Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters. Also, Shelby is still a boy.

THE TROUBLE WITH THE LETTER S.

Chapter 1.

She grabbed her cellphone and hammered away at the keypad frantically, writing a short sharp text message. This was a matter of urgency, yet she knew she couldn't call him. Talking to him on the phone in this state would only confuse the hell out of him. She was living in a nightmare and she needed Clark's help though. After all, it was because of his friend that she was in this predicament.

Need you right now Smallville. LL

Clark had just finished putting out some feed for the animals when his phone beeped an incoming message. Seeing it was from Lois, he read it. He could be at the Talon in a flash but he had to make it look as though he'd had to drop everything. After only recently debunking her (correct) assertion that he was in fact the Blur, it would be foolish to super-speed his way over. Fifteen minutes should suffice and he'd take the truck. He messaged back a reply.

On my way.

Pulling up in an empty space in front of the Talon, Clark wondered what Lois might want. Since they'd been dating, it seemed as though they were spending more and more time at work. They'd not had very many moments to themselves since deciding to become a couple. He was curious as to why she'd left a message instead of calling, but put it to the back of his mind as he made his way inside the building and up the stairs to her apartment. He knocked on the door.

"It's open," he heard a voice call out. It didn't sound like Lois.

He stepped into the apartment and couldn't see her anywhere. Her bed was unmade and the bathroom door was ajar, so he assumed she must be in there. What he saw next made him blink in shock as Lois padded out of the bathroom.

"Thmallville, thank god you're here. I don't know what the hell ith going on!"

Clark stood there, jaw almost to the floor, as he took in the sight of Lois. She was wearing her usual pajamas with her hair tied back, and her face was a combination of fury and panic. She was also less than 1 metre tall and considerably younger looking. So young in fact, that she could pass for maybe 4 or 5. She had large brown eyes, tiny freckles on her nose, and cute little dimples in her cheeks which themselves had a rosy tinge to them. Her clothes fit her perfectly as though Lois had kept a spare kids' set for just such an occasion.

"Lois?" he just about croaked out as he squinted. He was so surprised he had to remember to let some air into his lungs.

"Your friend Thatanna did thith to me. You need to tell her to change me back or tho help me god, I'm gonna kick her ath!"

The bravado and attitude was pure Lois but the voice was that of a little girl with a lisp. Is this what Lois looked and sounded like as a little girl? He could feel his lower lip begin to quiver and tried to rein it in. He so wanted to laugh out loud. Lois seemed to sense his amusement and that only made her more furious. Her hands went to her hips and she jutted her chin out as if challenging him. At least that's what it would have looked like if she was her normal self. In her current guise, it looked like a pouty strop and all that was missing was the stamping of tiny feet.

"Zatanna did this to you?" he asked, pursing his lips as he continued to fight the urge to laugh.

"Yeah. I ran into her at the Ath of Clubth latht night. We got to talking and she apologithed for making moveth on you. Thomehow we got to talking about relationshipth and I thaid that thometimeth I wish thingth were thimpler like when we were kidth. I didn't know she could hocuth pocuth me into a 4 year old!"

Clark made his way over to the couch in the living room, if only to contain the urge to laugh. He was on the cusp of losing it after listening to Lois speak, which was even funnier than seeing the kiddie version of her. Lois followed him to the couch, clambering up to sit down. Her feet barely reached the edge of the couch.

"Did you just wake up like this?" he asked.

Lois answered dryly. "Well I didn't go to thleep like thith! I got up ath normal but when I went to get out of bed, I fell out. I had to uth a thtack of magathinth tho I could get on the toilet and pee, and I had to brush my teeth while thtanding on a chair tho I could reach the think!"

Clark's dam burst. This was so painfully funny he could actually feel his ribs hurting a little. His eyes were beginning to water. It didn't help when Lois pushed him in the chest in frustration. What would normally be a look of annoyance simply looked like the frown of a grumpy little madam who'd been told she couldn't do something she really wanted to.

"Ith not funny Thmallville! Your friend needth to fixth thith right now!"

Clark just about managed to regain his composure and allowed his face to take on a more neutral expression to placate Lois a little.

"No you're right, I'm sorry. I'd better call her." He took out his phone and called Zatanna.

"Hey Blue!" she answered.

"Zatanna, hi. Listen, I need a favour. Can you reverse this spell you put on Lois? I thought I told you not to play games."

"I'm sorry Clark. When we spoke last night, Lois said she sometimes wished life was less complicated, and how things are so much easier when you're just a kid. She wished things could be that simple just for a day."

"So you cast a spell? You must have known she wasn't being serious!" Clark scolded, slightly annoyed that Zatanna was still messing around.

"Sorry, I can only cast wishes, I can't be responsible for what happens," Zatanna offered in response. "Look, Clark, are you with Lois right now?"

"Yeah, she's sitting next to me."

"How is she?" asked Zatanna.

"She's actually pretty adorable," he said smiling, then upon noticing Lois scowling at him, cleared his throat and became serious again. "Actually, she's pretty mad at you. You gotta change her back."

"You're in luck. The spell will wear off when Lois goes back to sleep and wakes up again. I gotta go. Bye Blue!" said Zatanna as she ended the call.

"Zatanna, wait!" cried Clark. He sighed.

"Well, what did she thay?" asked Lois, hoping for some good news.

Clark looked back to her. "She said that you'll be back to normal after you go back to sleep and wake up again."

Lois was angry again. "Back to thleep? How am I thuppothed to go back to thleep when I'm like thith?"

Just then, Lois' phone rang. Panicking, she picked it up and handed it to Clark.

"I can't anther it!"

Clark took the phone and saw it was Chloe. "Chloe, hey."

"Clark? Hey, where's Lois?"

"She um…she's still asleep. She stayed over at the farm last night," he lied.

"Well, I was just calling to say I'm coming over in a little while because I need to pick up a couple of things from the apartment. Tell you what, I'll swing by the farm later," said Chloe.

Clark glanced at Lois. "Better make that a lot later Chloe. We've got a story we need to finish. It's a tough one but Lois reckons she'll feel a lot better if we get it in by tonight, so we can make the morning edition."

With that, he ended the call.

"Lois, I think we'd better go back to the farm and keep you out of sight for now. You can sleep there and hopefully the spell will wear off," Clark said to Lois.

She climbed down from the couch and made her way back to her bedroom.

"In that cath, I'd better get showered and changed. Even my clotheth have shrunk!" she muttered, then to herself as she stepped into the bathroom, "When I get a hold of that woman…!"

Clark leaned back on the couch. He hoped the spell would be broken like Zatanna had suggested, but he also knew it might not be as simple as that because Zatanna liked to toy with you. You had to be careful with your words because she could be a little bit too literal when doing her magic. Still, this was a bizarre turn of events yet achingly funny at the same time.