Encore

September, 2014

The cries over the baby monitor woke her up. Lois groaned as her heavy lids opened and looked at the little screen, the light too bright for her eyes at that moment. She felt a yawn escape, already pushing the covers off of her when she heard another voice over the speaker. It was soft and soothing, trying to calm her daughter's wailing.

"Hey, hey, we don't want to wake Mommy up, okay?"

She smiled seeing Clark, cape and all, come into view on the camera in the nursery. He picked up their daughter from the crib, making little murmuring sounds into the top of her head as he cradled her.

It was the sweetest sight to see. It wasn't foreign for Superman to occasionally hold a baby in his line of work, but looking at him through that lens he wasn't Superman in that room. He was Super-Dad.

Callie's cry was only stifled for a brief moment before the volume started to increase once more.

"I thought we had a deal." He playfully chided. "Mommy needs sleep."

She did. She was exhausted. Callie had just turned ten weeks old and would still have her crying bouts in the middle of the night, though Lois was getting better at discerning what each cry was for. Clark, if available, would try to be the one to handle it so she could sleep. Once again he was her hero. But she also couldn't pass up the show in front of her.

"How about a song, hmm?" Clark asked in a soft voice.

Oh, it was going to get better.

"Now, I'm drawing a blank." He whispered to himself with a little chuckle.

He started to hum, trying to conjure something up that he could remember. Strung along, the sounds started to resemble something familiar.

"You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you..." He finally sang. He started to sway and bounce her in his arms, "You'd be like heaven to touch. I want to hold you so much..."

Lois' lips curved upward as she heard her husband sing to the baby. She had caught him several times before, joyfully reciting lyrics, some that he had created himself. She had never imagined that from Clark Kent, but when a person is happy it's amazing what activity it elicits.

"At long last, love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you..." he cooed.

It seemed that the concert was over as Clark started to put the baby back in the crib. Though, the second he removed his hands the tiny mouth with the super lungs rang out once more. Clark was quick to pick her back up.

He resumed, trying to remember the rest of the song.

"Pardon the way that I stare. There's nothin' else to compare." He put his forehead to the top of Callie's head, getting a whiff of her baby scent. "The sight of you leaves me are no words left to speak."

Lois' heart tugged at the image. Their baby really was the metaphorical kryptonite for both of them.

"But if you feel like I feel. Please let me know that it's real. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you..."

The next sounds to come out of Clark's mouth caused Lois to cup her hand over her face and not let a snort escape. He was trying to emulate the brass section solo of the song, but sounding more like a muffled and sick elephant. She really wished she was recording this.

He moved again, swaying to the invisible band, "I love you, baby. And if it's quite alright, I need you, baby..."

Lois smiled wider, finding it adorable how he emphasized the word "baby". On Clark's end, he was just in a trance with the newborn, singing the song as if it was meant for her.

Unable to stay in the bed any longer, Lois hopped out and down the hallway, waiting just outside the nursery.

"Oh, pretty baby, Don't bring me down, I pray. Oh, pretty baby, Now that I've found you, stay. And let me love you, baby, Let me love you..."

She poked her head around the door frame to witness Clark once again trying to put their child back into her crib. This time when he backed away it seemed he had been successful.

He slowly retreated from the crib and Lois scurried down the hallway, diving into her side of the bed. She got back under the covers and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

When Clark entered the room she felt a faint gust of wind and then the bed dipped behind her. His arm curled around her waist as his lips pressed against the back of her neck. They moved and pressed below her ear, in a spot he knew his wife loved.

"I know you're awake. Enjoy the show?" He whispered. He had sensed she was awake at the start of his performance. So, in essence of the lyrics, he had been singing to both of them.

She smirked and opened her eyes. She slowly turned in his embrace, their eyes finally meeting.

"I might ask for an encore."

With a slight shake of his head he informed her, "Only the baby gets to ask. And no flash photography or recording."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're such a diva."

He laughed as he held her tighter. This was everything to him. There were nights when he patrolled that he had to see the harshness of the world. Then he returned and was reminded why he endured it all. It was for them. Because of the love and strength he felt when he entered the space he was able to do anything. He was reenergized. He was home.

Holding his baby, holding his wife -he felt normal.

Lois brushed her nose against his, which broke him out of his thoughts. She knew he sometimes needed a moment to file away the job in order to let his mind rest. She wasn't going to ask about his night. If he needed to vent he knew he could. Instead, she buried her head into his chest, listened to his heartbeat, like she knew he was listening in on hers, and let out a content sigh as it lulled her back to sleep.

It was an hour and a half later when their daughter started to cry again. There could be a variety of reasons why, but Lois mumbled with her eyes closed, "Looks like she's asking for that encore."

"I've got it," he said, landing a kiss on top of her head.

It was a beautiful gesture, but she was awake the second she felt his warmth leave the bed.

"You think she'd like a duet this time?"

In the darkness of the room only two things brightened it up, the beams from the moon and the smile on his face.

"I think she would love that." He said, extending his hand to her.

Lois crawled out from the covers and wrapped her hand around his. She realized she was in his blue and black checkered plaid pajama shirt, while he wore the matching pants with his white undershirt.

"Good," she said when she got to her feet, then quickly added quickly, "because I have some notes."

His eyebrows shot up. "Notes?" He asked as they left the bedroom. Lois had somehow gotten in front of him and was pulling him out.

"Remember, these are not going to be notes of discouragement, but notes of encouragement, Smallville."

He shook his head and then watched Lois swoop in as Super-Mom, picking their daughter up in her arms.

"Hi, honey. Mommy's got you."

Lois ran through the checklist in her head. It wasn't feeding time and she didn't need changing. It was a different kind of cry she needed to find a label for.

Their daughter's cries almost immediately ceased when her tiny eyes found Clark and she knew both of them were in the room.

"Looks like she just missed us." He said, brushing his hand over Callie's thin hair.

"Is that what you were doing? Were you crying because you wanted to see Mommy and Daddy?" Lois asked as she bounced her softly.

"Let's see if that's all she needed."

Lois carried Callie back over to her crib and as she started to lay her back down was when she started to cry once more.

"And back up we go." Lois said, as she carried and bounced her again. "You're a little demanding, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I wonder where she gets that." Clark teased as Lois glared at him.

"I should have known better than to let you go alone…" Lois started to sing. "It's times like these I can't make it on my own…"

Clark quickly picked up on the lyrics. He had heard them many times before.

"You're using Whitesnake to get her to sleep?" He asked, incredulously.

"She'll remember it from the womb."

"Of course."

"Wasted days and sleepless nights," she continued, emphasizing the latter.

Clark then joined in, "And I can't wait to see you again…"

They smiled at each other. Callie's eyes flickered between both voices as they traded lyrics. She even let out a little breathy giggle, a first for her. It was what pushed her parents onward.

Clark continued with, "I find I spend my time waiting on your call…" as Lois filled in, "How can I tell you, babe…my back's against the wall."

"I need you by my side, to tell me it's alright…"

"'Cause I don't think I can take anymore…"

It was as if they had gone from singing for their daughter's benefit to serenading each other, especially when they got to the chorus. Both voices harmonized as they sang, and when they were through asking "Is this love that I'm feeling? Is this the love I've been searching for?" Callie's eyes had closed and she had a little smile on her face as she slept.

"Smallville, look…" Lois whispered.

To his amusement, it was, of course, a Whitesnake sing-a-long that eased their baby. She really was her mother's daughter. It brought him immense joy, though he might regret more Whitesnake karaoke nights in the future.

They slowly moved together to the crib and placed Callie down. Then they tiptoed away a couple steps and waited. Thankfully, she remained asleep. They took a moment to watch her peacefulness before leaving.

Back in the bedroom, both parents let out sighs of relief and fell onto the mattress. They found themselves back in their previous position, his chest against her back and his arm curled around her waist.

After a few minutes, Lois' low voice cut through the now silent night.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?" He sounded into her shoulder.

"I can't sleep."

He let her shift around his arms as he joked, "Do I need to sing to you, now, too?"

Her answer was simply her lips gently on his. They kissed soundlessly, long and soft. Their fingers were interlocked beneath the covers. An after-hours performance then occurred.

Followed by an encore. Then a restful sleep.