Thanks, as always, to Kathy!
Last time
"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.
*~*16*~*Lois felt extremely self-conscious as they walked into what Clark was telling her was the first of two rooms where the fundraiser was being held.
This particular room was for mingling and the other had the dance floor.
She was sure that everyone would know that she was really just a farmer's daughter from Kansas. She wasn't sure she belonged at something like this.
Clark's hand tightened over hers. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Maybe." She took a deep breath. "Got any wine or something around here?"
"Probably. Gramps doesn't normally keep it on hand because Grams and Mom both had alcohol problems in the past, but he does have some for this." He smiled at her. "Don't suppose you'd want to dance before we mingle though?"
She nodded. "Yeah. That sounds nice." Any excuse to be in his arms instead of smiling politely at a bunch of people she didn't know.
He led her through the wide door and into the next room. A string quartet was set up on a small stage in one corner. A second later, she was in his arms, one hand in his. His other hand was splayed on her bare back.
She had tried on all of the dresses his grandpa had had sent over. As soon as she'd slipped this one on, she'd known it was the one, but she'd felt it was... unfair of her not to try them all on. She felt like Cinderella going to the ball.
The pleated bustline was held up by three slim straps. Those crisscrossed her back to the other side of the gown as low as her waist. It was cut much lower in the back than she would have preferred but otherwise she loved the dress. There was no way on God's green Earth her dad would have let her wear it, ever, even now, for that reason alone – even though the front of the dress was perfectly modest.
It hung from the bustline to the floor, pooling slightly on ground even when she was in her heels. There was a bit of a train in the back, but not much.
What she loved the most about it was the sheer overskirt. It gave the whole thing a fun, flirty look to it while the back was sure to make Clark gasp a bit – just like he had when he'd spun her around.
Two of the others had fit well enough, while two just hadn't hung right. Clark's mom had agreed that this particular dress was the right one – and had even giggled a bit with her about Clark's reaction to it. Ellen had also helped with a simple hair-do and choosing appropriate accessories.
In the end, she'd chosen a simple pendant necklace that Ellen had said was a family piece and gold earrings that weren't really seen as her hair hung in waves to her shoulders.
She was conscious that her nails hadn't been done and that they were bitten on more than they should be and that she'd have to make sure to do something about that if she was going to hang out with Clark and go to things like this on a regular basis. Ellen had told her that her watch and bracelet – given to her by her parents at her college and high school graduations respectively – would work nicely.
She closed her eyes as Clark's warm breath played with the hair at her temple. She didn’t want to see everyone staring at her like she was sure they were.
"What?" Clark murmured.
"Everyone's staring, aren't they?"
She could feel him look around a bit. "Maybe."
She groaned. "I knew it. I don't fit in here and they know it."
"Not at all. I come to these things pretty regularly so I know most of these people at least in passing and I've never brought a girl to one of these things before, so that's probably part of it. But everyone is jealous of us so..."
"What? Why?"
"All the women are jealous that they don't look like you and all the guys are wishing they get to dance with you like I do."
"Speaking of dancing with other men, may I cut in?"
Lois moved away from Clark to see his grandpa standing there, a smile on his face.
Clark moved further back. "I can't say no to Gramps," he told her with a grin. "I'll catch up with you later."
Lois nodded, moving into Nathan's arms.
"I must warn you," he said. "I dip suddenly and I dip deeply."
No sooner than the words were out of his mouth than he dipped her, deeper than she'd ever been dipped before.
She laughed as he pulled her back up.
"Clark's right, you know."
"About what?"
"That you're the most beautiful woman in this room. I’m glad you chose that pendant," he said suddenly.
"Ellen said it was a family piece."
"It was Jenny's great-grandma's," he told her softly. "It's been worn by every woman in the family since then – always on their wedding days but other times, too, of course – and has been handed down to the oldest daughter each time. I have two sons – Sam and Mike. Mike's never been married, so she willed it to Ellen when she died."
Lois didn't say anything as the song ended. Sam claimed the next dance. She chatted easily with him, but her mind was spinning a million miles an hour.
Clark's birth father had, it seemed to her, given her his blessing on a relationship with Clark.
And now, Clark's adoptive mother had given her a family heirloom – something worn by every bride in the family for generations – to wear to their sort of 'coming out' as a couple. Was it her stamp of approval? Hers and Sam's since it was from his family and all?
Or was it just a pendant that happened to go well with the dress?
She danced with a number of different men after Sam. All were very polite, asking the same questions of her – was she new to Metropolis, how had she met Clark, where was she from. Several also commented that she was the first woman Clark had brought to a fundraiser. She found herself having a fairly good time by the time the quartet took a break and Nate went into the fundraising portion of the evening.
She didn't pay too much attention to his speech – she had no money to donate at the moment anyway – as her head continued to spin with the potential implications of the night. Clark's first fundraiser date, the pendant.
What did it all mean? Did it mean what she was afraid to let herself hope it meant? And +why was she afraid?
She took a sip of the wine she'd picked up as she'd walked off the dance floor, wondering where Clark was.
He was nowhere to be seen the rest of the night.
She pasted a smile on her face. Nate escorted her around the room, offering one glib excuse after another for Clark's sudden disappearance and introducing her to some of Metropolis' elite. She'd never expected to rub elbows with the likes of Arthur Chow or Tim and Amber Lake.
After several hours, she excused herself. Most of the other guests were gone, Sam and Ellen were talking to another couple and Nate had gone to the kitchen, she thought.
Her feet hurt as she climbed one of the main staircases to her room. She was sure there was a shorter, more efficient way, but she didn't know what it was.
With a final sigh, she headed into her room to call it a night.
*****
TBC
This dress in
this color with a back more like
this one .
