Lois started to hyperventilate. "I thought...I was going...crazy this morning when the scales said I had put 3 kg on overnight... but I just convinced myself they were faulty."

"Can anyone tell me what is going on?" Lucy asked in a panic.

"I don't how to tell you this Luce, but I am not having a straightforward pregnancy. The baby is half alien." Lois replied after she had calmed down. She tried to make it sound normal.

"My god, you were kidnapped and impregnated by little green men. I saw that on a movie once on HBO." Lucy was in a state of shock.

"No, I wasn't kidnapped. I slept with an alien." Lois smiled, looking at Clark.

"What...willingly?" Lucy asked in amazement.

Lois looked at Clark again. "Yeah definitely."

Clark smiled.

Lucy was noticing the exchanges between the couple. "And Clark, this doesn't bother you?"

"Not really!" Clark replied.

"God, I have heard about open marriages but this is beyond ridiculous." Lucy shouted.

Emil stepped in. "Lois, stop toying with your sister."

"Sorry Luce. It was too much of an opportunity to pass up. Clark is not human. He is an alien from a planet called Krypton aka the Blur."

"You're the Blur... You look so human."

"I am apart from my powers. Now Emil, can we get back to discussing the more pressing issue of an impending birth." Clark suggested.

"Right, you are 23 weeks now, I have computed your latest weight gain and I would hypothesise that you will give birth in 3.5 weeks, give or take a day. We need to scan you. Can we go to Watchtower now?" Emil asked.

Clark grabbed Emil and Lois took her sister. Seconds later they were in Watchtower. Lucy looked a little grey as though she was going to faint.

"Lucy, are you ok?" Emil asked concerned.

"What happened?"

"We flew here." Lois stated. "I got Clark's powers when I became pregnant."

"Now Lois get on the bed." Emil asked.

Lois climbed on and Clark grabbed her hand to give her support. He hated these scans in case there was something wrong. He was actually looking forward to the birth so he did not worry so much.

Emil put the probe on her stomach. He studied the pictures that were on the screen. "Well it's a girl." He said sarcastically to break the tension.

"Are you sure about that?" Lois replied. "How fast is she growing?"

"She is about 14 inches long and weighing about 3,5kg. She is the size of a 30 week baby." Emil explained.

"So will it cause problems that she is growing faster than a human baby."

"It may make it a bit harder for Lois to get rid of her stretch marks but that will be about it, although you must understand it is not an exact science."

"Well looks like we have some explaining to do at work tomorrow. I will just have to come up with some sort of excuse for getting my dates wrong."

Lucy was excited for the remainder of the night and wanted to know everything about her newfound discovery. She was accepting it very well.

Week 24 – Monday 31st July

"Perry, we need to talk." Lois announced as she walked in the door without knocking only to be confronted with a scene that was too much for her, so she walked straight out again.

Lois bumped straight into Clark whilst making her quick exit. "How did he take it? You haven't told him yet. I told you, he will be fine about it. He needs to know. I will tell him." Clark marched towards the office door.

"Clark, don't..." Lois said, but it was too late.

"Perry, Mom...gross..." he turned around and shut the door. He was bright red.

"I tried to stop you going in." Lois smiled.

Minutes later, his mom appeared with a long brown trenchcoat covering up the fact she was wearing very little underneath.

"Clark, I am so sorry."

Clark was lost for words. "Don't...worry...I did not see too much..." He honestly looked like he was going to be sick.

Martha excused herself. "Perry, I will call you." She shouted as she walked quickly to the lifts.

Clark recomposed himself and ushered Lois into the office. Luckily Perry was in a full state of dress, otherwise it would have finished Clark off.

"Lucky we didn't arrive a few minutes later." Lois smirked, only to be shot a glance by Clark.

"So what is so important that you need to burst into my office."

"I need to start my maternity leave at the end of this week." Lois announced.

"But you are only 24 weeks pregnant. What are you going to do for the next 16 weeks. Are you feeling ok?"

"My birth date has been brought forward by 12 weeks, turns out Kryptonian women are only pregnant for 24 weeks, but the doc thinks mine will go a few weeks longer." Lois explained.

"We are going to need some back up with the gossip here. I will have to tell everyone I got my dates totally wrong." Lois continued.

"Ok, I will back up your story and talk to HR about getting your pay started early. I must admit it does look as though you have put on lots of weight over weekend." Perry hoped he would not get a slap.

"Lois, one more thing. Next time could you knock."

Clark went red at the thought of what he had seen. "Don't worry Perry, next time we need to see you we will even ring ahead to make sure you are not pre-occupied."

"I think it is good that you have a healthy sex life at your ages." Lois smirked, deliberately trying to make Clark embarrassed and it was having the desired effect...

Week 25 – Wed 9th August

It had been tough at first. The gossip and rumour mill was working overtime at the Planet but with Perry's help, the news soon travelled about Lois mixing her dates up. There was still the odd comment and whispers at the other side of the room, but Lois knew if she did not have her super hearing she would have been none the wiser, so she decided to let it go.

Clark was sitting at his desk enjoying his coffee when he started fiddling around his desk.

"What's wrong?" Lois asked as she looked over to him.

"My pens are gone. I left them here last night. Someone must have borrowed them. Have you got a spare one."

"No need, honey. Look in your bottom desk drawer." She said with a smile.

He opened the drawer and noticed not one pen but thirty, all of different colours.

"I have arranged them according to color and shade from left to right." Lois was smug.

"Thanks... but I was happy with them being in my desk tidy on the desk. Is there something going on with you at the moment, something you would like to share."

"What makes you say that?" she asked defensively. "Just because I like things to be tidy."

"You have turned into Martha Stewart overnight. You even tried to make the bed yesterday morning."

"What's wrong with that?" she asked,

"Nothing except for the fact I was asleep and you lifted the bed up so I fell onto the floor."

"You were two minutes past your alarm time." Lois stated.

"I know but I was half asleep. I didn't expect to wake up on the floor." He smiled.

"I just think with the baby coming I need to get my ass into gear and be more organised and tidy." She explained.

Clark humoured her. "Ok then."

Perry had asked Clark to attend a press conference by the major downtown. Lois was not happy as she wanted to go but she was on desk rest with the baby due any day. She was supposed to be leaving the previous week but she missed it, so on Monday she was back. Journalism was definitely in her blood.

Perry wanted to speak to Clark anyway on his own. They were still uncomfortable around each other since that incident with his mom.

As they sat waiting for the conference to start, Perry turned to Clark. "Can we talk about your mom?"

Clark blushed. "If this is about the little incident at the office."

"No, it isn't actually and i am not going to make excuses for that any more. The number of times I have turned a blind eye to you and Lois's going's on in different parts of the Planet building – the lift, the photocopy room, the archives...do I need to go on?"

"No Perry I think you have said enough. So what is it you want to talk about?"

"I want to ask your mom to marry me." Perry looked at Clark for the rejection of the idea he was expecting.

Clark's face broke into a huge smile. "I think that is a great idea. You have been the best thing to happen to my mom since dad. I hope she says yes. I know she loves you deeply."

Perry took a deep breath of relief. "I am taking her out to dinner and will ask her tonight."

"I want to know as soon as you get your answer." Clark was excited.

As soon as Clark got home that night, it was obvious that something was up with Lois. He found her cleaning the floor with a toothbrush.

"Lois, I think we need to see Emil. Why are you doing all of this cleaning all of a sudden?" Clark asked.

"Don't bother. I have already seen him. He thinks I am nesting, meaning that the birth may not be much further away. To be honest I am getting to the point now where I want to give birth. This rapid growth spurt is making me very tired." Lois explained.

"Let me help you!" Clark suggested.

"Can I have a foot massage?" She asked.

"Of course, sit down." He kissed her.

"Lucy is coming over later. She started her course on Monday and it is the first chance she has had to tell me all about it."

"I hope she enjoys it. I have some news. Perry is proposing to mom tonight." Lois squealed.

"I will find out later what the answer was."

"I think that is great news. Those two are great together." Lois smiled.

Lois was very relaxed and soon fell asleep on the sofa. Clark went to make a coffee. He hoped that Lucy would not arrive for a while to give Lois a chance to sleep.

An hour later, the door bell went. It was Lucy.

"Hi, Lois is just having a nap. Come in, and have a coffee. I will wake her soon." He said as he went to the kitchen.

Lucy looked over at Lois but her attention was distracted when she noticed a pool of water on the floor next to her sister.

She shouted through to Clark. "I think we have a problem, Clark. Unless Lois has spilled a drink I would say the baby is on its way.

Clark went white and passed out.

Clark came around very quickly and the realisation of the events about to happen hit him like a sledgehammer. He jumped up.

"Lucy, have you rang Emil?" he screamed in a panic.

"He is away in Vietnam. He is only away until tomorrow." Lucy explained.

"Great, I'll just tell Lois to hold on and cross her legs, shall I?" he snapped back.

"I'm sorry for snapping." He continued. I just don't know what to do. "Try Emil on his cell."

"I have, he is out of range." Lucy replied.

"He is ringing me in half an hour, so we will just have to wait until we find out where he is and you can go and get him."

"Shall we wake Lois?" Clark looked at peacefully sleeping Lois.

"How should I know what's best." Lucy asked puzzled.

"Well, you're the nurse." Clark suggested.

"Clark, I started the course two days ago. So far I know how to make a bed and use a bedpan. Mind you judging by the pool on the floor, Lois could have done with one of those 5 minutes ago." Lucy joked trying to calm down Clark, but it was having the opposite effect.

"I think we should let her sleep, Clark. She would wake up naturally if she was in any pain."

"That's the problems, Emil thinks she may not feel any pain from contractions due to her having superpowers."

Clark picked up his phone and asked Kara to meet them at Watchtower. Within seconds they were all standing around Lois who had been placed on the bed. She was still fast asleep unaware of all the commotion going on.

"Does Emil always ring on time Lucy."

"On the dot!"

"Kara, when Emil rings, could you go and get him. Lois is in labor and we need him back asap."

"No problem, Kal-el. I think you should wake her up."

Clark placed his hand on her shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. "Lois, wake up honey!"

"Let me sleep!" she groaned.

"Lois, you are in labor."
There was no reply, just the sight of Lois sitting up bolt upright.

"What..." she asked, her eyes wide in a panic. "Where is Emil?"

"He is in Vietnam." Lucy added.

"What for? He knew I could go into labor at anytime and he decides to take a vacation."

"It is not a vacation, he is helping out at a child clinic with his friend who runs it."

Lois piped down. "Okay, I will let him off seeing how it is for the children, but I could really do with him back here."

The cell rang. Lucy picked it up and Kara tried to focus into his voice so she could go and retrieve him.

Before Lucy had a chance to explain, Emil was standing in the middle of Watchtower with no clothes on.

"What...the hell?" Emil screamed as he ran behind the nearby desk.

Clark was embarrassed for the doctor but they had no choice. "Emil, her waters have broken. The baby is on its way."

Emil ran to the bathroom to put some clothes on. He shouted back. "Not necessarily Clark. The membranes can ruptures hours and sometimes days before active labor starts. Give me a few minutes to get ready. You caught me just about to go into the shower."

Lois was listening to all this. "Emil, please tell me you have a canister of gas and air because I think I am experiencing a contraction."

"It shouldn't hurt." Emil replied when he came back into the room.

"Emil, why don't you tell that to the baby?" Lois shouted.

He pointed for Clark to fetch the gas and air.

"Give that to me." Lois snatched the mask off Clark in desperation. She took a deep breath in and then started to talk funny. "It doesn't work."

"Oh my, I think I brought the wrong canister. That must be the helium gas that I used to blow the balloons for the children's party at the hospital last week. I knew I should have labelled them."

"Well, don't worry Emil, whilst I am in agony, why don't you go and grab some balloons and we can have a party?" Lois replied sarcastically.

Clark tried to intervene. "Lois, I will go and get to the hospital and get the proper one."

Emil told him where to find it and Lois was soon hooked up the correct mask, sucking in the gas as though her life depended on it. Soon her contraction subsided but it was not long before the next one was upon her.

"Clark, she should be calmed down soon." Emil whispered, forgetting that Lois would pick the conversation up with her hearing.

"Well I don't feel very calm." She seemed to be getting angrier.

"That gas must be having a strange effect on Lois. It does happen."

"Honey, calm down." Clark grabbed her hand.

"Clark, why don't you have the baby. It is all your fault. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this predicament." Lois was being irrational.

"So, it's all my fault is it." Clark fought back. "I thought it took two to tango."

"I wish tangoing is all we did six months ago. I can't cope with much more of this."

Clark couldn't stop himself before he said the words. "Lo, other women go through this as well."

Next thing he knew he was lying in a heap at the other side of the room. He got up, the horror on his face said it all. "I am so sorry, Lo. I did not mean for it to come out like that."

This contraction subsided.

Emil up on his gloves. "Lois, can we see how far along you are."

"Lois, you are 8cm dilated already. Only 2 to go. It is probably why it is so painful." He continued.
"I want an epidural."

"You can't. I don't have one with blue k. I assumed that you would not have any pain. I can give up some morphine."

He grabbed the bottle of morphine and gave her a good dose.

"How long will that take to work." Lois asked in desperation as a contraction hit again.

"About 20 minutes, but it could all be over by then anyway."

Lois drew in more gas and air in the hope it would help. Clark was trying to apologise my mopping her brow with a cold fannel. "Lo, I am sorry."

"I know." She managed a smile. "I am sorry for what I said and for hitting you."

Suddenly she felt something. "It's the baby's head." She screamed.

Emil did not have to examine her, he could see a crop of black hair appearing.

"Lucy, gown up. I might need your help." Emil shouted orders at his girlfriend.

The baby was inching out slowly, it's nose was appearing now and then its mouth. "Get ready to cut its cord Clark. I am just hoping the Blue K scissors will do the job or we are going to have to come up with another plan." Emil explained.

The room was soon filled with cries of a baby. "Congratulations, it's a girl."

Clark and Lois looked at each other and then burst into tears of joy. Even knowing the sex of the baby did not diminish the overwhelming feelings of bringing a new life into the world and becoming parents for the first time.

Clark managed to cut the cord in one go. Emil handed the baby to Lois. Clark hugged her.

"Lois, you may just feel some pulling. I need to develop the placenta." Emil commented.

Lois was too excited with her new baby girl to notice the pulling, but one thing she did notice was the thud and squeals when Emil pulled a little too hard, got smacked in the face by a flying placenta and ended up in a blood bath on the floor.

Once all the excitement was over, Kara asked what they were going to call her.

"Ella Lara Kent." Clark said with a smile of a proud daddy.

Suddenly the baby's diaper exploded with all the contents flying all over the room.

Kara laughed. "Look's like little Ella does have some super powers after all, just not one we expected. Wonder who she takes after..."

Clark and Lois could not care less. They could not take their eyes off their new addition and started making plans for their new life as a family...

THE END