There are some things about this fic that stuck in my mind, and that I didn't comment on the first time I replied.
“Hello Clark,” a woman's voice said from behind him. His heart jumped at the familiarity of the voice. He tried to stay calm as he looked over his shoulder to see a woman with short dark hair wearing a fashionable skirted business suit.
“Hello Lois.”
She stepped closer to his table and he could now see the tension around her eyes as she looked back at him. “May I sit down?”
He nodded, afraid to speak for fear of embarrassing himself by stuttering. She pulled out the chair opposite his and settled into it, ankles crossed demurely, burgundy leather briefcase at her feet.
I very much like how you describe Lois here: short dark hair, fashionable skirted business suit, burgundy leather briefcase. There is tension around her eyes, and she keeps her ankles crossed demurely as she sits down.
There is nothing lightweight or flimsy about this Lois. She is a very mature woman who has considered her options and knows ecxactly what she wants. Lois at her most dangerous, as you pointed out a little further down in the text!
And Clark is very impressed (as well as frightened). He, too, likes this not-to-be-trifled-with Lois:
He wanted to believe her. She was so beautiful sitting there, poised and professional – a dream come true. A dream he'd prayed for every night.
Seeing her is wonderful. Her beauty is so striking, and her maturity and strength of character is a wonder to behold. Yes, Clark has dreamed about this woman ever since he himself "died", and now she is here, his wonderful dream. Except...
Seeing is believing, but seeing is not enough. Look what happens when Clark's other senses picks up Lois's presence:
“Lois, why are you here?”
She shrugged and he could hear the silk of her blouse rubbing against her jacket. He could smell the scent of her perfume and the tang of sweat under the silk.
He can hear the sound of her clothes as she moves, and he can pick up the smell of her perfume and her sweat. And suddenly she is overwhelmingly
real. Clark can see her and smell her in a way that makes sure that she isn't a dream. This woman not only looks like Lois. She sounds like Lois too, and she smells like Lois. She
is Lois. And from this point on, I felt convinced that Clark would come home, to Metropolis and to the wonderful physical reality of Lois. By the way, thanks for mentioning Lois's sweat. Women do their very best to kill their own natural smell, but Clark would know the smell of Lois. And if he loves Lois, he is almost bound to love the smell of her, too.
Once again, I love this vignette.
Ann
