---- Chapter 46
"Wedding."
"Honeymoon."
Lois looked at Clark, who was checking on Jordan as she ate a piece of bacon. "What?"
"You said something random, so I said something related to the random."
Chloe spoke around a mouthful of pancake. "He has you there, cuz."
Lois rolled her eyes as she took a bite of the hash browns. She chewed a couple times but got impatient and decided to talk anyway. "What I was intending..."
"You shouldn't speak with your mouthful, mommy."
Lois smiled at Jordan as she chewed and swallowed. "Sorry, baby girl." She looked over at Clark. "And you wonder where you are in her. Anyway, what I intended to say was I would like to hear about our wedding, Smallville. Since I assume the both of you were there..."
"Where was I, mommy?"
Three heads turned to Look at Jordan, whose gaze was settled directly on her mother. Lois looked to Clark, who just gave her a small smile and nodded. "Well, uh, you weren't born yet, Jordan."
"But where was I?"
Lois fidgeted for a moment, trying to think of something to say. Twinkle in father's eye? No, too ridiculous. Mommy's tummy? No, that's equally ridiculous. Oh hell, how was a three year old going to figure out that ridiculous wasn't true? Time to make something up.
"Jordan, you were a happy thought in daddy's and my heads. When we fell in love and got married, that love was so strong that our happy thoughts were too much to just be thoughts anymore, and they became you. You're the embodiment of our happiness, Jordan. That's why we love you so much."
"I love you too, mommy."
Lois breathed out in relief, and looked at Clark, who looked as if he was about to burst out laughing. When she glanced at Chloe, she got the same look except it was more obvious. She rolled her eyes at both of them, and Jordan excused herself to go to the bathroom.
"Thank you both so much for leaving me high and dry like that."
"Cuz, while that explanation was all kinds of crazy and awesome, it was also full of love and did the trick."
"Yeah, Lo. I think you did a great job and I plan on letting you do the same with Almond Joy. Or, should I start calling him Happy Thought now?"
Lois sighed while the people on either side of her laughed. "Funny, Smallville. Now, wedding talk, pronto."
Clark looked at Chloe and shrugged. "Can you think of anything major in between the proposal and the wedding that should come first?"
"Hmm... finding out I was pregnant with the girls, though that didn't do much to Lois... there was the incident with Metallo, if you want to relay that."
"I think Jordan can live without hearing that story once she gets back from the restroom. She'll probably hear it eventually, but I think three is a little young." He paused a second before speaking again. "I guess wedding story it is."
Lois took another bite of hash browns and watched as Clark got up and walked over to a bookshelf, pulling out a photo album and bringing it over to the table. He put it down next to Lois's plate and sat back down, taking a bite of pancake as he did so. Once he'd swallowed, he spoke again.
"We got married October 18th, 2017. That is a photo album of the day made specifically so that you can follow along with the story."
Lois picked the album up and flipped through a few pages. "Wow. Who made this?"
"You did."
"Oh. Well, way to go me."
"Yeah, but you only did it for me telling the story of our actual wedding, which is the part I will tell you. That leaves all the buildup to Chloe."
Lois turned to her blonde relative, who was finishing up her stack of pancakes. "Ok then. First off, we're starting the day before. Secondly... well, there is no secondly, so let's do this."
---
Chloe eased herself down into the chair, resting her arms across her stomach as she settled into it. If nothing else, having a giant stomach with a month and a half to go gave her a very personal table on which to rest things, such as her arms. Of course, since she was already as big as she ever was during her pregnancy with Jack, she didn't know if this was actually a positive.
"I'm going to ruin him, Chloe. I love him too much to do that to him. He would be saddled with me for the rest of his life!"
"Haven't we been over this before?"
"Yes, but the wedding is tomorrow so I got a fresh batch of crazy today."
"Marvelous," Chloe mumbled. She'd been getting these intermittent 'I can't do this' speeches from Lois since August, with increasing frequency and intensity. It was like a labor of love, really. She grinned at her mental pun but shook herself out of it when she noticed Lois was starting up again.
"He saves the world. He can't take time out of that to care for me when I'm in the middle of not remembering. The world comes first; I know that, but I'm not sure he will always make that choice, especially if my memory is gone and I'm lost in a world I don't recognize."
"Lois, Clark can make the tough decisions. You wouldn't have ever agreed to marry him if you didn't think he could do it."
"I know that, I do... but I just wonder, what would happen if..."
Chloe zoned out, letting Lois go on her rambling way. She smiled as one of the twins kicked, making sure that she wasn't forgotten. Chloe ran her hand over the spot that had been kicked and mentally reassured her daughter that she could not and would not be forgotten. When her sister did the same thing on the other side of her stomach, Chloe did the same for her.
She listened to Lois go on for ten minutes, covering various topics. World saving was first and foremost, and that led to her not knowing how to be a wife, which then led to kids and a long glance at Chloe's stomach, causing her to roll her eyes. It was time to interject.
"Lois, since you are SO convinced that you're going to be a bad mother and don't have the mothering instincts all women in the world BUT you have, which is extremely debatable, why did you go off the pill last week?"
"I, uh...I just didn't want to bother with it anymore. Remembering to take it at the same time everyday can be a pain when I don't always know where I'm going to be and what situation I'm going to be in. Shouldn't they have figured out how to make it so you can take it anytime during the day?"
"I guess they figured they shouldn't mess with a good thing."
Lois shrugged and waved a hand at thin air, apparently dismissing the topic. "With all the trouble I seem to find, it's easier to just have Clark put on a condom. That's such a strange word... how did anybody even come up with it?"
Chloe watched as Lois fidgeted with her hands a bit as she sat down across from her. "Are you sure that's it, Lo?" Lois mumbled something that was barely audible and certainly not understandable. "What?"
"I want to be able to get pregnant if I want to and getting off the pill now saves me the trouble of getting my cycle regular later, if that even happens anymore."
"Wow." Chloe scratched at her stomach then pulled away. She always had to remind herself not to scratch at the stupid itchy stretch marks since it didn't do any good. She focused on Lois again. "This seems like something you've put a lot of thought into."
"I have. Just, don't tell Clark."
"What? Why don't you want him to know?"
"I didn't tell him that part, just that I was getting off of it because I have too much irregularity in my life for it to still be taken at the same time every day. He shrugged, said it made sense and told me he'd buy some condoms on the way home from work."
"You're really not going to tell him it's so the two of you can have a baby?"
Lois shrugged and sank back into the chair. "What good would it do, Chloe? We don't even know if we CAN have a baby together. We may not need protection at all. But, you know, if it were possible, Imightbereadytohaveababy."
"Could you repeat the last part, please? Despite raising a little boy, I still do not understand mumble or gibberish, as much as I wish I did."
"I said I might be read to have a baby, and that is in spite of the fact that I would be a horrible mother. I know that, but I think about having a baby with Clark and damned if I don't melt a little inside at the thought. God, I hate being melty."
Chloe rolled her eyes and suppressed the want to cheer. She was so happy that Lois was thinking about having a baby with Clark. Any children they might have, if possible, would be amazing people because both their parents were too.
"You're going to be a great mother, Lois."
"Ha!"
"I'm serious! You don't give yourself enough credit for anything, least of all your ability to take care of people. You took care of you sister when you were six years old, for Christ sake!"
"I did that because somebody had to, and look how she turned out!"
"She's got a husband, a son and plays violin in the Parisian orchestra! She was once an undercover government agent, of all things! Where is the bad in that?"
"I... damn it, you know what I mean! She used to get herself in trouble all the time and had total disregard for a large portion of her fellow man. She would disappear all the time, got involved with bad people..."
"And she turned out great because of you, Lois. You never gave up on her. She became the good person she is today because of the example you set from an early age."
Lois sat up, fidgeting again before placing her face into her hands, arms resting on her knees. Chloe waited while Lois attempted to sort out her thoughts. She wished Lois didn't think so negatively of herself and what she was capable of. She was going to be a great mother to any children she might have, as well as the best wife Clark could ever hope for.
"I just... I'm worried, Chloe. What if I'm not good enough for Clark? What if he's making a huge mistake marrying me? What if I can't the wife that he needs? What if we do have children and I screw up the kids? I can't get these thoughts out of my head, no matter how much I want to."
Chloe sighed, wishing she could help Lois. All she could do was offer words on what she'd experienced. In the end, Lois had to be the one to conquer the demons in her head.
"Lois, I was having similar thoughts the night before I married Bruce."
Lois looked up at her, hope in her eyes. "Really?"
Chloe just smiled at her. "Yep. I spent half the night telling you how I didn't know what I would do if I lost Bruce to the darkness. What kind of a mother was I going to be? That was a much more pertinent question for me, by the way, since I was already pregnant with Jack."
"I remember. Well, not REMEMBER remember, but you know what I mean."
Chloe nodded before continuing. "I was nervous. I thought Bruce was making a huge mistake. Here he was, owner of a ginormous company and billions of dollars, marrying a journalist that grew up in a small Kansas farm town with a bunch of crazy people possessing powers. What did I have to offer him? I didn't know anything about business. I'm not good at being arm candy for high society functions. Basically, it was a big night of me asking myself 'Why me?' It was all very cliché."
"And yet you married him."
"It's because my big cousin told me something very wise."
"Now that's just ridiculous."
"It's true. Do you know what you told me?"
"If I did, would I be having jitters at this point?"
"You told me that he didn't want me for those things. He wanted me because I was me. He wanted me for who I was and what I was, for all my perks and faults. He loved me. He chose to ask me to marry him; it wasn't forced. We had a love that would stand the test of time. And now it's time I say the same to you.
"He loves you, Lois. I've known him a long time, and I've never seen him a fraction as happy as he is when he's with you. It's so natural between the two of that you have survived forgetting the relationship. It ended in a night that should have been a happy start to your lives together. And yet here you are, on the threshold with him, ready to cross over to the other side of it. Clark wants you because you're you. He wants the brash and he wants the impulsive, even if it drives him crazy. Most of all, he wants you.
"He asked you to marry him because he loves you, of his own free will. I tried to talk him out of it the first night he did it. He said that if anybody could do it, it was me, and I didn't stand a chance. He loves you that much. We know how that night went and what happened because of it, and yet again, you two survived. Hell, the first time there was a ring involved between you two, YOU were the one to propose."
"So I recall you telling me."
"If there is fate, Lois, then you two are the evidence for it. Hell, it may be divine intervention for all I know, but you two are perfect. Two sides of the same coin."
Lois laughed. "That has to be the most dysfunctional coin ever. Pretty, though."
Chloe giggled a bit before speaking again. "Be that as it may, it's the strongest coin I've ever seen. Nothing can ruin it."
Lois smiled softly and sat back in her chair again, staring into space contemplatively. Chloe did the same, as best she could. Sinking back into a chair was no easy task these days. And on that note, she needed to pee again. She tried to push herself out of the chair, and finding herself failing, rolled her eyes at herself.
"Lois, sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but could I get a hand up?"
Lois sprang out of her chair, sparking a bit of jealousy in Chloe before she remembered this was all for a good cause. Lois pulled her up out of the chair.
"Thanks. I look forward to returning the favor."
"You're set on me having kids, aren't you?"
Chloe spoke as she walked to the bathroom. "What can I say? I have a great cousin and want the same for my children, even if they are technically second cousins instead of first."
Twelve Hours Later
"Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Deep breath in. Deep breath out."
"I know how to breathe, Chloe!"
"Yes, yes, I know. This day is all about you, Lo, but I'm making sure that you get to that aisle."
Lois spun around, her curled hair falling down to her gowned shoulders. "Have I given any indication that I wouldn't?"
"No, but the fact that you just spoke so much and so quickly that I had to tell you to breathe is a good indication that I am, in fact, needed."
"I was only questioning why we decided to get married on a Wednesday. It was such a random day to pick. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but still..."
"I have no idea why you did what you did, Lo, but people are here anyway. Good lord, your wedding pulled in all the core members of the Justice League. I mean, they're in civies, of course, but still, very few marriages can claim they had Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and The Martian Manhunter in attendance."
"Not to mention Superman."
"Exactly. Hell, you're not a big wedding person anyway, so this small affair on a Wednesday is perfect. Jimmy is doing photography and Perry is doing his editor for the Planet stuff via phone, so you're basically at work anyway, except this time you're the story."
"Makes it harder to be objective."
Chloe smiled. "True. Good thing you don't have to write about it."
"So, think Clark is going to like my dress?"
"I think that if Clark doesn't fall over when he sees it he'll be fighting a strong urge to hit you with his x-ray vision... and of course, if he does that he might just be hard through the ceremony. I wonder if anybody would notice."
Lois broke out into laughter, and Chloe joined her. "You have a dirty mind, Chlo."
"Yeah, well, somebody has to." Chloe looked down to her watch and grinned. Five minutes. "You ready for this shindig?"
"Are you calling my wedding a shindig?"
"Would you prefer hootenanny?"
"Yes, yes I would."
"Fine. You ready for this hootenanny?"
"Just about. Are you sure you're going to be alright standing for the ceremony? I have no problem with my maid of honor sitting next to me. It'd be better for your back."
"I'll be perfectly fine, and thank you for the concern, but forget my back! You're marrying Clark today, so think about yourself for once."
Lois grinned before her face melted into a resolute, determined look. "Alright. Let's get this shindig going."
- - -
"We walked over to the big doors and met your dad after that. I gave you two a few minutes to yourself before I had to do my walk down the aisle with Bruce. And that, my dear cousin, brings us to your husbands portion of this story."
"Yes, the very same husband that decided to give our daughter a bath while you told your portion of the story."
Lois scowled at nothing in particular since Clark wasn't there to scowl at. Sure, Jordan needed a bath after syruping herself into oblivion while downing pancakes, but... well, she couldn't find a but, despite the fact that she really wanted to. He had an annoying habit of doing things at the right time or the right place just so she couldn't criticize his choice. Not without sounding irrational, anyway.
Clark chose that time to walk out of the bathroom, holding a towel covered Jordan in his arms. She pulled the towel up off her face and smiled at Lois and Chloe.
"All clean."
"Yeah you are, kiddo. Enjoy your bath?"
Jordan shrugged and started wriggling, Clark letting her down after a second. She started running around with the towel draped over her shoulders, saying that she was Supergirl. Clark feigned a look of shock.
"Supergirl? What about Superman?"
"He's a boy, daddy! I'm a girl, so I would be Supergirl! Almond Joy could be Superman when he grows up."
Lois groaned, laying her head down on the table. There went her last bastion of hope for somebody not calling her son Almond Joy. He was going to think that was his name instead of whatever his name ended up being. Huh, what where they going to name him? She was going to have to ask Clark what he thought about names later.
Now, though, it was time to get on with the wedding.
"So, Smallville, what say we proceed with the events of October 18th, 2017."
"I guess we could proceed." Clark swooped a giggling Jordan up into her arms, holding her over his head and spinning them around, making it look like she actually did have a cape on. "What do you say, Jordan? Shall we proceed with telling mommy about the wedding?"
"Okay!"
---
Clark stood in front of the altar, feeling a lot more calm than he'd expected to. He wondered where the jitters were, the pre-wedding freak out that seemed to afflict people, but he felt no such feelings. He just felt happy. He was going to get to marry the greatest woman he knew today.
He looked around the church, spotting people talking amongst themselves as they waited for everything to get underway. Ollie sat next to Diana, both grinning at something Bart had been saying from the row in front of them. J'onn was sitting next to him, munching on an oreo. Clark grinned, admiring his friends love of the cookie.
As he kept glancing around the room, he finally locked eyes with his mom, who just smiled softly at him as she touched her heart. He returned the action, knowing full well what it meant. He let his eyes slide towards the ceiling, thinking of his father and knowing that he'd be watching.
Clark's eyes snapped to the back of the church when he heard the doors opening, seeing Chloe and Bruce enter the hall to the sound of new music. Everybody turned and watched as they made their way down the aisle, Chloe doing her best pregnant shuffle while managing to still look elegant. He hoped that she'd be ok for the reception afterwards with all the standing she planned to do, but he knew if anybody could do it, she could.
Chloe and Bruce took their respective places on the dais, each wishing Clark the best. He thanked both of them and took a deep breath as he waited for Lois to be escorted by her father. He heard the music change once again, and saw the doors open to show Lois being escorted by Sam in full military regalia. It would have been an impressive sight if he'd been able to give it more than a seconds though.
He wasn't, though, because his eyes locked on Lois and he just about fell over. She looked amazing, and he didn't think that word actually did her justice.
He was transfixed as she made her way up the aisle, finally arriving in front of him. She kissed her dad on the cheek and wiped away a tear he let loose, whispering something to him. He smiled and returned her kiss before letting her arm go, giving a nod to Clark and taking his seat on the bride side.
Clark felt Lois place an arm over his, and he grinned at her.
"I like this look on you."
"You only get to see it this once, so take it in while you can."
At the sound of a voice clearing behind them, they looked up to find the minister smiling at them. "Would you two like to begin?"
Each smiled sheepishly and stepped up in front of him, holding hands.
"Family, friends, we are here today to unite Lois Lane and Clark Kent in bonds of marriage. Should anybody have objections, speak them now."
Clark watched as Lois leveled a death glare on the room, making sure nobody decided to say anything.
"Lois and Clark have decided to write their own vows. Lois?"
"Smallville, I never thought the day would come when I would find a man that could love me for me. I've never been the ideal woman, at least not in the eyes of most. Loud, opinionated... well, you know. But that's where you're different. You see me, you see my flaws, and you embrace them. You love me for me, always, and that just makes me love you more.
"But it's more than that. We compliment each other like nobody else in the world. As my cousin told me yesterday, most people wouldn't and couldn't survive what we've been through, yet here we are. If we weren't meant to be, I don't know what was. I love you, Clark, forever."
The minister turned to Clark. "Clark?"
Clark blinked a few times before taking a breath to begin.
"I had trouble being me when I was younger. I was never comfortable in my own skin, let alone around girls. And then I had the fortune of meeting this brash woman that blew anybody I knew out of the water. We didn't really click at first, at least not on a conscious level. Well, not on an unconscious level either because we were too busy bantering to figure things out.
"It was good, though, because we weren't ready for each other yet. We both had to grow up. We both did grow up, and it happened when we didn't see each other for about four years. When I got back and we found our way to each other, it was... amazing. Better than I could have thought existed. We had our trials and our tribulations, but we persevered to get here.
"We bring out the best in each other, always, and that will never change. We see the best of ourselves in one another, and can console one another when we see the worst in ourselves. I love you, Lois, forever."
"Well, this seems a formality," the minister said, "but tradition is tradition. The rings, please."
Bruce handed Clark a ring, and Chloe handed one to Lois. "Lois, do you take Clark as your lawfully wedded husband, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"
She slid the ring on his finger, looking him in the eye the whole time. "I do."
"Clark, do you take Lois as your lawfully wedded wife, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"
Clark slid the ring onto Lois's finger, and couldn't have looked away from her eyes had he wanted to. "I do."
"Then by the power vested in me and the state of Kansas, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may, of course, kiss the bride."
When their lips met, there may have been clapping. Hell, there may have been a dog pile on them for all he knew. He wouldn't have noticed, though, because he was too happy. He was living his dream. He was married to the woman he loved more than life. He didn't think life would get better than this.
- - -
"Of course, once this one came along, it did get better, but it hadn't ever been that good before."
Lois grinned as Clark hugged a sleeping Jordan close. She'd fallen asleep pretty quickly once Clark had gotten her dressed and she'd snuggled in between them.
"Yeah, I'd say it's gotten pretty good. I did well with the album, too."
"That you did, cuz." Chloe stood up out of her chair, smiling at both of them. "I think I'm going to take off, you two. I want to get back to the hotel and give Bruce a call in a little while. Need to see if I can wish Jack goodnight."
"You want me to fly you?"
"Nah, I'm fine with a cab this time. See you guys at work tomorrow."
"Love you, Chlo."
"Love you too, Lo."
Lois watched Chloe walk out the door, then looked down at Jordan. Deciding to do it herself this time, she picked her up and hiked her up so that her daughter's head was resting on her shoulder. Clark walked over and placed a gentle kiss on each of their foreheads.
"Want me to join you?"
Lois smiled at him. "That's alright, I got her."
Lois carried Jordan into her room and gently laid her down on the bed. She stirred a little as Lois covered her up but settled quickly. She smoothed her daughter's hair a second, enjoying watching her sleep. Clark had been right that first day; it was hard to imagine anything more innocent and beautiful than her daughter sleeping peacefully.
She walked out of the room a little while later, unable to wipe the content smile off her face. She sat down next to Clark, who'd started reading a book. It was a short lived reading session, though, as he sat the book down and looked over at her.
"So, what's up?"
"How about you tell me about our honeymoon."
"The honeymoon, eh?"
"Yes, sir. I want all the details."
"Well, Bruce and Chloe lent us their villa in Spain..."
"Those are not the details I want."
"Patience, Lo."
She rolled her eyes and decided to speed things up. She sat up then moved over and straddled his lap, getting as close to him as she could with her outstretched stomach. She could still get hip to hip contact, and she took advantage of that.
"Patience sucks. Now, about those details, Smallville..."
