Chapter 6 - Day 6
- THURSDAY EVENING -
The Kent home was in a bit of a flurry that afternoon, due to the much anticipated dinner party being held at the Luthor mansion that evening. Jonathan and Clark made sure to finish their farm chores earlier than usual, and Martha asked another of the employees at the Talon to take over so she could go home and get ready. Lois prepared for that evening by sleeping in until lunchtime, annoying Clark about his tractor-driving skills when she got up, and driving into town to buy some things she said she forgot. Lois took over both the bathroom AND Clark's bedroom when she got back, so Clark had no choice but to get ready in the loft.
After putting on his black dress pants, black dress shoes, and the black, long-sleeved shirt Lois had bought him the other day ("I look like some villain from a comic book," he laughed to himself), he quickly sped over to the house and into the kitchen. He found Jonathan sitting on a stool, already dressed up in a new charcoal suit and tie. Clark knew that Jonathan had been reluctant to accept the invitation to Lex's dinner party, but since Lois was so set in going, he had no choice but to come along. Wondering where Jonathan had gotten his obviously new clothes, Clark asked, "Are they ready yet?"
Jonathan shook his head, his elbows on the kitchen counter. "Nope. Lois warned me ahead that they would be 'fashionably late' and to not expect them any time soon," he replied.
"Yeesh. How long have they been getting ready?" Clark asked, taking a seat next to his father.
Jonathan checked his watch. "Hmm. It'll be two hours now. They started getting ready as soon as they came home from town..and that was when we were still cleaning up outside," he said, calculating the hours.
Clark rolled his eyes. "Women," he and his father said in unison. After chuckling and joking around for a while, Clark looked at Jonathan's clothes. "So, dad, when did you get that suit? I don't remember you and mom going out on a shopping date recently." br
"Oh...Lois picked this out for me," Jonathan replied.
Clark blinked. "She did? How?..WHEN?" Jonathan explained that Lois had run into his wife while she was in town, and had forced Martha to let her buy a new suit for him, and a new dress for her. "She's tops," Jonathan finished with a grin.
"She's rich," Clark replied. "Where'd she get all that money? She keeps buying people everything!" He thought about their shopping trip the last evening. Lois had been like a shopaholic gone crazy, buying this and that for herself or for "Chloe", etc., heck she had even bought him the shirt he was wearing!
Jonathan shrugged. "You may not know it, Clark, but your mother says that Lois hides her money like a squirrel would hide his acorns. She's got a lot saved up, I guess...Believe me, your mother and I tried forcing her to return the suit and dress she bought for us, but she wouldn't hear of it...Said that we were depriving her of the 'joy of giving', and that she wouldn't ever come visit again if we didn't accept it." br
"Dad!" Clark suddenly groaned. "Why'd you accept it?" br
Jonathan laughed and shook his head at Clark. "Unlike some people in this household, your mother and I happen to like Lois. And we decided that if accepting her gifts was going to insure her future visits to the farm, we'd take it any day." br
Clark stared at him, open-mouthed. "Dad.." he laughed. "You can't be serious." br
"I am!" br
Before they could further discuss on the matter, however, they heard someone come trotting down the stairs. "Here they come," Clark mumbled, smiling. "Cue fashion runway music," Jonathan muttered back to his son, who laughed.
They turned their heads to see only Martha coming down. She was all dressed up in a classy, velvet maroon dress that reached her knees and bared her shoulders. Her hair was done up in an elegant knot at the back of her head. As she entered the kitchen, Clark thought she looked beautiful. He glanced at his dad, who was practically drooling in the presence of his wife.
"Honey, where's my bag?" Martha asked, unaware of the looks her husband shot her way.
"He has it." "I have it." Clark and Jonathan said at the same time.
Martha smiled and took her bag from Jonathan. "Well?" she pouted. "Aren't you going to say something about how I look tonight?"
"You look beautiful, honey," Jonathan managed to get out, still staring at her. "You look great, mom," Clark grinned, rolling his eyes at his father, who looked like he was on Cloud 9.
"Thanks, sweethearts," Martha smiled, kissing both Clark and Jonathan. "Now, if you think I look great, just wait until you see Lois. She picked this dress out for me this afternoon, and said it would be lovely if we matched colors. Oh, honey, she looks absolutely gorgeous," she said, turning to her husband. She knew if she addressed this to Clark, he would just roll his eyes in an "I-don't-really-care" manner.
"I'm sure she does," Jonathan said, still moony-eyed, "But I bet she's not as gorgeous as you." Martha laughed as he kissed and hugged her.
Clark smiled and watched his parents. Their show of affection for each other never appeared cheesy. Of course, he would sometimes feel shifty and out of place when they began smooching (urk, who wouldn't?), and sometimes Jonathan would overdo it just to tease him. Nevertheless, it always had Clark thinking. Would he ever be able to experience the kind of love his parents so evidently had for each other? Would he ever be able to hold a woman in his arms the way his dad held his mom? Or was he destined to become a loner...isolated, alone, unloved, unwanted, and... Suddenly, Lois' words from the other night came to mind, "Don't plan your doom before it happens, Clark." Lois is right Clark thought listlessly. I have GOT to stop being such a pessimist.
"...We should get going now, or we'll be late," Jonathan's voice broke into Clark's thoughts. Clark looked up to see Martha walking towards the bottom of the stairs. "Lois!" she called. "Are you ready?"
"IN A MINUTE!" They heard Lois yell back. "...CAN'T...FIND...MY EARRING!..." A lot of shuffling was heard, accompanied by muffled noises of frustration.
"LOIS!" Clark yelled. "Hurry up, we're going to be late!"
"Patience is a virtue!" Lois sang in reply.
Clark rolled his eyes, and his parents chuckled a bit. They all decided to engage in light conversation for the time being. They were still in the middle of wondering which humongo room Lex was going to hold the dinner party in, when they heard Lois hastening down the stairs, her heels making a lot of noise.
It wasn't until that moment did Clark realize that he hadn't seen the outfit Lois had chosen to buy the previous day. He had all he could do not to stare. Lois was wearing a tight-fitting, maroon dress, the same color as his mother's. It was sleeveless, had a plunging neckline, and flowed out from the waist down. It showed her curves quite nicely. (I'll leave you guys to imagine what she looked like. Think sexy...but not over the top ) Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her bangs were curled slightly to the side. A black shawl was slung over her arm, and she held a small purse in her other hand. Clark had to reluctantly agree with his mother. She DID look gorgeous.
"Ha! Found it!" Lois was saying, a triumphant smile on her face. She reached the bottom of the stairs and fastened a dangling, silver earring on her right ear at the same time. She then plopped her purse onto the kitchen counter and looked at the family waiting there.
"Soo...How do I look?" She said, twirling around in a circle for them to see.
"You look beautiful, honey," Martha smiled, kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful, Lois," Jonathan added. Shelby whined his approval.
"Thanks!" Lois said, smiling sweetly at them. Not noticing that Clark was the only one who hadn't paid her a compliment, Lois whipped the video camera out of her bag.
"Oh,no, not THAT again," Clark groaned out loud, slamming his hand onto the kitchen counter.
Lois ignored him. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began her commentary, after she had pressed the REC button. "Presenting the most perfect family in the whole of the United States, the KENTS." Martha and Jonathan looked at each other and chuckled, not knowing how to react as Lois circled them and made comments about their clothes.
"First, we have Martha Kent, who is looking exceptionally GORGEOUS this evening in her velvet maroon, Versace gown...Which I picked out by the way.." Lois added with a cough. Clark rolled his eyes as Martha laughed, saying "Honey, it is NOT Versace!" But Lois ignored her, "Next, we have Jonathan Kent, accomplished farmer and head of the household. He is looking as handsome and as classy as ever in his Giorgio Armani get-up--"
"Who's Giorgio Armani?" Jonathan asked, looking puzzled. "I thought you got me this suit from--"
"COUGHCOUGHCOUGH" Lois interrupted, "YES, it is GIORGIO ARMANI, and I picked it out as well." Then, she pointed the camera at Clark. "And here..." she said a bit shortly, "we have Clark Kent. I chose his outfit, too." And she turned the camera off.
"HEY!" Clark protested.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to say how devilishly handsome and good-looking I am tonight?"
"HA! In your dreams, wannabe," Lois snorted.
Martha chose that moment to put in that it was getting late, and that it was time to get going. "Okay, we'll see you there! I'll just take Clark in my car!" Lois said, waving as they left. As soon as the Kents were gone, Lois turned back to Clark. "Look, calm down, okay? I couldn't video tape you looking like THAT!"
Clark frowned at her, confused. "Looking like what?"
"All buttoned-up and proper!" Lois sighed, putting her video camera on the counter. She then began unbuttoning the first three buttons on Clark's shirt. She tried folding it back so it showed some of his chest.
"I thought it was SUPPOSED to be all buttoned up and proper," Clark said, watching her unbutton the cuffs of his sleeves as well.
"Listen, Smallville," Lois began impatiently, as she began rolling his sleeves up until they reached his elbows. "You looked like you were going to SUFFOCATE when I came down...You have to show some SKIN if you wanna attract the ladies!" She moved to his back.
"But I don't wanna attract the ladies," Clark said, sounding uncertain. "What are you doing?" Lois was running her hands over his back and shoulders, and it tickled. Clark tried turning around to look at her, but Lois stopped him and continued sliding her hands down his back.
"Lois--"
"I'm smoothing out your shirt! It's all wrinkled back here. Now stop turning around so I can fix it!" Lois ordered. Clark did so and waited for her to finish. As soon as she was done, Lois teasingly poked a finger to Clark's side, which caused him to jump and look at her.
"There! You look formal yet stylish," Lois grinned and took out her camera again. "Now, finally," she began recording, "Here we have Clark Kent..Smallville's favorite do-gooder farm boy. Thanks to the fashion sense of ME he now looks much better than he did before."
Clark grinned. "...And...?" he said, smiling into the camera, obviously waiting to hear more.
Lois blinked. Fine, she'd humor him. "And, uh...He looks great."
"...And?"
"...Handsome and dashing?" Lois gagged.
"You forgot dark, daring, and..."
"Don't push it, farm boy," Lois said, turning her camera off as Clark laughed out loud. "Come on, let's get out of here. The party starts in half an hour," she reminded him.
"Don't you want me to take a video of YOUR outfit?" Clark asked.
Lois shook her head. "Nah, you can do that later," she said, putting her video camera away. "So. Are you ready, Mr. Kent?" she asked formally, taking her purse and swinging it over her shoulder.
"Sure, my fellow Kent," Clark saluted, holding out his arm and grinning at her.
Lois rolled her eyes as she took his arm and let herself be led out the door. "Please, do NOT remind me of that invite. Seriously, I don't know what Lex's secretary was thinking," she said, annoyed.
"Would it be so bad to be related to me?" Clark asked, looking down at her.
Lois shrugged. "Hmm, I don't know. The only GOOD thing about being related to you is your PARENTS. But I guess I could be your sister..or cousin..or something...JUST for tonight," she said, taking out her keys and walking towards her car.
"Why don't I drive this time?" Clark suggested, watching Lois open the car door.
Lois stopped and looked at him for a moment. "Oh, feeling 'gentlemanly' tonight, are we?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking at him up and down.
Clark smiled. "Well, since you've been driving ME around for the majority of this week, this is the least I can do," he explained.
Lois seemed to think about it. She finally shrugged and tossed Clark her keys. "All right. But one scratch on this baby, and your butt is MINE," she said, walking around and getting into the passenger's seat.
Clark laughed and got in as well. As he turned the key in the ignition, Lois looked out the window thoughtfully. Clark's behavior that morning and afternoon hadn't escaped her notice. He had been a perfect gentleman, pulling out her chair for her during breakfast and lunch, serving her himself, and actually making an effort to start a conversation over their meals. He would only smile each time she'd try to annoy him, and now he was driving her to the party. Why was he being so nice to her? If he continues this weird stuff until tomorrow morning Lois thought, I'll ask him about it.
Meanwhile, beside her, Clark was starting to regret suggesting to drive. The sweet scent coming from the woman beside him was enough to distract him from navigating their transport towards Lex's mansion. Lois' face was turned to the window, and Clark was grateful for that, or she would have caught him staring. It was already dark, but he could still make out Lois' profile. His new evaluation of her character added to her beauty that evening, and he couldn't help but stare every few seconds. Clark reluctantly tore his eyes away from Lois and tried to focus on his driving instead.
"You're quiet," Lois suddenly said.
Clark, who had just finished watching her, was forced to turn and look at her again. Not that he didn't want to. "So are you," he smiled.
"Is something wrong?" Lois immediately asked, looking into his eyes.
Clark blinked and made a turn on the road. "No..Why?"
Lois shrugged. "Nothing. I was just making sure. You've been so quiet since we've set out, and that's unusual...especially for someone like YOU," she added.
Clark chuckled. "No, don't worry. Nothing's wrong," but he fell silent once more. He couldn't help it. He didn't even know WHY Lois' presence suddenly provoked him into silence lately. Usually, they'd be in the middle of one of their petty arguments, and only Chloe would have been able to break it up. But Chloe wasn't there. It was only the two of them. ALONE. In a CAR, no less. And, oh my gosh. "We're not killing each other," Clark incredulously thought out loud.
Lois turned to look at him. "What?" she asked, an odd look on her face.
Clark shook his head and prevented himself from smacking his forehead. "Uh, nothing," he said, hoping Lois wouldn't ask for an explanation.
Lois raised an eyebrow. "O..kay..." she said, crouching her eyebrows. He was acting so weird that night.
"Oh, look, we're here," Clark suddenly said, relief in his voice. Lois looked up and sure enough, they had arrived at their destination.
LUTHOR MANSION
(dun, dun, DUN.)
Lois and Clark followed a butler down the endless hallways of the large mansion. They had been informed that Lex was hosting his little dinner party in one of the biggest rooms in his house, which the butler had called the "Ballroom." Lois and Clark snickered for some while, talking in whispers about how stinkin' RICH Lex was.
"He must have at least...fifty cars," Lois said, her heels clicking on the floor.
"Make that sixty," Clark corrected.
Lois stared at him. "Are you SERIOUS?" she asked, her mouth open.
"Actually, ma'am, he has a hundred," the butler in front of them suddenly said, "...Counting the ones he keeps in storage overseas, of course."
As he opened the large doors to what appeared to be the 'ballroom', Lois raised an eyebrow at Clark, who had a "whoa, no way" look on his face. "A HUNDRED?" she mouthed. Clark pointed at the back of the old butler before them and mouthed back, "That's what he said." That was when the butler stopped, turned around, and looked at them.
"Your invitation, please," he said stiffly, reaching out a gloved hand.
Clark blinked. "Uh, actually, my parents have the invitation. They arrived here before us," he explained.
The butler took out a stack of cards from a pocket beneath his jacket. "Your parents' name, please?" he said, searching through the pile of invites in his hand.
"Jonathan and Martha Kent," Clark replied. This new butler of Lex's sure liked to "make sure" of things.
Clark and Lois waited patiently as the butler searched through his stack of cards. Finally, he took one out. Looking at Clark and Lois, he sniffed to himself. "Clark Kent?" he asked, turning to Clark. Clark nodded, wondering if the guy was going to ask for his ID. Instead, the butler turned to Lois. "And you are Lois?" he asked, reading off the invite. "Yes," Lois replied. The butler nodded once more, and turned to the huge room full of dancing and talking people.
"MR. - AND MRS. - CLARK KENT!" he bellowed, stepping aside and gesturing an arm towards the couple beside him.
Everything suddenly came to a stand-still. The people cheerfully conversing in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at a shocked and confused Clark and Lois. The couples on the dance floor also stopped dancing, and the string quartet situated in a corner of the room eventually ceased playing their music as well.
Complete...and utter...SILENCE...
"...What...the..." Lois began, but Clark took her arm in a warning grip, and just smiled politely to the inquiring faces looking at them. The music began again, and everyone returned to his or her own business, now and then looking at Clark and Lois, the words "them", "too young", and "married" swimming through their heads, no doubt. Clark quickly steered a fuming Lois towards the refreshments table, where Chloe was almost on the floor, laughing her head off.
"What'd you guys do?" Chloe asked, as soon as Clark and Lois were with her. She was practically wheezing with laughter in her flowing, turquoise-colored gown, "Get MARRIED without letting anybody but LEX know? Oh, that hurts!" She began laughing again.
Lois stamped a foot on the ground. "I knew that wretched invite was coming back to haunt me someday. I just KNEW it," she said, turning to Clark, who just shrugged helplessly. "This is all your fault, Kent!"
Clark pointed to himself. "MY fault! Why's it MY fault? How was I supposed to know that he was going to announce us coming in?"
"I don't know, but you should have done SOMETHING!" Exasperated, Lois turned to look at her cousin. "Stop laughing, Chloe!" she barked.
Chloe took a napkin and covered her mouth, trying to do as Lois had ordered. "...Okay, okay, okay...I'm fine..I'm good," she sighed, her laughs finally coming to a stop. "But really, Lois, it's not Clark's fault. That weird, old dude announced EVERYONE who came in. You'd think we were at the queen's banquet or something. "
Lois sighed and shook her head. "Man, Lex SERIOUSLY needs to get new help," she grumbled, taking the glass of punch Clark held out to her. "First his secretary...now his BUTLER..."
"Just thank God we know almost everyone in here," Clark said, sipping from his glass, "At least THEY know the truth about..you know...us." He began gesturing an arm between him and Lois.
Chloe nodded her head in agreement. "See, that's one of the downsides in being filthy rich," she added, feeling like Lois needed more 'calming down.' "You have so many people doing practically EVERYTHING for you, that you forget to look over and correct some things..like invites."
Lois rolled her eyes and grumbled some more over her cup. "Well, if Lex is so 'filthy rich', then why does he always wear that same purple shirt?"
Clark snorted into the punch he was drinking and made little noises that indicated that he was trying to stop the laughter threatening to break through. "Lois," Chloe said, but couldn't help smiling as well.
"What?" Lois asked, watching Clark hide his laughter from behind a napkin Chloe had given him. "It's true! Every time you go see him, the guy is wearing PURPLE!"
Chloe shook her head at her cousin, and began pouring herself some more punch. "True, that," Clark agreed, "Now that I think about it...He DOES always wear that purple shirt."
"See, I told you. He probably doesn't even have enough time to go shopping for himself," Lois sighed, shaking her head, "Now, THERE'S another downside to being rich. I mean, can you imagine his closet? Long racks full of nothing but black coats and purple shirts."
"Lois, stop it," Chloe rolled her eyes.
"He probably thinks that if he doesn't wear the same color every day, it'll bring him to financial ruin. You know, he's probably so superstitious, that he doesn't even WASH his--"
"LOIS!" Chloe muttered, as Clark started laughing again.
"I'm just saying, that's all!" Lois replied defensively.
Chloe "tsk"ed, "Okay, so he likes purple shirts. What's wrong with that? Besides, I don't think he'll be wearing purple tonight, it IS a dinner party.." She looked up and smiled. "... Oh look, here he comes now! And he's wearing..." Chloe stopped and stared.
Lois sighed as Clark began laughing even harder. "You're right, Chlo," she sarcastically agreed, "He isn't wearing purple. He's wearing...VIOLET." It was true. Lex was wearing a silky, dark purple dress shirt under a stylish, black coat. "Or is it...Lavender?.." Lois continued her observation, looking at Lex and tilting her head to the side. Chloe groaned, and pointed to Clark. She shot Lois a death glare that seemed to say "stop before he loses it!" But Clark, who had finally controlled his outbursts of mirth, just smiled an abnormally huge smile as Lex neared them.
"Well, if it isn't the Kents'," Lex grinned, after saying hello.
"Ha ha," Clark sarcastically replied.
"Hi, Lex. Great party!" Chloe greeted him.
Lex smiled at her. "Thank you, Chloe. My, you look beautiful this evening (Chloe blushed a deep red and murmured a soft, "Thank you.") I'm glad all of you could make it..Especially you, Lois. It's a good thing that this party was scheduled the day before you left Smallville," he said, turning to greet Lois. His eyes scanned her figure. "You look wonderful tonight, Miss Lane."
Lois smiled at him. "Thanks, Lex. Uh...You too...Nice shirt!" she finished, swiftly glancing over at Clark.
Clark's already huge smile grew even wider, and, fearing that Lex would sense something amiss, he quickly excused himself from the already chattering group. "Uhm...Uh...Excuse me, I'll be..I'll be right back," he choked out.
"Clark, are you okay?" Chloe asked, as he walked away.
"FINE!" Clark called back.
They all watched as Clark walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Lex turned back to the ladies, a worried look on his face. "Is Clark all right? He seems...distracted," he said, pointing a thumb at the door Clark had just disappeared through.
Lois shook her head. "Nah, I guess he just had too much punch."
"Yeah," Chloe shrugged. "Or maybe he needed to use the rest room."
Lex, Lois, and Chloe never found out what Clark did during those few moments of disappearance, but the servants did report hearing loud laughter ringing through the mansion's hallways and corridors that very evening.
Lex then began introducing the ladies to other wealthy friends of his. One of them was a short, balding French man, who was in possession of a dark, thick moustache. He reminded Chloe very much of Hercule Poirot. This French man, who was introduced as Monsieur Lenoir, quickly took a shine to "Mademoiselle Lane" and immediately asked her to dance with him. Chloe had to bite her tongue from laughing at the look on Lois' face.
"Er...Okay," Lois squeaked. She had no choice, since it would have been rude to say no. As soon as they had stepped onto the dance floor, Lex turned to Chloe.
"May I have this dance?" He asked, looking eagerly at her.
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "...Umm..."
"There's been a minor accident in the kitchen and I'm afraid dinner will be delayed for the time being. While waiting, I was hoping to dance with you," Lex explained.
Chloe shrugged her response, "Okay." and let herself be led to the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Clark had just walked back into the ballroom. He had finally calmed himself down enough to face his purple-shirted friend again. Shaking his head with a smile on his face, he scanned the talking groups of people in search of Lois and Chloe, when he spotted both of them already on the dance floor. Chloe was talking a mile a minute while dancing with Lex, and Lois was dancing with some short, old guy who kept talking to HER. The fact that Lois kept her lips tightly pressed, and her expression cold but polite, didn't seem to discourage the man. Lois quickly looked up and saw Clark watching her. "HELP!" she mouthed, rolling her eyes over her partner's head. Clark smiled, and stepped forward to do just that, when he ran into--
"Lana!"
Lana, who had almost bumped into him, looked up from her glass of champagne and saw Clark standing in front of her. She was wearing an elegant, golden dress that reached her knees. Her hair was up in a loose knot, and over-all she looked beautiful as always. "Oh. Hi, Clark," she said, giving him a half smile. She then began looking around the room nervously, making sure not to make further eye contact with him.
"Did you come here with anybody?" Clark asked, curiously looking down at her.
Lana shook her head. "Um..No. I came alone," she replied.
Clark suddenly felt sorry for her. She must feel lonely. "Well.." he started, shrugging his shoulders, "Would you like to dance?"
Lana looked up from her glass again and stared at him. "Oh... sure," she smiled, setting her champagne down on a nearby table.
Clark grinned as he took her hand. They began dancing as soon as they were among the dancing couples, but they did so in complete and awkward silence. A few minutes passed, and Clark, who couldn't bear it any longer, chose to speak up. "So, uh..How are you?" he cautiously asked.
Lana smiled up at him. "I'm fine," she shortly replied. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm great."
They fell silent again. Clark wondered at the awkwardness of the moment. Usually he'd be reeling with joy and crazy with bliss just to have Lana Lang in his arms for a few minutes. Now he felt like they were only being polite, and were only dancing because it was the courteous thing to do. Why was it like this? Confused about his feelings, Clark tried pulling himself together and tried to enjoy Lana's company.
"Lois is leaving tomorrow, isn't she?"
Lana's voice suddenly broke through Clark's thoughts, and he quickly looked into Lana's eyes. Her question slowly registered into his mind. "Oh! Yes, she is...leaving," Clark slowly replied, his eyes not meeting Lana's. As he stared into space, her words kept echoing through his mind, Lois is leaving tomorrow, isn't she?..isn't she?...isn't she?...
Lana immediately noticed the change in his demeanor, and faintly smiled. "You're going to miss her aren't you?" she softly asked.
Clark looked down at her, unable to speak.
-Meanwhile...-
Lois inwardly groaned for what seemed to be the hundredth time as her dancing partner drawled on and on about his wealth and possessions. "...I haf manee things, Miz Lane. I haf house in France..dwelleeng place in London, I haf mansion here in United States..And I haf lovelee vehicles..You like vehicles, Mademoiselle Lane?"
Lois looked down and saw Monsieur Lenoir looking up expectantly at her. Crap she thought. Did he just ask me a question? Lois shrugged and thought it was safe to answer, "Um..Yes?" She soon regretted it afterwards, for he began going on and on about the Jaguars, and the Mercedes Benz's he owned, and all the limo's...
"MON DIEU!" he suddenly gasped.
Lois looked down at her partner's exclamation. "Who iz DAT?" he asked, his eyes round.
Lois followed his starry gaze and saw Lana and Clark dancing a few feet away from them. "Oh, that's Clark Kent--"
"Oui, oui, your fake huz-band, as you told me," M. Lenoir said, waving a well manicured hand around impatiently,"..but who is the superb young thing in hiz arms, eh?"
"Oh! Well, that's Lana Lang, she's --WHOAAA!" Lenoir, who had been in the middle of twirling Lois, suddenly let go of her in hopes of greeting Lana, leaving his partner twirling around across the dance floor. She would have slammed into the wall or into a couple dancing nearby, if someone hadn't taken hold of her waist and righted her footing. Lois, still a little dazed, slowly looked up into Clark's worried eyes.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked, trying to ignore the rush of emotions that overcame him as he held Lois close to his chest. While dancing with Lana, he had looked up to see Lois' dance partner quickly advancing towards them, Lois herself spinning out of control across the dance floor. Muttering a quick apology to his dance partner, Clark had gone to her rescue.
Lois stared at him for a while, not saying anything. Suddenly, she exploded. "That LOUSY French man!..He..He...He just let GO of me like that without..without..Where is he, anyway!" Lois started turning her head both sides, her eyes in furtive search of the hated Monsieur Lenoir. She saw him already dancing with Lana, a smile on his face and talking fifty miles per minute about his "vehicles", "dwelleeng playces", and what not. The weird part was that Lana seemed to take it all in graceful stride, nodding her head and smiling at her new, twittering dance partner. At least he talked a lot more than Clark did.
Clark laughed as Lois gaped at them. "He's gone now, don't worry," he replied. He reached out his hand to brush away a strand of hair that had gotten into Lois' face while she was spinning. It felt so soft against his fingers. Almost like downy feathers.
"..Yeah, and he better STAY gone, that...that miserable CRETIN!..." Lois was saying, completely unaware of the way Clark was looking at her. "What TOOK you so long?" she said, suddenly rounding in on him.
"Me?"
"Yeah! I had to dance for a whole half hour, listening to some conceited French guy talk about stuff I couldn't even understand! You know, I bet Lex requires SUBTITLES when they do business. Ugh, now his accent is going to be stuck in my mind forever!" Lois put a hand to her forehead as if she was experiencing a heavy migraine.
Clark wanted to laugh again, but he chose not to. "Well..I'm here now, if that's any comfort to you," he said instead.
Lois looked up at him. She slowly nodded with a smile on her face, "Yeah...You are. Thanks, Smallville." Clark smiled at her. "Now, uh.." Lois continued, taking one of Clark's hands off her waist and putting one of her own into it, "We might want to start dancing before people start looking at us weird."
Clark looked around and agreed. They were standing in the middle of the dance floor while couples twirled and waltzed their way around them. Suddenly, he saw Lex moving off, Chloe's hand in his. Lois followed his gaze and saw the old butler whispering something to his master. Lex nodded, and the butler suddenly said in a loud voice, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
Everyone stopped dancing or talking as the butler continued to announce, "Dinner will be served in ten minutes! If you would please take your seats.."
Lois backed away from Clark, her eyes already on her cousin. Chloe was waving at them from the other end of the room, and Lex was standing beside her. "Come on, Clark, I think Chloe wants us to sit with her and Lex on that table.."
Clark reluctantly let go of Lois' hand, which had been holding his before the butler's announcement, and watched her walk away towards Chloe. The other guests were already taking their seats on the round tables set up around the dance floor. Clark put his hands in his pockets and began walking towards the table that Lois and Chloe were waiting at. His parents had also chosen to sit there, along with Lana and Monsieur Lenoir. Clark sighed as he neared them. No matter. He would ask Lois to dance later.
"Oh, honey!" Martha got up from the table and quickly hugged Clark as soon as he arrived at the table. "I'm so happy for you!" She smiled as she kissed his cheek.
Clark eyed her, looking confused. "Uh--" he began, but was interrupted by his father clapping a hand to his back.
"Now, don't go on feeling guilty about the whole business, son. Believe it or not, we're not angry with you, OR with Lois," Jonathan said, nodding his head seriously.
"Yes, Lois has ALWAYS been like the daughter we never had, so we're totally okay with it," Martha agreed, smiling.
Clark looked at them for a while, and then noticed the teasing glints in Jonathan's and Martha's eyes. He quickly caught on, realizing what they were teasing him about. Argh, not again he inwardly groaned. Then an idea came to mind. His eyes lighting up mischievously, he took the seat next to Lois and put an arm on the back of her chair. "Oh, thank God, dad. It's not like we didn't care about what you and mom thought or anything.." He looked over to see Lois smiling at him. She had caught on as well.
"...But we didn't want a lot of fussing on our special day, so we decided to do it secretly," Lois said, turning from Clark and folding her hands on the table top. "We have Lex to thank for everything."
Lex's eyes grew rounder than they were before. "Wait--ME!"
"Yeah!" Lois said, looking at him as if he was stupid. "That's why you told the butler to announce us by our new names, right? We DID want to wait a little longer before telling anyone, but we understand your excitement," she said, shrugging.
"Don't forget Chloe," Clark put in.
"WHAT!" Chloe exploded from her spot, staring at Clark and Lois, her eyes almost as big as everyone else's.
Lois rolled her eyes. "DUH, you were my maid of honor, remember? You and Lex were witnesses! Gosh, you two SERIOUSLY have short term memory loss, I mean...it just took place this morning!"
Everyone at the table either gaped or stared, sometimes doing both. Lois and Clark watched them for a while, enjoying the feeling of power they felt they had. Smiles still plastered to their faces, Lois simply announced, "We're kidding."
The following reactions were comical. Lana burst out laughing, as Monsieur Lenoir (the french guy) beside her exclaimed, "Zut, alors! I eem confused, mon ami! Are you married or are you NOT, sir!" Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head at Lois, Lex just stared with a smile on his face, and the Kents let out deep sigh's of relief.
"Do NOT...do that again," Martha said, a hand over her heart.
The next couple of hours was spent in easy conversation over a delightful dinner. Jonathan and Martha conversed with Lex, and Lana had her hands (and ears) full with M. Lenoir chattering away in her ear as they ate. Lois, Chloe, and Clark talked amongst themselves about random things. Lois even took her video camera out for a while and took a picture of everyone.
At one time during the dinner, Lois commented on how delicious some of her meat was. Realizing that Clark and Chloe hadn't taken any, she urged them to try some from her plate. Chloe shrugged and willingly leaned over, sticking her fork into Lois' plate.
"Oooh..Yum.." Chloe said, as soon as she had put her fork into her mouth. "She's right, Clark, it is good. Man, we should've got some! I guess it just looked so nasty with all that red sauce on it."
Lois laughed. "Well, looks can be deceiving," she winked. "Come on, Clark, try some."
Clark quickly shook his head, well aware of his parents' presence on the table. He didn't want to show bad manners in stabbing his fork into Lois' plate as Chloe did. He guessed it was okay with Chloe. They WERE cousins, after all. "No, that's okay Lois. But thanks anyway," he said, smiling politely.
But Lois shook her head. "Clark, come on, you can dig in. I've got loads of it here.."
"Yeah, try it Clark, it's reallllly goooood.." Chloe said, groaning as she chewed the last of the saucy meat in her mouth, trying to entice Clark into doing Lois' bidding.
When Clark continued to refuse, Lois rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "If MANNERS are all that's keeping you from trying this good stuff...and I know YOU, Kent..," she said, taking Clark's fork from his hand, "Then this will have to do." Lois used Clark's fork to get a large piece of meat off her plate, and held it out for him to eat. "Come on," she said, "Try it."
Though he protested valiantly, Clark was helpless to Lois and Chloe's strong urgings. He reluctantly opened his mouth and let Lois slip the piece of meat inside. From across the table, M. Lenoir whispered to Lana. "Are you sure zey are not married?" he asked. Lana just giggled in return, watching Lois feed Clark more meat from her plate. "Not yet," she joked, and they laughed.
"Who's ready for some dessert?" Lex asked, as soon as everyone's plates were cleared. A caterer suddenly appeared with a silver tray, which he set down on the table. Dainty bowls filled with what appeared to be pink ice cream were handed out one by one to the guests.
"I am so full, I don't think I could eat another bite," Lois laughingly complained, rubbing her stomach. The others around her were already digging in. Suddenly, her stomach began to ache. "Oh, boy," she said, placing a hand over her belly, "Ow."
"What's wrong, Lois?" Chloe asked, still in the middle of finishing her ice cream. She noticed the way Clark's head immediately snapped up at the sound of the words "wrong" and "Lois."
Lois quickly shook her head. "Oh nothing. I think I just ate too much," she laughed, rubbing her stomach.
Everyone continued to look at her, and Clark's eyes shadowed over with worry. "If you're feeling sick, I can take you home," he offered gallantly.
But Lois was already shaking her head and waving a hand around. "Oh, you don't have to do that Clark. I'm fine, really, it's just a little stomach ache--"
Chloe interrupted, "Lois, if you're feeling sick..." She quickly looked at Lex, who added helpfully, "Really, Lois, I wouldn't mind. If you aren't feeling well, feel free to have Clark take you home...I only regret not spending more time in your company before your departure tomorrow morning."
Lois stuttered, "Oh, but--"
"No but's, honey," Martha interrupted her. "You do have to leave early tomorrow morning ("I don't leave until after lunch!" Lois put in) and I don't want you feeling sick while you're on the road. Clark, take her home and the both of you get some rest, all right?"
Lois watched as Clark nodded and got up from his seat. She opened her mouth and tried to say something to reassure them that she was only feeling a BIT queasy, and that it was nothing to really WORRY about, when Lana said, "You know, you DO look a little pale, Lois. Maybe you should let Clark take you home."
"PALE! I'm not--" Before Lois could say anything more, Clark was helping her onto her feet and taking hold of her purse and shawl. Lex quickly went around the table and shook hands with Lois, telling her that he hoped she would feel better and that she would have a safe trip to Metropolis the next day. Chloe put in that she would drop by the next morning to see her off before she left.
So after some hurried but sincere thanks were exchanged, Clark led an unsettled Lois out of the room. A soon as they disappeared out the door, all the members occupying Lex's table sighed in unison. They let out faint chuckles and exchanged understanding smiles.
- KENT FARM -
"Was it just me, Clark, or was everyone suddenly so intent in getting rid of my company tonight?" Lois asked, as their car slowly pulled up the driveway. Her stomach was no longer in knots and she was feeling much better. Lois began feeling guilty for worrying everyone during dessert. I should have kept my mouth shut she thought, mournfully.
Clark chuckled beside her. "No. I think they were genuinely worried," he replied, quietly adding, "...I know I was." He hadn't meant for Lois to hear the last part of his sentence, but she did. Lois turned to look at him, a faint smile on her face. Instead of making a biting comment about how he didn't have any business worrying about her, she chose instead to say a sincere, "Thanks, Clark." Clark turned the car off and looked at her. Lois looked back. They stared at each other in silence for a full minute, but to them it seemed an eternity. Neither knew what was going on, much less what the other was thinking.
Clark was the first to break eye contact, taking out the keys and chuckling, "Well, I did have to make sure you didn't get sick. It would have extended your stay here on the farm, and we wouldn't want THAT to happen, now do we?" He tossed the keys to Lois, who caught them. Even as he said those words, he knew he was lying. He didn't know why, but he DID want Lois to stay. He wanted her to stay almost as bad as he had wanted her to leave the day she had arrived.
Beside him, Lois couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. She knew Clark was joking, but she found herself wanting to know what he thought of her "extending" her stay on the farm. She looked down at her keys, smiled, and said, "Nah..We wouldn't want that to happen." She then opened her car door, and was about to get out, when she felt Clark reach over and cup her chin. Turning her head around to look at him, she saw his eyes clouded over with thought. Oookay... "What?" she asked, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks as Clark's hand remained on her face, not to mention her heart quickening its pace.
Clark opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but closed it again. He let his hand drop from Lois' chin and looked down. "Nothing," he said. Lois was about to get out of the car again, when Clark touched her arm.
Lois sighed and sat back down. She raised an eyebrow at Clark, who continued to stare at her. "I swear, Smallville, if you don't tell me right now what you want, I'll --"
"I want you to dance with me."
Lois was taken aback by his abrupt interruption. The way he had said it made her backtrack and stare at him for a few moments. "Okay...Why...?" she asked.
"Because I didn't get to dance with you tonight at Lex's party," Clark simply said.
"Yes, you did. You saved me from that senile French man who had the hots for Lana, remember?"
"Yeah, but we didn't dance, we just stood there and talked."
"I distinctly remember us swaying to the music--"
"Why are you making this so hard for me?"
Lois stopped to look at him, the briskness of his tone taking her by surprise.
"Yes, or no, Lois?" Clark asked, a hand on the door handle.
Lois nodded her head mutely. When did HE get so impatient? Clark smiled and turned to the radio. "What are you doing?" Lois asked, watching him trying to turn it on.
"I'm looking for a song, duh. We can't dance to silence, you know...Ew.." Clark suddenly said, as the radio came to life. The end of Nelly's "It's Getting Hot In Here" was blaring out of the speakers, and the DJ was in the process of saying stuff like, "..Thank you so much for listening to 99.9 FM, your home for the shizzle that make your rizzle get the dizzle..Don't touch no buttons, foo, because up next we have the one, the only, ICE CREAM MAN FROM DA HOOOOOD! Yeah, you know you want some of this sh--" Clark turned the radio off. He looked at Lois and pointed. "You listen to this stuff?" he asked.
Lois raised an eyebrow at him. "You got a problem with that?" she asked in return, crossing her arms.
Clark tried hard not to laugh. "'Ice Cream Man'?" he snorted. "What kind of name IS that? I mean even for a rapper, that's pretty lame--"
"Are we or are we not going to dance, Clark?" Lois interrupted him, rolling her eyes in impatience.
Clark turned the radio on again and began switching stations. He finally decided on one, and Lois stopped to listen to what kind of songs he had picked. "...because you are MIIIIIIIIIiine...at last..." sang the radio. "OLDIES?" Lois blurted.
Clark stuck his index finger into the air. "The classics are ALWAYS the best," he replied, cranking up the volume and getting out of the car. "Come on, Lois."
Lois rolled her eyes and got out as well. As she walked around the car to join Clark in the front yard, she distinctly heard the person manning that particular radio station announce, "And now we have Clyde McPhatter, singing, 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me'. This song was very popular back in..."
"Hey, cool, I like this song," Clark said, taking Lois' hand and leading her across the lawn. It was already very dark, and he wanted to be near the porch light.
Lois "tsk"ed as she put a hand on Clark's shoulder, and slipped the other one into his waiting hand. "I think you've been spending too much time around your mother, Smallville," she said, her eyebrows rising in emphasis.
Clark just smiled in return and placed his hand on Lois' waist. "Are you saying my mom doesn't have good taste?" he asked, as the beginning of the song began playing.
Lois shook her head. "Nooo...I'm just saying that it isn't right for a kid like you to listen to this kind of stuff.."
"Well it sure beats 'Ice Cream Man From Da Hood', doesn't it?" Clark rolled his eyes. "Besides, I happen to LIKE this kind of stuff--"
"Fine, so be quiet. I want to know what's so good about this song," Lois snapped, straining her ear to hear the song better. Clark did as he was told and remained silent as they started to dance.
...Hold me, hold me
Never let me go until you've told me, told me
What I want to know and then just hold me, hold me
Make me tell you I'm in love with you
Clark grinned at Lois, whose countenance had softened while she was listening to the first part of the song. In fact, she looked pretty relaxed. "You like it, don't you?" he asked.
"Shh.." Lois softly whispered, a dreamy look on her face. She wasn't even looking at him. Wow, she must reallllly like it Clark thought. He felt her move a bit, and then watched as she let go of his hand and gently placed her arms around his neck. Clark had no choice but to wrap both his arms around her waist, as Lois unconsciously leaned her head on his shoulder.
Thrill me, thrill me
Walk me down the lane where shadows will be, will be
Hiding lovers just the same as we'll be, we'll be
When you make me tell you..I love you..
Clark slightly rested his cheek on Lois' head, her soft and sweet smelling hair mesmerizing him. He felt like he was in another world entirely. They weren't on the farm, they weren't in Kansas, it was only them and the music. Clark closed his eyes and let himself get lost in Lois' perfume (Scratch that He thought She doesn't wear perfume), his arms tightening around her waist. The feel of the velvety fabric against his hands only heightened his feeling of...Clark didn't know what it was, and he didn't want to waste time wondering about the subject. He only wanted to dance with Lois and to enjoy every moment of it.
...They told me be sensible with your new love
Don't be fooled thinking this is the last you'll find
But they never stood in the dark with you love
When you take me in your arms and drive me slowly
Out of my mind...
Lois smiled into Clark's shirt. She hadn't felt so peaceful and protected as she felt at that very moment. She had been protected her whole life, her father being a well known military general. He had always made sure that Lois was well looked after. But the security he provided lacked the warmness that she felt while she was being held in Clark's arms. Letting the soft sound of the music wash over her, Lois forgot all about her feelings of aggravation towards the man she was dancing with, and closed her eyes.
..Kiss me, kiss me
And when you do I'll know that you will miss me, miss me
If we ever say I do, so kiss me, kiss me
Make me tell you I'm in love with you..
"So.." Clark murmured into Lois' hair. Lois slowly took her head off his shoulder and looked at him. "So?.." she asked. Clark began regretting he had ever spoken. "This is your last night on the farm," he stated, smiling.
Lois smiled back at him, suddenly very aware of how close they were. Clark was hugging her to his chest a bit too protectively, his eyes boring into her own. Lois realized that she didn't need her shawl. She already felt very warm. "Yes...It is. What a way to end it, huh?" she softly replied, letting her eyes drop swiftly to look at his lips. When she looked back up at Clark, she saw that his face had gotten even closer than before, and he was gazing at her intensely.
Kiss me! kiss me..
And when you do I'll know that you will miss me, miss me
If we ever say I do, so kiss me, kiss me
Make me tell you I'm in love with you..
Martha fumbled with her purse strap as Jonathan drove down the road that led to the farm. "Oh, Jonathan.." she sighed. "I hope Lois didn't worry that much when she found out she left her video camera at the party." Martha took Lois' video camera out and looked at it. After she and Jonathan had finished their dessert, they had discovered the forgotten camera sitting on the table. The Kents' decided to follow their son and Lois home soon after, and Lex had understood that they weren't in the mood for more dancing.
Martha suddenly looked up as they neared their home, and reached out an arm to touch her husband. "Jonathan..Wait," she said. "Is that.." Jonathan slowed the car down and followed her gaze. Clark and Lois were dancing on the front lawn, their faces but inches from each other. "Well, what do you know..." he said, "It is."
Martha smiled and took out Lois' video camera. "I guess there was a reason for her leaving this behind, after all," she said, turning it on. Jonathan laughed beside her.
...Never, never, never let me go...
Never, never, never let me go..
The song ended, and Lois and Clark stopped dancing. Both suddenly felt something like a magnetic pull drawing them closer towards each other, as their eyes refused to break contact. Clark slowly leaned his face towards Lois, and she found herself leaning in closer as well. Her heart was beating so loud that she was afraid Clark would hear. She would have been glad to know that Clark did NOT hear it, since the sound of his own beating heart was practically deafening his ears. Their lips were but half an inch apart, when the sudden sound of Shelby's barking pierced through the air.
Lois and Clark quickly pulled away from each other and turned to find Jonathan and Martha pulling into the driveway. Shelby, who had been lounging quietly on the front steps, suddenly bounded off the steps, greeting his master and mistress with loud barks of excitement. "Hey, boy.." Jonathan said, petting Shelby around the ears as he and his wife got out of the truck. Martha pet Shelby on the head also, but was tempted to yell at him for ruining the beautiful moment she knew Clark and Lois had been experiencing. Oh, well she thought. Dogs will be dogs.
"Hey, Clark. Lois," Jonathan said, smiling and nodding at them as he made his way up the front steps. Clark and Lois waved at him, feeling dazed and confused about what just happened. Or rather, what had ALMOST happened.
"Are you feeling any better, honey?" Martha said, walking up to them. As Lois assured her that she was fine, Martha brought out the video camera.
"You left this at Lex's," she said, handing it over to Lois.
"Oh, thank you Mrs. Kent. I completely forgot all about it," she said, taking it into her hands and laughing weakly. A moment of silence passed and Martha felt the tension growing between her son and Lois. She was still debating on whether or not to go inside, when Lois said, "Uhm...I think I'll turn in now, it..It's getting late." She looked up at Clark, who had been looking at her the whole time. "Good-night," she said softly, and then walked into the house.
"Good-night," Martha and Clark replied, watching Lois go up the steps and disappear through the door. Martha turned to look at Clark, who looked relieved, nervous, and tense, all at the same time. "Honey?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm.
Clark shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Mom, I think I'll go up to the loft for a while...I don't feel like sleeping just yet," he said, hoping she wouldn't protest. She didn't. Martha only kissed him on the cheek, patted his shoulder, and walked into the house.
After watching her go inside, Clark sped towards the barn, up the stairs, and into the loft. Collapsing on the couch, he put his head in his hands, muttering at intervals, "Okay, what just happened, what just happened..What...just happened..." Not able to keep still, he stood and paced around for a while, finally choosing to sit down next to his telescope. As he looked up at the stars, he tried to pull himself together. THINK! He groaned. Something had happened that night, and he didn't know what it was. Or maybe he DID know..and he just didn't want to accept it. Clark got up restlessly and began pacing the room again. It was going to be a long night for him.
Inside Clark's bedroom, things weren't going too well, either. As soon as she had shut the door, Lois leaned on it for support, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She looked down at her trembling hands and tried to steady her heavy breathing. "What's going on?" she whispered, putting her arms around herself. She knew it had something to do with Clark, and she definitely knew it had something to do with their almost kissing. Lois' first thought was to take her cell and call Chloe, but she knew her cousin was still at Lex's party, probably dancing the night away. Come on Lois tried thinking rationally instead. Before she knew it, she had started a mental war with herself.
You almost kissed farm boy! FARM. BOY. What's wrong with you? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!
Well, he IS kind of cute.
Cute? CUTE! Have you forgotten all those times when he annoyed and made you mad on purpose!
His eyes are so dreamy..
Get a hold of yourself, Lois! You do NOT fall for anybody, remember? Your defenses must always be up. You can't let someone like Clark Kent into your world. He isn't allowed. NO ONE is allowed. Men are all the same, and Smallville is no different!
..But the way he held me in his arms made me feel so safe...
Oh, PLEASE. That jerk from high school made you feel safe and warm, and where did that get you?
But this is DIFFERENT.
This is NO different. You're just--
"ARGH, SHUT UP!" Lois yelled her frustration out loud. A knock suddenly sounded from behind her, and Lois jumped in surprise. "Lois?" Martha's voice was heard. "Are you all right?"
"Uh..." Lois stuttered. "Uh, yeah. Yes. Yes, I am fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mrs. Kent. Thank you."
Lois waited until Martha's footsteps faded away before mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. "I'm leaving," she said, getting up. "I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'm going to forget all about tonight...I'm going to forget this ever happened...I will NOT give him another thought...Not ONE MORE THOUGHT.." Decidedly walking over to the closet and pulling out her PJ's, Lois stopped and leaned against the wall. She knew she was lying to herself. Not giving someone like Clark Kent another thought was way easier said than done.
