A/N: This is a fic I wrote last Christmas for desichick81 over at DI. I hope you enjoy it.
Dec 20th
"What is wrong with you?" Lois practically yelled into the phone. "You can't just leave a baby in a barn, especially in December. Are you out of your ever loving mind?"
"A baby in a barn is a very Christmassy thing to do," sensing Lois didn't appreciate the humor, Lucy continued. "It's not like there isn't heat out there in the loft. In fact, it's probably warmer out there than in the house. Those space heaters can be pretty powerful."
"That's not the point. You had no idea if we would even find the baby. What would have happened then?"
"I gave you 15 minutes. If I didn't hear from you before then, I was going to call to let you know."
"Why are you even dumping her here?" Lois demanded.
"Why shouldn't she get to know her aunt and uncle?" Lucy queried.
"This isn't what this is about. Tell me the truth."
"Lois, I just need a break. I don't think I'm cut out for motherhood and I think my marriage is on the rocks."
"If you can't handle being a mother, you should have thought about that a little sooner. Motherhood is here whether you like it or not."
"It's not like I'm leaving her forever, Lois. It's just for the holidays. It'll give me a chance to work things out with her father."
"That's well and good for you, but what am I supposed to do with her?"
"Consider her an early Christmas present," Lucy said before hanging up.
"Lucy? Lucy?" Lois was hardly through with her ranting but she knew it would be futile to try and call Lucy back.
She looked over at the baby. Her niece, Susie, was staring at her with a look that said "I'm your responsibility now, lady. What are you going to do about it?" She definitely had the Lane look down to a tee. No giggles or unnecessary weeping from this babe.
sss
"Can you believe that?" Lois asked, as she finished telling the story to Clark. "She is one of the most irresponsible people I have ever known in my life. Christmas is in 5 days. What are we going to do with her?"
"Lucy or the baby?"
"Both, but for now what are we going to do with the baby?"
"We can take care of her until Lucy comes and gets her."
"We don't know anything about taking care of a baby, at least I don't. The baby won't sleep and I'll lose sleep and you know how I am operating on practically no sleep and—"
He interrupted her rambling. "I'll help you. In fact, I'll take the first shift tonight."
Lois gave a wary nod of agreement. After all, what other choice did she have?
sss
Lois held the baby in her arms, rocking her, and trying to stop the crying. She had tried feeding her, changing her. What if she had colic? She had no idea how to treat that. If ever she was convinced motherhood wasn't for her, it was now.
Maybe a lullaby would work. Lois didn't have the best voice, but she didn't have the worst voice either, especially when compared to her husband's. She thought of all the karaoke nights and shower serenades, smiling to herself. Besides, babies were hardly critical of singing voices, and if they were, there wasn't much they could say about it. She started singing the first song that popped in her head, which because of the time of the year happened to be "Away in a Manger."
Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
"And if the Lord can sleep like that you can sleep in a crib," she added chidingly to the baby, who had stopped the crying to stare up at Lois curiously.
The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
'Til morning is nigh.
She was getting close to victory. The baby's eyelids were very heavy.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there
"The song makes an appropriate lullaby and it got you to sleep," she whispered to the now sleeping baby. "In fact, I think your grandmother used to sing that to your mother and me around Christmas. It was her favorite carol." Lois shook her head. She couldn't believe she was talking to the baby like Susie could understand her, especially when she was asleep. She was glad there was no one around to witness the spectacle.
"I'm sorry," Clark apologized as he rushed into the room still wearing his costume.
"Sshh, I just got her to sleep."
He took the baby from her and put her gently down in the crib. They had both been thankful to find a crib in the attic. "I know I was supposed to get up with her in the night."
"Don't be sorry. You couldn't let someone die or get seriously injured just so I get could get a little bit of extra sleep."
"I know, but that doesn't make me any less sorry."
She had meant what she said. His duties came first. It just confirmed a fear that she had. If they had a child of their own, she would be the primary caregiver and she didn't think she had it in her, especially not when there was a chance he or she would have super powers.
He seemed to read the thoughts and doubts in her eyes. "This isn't how it's going to be all the time. You'll see. I'm glad Lucy is giving us this chance. I'll prove to you that you won't get stuck caring for a child all by yourself."
Lois sighed. She knew how much Clark loved kids, and she wasn't opposed to them herself as long as they were somebody else's kids.
Dec 21st
"It's lucky Perry gave us the week before Christmas off this year," Clark said, as they took the breakfast dishes to the sink.
"Yeah, real lucky," she tried to say with some cheerfulness for his sake, but it ended up sounding more sarcastic.
"I was thinking about visiting my mom in D.C. while we've got the time off, since she's only going to be able to spend one day with us."
"Yes," she agreed, perhaps a little too quickly. She wanted the woman's advice and expertise in the matter of babies. "That sounds wonderful."
They traveled by way of Superman for convenience and speed. She couldn't blame the baby for being a little upset as she surely had never flown this way. They'd been on foot since they reached the outside of the city. Lois couldn't get the baby to stop crying. She tried a repeat of "Away in A Manger", but it wasn't working this time.
Martha was home and surprised to see them with a crying baby. "It's my sister's baby," Lois explained. "We're taking care of her during the holidays."
"Poor thing," Martha said, taking her from Lois.
Clark gave a quick apology before he left to take care of a situation requiring a superhero.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked, as Martha quieted the baby like it was as easy as pushing a button.
"Sure."
"How do you do it?"
Martha's eyebrows raised, not understanding.
"How do you get babies to stop crying, how do you entertain them, how do you be a mother?"
She laughed at the barrage of questions, "No one's born knowing it. It's something you have to learn out of necessity."
"What if you never learn it? I mean not everyone makes a great mother."
"That's true, but having the desire to be a great mother helps."
"I just don't know if I can do it," she said with a heavy sigh as she plopped down on the couch.
"Does your sister intend on coming back?" Martha asked, also taking a seat.
"Of course, she does. Although, it's hard to tell with Lucy; her comings and goings have never been dependable. I just don't know if I can do it in general. I know Clark wants kids, and I'm sure you want grandkids, but I don't know if I can do it by myself. Take now for instance. Clark is nowhere to be found. I'm alone with Susie. Well, not really, but you know what I mean."
"How much time does he spend with Superhero duties?"
"Well, maybe not as much as he could," she conceded, "unless it's an end of the world sort of crisis, which happens more frequently than you would think but not every night."
"There was a time when he had weight of the world on his shoulders, I'm sure you can remember that, but he learned that despite all of his superpowers, he's still just human. He can't be everywhere. He can't ignore pleas for help when he hears them, but he doesn't try to get every cat out of every tree. He knows that he has to have a personal life to stay grounded."
"I do know that. I mean he's made plenty of time for me. I don't know. Maybe that's just an excuse on my part. Maybe I just don't think I'm cut out for it."
"Some people aren't," she said gently, "I guess you have to know whether you are or aren't and plan accordingly. Maybe you should be thankful that you have this opportunity. Look at it as a trial period."
"That's what Clark said. Do you think I could do it, Mrs. Kent? Should Clark and I have kids?"
"I can't make that decision for you, honey. You both have to truly want and be ready for children. I do know Clark will understand whatever you decide. I can't tell you parenthood is going to be easy because it won't be, even if you had a perfectly normal child and normal lives, it wouldn't be."
She nodded. She appreciated the wisdom. She had known all along that Mrs. Kent couldn't and wouldn't make the decision for her.
"I can promise you this. For all its disappointments and aggravations, it's worth it. And I can't think of two people who would work harder at being good parents and making time for their family."
Lois allowed a small smile. "Thanks. I still don't know if it's something I want or can handle, but it's nice to know I have such a supportive mother-in-law, who'll stand behind me whatever I choose."
"I don't believe in pressuring your children to have children. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."
Clark came back and they visited for a little while.
"You should see some of the city's festivities before you go back," Martha insisted. "I have some more work to finish before Christmas rolls around."
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Mom?" Clark asked.
"I'll see you on Christmas day," she answered, giving him a hug. She hugged Lois and the baby as well.
"What would you like to do?" Clark asked once they were out of the apartment.
"We're too late to see the annual Christmas tree lighting, but I saw where they have a festival going on."
"Sounds good to me. Do you think Susie will be warm enough? It is an outside festival," he said, taking a turn with carrying the baby.
Lois looked at Susie. She was probably too well bundled and sweating like a pig, but neither of them wanted to take a chance that the baby would get cold. "She looks fine to me, but we can keep an eye on her."
When they got there, they bought some hot chocolate and cookies and admired the ice sculptures. There was everything from a carving of the White House to a polar bear.
Lois dipped her finger into the cool remnants of her hot chocolate and put it into Susie's mouth.
"Is that safe?" Clark asked frowningly.
"It isn't liquor, Smallville, and she's just getting a taste of it. I have a feeling she'll pull through."
"Susie has rosy cheeks. She must be getting cold. Let's go somewhere warm," he continued his worrying over the baby.
Lois couldn't help but smile. She knew one thing. Clark was going to make a very attentive father. It was sweet, and there was something so endearing about seeing him with a baby in his arms. She had no doubt now that he would make time for a son or daughter. She knew how she looked with a baby in her arms. She looked awkward and uncomfortable. It was her own abilities she doubted, as she had admitted to Martha. "Let's go check out the holiday model train display at Union Station. I think that's inside."
Clark grinned. She called him the geek, but she always had to check out the odd but famous attractions like the World's Biggest Ball of Yarn.
Dec 22nd
"I don't care what anyone says," Clark said with a deep sigh, "there's nothing like a small-town Christmas."
Lois rolled her eyes. As much as she loved Smallville because of the Kents and as much as had agreed to spend Christmas in Smallville because she loved her husband, she still preferred the city over small-town life. She was glad they lived in an apartment in the busy, crowded city where most people minded their own business.
The Smallville Christmas Parade that they were watching was a far cry from a city parade. She chuckled at the cop doing tricks on the trampoline of a moving truck. It's not that she wasn't impressed, but didn't the Smallville police have plenty to keep them busy in this town of meteor rocks? When did they have time to learn silly little tricks?
She was holding Susie in her arms. She seemed surprisingly interested in her surroundings and the parade. She was also surprisingly comfortable in her aunt's arms. Maybe she was getting used to Lois, or more likely, she was getting used to Susie.
The parade ended with the lighting of the town's tree. It was nowhere near as impressive as the national tree they had seen yesterday, but it was quaint in its own way, a perfect ending to the cheesy, small-town parade.
Dec. 23rd
"What's on the agenda today?" Lois asked.
"We still need to do some Christmas shopping. Christmas Eve is tomorrow," he reminded her.
"You're right. We have to buy Susie some presents. I sent her some things in the mail, but I guess she won't be getting that until after Christmas."
They went to the nearest department store, which wasn't that near being that they were in Smallville.
A Santa sat on his throne in the middle of the store. "Let's take her to see Santa," Clark suggested.
Lois watched the screaming, crying, 2 year old currently sitting on Santa's lap. It was amazing how parents taught their kids to avoid strangers like the plague and yet when Christmas or Easter rolled around, it was all about setting them on strangers' laps and taking a photo of it. No wonder they got a little upset. "Are you sure we should subject Susie to this torture?"
"She's too young to care. She didn't seem to mind very much being left with almost complete strangers."
"That's a good point," she said as they got in line.
"I don't know that there's much she can tell Santa, but it is a tradition and it'll get her ready for when she can tell Santa what she wants."
"Did Santa ever make you cry?" Lois asked out of curiosity.
"No, but I was a little shy and in awe of him," he answered. "I bet you weren't the type that cried. You were more the type that pulled on Santa's beard to see if he was real."
She smiled, not able to deny it.
Lois took a photo of Susie on Santa's lap with her camera phone, and Susie received a Christmas coloring book.
It didn't take them long to get the Christmas shopping over with. Lois got in and out quickly when it came to shopping. She didn't like to dilly dally.
While Lois paid for the items, Clark kept a fussy Susie entertained. When she joined them, Clark had a Santa hat on Susie.
"Look, Auntie Lois. Aren't I adorable?" Clark asked.
Lois couldn't hide her smile as she took Susie from him. She didn't want to admit it, but she was becoming very attached to the baby. Susie was adorable and even in her less adorable moments like at 2:00 a.m., there was something wonderful about having someone so helpless depend on you. She knew one thing. She was going to give Lucy a piece of her mind when she came to get her daughter. She wasn't just attached, she loved her little niece.
"It got her mind off her troubles, so I bought it for her," Clark told her.
"We're going to end up spoiling this kid."
"That's what aunts and uncles are for. We should get a picture of her in the hat."
She looked over at the department store's photography studio. She did want a picture of Susie in the Santa hat.
The photographer was able to work her in easier than Lois would have expected at this time of year. He tried some different toys and silly faces and voices to try to garner a laugh or a smile from the baby. Finally he shrugged and took the picture.
"Is that satisfactory?" he asked, gesturing toward the computer.
"It's sweet," Lois said, taking a good look at the photo. The white background really brought out her red hat beautifully. "She may not be smiling, but she looks happy. I like it."
"I like it too," Clark agreed.
"Do you want a family picture as well?" The photographer asked.
Clark and Lois looked at each other.
"Why not?" Clark said.
"Why not," Lois echoed.
Dec. 24th
Lois looked at the little family picture that rested on the end table. It did feel like they were becoming a family and right now could be a moment you found on a cheery little Christmas card. The living room was tastefully decked out in Christmas fashion as it always was. The 3 of them sat on the floor. Clark with the baby on his lap, while Lois jingled a Christmas ornament with little golden bells in front of her, making Susie giggle in delight. She almost hoped that Lucy didn't come back for her at all, but she knew that wouldn't be fair to Susie or her sister. She did hope they would visit more often though.
"Opening one present won't hurt. In my family, we opened everything on Christmas Eve," bringing her argument back for the 100th time since Thanksgiving.
His eyes sparkled in amusement but his face remained unmoved, "Because there's never been a more impatient family."
"The least you could do is hide the presents you got for me in the house."
He snorted. "So you can find them and ruin the surprise? We've been there before."
"It isn't fair that you hide them the way you do. They're not even on this continent, are they?"
"Nope, and they won't be until Christmas morning."
There was a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?" Clark asked.
"The ghost of Christmas past, ready to get you for being a Scrooge, and why do you even ask that? All you have to do is look through the door."
"What's the fun in that? I happen to like surprises."
She shook her head at him, before turning her head to greet whoever was at the door.
Lucy was standing at the door, her hair dotted with the swirling snowflakes. "Surprise," she said rather quietly.
"You do have a fondness for surprising people with visits," Lois said wryly, but she moved out of the way to let Lucy come into the house. "I assume you're here to pick up your daughter."
"I couldn't celebrate Christmas without my baby."
"So you plan to drop her off somewhere again after Christmas?"
"Lighten up, Lois. I only intended it to be a visit. If I had wanted to leave her somewhere permanently, it wouldn't be here."
"You could have asked me if we wanted to watch her for a few days. That is the standard procedure."
"Would you have said yes?"
"No," she admitted, "I guess I can forgive you for this, but you better take good care of her, or you will be hearing from me. Are you going to spend Christmas with us?"
Lucy smiled, "That would be nice."
"And if you ever need or want Susie to visit again, Clark and I would be happy to do it just give us a little advanced warning."
She chuckled, "Done."
"Where's your husband?" Lois asked.
"I don't know if we're going to be able to work it out, but I do know I don't want to miss my baby's first Christmas. I told him where I was going to be. He can decide to follow or not."
"Good for you, Luce. If he has any sense at all, he'll realize what a great daughter and wife he has, and if he doesn't, that's his loss."
"Thanks, Lois, for the vote of confidence and for watching Susie," she said, as she picked up Susie. Susie broke out into the wide smile that she had denied the photographer.
Lois and Clark left the mother and daughter in the living room to give them some time to themselves.
"I know we only had her for a few days, but it's going to seem lonely around the house with Susie gone," Lois commented.
"Does that mean you're ready for a baby?" Clark asked hopefully.
Lois smiled. "It would be nice to have a baby of our own next Christmas, wouldn't it?" She truly didn't fear an addition to their family now.
"It would be wonderful."
"I'm going to let you in on an early Christmas present even if you don't believe in Christmas Eve presents. We're going to have a baby."
He was both surprised and elated. "Really?"
"Really. I just found out today. Merry Christmas, Clark."
He enveloped her in a hug and kiss. "Merry Christmas, Lois."
The End