March 22, 2014: For those of you who have waited so patiently for Bundle of Joy to continue, chapters 5 and 6 have been reworked from what I originally posted in February of 2011. They went in a direction that, in reflection, were not in keeping with what I wanted the story to be and left me very unhappy. So while I get back to work, enjoy the revised chapters.

Chapter 5: Wake Up Call

It was her favorite place to be in the early morning. With the sunlight just beginning to peak in their bedroom windows she laid next to her sleeping husband, snuggled up next to him and running her fingers through his hair - and he apparently knew it.

"Is there something you want, Mrs. Kent?" His slow smile, followed by a low, sleepy chuckle let her know he knew exactly what she did want, and the contented sound of it set her heart into double time.

"I think you know." She whispered her answer and to prove it, slipped a hand underneath his tee shirt and skimmed his warm, firm skin. "So what do you say, Handsome?"

"I'd say my wife is awake much too early." His smile widened to a grin and she felt his body tense with anticipation, even though his eyes had yet to open.

"Only because her husband is, too," She giggled and snuggled her head into his shoulder.

"You woke me up, Lois." He chuckled again and when his eyes opened, his gaze caught hers. The sparkle in the blue depths told her how much she tempted him, even so early in the morning. "But I'd like it if you closed your eyes and went back to sleep for awhile. You are sleeping for two, you know."

He certainly knew how to apply the brakes.

"Well, what if I don't like it?" She propped herself up on an elbow and couldn't help but glare at him. "I'm offering you quite the enticing wake up call, Agent Kent and you're turning me down."

"I certainly am." He reached up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear and when he softly traced the shell of her ear with his fingers, Lois leaned into his touch and very nearly purred like a contented cat. His husky voice let her know, in no uncertain terms, he was having some difficulty keeping his hands, mostly, to himself. He cleared his throat. "But try not to think of this as me turning you down, because I'm not, exactly. Dr. Francis said you needed to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, didn't he?"

She hated it when he was right. "Yes."

"And isn't part of my job as your husband and father of the baby you're carrying to make sure you do what the doctor tells you?" Clark raised his eyebrows at her in question, almost daring her to argue with him. But Lois wasn't the kind of girl to give up easily, especially when there was something, or rather someone, she really wanted.

So to advance her objective, she slowly skimmed her fingers up toward his chest, when he promptly stopped her wandering digits with a firm hand. He looked all at once tempted, frustrated and sympathetic as he moved her hand from under his shirt and laid it on his tee shirt. "Honey, I hate to sound like a broken record-"

"I know, I know." She nodded reluctantly and didn't know who irritated her more at the moment, Clark, for being so sensible, or herself, for not being more sensible. "Stupid hormones."

He laughed softly and gathered her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Give the sandman a couple of more hours and if your hormones still want to ravish your husband, I'm all yours."

She poked her head up, "Really?"

"Really," He assured her and a look of concern shadowed his face. "Honey, I only mention it because the doctor wants you to and because you were so restless last night - is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I'm just having some weird dreams, which your mother tells me are perfectly normal." Lois patted his chest. "And the doc says it probably has something to do with the changes I'm going through."

"You want to tell me about them?" His concern warmed her heart, but she shook her head just the same.

"That's the frustrating part - I can't remember them clearly." She lay back down and sighed, "But maybe I don't want to."

"Do you think it means you're scared about what's happening?" He sounded a little worried himself.

"Not scared, but definitely nervous." Lois put her hand over his heart and rubbed the escalating palpitations through the warm cotton of his tee shirt. "Are you scared?"

"Frustrated, more than anything," He admitted to her with his own sigh. "Everything that's happening to you right now is because we're bringing a new life into the world. And I can't help but think we should have waited."

"The Eagle Scout wasn't prepared." She couldn't help but laugh because she'd bet a dollar to a doughnut hole Clark was blushing.

His soft chuckle made her smile as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "All I could think about was making you my wife in every sense of the word on our wedding night. I never thought about taking care to delay a family."

"It was fate, Agent Kent." Lois tipped her face up and nuzzled his cheek, rough with morning stubble - she loved the feel of it. "Nothing more and nothing less."

"Mom believes everything happens for a reason." He hugged her to him. "So I guess this means we probably won't get much time to ourselves until the last of the kids leaves the nest."

"Exactly how many kids are we talking about?" She pushed herself up on her elbow again with some alarm and felt a blush warm her cheeks. He'd never mentioned anything to her about wanting a big family.

"Only as many as you're willing to have." He reached up and she felt his fingers in the hair which had come loose and smoothed it back. "And if it means we only have this one, I'll be happy."

'But what if all you have are daughters?'

'Then they'll marry farmers.'

That long ago discussion suddenly came to mind and she sighed, "Even if it's a girl?"

"She'll be ours, Lois." He brushed a warm, reassuring hand across her cheek. "That's the important thing."

"Wouldn't you prefer a son to carry on the family name?" Lois wasn't sure why it mattered so much to her, because it truly didn't matter to him. "Men usually do."

"It would be nice." Clark shrugged a shoulder casually as his other hand gently stroked her abdomen, his eyes focused on her increasingly rounded belly. "Continuity is important, but if we end up with a daughter or daughters, I wouldn't love them any less or regret not having any sons."

His gaze shifted to her face and Lois saw the earnest sincerity in them. "Lois, I love you and any children we have, boys or girls, are proof of that love. And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to look at them and see your eyes, the color of your hair or maybe the mulish set of your chin when you don't get what you want." The last comment came with a grin before his expression sobered again. "It honestly doesn't matter to me, but for some reason it does to you. Do you want to tell me why?"

She settled back down into the comfort of his arms and sighed. "I know Dad loves us and he'd do anything for Lucy and me. But said or not, I always got the feeling he was disappointed we weren't boys."

And there it was.

"Has he ever told you that?" The question was sincerely asked and not a scold as she'd somewhat expected. "I know things with your dad were a little awkward in the beginning, but I never believed he thought that."

"You don't know Dad." She felt her eyes tear and quickly blinked them away. Turning on the waterworks wasn't going to change anything.

"And I don't think you give him enough credit." The blunt words were softened by a brush of his lips in her hair and a gentle hand skimming around her waist to caress the low of her back. "From what I know of Sam and from what I've seen when he's with you and your sister, he's happy to have you in his life because you're a physical connection to his wife.

"I'm not sure you realize how much you and Lucy really do look like your mom." He continued softly, comforting her. "He showed me a picture of her he still carries in his wallet and the first time I saw it, I thought it was you. He also showed me a picture of the four of you that's pretty worn around the edges because he's probably taken it out so much to look at it."

"He told you that?" Don't be such a skeptic, Lo.

"He didn't have to, I was just observant." He replied and then kissed her temple. "Your dad is a man of few words. But his actions, when it comes to his two daughters speak volumes. And all those volumes express how much he loves you."

She loved Clark more than ever for finding a way to point out the obvious to her and helping her to truly accept it. And even though she knew she needed some shut eye, Lois chose instead, to thank her husband in the best way she knew how - she kissed him.

His hands slipped quickly to her forearms, gripping them gently, more than likely to try and put some distance between them. But when she deepened the kiss and stroked a tremulous hand over the rapid beating of his heart, she knew she had him where she wanted him when he let go of her arms and slipped his around her waist.

"Lois." Her name came out as a strangled whisper, as he tried to put the brakes on what she intended on being the inevitable. Lois quelled his protest with another ardent kiss, but Clark wasn't going to give in even as he rolled to his side, taking her into a fuller embrace. "Honey."

A warm flush skittered from her cheeks down to her belly at the sound of the endearment, and if she didn't know better, the baby moved. He'd never uttered it in quite that way before and the surprise she felt stopped, quite suddenly, the pursuit of an early morning tumble.

He didn't seem to understand why she'd broken it off because a look of worry crossed his face. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't help but smile as she took his face in her hands and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his lips, probably confusing him even more. "Everything is fine, G-man, we're fine. And to get that worried look of your face, as much as I'd rather finish what I started, baby Kent and I will make a visit to the sandman. But only if you come with us." She gave him her best beguiling smile to tempt him. "So what do you say?"

His bemused gaze in return told her he wasn't sure what she was up to, but he had no doubt she was. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I love it when you call me 'Honey'," Was all she'd tell him before she stretched out next to him and closed her eyes.

oooooo

She never ceased to surprise him.

She also never ceased in trying to get him to do something he knew they should hold off on, even if he wanted it as much as she and this early morning was no exception.

'I love it when you call me "Honey".' Andhe loved saying it. He'd never felt enough for a woman before he met Lois, to say it and mean it. And for a reason he didn't understand, it got her to stop the campaign to have her way with him.

As if he would have really minded.

Clark grinned as he listened to his sleeping wife snore softly next to him. He liked to tease her about it, but she would always tell him quite indignantly he was wrong.

'Lane's don't snore.'

'But you're a Kent now, and you snore.'

He gathered her close to him and would almost swear he could hear two hearts beating as they lay in the quiet. But then he rolled his eyes at the thought because he knew it wasn't possible.

A soft knock on the bedroom door got him to look back over his shoulder and when it opened, Dad stuck his head in. "If you wouldn't mind, I could use your help." His voice was soft, in deference to his sleeping daughter-in-law.

"Sure, Dad," Clark nodded without hesitation. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Take your time, son, there's no rush." Dad replied and quietly closed the door.

Clark slipped out of bed, trying not to disturb Lois, fully expecting her to wake and give him a scolding about leaving her in their bed, alone. Even after he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, she only swished an impatient hand at him in her sleep and he smiled.

His wife had her priorities, when they suited her.

He walked quietly as he could to the dresser and pulled out a fresh tee shirt and pair of socks out of the drawer. He moved back to the cedar chest at the foot of the bed and sat down to pull on the socks before changing his tee shirt and getting into his dungarees. He tossed the sleep rumpled shirt into the clothes hamper just inside the closet door and picked up his boots.

A check over his shoulder reassured him his wife still slept before he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He padded down the hall to the stairs and took them down to the kitchen, where his parents sat at the table having their morning coffee.

"Is Lois all right?" Mom looked up at him from the early edition of The Daily Planet and a look of concern was on her face. "I heard her get up a couple of times last night."

"She's fine." Clark assured her. "It's not morning sickness. She just needed to use the bathroom."

"That's good to hear." She smiled in relief and set the paper down. "I just remember when I was carrying you. You'd gotten so big that if you moved in a certain way or rested in a certain spot, I'd be up a few times during the night."

"And when your mother got up I usually did, too." Dad added with a grin as he folded up the morning edition of The Smallville Ledger he'd been reading and set it down on Lois' place setting. For some reason, she liked to read it before she read the Planet, but had never explained why.

"Because you were a good husband, Jonathan," Mom curled her fingers around Dad's and then leaned over to kiss his cheek. "And you still are."

She got up suddenly and moved to the stove and Clark suspected his mother was a little embarrassed at her admission. His parent's still loved each other and he'd never had cause to doubt it. But they'd also been raised in a time where such feelings between husbands and wives weren't talked about, especially with their own children.

As Clark slipped his feet into his boots and tied the laces, Dad explained to him why he wanted his son's help. "With the summer months coming on, your mother thought it would be a nice idea if we built a swing for Lois."

"You know how hot it gets." Mom turned from the stove with a bowl of oatmeal in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, her composure restored. "And having gone through it, I understand how uncomfortable it can get."

She set the bowl and cup down in front of Clark and sat back down.

"She picked the walnut tree out back because it's one of the shadiest spots on the farm for most of the day." Dad continued. "The lower branches are nice and sturdy and will easily support a good-sized swing."

"And we're not telling my wife about this?" He couldn't help but smile and he took a sip of his coffee and then a generous spoonful of Mom's oatmeal. He smiled not just for the generosity of his parents and their caring so much about Lois, but the fact that they had never liked keeping secrets and yet here they were.

"We want it to be a surprise." Mom stated without any trace of defensiveness in her voice as Clark kept eating. "She's going through a lot of changes with this baby and I just want to make it easier for her." She then turned to Dad and put her hand on his forearm. "Just like your mother did for me."

"She'd appreciate the sentiment, sweetheart." He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "And so will Lois."

Clark dipped his head and spooned another helping of oatmeal as his mother blushed again, to hide a smile he couldn't stop.

"Lois will what?" Lois's soft, sleepy voice at the foot of the stairs startled the three sitting together. He stood up and took her hand when she reached the table, helping her to sit. And where she would have normally admonished him for being too solicitous, she merely kissed his cheek and sat down.

"You'll appreciate some peace and quiet to eat, once these two finish their breakfast." Clark's mother answered smoothly and her face flushed at having to utter the fib.

"I'm all done, so I'm headed out to the barn." Dad stood up and set his hands on his hips with his 'lets-get-moving' signal before he walked out of the kitchen and through the parlor to the front door. "Clark, I'll expect you out there when you're done."

"Yes, sir," He promised as he finished eating and drained the last of his coffee.

"Lois, would you like some coffee while I make your breakfast?" Mom asked with a visible look of concern as Lois' head went down on Clark's shoulder. "Or would you rather go back to bed?"

He felt the shake of her head as she answered in the negative. "Coffee doesn't sound so appealing right now." She sighed. "And the only way I'm going back to bed is if he comes with me."

"How would you feel about some hot cocoa, then?"

Lois nodded in the affirmative and looked up at Clark. "Unless-"

"I'm sorry, honey, no dice." He hated to refuse her. "Dad needs my help for a little while and by the time we're finished, you'd probably be getting up anyway."

"Possibly," She sighed again and then pressed a kiss to his lips. "Well, go milk Bessie or clean out the stalls or whatever it is your dad needs you for. Baby Kent and I are in good hands with your mom."

"Have you two given any thought to what you're going to name baby Kent?" Mom asked as Clark got up from the table and carried his empty bowl and cup to the sink. "Leave that, honey. I'll take care of it."

"We haven't really." Lois told her before she got up and moved to stand next to Clark. "Not with the morning sickness or the fact I wasn't showing yet."

"Now might be a good time." She walked to the ice box and pulled out a pitcher of milk, taking it to the stove. "Things are going to start changing faster than you realize and it's always a good idea to have some names in mind before the baby comes."

"As long as he isn't a junior," He kissed Lois on the cheek and then his mother before heading through the parlor to the front door. "Anything else I'm willing to discuss."

"What if he is a she?" Lois called after him and he couldn't help but grin as he opened the door.

"As long as she isn't a junior, I'll be fine with that, too."

"Clark." Her indignation would have given him pause for being such a smart-ass, but just before he closed the door, he heard her barely suppress a laugh and reply, "Honestly."

He was a very lucky man.