7

11 Weeks
"You know, I feel like I haven't seen you in a month." Chloe said as she slunk down onto the Talon's futon beside him. She had a diet coke in one hand and, in the second glass, one that used to be one of those extra large slurpee cups and is scarily close to being the size of her head, was his drink.

Clark took it and grimaced at it. "I hate this stuff."

"Oh it is not so bad, you baby." She snarked, grinning at the use of the b-word. "Lois used to drink back when she was really working toward her black belt. She says it works great for building up muscle."

"Like I'll have any of that in a few months."

"No, but this stuff is supposed to be all curds and whey or maybe just the whey part. At either rate, it should be helpful with the weight gain stuff."

He narrowed his eyes at the offending mixture. The protein shake mix has a consistency that is too close to unhardened concrete for comfort and it tastes too much like chalk, despite the proclaimed chocolate flavor. He shuddered as he took a swig. "Stupid Kryptonian metabolism."

Chloe sighed. "I can't get drunk."

"I have to eat all this crazy stuff the doctors give me. Well, most of it tastes pretty much like this, but you'd think I'd be able to just have free reign to eat a lot of pie or something."

"Don't you?"

"Well yeah," He admitted, forcing himself to sip again. "But just eating more of it really didn't help. I think the farm chores, even if you take out the superstrength advantage, are just good at burning calories."

"And hence the expression 'eat like a farmhand.'" She snorted. "I seriously have no idea how you manage to keep you and Kara in food over there. I assume Lana just doesn't eat."

"She eats."

Chloe laughed. "Not very much. It's never all that much fun going out to eat with her, you know. Lois and I are all about the meat and potatoes-what between my heritage and her army base life."

He considered that. "Do they really make them peel the things for punishment."

Chloe shrugged. "Not anymore but they have more creative punishments now and I'm pretty sure they involve marching. Anyway, going out with her always made me and Lo a little self conscious. I mean, you go Italian, you get a pizza. There's something so wrong about just having a little salad."

"Uh-huh. Anyway, mom's salary has helped a lot. Kara and I aren't cheap and she did have that accident in the fall with her heat vision and the tractor."

"Stupid old thing." Chloe conceded. "So," she started, setting her hand on his stomach. "How's my little nephew or niece?"

"This public property thing is still annoying. Kara won't stop staring at me. She even does it when I'm just sitting at the sofa or something. She focuses on my back and I'll turn around and just know she's seeing through everything."

"I imagine this has a time-lapse photography appeal to her."

Clark laughed and patted her hand for a second. "And you're the one who can't stop angling for the first kick. When that stuff starts, I promise I'll let you know."

"But I want to be first. A good reporter is ready and waiting for the story to break."

Despite himself, Clark stiffened a little at her words. Not that she'd ever even think of doing that to him, although, he hadn't put it past her not to be keeping some kind of journal somewhere. He could see some log being kept of this insane little process, replete with side commentary laced with sarcasm. God, she'd probably pull it out on the kid's fourteenth birthday party or something, not that he was anxious to explain the birds, the bees, and the What the Hell when the time came. If he could get away with it, he was hoping just to say Lana'd been the pregnant one in this mess.

Of course, Chloe's love for the truth, Kara's big mouth, and his mom's growing collection of photos and ultrasounds were working against him.

"Fine, but touching extra hard is not going to make it happen any faster."

"Oh ye of little faith. This kid is going to just love responding to Aunt Chloe."

Clark snickered. "Five bucks says the sound of Lois's voice makes the rugrat kick more than anything."

"Not fair. She threw away the evidence for you."

"And gave me that hangover cure anyway. I got an email from her the next day and I didn't know you could do that with Tabasco, coffee grounds, and honey. I…yuck."

She giggled again and took a sip of her coke. "So I take it that the craving stuff hasn't hit."

"Nope. Honestly, I don't want to eat much of anything in the morning." He frowned. "Okay, I eat first breakfast but by second, it's all over."

"Only you have second breakfast."

"And if you're up at five and it rolls around to ten, you're hungry again. That's not even a Kryptonian thing. But the morning sickness." He shrugged. "I guess I'm kind of lucky. When mom was…" He hesitated then, trying very hard not to remember why he didn't have a younger sibling of his own. "Anyway, she used to have morning sickness at 3 AM."

"Yikes."

"That's how I feel about it. At least mine waits until the cows are fed and chores are done."

"Yay for convenience." She agreed, setting her glass on the coffee table. "I've missed you."

He blushed and looked down at his own cup. "I know. I meant to stop by the Planet last week but there's been a lot of check-ups and mom was at the farm for a few days-she begged off the floor for some constituent bonding stuff-and we'd been going over plans. I just got busy."

Chloe quirked her head at him and replied with a practiced neutral tone. "How is ISIS. After we talked, I was surprised that you're still going every day."

"It's not every day." He object meekly.

"Okay, so you get Saturdays off or so Kara mentioned when she stopped by to see Jimmy. I thought you were going to talk to Lana about all of that."

"I did." He said. "But then she mentioned how it does have to be pretty intense in the beginning. I wasn't wrong. They're playing catch up and if a lot of blood work and samples," He said, hoping Chloe wouldn't ask about what kind. There were certain things that involved little plastic cups that he wouldn't have even discussed with Pete.

"And Kara's still going?"

"They had to go through the, um, month with her. Well, actually, it's more like six weeks and I never needed to know that about my cousin."

"Lucky bitch."

"Chlo!"

She smirked. "I'm serious, Clark. Once every six weeks over the four? Great timing on that. I think the girls on your planet had it made. Nice long rests between that annoying time and the men carried the babies."

"Just the one time, for like ten years." He said.

"Still, that's the culture I'm signing up for."

"Right." He said. "When the AI's master plan to whatever with me comes through, I'll be sure to implement reverse parenting."

"Clark, about the Fortress-"

"Nope. We're not going."

"I know that. It's crazy, but at some point you might have to or at least send Kara in your place."

"Yeah, she was only sent to Detroit last time. Maybe this year, she can end up in Baltimore and complete her tour of the most dangerous U.S. cities. I think 'grandpa' is out for the count on this one."

"Believe me. I'm not fond of 'let her freeze to death' El, either, but Kara might not be expert enough. Seriously, what do you remember from eighth grade human development?"

He shrugged and forced himself to chug down the rest of his concoction. "Everything, naturally. Kara remembers all the basics."

"Doesn't make her an obstetrician."

"And that's why I have two."

Chloe's eyes narrowed further and he scooted back a little on the sofa. There was no good reason why one human girl could intimidate him like that, but Chloe (and come to think of it, Lois) had that effect on him. Maybe it was a Sullivan-Lane thing. "You had one two weeks ago."

And he'd gone over this argument with his mother. "I know, but Lana might have recruited one who had training in high risk cases."

"That's six."

"I know, but, like I said, the AI's out so six humans are going to have to do."

"It'll be seven by the end of the next month."

"Will not."

"Uh-huh." She said, biting her lower lip. "Are they at least treating you better?"

He sighed. "They're not so bad." Off her focused glance, he amended. "Alright so Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Meyers only talk to Lana and then stare at me a lot, and not in the appreciative and slightly obsessive way Kara does, but Dr. Russel is really nice. You'd like him. He reminds me of your dad."

"He has a million and one back knock-knock jokes?"

"Definitely." Clark replied. "Most of the others do the lab work and he's the one who actually consults with me. He's a good guy and he treats me…" Like a human being was what he wanted to say, but he didn't think that would make Chloe any less anxious. "…well, really well."

"That's good then."

"See, so maybe Lana was right about the one thing. It's long and it takes a lot of meetings and consultations and between that and farm work, I barely have a life, but it's not 33.1 either, Chlo."

"'Barely have a life,' huh?"

"Well just the other things, like hanging out at the DP or sometimes I like to go by Fordman's or the feed store. A few of the guys from the team ended up busting out in college, injuries, you know? So there's people to talk to and all my dad's old friends are always doing the Old Timer thing by the oat barrel's at Johnson's Feed." He fumbled a little and sighed. His life had never put him up front, center and social. Chloe and Pete and then, really, just Chloe had been his only friends in high school. He hadn't even been at college long enough to make friends there. Still, there was something a little sad about just hanging out in the basement of a building he didn't work in and at the feed store.

It wasn't a rip roaring social life, even like Kara's, who'd bonded really tightly with her coworkers at the Talon.

However, as humble as it was, he was starting to miss it.
"Clark, you can always skip a day or pair them down a little. If you want time off to go see the guys or visit me and Lois, I think that might be good for you. Relaxing has to help this whole thing, doesn't it?"

"I am relaxed."

"Right."

"I am. The ISIS stuff isn't that stressful." Except for the part where he tried to avoid the intense stares of the doctors. He tried really, really hard to remind himself that he was the patient in this scenario and not the specimen. Most days, he didn't quite succeed on that score.

"I see." Chloe replied, sighing. "Just, if you are in town, you can feel free to stop by. You know my hours never really end anyway."

He shook his head. "Talking about people who need to relax, you too can take vacations, Chloe."

"Not with the Prince of Evil out and about." She snarked. "So, enough for my weekly public service announcement about you, your rights and ISIS. Fun stuff!"

"There's fun stuff?"

She patted his stomach. "Oh this is loads of fun."

He sighed. "I can't tell if you or Kara is more excited. You know she's upped from paint swatch comparisons to actually getting out the measuring tape."

"Oh, I've been arranging things on the sly, don't you worry. I was just seque-ing so we can squee about the big event tomorrow."
Her smile, so wide and genuine, was infectious and he couldn't help but break out into a wide grin of his own. Laying his hand over hers-and, like with his mom or Lana, it always threw him how easily their hands disappeared in his large one; he'd probably be able to hold the little one one-handed at first, especially if he didn't start gaining more steadily-he sighed again. "The sex, you mean?"

"Exactly."

"Chlo, look, about the appointment. I know you want to be there, but-"

"First, I can't have too much food poisoning or Bernstein gets suspicious. Second, it's probably better I'm not left alone in a room with your wonderful bedside manner team. Besides, you'll just tell me in a few hours after the fact tomorrow."

"I'll be speeding for sure." He replied. "I just…Lana thinks-"

She nodded and her smile switched then from genuine to forced. He could tell by how many white teeth were shining back at him. "I know. I can understand how she might…well, I know that it's a family thing."

"You are family."

"Not in the next of kin sense. It's fine, Clark, really. I don't want there to be any weird moments like when you told me about the whole thing first."

"I…yeah." He sighed. Part of this whole weird odyssey was about keeping Lana happy. He was pretty sure she was happy. She was spending so much time and effort on the appointments, and she seemed very interested in everything the doctors told her. Plus, with him at ISIS all the time, he saw her more than he had in the two months they'd been sleeping together. Still, at home, things were a little off. Maybe it was his fault. They hadn't actually done anything physical since she'd found out about the pregnancy. Clark found that kind of stupid, personally. As his dad would have said, that was like closing the barn door after the horse was already out.
Besides, he'd read at least a dozen books on pregnancy and it was perfectly fine for humans to do it.

Maybe she just felt weird about it or maybe she was just scared it wasn't good for the baby.

Of course, if it were the latter, wouldn't she still at least be interested in making out?

Clark shook his head. He was just over thinking things. The important thing was that Lana was feeling much better about being told last (except for his mom). That was what mattered, that he kept the family together. Still, he didn't like not having Chloe around. She'd been in on all the weird and, frankly, scary stuff since he'd lost his memory and put on an exhibition for her of all his abilities without even knowing it. He just knew ISIS wouldn't feel so oppressive if she were there. Similarly, he wouldn't feel as lonely if he actually could go anywhere but the farm and ISIS.

"Clark?"

"Huh?"

"You did that reflective gaze thing you do so well." Chloe replied. "I can wait a few extra hours. Hell, if I wanted to know that mystery so much, then I'd just ask Kara. She already knows, I'm sure."

"She promised she wouldn't look for that."

"Uh-huh, like she ever keeps her promises." Chloe said, sighing. "I just…try and come by the DP more. Mabel misses you and even Lois says my desk looks worse without you decorating it."

"Oh hardy har har."

"So, how excited are you?"
He blushed. "I'm not going to actually squee with you on this one, Chlo."

"Fine, but it's going to be so neat. It's like the baby's a person now."

"The baby is a person." He said hotly.

"Oh please, that's not an E.T. statement. What I meant was it's not as real when it's just 'the boy or girl' or 'he/she.' You're going to know and then, soon, you'll be ready to do the name thing."

"Carts and horses, Chlo." He said. "I don't try and think too far ahead for this one."

"Powers of denial working over time then?"

"No. It's just, as far as we can prove and no matter what the Kawatchee say, Kryptonians and humans haven't really had children together before. Everything could be going fine and then the baby could turn out to be allergic to I don't know what or get sick or…" He trailed off and hoped that Chloe would ignore the trembling in his voice that had quieted him.

And, like she always did, Chloe pretended not to notice it or the way he discreetly rubbed at his eyes. He could feel her fingers tap lightly against his stomach. "Okay, well Kara and I are still planning because I know it's going to be just fine."

"You're not one for unbridled optimism, Chlo."

"I'm a cynic, but I know when things are going to work and this is. Besides, yellow sun. The baby's probably healthier than any full human ever was."

"I hope so." He added, squeezing her hand.
"So, don't leave a girl in suspense. What are you hoping for?"

Clark paused for a moment, biting down the automatic response of human . That, he was fairly certain, was a pipe dream. The doctors, especially Dr. Meyers, had been very exacting in going over the karyotypes and other blood work with Lana. What the baby had was closer t DNA by a lot than what he and Kara shared, but it still wasn't anywhere close to normal. Still, Clark kept hoping that the baby would grow up to be as normal as possible. Sometimes…okay, all the time…it was just so hard being one of two in the world. Besides, if the baby were more human, then he/she wouldn't have all the problems with the relationship stuff.

Of course, he thought ruefully, he didn't exactly have those problems anymore either.

"A girl could be really nice." He said. "My mom was going to have a girl and I'd always wanted to be a big brother. Besides, I have the experience of guarding a teenage girl's virtue thanks to Kara."

"Good luck with that."

"Kara's as pure as Mother Teresa."

Chloe snorted. "With the way she and Jimmy keep going at it in the storage closet? Dare to dream, Boy Scout."

"I don't think she-"

Chloe sighed. "Probably not. Despite her bravado, I don't think she's ready to try things that advanced with a human yet either. Didn't you almost break Lana's arm?"

He winced. "The third time and there might have been some headboard scorching but it was only the twice, um, three times."
"And Kara's worse with heat vision. Don't worry. I'm sure her honor's intact. Of course, you don't have to try to impress on her the need for using protection."

"Very funny. We tried." He said, sighing. "Stupid tearable Earth things."

"Right, too bad your ship didn't come with Kryptonian Trojans."

Or Lana could have actually kept up with her birth control instead of spending too much time staring at Lex or her labs or whatever and forgetting to do the little things that mattered. "Don't I wish. But a little girl could be nice. Maybe she wouldn't be as strong. I dunno, maybe we could do all those cute things like ballet class."

She snorted. "You'd go?"

"I'd be all there in the audience with the camcorder pointing out to everyone which midget in a pink was mine."

"She could be a tomboy."

"With Aunt Kara and Lois, how could she not?" He replied. "I just, maybe she'd fit in a little better?"

"Kara's almost as strong as you are." Chloe pointed out.

"I know, but still. There are cute things to do with little girls. It could be nice."

Chloe smirked back at him. "But you are so playing Henry VIII here. You want a boy."

"Actually, I want a healthy baby who gets as few of my half of the genes as possible." He said tiredly. "But a son would be really great. I could do all the things I haven't gotten to do since Dad died. I mean, there'd be football-not on a team, but dad did teach me to throw when I was little-and I'd take him fishing."

"You hate fishing."

"But it's a father-son thing. We can be bored together. Either way, it's nice because there's more of us. It's not just me and Kara and our family doesn't have to die out with us." Which was more than Clark had ever had the right to hope for. Even if his child was half-human, it still meant that he wasn't the last one. Somehow, his people were going to survive.

He wasn't sure why he felt so good about that since, aside from Raya and Lara, he didn't care for the other Kryptonians he'd met all that much. Still, in some ways, having the baby meant that some of the burdens he'd felt were gone. On the other hand, he was six months shy of being saddled with a whole bunch of new ones.

"No more last son." Chloe replied, succinctly.

"Exactly, but I don't care either way. I meant it, you know. I just want the baby to get through all of this safely."

"My little niece or nephew will." Chloe said firmly, hopping up toward the sink. "And I'm going to see to it right now by giving you even more of that drink you love."

"I hate you."

"No you don't. I'm the best aunt ever."

*In the next chapter, the sex will actually be revealed.