We Belong to the Thunder – Entrusting Information

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, which is a crying shame. But no copyright infringement intended.

Title: Entrusting Information

Series: We Belong to the Thunder

Genre: Vignette, Lois/Clark Romance, Tess/Oliver Romance

Verse: Smallville, Sequel to Bad Romance

Rating: PG-13

Important Notes: This story is a sequel to Bad Romance, with a lot more Clois. Bad Romance was written pre-Season 10, and I did not add in Season 10, so there are a few things that have now become my universe in this story…that you need to know to understand the story.

# 1 – Lex and Tess are not brother and sister.

# 2 – Lois is aware that Chloe and Clark deleted her memories in Pandora and that Tess saw into her mind.

# 3 – Clark and Tess did not form the strangely close relationship of Season 10. In this fic, if you did not read Bad Romance, they made the progress up to Salvation and then weeks/months progressed between them, but it is Lois that made the progress with her first.

# 4 – Oliver and Chloe did not get married in my universe. Because that was some f***ed up sh**!

To the story now!

Thanks and Dedication: Thanks to Juliette for always beta-ing my stories and making me speak English. You're a goddess! And for dedications, Julie, Yvonne, and Babette. You three have been such great fan fiction supporters and I hope this is worth the wait!

XxX

She pulled her top off and climbed onto his lap, kissing him deeply. His hands reached up to massage her breasts, and he immediately dipped his fingers beneath the lacy material of her bra. His tongue traced down the line of her throat, ready to make contact with her hardening nipples when her cell phone went off, startling them both.

Just as they were both about to ignore it, the doorbell rang-repeatedly.

"Who the hell is that?" Lois asked, getting off of her husband.

"Someone ambitiously trying to ruin a Saturday afternoon," Clark replied, letting go of Lois's hips.

The brunette put her shirt back on and looked at the number on her cell, recognizing it immediately. She ran her hand through her hair and went to the front door. Opening it, she saw an exhausted and distressed redhead with an eight-week-old baby in a carrier.

"Hi," Tess said pathetically.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked with his hands on Lois's shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm just glad he's asleep finally. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Come in," Lois said, standing aside and motioning for Tess to enter.

Tess entered, carrying her baby to the couch with Lois and Clark behind her and then she collapsed, unashamed of her exhaustion.

"Do you want something to drink? Or eat? Vodka? Ice cream?"

"It's eleven thirty. Just water is fine, thank you."

Lois got on her knees to peek at the baby.

"If you wake him, I'll kill you," Tess told her.

Lois grinned and then knelt in front of Tess who was lying back in the chair.

"It's okay, Tess. Just relax."

Clark came back out and handed a glass of water to Tess. She smiled at the lemon he put in it for her.

"Where's Oliver?" he asked, sitting on the couch beside Lois, pulling her legs over his lap.

"On some…Green Arrow mission. He'll be back tonight."

Tess sipped the water for a minute and looked pleadingly at Lois. Lois got the hint immediately.

"Clark, we need a few minutes alone."

"I see," he smiled, getting up obediently.

"Why don't you take the baby to the barn and make yourself useful?" Lois suggested.

Tess reached forward and grabbed onto the handle of the carrier.

"No no, don't take him!" she cried when Clark came towards Daniel.

There was a silence in the room and Tess immediately felt embarrassed of her reaction. She closed her eyes, tired and over-sensitive to everything.

"Clark, I'm sorry."

Clark knelt down on the floor until he was eye-to-eye with Tess.

"I'm not going to take your baby," he said to her carefully, worried that his past attitude towards her was affecting her trust.

"I know that," she replied honestly.

"I'm not," he said again.

"I know. But he's so little and no matter how tired I am, it's still hard being without him, not knowing where he is. I didn't mean to react like that."

"I understand. But no matter what I said before, I don't think that anymore. I was there when he was born and I see you with him. You're his mother. And I have at least two people who would kill me if I did anything, as well they should."

Tess smiled a little, comforted by his words.

"Clark, it's girl talk time," Lois said after the moment had passed and she could tell Tess didn't know how to reply to him.

"Going," Clark said immediately, standing up and leaving.

When he shut the door, Daniel awoke from the noise and began to cry.

"I'm sorry," Lois sympathized as Tess reached down to pick him up.

"Don't worry about it," Tess said, rubbing his back and soothing him.

She looked at Lois, who unlike her, had gotten a full night's sleep and was now looking at her, aching to hold her son. Lois had had an unusually instant bond with Daniel for which Tess was surprisingly grateful. She wasn't even sure that Lois was aware of it yet, but it was nice to have a friend to go to with her child.

"Would you like to hold him?" Tess asked.

"Sure," Lois said as nonchalantly as she could.

Tess was relieved when Lois took her son and rested him against her chest. She could tell that her son relaxed immediately in Lois's arms, and Lois looked back up her.

"What's going on?"

Tess rested her cheek against her hand, drained and fatigued. "I've just over burdened myself with everything and you know Chloe doesn't want to come back here full time, so she asked me to do Watchtower-"

"Be Watchtower, there's a difference."

"Fine, be Watchtower, which is always a strange thing, when the ex-girlfriend asks you a favor like that. But I just found out something that really…"

"What's wrong?" Lois pushed, impatience getting the best of her as Tess danced around the issue.

"Can Clark hear us?" Tess asked, looking in the direction of the barn.

"He's not listening. Just tell me what's wrong."

"I'm pregnant."

"What?"

"Shhh," Tess whispered.

Lois looked down at Daniel, then back at Tess. "What did you do, wait until the exact six-week mark to celebrate the big day?"

Tess ran a hand down her face, forgetting about her makeup.

"Did you not use anything?"

"Lois! You are not helping me and I came here, crazy as it was, for support. And yes, we used something, for all the good it did."

Lois shook her head in amusement and smiled. "Well, I think it's great," she said, honestly happy another baby was coming into their lives. "Do you realize at Daniel's first birthday you're going to have a second baby?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "It's not as magical as you think, Lois. Waking up every two to three hours to feed your baby? Try doing that with a one year old and a full time job that demands your whole mind. To say nothing of a man who can't wait one second past the minute you're healed from giving birth."

"Oliver should have to give birth," Lois replied tersely. "But who cares. You're going to have a baby!"

Lois was entirely too happy about the situation.

"I just did! I'm exhausted. You try spending the better part of two years pregnant and see how glamorous you feel."

Lois laughed softly at Tess's expense, selfishly still loving to see her struggle. "Do you need an army cot for a nap?" she half teased.

"Would you begrudge me the opportunity?"

"No, go upstairs to the guest bedroom. I'll take care of everything. You can stay for lunch and I'll call Oliver later. It's fine."

"Are you kidding me? I'm too stressed to sleep in a bed like a normal person. The most I could get is a few minutes right here. So just…could you watch him and ignore me?"

Lois insisted and Tess rested her head against the shoulder of the chair, leaving Lois feeling sympathy for her. She reached her hand across the couch to caress Tess's hair briefly. Tess nodded off quickly and Lois enjoyed having the sleeping baby on her stomach.

XxX

"We've been here for two hours," Clark commented, flipping through another magazine.

"It's her first baby. We'll probably be here for another twelve," Lois replied matter-of-factly.

Oliver came through the doors of the hospital room, pulling out his cell phone. Lois and Clark stood up and walked the short distance to him.

"What's going on? She didn't have it already, did she?" Clark asked.

"No, she changed her mind. She wants the epidural and the doula. So I've gotta get hers here immediately."

Lois put her hand on Oliver's wrist, ceasing his dialing. "That could take forever. And what can a doula do that I can't? Rub her shoulders and feet and provide her soothing words and ice chips?"

"Lois-"

"Clark, go find the doctor and Oliver, forget the doula, I'll help Tess."

"You'll help her?" Oliver inquired.

"What? You don't think I'm a soothing person?" she challenged with raised eyebrows, well aware of the many sarcastic answers that could come her way. "We don't have time for this. Tess is in pain, so go get her the drugs and let me help her. Babe, go!" she pleaded to Clark.

Clark dashed off and Oliver took Lois by the arm, bringing her back into the room, wanting assistance for the woman he loved. Tess was between contractions and she looked at Lois.

"What?" she asked, seeing them both aware of the situation, knowing that she wasn't.

"Clark's getting the doctor and I'm going to be here for you," Lois told her, propping her up. "Oliver, can you get her some more ice chips?"

Tess surrendered, her head falling against the pillow.

"I'm really grateful that you two are here for me, but I don't know that I want Clark in here watching me give birth."

"Who said anything about that?" Oliver said, taking a spoonful of the ice chips to put in her mouth. "I don't want him in here for that either. Lois and I are here for you, the doctor's here for the baby, Clark's getting the epidural and then he's outside for the duration."

Tess looked from Oliver to Lois who was trying really hard not to laugh.

"He's so cute when he thinks he has a right to an opinion," Tess said to her new helper.

Oliver placed an ice chip in her mouth to shut her up. "Yeah-you, you're so lucky you're in labor right now," he muttered playfully.

Tess felt the sharp pain course through her and grabbed onto Oliver. "It's back, it's back."

Oliver quickly handed Lois the ice chips and placed both hands over Tess's. "It's going to be okay, I'm here," he said, placing kisses over her face. "I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

"Turn her on her side a little," Lois said, gently massaging Tess's side.

"Why?"

"Don't question everything I say, just do it," Lois insisted.

"And don't fight when I'm in this much pain!" Tess moaned, turning with Lois's help.

"How far apart were those contractions?" Lois asked, rubbing Tess's shoulders gently and getting the sweaty hair out of her face.

"Four minutes," Oliver answered, focused on Tess's controlled breathing.

"Lois," Tess said.

"Yeah?" Lois replied.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Lois looked at her, slightly surprised that Tess seemed surprised. Did Tess think Lois was really incapable of an act of kindness towards her? What was a few years of nastiness and a punching match compared to a blossoming friendship?

"You're welcome. Don't worry. I was in the army. I've seen it all."

"Then I'll tell you what I'd like to see," Tess cried painfully. "I'd like to see you go get my doctor since Clark is apparently too nice to grab him by the balls and drag him in here."

"See, now you're speaking my language," Lois smiled. Lois looked at Oliver. "Get on the bed with her.

Let her rest against you. I'll take her hands and pull her forward, then you get behind her."

"I can sit up myself," Tess professed. "Don't treat me like an invalid."

Tess sat up and didn't reach for the hands that Lois offered. In that moment, Tess reminded Lois so much of herself. Lois watched as Tess let Oliver kiss her exhausted mouth, trying even in her agony to please him. He climbed in the bed behind her, pulled her against him and rocked her gently. He crossed his arms over her chest lightly and spoke to her as she closed her eyes.

"This is nothing compared to the fights we've had," he whispered softly and she exhaled a laugh against him. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she breathed, turning her face as far towards him as she could in her position. "But right now I'm telling you, you could never understand this kind of suffering."

"I'll let you try it on me later," he said, lacing her fingers with his.

"I'll be back," Lois told them, slightly amazed that they tended to forget other people were in the room with them.

It didn't take Lois very long to find Clark walking back quickly with the doctor. Lois told the doctor to go ahead inside and then she rose up on her toes and kissed Clark.

"I'm not even going to ask what took you so long, but I'm going to be in there, and it's going to be great. I'll come get you when it's over." She was overwhelmed by her love for him. "I need you so much," she whispered, kissing him once more.

When she turned to walk away he grabbed her hand, yanking her back towards him, the charge from his touch flooding her body and exploding inside her when his mouth caressed hers again.

"Clark," she sighed, trying to remain aware they were in public. "Don't make me think these things when she's in there suffering. Stop," Lois smiled against him. "I gotta go."

She caressed his face and went back to Tess's room, leaving Clark to the magazines and television without cable.

Another seven hours went by with Tess having a much less painful labor due to a helpful epidural injection. Though her first two trimesters had been tumultuously passionate with Oliver, the last few months had been without fights and struggle. He held her as she pushed the baby out while Lois tending to her, being the support Tess needed.

"Squeeze my hands," Oliver said as she clenched through the final push and then he leaned her back against the bed. "It's okay," he whispered, pulling her to him and resting his lips against her forehead. "You did it, Mercy, he's here."

Lois went to look at their baby, waiting for him to cry.

"He's perfectly fine, Ms. Mercer-you have a perfectly strong-" she said, cutting the cord. "-baby boy."

And then he cried. Tess, in all her exhaustion, sobbed briefly at the sound of her son. The nurses cleaned him off and checked his vitals while the doctor tended to Tess.

"Are you ready to hold him?" the nurse asked, carrying him towards her.

Lois and Oliver were crowded on the bed beside Tess, eager to see the new life. Tess opened her tired arms and gathered her baby into them.

"Look at him," she whispered to Oliver in joy.

"He's even more perfect than I thought he'd be." Oliver placed his finger in the baby's hand. "Not as nice out here, is it, little guy?"

Tess rested her head against Oliver's shoulder. "It takes such a long time to get him here…so much anticipation for something you wait all your life to feel."

Lois smiled, brushing Tess's hair with her fingers until Oliver interrupted, kissing Tess tenderly.

"Why don't you hold him, so long as you give him back," she grinned, handing her son to him.

"I want a turn after Oliver," Lois chimed in.

After the doctors and nurses filtered out of the room, the three of them took turns passing the baby. "He's so tiny," Lois commented, running her finger along the baby's arm.

"Are you kidding me?" Tess shot back. Then she glared at Oliver. "Did you hear that?" she snapped, making Oliver crack up.

"I think this would be a very good time for you to go get Clark," Oliver told Lois.

"We did just completely leave him out there, didn't we?" Tess said, grateful that it hadn't been an even more difficult birth so she was left with enough energy to celebrate with them.

Tess watched Oliver hold their son proudly, her heart content and exhausted. She tore her eyes from her child and looked up at the man she loved.

"When they come back in, hand him to Lois to give to Clark."

Oliver nodded, understanding that Tess wanted Lois to have a baby to hand to her husband. He understood the things Tess wanted to give to others. When the hospital door opened, Clark came in carrying balloons and cards, making Tess laugh.

"He got bored," Lois explained.

"Did you know there's a gift shop?" Clark asked. "I thought you might like a few things, so here's some balloons and here's a card," he grinned, handing her one. "Here's one you need to sign," he said, handing one to Lois. "Congratulations."

He leaned in and kissed Tess on the forehead, handing her one of the four balloons he'd bought in the shape of a baby bottle. "You look ridiculous, you know that, right?" Tess said.

"Thank you," he replied gallantly. "Is this him?" he asked, looking at the baby. "Never mind, forget I asked that."

Tess took Lois's arm gently and guided her closer. "Here, you…" she murmured, taking her son and easing him into Lois's arms. "…take him, there you go."

Tess knew Lois and Clark would have their moment with her son and she wanted that for them. Tess felt nothing but happiness to have Lois and Clark in her life.

"Do you want to hold him?" Lois asked Clark, all smiles.

"Does the sun rise in the east?"

Lois effortlessly slid the baby into Clark's arms.

"His eyes are already brown," Clark noted.

Tess grinned. "Yeah, I noticed that too."

Tess was happy, Lois thought, and so was she.

XxX

Lois kissed Daniel's forehead gently as he slept blissfully against her. Tess slumbered just as peacefully beside them. She heard Clark coming in from the barn.

"Shhh," she whispered, knowing his super-hearing could detect her soft whisper.

He came into the room and felt his heart stop at the sight of Daniel on top of her. He wanted the baby to be theirs. Lois smiled up at him and overwhelming emotion flooded him. He looked at Tess sleeping, grateful for the pieces of a life she provided them, pieces that he feared he might never be able to give Lois himself.

"Cover her up," Lois whispered. "But don't wake her."

Clark retrieved a blanket and covered Tess up gently before retiring to the couch beside Lois, enjoying the baby he'd come to love almost as much as the woman beside him.

~~~~To Be Continued~~~~