It took 20 minutes for Ken-Yel and his wife, Rachael to arrive at the mansion. When they made their way upstairs and into the master bedroom, Lex was there waiting anxiously.

"So, how's the young mother doing?" Ken-Yel questioned.

"Oh, don't let Clark hear you say that." Lex answered back softly. "He's already moody as it is."

"Ahh, the labor hormones...those are always fun."

"You're tellin' me."

"Who's in the room with him?" Rachael wondered.

"Martha, his mother...he didn't want me in there."

"Ken was the same way. He didn't want me in the delivery room in the beginning, but once it got closer to him giving birth, he demanded that I be in the room."

"I never did that." The doctor answered defensively.

"Yes, you did. Don't lie..."

"Fine, sweetheart...I 'did' want her in the room later on, but in the first half of labor, I didn't want to see her face."

"Now, he can't get rid of me."

"That's for damn sure."

The two aliens kissed softly as they made their way into the bathroom slowly. When they entered one room, Jonathan came into the bedroom, carrying a bunch of stuff.

"Hey, Lex..." He spoke up. "I brought you two some things from the house."

He set them down on the ground near his son-in-law, letting the young man rummage through it all. There were cute baby outfits, all in white and yellow, obviously purchased and/or made by Martha and her friends, many receiving blankets, shoes and toys in yellow, green and purple, among a bunch of baby-related things.

"There are a couple more things in the back of the truck still, but I'll bring them up, once the babies are born." Mr. Kent stated lightly.

"Jonathan, this is amazing. You and Martha are so great to us. Thank you." Lex replied, trying not to cry.

The two men embraced softly and let each other go, just as the bathroom door opened. Martha walked out of the space and over to the two men.

"How's he doing, sweetheart?" Jonathan questioned, pulling his wife close to his body.

"He's doing okay. He's just in a lot of pain, but Ken-Yel said that would pass after a while." Martha responded.

"That's good. Can I go and see him?"

"Yeah, I think he'd like that."

"Lex, you want to..."

"Naw, you go and see your son." The taller gent replied with a smile.

"Alright..."

Jonathan walked into the bathroom, seeing Rachael and Ken-Yel doing tests and monitoring his son and the babies' conditions. A familiar face turned towards the door, where he was, and smiled.

"Hey, Dad..." Clark spoke softly.

"Hey, son..." He responded, moving towards the tub. "How's everything going?"

"It's going as good as it can, I guess. They just said I'm 3 centimeters dilated."

"That's good. Do you think you're ready?"

"Are you kidding? I'm more nervous than ever."

"Mom and I weren't ready for you, but we found a way. I know you will, too. You have Lex...he's a very special man, son."

"I know, Dad. He's everything to me."

"He wants to see you..."

"I know, I'm just scared..."

"Scared of what?"

"Everything: the 'giving birth' part thing, the parenting thing... just everything. How did you and Mom handle it?"

"Well, your mom and I didn't get to have the 'giving birth' part, Clark, but we got to experience the 'parenting' thing. You were a great little boy and you've grown up to become a great young man & a great adult. And now, you're gonna be a great father."

"Yeah, I will...because I learned everything from you."

Jonathan choked back tears and smiled at his son, before stating, "Thank you, son. That really means a lot."

"I know it does, Dad, and I know that Lex has learned his parenting skills from you and Mom as well."

"You better have learned them from us, because he doesn't need to be like Lionel."

"That's for sure."

Suddenly, a hard contraction hit Clark. He started his breathing exercises swiftly as Rachael taught him to, and Jonathan stayed quiet, holding his son's hand through all of the pain and watching the monitor to see the twins' heartbeats go down as the contraction ended.

"Those suckers are worse than women say that they are." Clark stated, exhausted by the constant pain.

"Are you opting for the epidural yet?" Jonathan questioned sarcastically.

"No...Rachael said that Kryptonian males have to suffer through the pain of childbirth to prove their manhood."

"Really?"

"It's true, Jonathan," Rachael retorted from the other side of the room. "He must endure the pain before he can be proven worthy."

"She's such a spoilsport, Dad." Clark groaned lightly.

"That's me, Kal-El..." the nurse interjected. "I'm the killer of dreams..."

All three of them laughed lightly, relieving the tension in the room, which helped some until Clark had another contraction. It was going to be a long day for everyone.

Five hours passed, and Clark had progressed to 4 centimeters. He enjoyed the water, but it was turning cold again and he didn't feel like being there anymore. With the help of Ken-Yel and Jonathan, Clark was moved out of the tub. Rachael dried him off, removing the wet clothes and replacing them with a medical gown. The men walked Clark slowly to the bed that Martha and Lex had prepared for him to give birth on. Once he was lying in the bed, Clark suddenly felt more relaxed. While Lex stayed in the room with him and Ken-Yel, Jonathan and Martha sat in the study with Chloe, Pete, Lana, Jason and Rachael, who was scurrying around doing different things. They had called Lois several times, letting her know the 'play-by-play'. Back upstairs, Clark sat in bed, anxious about what was going to happen next. Lex lay next to him, propped up by his elbow, remaining quiet for his husband's sake.

"I'm so bored sitting here..." Clark stated.

"You wanna walk around at a little bit?" Lex questioned.

"I don't think I'm allowed to."

"'Not allowed to'? What's that all about?"

"Rachael told me to stay here and handle the labor 'through my own pathway'."

"Exactly, honey. You are handling the labor through walking. That's your 'own pathway'. Now, let's get you up and start moving."

"Yes, sir..."

Clark, with help from his husband, swung his legs around to the edge of the bed. He stood up slowly and put another medical gown on to cover his backside.

"The floor's cold, babe." He spoke up lightly.

"Do you need some slippers?" Lex wondered.

"Yes, please, but nothing ugly."

"You got it."

Lex hurried into their large walk-in closet and swiftly came back with a pair of black slippers in his hand.

"You brought me the ones you got me for Christmas. Thank you." Clark stated with a smile and a tear in his eye, as Lex put the slippers on the young man's feet.

"Oh, baby. Don't cry..." He replied, pulling him close into a loving embrace.

"Can't help it...the hormones, you know."

"Yep, those damn hor-meanies."

Clark chuckled at his husband's sarcasm as he wiped his tearstained face on his shoulder.

"I love you..." He whispered.

"I love you, too, Clark." Lex answered, kissing his cheek gently. "Now, let's get a move on. The sooner we start walking, the sooner those babies come out."

"Good idea..."

But just he said that, Clark's emotions changed.

"Don't move, babe." He stated. "Contraction..."

"I'm not moving." Lex said back. "Just breathe through it."

He glanced at his watch as the contraction happened, watching to see how long it was.

"Oh, God, that was terrible." Clark groaned.

"35 seconds of terrible actually..." Lex responded.

"Can this be over now?"

"Nope, it can't. You haven't proven your manhood yet."

"Oh, shut up and start walking."

Lex chuckled lightly at his husband's frustration, but did as he was asked and started to walk with him. They decided to start walking down the hallway to progress the labor, hoping that it would move along quicker.

_* To Be Continued...*_