Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK-ficathon- What Tangled Webs We Weave

“You really have only yourself to blame,” stated Martha Kent. Clark slouched dejectedly in a sturdy kitchen chair in the Kent's kitchen, a plate of untouched cookies in front of him. Normally, Martha would scold Clark to watch his posture, but he was in such a glum mood she decided to let that go and focus on the matter at hand.

Shrugging, she asked, “Does the suit come off?” Lois hurried on as his eyebrows rose instantly to his hairline. “Not that, Kal! Keep your shirt – no, your suit, I guess, keep your suit on.

Now she was dating the most famous man in the world, a man who was more powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet. A man who could do anything he could imagine, anything at all. But a man so noble he chose not to use those incredible abilities for personal gain, but instead to help where and when he could. She sighed. And Superman, this amazing man, would soon take time off from asteroid-crunching, bullet-catching and criminal-capturing to take her out for some great Chinese.

Clark had seen Lois in a leather outfit that Cat Grant would find scandalous, worn for undercover work in the worst parts of town. Lois, dirty and soiled in some daring escape from a master criminal's lair, soaked with mud and reeking of sewage? That was almost a weekly event for Lois. Wearing a nun's habit, investigating theft from a church offering plate? Sure. This was Lois, after all. But Lois Lane wearing sweats and curlers in her hair? Clark looked with a quizzical raise of his eyebrows toward the Chief, who had seen the flash that was Lois come and go.

“Clark, that girl can grab hold of a story and not let go until it sits up, begs, and then writes itself for her. Sure as I can yodel better than any newspaperman east of the Pacific, I know she's out pounding the streets for any information about the Cat.”

The Cat rose up and faced Lois. He said nothing. She started to activate her voice recorder but with a sudden insight and speed like a panther herself, Lois grabbed out and pulled the mask from his face.

“Clark?! What do you think you're doing? What are you doing in this stupid costume? And how can you even see without your glasses?”

His plan to create a second secret identity and allow Lois to discover it so she would fall in love with heroic Clark hadn't worked at all! He'd thought it was the crime fighting Lois liked. He'd been sure it was the crime fighting. Fight crime, interest Lois, reveal himself, somehow work Superman out of his life, or at least out of Lois', and things would be great.

Hmmm. Maybe for Lois it was the colorful costume? She'd said the black was stupid. Perhaps he should go with that crazy green and yellow suit his Mom made before the final choice of red, blue and yellow. Sure! He'd stop by to visit Lois as Superman, then fly out to Kansas for a family visit as Clark Kent and while there pick up the wildly-colored costume. Then he would begin his third superhero career as the mighty… Spark.

This time Clark would pick his name as a crime fighter, not let someone else decide who he would be. That decision would be his and his alone, so sooner or later Lois would see Clark for who he really was.

Whoever that turned out to be.

Clark came up for air when Lois finally broke free, exclaiming,” I’m so glad to see you, Kal! Tonight let’s fly somewhere quiet and watch the stars.”

So, here’s my idea: I think maybe you could leave the suit behind and wear regular clothing. Then we could go out in public, because no one would recognize you without your suit. Does that sound crazy to you?”

“Maybe you could even put on some sort of disguise if you thought someone might recognize you, like a fake beard, or maybe glasses- “

Clark leaped up. He hated to lie to Lois, but now he simply had to. “I hear a cry for help! I need to go. I need to go now. I mean really, really right now. To go. And help.”

Think of how to unweave this web of deception.

Lois knew this sort of thing would happen, that Kal would often be needed and have to leave at a moment’s notice, and she was surprised to find their first broken date bothered her far less than she’d expected. In her short life, Lois had dealt with gun runners in the Congo and car theft rings in Metropolis, been held at gunpoint twelve times, saved Jimmy from alligators, been arrested twice, kidnapped four times, fired Perry after he’d fired her, been thrown out of an airplane, tackled crazy invisible men and wackos with flamethrowers, won three Kerth Awards *and* managed to snag the only interview ever granted by the mysterious billionaire Lex Luthor. With all that had happened in her life, she had never been more nervous than that evening a couple weeks ago when, while interviewing Superman, she’d asked if they might go out on a date.

High above her, atop the roof of an adjacent building, a figure dressed entirely in black watched her progress through masked eyes. The dark form watched until she entered her apartment complex, and then dropped silently from the rooftop fifty feet to the alleyway below. Within seconds, the figure became one with the night.

But Lois Lane wearing sweats and curlers in her hair? Clark looked with a quizzical raise of his eyebrows toward the Chief, who had seen the flash that was Lois come and go.

“No, son. *The* Cat. That’s what they’re calling this new hero of the night. He’s the biggest story in town; the appearance of this Cat character overshadowed a Superman rescue yesterday. Hit the pavement yourself, Clark, although you might already be too late. He may be silent and stealthy, but don’t be surprised if Lois ends up belling the Cat.”

The Cat rose up and faced Lois. He said nothing. She started to activate her voice recorder but with a sudden insight and speed like a panther herself, Lois grabbed out and pulled the mask from his face.

“Clark?! What do you think you’re doing? What are you doing in this stupid costume? And how can you even see without your glasses?”

With that, Lois walked out of the alleyway toward home, grumbling about the loss of a great story. She left behind a very confused and dazed Clark Kent. His plan to create a second secret identity and allow Lois to discover it so she would fall in love with heroic Clark hadn’t worked at all! He’d thought it was the crime fighting Lois liked. He’d been sure it was the crime fighting. Fight crime, interest Lois, reveal himself, somehow work Superman out of his life, or at least out of Lois’, and things would be great. Hmmm. Maybe for Lois it was the colorful costume? She’d said the black was stupid. Perhaps he should go with that crazy green and yellow suit his Mom made before the final choice of red, blue and yellow. Sure! He’d stop by to visit Lois as Superman, then fly out to Kansas for a family visit as Clark Kent and while there pick up the wildly-colored costume. Then he would begin his third superhero career as the mighty… Spark. This time Clark would pick his name as a crime fighter, not let someone else decide who he would be. That decision would be his and his alone, so sooner or later Lois would see Clark for who he really was.