CHAPTER 7: TELLING THE PARENTS

Still at the Fortress...

"We should probably be getting back home," Lois whispers.

"Do we have to?" he whispers back while kissing his way down her stomach.

"We have to tell your mother the big news. Not to mention my father. Who knows how he'll react," frowning a moment.

Clark stops what he's doing and looks up at her. "How do you think he'll react?"

"I don't know," she answers honestly. "But if your unmarried daughter told you she was pregnant, how do you think you'd react?"

He props himself up on his elbows and stares up at her. "Honestly? I think I would be upset at first. It's a natural reaction." Then he adds, "But I'd also like to think that after the initial shock wore off, I would be supportive of her and whatever decision she chooses to make. At least, I hope I would."

She sits up; causing him to sit up as well. "I KNEW you would say something like that," she replies. cupping his face with her hands. "You never cease to amaze me Smallville," laying her lips on his.

He pushes her back down on the bed as they continue to kiss; her legs wrapping around his. "Are you sure you want to go back right now?" he asks her; his lips pulling away and gazing down at her.

"Well," thinking about it for a moment. "How about you 'kiss' me one more time, then we'll go?" a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Do we have a deal?" extending her hand to him.

He smiles down at her. "We have a deal IF you kiss 'Clark Jr.' first."

"Deal," taking his hand and firmly grasping it; then pushing him off her and rolling on top of him. "Hey Clark Jr." she murmurs as she lowers her lips...

Lois' apartment - one hour later

Clark sits down on one of the stools set up in front of the kitchen counter while Lois walks over to the answering machine; pressing 'play'...

Lois, this is your father. I've been trying to contact you since last night. Where the hell are you? I have a meeting in Metropolis today and thought we could meet for dinner tonight. Call me on my cell. You have the number.

She presses 'stop' and looks over at Clark; a worried look on her face. He walks over to her and pulls her into his arms. "I'll go with you," he whispers as she lays her head on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," he replies. " his hands gently caressing her back in a circular motion.

"Umm," she sighs. "That feels good," closing her eyes.

The spell is broken by the sound of the phone ringing. She pulls out of Clarks arms and rushes over to the phone; picking it up on the second ring. "Hello?" she answers. It's my father, she mouths to Clark. "Yes sir," she says; listening for a couple minutes. "8:00 sounds good." She adds, "Oh and by the way, I'm bringing my boyfriend along," winking at Clark. "Who is he? You'll find out tonight," she replies. "Alright. I'll see you then. Goodbye." She slowly places the receiver back on the hook.

"Boyfriend huh?" he says in a teasing tone; walking up behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

"Well I certainly wasn't going to tell him you're my fiancé over the phone?" she retorts.

"I know. I was just teasing," lowering his lips to her neck. "While you were on the phone, I had an idea. Want to hear it?"

She turns her head to look up at him. "Okay. What's your idea?"

"I was thinking of calling my mother to see if she could have lunch with us. That way, we can tell her first. Sort of like a practice run for your father. What do you think?"

She smiles at him. "I like that idea," she replies. "Call her. Call her right now," reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone; handing it to him.

"Okay," flipping it open and pressing a few buttons. He holds the phone to his ear. It's still ringing, he mouths to her. "Hello? Hi Mom, it's Clark." He listens for a moment. "I miss you too," a smile on his face. "Listen, Lois and I were wondering if you were free for lunch today." He listens again. "I know it's last minute, but we really would like to talk to you." He listens one more time. "That's great," glancing down at his watch. "We'll see you in a couple hours. Love you too. Bye," hanging up and slipping the phone back into his pocket. "We're on," looking into Lois' eyes; a smile on his face.

"You know," turning around in his arms so she's facing him, "We have plenty of time before we have to leave so..." her hand slowly gliding up and down his chest.

"You don't have to tell me twice," sweeping her off her feet and heading for the bedroom...

Conversation # 1: Telling Martha

Clark and Lois arrive just before noon. They walk half-way up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial and sit down. "What time did your mother say she'd meet us here?" she asks him.

"For the tenth time Lois, she said noon," getting just a little snippy.

She frowns at him. "You don't have to get snippy with me," she snaps. "You're not the one who's pregnant," turning her head away.

He sighs for a minute; sliding closer to her and putting his arm around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to snip at you Lois," he replies. "I'm sorry."

She turns her head to look into his eyes. "You didn't have to give me your sad puppy dog look. I was going to accept your apology anyway," winking up at him.

He smiles at her; lowering his lips to hers. They wrap their arms around each other and continue to kiss; oblivious to everyone around them. Then there's a familiar voice.

"Clark? Lois?"

Their lips pull apart; both of them looking up to see Martha standing there. They both jump up and give her a hug. "I've missed you," he says.

"WE'VE missed you," Lois interjects.

"I've missed you too," looking up at both of them. "Let's sit down over there," indicating a spot on the steps. They all walk over to the spot in question and sit down. "I thought that instead of going to a crowded restaurant, we could have lunch here," indicating the basket she sets down between her and Clark.

"That's a good idea," Lois replies. "It's a beautiful day," smiling over at Martha.

Martha opens the basket and starts taking out the food. "I hope you don't mind sandwiches," handing one to Clark, then to Lois.

"Sandwiches are fine," Clark replies with a smile.

"So..."Martha says, "It must be important for the two of you to fly out here on such short notice," taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"It is Mom," putting down his sandwich.

She looks curiously at him; also putting down her sandwich. "What is it Clark?"

He picks up her hands and hold them in his. "Lois and I are getting married."

Her jaw drops at his announcement. She looks over at Lois - who holds out her left hand to show Martha the ring. She takes Lois' hand and stares at it. Then she stands up; pulling Lois up to her feet and giving her a big hug. "I knew this had to be the reason why you came. I just knew it!" she exclaims; still holding Lois.

"What about me?" Clark says; feeling left out of the hug fest that's going on.

"I'm sorry Clark," also pulling him to her as he puts his arms around the two of them. "I'm not going to say 'welcome to the family' Lois because you've ALWAYS been a part of the family," giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Mrs. K," she replies; giving her a kiss back.

"It's 'Mom' to you," gently scolding her.

"Okay 'Mom'," she replies. "But don't be surprised if I sometimes call you 'Mrs. K." the three of them continuing to hug.

Clark pulls away and looks at Martha. "That's not the only thing we came to tell you Mom," he says.

She looks curiously at him. "What else is there?"

"Well..." he hesitates for a moment, "How about the fact that you're going to be a grandmother in eight months?"

Her eyes widen at his statement. "I have to sit down," her knees feeling weak all of a sudden. They all sit down.

"Are you okay Mom?" a look of concern on his face.

She looks over at him and sees the frown etched on his face. "I'll be fine Clark," cupping his face with her hands. "Now get rid of that frown - okay?"

"Okay," he replies.

She removes her hands; a thoughtful look on her face. "I hesitate to ask this question Clark, but..."

He interrupts her. "I think I know what you're going to say, Mom. You want to know if I only asked Lois to marry me because she was pregnant. Well the answer to that is 'no.' Like I told Lois, I've had the ring for about a month."

She looks over at Lois. "Can I see the ring again?" she asks her.

"Sure," extending her hand out again so Martha could examine it. "It is a beautiful ring Clark - but how were you..."

"Able to afford it?" finishing her thought. "Oliver got me a good deal," he replies.

"Oliver helped you pick it out?" Lois asks him.

"No. We were in the jewelry store because he wanted to pick up a birthday gift for Chloe. I was with him because he figured that I knew what Chloe liked. So I was looking around and I happened to see this ring. It had your name written all over it. I just KNEW it was meant for you. But the price was out of my range. So Oliver made a deal with the jewelry store owner," finishing the story.

"Well I love it," Lois says; kissing Clark on the mouth.

After their lips pull apart, Clark turns to look at Martha. "Aren't you happy about becoming a grandmother?"

"Of course I'm happy," she replies. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. It's just that you seemed happier when I told you we were engaged. But when I told you we were having a baby, you just didn't seem as happy."

"I'm sorry Clark," she says. "I didn't mean to make you think that. I am so happy for both of you," standing up and looking down at them. "Come on," she says. "Let's go for a walk and talk some more - okay?"

"Okay," Clark and Lois both reply at the same time. They put everything back into the basket and get up; the three of them linking arms as they make their way down the steps...

Conversation # 2: Telling the General

Clark and Lois are sitting at the table; waiting for Lois' father to arrive. Clark adjusts his tie once again while Lois is twisting and untwisting the napkin in her hands. "I have to go to the bathroom," he says suddenly; standing up and looking down at her.

"Now?" looking up at him; an anxious look in her face. "What if he shows up while you're gone?"

"I'll only be a minute," leaning forward to lightly kiss her on the cheek, then walks away.

She watches as he makes his way over to the men's room; opening the door and disappearing from her view. She leans back in her chair with a sigh. How am I going to tell him? dropping the napkin and wringing her hands nervously. Please hurry Clark. She turns her head towards the entrance to the restaurant again. Where is he? she wonders again. He's never late. If there's one thing he's a stickler for, its punctuality. Then she finally sees him walking through the door; making his way towards the table. Where the hell are you Clark? quickly glancing towards the men's room again.

While Lois was wondering where her father was, Clark was in the bathroom splashing some cold water on his face. He takes a towel from a basket on the counter and dabs his face with it; letting out a deep breath in the process. He rests his hands on the edge of the counter and stares at his reflection. Okay Clark. You can do this. There's no reason to be nervous. He straightens up; adjusting his tie yet again, and walks out of the bathroom.

Her father finally arrives at the table; dressed in his full uniform. "Very subtle dad," she remarks as he comes up to her; putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I just came from the meeting I mentioned on your voice mail. It lasted longer than expected," giving her a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down. She sits down too; taking a sip of water because her throat felt dry all of a sudden. He looks around the table. "So...where is this boyfriend you mentioned?"

"He went to the men's room," she replies. "He'll be right back," taking another sip. Her father is about to take a sip of his water when he sees Clark coming out of the men's room. He stares at Clark in shock; almost dropping the glass.

"Clark Kent is your boyfriend?" he asks Lois.

"How did you..."

"Over there," pointing towards Clark.

She turns around and sees him approaching the table. Thank goodness, breathing a sigh of relief.

Clark walks over to the General and offers his hand. "Good evening sir," he says.

Her father stares at him for a moment, then shakes his hand. "The same to you," sitting back down.

Clark sits down next to Lois; the three of them just sitting there in silence - which is broken when the waiter comes over to fill their water glasses. "Are you almost ready to order?" he asks.

"Not yet," her father replies. "We'll let you know when we're ready."

"Yes sir," the waiter says; walking away.

"So how long has this been going on?" he asks her straight out.

"You really are predictable dad," she retorts. "I knew that would be the first thing out of your mouth."

"What did you expect? You tell me you have a boyfriend. And then it turns out to be Clark Kent?"

She bristles at the way he says Clarks name. "You say his name as if it's a bad thing. Clark is a wonderful man dad. If you got to know him, you would see that." Then she adds, "By the way, I only told you he was my boyfriend. He's actually my fiancé."

"Fiancé? You've got to be kidding!" looking Clark up and down. He's nothing but a farmer who will spend the rest of his life struggling to make ends meet. Do you honestly think that he'll be able to support you? And what about if you have kids? How will you support them?"

Before Lois could respond, Clark speaks up. "There's more to me than just being a farmer General Lane," spitting out the words. "I work as a reporter at the Daily Planet. I also run a farm. I do a lot of volunteer work," he says. "But all of that wouldn't mean a thing if I didn't have Lois in my life. I love her very much. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And I can support us just fine. She has a job too, so it's not just me supporting her. We're supporting each other. And if that's not good enough for you sir, then that's your problem - NOT OURS," sitting back in his chair and glaring at him.

Lois has the biggest smile on her face. I'm so proud of him. He is going to get soooo lucky tonight, she think to herself; laying her hand over his.

Her father is taken aback by Clarks words. He doesn't say anything for a couple minutes; taking in what he just heard. "Well well," he finally says. "I have to say I'm impressed Mr. Kent. You've developed quite a backbone there. I admire that."

Both Clark and Lois stare at him with surprised looks on their faces. "Do you really mean that dad?" she asks him.

"I really do Lo," he replies; leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. Then he turns his head to look over at Clark; extending his hand towards him. Clark hesitates for a moment, then takes it; gripping it firmly. "Okay then," turning his attention to the menu in front of him.

What about the baby? Clark mouths to Lois.

She bites her lip, then says, "Dad, there's one more thing."

He looks up from his menu. "What's that Lo?"

"There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it straight out. I'm pregnant."

He almost drops the menu on the lit candle that's in the center of the table. "You knocked up my daughter?" raising his voice; standing up and glaring down at Clark. His voice is loud enough for several people at other tables to turn their heads and stare at them.

"Will you PLEASE lower your voice dad," she hisses at him.

Clark stand up and faces her father. Before he could say anything, her father says, "Is that the real reason why you're marrying my daughter?"

"Did you not hear a word I just said?" Clark snaps back at him. "Even if Lois weren't pregnant, I was still going to ask her to marry me. The baby is just an added bonus," turning his head towards Lois. "And I can't wait for it to be the three of us," smiling at her. "So congratulations sir," he adds. "You're going to be a grandfather, grandpa, whatever you want to call yourself," walking over to Lois and pulling her to her feet. "I've had enough," he says to her. "How about we go back to the farm and I'll cook us a nice dinner?"

"I'd like that," resting her hands on his chest. She turns her head and looks over at her father. "Enjoy your dinner dad," following Clark out of the restaurant and leaving her stunned father standing there by himself...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Coming up next: The engagement party