By Tank Wilson <TankW1@aol.com>
Rated PG
Submitted August 1999
Summary: Why did Lois get her hair cut short between the episodes "Ordinary People" and "Contact"? Read on to find out in this funny short story.
This story was originally posted on Zoomway's boards and I was encouraged to send it to the archives. It's obviously meant to fit into the L&C continuity between Ordinary People and Contact. Feedback (both positive and negative) is most welcome. All Characters trademarked and copyrighted to their respective owners.
***
Lois Lane sat in the chair at her local salon. It was time for her regular appointment with Cindy, the gal who'd been cutting Lois' hair for years, but Lois' mind was elsewhere at the moment. Recent events kept running through her brain. The revelation that Clark and Superman were the same person and to top it off Clark asking her to marry him! It was pretty heady stuff, but right now she was dwelling on the fact that she had never figured it out earlier. For two years she had been fooled by a pair of glasses and change of hairstyle! What was she, galactically stupid? Whoa, Lois was suddenly hit with a feeling of deja vu, why did that expression seem so familiar? Lois' thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on her skull.
"Hello, Lois, anybody home in there?" Lois looked up and saw Cindy grinning at her.
"Huh? What? Did you say something?"
"I asked you if you want the usual two inch trim and a hot oil treatment?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess so."
Lois slipped back into her own recriminations as Cindy began to comb out the dark silken tresses which had grown out past Lois' shoulders since her last visit. Suddenly Lois was struck with an idea.
"Say, Cindy, you've been after to me for a while now to try something different with my hair. Why is that, you've always told me I have great hair?"
"Oh you do have great hair, Lois, but you are an attractive woman and your looks could easily support many styles. Frankly, you've been wearing your hair the same way for a long time and, well, it's gotten kind of… boring."
"Boring?"
"Don't get me wrong. The look works fine for you, but I think a woman needs to change her style every so often just for the sake of change. Shake things up a bit. Wouldn't you like to shake up that boyfriend of yours a bit?"
The corner of Lois' mouth curved upward in a smile which, if any of her friends had seen it, would have made them look over their shoulders in apprehension. Lois had a scheme brewing.
"Let's go for it."
***
Lois had an arm load of packages when she entered her apartment later that afternoon. She took them straight into the bedroom and dropped them on her bed. She then turned to the phone and dialed a very familiar number. She got his machine.
"Clark? Hi, I had to call to let you know I might be a little late meeting you at the park this evening to discuss that airport theft story. I have some errands to run. If you could just wait for me by the fountain that would be great, thanks so much. Love you, bye."
With that taken care of Lois turned her attention back to the packages on her bed. Time to get busy.
***
It was early evening when Lois approached the fountain in Centennial Park. It had been a fun day so far. Her hand, self-consciously, again went up to her hair. She had to admit that she actually liked the short feathered style that she and Cindy had come up with but it felt so different. She'd never had her hair this short since she was old enough to realize her father had wanted a boy and had cut off her long pony tail just to please him.
She smoothed the bright yellow blouse and blue skirt with her fingers. Lois didn't normally wear much yellow because she didn't like the way it went with her complexion, but then she was not the normal Lois today. Besides the bright colors, she had also altered her make-up choices. She was surprised at how much a change of skin tones could alter her appearance.
She had spent some pleasant minutes at the Daily Planet just before she came here. She had gone in and asked for herself but was told by several people that today was her day off. She had even walked by Perry and Jimmy, who were involved in some sort of one-sided conversation. As she passed within a foot of them they both looked over at her but neither said anything to her and had quickly returned to their discussion.
Lois felt empowered by her experience at the Daily Planet but now would be the crucial test. She saw Clark sitting on a bench next to the fountain reading a copy of the Planet. She adjusted the heavy framed glasses to sit more comfortably on the bridge of her nose and began to close the gap between them. Here goes nothing she thought.
Clark didn't even look up as she sat down on the bench next to him. She cleared her throat.
"Excuse me sir. If you are done with it, could I have a look at the entertainment section?"
"Sure, here." Clark pulled the section of the paper out of the pile in his lap and handed it over to her. He gave her that smile that was so hard on the female population as he did so. Was he flirting with her? No… no he was just being Clark. He had turned back to his paper. Yes! Lois thought. He looked right at me and didn't recognize me. She hadn't believed it would really be possible until now. Wow, the secret identity thing worked. She had to test it some more.
"Excuse me again, but aren't you Clark Kent, that reporter from the Daily Planet?"
Clark put down his paper and turned to Lois. "Yes, I am."
"I read your stuff all the time. You and your partner, Lois Lane. You two are very good."
"Thank you, we always try to do our best."
"Oh, you do. Tell me, what is Lois Lane like?"
"Well, she's stubborn but brilliant, quite passionate but is prone to hair-brained schemes which usually get us into trouble." Lois' face darkened a bit but she held her tongue. "And she's almost as attractive as you."
"Really? I… What!"
"In fact, she's supposed to meet me her soon, What do you say to you and me skipping out of here right now, before she gets here?"
"What! How dare…!"
"Enough talk, let's neck." Clark pulled Lois over to him and pressed his lips firmly onto hers. Lois was shocked and angry and tried to resist but she knew those lips too well and succumbed to the pleasure they brought. She tried to form an angry rejoinder when they broke but then she noticed Clark was laughing.
"You knew!"
"Did I?"
"For the sake of any future you hope we'll have together you'd better say you knew."
"I knew."
"Okay, how?"
"Well, Lois, you do look quite different, but you made a couple of mistakes."
"Like?"
"For one, your hand bag."
"My hand bag? I purposely chose this one because I don't particularly like it and almost never use it."
"I bought it for you for your last birthday."
"Oh." Lois blushed. "And the other mistake?"
"You forgot that I have a few enhanced senses and I would know you in a blinding snowstorm or a pitch black cave. Lois, I know your smell, not the cologne you choose, but the essence of you. I have memorized your heartbeat. I just know whenever you're around because of the way you make me feel. There is a connection between us that is like putting together two halves of a single whole. You could be shaved bald and wrapped in a blanket and I would know it was you. The love I feel and share with you is unique and for you alone."
"You've memorized my heartbeat?" A tear slid unnoticed down Lois' cheek. Clark laughed and pulled her close.
"Among other things. Lois, having three people in this relationship is hard enough. Let's not make it four, shall we."
"I just wanted to see if your disguise would work for someone else and that I wasn't galactically stupid not to have known it was you sooner."
"Lois, the disguise is not so much about physical appearances as it is about expectations. People don't expect to see Clark Kent when they are faced with Superman so they don't. Just like your mind can fill in the blanks of an incomplete picture or scene, people take the different little clues I give them and fill in the rest of the person they expect to see, whether it's Superman or merely the lowly reporter Clark Kent. I bet if you asked ten people to give you a description of Superman you'd end up with ten different answers."
"And none would be the real you."
"Nope only you, and my folks, get that."
They fell back into a clinch and another deep impassioned kiss. They were out of breath when they broke this time. Clark recovered first.
"You know, Lois, I like the haircut. It frames your face nicely and you do have such a nice face." He grinned and she again touched her hair with her fingertips. "But you know, since you do have such a nice face I think we can do without these." Clark slid the glasses from her face and tossed them into the bushes. "There, much better. Now would you like to get down to business and discuss this story?"
Lois got up and grabbed Clark by the hand, pulling him up with her. She had a mischievous smile on her face.
"I've got a better idea. I think we should go to my place and see how this new hairdo stands up to the rigors of an exhaustive physical work out."
"Exhaustive?"
"Very."
They were quickly up and strolled arm in arm out of the park toward Lois' apartment.
(fade to black)
THE END