My goodness, this was a choice part. I'm not sure if Lana gained any points at all, but definitely lost a bunch. Lois, OTOH, played the game masterfully. When Mad Dog Lane sets out to do something, she doesn't go half way. She goes all out. And it's great to see. Of course, Lois has a built-in advantage in that she knows him better at this point than Lana does, so she knows what makes Clark happy.
The cute part of this whole story is that we all know Clark's completely in love with his partner, so the battle really isn't even necessary. All Lois would have to do is say she likes him romantically and she'd win the battle hands down. But because Lois and Lana don't know that, that just means more fun for us!
This is such fun that all of us guys are probably very envious of the oblivious Clark and would love to be in his place, having two great-looking women fighting over him.
The new burgundy dress suit she wore fit her perfectly. It fell just above her knees, and the matching heels she wore drew attention to her long legs. The scooped neckline was flattering without being revealing, and the necklace she wore fell just above the valley between her breasts, drawing attention there. Her make up was flawlessly applied, and she’d bought a new lipstick. Her tongue darted out instinctively to moisten her lips. Yes, she was ready for anything.
Wow! Nice.
(checking quickly to make sure my wife isn't looking over my shoulder
)
“I did. I really liked it. And I was just thinking about how you would be wasted if you went into broadcast news. Not that you’re not good looking enough, but your talents would just be wasted there. I mean, you know how broadcast news is...it’s so fake, so surface. All those ‘reporters’ spend more time worrying about their makeup than their stories.”
There's an irony in these statements. It was Lois who went to LNN after the Planet was blown up, and it was Clark who derided TV news. Now it's Lois' turn to "suck up" to Clark by putting down TV journalism. So this was a safe bet for Lois.
Great move to try preempting Lana, even if it didn't quite work out. But the Jimmy invitation was a masterstroke. Jimmy's the one who thought Lana was a "hot chick" back in Part 1, so I'm sure it wasn't too difficult to get Jimmy to completely distract Lana. "Jimmy Interruptus" for once was put to work in a constructive manner.
At times this seemed like a children's game, such as:
He placed it on the hook next to their booth, then slid into his seat, scooting along the bench and leaving an empty space next to him. Lois dove into the seat, claiming it as her own as quickly as possible.
School girls often try edging each other out to sit next to the cute guy, and vice versa.
It's amazing how snobbish Lana ended up, despite her Smallville upbringing. Here's the laundry list:
Lois glanced over to Clark’s desk just in time to see Lana pluck the donut from his hand and toss it in the trash, replacing it with a small paper bag bearing the logo of one of Metropolis’ swankiest pastry shops.
“I can’t remember the last time I was in a restaurant with booths.”
“You mean they want to let poor kids go to private schools? Ugh, why would the rich kids’ parents keep their kids there?”
“Well, Superman is okay,” Lana was saying, “but what is his deal really? I heard he gives all his profits from Superman merchandise to charity? Can you just imagine? I mean, he could be so rich.”
"Why, when I was working A Song for Ginger, I was talking to Patrick Swayze and he said-”
She really doesn't know Clark very well if she thinks these comments or actions would impress Clark.
“I’m just going to use the restroom quickly before we leave.”
Lana quickly followed suit. “I think I’ll join you.”
Lois saw Clark and Jimmy exchange a look that practically screamed the age old question, “Why do they need to go in groups?”
As a guy...ROTFLMAO!!!!
“Did you ever meet Lex Luthor?”
Major faux pas. Apparently, Lana didn't keep up to date on what happened with Lois and Clark six months ago. Even Clark lost it briefly, spilling sauce over himself. Not a good way to ingratiate herself with her intended victim. (I use victim in the nicest way.
)
The argument in the bathroom was great! Lois practically left Lana speechless, leaving her with the lame comment about Clark not settling for Lois. I wonder if Clark heard the argument? With his superhearing tuned into mentions of his name, (usually his alter ego, but who doesn't perk up when they hear their name?) it'd be hard for him to not have heard the argument.
If Clark actually secretly knew there was a contest going on between Lana and Lois, I could just see
Clark encouraging the competition.
“I was just thinking....would you like to come over for dinner tonight?”
Clark looked surprised, then a little curious. Finally he lifted an eyebrow. “Are you cooking?”
Already buoyed by the adrenalin rush she’d gained from squaring off with Lana, Lois couldn’t help but let herself grin in what she hoped was a flirtatious – but not *too* flirtatious – way. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”
Now this was masterful. The way she invited him over for dinner was just vague enough to make Clark wonder about whether this would just be a dinner between friends. Hopefully, Lana doesn't figure out a way to crash the dinner.
This was an absolutely delightful part. I just loved seeing Lois make points with Clark at Lana's expense. It's just too often that Clark is the one that has to do all the pursuing in most fics, so it's great to see the shoe on the other foot.
Oh, a seeming inconsistency:
Lois returned the smile and slid off his desk, smiling secretively when she saw Clark’s eyes dart to her legs before focusing back on his notes. So far, so good, she thought with a small smile.
Lana leaned over the desk to deposit a cup of coffee, and from her vantage point Lois could tell the position gave Clark a perfect vantage point to look down her shirt. Not that Clark would normally look, he was a gentleman – a rare thing in Metropolis – but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy the view if it was presented to him on a silver platter.
Lois thinks that Clark wouldn't look at Lana's, cough, attributes, but saw Clark looking at her legs. Inconsistent? Maybe.
Is it Thursday yet?
