Part Two

Lois tried to wiggle around, but it didn't work. She tried jumping up and down, but that didn't work either. Her arms were at the most unnatural angle they'd ever been and nothing was working. She stomped over to the closet, trying to see if she could find a wire hanger, but realized the metal might tear the dress.

"Damn it!" Lois muttered in frustration, as she turned around to get a better look in the mirror.

Not that it did her much good – the problem was the same as it had been five minutes ago. The zipper was still stuck in the middle of her back. No matter how much she pulled and tugged, the tight dress wouldn't budge and she couldn't reach the zipper to pull it down or up. It was a lose-lose situation.

She was just about to give up and start ripping off the delicate midnight blue silk, when the doorbell rang. Suddenly, she remembered that Chloe was supposed to pick her up. Chloe was apparently early.

"Chloe! Thank God, could you help me…" Lois exclaimed, as she pulled the door open with one hand, while using the other to keep her dress up. Her eyes widened when she saw who was actually on the other side.

"…zip my dress up?" Lois finished lamely, while frantically trying to tug the sagging bodice higher up. Not that it mattered – even if it fell to the floor, it wasn't like it wasn't something that he hadn't seen before. In fact, last time he'd seen much, much more.

Clark's eyes widened at her words and his eyes drifted down to her chest. And, in typical Clark-fashion, he immediately averted his gaze and fixed his eyes on something behind her. "Ah… Lois… sorry, it's not Chloe."

"Yes, I know that Clark – I think the whole dark hair and extra inches clued me in. Oh – and that fact that you're a guy." Lois rolled her eyes and reached out with her free hand to tug him in. "Hurry up – do we want to give my neighbors a free peep show?"

Clark stumbled in, but at her words he turned to face her and quickly closed the door. "No, of course not. What are you doing, anyway? Why aren't you ready?"

Frustrated, Lois shook her head. Why was it that he could just never loosen up and have a normal conversation with her? No asking how she was doing, no wondering why her dress was falling down. No, instead he either didn't meet her gaze or he was looking right at her and asking dumb questions. Another lose-lose situation.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Smallville, I'm a bit of a predicament," Lois said slowly, like she was talking to a young child. "My zipper's stuck. Can you help me fix it and pull it up?" Lois didn't wait for a response and just whirled around, presenting her bare back to him. She glanced back over her shoulder and added, "Make sure you don't tear the material – it's really delicate."

Lois waited for a good thirty seconds, but nothing happened. Not a sound came from Clark and he didn't move any closer to her. She turned back around impatiently. "Clark, could you step it up a bit? We haven't got all night, you know."

Clark was glued to the spot he'd been in before and he was staring at her with the oddest expression in his eyes. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he wanted to kiss her or something equally bizarre. But the fact was, she did know better and she knew that Clark Kent was not going to suddenly develop a deep desire for her because he'd seen a glimpse of her strapless black bra. It all just stemmed from the fact that he was a boy scout and he didn't want to see bras that didn't belong to proper young ladies whom he was properly dating. Their non-date didn't qualify. Well, what could she do about it? If Chloe had been there, she'd have definitely asked Chloe – it wasn't her fault that he'd shown up instead.

The thought made her frown. "Clark, what are you doing here, anyway? I thought Chloe was supposed to come here and we'd meet you guys at Chez Alice. Where's Chloe?"

Clark swallowed and then cleared his throat. He made an effort to meet her gaze and responded in an odd voice. "Um, she got held up at the DP. So she asked me to pick you up – she and Jimmy will meet us there." His eyes slid back down for a second and then back up at her face. "Ah… your… ah… your dress is falling down."

Lois glanced down and realized that she'd unconsciously placed both of her hands on her hips – a stance she seemed to adopt quite a bit when she was around Clark Kent – and her bodice had slipped down, revealing a lot more than just a mere glimpse of her black bra. Refusing to get flustered, Lois calmly yanked it back up with one hand and turned back around.

"Okay, so could you help me zip it up? I'd ask Chloe to do it, but it seems you're the only one around…."

Clark finally seemed to figure out that the best way to end the uncomfortable situation was to just help her, because he immediately moved right behind her. Two seconds later, she felt his hands on the small of her back, as he gently tugged and pulled at the small piece of metal.

Lois bit her lip, trying not to admonish him to be careful again, but couldn't help but think that there was no way he'd be able to do it without tearing the material. She'd seen on the farm when he thought she wasn't looking. He could pick up a bale of hay and toss it around like it was made of feathers. How could he manage to fix the zipper without breaking the thing?

Ultimately, her mouth lost the battle with her brain and she said sharply, "be careful, Smallville. This dress is really expensive."

Clark's hands stopped for a second and he didn't say anything. When he spoke, his voice was testy. "Lois, I am capable of doing a simple task without screwing it up, you know."

Lois tried to look back at him over her shoulder, but his hand at her waist stopped her from turning around. "That is not what I meant - " Lois started.

"Okay, fine," Clark interrupted. "Just stop moving or this'll take forever."

His hands started working at the stuck zipper again and, after a minute, she felt it give way. He started to zip the dress shut, but stopped after a second. "Um… your hair. It's in the way."

"Oh, sorry!" Lois exclaimed, a bit more loudly than she'd intended.

She'd worn it loose for the occasion, but maybe it hadn't been such a good idea. She was just about to sweep it aside, when Clark lifted up the strands of her hair and brushed them gently over her shoulder. An involuntary shiver danced up her spine when her bare skin was exposed to the cold apartment air. The coldness was immediately replaced by warmth, when Clark placed one hand on her waist and used the other to pull the zipper up the rest of the way.

"There, you're done," Clark said softly, as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Lois stood still for a moment, wondering what was going on and why his hands felt so good. She could feel her body tingling with an odd sort of awareness. You're losing it, Lane. It's just because of all that talk with Chloe about Valentine's day. The holiday was meant to screw with single women's minds – exactly one of the reasons why you hate it.

Lois spun around and gave him a quick, nervous grin, simultaneously shrugging off his hands. "Great! Thanks!" She said brightly and reached around him to pick up her pashmina wrap. "We should get going – the reservation's for eight, right? And Chez Alice is notorious for turning people away if they don't show on time."

Clark didn't respond. Instead he stood silently in the center of the room, with an odd look on his face, as he waited for her to finish grabbing everything she needed for the evening.

Once she'd gathered everything, Lois turned to him and asked, "My car or yours?"

"We can take yours – I don't think my truck can live up to that dress," Clark replied, with a flash of a teasing grin, as he thrust his hands into his pockets.

Lois smirked. "Fine – it doesn't matter, anyway, 'cuz I would have been driving even if we were taking your truck."

She couldn't resist accompanying her words with a light punch to his arm. As usual, he winced and pretended it hurt.

Lois rolled her eyes and shook her head. "C'mon, Kent. There's a lobster with my name all over it and you're holding me up."