From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9804D" ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 10:06:27 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >"Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide," Is this what's killing the animals at the new Disney exhibit? ;-) Great fic btw, very well written/edited, I can't believe how fast I read it! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 17:28:36 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gary wrote: > > >"Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide," > > Is this what's killing the animals at the new Disney exhibit? ;-) Gary, thank you. I was beginning to think that no one was going to notice this. I almost didn't use those names, thinking they were way too obvious. But then none of my editors/proofreaders noticed them, and no one else had mentioned them up to now either. Personally, I can't think of anything more poisonous than the three chemical compounds mentioned above. Pat would probably want me to point out that the nasty chicken in the story -- the one who is destined to become chicken soup in the not-so-distant future -- is named "Jamie." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Genevieve (NightSky@erols.com) ; For everything you want to know about Superman: in comics, cartoons, television, or movies; from Bud Collyer to Dean Cain -- check out THE SUPERMAN HOMEPAGE ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 16:33:12 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" Comments: To: Genevieve In-Reply-To: <353E6104.E4D005B8@erols.com> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 22 Apr 1998, Genevieve wrote: > Pat would probably want me to point out that the nasty chicken in the > story -- the one who is destined to become chicken soup in the > not-so-distant future -- is named "Jamie." Mwa ha ha. I got the names of the chemicals on the first read but the chicken's name flew right past me. I bow down before such greatness. :-> Seriously, your story was excellent, I enjoyed reading it a lot. Remind me to say something more constructive when I'm not in the immunology lab and can sit down and reread it. == Alyssa in St. Paul == (agmondelli@stthomas.edu) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/ Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zero? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 15:24:05 -0600 Reply-To: Erin Klingler Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: fanfic search...and question!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi guys! Yet again I am turning to you fellow fic-ers for help. I am trying to find out if anyone has written fanfics dealing with the eutopia that H.G. Wells said Lois and CK/Supes founded. I would bet that there have been some written, so could ppl tell me what the titles are and if they are on the archive? Also...did anybody ever get around to writing that fanfic we discussed here on the fanfic list a while back dealing with...gosh, how do I explain it...a kind of "Life and Times" of Lois and Clark? You know...how they met, what Jimmy, Perry, Martha and Jonathon, etc. thought of their relationship during different aspects of their relationships? I can't remember if one ever got written, and the idea has intrigued me ever since we talked about it. It's even been nagging at me to write it (like at 3am when I'm up feeding the baby, when I'm doing dishes, and--much to the frustration of my tennis coach --during tennis practices :). But I don't want to step on anyone's toes or, heaven forbid, steal anyone's ideas, by writing something that's already been written. So if somebody could help me out with this info, that'd be great! Erin :) ___________________ (aka ELK on IRC) erink@ida.net "The truth is, no one knows how long they've got. Anyway, it's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now...as they happen." CK to LL in BY ******* "You bet your sweet little chumpy I am." _________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 22:54:12 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jeff Brogden Subject: TUFS Promo MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Airing this Sunday, on TUFS! Then Came You H.G. Wells told him that nothing was impossible. Now the Clark Kent of the alternate dimension is determined to find the Lois Lane of his world. His search, however, uncovers more than he bargained for. A love triangle that even the Man of Steel will find difficult to break. For all the answers, go to the TUFS Web site! http://members.aol.com/thenando/tufs.htm ================================================================ Jeff Brogden jwbrogden@bigfoot.com http://www.bigfoot.com/~jwbrogden/ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:17 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC ALERT: Three New Stories on the Way ;) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi Folcs . It's me again spamming the list with more IRC round robin fanfics. This time I'll be posting three stories. "I Now Announce You." is a story set right after Ultra Woman and it tells of Lois's and Clark's trip to Smallville to tell his parents of the engagment. "The Perils of Clark Kent" is a story that pits Lois and Clark against an mysterious assassin. "The Werewolves of Metropolis" is a hair raising tale of a Star Labs experiment gone wrong. We hope you enjoy all three. Comments are welcome. Cheers, Eileen Eraygun@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:20 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 1 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis by Zoomway; Eraygun; Nekanuq, and Mackteach Lois and Clark shared a frustrated glance as Dr. Klein paced in front of them. In a way, Clark privately felt that Klein and Lois were a lot alike. Both were prone to pacing, exaggerated arm movements, and hard-line babbling before coming to the point if the problem was emotionally distressing. "Dr. Klein," Clark finally said while the doctor took a re-set breath. "If you just *tell* us what has you so upset, and why you feel Lois and I could help--" "What do you think I've been *trying* to tell you? Haven't you been listening?!" Before Clark could respond, Klein continued, "Of course you haven't. Who listens to *me*? It's not like don't I hear the jokes about the 'Pillsbury Doughboy' and his 'poppin' fresh pocket protector'." As Klein went on another self-deprecating tirade, Lois touched Clark's shoulder and stepped forward. Clark gave Lois that 'you think I can't handle it so send in the A-Team look'. It was rather hard to describe other than Clark set his head at an angle with one side of his lips turned down, accompanied by a frustrated sigh. Lois, on the other hand, had her 'if you want a job done, do it yourself' lip curl of confidence. "Dr. Klein," she said matter-of-factly, "we just want to help, but we can't do that unless you calm down, and just give us the facts." Klein opened his mouth, but Lois raised her hand. "*Just* the facts." Klein focused, and then blurted, "I translated the works of Dr. Winninger and was synthesizing a drug that would not only increase male potency, but would also increase hormonal drive in either gender, and it was stolen - the whole thing, the formula, the test drug, notes, everything!" He finally took a deep breath. "Everything but...well, the latest study on the..." "The what?" Clark asked, stepping forward. "The side effects!" "Serious side effects?" Clark asked "Seizures, convulsions, death?" Lois asked. "Hair," Klein sighed. "Hair?" Lois laughed. "Isn't that how that high blood pressure medicine made a fortune? It grew hair?" "Not hair, Ms. Lane, *hair*," Klein corrected her, and ushered them into a lab strewn with several cages. Klein uncovered one. "This is a sphynx. A hairless breed of cat." Clark whistled. "Not anymore!" Lois shook her head. "It looks like a Persian." Klein rubbed his temples. "It's a Chia pet Frankenstein! We have to keep cutting his hair." A beeper sounded. All three of them checked. "We have a winner," Lois said, holding up her pager. "It's Perry, be back in a second." After Lois departed, Clark looked at the cat more closely. "So anyone taking the drug will be...oversexed, and --" "Fuzzy!" "How long after taking the drug does this hair growth begin?" "Almost immediately. Not only that, but the hair growth is *everywhere* on the body." Clark raised his eyebrows. "When you say everywhere, you don't mean--" "I *mean* everywhere." Lois rushed back in. "I think we got a break! There were reports of..get this..'werewolves' near the 4th Street subway entrance." "Then call Superman," Klein said, and tugged at Clark's jacket. "No!..I mean, no," Lois said. "Superman couldn't handle this the way it needs to be handled." Clark folded his arms. "Oh?" Lois folded *her* arms. Klein felt he was watching a showdown, and he wasn't far from wrong. "Clark, Superman would scoop up the 'werewolves', and what good would that do if we need the drugs and Klein's notes?" Clark, his arms still folded, purposely straightened a bit, as if to increase the height difference. "Superman could question them, Lois." Lois straightened. "And people who have been taking illegal drugs to increase potency are going to tell Superman where they got the drugs?" Clark's expression conceded the point. "Well we could start off at Police Headquarters. Maybe Henderson and Company will be able to give us a little help," he said. Outside of STAR Labs and away from Dr.Klein's interested gaze, Clark returned to his argument. "Look, Lois, once we get some hard information about the missing material, I think it would be much safer to let Superman take over -" He broke off when she raised a superior eyebrow and shook her head. "What? What's wrong with using a little super-help in this situation?" Lois shrugged. "Nothing's *wrong* with it, Clark, if you think *you* need superpowers to do this, by all means, use them." "And what exactly does that mean - 'if *I* need them' ?" Clark studied her face, which was suspiciously bland. "Are you saying that I couldn't handle this without my powers?" Lois raised a superior eyebrow. "Are you saying that you could?" "Of course I could!" "Prove it." "What?" "Prove it. You're so used to relying on your buzz-buzz that I bet you can't do this investigation without it." He studied her face for a moment and then grinned. "Okay. Bet." Clark chuckled at Lois' surprised expression and took her arm. "But I get to set the stakes." "What --?" she began, but he placed a finger on her parted lips and smiled at her slightly wary look. "Later, honey." He kissed her quickly. "Hold that thought." They caught a cab at the curb, and within thirty seconds were snarled in one of the worst traffic jams Metropolis had seen since the last Arnold Schwarzenegger movie had blocked off the whole of downtown to shoot his big finale. Clark sat quietly in the back seat, his arm draped behind Lois' shoulders, while she cursed under her breath the lousy timing of this traffic jam, the Jeep being in the shop, and the bet. "I don't suppose you want to get out and walk, do you, Lois?" Clark smiled, a little too sincerely for Lois' taste. "Sure, Clark, let's walk. The fresh air will be nice." The cab was wedged between two other cars so closely they ended up climbing through the window, then across several hoods and trunks before finally finding clear pavement. "This is ridiculous, Clark. What could be causing such a mess?" "Hard to say without rising above it to find out, honey." Clark craned his neck to look around as far as he could see. Then he grabbed Lois' arm and pulled her behind him in a protective gesture. She tried to see where he was looking over the car tops. "Lois, I think we're about to find out." Three 'people', all covered in hair, their clothing abandoned, were running away from police officers and the animal control officers. Everywhere the 'werewolves' ran, the hairless variety of humans ran screaming in the opposite direction. Squealing brakes at the head of the intersection had caused the traffic jam. Lois slapped the back of her hand on Clark's arm, "Let's go!" Clark shook his head, and started trotting after his wife at 'space normal' speed. They weaved in and out of cars, fallen packages, fainted bodies, and dogcatcher loop sticks. "There!" Lois shouted, and turned a corner as one of the fur-covered miscreants vanished down an alley. Clark caught up to her at the alley. "Any sign of them?" "No, and you could at least breathe hard after running." Clark propped an elbow on the wall. "Don't take this out on me. You wanted the buzz-buzz put in exile." "I'm not taking anything *out* on you," she said, unable to hide her frustration. "But?" "But even if you didn't have powers, you could run faster than that!" "Honey, I played football in college so I could learn to gauge a..well, a human standard. I chose football so everyone at least would be padded. I got pretty good at playing to that standard, but it isn't exactly a science." Lois put a hand on Clark's chest and smoothed down his tie. "I'm sorry." "It's okay," he said softly and wrapped his arms around her. "I think we need a more subtle approach anyway. "All right," Lois smiled. "What's the 'subtle' approach?" Clark whispered, "Remember Angel and Spike?" Lois raised one eyebrow. "So why do you think we need a reappearance of that dynamic duo?" "Well, whoever is selling this stuff has got to be on the sleazy side. And I can't really think of anyone sleazier than those two. Besides, if I've got to handle this as a regular guy, it means undercover teamwork." Lois looked at Clark warily. "Well, I guess I have Angel's old outfit somewhere." "It's in our bedroom closet way in the back." "You know where it is?!" "Well er..er..." "I thought you said it was 'appropriately cheap'." "Well, er... I..." Clark scuffed his foot against the ground. "I...um...yeah, 'appropriately cheap'..." He looked up then, a little gleam in his eye. "But I like a cheap thrill now and then." Lois let out a small "ha," then folded her arms across her chest. "Clark Kent, you are just full of surprises. Were you planning on telling me about this fantasy any time soon?" He grinned, his smile shining out from his tanned face. "Well...I figured some Saturday night, when you ran out to get videos, you'd be greeted by Spike when you got back." Lois' mouth dropped. "It's times like these I really wish I didn't have a job. Maybe we can solve this one easy. What do you think?" "I'm with you. We find these hairy beasties, give 'em a quick shave, get the formula and everything back to Klein, and you've got yourself a date." "And we can practice being sleazy in advance. So, does Spike live anywhere near Angel?" "Right next door in a sweater box, honey. He doesn't like to leave her side." Lois tilted her head at him. Even when he was thinking sleazy business, he was the sweetest man she'd ever met. "Well, let's pick them up, and find out who's behind this." Lois started moving briskly down the street, Clark hot on her heels. Continued in Part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC:THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 3 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis Continued from Part 2 _________________________________ Better forget about it, pal. That egghead wants his stolen stuff back too." "I can get that! I can get it all. Just find a way to get me outta here." Lois walked over to Clark and put a hand on his shoulder. "Spike has a friend that can get you out." Clark smiled. "You mean it, Angel?" "Yeah," she sighed. "You proved what you needed to prove." "Thanks," he whispered, and dashed out of the room. An instant later Superman flew into the window. "I heard one of the 'werewolves' was in this--" "I ain't no werewolf, Superman!" "I believe you, sir, but the police want them all rounded up, so--" "No! They just wanna shoot us!" "With silver bullets, no less," Lois added as she filed her nails. "Look, Mr. Superman, this lady's brother is gonna get me outta here, and I was gonna take them to the stuff stolen from STAR Labs," the ever-fuzzier man whined, and then looked pleadingly at Lois. "Ain't that right, Angel?" "That's right, Superman," she shrugged. "So just butt out." Clark suppressed a grin. "I can't do that, Ms..?" "Flamingo, daughter of exotic dancer La Belle Flamingo." "I'm sorry, Ms. Flamingo, but this man is probably lying to both you and your brother." "I ain't, I swear!" Clark sighed. "Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you're lying--" "I'm not!" "All right. I'll fly you and Ms. Flamingo to STAR Labs and I'll go back for the stolen items." ***** It was hard to say which of Superman's two passengers caused more talk at STAR Labs. Jo-Jo's hairy frame was unusual, but Lois dressed as she was made most of the lab techs turn and stare. "Things must be rough at the Planet," one of them whispered as she entered Klein's lab with Superman after Jo-Jo was deposited in an observation room. "She must be moonlighting." Deciding that the story aspect of the matter was in control, Clark flew back to Suicide Slum to pick up the missing drugs and Dr. Klein's notes and research. While Clark was gone, Lois went home to change, returning to STAR Labs to study the man who could be a lobbyist's dream for making "hair in the sink" a crime punishable with hard labor. She understood why the hotel clerk had said he was so tall. His hair was out of control, snarling in tangled rat's nests all over his body, making him look twice as big around, and at least a foot taller than he probably was. Lois thought that if she didn't know that this man was the victim of science gone awry, she'd be just as likely as peasants with pitchforks to believe he'd been cursed by some wart-nosed wizard. She watched as Dr. Klein's team of crack lab techs strapped the mutating man to a table, and began his depilatory treatments. Dr. Klein came out to Lois' vantage point by the door. "It won't be a perfect cure, but at least he won't have to shave his tongue when we're done with him. And he'll always be warm in the winter!" he added brightly. "Dr. Klein," Lois rolled her eyes. "I think you haven't told us everything about this...experiment, have you? I need to know everything, now! Superman is out there trying to find the formula, and the notes, but this is still a major health danger, isn't it?" And, she thought, I don't want my husband suddenly becoming a paint target for every fur activist group out there. Klein went pale. He'd wanted to tell them the whole story right from the start, but the higher-ups had put a clamp on that idea. "You're right, Lois. the truth is..." "Is *what*?" Klein sat down heavily. "Nothing...really...just...the drug, to some degree, can be transferred by touch." "Oh, God!" Lois looked at her hands and felt her face. "No, no, Ms. Lane, not the hair side effect." "Then what? What!" Before Klein could answer, a red and blue blur entered the lab. As the blur solidified into Superman, it was clear what effect the drug was having. Superman was kissing Lois passionately, and Lois...wasn't resisting. "Here now!" Klein shouted and clapped his hands together. "Enough of that!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Clark Kent will kill me." Lois turned her head to the side. "How long will this side effect last, Dr. Klein?" "Oh, Lord, up to three hours at least, and with Superman, I have *no* idea. I'm so dreadfully sorry!" Clark laughed against her neck, "Try and bear up under the strain, Lois." "Um, I think if I can get Superman to take me *home*," Lois said breathlessly as Clark did that 'thing' with her neck. "Clark and I can...reason..oooh..with him." "If you think that's best, Ms. Lane, but maybe...tranquilizers--" "No, we don't know how the drugs would..mmm...would..um.." "Interact, Ms. Lane?" "Bingo!" she laughed. "God," Klein whispered. "You won't be able to reason with Superman if you're feeling the same thing!" Clark lifted Lois into his arms. "Takes one to know one, Dr. Klein," he said, and flew from the lab. "I'm ruined," the doctor sighed. "Not that it matters after Clark Kent kills me." He walked over to his file cabinet. "Better make sure they have my blood type right on the insurance policy." ***** Lois held on tightly to Clark as he flew them in the general direction of their brownstone. She was amazed at his sense of direction considering that hers had gone completely haywire. Clark's kisses had a tendency to do that to her. She lost all sense of time, all sense of direction. All she was aware of was that she was here...in his arms. She broke off the kiss and tried to figure out exactly where "here" was. She looked around, trying to get her eyes to focus. Between the clouds and Clark's kisses, she felt like she had gone cross-eyed. She looked back at her husband. Gently stroking his neck, she could see that he wasn't really focusing on where he was going. In fact, he wasn't focusing ahead of him as much as he was focusing on looking down her blouse. "Clark!" Her gasp of surprise seemed to break his concentration and they dipped slightly in the air. He pulled his gaze away from the front of her blouse and looked at her. "Huh? His face was flushed and Lois could see that he was breathing rapidly. "Are you okay?" Clark grinned. "You tell me." With that remark, he stopped their forward progress and hovered. He slipped his arms around her, allowing her legs to dangle. Slowly, he rotated them in the air until they were floating, drifting vertically. He pulled her tightly into his embrace. "Tell me, Lois. Am I okay?" "Um.....I think that you're more than okay, Clark. Let's get home." Clark nuzzled Lois' neck. "Mmmmm. Home." "Clark....um....I.....oh, that's.....I think that....." "Y'know what, Lois? Sometimes you think too much...." His words trailed off as his mouth closed over hers, swallowing her words of protest and replacing them with soft moans of pleasure. Lois' hands caressed the back of Clark's neck, moving upward to tangle themselves in his hair. She loved how Clark kissed her. Tenderness and strength, friendship and love, heart and soul. All combined to take Lois' breath away. She responded in the only way possible. She returned his kiss with the same intensity, the same passion, the same love. It was Clark's turn to moan as the effects of the drug intensified his reactions. God, he loved this woman and how she made him feel. He physically shivered as the sensations washed over and through him. Excitement. Anticipation. Completeness. Love. With great reluctance on both their parts, they broke off the kiss. Re- positioning Lois in his arms he flew to their brownstone, through the French doors, up the stairs, and directly into their bedroom. As if she were a priceless Lladro figurine, Clark gently placed Lois in the middle of their bed. Looking into her eyes, he caressed the side of her face and whispered. "How long did Dr. Klein say the side effect would last?" Lois blinked once, recovering from Clark's kiss and the burst of speed home. "Um...I think he said something about ... three hours?" Clark's smile deepened and Lois saw his eyes darken with desire. "Well, then. Looks like Superman's taking the night off." He stepped back, his hand lingering along her face until only his fingertips touched her. Desire mixed with a sense of responsibility in Lois. She reached out for his hand and held it. "Clark.....you know that there's nothing that I would love more than for you to be here all night, but...." Her words were cut off by Clark's sudden movement toward her and his soft, gentle kiss on her lips. His mouth moved across her cheek until he reached her ear. Lightly nipping the earlobe, he whispered, his warm breath making her shiver. "It's all right, Lois. Three hours for humans. I'm Superman, remember?" Lois closed her eyes as his deep husky whisper caused a familiar and welcome tingle deep inside her. "Uh huh....I .... re -- what does...that.....um....mean? Oh god......." Her hands reached up to pull him closer to her. "Shhhh." He kissed her ear and began to trail kisses along her jawline. "It..." Kiss. "..means..." Kiss. "...that...I..." Kiss, kiss. "...choose....not to ......" He had reached her mouth again and her lips were too hard to resist. His tongue slowly and teasingly swirled around her mouth before sweeping inside. "Mmm.....ah, Clark....not to?....." Lois' question dissolved into another moan of pleasure. Clark raised his head. He smiled a very masculine and proprietary smile as he took in Lois' face. Her flushed cheeks, her lipstick-smeared mouth, her closed eyes, her smile of satisfaction. He was glad that he was the only one able to do that to her. "Lois, honey. Open your eyes. I need you to hear this." Slowly, as if she were awakening from a dream, her eyelids opened. Clark felt himself begin to fall into those twin pools. Her eyes were dark, almost black, and Clark could swear that he could see the fires of passion behind them just waiting to flare out of control. "Lois. Listen to me. I'm not going on patrol tonight. Not because of some drug. But because I *choose* not to." She smiled a lazy smile and reached up to caress his face. "That's good, Clark. That's very good." She suddenly giggled. "Y'know why?" Clark smiled down at his wife. "Why?" "'Cause I think that I've been affected." A frown of concern creased Clark's brow. "Are you okay?" Lois trailed her hand down the front of his suit, her finger outlining the yellow S. "You tell me, Clark." "You're more than okay, Lois." Closing his mouth over hers once again, he proceeded to show her how "more" she was. ***** Clark opened his eyes to a darkened bedroom. Moving carefully so he wouldn't waken Lois, he looked at the clock. Three hours! It had been three hours since he and Lois had been affected by the touch of that over-sexed 'werewolf' - and what hours they'd been. Their lovemaking had always been creative and passionate, but combined with the effects of coming in contact with the 'werewolf', it had taken on an intensity that surprised them both. More than anything, the sensations and feelings were heightened for Lois. He looked around and chuckled to himself. Clothes were strewn everywhere. His cape hung from the dresser mirror. Lois' bra was hooked on the bedroom doorknob. His red boots were thrown in the corner and her blouse was draped over the lamp on their night stand. Clark looked down at his sleeping wife. Her head was on his chest and even though he couldn't see it, he could feel her smile of contentment. He grinned. To see her lying there so peacefully, her arms loosely wrapped around him, who would think she could have been so wild earlier. "My little tornado..." he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. She moaned softly and snuggled closer to him. Caressing her shoulder, Clark thought back over the past three hours and remembered..... As the memories filled his mind, he unconsciously tightened his grasp on her shoulder. He heard a soft chuckle. "What were you doing, Clark?" He looked down at her and growled his reply. "Remembering." She smiled up at him. "Why don't you make some memories right now?" Her hand stroked his chest. She sighed. "I'm so glad that you didn't grow any hair like those others, Clark. I love feeling your smooth skin and muscles." Clark smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Me too, Lois. I don't like the idea of kissing you and coughing up a fur ball, either." Lois laughed. "That is so sweet, Clark. I love you." "I love you, too." He kissed the top of her head, and then slid from her arms and out of bed. "Where are you going?" "I have to make a phone call." "A phone call? To whom?" Clark grinned. "Dr. Klein. I'd better tell him that I'm not gonna kill him, don't you think?" Lois chuckled. "Yeah, you'd better. He'll sleep better knowing that neither you nor any werewolves are out there stalking him. But hurry back." Her smile was seductive. "We have some more memories to make." Clark grinned and bent to kiss her. "Hold that thought." THE END ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:22 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC:THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 2 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis Continued from Part 1 _________________________________ After helping each other...dress, Angel and Spike emerged from a cab onto the less than tidy streets of Suicide Slum. The cabbie knew better than to even ask if they wanted him to wait. A cab up on blocks couldn't drive anywhere, anyway. "Honey," Clark whispered, his tone so incongruous with the 'Spike' look. "I'm not trying to be overprotective, but this part of town--" "It's okay, Clark, I can handle myself." As if thugs followed a cosmic director's cue, a large, broken-nosed man walked out of the shadows. "You are one hot property," he said, in a slow, deliberate manner. Clark stepped forward. "Watch what you say to the lady, pal." The hulking man smiled. "I wasn't talking to the lady, pal." Lois placed a hand to her vinyl-clad midriff. "Oh my gawd!" Clark swallowed his chewing gum. "Me? You mean *me*?" "Yeah, there's a nice heap up the block called the Chatterbox Hotel, rents on the half hour..interested?" Clark cleared his throat. "I'm not that kind of...I don't--" "Listen," the man continued, "I got some stuff..new on the street, really hot. We might spring for a whole hour." "That's it!" Lois said, and stormed forward, but Clark restrained her. "My sister Angel is just looking out for me. Tell you what, you get the room, leave a note at the desk, and I'll meet you there." "You gotta deal, kid." The moment the man turned the corner, Lois pushed Clark against the wall. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you *know* what that..that..chickenhawk wants?" Clark shrugged, "I have a pretty good idea, but, honey, he talked about some 'new stuff', it might be what we're looking for, and if so--" "And if Gargantua was after me, would you let *me* meet him at the Blabbermouth?" "Chatterbox." "Whatever!" "Lois, I know you're upset, but--" "Upset? Why would a woman be upset about her husband being the new talent in the tenderloin district?" "Lois, calm down! I'll go to the desk, find out what room he's in, and then phone a tip to Henderson." Lois let out a deep breath. "Okay, I'll wait here and see what I can come up with." "No way!" Lois smiled. "Uh huh, just as I thought." "You're coming with me, and you can get mad, throw a fit, leave tools in the rain, but I am not leaving you here." "Leave your tools in the rain?" Clark smiled weakly. "Well, Dad said Mom did that to him once to get even." "I don't care about bucolic justice, Clark. I'm staying here." "Fine," Clark nodded. "Then so am I." "Clark, I can...oh, forget it, let's go, you're making that face," she said, and then waited a moment. "Aren't you going to ask 'what face'?" "No," he smiled, and put his arm around her neck as they began walking up the street. "I know what face I was making. You're the only person on this or any other planet who can get me to make that face." "Good," she laughed, but the amusement was short-lived. Men, women, and others of difficult to identify gender came pouring out of the double doors of the Chatterbox Hotel in all states of dress and undress. All were screaming and apparently running for their lives. Clark started to change and launch himself toward the Chatterbox at superspeed when he noticed Lois standing behind him with her arms folded across her chest. She smirked at him. "I knew you couldn't do it." "What do you mean? "A simple little riot and you're ready to drag *you know who* into this." Clark shook his head and gave Lois a look that was tinged with equal parts of admiration and exasperation. "Okay. You want me to handle *this* as a regular guy? You're on. Let's go, Angel!" And grabbing Lois by the hand he quickly made his way through the panicked crowd and into the lobby of the Chatterbox. The ambiance off the Chatterbox matched its reputation Ignoring the cheap furnishings and peeling paint, they scanned the lobby (sans buzz-buzz, of course) and hearing a noise behind the front desk, discovered the desk clerk cowering in fear. "What happened?" Lois was the first to reach him, tenacious as always when she was hot on the trail of a story. Clark helped her get the man to his feet, but the clerk leaned back against the stained wallpaper behind him for support. Clark and Lois looked at each other, wondering how long the construction of a building obviously ignored by building inspectors and fire codes could support hose, much less a human being. "It...it was...ten feet tall, I swear...It walked in here like nothing was the matter, and asked for a room for a week! I didn't know Bigfoot could talk!" The man was chattering half to himself, wringing his hands and darting glances everywhere. The two reporters nodded to each other. "Uh, Bigfoot? You sure it wasn't just someone who needed a haircut...uh...all over?" The clerk stopped to look at them sharply. "What kind of idiot do you think I am? Look at this joint. You think I ain't used to seeing the dregs of your coffee filter walk through that door? You think all my regular customers would run screaming out of here if it was just some shaggy bum?" "Well, where'd your Bigfoot go? I sure didn't see him come rampaging out after your clientele like a wild boar." Lois' skepticism was what would always make her the best investigative reporter there was, Clark mused. He stood quietly next to her, and simply admired her. "He asked for a room," the clerk repeated. "I gave him one." "You what?" Clark suddenly came to life, and stepped forward. "He's still here? Which room?" "Number 13. Back down that hall, around the corner, down the steps, through the bar, across the moat..." "Moat?" Lois and Clark spoke as one incredulous unit. "Well, that's what we call it. We had a problem a few years back with a water main...It's really just a plank across a hole in the floor..." "Glad to see you reinvest in the establishment," Lois muttered, and headed off to follow his directions, hoping she wasn't supposed to have taken notes. "Come on, Clark." "Right behind you, my little Sasquatch." Lois suddenly felt that perhaps her partner wasn't taking this case seriously enough any more. "What's with you?" she asked. "Come on, Lois...we're dressed like the Fonz and Pinky Tuscadero, and we're wandering through some labyrinthine hole in the ground looking for a mythical creature, who now lives at Number 13, Chatterbox Way. What's not to love about this? Since when do hotels use the number 13 anyway?" "Probably since they can't afford to skip a number in the decal package." She stopped at the end of the hall. "Did he say right, or left?" Clark peered at Lois over the top of his sunglasses. "He didn't say, you interrupted him when he mentioned the 'moat'." "Never mind," she whispered. "It's right over there." Clark nodded and approached the door. He raised his fist to knock, and then lowered it. "What should I say?" Lois shrugged innocently. "Hot Pockets is here, my big strong lover man." "Geez," Clark said, and tapped on the door. "Go away!" a frightened voice shouted from the other side of the door. Lois nodded at Clark indicating he should try again. Clark reached down to the doorknob instead. It was unlocked, thus explaining how many private detectives got incriminating photos. He opened the door swiftly, but made sure he stood in front of Lois should their friend decide to bolt. In that instant, a blur of hair leaped from behind the bed. "I said go away!" "Angel and I aren't here for a good time," Clark said, trying to sound tough. "We want that new drug you were talking about." Lois moved around to the far wall. "Spike - oh my gawd, it's Chewbacca!" "I don't know nothin' about no drugs." Clark shrugged,. "Suit yourself, but word on the street is it turns people into werewolves. You kinda fit that description, Jo-Jo." "Yeah," Lois nodded. "I heard cops were given silver bullets. Talk about tax dollars down the drain. Rhinestone bullets would be cheaper, and they go nice with blue uniforms." The hairy horror looked up from behind the bed. "Silver bullets?" Clark folded his arms. "Yep, I heard the cops had orders to shoot the werewolves on sight." "No," the man groaned pathetically. "Of course," Clark added, "there's this egghead at STAR Labs who says he can reverse the effects of the drug, but--" "But what! I'll do anything, *pay* anything." Continued in Part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:37 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU...". Part 3 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 2 _________________________________ She relaxed back against his chest, feeling his arms around her. She felt safe; she was home. As if Clark had picked up her thoughts, he replied. "I'm glad I can share this with you. It's home. But you're 'home' too. I have longed for this so much." Lois heard just a bit of hoarseness in his voice and remember his swallowing hard earlier. She knew that Clark was talking about more than sharing the treehouse and his childhood treasures with him. They were drawn together by fate. Clark again kissed her gently, this time putting his arms around her more and pulling her even closer. Lois was filled with an inner warmth. They were together, and she was getting another glimpse of what made him the person he was and who she loved so much. At that moment, she wanted so much to share and to give of herself just as he had to her. The air was still warm. She could smell something sweet in the air. Picking up her intake of breath, he guessed her question before she could ask it. "Honeysuckle," he supplied. "Mom loves it." "Honey ..." The rest of her words were silenced as he kissed her again, on the lips this time. The kiss lasted for a long time. Then very gently, Clark began to caress her, still holding her close. Lois enjoyed the sensation, the atmosphere, his closeness. It was as if this was meant to happen. The place and the setting were perfect. This was the man she loved dearly and had at last come to acknowledge she was to spend the rest of her life with. Clark wasn't pushy. He was as gentle and caring as she had gotten to know him, yet a little more daring at the same time. Lois was sure the fact that they were officially engaged had to do with it. She smiled at the thought. Had he ever ... growing up? This was *his* "fortress." But somehow she couldn't imagine him making out, not like that. And she was also beginning to wonder if it was right tonight. She longed for his touch and his tenderness, and she could feel the same longing in him, too. But ... When they stopped for a breather in between kisses, their eyes locked. Understanding flowed between them, and they each started to speak simultaneously. "Clark, you know how I feel about you, and it feels so right, but I wondered..." "Lois, I know. I want to touch you, and I know we're engaged, but..." They were speaking at the same time. They both stopped, smiling self- consciously for a moment, before Lois collected her thoughts and began again. When she saw that Clark might interrupt, she placed a finger over his lips and spoke. "Clark, I love you so much. I just want our first time together to be perfect. I've made mistakes in the past, and I don't want to make any more." She tried to put her feelings into words, but she was so afraid to hurt or disappoint him that she couldn't go on. "Lois, I know," he told her after kissing the finger she had placed on his lips. "I love you, and our first time *will* be perfect." He put his arms around her and gathered her close to him. "Don't you think it would be wonderful if we waited for our wedding night to take the final step?" he said quietly. Lois wasn't sure if the idea had come from him or if he had read her mind, and at this point she didn't care. She wrapped her arms firmly around him and whispered her thanks for his understanding. Clark breathed a sigh of relief, not certain if it was for his averting the potential argument, or his putting off the revelation of his ... inexperience. He knew that Lois had been in relationships, and he had been a little afraid that she would have physical expectations that he was unprepared to acknowledge just yet. "It isn't that I don't want to make love with you, Lois," he told her. "I just want to enjoy being in love with you for awhile first." Lois was near tears at the tenderness in his voice. She held him tighter yet, confident that she could not hurt him, and then pulled back to see his face. She gazed into warm brown eyes that looked back at her with adoration. She smiled briefly, and then pressed her lips back to his. Clark was relieved that she had acquiesced, and met her kiss with a combination of joy and the usual excitement that she always inspired in him. They kissed for a very long time, caught up in the tenderness of the moment. Somehow, knowing that there were no expectations gave Clark a freedom he hadn't known before as he allowed his hands to gently explore his fiancee's body. He stroked her back, her hair, and even allowed himself to briefly go beyond his usual limits. Lois, too, enjoyed the freedom of knowing that she was loved and that she would not have to turn Clark down at an inopportune moment. She allowed herself to touch and caress him, and just enjoy being in love. After quite a long time of mutual exploration, Clark found himself with a problem. While knowing that their activities would soon come to a stop was somewhat a relief, it also meant that he was going to need to stop things in a hurry, for his own sake if not for hers. With reluctance, he pulled away slightly to regain his breath. Her heartbeat was as rapid as his, and he allowed her a moment to calm as well. When she appeared to be, he invited, "How about a walk in the moonlight?" Lois understood his need to distance himself a bit from the situation. She was having the same need. If things didn't cool off now, the relief from their previous conversation would be truly short lived. "A walk sounds nice," she answered. Clark put his arms around her once more and slowly flew her out the door and to the ground below. As he put her down and took her hand, he discovered that walking wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked. With a silent curse that the night was not a little cooler, he began leading Lois through the dark. Lois felt Clark's fingers tighten over hers, and she squeezed him back. "So..." she began, whispering as though something about the magic of the night demanded that respect. "This is really beautiful, Clark. This is..." Her voice trailed off as the moonlight in the distance reflected off something glassy. Tiny shards of shimmering light caught her gaze and she let out a short breath which Clark immediately heard. "It's the lake. Well, sort of a large pond actually. But we call it "The Lake". Would you like to see it?" He turned and glanced down at her, capturing in her expression everything he thought he'd ever need to live. "Yes, I'd love to." Her smile set his soul on fire, and he leaned forward, impetuously capturing her lips with his. They lingered that way, kissing each other slowly, over and over again until Lois couldn't remember her own name, and Clark felt as though he'd been born for this moment in the moonlight with her. An eternity later they parted, Lois's soft sigh caressing the side of his face for an instant before she smiled at him once more, shaking her head. "You know something?" she whispered. "What's that?" Clark responded, taking both of her hands in his. "I don't think I ever knew what love was...until I met you." She swallowed, and Clark could see her eyes shimmering in the semi-darkness. "Lois, I don't know *how* to... I mean, sometimes, I feel as though I'm...tongue tied when I try to express to you how much you mean to me. I guess I..." "Shh," Lois cooed, placing her fingers on the edge of his mouth and sliding each one over his lips. "I know." She tipped her head and caught his gaze. Clark pulled her to him and wrapped one arm around her, turning their bodies once more in the direction of "The Lake". He led her forward. For long moments, neither spoke, both content to feel each other's nearness, and to know that there was nothing in the universe which could make the night any more perfect than it had become. ***** Martha walked out on the farmhouse porch carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Jonathan who was leaning against one of pillars. "Thanks, honey," he said as he planted a kiss on Martha's forehead. "You've been out here a long time. What are you thinking about?" "Am I that obvious?" Martha chuckled. "Only to me." "That's what I love about you, Martha, you are so perceptive... so ...." "Jonathan, I'm also very focused so you're not going to be able to distract me that easily. What's troubling you?" Jonathan sighed. "Not troubling really. I just wonder if she knows what she's going to be letting herself in for." "You mean Lois?" Jonathan nodded. "Sweetheart, I'm sure she knows what it'll be like to be married to Clark." "It's not just being married to Clark, Martha. She's also going to be married to Superman. That's a mighty big responsibility, to be the one to take care of the man who takes care of the whole world." "Well, I pretty much think they'll be taking care of each other, the way any other married couple does. But maybe you might want to have a little talk with her?" "Me?" "Yes, you. I think this weekend is a perfect chance for the two of you to have that talk. And if you want you can start right now. Here they come." "Huh?!" Martha and Jonathan watched as Lois and Clark came walking towards the porch arm in arm. "Here's your chance," she whispered to her husband. "Ah... no...not now, Martha. I think I had better wait until the light of day before I go putting my two cents in." Martha gave him a grin and led him over to the porch swing. He could have sworn he heard her say 'chicken' as they both sat, but wasn't 100 percent sure. He gave her a side-long look and was about to question her about it when young couple came to climb the steps of the porch and sat down on the top step. "Did you two enjoy yourselves out there? It's a beautiful night to explore each other. Ah, to explore the farm with each other, I mean," Jonathan stammered. He could feel the embarrassment rise as soon as he heard the words come out of his mouth. He could sense Martha's amusement as she murmured for his ears only, "oh, Jonathan, nice save." Clark answered for both of them before his father could say anything else. "We had a great time, Dad." "A really great time," Lois added. "Now before it gets any later we have something to discuss. Where are you two going to sleep tonight?" Lois's bottom nearly scooted off the step at Martha's question. Without batting an eye Clark said, "She can have my old room and I'm going to take the fold-out in the living room. We think that's best for the time being." Lois knew she was turning red with each of his words but nodded in agreement. "Well it's getting late. Life on the farm starts early. We'll see you children in the morning." "Goodnight, Mom and Dad," Clark said to his parents as he rose to give each a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Martha and Jonathan." Lois looked back at Clark and he could see the love in her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "Come on, spill it." "I've never seen a son kiss his father before. I like it," she said to him with a tear in her eye. "I never had a real relationship with my father. I hope I'll be a good daughter-in-law." Continued in Part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:34 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU..." Part 2 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable I Now Announce You... Continued from part 1 _________________________________ "Well, that went well," he said as he smiled into her ear. She was cradl= ed=0Abetween his thighs, facing away from him, and she could feel his smi= le as she=0Aleaned herself back into his chest. "It did go well," she agreed. "I'm sorry I spoiled the surprise." He smiled once more and turned his head to kiss her lightly on the cheek.= =0A"You didn't spoil anything," he told her. "You were perfect. You alwa= ys are." "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Kent," Lois replied. Pulling his = arms=0Atighter around her she leaned back and snuggled into his chest. "Well, I'll file that away for future reference. Something tells me that= =0Amight come in handy later," Clark chuckled. Then he shifted their pos= itions=0Aonce again and began planting soft kisses on Lois's neck. "Anym= ore secrets=0Ayou'd like to reveal?" he murmured. Lois sighed. "Well maybe," she said with a shy smile. "But first I've got= a=0Aquestion for you." "What?" "Just where the heck are we?" Clark smiled and then floated them up from the floor. "It's my old playho= use.=0ADad helped me build it when I was about 11 or so. After I started= to *change*=0A... get stronger and faster, I spent a lot of time up here= alone, away from=0Athe other kids." "It was sort of a refuge for you," Lois said as she looked around at the = old=0Acircus and movie posters on the walls and the dusty books on the ma= keshift=0Abookshelves. "Yes, that's right. It was my fortress from life I guess, a fortress of= =0Asolitude." Lois looked around at Clark's fortress. She placed a hand on a metal box= .=0A"What's in here?" Clark looked at her and grinned. "After Dad and I finished this, I starte= d=0Amoving all my treasures up here." "Can I look? I want to see what you considered a treasure," she said. Without missing a beat Clark placed his hand on the lid. "Lois, how abou= t=0Alooking at my stack of comic books." He tried to guide her focus awa= y from=0Athe box. "I have some Spider-Man comics that are in mint condit= ion and are=0Aworth a pretty penny." Lois could not take her eyes off the metal box as he showed her his treas= ures=0Aof childhood. Clark could tell she was dying of curiosity As her eyes moved once again to the box, Clark took her hands into his.= =0A"There are some others I want you to meet." He lifted the lid and a s= mall=0Asphere about 5 inches in diameter lifted out and came to a stop in= front of=0Athem . Lois's eyes widened a bit and she took a step backwards. Visions of alie= n=0Amind probes and a flashback to Bob Fences went through her mind. Clark sensed her startlement and rushed to reassure her. "It's okay, Loi= s.=0ALook ..." He held out his hand. The sphere hovered a second more b= efore=0Asettling in his upturned palm. It continued to glow. Lois's curiosity got the better of her and she ste= pped=0Aforward again. She reached out to touch it, but hesitated. She lo= oked at=0AClark, a slight grin on her face. "It won't bite me, will it?" Clark chuckled. "No, I don't think so." He went on to explain, holding = the=0Asphere as if it were a baseball. "This was in my spaceship. Remem= ber Jason=0ATrask and Bureau 39?" Lois nodded. "Yeah, I do. Are you telling me that he knew about this gl= obe?" "I don't think so. He knew about the spaceship. I saw it in that wareho= use.=0ABut this globe was in a bag beside it. I pulled it out and kept= =0Ait...remember? You were furious with me for not telling you. I immed= iately=0Aknew that it was from Krypton." "What do you mean 'you immediately knew'?" Lois continued to look at the= =0Aglobe. Its glow had intensified slightly. Clark shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to explain. It's almost as if = ---" His next words were cut off as a hum came from the globe. They both look= ed at=0Ait. Clark again opened his hand, palm up, and the globe hovered = off his hand. Clark knew what to expect but Lois didn't. She gasped as a projection wa= s=0Aemitted from the globe. A projection of a very beautiful woman. Sta= tely,=0Aserene, with a look about her that reminded Lois of ... "Clark! Is that your mother?" He nodded and smiled. "Lara. Her name is Lara." He turned to look at t= he=0Aprojection and then back at Lois. "I think she's here for a special= reason." "My son ..." Lois turned to the projection, a sense of awe filling her. This woman ha= d=0Agiven birth to Clark. And had, along with his father, died before sh= e had=0Aseen the man that he had become. She would have been proud of hi= m. They both=0Awould have been. There was so much Lois wanted to say to= Lara, so much she=0Awanted to ask. But she couldn't. Lara was gone. H= er thoughts were=0Ainterrupted by Lara's next words. "Kal-El, it is my greatest hope that you will find someone to share your = life=0Awith as I have with your father. You are a special child with a g= reat destiny=0Ato fulfill. The life ahead of you will not be an easy one= . It will be filled=0Awith trials and tribulations. It will, at times, = be a lonely one. I wish=0Athat it could be otherwise." Lois blinked back the tears that were forming. She had known. Somehow, = Lara=0Ahad known what Clark's life would be like. And still she had had = the courage=0Ato let him go, to let him live. Lara had been an amazing w= oman. She sneaked=0Aa glance at Clark. Clark was listening to Lara's words. How had she known, he wondered. He= =0Awished so many things right now. That he had gotten to know Jor-El an= d Lara.=0AThat they could have seen him grow up. That they could have me= t and loved=0ALois as he did. He swallowed back the lump that was formin= g in his throat. Lara's next words caught both their attention. "This next thing I tell you, Kal-El, is difficult," the image intoned. Cl= ark=0Asat up straight. Lois glanced at her fianc=E9. "What is it?" "The image never said this before. This is new." "Since this device is attuned to you, it is clear that now you have found= your=0Alife mate." Clark smiled uneasily at Lois; he wished he could tu= rn the thing=0Aoff. "Your father and I committed an act of grave heresy = sending you to=0AEarth. Perhaps where we were meant to send you will neve= r be known to you." Lois whispered, "They broke the law?" "Krypton has been recreated in all its cold and indifferent logic. It is = that=0Abarren rock to which you were to be sent. Your father and I...we s= imply could=0Anot. We wanted your eyes to open on a world that still und= erstood love and=0Acompassion," Lara said. It was obviously a difficult= secret to tell. "I'll=0Aspeak no more of our crime, Kal-El. Just know t= hat we love you, and that we=0Ahope it is a love that you share with your= life mate." The image faded. Lois leaned against Clark's arm and laced her fingers i= n=0Ahis. "How did you end up with two great sets of parents, and I can't = even have=0Aa civil dinner with mine?" Lois's comment broke the edginess Clark had been made to feel by the new= =0Amessage. He laughed. "I'm not sure what she was talking about, and I get the feeli= ng I=0Adon't really want to know." As the globe went dark Clark lit a nearby lantern with his heat vision. H= e=0Ascooted the metal box over between them. "Go ahead," he prompted in a= whisper. Lois smiled up at him. "Really?" "Yeah." Lois took a deep breath, and opened the box. She half-smiled. "I= t's=0Alike Scout's cigar box in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'." Clark nodded. "Pretty much," he said, and removed a metal Band-Aid box. "= I=0Aused to trap bumblebees in this and listen to them hum." Lois opened the Band-Aid tin and looked inside, but all the "hums" were l= ong=0Agone. She smiled up at him. "My mom used to give me a jar to coll= ect=0Alightning bugs in." "So did mine," he replied, with a smile to match her own. She put the Band-Aid box back and began to sift through the other "treasu= res."=0AThere were some of the usual things: marbles, pebbles, and button= s, and she=0Apicked some of those up, turning them around, looking at the= various colors=0Aand highlights. She could just picture a young Clark finding these things and filling his= =0Apockets with them. Martha must have enjoyed discovering them when she= was=0Adoing the laundry, Lois thought. In with all the usual things, though, she also found a small notepad and = a=0Acouple of pencils ... pencils that looked as if they'd been sharpened= with the=0Apocketknife she could also see lying in the bottom of the box= . She looked up at him, as if for permission to look in the pad, and he nod= ded=0Ato her that it was all right. She picked it up gingerly, opening it slowly ... here was a part of him t= hat=0Ashe'd never imagined glimpsing. At first she could only see the handwriting. Like Clark's and yet not li= ke=0Ahis. A younger and perhaps less self-assured Clark? How old had he= been when=0Ahe'd written in this notepad? she wondered, but didn't ask. = The moment didn't=0Aneed words. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd expected ... pages and pages of loneli= ness,=0Aor "woe-is-me" maybe? She wouldn't have blamed him if he had cov= ered reams of=0Apaper with those kinds of thoughts. After all, when he'd= written this he was=0Adeveloping powers he'd never asked for or couldn't= possibly have understood.=0AHe didn't yet know who he was or why these t= hings were happening to him. And=0Athose kinds of feelings were here... ("I was skimming stones down at the pond, 'cause I was angry about someth= ing=0Athat happened at school, and somehow one of the stones went too far= ...right=0Athrough the window of the shed. Dad was just about as angry a= s I've ever seen=0Ahim... I didn't mean to do it... Later on, I heard th= em talking about how I=0Acould have hurt someone...What if I had hit Dad = or Mama, or one of my friends?=0A") But that wasn't all. In other passages she could see in the child the ma= n who=0Awould one day be able to be Superman. Despite all that was happe= ning to him,=0Adespite all the confusion, she could read how his spirit w= as coping with these=0Anew developments... ("Dad's been sick with the flu, and I've been able to do all his chores p= lus=0Amy own, and I don't even feel tired afterwards. I don't know why I= can do the=0Athings I do, but if these ... powers ... don't just disappe= ar one day, then=0Amaybe my parents won't have to work so hard. I could = do something to help=0Athem for a change.") Whether it was the love he was receiving from Martha and Jonathan, or=0As= omething that was entirely his, or maybe it was both ... she could feel t= ears=0Aforming at the thought of that boy-Clark sitting in this "Fortress= ," writing=0Adown these thoughts, feelings and yearnings. ("Mama, Dad and I had a long talk today. I'm so glad I can talk to them = about=0Aall this stuff." ..... "I lifted the freezer today!" ..... "T= oday was=0Aawful." ..... "I heard something yesterday that I don't thin= k I was supposed=0Ato." ..... "I'm scared." .....) She reached up to wipe tears from her cheeks, then turned to Clark and hu= gged=0Ahim. She felt him pulling her close. He kissed the top of her h= ead, and she=0Acouldn't help smiling through her tears. How often had he= kissed her like=0Athat? "Thank you, Clark," she whispered, as she replaced the notepad in the box= .=0A"Thank you." Continued in Part 3=0A ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:41 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU... " Part 5 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 4 _________________________________ They ate their picnic lunch companionably enough, but for Lois it seemed as if the day was just a bit dimmer without Clark there beside her. It wasn't that she didn't like Martha and Jonathan ... it wasn't that at all. It was just-- It was just ... "Well, Lois, since it looks like Clark is going to be occupied elsewhere for a while, how about you and me showing those fish a thing or two?" Jonathan's cheery voice recalled Lois from her rather dreary thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled. "Sure. I'm surprised you're willing to put your life in my hands that way, though, Jonathan. The last time I had a fishing pole, I nearly made it a lethal weapon." Jonathan laughed. "Well, maybe that's because you were using the wrong pole. I think I've got just the thing for you right over here." Lois got up to follow him, then realized that she was leaving Martha to clean up the picnic all on her own. "Martha, here let me--" Martha shooed her away. "I can manage with this, dear. You go put a scare into those fish." Down at the edge of the lake, Jonathan was busy skewering a worm onto a hook that was attached to a plain pole without any reel on it. "What's that, Jonathan?" "It's a cane pole, Lois. A good pole to learn how to fish with." He adjusted the bobber on the line with practiced ease and then showed her how to toss the line out into the water. "Just watch that bobber," he instructed her. "If it goes below the water, yank on the pole--hard!" "I think I can handle that, Jonathan. Thanks." He gave her a smile and a pat on the back. "I know you can, Lois." He picked up his own rod and cast out expertly. They stood side by side for a while, listening to the water ruffling in the breeze, feeling the sun shining down on them. It was a wonderful day. It would have been better if Clark would come back, but-- "You know, Lois, you can learn a lot from fishing." "Hmm ..." she replied, listening with only half an ear. With the other half she was hoping to hear a certain superhero returning. "Like, sometimes you have to use one kind of pole, or a certain kind of lure, but it's all guess work at best." "What do you mean, Jonathan?" "Well," he continued, "you can't see what's below the surface, can you?" "No." "So, all you can do is try. Try one thing, then another. Sometimes one kind of lure will work, and the very next time, you can't get a bite with it if your life depends on it." Lois smiled. "Sounds like being a reporter." "Like most things, I guess," he added. "As long as we give it a good try, though, we've accomplished something, I think." Lois thought about that for a moment. From the look on her face, Jonathan could see that she was thinking hard about something ... or maybe remembering something. "Because no one can do everything ..." she murmured. "But what you can do, that's enough." He didn't think she had said it to him, but more to herself, so he kept quiet ... waiting. Finally, she seemed to come back to herself. "I think I know what you mean." She reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Jonathan." He patted her shoulder and smiled down at her. "You're welcome, Lois." Just then Lois felt something tug on the line. Omigosh, she thought, and jerked up on the pole. ***** It was a couple more hours before Clark was able to come back. As he landed and spun back into his shorts and tee-shirt, Lois came running up to him. "Hiya," he greeted her with a smile and kiss. "How are you doing?" He waved to his parents where they were sitting on the picnic blanket just out of earshot. Lois returned his kiss with enthusiasm. "I'm doing just fine," she told him. He looked at her more closely and could detect a slight change in her. She was all sparkly, kind of lit up from within. "What's up?" he asked her. "I just feel much better about certain ... things ... all of a sudden," she told him as she hugged him tighter. "You do? That's great, Lois. What things?" "The stuff we talked about last night ... I know we can handle it. We've got each other, don't we?" She kissed him. "Yes, we do--" "And we love each other, don't we?" She kissed him again. "Yes, of course--" "Then, even if we can't see below the surface of the water, we can still sometimes catch our share of fish." "Water? Fish? Lois, what--?" "I'll explain later." She kissed him again. "But first you have to come and look at the fish *I* caught," and she pulled him down towards his parents. THE END ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCEYOU..." Part 1 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit "I Now Announce You..." an IRC Round Robin by AMCiotola (AMCiotola@aol.com); ChrisM^ (mulders@mindspring.com); ChrisnDor (dorisschmill@gmx.net); CrystalW (JCWimmer@aol.com); Eraygun (Eraygun@aol.com); Lansbury (Lansbury1@aol.com); Mackteach (Mackteach@aol.com); Zoomway (zoomway@aol.com); EpicSoul (demi22@aol.com); ^MissyToo (Missythree@aol.com); TanyaG (kassia@concentric.net) Clark hung up the phone and looked over at Lois. She sat on her couch staring at her ring. Clark thought she'd never looked more beautiful. He sighed as he walked over to join her. Instead of sitting next to her, he knelt before her, taking her left hand in his to kiss her fingers. He then looked up and met her eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this tonight? We can wait until tomorrow." Lois took his face into her hands and gave him a whisper of a kiss. "I can't think of anything else better to do right now than to tell your folks." She stood up and then grinned. "Well, yes, I can. But we have time for that later." "Well, Mom and Dad are expecting us. Are you ready?" At her nod he spun himself into the suit, leaned in to give her a kiss, and then scooped her into his arms. If he dared to give in to half the desire he was feeling right now, they would never leave here. However, Lois made sure she put some use to being so close to the "pilot" so that Clark could hardly remember which way was up, let alone where Smallville was. ***** Martha hung up the phone and looked around for Jonathan. Figuring he was finishing up some last minute duties for the night, she headed out toward the barn. She couldn't quite place it, but having heard some excitement in Clark's voice, she decided to fetch him before the kids got there. As Martha approached the barn, she noticed that there weren't any lights on in it. She stood in the yard for a moment, then saw a light shining through the windows of the shed. Ah, she thought, he's in a tinkering mood tonight. Wonder what's on his mind? "Jonathan?" she called to him as she approached the shed. "In here, honey." Once inside the door, she couldn't help but smile when she saw what her wonderful husband was up to. He looked over at her, caught her expression, and grinned back at her On his workbench, he had collected a group of things that Clark had once used when he was a boy: his sled, a tricycle, a wagon, as well as various toys. "What's this?" she asked, although she had a pretty good idea what was going on. "Well," he said, bashfully, "Clark and Lois have been getting along so well lately, that I ..." She went forward and put her arms around him. "...that you just thought that someday, maybe, there might be someone who might want to use these?" "Well, you never know," he told her. "We might just get to be grandparents yet." "Wouldn't that be something," she agreed. "Grandparents. I like the sound of that." "Me, too." He leaned over for the kiss he knew would be there and she didn't disappoint him. After all these years, they didn't even have to think about it, or rather it was almost like they really did think of the same things at the same time. "I love you," she told him, "and ... speaking of Clark and Lois ..." "Hmmm?" he murmured, his attention divided between his wife and the cracked wooden slat on the sled. "Clark just called. They're coming for a visit." "Now?" "Uh-huh. He sounded ... I don't know. Excited. Happy. Nervous." Jonathan turned to Martha, the sled forgotten. "Did he now? Well, well ... well!" "Yes ... well!" They looked at one another for a few more seconds, then hugged once again, laughing happily at what they believed was the reason for their son's visit. Then Martha pulled back out of the hug and wagged a finger at her husband. "Not a word, now, about what we suspect, Jonathan." He looked affronted, but there was a prominent twinkle in his eye. "Certainly not! I can keep a straight face, you know." "Sure you can, dear," she agreed, patting his arm. "That's why I can always beat you at poker." "Martha!" She laughed and then kissed him again. "You'd better put that stuff away before the kids get here, or they'll know we know." Jonathan started a bit and looked around at the things on his workbench as if he'd forgotten they were there. "Oh, yeah, I guess I'd better." "I'm going to pop some cupcakes in the oven real quick. Don't be long." "I won't ... Grandma." Martha left, humming, and Jonathan began putting the toys away, knowing that he was wearing the biggest grin of his life on his face. They were approaching the farm at last. Clark was taking his ease, pointing out a few illuminated windows on the way. He was flying fairly low now, just enough to not be spotted too easily. Then as he was beginning the descent to land on the field behind the barn, he suddenly slowed his flight. Lois turned her face and looked up at him. Clark was wrinkling his nose. She had come to know that wrinkle. A hound sniffing the air ... or a super nose picking up a trail. "What is it ...?" she asked, noting that his eyes had taken on a far away look, not one of alarm. "Mom's baking ..." He smiled. "And she's really good. You'll smell it soon too." And she did when Clark, instead of landing behind the barn as originally planned, turned and aimed directly for the back door of the farm house. After spinning back into his regular clothes he took Lois by the hand and they walked toward it hand in hand, pausing momentarily for another kiss before knocking on the door. Clark was still straightening his collar when Martha opened the door. He felt just a little awkward, although he was excited to share the news. He knew his parents would share his happiness at seeing his dream of a home and family of his own beginning to come true at last. Clark hesitated momentarily at the doorstep. Martha glanced at him and then at Lois who was standing half hidden from view behind Clark. She bit the inside of her cheek quickly to keep the knowing smile from appearing on her face. She could still read her boy very easily. Clark had never been good at keeping secrets from her. Thus she took a practical approach. "Hi, Clark. Good to see you, too, Lois. I'm glad you made it here safely. And just in time to lend me a hand getting those cupcakes out of the oven. Would you, Clark, please? Well, then, go get them before they get cold." Martha aimed a playful slap at his rear as he headed for the oven, then placing an arm around Lois, hugged her close. Lois smiled at her in return. "Good to see you again, Martha. And it's good to be here. It's so peaceful." "I'm sure you can use a bit of peace and quiet after what you've been through recently." Lois knew that Martha must mean her recent adventures as a superheroine. At that moment, the back door opened and Jonathan came in. "Hi, Lois, hi son." He grinned at Lois. "Where did you leave the suit?" Lois smiled back. "I've had enough of playing hero for a long time. I still don't know how Clark can do it." As Clark was approaching the table with a tray of steaming hot cupcakes, Martha smiled. "It takes a lot ... but you both have it." "Yeah, you two go well together," Jonathan beamed. "Jonathan ... could you please get us some dessert plates, please?" Martha shot him a warning glance. Then they settled at the table just as Jonathan returned with the plates. "Things have been slow here lately," Martha was saying. "Now, how are things in Metropolis ...?" Lois and Clark looked at each other and grinned. Clark cleared his throat. "Oh, well, you know how it is in the big city. Never a dull moment." Lois poked him in the ribs. She had been careful to keep her left hand hidden, but Martha had noticed and was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She didn't dare look at Jonathan. Clark cleared his throat again. "There was one thing that happened that you might be interested in." Martha couldn't help it. She chuckled and Jonathan choked on his coffee. Everyone jumped up to pound Jonathan on the back and Lois forgot to hide her hand. When he was breathing normally, Martha grabbed Lois's wrist. "And what's this?" she asked with a huge smile. Lois looked up into Clark's face, and saw an expression somewhere between surprise and disappointment. He'd planned this whole speech, and he had almost had a chance to give it, but the surprise was out of his hands. He met her eyes for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. With that done, the couple took a small step back and faced the Kents. "Mom, Dad," Clark said with as much authority as he could manage under the circumstances, "Lois and I are getting married." Martha was the first one to regain her composure after the unintentional goof. She stepped forward and pulled Lois into a hug, whispering into her ear, "Well, it's about time." Clark, of course, heard the comment and smiled a little self-consciously. Lois grinned and found herself passed from Martha's arms to Jonathan's, as Martha reached past her to grab her son. Clark accepted their good wishes and gentle teasing with good humor. After all, they were right. If it hadn't been for his stubbornness, and Lois's as well, this moment would have been reached a long time ago, and he knew it as well as they did. Once the hugs and comments had faded into smiles, they seated themselves at the table. They talked as they enjoyed more of Martha's cupcakes and coffee, brainstorming colors for bridesmaids' gowns and locations for a honeymoon. When finally Martha rose to clear the table, she refused to allow the younger couple to help with the dishes. Martha fairly pushed them out the door. Lois and Clark looked at each other as they were left standing on the porch with the closed door behind them. They looked into one another's eyes for just a moment before breaking into laughter. Martha was sweet, but far from subtle. If she wanted them to spend some time alone, they would oblige. Clark took Lois's hand in his and led her from the porch. After the festive atmosphere within the house, the quiet of the night was soothing to Lois's nerves. She sighed as he led her across the yard and into a wooded area. He walked with a specific destination in mind, and soon stopped at the foot of a tree. She looked at him with a question in her eyes as he slipped his arms gently around her. He stepped forward, kissing her lightly on the lips then slowly rose, carrying her into the air. She soon saw the doorway to the treehouse that was his destination. He carefully lifted her through the door, and seated both of them on the floor of the treehouse. Continued in part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:39 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU ..." Part 4 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 3 _________________________________ Clark looked at Lois for a long while. Sitting back down on the step, he put his arm around her. "You will be. I've talked about you to Mom and Dad ever since I got to Metropolis. They already think of you as part of the family." He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Why? Are you worried?" Lois sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Kind of. I mean, I like the idea of being married to Clark Kent, I *really* do. It's just ..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words. "What is it, Lois?" "It's just that.. I'm not just marrying Clark ... I'm marrying Superman, too. That's a bit overwhelming for a 'mere mortal' like me." Clark smiled and hugged her to him. "Sounds like you need to talk." Lois came to a decision. "Yeah, I do. But not with you. No offense, but you're a bit too close to the whole thing." She smiled up at him. "I think I know just the person to talk to." She moved out of Clark's embrace and stood up. "But, that's for tomorrow morning. Come on, let's see about that fold-out bed." Clark grinned up at her and took her hand. They walked inside the farmhouse and into the living room. Lois pulled the cushions off the sofa and grabbed the handle. It wouldn't budge. "Clark? You want to help me out here?" "Sure thing. Lois stepped to the side. Her arms crossed in front of her and a smirk came across her face as Clark pretended to "psych up" for the test of his strength. He grinned and winked at her as he took hold of the handle. He pulled. And the bed came flying off its attachments. Clark stopped its forward momentum before the swing sent it crashing into Martha's collection of knickknacks. Lois stared open-mouthed as Clark held the still-folded bed aloft. "Ooops." "Ooops? That's all you can say? Just how long have you had this super strength?" Lois started to giggle. "Now what?" "I wonder if I can fix the darn thing?" Clark began to pick up the pieces that had at one time been the fold-out. Lois threw her head back and laughed at his attempts. "Uh, Clark," Lois interjected. "You're Superman...it's a done-deal, I'd say." She flashed a bright smile at Clark whose brow had become crooked in worry and embarrassment. Clark was glad that his parents hadn't come rushing in after the noise. "I wasn't all that tired anyway." Clark smiled at Lois before realizing the potential connotation of what he had just said. "Uhhh..what I meant to say was...." "It's okay," she encouraged. "I understand." Lois pulled Clark down onto the floor and they sat beside each other. She reached out and gingerly caressed Clark's cheek. Her fingers traced the definitions of his contours. He was so strong and yet so soft to the touch. She realized that there was almost too much to love about the man beside her. They had spent years of loneliness and shared feelings of abandonment but they had been so far apart. And Clark had seen through the bitter surface that Lois had tried so desperately to maintain to the outer world. It was hard to be the 'star reporter' and keep her feelings inside all of the time, even if it kept Cat fuming. Watching her parents' marriage crumble had left an indelible impression on Lois that Clark sought to erase for all eternity. Lois held Clark's hand in hers as a thought crossed her mind. It was a dangerous thought.. "Um, Clark. We could always share your room upstairs." Lois kept her eyes to the floor. Clark's heart skipped a beat before it began a frantic rhythm. Lois's tone was a mocking echo of a memory. "Well, it's a big bed, Clark. How 'bout we share?" Clark grinned at the thought of their 'honeymoon'. He could hardly wait for the real thing. In fact, increasingly, Clark was wishing their honeymoon could be tonight. Before she knew it Lois was being scooped up and carried upstairs. Her temperature rose with an already familiar heat. At the doorway Clark lowered Lois and planted a tender kiss on her quivering lips. "Clark, if you asked me...." "I will wait for you until the end of time if I have to, Lois. But there is something else I have to ask you..." Lois swallowed. "Yes, Clark?" "Could I have a pillow? I think I'll fly out and sleep in the barn." "Clark--" "Lois," he said softly. "When we finally make love, it'll be as husband and wife, if for no other reason than I've waited thirty years already, and the thought of waking up in your arms the next morning and being interrupted by Perry yelling on the phone that he needs to talk to my *wife* turns me on more than I can say." Lois stroked his cheek. "That's so...you." ***** Lois brushed at her nose. She moaned in her sleep and then brushed at her nose again. Finally, the sound of Clark laughing awakened her. He was standing by the bed teasing her nose with a dry fishing fly. Lois opened her eyes just a crack. "Oh God, Clark," she yawned. "You leave last night as a Romeo and come back as...as a guy." Clark laughed again. "Glad you noticed." Lois opened her eyes a little more. "It's still dark." "It won't be for long," he smiled. "We're going fishing with Mom and Dad this morning." Lois pulled the covers over her head. "It's hell week in Kansas." Clark shrugged and lifted her, blanket and all, from the bed and set her on the floor. Lois looked at him bleary-eyed. "I don't know *how* to fish." "That's okay, the fish don't know that." He kissed her. "Get dressed, and I'll meet you down stairs." Lois scratched her hopelessly mussed hair. "Why do you look so good in the morning?" He put his forehead against hers. "Sweet dreams. Besides," he said, smoothing her hair. "You look sexy in the morning." "God, you really *do* need glasses." "As a matter of fact--" Lois smacked Clark's rear end. "Out! I'll get dressed." ***** Lois slept against Clark's shoulder in the bed ... of the truck. He put his arm around her as the sun peeked over a row of trees, and the greens and yellows of the cultivated land started to become visible. He kissed the top of her head. "Hey," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "We're almost there." ^Missytoo> Lois sat up, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She looked around, and saw that they had pulled up beside a genuinely lake-sized reservoir. Clark got out of the truck, and held out his hand, waiting to help her out. Jonathan and Martha got out of the cab, and the picnic basket was unloaded, along with the fishing gear. Jonathan grabbed the gear, and Martha took the basket, leaving the couple a small bit of privacy. Clark took hold of Lois's hand and they followed his parents to the edge of the water. The blanket was spread out, and the picnic goodies put on it, partly to keep the blanket down in the windy, sunny morning. Clark watched Lois closely. "Don't you lie there and fall asleep. I'm planning on showing you how to cast properly." She stuck her tongue out at him and Martha smiled, then got out her copy of a mystery novel and leaned back to read. Jonathan decided to untangle the fishing gear and tried to suppress his snort of laughter with a clearing of his throat. Clark sighed, and turned to help his dad with the gear. Lois leaned back on the blanket, content to watch Clark in his tee shirt and shorts bending over the fishing rods trying to determine how best to untangle all the hooks and line from their previous outing. The man certainly looked good in shorts ... or tights, or probably nothing at all. she thought. Clark felt her staring at him. At least, he figured it was Lois that was staring him. Funny, but instead of being embarrassed or shocked, he just felt happy. It was comforting to know she was as interested in him as he was in her. Clark turned around and caught her staring. He grinned at her and left his dad to fend for himself for a moment. He walked over, and helped her to her feet. "Excuse me, but since I forgot my lucky charm, I've *really* got to do this." He pulled her into his loving embrace, and kissed her. It was light, and sweet, but the passion simmering just beneath the surface tingled through both of them. She felt her knees start to wobble a little and he turned her around and guided her toward Jonathan. "Come over here and you can help me pick a spot." He took his fishing rod from Jonathan with a grin, and clasped her hand to walk to the shore of the water. Martha looked up at Jonathan, and they shared a smile. "Think there will be any fish still around?" Jonathan leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Who cares? The day passed slowly and quietly. Clark taught Lois to cast, and she seemed to try really hard. Maybe she tried *too* hard. The hook got caught in the grass Then it got caught in the tree limbs. And finally, when she hooked Jonathan in the seat of his overalls, it was decided that they might be safer if Clark took over the casting duties. Martha had just called them over to have some lunch when Clark suddenly turned his head, hearing something that was silent to the rest of them. He nodded an apology and started running for the shore, changing into a blue and red blur as he launched into the sky. "Well, I guess we can save him a sandwich or two," Jonathan sighed. Martha patted Lois's knee. "Maybe he won't be gone too long." Continued in Part 5 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:27:19 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ellimrac Subject: Full Circle Fanfic Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I was wondering if anyone can send me Chapter 11 up to the end because I accidentally deleted it from my mailbox. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:53 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandra McDermin Subject: S5: Promo for Ep. 19: CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Next Sunday on LOIS AND CLARK: THE SEASON FIVE EDITION "Every time it rains, it rains ... pennies from heaven." ***Announcer: "ARE THE KENTS EXPECTING ... *MONEY* TROUBLES?" ".... ' economists estimate that it takes over $1.2 million to raise a child in today's dollars'," Lois read. "Oh God," Lois said with a sigh, noticing a backache she hadn't had a few seconds ago. "And, who do you propose pay for this extravaganza...?" "Are you *worried* about anything?" "Like what?" Clark asked. "Well ... perhaps about whether the two of us have the wherewithal to provide for a child?..." "Twenty-five ... thirty-five ... forty-five ... fifty." "A buck fifty?" "I think you meant it to be the start of our child's college fund," Lois answered. Once again, he buried his face in his hands. "Oh no." ***Announcer: "OR, TROUBLES OF ANOTHER SORT?" Although she knew Clark had been faithful to her even before he was aware that there was a her, she also was pretty sure that he had had some romantic experiences before she came along, and she couldn't help but feel that this woman was one of them. "Ah-h-h, so that's it, "Clark answered, thinking he had finally stumbled upon what was really bothering his wife. "Honey ... Marigold and I were college friends. That's all...." "Superman ... I'd *love* to go to Paris with you!" Marigold exclaimed, melting towards him. "Is that what this is all about?! Money?! Is that why you went with her?!" Lois asked anxiously,... ***Announcer: "IS FINE JEWELRY THE ANSWER?" "Yes, I know who you are. You're Wendell "The Weasel" Van Horton -- the European jewel thief." Lois glanced down at her own simple engagement ring -- the ring she loved more than anything she had ever worn or ever would. And then, she thought of the huge diamond Lex had given her all those years ago...." Magnifico! Like uncut corundum!... Here, before us, is a stone more precious than the Hope Diamond, the Star of Asia, the Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, itself." He looked up, cocking his brow sardonically.... "It's amazing what one can pick up wholesale." ***Announcer: "OR, CAN SUPERMAN BECOME A CASH COW?" "We *can't* accept all of these things. Clark ... Superman never accepts payment for what he does. You know that!" "Well, *now*, maybe he should," he answered. "When I get up, I'm going to the airport," Clark said. "The airport! Why?!" "Because I can make thousands of dollars there. Double, if the traveller doesn't stay over a Saturday!" ".... Honey!" Lois exclaimed, standing and walking quickly towards him.... "Where have you been since yesterday? What's going on? *And,* why did you drop $35,000 on our patio?" ***Announcer: Find out if money *truly* makes the world go round when Lois and Clark question whether "CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME" (Next Sunday, April 26, on the Season 5 Website). ".... It cost me $80.00, but he let me do his laundry," Klein said happily, pointing to the machine. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:08 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 2 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 1 ___________________________ Lois had no misgivings in the sense of fearing a rival, at least not a romantic one. But there was the awkwardness of trying to fit into conversations about the 'good old days' when Lois was not a part of them. "So," Sylvia said after an uncomfortable pause, "what does Clark do now? I mean I'm not sure how much we'd even have in common these days." Lois smiled to herself, realizing that type of awkwardness worked both ways. Sylvia was out of the loop as far as Clark's current life was concerned. "He works at the Daily Planet. Well, we both do, we're--" "A newspaper?" "You sound surprised." "I guess I am. Clark always seemed so idealistic. I thought maybe he'd be in legal aid or a crusading missionary, or a doctor at a free clinic, or--" "Or an investigative journalist who changes the world one paragraph at a time." "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make journalism sound unworthy, it's just--" Lois laughed. "It's okay. When I first met Clark, what with his sartorial tribute to dock foremen everywhere, his rumpled hair and less than cutting edge eye wear, I thought he was cajoling Perry into running a Greenpeace ad." Sylvia laughed too. "That at least sounds more like Clark, the Clark I remember anyway. Has he changed much?" Lois smiled, finding it hard to hide her affection for the hack from Nowheresville. "Maybe a little on the outside. After I agreed to go out with him, he got new glasses, a haircut and discovered GQ hidden under the Farmer's Almanac somewhere. But inside, he'll always be Kansas." "That's good to hear," Sylvia sighed. "Since you two are married, I guess he got over that shy thing." Lois thought a moment. "Clark never seemed shy around me...until I called his bluff, and then you'd think he was a member of Apron Strings Anonymous." They both laughed, and then Lois heard the familiar 'whoosh-thud' in the other room. Lois decided to distract Sylvia. "While we're waiting for Clark to get back, could I offer you some tea, or coffee?" "It is a little chilly out this evening. Some hot tea would be lovely, thank you, Lois." "Okay," Lois said, with a smile as she headed for the kitchen. Because she was listening for it, she heard another slight "whoosh" and knew her Clark had taken the hint. Unless she was much mistaken, he'd soon be at the front door, looking very surprised to see their guest. Sure enough, before the kettle had started to boil, Lois heard her husband's voice. "Lois! I'm home!" She moved back into the living room in time to watch him appear to notice Sylvia for the first time. "Hello, I see we have company." Clark seemed to do a double take. "Sylvia? Is that you?" "Yes, Clark, it's little ol' me. How are you?" She stood up and walked forward, extending her hand to her old friend, a broad smile on her face. "I'm fine," Clark responded, obviously a little uncomfortable with this situation. Lois had seen this from him before when he'd tried to explain why Lana Lang would want to come to his and Lois' wedding. She came to his rescue ... sort of. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, then said, "It's always nice when one of Clark's old girlfriends stops by for a visit. Isn't it, honey?" "Lo-is!" Clark exclaimed in a pleading undertone. She winked at him, then turned to Sylvia. "I'm just kidding, Sylvia. We're delighted you're here. You two sit down and get reacquainted, and I'll bring the tea." Lois squeezed Clark's hand before releasing it, and felt him respond. She knew he'd have something to say to her later about her teasing, but that would be a fun way to end the evening. Sylvia stayed for about an hour, chatting with Clark about the old days in Smallville and catching up on the news of former classmates. Since Lois couldn't contribute much to the conversation, she was at liberty to observe Sylvia, and she had to admit that she didn't like what she saw. The woman seemed friendly enough, but there was something about her that Lois couldn't quite put her finger on. Something Lois just didn't trust. She decided that she ought to run a background check on her the next day, and then was ashamed of herself for thinking such a thing. Just because the woman had had a crush on Clark 'way back when' was no reason for Clark's wife to go into full investigator mode as soon as said old girlfriend shows up on the doorstep. Besides, Lois reasoned, the woman would be leaving Metropolis soon and that would be the end of that. So Lois sat and listened and tried not to yawn over yet another "Do you remember when ...?" story. It wasn't until much later in the evening, when she was about to fall asleep in her husband's arms, that it occurred to her what she hadn't liked about Sylvia and why it might be a good idea to run that background check after all. She'd been wearing the exact same perfume as had been on the letters in the attic. Was this woman after her husband? Over my dead body, Lois decided. ***** The next day Lois again decided that she had been overreacting to Sylvia. After all lots of women were attracted to Clark and if Sylvia was carrying a torch for him what harm could that really do? But as she left the brownstone on Hyperion the feeling of uneasiness returned. She decided not to mention her feelings to Clark. Walking down the outside stairs, she smiled at Clark who was taking advantage of a rare opportunity and sitting in the driver's seat of their Jeep. "Come on honey" Clark called out. "We're going to miss the staff meeting. You know how the chief gets when we're--" Clark's comments were interrupted by a loud BANG! "Clark!" Lois hurried for the Jeep. All she could see was smoke pouring into the front seat. Clark exited the vehicle in a blur as Superman and was at Lois' side in an instant. "It's okay, honey," he whispered. "It was the airbag exploding." "What? It shouldn't produce that kind of smoke." "I know. It's not exactly standard issue." He opened the door and pulled the smoke into his lungs. He was about to expel it when Lois put her fingers over his lips. "STAR Labs." He nodded and started to pick Lois up. "No, that's okay, Clark. I can walk to the Planet." Clark, still holding his breath, shook his head. "I'm *fine* Clark. Besides, the airbag attacked you, not me." Clark put his hands on his hips. Lois did the same. It was a standoff on Hyperion Street. "Clark, the neighbors are coming out to see what's going on. How good is this going to look?" Clark saw faces peering curiously from windows and people making their way down the steps. He shook his head and flew off. Lois faced her neighbors. "Don't miss the matinee!" she called, and began walking to the Planet. It wasn't a terribly long walk but somehow with the song 'Sylvia's Mother' stuck in her head, it seemed an eternity. ***** Klein shook his head. "It's toxic, but not at a lethal level, Superman." He noticed that the superhero seemed a bit edgy. "Something wrong, Superman?" Clark finally sighed in exasperation. "Have you ever been in a relationship where the 'relation' part is good, but the 'ship' is sinking? "Pardon?" Clark shook his head. "Never mind, Dr. Klein. Could you fax a readout on that gas's composition to Lois Lane at the Planet?" "No problem, Superman." "Thanks," Clark said and flew back to the Planet, managing to step out from under the canopy in time to escort Lois in. "The gas would have made you sick, but it wasn't lethal." "You think someone is after me, then, Clark?" "Well, Lois, you do the driving most of the time ... maybe they thought it would be you behind the wheel this morning." She groaned a bit as they walked through the revolving door and into the Daily Planet lobby. "Not again!" Clark smiled. "Or, they could be after both of us this time. We were running a bit late this morning." "That's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked in exasperation. "Why does this always have to happen to us?" Clark shrugged and gestured for her to enter the elevator ahead of him. "Well, we could just quit our jobs, sell the house, and fly off to a deserted island somewhere." "Don't tempt me," she replied with a rather sad smile. "With our luck, though, the place would probably have exploding coconuts or something hanging from all the trees." The elevator doors opened and the other people in the car with Lois and Clark exited onto their floor. Once they were alone, Clark took his wife into his arms. "Lois," he told her, "we'll figure this out." "I know." Clark was a little worried by her uncharacteristically dismal attitude. He leaned forward and kissed her, then teased her by saying, "Besides, exploding coconuts or not, I'd rather be in trouble with you than anywhere else I can think of." She couldn't help but smile at that. Hugging him a little tighter, she kissed him back. "Thanks, Clark." The elevator slowed to a stop and Clark started to pull away. Lois grabbed him again and kissed him once more. "Just promise me that we actually get around to checking out that deserted island one of these days." He chuckled. "You got it!" They put Jimmy onto running checks into the whereabouts of their past enemies, and in all the confusion Lois forgot all about running a background check on Ms. Sylvia Campbell. Jimmy came back with a list of the usual suspects, but there was one surprise on his list. "Baby Rage is out of prison?!" Lois and Clark said in unison when Jimmy began his rundown. "Yep, he sure is," Jimmy replied as he shook his head in disbelief. "But, how? The last I heard he was serving 8 to 20," Clark said. "Apparently his gang was involved in more than just providing muscle for Intergang. He had some info about its drug operation so the DA's office cut him a deal and he got an early release." "Any idea where he might be right now?" Lois asked with concern. "Not yet but I can keep checking." "You do that, Jimmy," Clark said quickly. As the younger man headed back to his desk, Lois turned to Clark. "Sounds like we may have a prime suspect." "Lois, we don't know that for certain. Maybe he's turned over a new leaf." "Clark--" "All right, it's unlikely. But it still could be someone else. This wasn't exactly his style. He was an arsonist, remember." "Maybe he picked up some new skills in prison." Lois replied grimly. Clark sighed. "It's possible, honey, but let's not worry about that now. We've got work to do." Continued in Part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:13 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 3 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 2 ___________________________ Putting thoughts of Baby Rage behind them, they went back to work on their current story. It wasn't until Clark had gotten an anonymous tip halfway through the morning, and had rushed off to meet this new, unknown source, that Lois had a moment to remember her resolve of the night before. Clark should have been back more than an hour ago. She glanced at her watch nervously. She just didn't trust Sylvia. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to her visit than catching up on old times. Neither checking into The Planet's database nor placing a discreet call for information with the police department brought up anything to confirm her suspicions. She tried to ignore the nagging feeling of unease that increased with every minute that passed. Just as she was debating whether she should wait by the phone or take off in search of Clark, the phone rang. "This is Officer Simmons of the Metropolis PD. Are you Mrs. Kent?" the voice at the other end of the line asked when she picked up the receiver. "Yes." It was odd, she thought, that she was being addressed as Mrs. Kent since she was fairly sure she had called there earlier as Lois Lane. "Did you come up with some additional information after all?" she asked. "I beg your pardon?" the police officer asked. "Your husband has been in an accident, ma'am. He's at Metropolis General Hospital now." *Kryptonite!* The alarms went off in Lois' head. If Clark was in the hospital, there had to be foul play involved. With an effort, Lois fought down the panic rising within her. Drawing upon her reporter's resources, she paused a moment while she considered the information. Clark had been in an accident and was at the hospital now. That didn't mean that he had been hurt. He could even have taken somebody else there for all she knew. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What happened...? And..." She paused, remembering that she had to be careful with her choice of words here. "Has he been injured seriously?" "He was in a car accident, Mrs. Kent. Apparently his brakes failed. He couldn't stop at the light and drove into two other cars. In answer to your second question, no, he's not injured seriously. Actually, it's a miracle. He seems fine. He even helped to get the others from the cars. The doctors are checking him out now. He's probably still in shock." Lois felt a bit "in shock" herself as she dazedly tried to listen to the officer's words. That didn't sound like her Clark ... letting other people be injured that way. What could have happened? Had he heard or seen something which made him suspect that the perpetrator of these acts of sabotage was close at hand? Maybe even watching him? She could imagine his helpless frustration at that moment: not wanting others to be hurt, and yet not wanting to do anything to reveal his secret identity, which in turn might put the people he loved in further jeopardy. Poor Clark! No matter what had happened, however, she knew with absolute certainty that he would have tried as hard as he could to minimize the seriousness of the accident. She remembered him telling her about dragging his foot along the pavement and helping to stop her car the time that The Prankster had sprayed the street with some slippery chemical. He might have done that again, or maybe, if he really was afraid he was being monitored, he might have pressed back against the seat, using his strength to counter the car's forward momentum. Whatever he'd done, it hadn't been enough to completely avoid the accident, and some other people had gotten hurt. Which meant that her "invulnerable" guy was hurting quite a bit at the moment. She needed to get to him ... now. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible." Another accident! If this kept up, Clark might find it difficult to explain how he was able to continually escape injury. Grabbing her purse and coat and LANing a note to Perry, she set off to catch a cab to the hospital. She had almost reached the elevator doors when her phone rang yet again. Turning on her heel, she rushed back to her desk to pick it up, only to find Sylvia at the other end. She had been with friends all morning, she said. Could Lois and Clark meet her for lunch? So much for her theory that Sylvia might be involved in the accident, Lois thought. She seemed to have a solid alibi. Yet she chose not reveal anything about the accidents to the woman, just saying that she and Clark were working on an urgent story and wouldn't be able to meet with her. Hanging up the phone, she headed for the elevators a second time. This time she made it out of the newsroom and onto the street, where she was lucky to find a taxi almost immediately. When she arrived at the hospital, Lois checked with the admissions office and then went to find Clark. He was sitting on a chair outside the emergency room, his clothes disheveled and smoldered in places, with his head lowered and his eyes staring on at ground. "Clark!" Lois cried as she covered the distance between them with something akin to superspeed. "Are you all right?" Clark pulled Lois into a close embrace. "I'm fine, honey. Let's get out of here." Then he whispered, "We need to *talk*." Lois nodded in agreement and they hurried towards the exit. They made their way to the hospital parking lot and once they were certain they were alone Lois began her interrogation. "I got the call from the police, they said the brakes failed. Is that right?" "Apparently, honey. The Jeep was almost totaled. I'm sorry. I used my powers to minimize the damage to the other cars, but I couldn't save ours without completely giving myself away. " "Clark, that doesn't matter. Are you all right?" "Lois, I'm Superman, I'm invulnerable. A little car accident won't hurt me." "Maybe not physically but I know that look you're wearing. You're obsessing again. What is it? What's the matter?" she asked. "There's more to this, isn't there?" "Well..." "Clark," Lois said, in her 'the sofa can be a bed' tone. "Okay," he relented. "It looks like...preliminarily now...that the damage to the brakes was deliberate." Lois sighed. "You know, Clark, just once I'd like to hear that a fried squirrel was found in the master cylinder or something." "Lois, you're...what did Dr. Friskin call it?" "Distancing, and I am *not* distancing, Clark. I know you're going to say someone is gunning for me for the millionth time and then I'll counter by saying that you can't be everywhere..." "Lois, I think *I'm* the one they're gunning for." Lois shook her head and dropped her hands noisily to her hips. "Okay, then the bad guys are after Superman for the millionth time." Clark stepped closer. "Not Superman...*me*." ***** (CLOSEUP on Dean's concerned look; CUT TO Teri's stunned response - COMMERCIAL and MIDNETWORK ID: "Lois and Clark will be right back ... Here on IRC." ***** "Well ..." Lois said, after a long pause. "At least we know now that it's not me they're after." Clark nodded. "And another thing, the phone call was phony too." "Phony!?" "Yep. When I got there, there was no sign of anyone. It was all an excuse to get me into the car again. They must have tampered with the brakes while I was in the abandoned building looking for my 'source.' " "Why didn't you hear them, then?" "Lois! Down near the docks, with all the cranes going, and everything else clanking or banging down there, I had to tune some stuff out or end up with a splitting headache." She smiled, remembering another time when he'd tried to get her to stop talking so he could superhear. "Okay, honey, I'm sorry." By now they had reached the curb outside the hospital and were looking around for a taxi. Lois put her arm through Clark's. "I guess the first thing we need to do is get you a change of clothes and then see if we can find out who's after you." "It's so weird," he replied, "having someone after me instead of after Superman." His face took on an arrested look. "You don't suppose it could be Baron Sunday again, do you?" "I hope not." They flagged down a cab and climbed in. "It probably isn't, Clark. No one's heard or seen anything of him for months. We'll check on it, though." As the cab pulled out, headed towards their apartment, she added, "At least we can rule out your old girlfriend." Clark looked surprised. "Sylvia? What made you mention her?" "She has ... I don't know ... something about her that I don't like." She took note of Clark's expression. "I know what you're thinking, Clark, and it's not jealousy, I swear. But it doesn't matter anyway, because she has an alibi for this morning." "An alibi, Lois? I think *you're* obsessing." Entering their townhouse, they noticed that their answering machine was blinking insistently. Lois listened to it while Clark went to change his clothes. He was back down the stairs by the time the message ended. Continued in Part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:16 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 4 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 3 ___________________________ "The office," she said flatly, walking towards him and letting herself be drawn into an embrace as he opened her arms for her. "Perry wants us to report back in as soon as possible. Clark, I think we should really book that island..." He smiled, nodding at her. "I'll go. If Perry really needs to see both of us, I'll call you. No use to sit in a cab for an hour in this kind of traffic." "Clark, please don't... You've just been in the second freak accident today." "Well, they say that flying is still the safest way to travel. Besides," he grinned, "Superman Airways always keeps their equipment in perfect condition and under constant surveillance. No chance to tamper with anything." "Oh, really?" Lois replied with a flirtatious smile, "well, remind me to run an equipment check later on, then." Clark's grin got even wider. "Count on it!" Lois hugged him tighter and kissed him, giving him a preview of just how thorough that "check" would be. Eventually the kiss ended, leaving Clark looking down at his lovely wife's face, and regretting the fact that they were about to separated again. "And you can remind me to tell Perry that his timing could be better." That opening gave Lois all the encouragement she might have needed. "Okay, but I'm going with you. I've done enough waiting and worrying for one day." Knowing that he probably wasn't going to win this discussion didn't keep Clark from trying. "Lois, that won't be necessary. I'll be back in no time at all." Seeing the determined look on her face, however, he knew better than to protest further. He shrugged his shoulders in mock surrender, then gave her a smile. "All right, all right. But first things first: Do you want to fix something to eat or should I?" As if on cue, Lois felt her stomach grumble, but chose to ignore it. She wanted to get the formalities at the office over with as soon as possible. "Don't worry about it. We can grab a sandwich at the Planet. Let's just get there and get things settled so that we can return to the case at hand." Clark relented, and spinning into the suit, picked her up in his arms and headed out the back window and towards The Planet. They had barely entered the newsroom when Clark suddenly got that faraway look in his eyes that told Lois she would need to hurry if she wanted to at least get a goodbye kiss from her husband before he took off to the rescue. As it was, he quickly brushed his lips against hers, whispering something about a fire at the dockside, and had disappeared back into the elevator within seconds. Lois sighed then squared her shoulders and marched towards Perry's office. Once she had closed the door behind her, Perry looked up from the computer printout he had been studying. "You're late." It wasn't a question. "I'm sorry, Chief. We --" Perry nodded, indicating a chair across from his desk. "Well, I'm glad you made it. Sit down. What kept you?" Something in her boss's and mentor-friend's voice told Lois that for once it would be wise not to argue. "We were ... delayed." "Umm-hmm." Perry gave her a look over the top of the long printout he continued to study. "Where's Clark?" "Oh, he'll be right back. He just --" "He's not off on another supposed source's call, is he?" The printout was down and Perry's eyes caught hers. She could clearly see concern in them now. And what had he said? '*Supposed* source' ...? Had she slipped? Lois tried to keep her voice even, not giving away the emotions racing within her. "No, no source. He just ..." What? Cheese of the month ...? Returning a video tape ...? Seeing the look Perry gave her, she finished lamely. " ... forgot something." "Are you sure? -- Never mind, of course you'd be concerned about his well- being, too. He's your husband." "Chief ...?" "Well, who wouldn't be? Lois," he said sternly but with sympathy in his eyes, "you were 'delayed' because you were picking up your husband after his escape from a second accident ... pardon ... assault attempt in one morning. I want you kids out of town. Tonight." Lois' mind was racing. She knew she'd been upset earlier when she had received the message that Clark was in the hospital. Just before leaving, she had left a note where she could be reached. But nobody at The Planet should have known about the earlier "accident" this morning, and even she and Clark had no proof thus far that the failing brakes had been more than just an accident, despite their suspicions. How could Perry possibly know? "Oh, it was nothing, Chief. Nothing really. You know we've been involved in a number of cases recently. I'm sure it's just some coincidence ... or at least nothing serious. And Clark ... he's just checking to see if his special magazine order came in downstairs." Oh my gods! She was babbling again. Magazine order? Even Clark couldn't have come up with one worse then that. Better not wait to see if Perry would pick up on it. "But I don't understand, Chief," she added quickly, trying to keep her thoughts in order. "Clark has been in an ... okay, actually two accidents ... but how ...?" Now that he had gotten her to admit the incidences, Perry allowed himself a slight smile. "How do I know even though you didn't come to me right away as you should have? Well, I may be pushing papers most of the time these days, but an old newshound can still pick up a scent now and then, and put two and two together. And it really wasn't difficult in this case. You two arrived here late this morning and had Jimmy check into the whereabouts of your past enemies." He paused, holding up the long computer printout again. "Quite an impressive list, I might add. And Clark was called away to meet a source who, I assume, never showed and ends up in the hospital after his brakes mysteriously failed. Yes, Jimmy told me after he heard about Clark's accident and the call from the hospital. While you were gone, we received a fax and one phone call. The fax from Star Labs was to inform Ms. Lane of the exact composition of a toxic gas sampled by Superman after an airbag exploded in the Kents' car this morning; the phone call was from the police laboratory to report that examination of the car wreckage indicated that Mr. Kent's brakes had been tampered with." When Perry was finished, he looked at her from over steepled fingers. Lois had to admit she was impressed, although once broken down, the chain of events must have been obvious, especially to one as experienced as her boss. It was hard to hide anything from him. But she didn't want to be grounded. She smiled at him a little sheepishly. "You got it figured out pretty well, Chief. But it's really nothing that bad. We've been in tight spots before. No reason to send us out of town. We'll have this solved in no time at all." I'm babbling again, she thought. "I know you have. But this time it looks like it's Clark they're after. It was *he* who was called away to that source this morning. I know he's a big --" "Boy scout." Lois finished for him, now smiling a little. "I think I see your point. Maybe ..." A plan was beginning to form in Lois' mind. "Maybe I could use this to plant a false trail." Perry shot her a glance. He should have known that Lois wouldn't give in to this so easily. "Lois ... " "I know. I'll be careful. I just thought ..." She quickly began to outline her impromptu plan. She'd fix Jimmy up with some of Clark's clothes and ask him to get into a cab and visit several travel agents, making sure he was *seen*. The police would follow him unobtrusively and keep him safe. It was a long shot, one that might not turn up anything. But it was something that could be done while she and Clark were getting out of town and to safety, and that ... "Clark won't like at all," Perry said. "Yeah." Lois shrugged. "I won't tell him. Not for now at least." "That's probably better. Well, if you're to make it there tonight, you'd better start making arrangements." "Where *is* 'there' anyway? And what ...?" "Well, I have a friend whose old classmate has a cousin who owns a lovely little fishing cabin at the northern lakes ..." ***** ***** When Clark returned half an hour later, he found Lois back at her desk, checking train schedules on the computer screen in front of her. Bending over her from behind, he gently kissed her neck, then indicating the screen, asked, "Someone going somewhere?" Lois halfway turned to look at him, her voice rather grim. "Yes. Us. Perry is sending us to some godforsaken hideaway." Although she had agreed to the plan, she still didn't like being away from where the action was. "Why's that? New story?" "No. He heard about your 'accidents'. And since Baby Rage is apparently missing he wants us to get out of danger. We won't be able to do a thing from there. The place doesn't even have a phone." "What place are you talking about, Lois?" "Oh, Perry knows a guy who knows a guy who has a cabin up by the northern lakes. He's already set it up." Clark studied her curiously. From the way Lois was grumbling about it, he wondered if Perry had ordered them to leave town or else have their press passes confiscated--a threat dire enough to impress even Lois. Since he was extremely relieved that this would get her out of danger, he decided to go along with it, even though he would have preferred to spend time doing some "Super-sleuthing." "So, you think we should go?" Her attention still on the screen, she shrugged. "I hate being stuck there, but I couldn't talk him out of it." A small smile tilted one corner of her mouth. "Remember those bullet-proof vests?" Clark placed his arms around her from behind. She turned her face towards his and he kissed her again, deeper and more passionately this time. "Well, it doesn't sound that bad to *me.* Just think of that island." Her face brightened. "Well, when you look at it that way... We're all set to go. Perry wants us out of town tonight." Continued in Part 5 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:05 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 1 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT An IRC Round-Robin by ChrisM^ (mulders@mindspring.com); CKDor & Dor2 (dorisschmill@gmx.net); Ckgroupie (NKWolke@t-line.de); Eraygun (Eraygun@aol.com); Zoomway (zoomway@aol.com) Whenever Lois recalled the string of incidents that she would later refer to as "The Perils of Clark Kent," she would always remember how quietly it had all started. She and Clark were spending the weekend in Smallville at his childhood home, helping his parents with some spring cleaning. They'd both been very busy in the weeks just prior to that, and having the chance to do something besides chase criminals and dodge bullets had a real appeal. Clark and his father, Jonathan, were spending most of their time outdoors repairing damage from Kansas' winter storms and getting things ready for the new growing season. Martha and Lois, on the other hand, were having a ball inside the old farmhouse cleaning out cabinets and going through closets. Much to Lois' delight they'd uncovered more than just dust bunnies. She was getting some wonderful glimpses into Clark's past. Sunday afternoon the two women found themselves up in the attic. They knew it wouldn't be possible to really do a thorough cleaning in the time remaining for the younger couple's visit, but Martha said she would appreciate whatever help Lois could give her. Lois didn't mind at all. It was great fun to open a box and find old Halloween costumes that Martha had made for Clark when he was a little "trick-or-treater" or to peek into a trunk and find clothes that a much smaller Clark had once played in. Almost every garment held some special memory for Martha and she had a great time sharing stories about her "boy" with her daughter-in-law. Soon they were giggling over what they were finding, and their laughter reached a pair of "super" ears. Clark looked up from what he and his dad were doing in order to focus on the house for a moment. "What is it, son?" "Oh, no." Clark turned back to his father. "They're going through my old stuff, Dad, and Mom is showing Lois the costume I wore in the second-grade Thanksgiving play." Jonathan couldn't help chuckling a bit. "They get like that, Clark. We just have to put up with it." The men returned to their chores, while up in the attic Lois had found a box of old letters Clark had saved. Some of them had a distinctive female look about them. What's this, she wondered? Martha chuckled when she noticed the letter in Lois hands. Lois looked at the letters slightly yellowed by age. She wrinkled her nose a little at the trace of perfume she could still smell emanating from the box. She look at Martha. "Lana?" "No." Martha shook her head. "Sylvia." "Oh, Clark never told me about her..." Her voice trailed off for a moment, then added, "He didn't mention having that many girlfriends." "He didn't have many. He dated Lana casually for about a year, and you've met Rachel Harris - he took her to the prom. Sylvia," she chuckled at the memory, "used to write him these long letters. I don't think it ever rea