Plot: The meteor shower has affected everyone – Lana decides to leave Smallville, whilst Lois is disillusioned with where her life is headed and decides to consult a fortune teller, propelling her life into directions she could never imagine...
Chapter 1
The events of the last week had been too much for Lana. She had been excused of murder, been involved in a helicopter crash, but worst of all she had endured another meteor shower. The painful memories of her parents death had resurfaced and it was the last straw – life in Smallville was too traumatic.
Lana thought about her options and then decided to take up Aunt Nell's invitation to take up spend the summer in Hong Kong where her husband Dean had recently took up an insurance job. She would take three months deciding what she wanted in her life, and whether it extended beyond Smallville.
Clark went missing during the meteor storm and she did not wait for him to return, booking herself on a flight the moment she left the hospital. She decided to email him as soon as she arrived in Hong Kong.
Lois did not want to leave Smallville but when her daddy told her she was going to Europe, she did not have much say in the matter. The last thing she wanted was to spend her summer holidays scouring Germany for her delinquent sister. She wanted to stay in town and help the Kents recover and build back their lives.
She checked in, resulting in a massive argument with the check in girl over the excessive weight. She was only 4 times over the limit, but the girl was not having it and charged $228 to Lois's credit card. Lois laughed it off in the end and reminded herself she would be getting her dad to pay the charges for her anyway.
She decided to head for a coffee as it looked as though her plane was going to be delayed. She found herself a nice table in the corner, grabbed a newspaper and nursed her latte.
The airport was very busy so she was lucky to find a table. She looked around at all the other people. One person caught her eye. It was a young girl dressed in black, but oddly she was wearing a hat and dark glasses. Even stranger was the fact she looked a lot like Lana Lang. Lois decided to see if it was.
She finished her coffee and then walked over to her table. "Lana?" she announced.
"Lois, sit down." Lana said as she took off her glasses to show her eyes all puffed up and red.
"What is wrong with you, Lana? Are you ok?" Lois asked concerned as she sat down next to her.
"I just need some time away from Smallville." Lana explained.
"Is this about the meteor shower? It must bring back bad memories for you."
Lana nodded, tears appearing in her eyes again. "Yes, I cannot stay. I am going to Hong Kong for the Summer."
"What about Clark?"
"Lois, I need to find out what I want from life. Staying here is not fair on me or Clark."
"I bet he took that badly."
"He does not know yet. I cannot face him. He is still out of town anyway." Lana explained.
"He will be worried. I am ringing the Kents when I get to Europe, do you want me to tell him?"
Lana relaxed. "Would you, but please don't tell him where I am. I don't want him to track me down. This is not his fault, it is just something I need to do for me."
Lois grabbed her hand. "I understand, and I will tell him."
"Thank you, Lois. So are you planning on coming back after Europe?" Lana asked.
"Yeah once I have been discharged from service by my father." Lois laughed.
"When does your flight leave?" Lois asked Lana.
"In about an hour."
"Do you fancy checking out the Met-Supernatural 2010 Exhibition which is taking place in the conference centre just along the way." Lois asked hopefully
Lana smiled for the first time. "Ok, why not!"
They wandered into the massive room to see loads of booth and stalls advertising everything from exorcisms to tarot card reading. They walked around for a while.
"Have you ever had your tarot cards read?" Lois asked.
"No, never. I don't believe in that type of thing. How about you?"
"I have always wanted to and to be honest at the moment I could do with a few ideas for where my life is headed." Lois explained.
"Go on, what are you waiting for?" Lana looked at one of the fortune tellers who was standing at her stall trying to get people in her booth.
Lois was reluctant so Lana went up to the lady. "Do you do tarot reading?"
"Yes, I offer all sorts of fortune telling."
"My friend wants to know what is going to happen in her life." Lana smiled, pushing a shy looking Lois forward.
The lady grabbed her hand and led her into the booth. "Come on..."
Lois was nervous but followed her in and took a seat. She handed over a $50 bill.
The lady smiled at her. "There is no need to be nervous. I just tell you what will be happening in your future, nothing horrible, only the positive things."
The lady spread the cards out and started to turn them over one by one. Her expression changed. "Oh my god, your life is going to be one of great importance it seems. Your role in the world will benefit all mankind."
"Yeah right, are you sure your fortune telling skills are not on the fritz?" Lois laughed.
"No, the cards don't lie."
"So when am I getting married and how many children?" Lois joked.
The lady turned over a few more cards. "You will meet your soul mate in the next few days and in a way you don't expect. Marriage and children are in your future but a long way off."
Lois laughed louder. "Can I have a refund?" She joked.
"No, but I will grant you one wish." The lady announced.
Just then Lana peeped her head around the curtain... "Lois, my flight has just been called. I will see you after the Summer. Hope you find your sister."
Lois got up and gave her a hug. "Hope you find what you are looking for."
Lana left and Lois took her seat again. "I wish I was Lana at the moment." She announced thinking of the next 3 months on a wild goose chase with her uptight father.
"Look I need to go and see what is happening with my flight."
"I will make you a deal. I am coming back to Metropolis next week at the Luthor Conference Center. If you have not met your soul mate by then, I will give you a full refund."
Lois smiled and shook her hand. "What is your name?"
"It is Zatanna."
Lois left the conference room and went to check the information board. Her flight was not going anywhere today. It was delayed until tomorrow.
She marched up to the desk. "What the hell is going on?" she said annoyed.
"We are putting everyone up in the Metropolis AirHotel. The flight will depart at 6am in the morning." The lady at the desk explained.
Lois looked at her watch. It was too late to head back to Smallville so she accepted the offer of a room.
Once she got to her room, she made a point of ordering room service and emptying her minibar. It was only after she had that she read the notice saying such items were not included in the room offer. Another one for her dad's credit card, she thought to herself. She would have it maxed out at this rate.
She had a few vodka and then headed to bed.
In the morning, she woke up and it took her a while to realise where she was. She had to get up and head over to the airport to check in. She zoomed to the bathroom.
She looked in the mirror and almost passed out. She saw the face of Lana Lang staring back at her. "What the f...?"
She looked down and noticed her breasts had shrunk a few sizes and her pyjamas were way too long.
She fainted.
Minutes later she came around and remembered the words of Zatanna about granting her a wish and then she had replied about wishing she was Lana.
She suddenly recalled that Zatanna had given her a card. In a panic she ran to her bag and noticed a number on the back. She got her cell and dialled it.
"Hello." A voice said on the other end, sounding half asleep.
"Hi, this is Lois Lane. I believe you granted me a wish yesterday. I didn't expect it to come true. I have woken up as someone else." She said in a panicked voice.
"Well you got what you wished for."
"Reverse it!" Lois begged.
"I can't. I have to see you in person to do it and I am now in Dubai at the moment." Zatanna explained. "I will meet you next week as planned."
Lois heard the phone line go dead. "Oh great. Looks like my trip to Germany is cancelled." She said out loud.
She rang her dad and explained she had the flu and would have to catch up with him the following week. He was not happy but told her to get better.
She got in her car and headed back to Smallville.
She did not know where else to head so went to the Talon where everyone would be expecting Lana to be. She knew Lana had not told anyone about leaving so she would be fine for a week.
How hard could it be to spend a week as Lana.
The Kent's were staying on Ben Hubbards farm in one of the worker's cottages until they could get the farm rebuilt. She headed out to see how they were doing. They would be just as thrilled to see Lana, and she needed to see some familiar faces.
Lois pulled up to see Clark and his parents in the middle of a conversation outside of the cottage.
"Lana..." Clark shouted as he saw her pull up in Lois's car.
"What are you doing in Lois's car?" he asked as he hugged her tightly.
"Mmm...Lois said I could use it while she was in Europe." She lied.
Lois had been hugged by Clark quite a few times but this was different. "So, Lana. Are you ok? I heard what happened. I am so sorry I wasn't there for you."
"It's ok. I knew you must have been caught up by the meteor shower."
Clark grabbed her hand. "Let's go for a walk. I need to talk to you."
He looked over at his parents. "I'll make us some lunch." Martha smiled.
Lois did not have much choice in the matter. Clark was like an excited little puppy. As soon as they were out of sight of the cottage, he asked her to sit down on a log near the river.
He looked at her with the most loving eyes she had ever seen. "Lana, I need to talk to you about what you said in the barn."
Lois gulped. This was not going to be as easy as she thought. "Which part?" she asked nervously.
"The part where you said you loved me." He replied excitedly.
Lois could not believe what she was hearing. She did not know they had declared their love for one another. This was the last thing she needed. There was only one choice, she would have to let him down gently.
"About that Clark..." but he did not give her chance to finish. His lips claimed hers, suddenly and with such passion she could not push him away. Her body was on fire from the heat emanating from his kiss, and she found herself deepening the exchange between them. She felt his tongue trying to gain entry to her mouth and she opened her lips allowing him to do so.
Eventually her senses kicked in and she realised what she was doing. She pulled away. The look on his face was one of concern.
"I am so sorry, Lana. I forgot you were hurt. I was just carried away." He said, rubbing her cheek with his fingers.
Of all the people in the world, Lois never thought someone could turn her on like Clark just had. She wanted more, but knew she couldn't have him. His heart already belonged to someone else and she had no right to use him.
Luckily he suggested they walk back to the cottage...
Lois knew the only answer was to avoid Clark for the next week but it was proving difficult with the attention of a hormonally driven besotted 18 year old being lavished on her. She just hoped that Lana had not taken her relationship with Clark past first base or she was going to have an even harder time fending him off.
The walk home was uncomfortable to say the least. Those goofy smiles he kept giving her were driving her crazy and not in a negative way. They finally got home to the inviting smell of one of Martha's home cooked lunches.
"You can stay for lunch, can't you?" he begged her with those adoring eyes.
She was about to decline the offer but found herself unable to say no. "Ok then, and then I better be heading back to the Talon and get some rest."
Martha had just put the lunch out. "This smell lovely as usual, Mrs K."
Martha laughed. "Lana, since when do you call me that."
"Sorry, just heard Lois say it so much."
"I wonder if Lois has landed safely, her flight looked as though it was delayed when I checked on the website last night." Clark added.
Lois sat up. "You checked on the flight?"
Clark cleared his throat. "Yes I wanted to make sure she had definitely left."
Lois saw her chance to provide a cover story. "Actually I shouldn't tell you this but I didn't want you to get worried. I saw Lois at the Talon yesterday and she was not headed to Germany, but she had booked herself a week's break in London. She said it was time to prepare herself mentally for her reuniting with her father. The only problem is that she told her dad that she had the flu and would be laid up in Smallville for a week."
"That sound like Lois. I suppose she expects us to cover for her as well." Clark sighed.
Over lunch, the four of them discussed rebuilding Smallville after the meteor shower. Luckily Clark still had his powers after Jor-el threatened to take them off him for defying him.
Lois smiled. "I don't care what you say, I have arranged for Sandy to take over running the Talon for a few weeks at least while I help to rebuild the farm. It means a lot to me." Sandy had actually taken over running it as Lana was away for months.
Clark gave her another one of those smiles as he walked her to her car. "Lana, It's great you are helping out. That means we will be able to spend loads of time together."
Lois managed a nod, before she knew it Clark's lips were imposing themselves again on hers. She was going to push him away but she had to suffer them for a week until she could get out of this body. It was too much of a hardship. She made a point of not getting too carried away.
As she drove away, she finally admitted to herself that she was attracted to Clark and enjoyed their displays of affection. Then she turned her thoughts to the barrier ahead of her. She now had to face Chloe.
Chloe was on her laptop as usual investigating stories which may be of interest to the Daily Planet. Ever since she had completed her internship there, she regularly sent them stories although none of them had been printed yet. She would keep trying.
"Hi Lana." |Chloe smiled as Lois walked in the door.
"Hi. What are you up to?"
"Just researching a story. I've got three months spare before Met U. Have you decided what you are doing yet?"
Lois laughed. "You know me. I can never decide." Then she corrected herself. "I think the meteor shower made me reevaluate my life."
"Well, at least you are back with Clark, so that part of your life is sorted."
Lois looked at her. "Knowing us two, we will have split up again by next week. Our track record is not exactly what could be described as plain sailing."
"I thought you two had declared your love for each other." Chloe commented.
"Yeah I suppose we did." Lois tried to sound excited.
Chloe gave her a frown. "is there something you are not telling me?"
"Just ignore me. I think it is just the meteor shower making me feel like this." Lois explained.
Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Lois went to open it and Clark smiled and kissed her as he walked into the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" Lois asked.
"I was passing and I missed you." he kissed her again, not realising that Chloe was seeing everything.
"Look do you two want space?" Chloe asked.
"Clark, can we leave this until tomorrow. I am really tired." Lois explained.
Clark looked disappointed but agreed and left.
Lois turned to Chloe. "Why is he so needy?"
"have you not noticed? He always is around you. He is terrified he will lose you again." CHloe explained.
"It is like having a little love sick puppy following you around."
"Lana, click your finger, ask him to jump and he would ask how high and then do a back flip." Chloe replied honestly.
Lois had an idea. Clark needed some relationship counselling, It had become pretty obvious that Clark was too besotted with Lana, and needed to become more assertive in relationships. Lois was not the expert, but she wanted to give it a go.
