Tricks of the Mind

By Anna Botsakou <abotsakou@in.gr>

Rated: G

Submitted: April 2006

Summary: "Those tricks of the mind are so annoying — memories of things that have never happened, that nagging feeling that you've forgotten something, and that impression that your partner looks like somebody else you know…"

Thanks to Carol Malo, Jenni and Nicole for an IRC BRing session, and to the readers at Zoomway's and the Fanfic Messageboards.

I hope you enjoy. Feedback is welcome. Anna.

***

"Here, Lois, a list of all gas stations in Metropolis."

"Thanks, Jimmy."

She took the list from Jimmy's hands and started to go over it. Clark, sitting in a chair near her, was working on a map of Metropolis, marking with red the stations that had been robbed in the past week.

"They don't seem to connect in any way, some are in completely opposite corners of the city…" He turned to look at her and frowned. "Lois?"

She was frozen still, one hand barely touching a pen she was reaching for, eyes fixed on the list she was holding in the other.

"Lois, are you okay?"

She blinked and shook her head. "Yeah. I just… had a deja vu moment. Very intense."

Clark nodded.

"Are you sure we haven't done this before?"

He smiled. "Lois, it's just a trick of the mind."

"Yeah, I know…" She let the list drop on her desk. "But it's so annoying. I mean, every time I get it I can't help but try to remember whether this has happened before, or I have dreamed about it, and it drives me crazy because I can never remember. I hate that. Or those times when you get this nagging feeling that you've forgotten something but can't remember what?"

"Yeah, I know," Clark said. "Or those times when you see someone and they remind you of someone else, but you can never remember who?"

"Yeah!" Lois clapped her hands together. "That too. I always get that feeling with you, you know."

"You do?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And with Superman, too."

Clark's face lost all color and he cowered, waiting for the explosion.

Three… two…

"Clark?"

"Yes?" he said in a little voice.

"What's gotten into you?"

He tried his best to sound nonchalant. "Nothing."

"Then stop looking at me like that and let's focus on our story."

Clark fought the urge to let out a big sigh of relief. "Yeah, let's do that."

THE END

[insert evil grin here]