This is the third installment of my response to VirginiaR's Date-Challenge. Unlike the other two parts, this wasn't betaed. I hope I didn't include too many mistakes.
I always thought that Season 1 had no Christmas Episode. But when I recently rewatched 'Witness' I nocticed the Christmas decoration for the first time. Why I have missed that detail the first like ten times I watched the episode, I can't say.
Merry Christmas, everyone. And to all of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I send my best wishes, too.Don’t Play Me For A Fool
Clark straightened his tie for the umpteenth time. He took a deep breath and silently counted to twenty before he let it out again. His heart was still madly beating in his chest. It was two minutes past seven. Lois had been standing outside his apartment for almost ten minutes. He had been hearing her heart-beat the whole time, unable to tune out. The sound did little to settle his frayed nerves.
With a sigh, Clark gave in to the temptation and lowered his glasses to see what was going on outside. The wall vanished before his eyes. It had begun to snow. Lois had her coat firmly wrapped around herself and seemed to be giving herself a pep talk. She straightened her shoulders and made a few steps. Then she hesitated and buried her face in her hands. Clark’s heart fell as she turned on her heels. She had obviously made her decision to set him up. Clark let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He pushed his glasses back up and reached for his tie to loosen the knot. He was about to slip out of his shoes as well when a loud knock on the door startled him. A moment later, the knock sounded again.
Clark quickly set his tie straight again and opened the door. “Hello, Lois. You look great.”
Great was an understatement. Without her hands clasping around the hem of her coat it revealed a black dress. It had a plunging neckline that would have left little to imagination, hadn’t it been for a layer of lace that covered up her cleavage in an almost decent way. Through the lace Clark caught glimpses of her ivory skin that made his mouth run dry. He forced himself to look at her face. Her full lips were almost his undoing as she licked them nervously.
“So, where are you taking me?” she asked.
Her tone of voice was almost harsh. Clark violently dropped out of his reverie as he remembered that this certainly wasn’t a normal date. Lois really took no prisoners. An angry retort lay on his lips, but Clark swallowed it down as he recalled how much of an effort it had been on her to show up on his door step in the first place.
“La Dolce Vita,” Clark replied. “I hear they have decent Italian food.”
Lois seemed content with that choice. “I could go for Italian.”
Clark went to fetch his coat and a moment later they were both heading for Lois’ car. On their way, Clark silently prayed that Cat had been right about the restaurant being a good place. It was an awkward feeling that Cat of all people had organized his date. But when he had tried to make a reservation by himself, he had realized that Cat hadn’t exaggerated when she had told him that every restaurant in Metropolis would be overbooked with Christmas parties. In the end he had had no other choice but to take Cat up on her offer.
They spent the ride in an uncomfortable silence. Thick snowflakes were dancing before the wind screen. Lois was intently looking on the street. She didn’t so much as glance in his direction. Clark desperately searched for some light topic to discuss. Inwardly, he cringed. Why was it suddenly so hard to start a conversation with the woman he loved? But everything that came to mind seemed like the wrong thing to say. If they discussed work, would she think that he was unable to talk about something else on a date? Should he tell her about his time in Rome? But wouldn’t that make him sound like some self-absorbed jerk? Clark bit his lips and decided to settle for silence for the time being. Lois didn’t do him the favor of starting to talk, either. And the snow outside drowned out all the other sounds of the city, which made the silence much more deafening.
After what seemed like an eternity Lois pulled into the very crowded parking lot next to a small restaurant. It was located in a rather fancy part of town. But the place itself looked a little run down on the outside. The windows were clouded over. It was impossible to tell how it might look inside.
As they got out of the car, Clark opened his mouth in a desperate attempt to make light conversation. But the words died on his lips as he saw Lois standing in the densely falling snow. White flakes got caught in her hair, contrasting nicely with her ebony locks. Clark couldn’t help but feel mesmerized by her beauty. She also looked kind of cute. He closed his mouth and bit his lips to keep from telling her that. He figured that ‘cute’ was a description she wouldn’t want to hear.
They went over to the entrance while Clark sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that this date wouldn’t end up in a complete disaster. When he opened the door for Lois and let her go first, she furrowed her brows in a deep frown before she gave in and went ahead. Clark closed his eyes in exasperation. It seemed like he couldn’t do anything right, tonight. Obviously she didn’t care much for gentlemanly behavior. Trying to shrug off the uneasy feeling that took hold of him, Clark entered the restaurant behind Lois.
It was full of people. Still, the atmosphere was cozy. The walls were painted in light colors. The floor was covered in tiles that were the color of terracotta. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged in a way that it was easy to imagine they had just stepped onto a piazza somewhere in Italy. A tastefully decorated Christmas tree stood in one corner of the room. Soft classic music filled the air. Fortunately, they had forgone playing Christmas songs. Clark had the distinct feeling that otherwise Lois would have turned on her heels the instant she sat foot into the restaurant.
A counter was next to the entrance. The waiter behind it smiled at Lois and Clark as he spotted them.
“Buonasera, Signorina. Buonasera, Signor. What can I do for you this evening?”
“We reserved a table for two. The name is Kent,” Clark replied.
“Ahh, Signor Kent,” the waiter muttered. He started to skim through his book, turned a leaf to study the next page. Then he returned to the first page and slowly started to shake his head. “I’m sorry, Signor Kent. But there is no reservation under your name.”
Clark felt his cheeks burn. “Perhaps under the name Grant?” he asked.
Lois raised her brows, obviously puzzled. “Grant?” Her voice sounded quite dangerous.
“Mmh, Grant,” the waiter resumed searching his book and once again shook his head when he obviously turned up empty. “I’m sorry, Signor. Perhaps we made a mistake. When did you make the reservation?”
Clark’s cheeks grew hotter by the minute. “This afternoon. A colleague called for me,” he admitted. Right in this moment, he wished that the ground would just swallow him up.
“Oh, but that can’t be,” the waiter explained. “We stopped taking reservations for tonight the day before yesterday. It’s always so busy around Christmas. Didn’t your colleague tell you that?”
Before Clark could find his voice again, Lois stepped in. “No, obviously she forgot. Thank you very much.” Though she sounded friendly enough, Clark could hear in her voice that he was in deep trouble.
She gave him a pat on the back and ushered him out of the restaurant. Inwardly, Clark braced himself for the lecture that was bound to follow. The door closed behind them with a thud that rang painfully loud in his ears.
“You let Cat arrange your date?” Lois exploded. Clark flinched. He didn’t need to look at her to tell how furious she was with him. “Have you lost your mind? Of all the creeps I have dated, you must be-”
“I’m sorry, Lois,” Clark interrupted her. “I couldn’t find a restaurant that still took reservations. Cat said that she knew a guy here and offered her help. I was kind of desperate. After all, I didn’t exactly plan to ask you out. It just sort of happened.”
Lois raised her brows. Her immediate anger seemed to have somewhat dissipated though she still sounded quite annoyed. “Do you mean that you didn’t want to go out with me?”
“That’s not what I meant. I wanted to go out with you. But I knew there was a snowball’s chance in hell that you’d say yes. So I didn’t plan on asking you.” So soon, he added in his mind.
Clark looked at his feet. He could only hope that he wasn’t ruining any chance he might ever have with Lois right in this moment. She harrumphed and folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Look, I’m not proud of myself. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked Cat to make that call.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Lois huffed.
She stormed to her car and left Clark standing alone in front of the restaurant. For a moment he just looked after her. He heaved a sigh. The way he saw it, he only had two choices. He could either let her run off or make one last try at setting things straight with Lois. Figuring that he really had nothing to lose, Clark decided to just go for it. If things backfired, he could always move to yet another place. The world was big enough. The thought alone made him incredibly sad.
He ran after her. “Lois, please wait.”
She just opened the door on the driver’s side to get inside her car. “What is it, Clark?” He could practically hear that she rolled her eyes at him.
“Would you give me another chance?” he asked.
“Why should I? This has been a bad idea right from the very beginning!” Lois countered.
Clark tried to swallow down the anger he felt rising in his chest. “Then why did you agree to date me in the first place?”
Lois threw her hands up in exasperation. “I thought I was going to die! I…” She was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound of her stomach. Her voice trailed off and her features softened. It was too dark to really tell, but Clark was almost sure he could make out a faint blush on her cheeks.
A small smile appeared on his lips. “Okay, call me crazy, but I think we’re both hungry. Would you mind terribly if we went to my place? I believe I have all that it takes to make some good pasta. We don’t even have to call it a date, if you don’t want to.”
Lois frowned. “If this is some elaborate scheme to get me into your bed…”
Clark shook his head. “Lois, if that was my intention, don’t you think I would have planned this date a little more thoroughly?”
“Who knows,” Lois grumbled. “Perhaps that’s all part of your special small town charm.”
Clark just raised his brows but decided to let it go. It wouldn’t do him any good if he made Lois any angrier than she already was. Instead, he just waited for the judges to decide. Well, in this case, it was one judge and she was obviously furious with him. She stood beside her car and held the door frame in a firm grip. Clark involuntarily held his breath as he watched Lois, trying to decide whether it was a good sign that she hadn’t already slipped into the driver’s seat.
She held his gaze, seemingly unfazed and tapped her foot. Another low rumbling sound confirmed that she was indeed hungry.
Lois let go of the door and reluctantly began to nod. “Okay, you have won. Dinner at your place it is.”
Clark let out his breath, full of relief. “Great! I promise you won’t be regretting this.”
“We’ll see about that,” Lois said glumly.
She climbed into her car and waited for Clark to walk around and take his place on the passenger seat. As soon as he had closed the door, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
***
The ride back was even less pleasant than the trip to the restaurant had been. Lois didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, she was still furious with Clark. On the other hand, she should have warned him about Christmas time in Metropolis. But she had been so nervous about their date that she hadn’t wasted a thought on the impossibility of making a reservation at this time of the year.
The truth was that she couldn’t exactly blame Clark for grasping at straws, even if said ‘straw’ wore illegally tight dresses. And accepting a friendly gesture from Cat didn’t have to mean that they actually knew each other intimately. And even if they did, it was none of her business. If only it wouldn’t hurt quite so much to imagine Clark in Cat’s arms, kissing her with the same passion he had kissed her when he had tried to fool the maid while they had stayed in the Honeymoon Suite.
Lois pulled her jeep to a halt at the side of Clinton Street. She turned off the ignition. For a moment there she was tempted to just drop Clark off and drive back home, when her stomach once again let out a low rumble. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“We’re here.” Her voice sounded harsh even to her own ears. Lois flinched inwardly.
She could hear Clark let out a small sigh. He looked at his hands that were folded in his lap. Then he straightened his shoulders and got out of the car. He waited for her to join him on the sidewalk and together they walked up to his apartment. As they had almost reached his place, Clark suddenly picked up his pace.
“What the…” he muttered.
He quickly climbed up the last set of stairs and fumbled for his keys. Lois followed him and saw what had obviously worried him. Lights were on inside his apartment and there was some clattering noise.
“Should we call the police?” Lois asked.
Clark didn’t react. He slipped the key into the lock, turned it and pushed the door wide open. Lois craned her neck to see what was going on. There were two figures working on Clark’s table, turning their backs on them.
“What are you doing in my apartment?” Clark said loudly.
His whole stance looked reassuringly threatening. Startled, the two intruders turned around. Lois gasped as she recognized them.
“Cat? Mandy?” Lois and Clark said in unison.
For a moment the four of them stared at each other in shock. Neither of them said anything. Cat held a burning match in her hand that she had obviously used to light two candles behind her. The silence was interrupted by a loud squeal as Cat burned herself and quickly blew out the match. Mandy dropped a fork that clattered to the ground.
Lois was the first to regain her composure. “That’s it, I’m out of here.” She turned on her heals.
“Lois, wait.” Much to her surprise, it was Cat’s voice instead of Clark’s. “Don’t go. This is my fault. Clark has nothing to do with it.”
“Then what are you doing at his place?” Lois asked.
She slowly made her way back. Clark stepped a bit to the side, looking from Lois to Cat and back again. He still seemed at a loss for words.
Cat’s expression was unusually rueful. “I wanted to surprise the two of you after I failed to make that reservation. With the little stunt I pulled on you today, I figured that you weren’t going to accept a dinner at Clark’s place if he asked you directly.”
Mandy chuckled.
Clark raked his hands through his hair in obvious distress. “Do I want to know what ‘stunt’ you’re talking about, Cat?”
“Oh, I just made her believe you were quite the lady’s man,” Cat replied offhandedly.
Clark groaned. “Cat!”
“So I didn’t tell you that the restaurant was already overbooked. Sorry about that.” Cat bit her lip. In Lois’ eyes her remorse looked a little feigned.
Mandy giggled hysterically.
“Oh, Cat, would you please stop interfering with my date?”
“Oh, come on. I’m trying to help you.” Cat pleaded.
“Just stop it, will you?”
Lois looked from Clark to Mandy, to Cat and back again. “Would anyone mind telling me what this is all about?”
Clark opened his mouth but Cat touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Lois.” This time she actually sounded sincere. “I was just trying to help Clark with this date. Today, in the lady’s room I might have exaggerated some things to fuel your ambition to go through with it. By the way, Clark and I never…” she trailed off. “And now I wanted to make it up to the two of you by preparing Clark’s apartment for you.” She looked at Clark. “You know, you really shouldn’t leave your spare keys under the flower pot.”
Clark let out an exasperated sigh. “Cat, you’re…”
“…the best?” Cat grinned. “Mandy and I were almost finished. Have a nice evening, you two!” With her hips swaying she walked past Lois and Clark and left his apartment.
“I was going to say ‘quite a handful’,” Clark mumbled.
“Surprise…” Mandy spoke for the first time. “I guess, these are yours.”
She tossed Clark a set of keys. Then she produced a tissue that she had been hiding somewhere in her ample cleavage. Lois spotted a phone number written on it with a lip stick.
Mandy winked at Clark and handed him the tissue. “Just in case she's a bore.” She blew him a kiss on her way out. Then the door fell shut behind her.
Clark stared at the tissue in his hands, looking so utterly bewildered that Lois couldn’t help but laugh. It was the strangest thing because just a moment ago she had been livid. But try as she might, she couldn’t be furious with Clark. While she might have doubted Cat’s explanation, she didn’t believe for a moment that Clark was playing a trick on her. He was a bad liar. And this story was so crazy it could only be true.
Still laughing, Lois made her way down the stairs to have a look at the table on the far side of the room. It was set quite nicely. Two long candles were sitting in the middle, casting a warm light. A delicious smell filled her nose as Lois came closer. Two glasses were filled with red wine. Soft music was playing in the background. Lois wondered why she hadn’t noticed it earlier.
Involuntarily, Lois slipped out of her coat. She hung it over the back of Clark’s couch. Then she went around the table, looking at it from all sides and tried to sort her feelings. She had no idea what to think. Cat had lied to Clark about the reservation so she could prepare Clark’s apartment? Lois had to admit that she had made a nice job of it, too. The decoration was romantic but not obtrusive. A couple of sparkling crystal snowflakes were the only things that reminded of the season. They reflected the lights of the candles in quite a mesmerizing way. The atmosphere was getting to her.
As she looked up, Lois realized that Clark was still rooted in his spot on the landing. He really was a sorry sight.
“Snap out of it, Clark,” she said.
Her words had the desired effect. Clark seemed to collect himself and joined her in the living room. He shrugged out of his coat as well and hung it up. When he came back, he held his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers.
“Lois, I…” his voice trailed off.
Lois smiled at him tentatively. “Something’s smelling really good.”
Clark still looked uncomfortable. “That’s true. Maybe I should go and have a look.” He pointed towards the kitchen and hurried off.
Lois closed her eyes, cursing herself. This was just perfect. She didn’t even need Clark to make this date a complete disaster. Maybe laughing at the sheer absurdity of the whole situation hadn’t been such a great reaction, after all. First, Cat had embarrassed Clark and now she had, too. It was a miracle that he hadn’t already lost his patience with her the way she had treated him until now.
Clark interrupted her thoughts. “Cat obviously made us Lasagna,” he said quietly. He carried a steaming casserole that he set on the table. Then Clark stepped back. He kneaded his hands. “Look, I really had no idea what Cat was doing here. She said she was sorry for telling me that we were a couple when I had lost my memories during the Nightfall crisis. I didn’t think she would go to such lengths trying to ‘help’ me date you.” He used his hands to draw quotation marks in the air.
<Yeah, he is something. Best night I ever had.> <By the way, Clark and I never…Lois remembered her strange encounter with Cat in the Lady’s room. It didn’t fit with what she had said just a few minutes ago. Had Cat actually played this elaborate trick on her to help Clark? How had she put it? To fuel Lois ambition’s to go through with the date? Her gaze wandered back to the nicely set table. Cat sure had a strange way of showing her friendship. But for some reason Lois couldn’t quite fathom she no longer doubted that this was just an act of kindness.
“I guess there is more to Cat than I give her credit for,” she muttered.
***
Clark was completely puzzled. “You believe me?”
“Well, for some ploy to get me into your bed this would be a bit too creative – even for you,” Lois chuckled softly.
“Why, thank you very much,” Clark replied. He was not completely able to keep the anger from his voice. What was it with Lois and her strange idea that he just wanted to seduce her?
Lois bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Clark. It was something that Cat said in the Lady’s room today. She insinuated that you had been intimate with several colleagues. I guess, after Claude I was just a bit too willing to believe that.”
Clark nodded slowly. “So that’s why you’ve been giving me a hard time all evening?”
Lois blushed. “Pretty much.”
“If it puts your mind at ease, this would have been the first date I had since coming to Metropolis,” Clark said.
Lois raised her brows. “Would have been? This is not over yet, or is it? It would be terrible to let this Lasagna go to waste.” As if on cue, her stomach growled again.
A smile appeared on Clark’s lips. “So, we actually give this date a try?” He asked giddily. “I mean, we don’t have to call it a date if you don’t want to. Just dinner between friends or partners or coll…”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Would you please shut up and sit down?”
Clark closed his mouth and pulled one of the chairs back for her. He waited for Lois to sit down before he went around the table and joined her. As Lois raised her glass of wine, he followed her lead. They clinked glasses.
“To a nice evening,” Lois said.
Relief flooded through Clark. “To a nice evening and good company.”
“Don’t push it, Kent.”
“Lois.”
“Just kidding.” Lois grinned and took the first bite of Lasagna. Her eyes widened in surprise. “This is delicious. Cat obviously has some hidden talents underneath those skin-tight dresses.”
Clark began to eat as well. “Yeah, she does,” he agreed.
They both dug into their food with gusto and as if some spell had been broken they easily slipped into a conversation. They talked about recent stories, movies they had seen and whatever else came to mind. It was as if the whole debacle that had led them to this moment just hadn’t happened. Two friends were sharing a meal and having lots of fun.
The whole time Clark was in danger of losing himself in the dark pools of her eyes. He was fascinated by her full lips as she told him little things about her past. He was completely enchanted by the sound of her voice. More than once he was about to tell Lois how he felt about her. But he knew that was dangerous terrain. So, each time he felt the impulse to spill his heart out, he raised his glass of wine to his lips and took a sip. A certain dizziness claimed him. Since he was pretty certain that it wasn’t the alcohol affecting him, he could only guess that being with Lois had this strange inebriating effect on him. It was as much scary as it was exhilarating and he didn’t want for this date to end.
“Okay, so what’s the true story?” Lois asked. She lay her fork and knife down as she had finished her meal.
Clark was confused. He felt like he had just been pulled from a reverie. “What true story?”
“I mean, we’ve established that what Cat told me about your multiple affairs isn’t true.” Lois clarified. “So, what is the truth about you? I pretty much told you about my past – about Claude. There was also a guy named Paul, another federal disaster. He ended up dating my best friend after he dumped me.” She eyed him curiously. “I bet the girls in Smallville were all over you.”
Clark raised his brows. “You want to know who I dated?”
“Well, it’s unfair. I’m an open book and you…“ She trailed off.
Clark sobered. He studied her expression. There was something in the way she looked at him that touched him deeply. He couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was exactly. All of a sudden she seemed so fragile, so vulnerable, so unlike the fierce, determined woman she usually was. It tore at his heart and made him want to pull her to his chest to protect her. It dawned on him that it was her fear of being hurt by him that made her ask this question. But would she believe him if he told her the truth?
“There was a girl named Lana back in high school,” he said. “We dated for a while, but it just didn’t work out. There were other women, but nothing serious.”
“Maybe it was serious for them,” Lois argued.
“Maybe,” Clark conceded. “But I guess, what you really want to know is if I seduced any of them to dump them afterwards, don’t you?”
Lois blushed and clasped her hand over her mouth. “I guess that’s none of my business, huh?” she said sheepishly. It was obvious that she was embarrassed by her own bluntness.
“Well, it’s certainly a strange question for a first date. Or even a dinner among friends.” Clark took his glass of wine and swirled the contents for a moment while he thought about his answer. “But I think I understand why you’re asking it.”
Lois squirmed on her chair. “You don’t have to answer. That was awfully impolite of me.”
“It’s okay,” Clark said softly. “I’m one of those guys who firmly believe that intimacy and love should go hand in hand.”
“How poetic.” Lois didn’t sound convinced.
Clark didn’t budge. “But I mean it! I couldn’t make love to a woman who didn’t know everything about me. That would be…” He trailed off, knowing that he was walking dangerous ground. This was not the right moment to tell her his secret. Maybe one day, he would. He hoped that Lois was the woman he could finally share himself with – in every aspect of that word.
“That would be what?” Lois insisted.
“Unfair,” Clark said.
Lois looked puzzled. “Why?”
“That’s something I’m not comfortable telling you, yet.” It was Clark’s turn to squirm on his chair. He bit his lip, afraid that maybe he had said too much. “We don’t know each other that well.”
“Sounds pretty mysterious.” Lois raised her brows. “Are you going to tell me one day?”
Clark looked at her thoughtfully. His heart beat a little faster at the prospect of sharing his secret with Lois. It wasn’t something he had seriously considered up until this evening. He had been in love with her from the moment she had stormed into his interview with Perry. But after months of trying to make her see Clark, he hadn’t really expected that he would have to make that decision anytime soon, if at all. But maybe this evening was a first step in that direction.
Clark shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll come to that point. That’s not just up to me.”
Lois seemed a little disappointed. “I guess it’s understandable that you don’t want to share all your secrets with me. Though I have to admit that you’ve definitely sparked my curiosity.”
“Uh uh! Then I’m in danger,” Clark replied.
“That you are,” Lois agreed.
The way she relaxed her stance told Clark that she was ready to let the matter go for the time being. Relief washed trough him. He grinned and took another sip of his wine.
“There’s one thing I would like to know.” He put his glass back on the table. “Have we agreed, yet, if we call this a date or a dinner among friends?”
Lois shook her head. “Why is that important?”
Clark felt himself blush a little. “Well, if this is a date, I’m going to ask you now if you would like to dance.”
A smile spread across Lois’ lips. “I’d like that very much,” she said softly.
Clark got up and held out his hand. Lois took it and in a swift motion stood in front of Clark. He pulled her towards him, enjoying the feeling of her slender frame in his arms. Slowly, he began to sway to the music that up until now had played in the background. To Clark it seemed as if someone had turned up the volume. He breathed in the scent of her hair as she followed his lead. It took all his willpower to keep his feet on the ground. He could so easily lose himself in the sensation of having her so close to him.
“This is nice,” Lois murmured.
She turned her head to look in his eyes. Her smile broadened. Her tongue flickered across her lips and Clark’s breath caught as she inched forward. It was as if a sudden jolt of electricity hit him. His mouth ran dry as she moved even closer until there was no mistaking her intentions. He leaned in to go the rest of the way, capturing her lips in the first kiss that belonged to him. It wasn’t a ruse. It wasn’t a kiss that he had stolen from her as Superman. It was real and wonderful and breathtaking. His world narrowed to the silky softness of her velvet lips a he gently explored them.
They were both breathless as they parted. Lois rested her head against his shoulder and they resumed their dance.
Lois chuckled softly. “You know – for a federal disaster – this isn’t so bad after all.”
The End
