Thanks again to Kathy. Have gotten quite a bit of BIII written today. Have been working my way through my S1 DVDs and have had several plot bunnies hop through my head :p .
Last time:
She sighed. "I'm sorry, Clark. Honestly, I'm new at this whole non-dysfunctional relationship thing."
"Me, too. But we'll figure it out. Together, but you have to talk to me." They'd started walking again, hand in hand. "And don't automatically assume the worst in whatever."
Lois nodded. "I know and I'm not normally like that but everything is just changing and... I'm more than a bit out of my comfort zone and it's throwing everything off."
They stopped walking as they reached the Planet.
"Just let me know what I can do to help," Clark said softly. "I am so glad you're here and I’m looking forward to getting to know everything about you and seeing what happens with us, but I don't want it to be any harder on you than it has to be."
"Take me to see my folks tonight?" she asked. "I know it's only been a couple days but I miss them."
"Of course."
"Thank you." She tugged on his hand. "Now we have work to do."
*~*15*~*
They didn’t make it back to Nathan Lane's house until after dinner.
"What's all this about?" Lois asked as they drove past a well-dressed guardian at the front gate.
"Gramps must be having a fundraiser," Clark said, his brow furrowing. "Yeah. He mentioned it last week but I forget what cause it is this time."
There were valets and assorted other personnel at one side of the massive house, but Clark pulled into the porte cochere on the other side and then into a parking space.
"We'll just avoid them all together," he told her, pulling their suitcases out of the back of the Jeep.
He stashed the luggage near one of the side staircases and they headed into the kitchen to get a bite to eat.
"There you two are!" They turned to see Sam standing there.
"What's up, Dad?" Clark asked around a mouthful of appetizer.
"Your grandpa thought you were coming tonight and wondered where you two were."
Clark groaned. "Do we have to? I hate wearing a monkey suit."
Sam laughed. "No you don't. You hate trying to get your tie on straight."
"Go ahead, Clark," Lois told him. "Your grandpa wants you there."
"You, too, Lois," Sam said.
Her eyes widened, in shock or fright – Clark wasn't sure.
"Oh, I don't know," she demurred. "I don't have anything to wear to something like this and..."
"Nonsense," a new voice said. Ellen moved to Lois' side and rested a hand on her arm. "Nate knew you might not have anything – at least not with you – and he had several dresses and accessories sent over from the store run by an old friend of his. I'm sure we can find something for you."
Clark watched as Lois walked off with his mom. He popped another appetizer in his mouth. "I guess I should go get dressed, too," he said with a sigh.
His dad clapped him on the shoulder as he walked off, grabbing the bags they'd brought with them as he headed up the stairs. He set Lois' outside her closed door and headed to his room to get dressed.
There was a knock on the door as he was attempting – again – to get his tie straight.
"Come on, Lane," came the voice from the mildly irritated Lois. "I'm not going to this soiree by myself."
He chuckled as he went to open the door. "I wouldn't want you to. I wouldn't want any of those other guys to get any..."
He stopped midsentence when he saw her standing there.
"Wow," he breathed. "You look... incredible."
For all of his writing abilities, describing dresses weren't among the things he'd learned over the years. All he knew was that she looked *amazing* in the deep burgundy dress his mom had surely helped her pick out.
"You done gawking yet?" she asked, softly and he could hear the underlying pleasure in her voice.
"Hey – you got to ogle, why can't I?" he asked turning to walk back into the bathroom, Lois following him into the room.
He could see her in the mirror and she shrugged. "Double standard."
"It's just as well you're waiting for me to go downstairs. If I don't claim the first dance, I won't get one at all."
She looked panic stricken. "Dance?"
"Yeah. We've danced together before, remember?"
"That was the Two-Step and a slow dance in *Smallville*, not some fancy fundraising shindig in *Pittsdale*."
"You'll be *fine*," he promised before sighing. "Now, if I could just get my tie on straight..."
"Let me try."
Clark moved back into his room to stand in front of her, lifting his chin slightly. "Straighten away."
She was biting her bottom lip as she tugged first this way then that then tweaked the tie just a bit.
"All done."
Clark turned to look in the mirror. "I'm impressed. I can never get those right."
"Well, you look very nice," she told him, taking the opportunity to look him up and down. "Very nice."
He grinned as he turned around. "Shall we?" He held out his arm and she tucked her hand in his elbow.
Together, they headed down one of the circular staircases into the main hall.
They stopped when they heard a whistle come from behind them. They turned to see Clark's grandpa standing there.
"I knew Della and Ellen wouldn't let me down," he said. "Lois, my dear, you look simply marvelous."
Lois blushed deeply. "Thank you so much, Mr. Lane. The dresses were all beautiful."
He smiled at them. "A dress is just material without a beautiful woman to wear it. And, Lois, you are certainly a beautiful woman. I do hope you'll save at least once dance for me this evening. It can only improve my stature around here."
They turned to head down one of the halls to the east wing where the fundraiser was being held. Clark barely stifled a gasp as he put his hand on Lois' back to guide her the right direction.
He hadn't expected bare skin that low on her back.
His arm slipped further around her, pulling her towards him slightly.
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" he whispered, his voice husky even in his own ears.
"What?" she asked, honestly unsure what he was talking about.
"This dress." He moved away from her, taking her hand and spinning her, drinking in the sight of her.
"What?"
The three straps on each side crossed in the middle of her back, leaving it mostly bare all the way down to several inches past her waistline.
"You're incredible, you know that?" he whispered, pulling her close to him.
"Because I look good in what is probably a *very* expensive dress?" she asked, her arms winding their way around his neck.
"No, just because you're you."
He kissed her softly, tenderly. She kissed him back the same way.
"I'm falling in love with you," he said softly. "I know I am. I'm never letting you go."
"That's good to hear because I think I'm falling in love with you." She kissed him again. "But right now, there are pterodactyls flying around my stomach. Let's get this over with."
Clark chuckled, stepping back and tucking her hand in his elbow, covering it with his own. "You're going to knock 'em dead."
She groaned. "I hope so."
He laughed lightly and they headed towards the music coming from that end of the house.
*****
TBC
