Chapter 6: Loving You

For the last few days, Lois's husband and father-in-law had been awfully mysterious about what they were doing out in the barn and her mother-in-law politely, but firmly, demurred in enlightening her. All Martha would tell her was she'd find out soon enough. And no amount of romantic persuasion from Lois could get Clark to tell her what was going on.

'I know patience isn't one of your strong suits,' He'd grinned, with a flushed face after a particularly voluptuous kiss from her that should have had him spilling everything he knew. "But trust me when I tell you that it'll be worth it.'

More than once, the urge to go and find out for herself very nearly had her sneaking out to the barn to find out what they were keeping from her. But she always stopped short of actually following through because it would betray a trust. They obviously wanted to surprise her with something, so to keep herself distracted she picked up the box of wedding photographs her father had delivered the day before from the base photographer.

Choosing pictures for her wedding album had begun as a project to keep her busy when Clark had been away during the early weeks of their marriage. She'd gone through all of the photographs that had been taken and then chosen what she liked, what Dad and her in-laws liked and what she thought Clark might like.

Jonathan and Martha had presented her with the album a few weeks after she and Clark had settled on a wedding date. The pale cream cover had been beautifully embossed in gold with the words Our Wedding on the front cover with a pair of interlocking wedding rings underneath.

In the lower right hand corner their names were engraved with Clark and Lois Kent and the date of their wedding, December 24, 1942 set underneath.

Inside the front cover, there was a gilded parchment page for their names, their parents' names, the date of their marriage, location and the best man and maid-of-honor, or in Lois's case, matron-of-honor. Several presentation pages inside would allow her to slip the photographs inside to be protected by a thin sheet of plastic. It didn't escape her notice that if they'd married later, in 1943, plastic probably wouldn't have been available since everything now was being rationed for the war effort.

When Clark had finally come home, she'd shown him the pictures she selected and asked him if there were any others he wanted to include and to help her find a photograph for their bedroom, just as her own mother had done in her own young marriage.

So with that done, she'd made her final order and was now ready to fill the album. The picture of her and Clark was already framed and on the dresser in their room and a second with them, their parents and Lois's sister and nephew was on the mantle over the fireplace. By the end of the year there would be two more, one of their newest addition and another of their newest addition with his or her parents.

Maybe it shouldn't have by now, but the idea of a newborn got her so flummoxed she nearly dropped the empty wedding album on the floor in her haste to get upstairs to the bathroom, her stomach fluttering furiously. Crap!

Dr. Francis had warned her nerves could bring on a bought of morning sickness, but since Lois wasn't by nature a nervous person, she'd never given it a second thought. But then, she'd never been in the family way, either.

She got to the top of the stairs and rushed for the bathroom only to find the door closed. This was just great! Lois rapped urgently on the door and when it opened, Clark had a grin on his face as he dried his hands on a hand towel, "Learning Morse code?"

She didn't have time to joke and pushed him aside, "Out of the way, G-man."

The grin disappeared in an instant as he slung the towel over his shoulder and quickly closed the door. "Hang on for a second, the floor is cold." He put a hand on her arm to stop her and grabbed for a bath towel. He dropped it on the floor before helping her to kneel and then after a frustrating wait, nothing happened.

Clark's large, warm hand massaged the tension between her shoulder blades as she dealt with dry heaves that cramped her stomach and left her breathless. "Is there anything I can do?" He sounded worried.

She could only shake her head as the cramps slowly subsided and then she sighed as she leaned back into Clark's strong chest. "Well, that was a first."

"Maybe it means you won't be getting so sick anymore." He suggested as his hand skimmed gently against her head, brushing her hair back. "Dr. Francis did say it should be getting better by now."

"It is." She nodded, not wanting him unduly alarmed. "I just got a little overwhelmed with the idea I'm going to be a mother by the end of the year."

"I get pretty nervous about the idea of being a dad, too." She felt his lips, feather-light at her temple. "But we've got our parents to help us."

"I know we do." Lois sighed again and Clark got his arms around her waist, taking her onto his lap as he sat down on the floor. "And I know you're nervous, but I'm the one carrying this kid inside me for the next few months. This little bundle that we've created together and who we'll be bringing into the world is completely dependent on me until the big day."

"You're doing a good job taking care of him, even Dr. Francis says so." He reminded her. "He's really pleased with how you're listening to him and taking his instructions seriously. Your weight is good, your blood pressure has leveled out and the baby is getting more active."

"He did say he has some patients who think they know better than he does because they've already had kids." Lois nodded. "And some don't care for him because they think he's too brusque."

"He is that, but he's not unkind." Clark stroked his hand up and down her back, relaxing her with his touch. She loved the feeling of his hands on her. "He tells his patients what they need to hear. As great a doctor as he was old Doc Dearing sometimes sugar-coated things when a straight-forward approach would have been better."

"Your mom told me about him." She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest and sighed, suddenly wanting to lie down. "He sounds like a nice fellow."

"He is." She could feel Clark shift, probably looking to see if she was all right. "He's been happily retired since Dr. Francis moved to Smallville, though he does take his patients when Dr. Francis has to be gone for more than a few days."

"Mm-hmm," She nodded, feeling sleepier by the moment.

"Lois, don't go to sleep yet." She heard his soft chuckle and felt another soft kiss in her hair. "The bed is much more comfortable than a tile floor."

"I'm not on the floor." She mumbled with another sigh.

"But I am." His lips sought out hers with one more gentle kiss, clinging longer than they probably should have. "Come on Sleeping Beauty. Let's get you to our royal chambers."

"Some Prince Charming you are." Lois couldn't help but smile, her eyes still closed. "A real Prince Charming would let his sleeping beauty rest in his lap."

"Not on cold tiles, he wouldn't." Clark countered with a laugh. "But I'll stay with you if you want. Will that do?"

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking like a sleepy owl and caught his amused gaze. "Make love to me and you've got a deal."

His body tensed up at her request, as she figured it would and reacted predictably as his face flushed. "You're falling asleep in my lap, Lois. Do you realize the wound my manly pride would take if you fell asleep again while we were making love?"

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Lois felt her face inexplicably warm with a blush. He was the only man who could make her do it. "Will you at least carry us?"

He grinned and gave her a gentle pat on her backside as he nodded. "As soon as you get off my lap, I'd be happy to."

"Why not just pick me up from here?" She asked as she stayed put, just to see what he would do.

"I might be a special agent with the FBI," He helped her to her feet. "But I don't exactly have super-strength, you know."

"You mean you can't leap tall buildings and all of that?" She asked him with a cheeky smile as he stood and then brushed his cheek, roughened with afternoon stubble. The friction of it sent prickles of electricity through her body and suddenly, she wasn't so tired anymore.

Clark must have sensed it because his face flushed again as wariness and want reflected in his eyes. "Lois, you need to rest."

She wasn't going to let him talk her out of it this time.

"I can rest after you've had your way with me." Lois leaned up on her toes, took his face in her hands and brushed her thumbs softly across his cheeks before she kissed him. She employed every bit of romantic persuasion she'd learned since their first kiss to get him to do exactly what she wanted.

Her husband was no pushover to be sure, but Lois also knew a gentle press of her breasts against his chest and the stroke of her fingers at the nape of his neck were usually enough to get him to change his tune, no matter how reluctantly. Making sure he felt the swell of her blossoming body between them didn't hurt, either.

"You don't play fair." He fairly growled in her ear and her heart stuttered as his arms wrapped around her waist and held her close.

"Not if it gets me what I want." She whispered back and nipped his earlobe. "So get me out of here, buster."

He answered her request with a kiss so passionate, her knees nearly buckled. But before they could he'd swept her into his arms, headed with due haste to their bedroom.

When Clark got her across the threshold, he let her feet find purchase on the floor before he closed the door quietly behind them. He turned the key in the lock and then removed it, setting it on the dresser. All the while his other arm was firmly around her waist, keeping her body close to his. Lois blinked in surprise because he'd never actually locked their door before.

"I couldn't help but remember the night I got home from California and Mom didn't know I was home yet." He answered her look of surprise with a sheepish grin. "They don't know we're up here now and I'd rather you and she not be embarrassed if she should come looking for us."

"Then let's not waste any time." Lois answered by pulling up on his tee shirt. Clark stepped back enough to get it over his head and let it drop to the floor before he took her by her shoulders and turned her around. The buttons down the back of her dress were quickly undone and with a shrug the rayon garment slipped to the floor.

He turned her around again and took her hands in his. "You are still the prettiest girl in Lowell County, especially now."

"I love you, too." She squeezed his fingers in gratitude before he gathered her in his arms and kissed her.

oooooo

She'd done it to him, again, not that he was complaining.

Clark and his father had finally finished the swing. The boards had been sanded smooth as he could make them, so Lois wouldn't catch any splinters, and covered with several coats of whitewash. When they had dried, Dad coated them with shellac to make them more weather resistant and then put the swing together. After being assembled, Clark filled in the nail holes with putty, then he painted and shellacked again.

It was a swing meant to last for generations.

That very morning, Sam had come out to the farm on the pretext of seeing his daughter. He did the appropriate fussing he knew would make Lois a little crazy and she shooed him out of the house after breakfast, along with his father.

In the meantime, Mom kept her busy with chores around the house and working on the wedding album while Clark joined them to rig up the swing, all the while trying to stay as quiet as possible.

She was already suspicious of the secrecy, even though he, Dad, Mom andSam swore to her they weren't keeping a secret from her, but his wife was no fool. She was going along with it, but he was certain she didn't believe it.

He'd planned to head downstairs after washing up to collect her and take her out to the back yard, but her nervous stomach and their subsequent lovemaking had brought everything to a grinding halt.

After a cold start to the day, their room had warmed rather nicely with the early afternoon sun shining through the window as they spooned together. Clark's hand brushed lightly against the soft swell of Lois' abdomen and her hand dropped lightly on his as she sighed lightly and he continued to stroke.

"Is everything all right?" He whispered in her ear before he kissed her cheek.

"Just fine," Her low, sleepy voice answered as she reached back with her free hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"Good." He took those fingers and kissed the knuckles lightly before kissing her cheek again. "But we need to get downstairs because we have something to show you."

"We?" Lois rolled over and her tousled hair, sleepy eyes and flushed cheeks nearly made him change his mind. Yet as much as he would have loved making love to her again, their parents were waiting and Clark had no doubt they'd be teased about the delay.

"We," He nodded and kissed her nose, "As in me, my parents and your dad. We've got something to help you get through the summer."

"Is it bigger than a bread box?" She grinned at him and he leaned over to press his lips to hers. The kiss was just firm enough to make her happy, but not so much so she'd refuse to get out of bed.

"You'll have to come downstairs to see." He kissed her again as further enticement before he got up and started collecting his clothes. "I'm going to dress in the bathroom and I'll meet you down in the parlor in ten minutes."

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" She asked him very softly and Clark closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Oh, lord, he knew that tone.

She wasn't through with him yet.

But he had to refuse her, difficult as it was and he finally managed an answer. "Yes. I'll meet you downstairs." He grabbed the key off of the dresser to unlock the door. You and your bright ideas, Kent!

His hands were shaking as he fumbled with the lock and silently swore a blue streak until he heard the click of the lock and nearly yanked the door off of its hinges to open it. As he closed the door behind him, Lois's gentle laugh bubbled behind him and he realized he was grinning.

The way she could still unnerve him after all this time hearkened back to their early days of knowing each other when he never knew what to expect from her.

She patted his chest again and laughed because she seemed to really enjoy his sudden discomfort and felt the need to make an announcement to those gathered in the newsroom just before she kissed his cheek for good measure. "He's so bashful."

Clark rubbed his chest absently as he remembered her unexpected arrival at the Planet that day, when she was supposed to have been tucked away safely at the farm. In all honesty, she'd scared him to death and in some ways, she still did.

He dressed and was downstairs in the parlor with time to spare when he got a whiff of lilacs. He turned around and Lois was on the stairs, watching him. Maybe it was the afternoon sun coming in through the front door, but Clark could swear she was glowing.

She'd fixed her hair and repaired her makeup so there wouldn't be any indication of what they'd been doing and she was back in her socks and loafers. She had one hand on the banister while the other rubbed absently over her abdomen. She was a picture and she was his.

"Do you know how adorable you are when you're flustered?" She smiled at him as she stepped off the bottom step and walked toward him, her hips swaying a little more than they had before. How had he not noticed?

"I was realizing the folly of a locked door." He smiled back at her and grasped one of her hands. "I'll have to rethink my strategy next time."

"It's just nice to know I can still unnerve you from time to time." She ran her other hand down his cheek. "So what's this big surprise you have for me?"

"Come with me and you'll find out." He squeezed her hand and tucked it into his elbow, escorting her through the parlor and through the kitchen. When they got to the service porch door, he asked her to close her eyes.

She raised her eyebrows at him as though to say, "Are you kidding?", but only for a moment before she did as he requested. "You'll make sure I don't trip on Shelby."

It wasn't a question.

"You won't trip on Shelby." Clark promised her before he opened the door. Mom, Dad and Sam were on the swing, glasses of lemonade in hand, talking amiably while they waited. The three of them had become such good friends since Lois's father first came out to the farm and it made her happy knowing he had a place to come where he was just Sam Lane, not General. His friendship with Clark's parents had softened him around the edges and she was grateful for it.

"You kids take a detour?" Sam grinned at them. "We were expecting you about twenty minutes ago."

"Sam." Mom admonished him with a smile of her own before she looked at Clark and nodded.

"Okay, honey." His heart picked up an odd flutter as he saw the expectant looks on their faces and he knew he was smiling. "You can open your eyes."

When she finally did, she didn't say a word and Sam and his parents all stood up. He walked her to the new swing, sat her down and sat down next to her, setting the swing into motion.

Lois looked at him, confused and clearly overwhelmed. "This is for me?"

"It was Martha's idea." Jonathan explained to her with a nod. "She was concerned with the summer months coming on soon and you getting farther along, you'd need a place to stay cool during the heat of the day."

"It might have been my idea, but it was your father-in-law and your husband who built it and rigged it." Mom made sure everyone got due credit. "And your father came out this morning to help put it up. It was very much a family effort."

Clark could see Lois struggling to hold on to her composure. Her gaze moved from Mom, then to Dad and lastly to her own father. Tears were pooling in her eyes and she seemed to be struggling to try and find the right words. "I don't know what to say."

"You're welcome, honey." Mom answered and turned for the house. "You two enjoy the nice day for awhile. I'll call when lunch is ready."

When they were alone, with the exception of a snoozing Shelby near Lois's feet, she shook her head. "I don't understand."

"All you need to understand is how much we love you." Clark gathered her in his arms and dropped a kiss in her hair, "Especially me. We did this because as much of our support as you have, you're the one who is doing the important work of carrying our baby. We just want to try and make it as easy for you as we can."

"Thank you." She looked into his eyes and smiled as tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes.

"You're welcome, from all of us." Clark replied as Lois tucked her feet under her and snuggled closer to him, laying her hand over his heart.

"Does this mean I have to share?"

And he smiled, only Lois.