lucy. The wonderful smells of a roasting turkey with stuffing and candied yams filled the expansive kitchen.
“Hi honey,” his mother said as she looked up from the top oven, which she’d opened to remove the green bean casserole.
“Let me get that for you, Mom,” he said as he grabbed the casserole dish barehanded and placed it on a kitchen towel on the counter.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” she replied. Smiling, he noticed that her glasses had fogged up from the heat of the oven. He’d been following all of her recipes to the letter that morning, knowing how important it was to her to have Thanksgiving always turn out perfectly. He hoped that having a super-powered sous chef in the kitchen meant that she didn’t have to worry nearly as much.
He filled a couple of mugs and boiled the water with his heat vision before dropping in the tea bags. “I’ll be back to mash the potatoes in just a minute,” he promised her as he put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. He picked up the steeping mugs of tea and carried them back out to the living room.
Jon was sitting on the couch next to his aunt, showing her his artwork from school. Lucy listened in rapt attention as Jon described each crayon-scribbled drawing. She favored her brother-in-law with a smile as he handed her a cup of orange pekoe tea. “Here you go, Dad,” Clark said as he handed his father his more traditional cup of Earl Grey.
“Thanks, son,” Jonathan said.
“Lucy, do you need anything else?” Clark asked. “I’m just going to go let Lois know you’re here.”
“Is she busy working?” Lucy asked.
“Always a likely possibility with her,” Clark replied.
“Tell me about it,” Lucy said with a wry grin.
Clark retreated back upstairs to find his wife. A quick scan placed her in the master bathroom, brushing her teeth yet again. His mouth twisted into a frown. He’d hoped that being super-powered would have made pregnancy easier on his wife, but apparently in the first trimester, that wasn’t the case.
She stepped out of the bathroom, shaking her head, and smiled balefully at him. “Why am I not invulnerable to morning sickness?” she asked, echoing his own thoughts.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said as he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“Is that Lucy downstairs?” she asked.
He nodded. “She just got here a minute ago,” he said. “Are you going to tell her right away?”
“Yeah. If she thinks I’m holding out on her, she’ll kill me,” she replied.
Clark winked at his wife. “That’s not very likely,” he said.
“How’s the cooking?”
“Mom and I are holding our own against the turkey. And you’ll have to judge which is better, her pumpkin or my apple pie.”
“That’s my all American boy,” she said with a smile as she stood on her toes to kiss him.
He withdrew from the kiss with a contented sigh. “Come on, they’re waiting for us downstairs,” he said quietly as he took her hand.
********
Lucy grinned as she looked up at them coming down the stairs. “Lois!” she exclaimed. “Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been!” She jumped up from her seat on the couch to run over to them.
“Hey, Luce,” Lois said as she hugged her kid sister. “It’s good to see you.”
“This house is amazing,” Lucy replied. “How much does a columnist make exactly?”
“Work has been treating us pretty well,” Lois demurred, knowing she couldn’t really explain what a fixer upper this place had been months earlier. “Come on, let me give you the tour,” Lois said.
“So was Jon okay after the whole bomb scare at the paper?” Lucy asked as she followed her sister up the stairs.
“He’s fine,” Lois assured her. “He doesn’t even know what happened.” She led her sister through the house, pointing out the guestroom where Clark had dropped off her bags and ending the tour in their impressive library.
“Wow, this place is so you,” Lucy said as she turned to take in the immensity of the library.
“Actually, it’s pretty much equally Clark and me,” Lois said. “Most of the little knick knacks are his, from all the weird places he’s been,” she explained with a smile.
“He’s a great guy,” Lucy said. “I mean, I’d be tempted to call you lucky, but I’m guessing that four and a half years of raising Jon by yourself, not knowing where Clark was or if he was okay probably makes you feel otherwise.”
“I am lucky,” Lois said softly. “And he is the best man I’ve ever known. Despite the hell we’ve both been through, I wouldn’t trade a minute of my life with him for anything.” Lois heard the gravelly tone in her voice as she struggled to keep her equilibrium. She tried to nonchalantly brush away the tear that threatened to slip down her cheek.
“Sis, are you okay?” Lucy asked.
Lois gave her a quick, jerking nod in response. “Yeah,” she whispered.
“Hey, I’m your kid sister. I’ve known you most of your life. You can’t fool me,” Lucy said gently.
Lois replied with a wry half smile. “You’re a real pain in the butt, you know that?”
“I know,” Lucy replied as she stepped forward to hug her sister. “Are things between you and Clark okay?”
“Yeah,” Lois whispered. “We’re going to have a baby.”
Lucy stepped back. “This is great news, right? I mean, you guys do want to have another baby?” she asked hesitantly.
“We do,” Lois assured her. “We were trying to get pregnant. But we found out the day of the bomb threat against the Planet.” She repeated the same story they’d told her parents, watching Lucy’s complexion grow ashen.
“So when will you know?” Lucy asked.
“We still have to wait almost two months before the amnio, but that should be a good indicator…”
“But not perfect?” Lucy ventured.
Lois shook her head. “I’m not sure we’ll really be certain until the baby’s born.”
“I really think she’s going to be okay,” Lucy replied firmly.
Lois couldn’t help but smile at her eternally optimistic little sister. “How do you know it’s a girl?”
Lucy shrugged. “Wishful thinking,” she admitted.
“You really want a niece?”
“Yeah. Well, that and Lane women are tough. There’s no way my sister’s little girl could be anything but a fighter.”
Lois hugged her sister again. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered.
“About it being a girl?” Lucy asked.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Lois responded. “I just want my baby to be okay,” she whispered. She felt Lucy hug her more tightly.
********
“Lois, I’m glad your table seats ten because otherwise, I figure you would have stuck Jon, Lucy, and me at a kids’ table,” Jimmy joked as he placed the yams on the table.
“Well, we could still put some trays in the rec room if you three would rather watch cartoons,” Lois replied.
“Very funny, Sis,” Lucy said as she helped her nephew into his chair.
“Lois, Clark, I just wanted to thank you both for having all of us over for Thanksgiving,” Perry announced.
“I had nothing to do with this,” Lois declared. “All the credit goes to Martha and Clark.”
“I helped smash the potatoes!” Jon exclaimed.
“You sure did, Buddy,” his father replied with a grin as he put the green bean casserole down on the already crowded table.
“So James, how’s the photography business?” Sam said as he took his seat next to the younger man.
“It’s going really well, sir,” Jimmy replied.
“That was your picture of Superman delivering food to that soup kitchen on the front page of today’s paper, wasn’t it?” Ellen asked.
Jimmy smiled modestly. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“That was a really great photo,” Lucy chimed in.
“Thanks!” Jimmy said. Lois thought she could see the young man blushing slightly. Her mother-in-law entered from the kitchen, carrying the rolls, just as Clark passed her to go and get the turkey.
“Red or white?” her father-in-law asked with a wink as he stepped around the table to where she was sitting, holding up two bottles of sparkling grape juice. Between her pregnancy and her mother’s alcoholism, sparkling juice had become the drink of choice for family occasions.
“Hmmm…white,” she decided. Jonathan smiled and filled her wine glass.
Clark returned, carrying the enormous turkey. “That’s some bird,” Perry said with a chuckle. Clark placed the turkey in its spot of honor in the center of the table.
“Jon, are you going to help me cut the turkey again?” he asked his son.
“Yeah!” Jon replied with an enthusiastic grin. Clark stood behind his son’s chair and allowed the little boy to ‘help’ him carve the turkey. The homemade sides were passed around the table as everyone continued to exchange happy small talk. Though her family could often be a source of stress, everyone seemed to be getting along terrifically. Even her parents weren’t fighting. And this year, that was something to be thankful for.
Clark finished carving the turkey and returned to the empty seat next to hers. Still standing behind his chair, he lifted his glass. “I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have the people I care about all under one roof, here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. It’s been a pretty big year for us,” he said as he looked at her with a smile. “Moving back to the city, a new house, a new job for me, and a new school for Jon. Mom, Dad, I hope it’s been a new adventure for you, too. It’s wonderful to have you all here, and to share in your love, friendship, and support – the things that haven’t changed. The things we’ve depended on as we’ve gone through all of these transitions. So thank you all for celebrating with us.”
“Well said, Clark,” Sam replied as he lifted his glass. The rest of their guests did likewise and clinked glasses with everyone they could reach around the large table. Clark sat down beside her and immediately reached for her hand. She knotted her fingers through his and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“I love you,” she whispered almost silently.
“Love you, too,” he said softly in response.
********
Lois pushed the door to the kitchen open and followed Lucy in. She felt somewhat ridiculous, carrying nothing more than a few glasses while everyone else did the heavy lifting, but if she was to play the part of an ordinary woman with a high risk pregnancy for her family, that meant some degree of pretending.
“Those pies were amazing,” Lucy declared, stacking the plates on the counter. “You definitely lucked out in the mother-in-law department.”
“Actually, Clark baked the apple pie,” Lois said as she set the glasses down in the sink.
Her kid sister started loading the dishes into the dishwasher. “He’s gorgeous and he bakes? He can’t be for real.”
Lois smiled. “He’s one of a kind,” she said as she washed the glasses in the sink. “I’m glad you made it out here.”
“Me too,” Lucy agreed. “I’m actually having a lot of fun. And Mom and Dad are behaving like they can stand to be in the same room with each other.”
“The trick is Jon. They’ll pretend to get along, just so they can spend time with him.”
“That’s it, I’m bringing your kid along with me every time I visit our parents,” Lucy replied.
“That’s what I do,” Lois admitted.
“You know, I think I’d forgotten just how cute Jimmy is,” Lucy said nonchalantly as she finished loading the dishwasher.
“Are you asking me to set you up?”
Lucy looked up at her with a smirk as she closed the dishwasher door. “Please, Sis, I can get my own dates.”
The kitchen door opened behind them and Clark entered, carrying the rest of the plates from dessert. “What kind of trouble are the Lane women causing in here?” he asked good-naturedly.
“Finishing the first wave of dishes,” Lois announced as she placed the last of the glasses on the draining board.
Placing the dishes on the counter, Clark stepped behind her to wrap his arms around her and pull her away from the sink. He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I’ll take care of it.”
She smiled and placed her hands on his arms. “I’m pregnant, not completely incapable.”
“You are the most capable person I know,” he replied. “And right now, you are making a little person, which is way cooler than anything I can do. So why don’t you let me finish the dishes? You and Lucy can go catch up.”
Lois turned her head to look over her shoulder and kiss her husband. “You’re wonderful, you know that?”
“Ditto,” he replied. “Now go relax. Both of you.”
“Thanks, Clark,” Lucy said. Lois stepped out of his embrace reluctantly and followed her younger sister back into the living room.
“You sure there are no more like him?” Lucy asked.
“Yep. Definitely one of a kind,” Lois replied.
Lucy shook her head. “What a shame.”
********
He watched as his wife closed the bedroom door and turned back to face him, smiling slightly as she shook her head. “I have no idea how you and Martha pulled that off,” she said.
“We made Superman do all the hard work,” he said as he pulled her into his arms.
“Poor guy, he never seems to get a day off,” she replied.
“He doesn’t mind,” Clark said. “I hear he goes home every night to this brilliant, amazingly hot wife that he’s crazy in love with.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” he breathed as he lowered his head to cover her lips with his own. She sighed as the kiss ended.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For reminding me of all the things I have to be thankful for. Our family. Our friends. You. I don’t know how it is that you manage to be strong enough for both of us, every single day.”
“We take care of each other; that’s what ‘for better or worse’ is all about,” he said softly. The truth was, the last month had been brutally hard on him as well. He knew he was probably only keeping everything together because he had to. Lois needed him; nothing else mattered. Clark threaded his fingers through her hair as he held her close. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. Over the last week and a half it had grown clearer and more distinct—easier to pick out over the din of everyday sounds. Everything was going to be okay, he told himself. He knew it was going to be okay because it had to be. Because he couldn’t imagine how much it would devastate Lois if things weren’t all right. Because he didn’t want to think about how it would hollow him out, too. Clark pressed his lips against Lois’s temple, silently praying to the fates or deities that might hold some sway over how their lives turned out.
“I love you,” she whispered quietly as she began to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt. Her hands felt warm against his roughly scarred skin. But it was like she didn’t even notice the strange and ugly marks that marred his body. There was no way for him to deny what her touch so clearly conveyed—she loved him. All of him. Even the parts of himself he thought unlovable.
And he loved her just as deeply. Just as completely. “I love you, too,” he replied. The words were inadequate; they could never fully embody the magnitude of his feelings. Which meant he was just going to have to show her how much he loved her, he thought as he framed her face between his hands and kissed her thoroughly.
