From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9805C" ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 18:42:46 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: A Vukovic Subject: Teri... In-Reply-To: <2.2.16.19980514192839.09cfbbae@swcp.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" So Debby, How are you? Dare I ask...I am not sure you are the right person to ask, but still. Did Teri actually have a part in the Seinfeld finale? Just got back from an exciting guided expedition to a chinese supermarket. Now I have all sorts of interesting dishes to try out over the weekend:):) Have a good weekend, and thanks for the continuing filter service on Loiscla mail. I still like to read the stuff you send. Most of it is still interesting to me. The TH/DC affair stuff last week was a riot (funny) and when K (Callan) asked to read it I sent it to her too and she had a laugh over it too. She said that Teri couldn't keep anything a secret and chewed the ear off the nearest person at any given time. Thus she reakons that no affair of theirs would be kept secret by her... anyway, I find it ammusing to sit back and let the rumours fly:):) Adrienne _________________________________________________________________________ Thank you kindly, Adrienne VUKOVIC aev@cia.com.au _________________________________________________________________________ "How can you be so blind, Lois? I mean, you look right at the guy, and still you don't have a clue who he really is." Clark Kent to Lois Lane: BatP, "Lois and Clark:TNAOS" _________________________________________________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 20:01:02 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: A Vukovic Subject: Major Apologies... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Oh that was a bad mistake... Please disregard the last post I sent out here... Watching others accidentally send to the various lists instead of private mail, I finally succumed to the same mistake. Also, since it wasn't meant as public record, you might want to ignore anything you read in the post as well... Accidents happen... Apologies again. Adrienne ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 05:30:22 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Stark Subject: Re: Teri... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 06:42 PM 5/15/98 +1000, My friend wrote to me but it got to the list... >So Debby, > >How are you? > >Dare I ask...I am not sure you are the right person to ask, but still. > >Did Teri actually have a part in the Seinfeld finale? [snip everything else...] I didn't watch the show. I've only watched it once, in rerun, for Teri. I had better things to do last night. I suspect Seinfeld is more a New York phenomena than anything else... and not everyone is enamored with NY (or LA for that matter...) Debby Debby@swcp.com who doesn't wish to offend anyone living in those areas but who prefers her mountains :) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 16:18:38 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Zoomway Subject: Re: Major Apologies... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-05-15 06:03:46 EDT, aev@CIA.COM.AU writes: << Accidents happen... >> but I get the e-mail about them Please, those who asked, write to Adriene privately at aev@cia.com.au Also keep in mind that you will never get an official answer to a rumor from a fellow cast member writer or producer of this show, I can just about promise you Most wouldn't even admit 'officially' if Eugenie and Singer had an ongoing relationship, yet most of us who attended the first LAFF already knew that No one with a "name" wants to be on record where they could so easly find their name in a tabloid right next to that quote. They will never leave a deliberate paper trail that could come back to haunt them, think about it ;) Zoomway@aol.com (remember, the thread is dead, contact Adriene privately ;) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 18:42:46 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Re: Major Apologies... In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >Zoomway@aol.com (remember, the thread is dead, contact Adriene privately ;) I can understand you getting besieged with "is that true?" comments and asking people to stop emailing you personally, but "the thread is dead" is awfully list-mom-ish and that's Farah's job on this list. Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 18:58:58 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Only Angels Have Wings ... now online Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi all, I recently posted my fic "Only Angels Have Wings" to this list -- just wanted you to know there's an online version (with a pic I had fun doctoring) at: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/fanfic/angels.html Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 19:17:24 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Re: the POV "problem" In-Reply-To: <2.2.16.19980513042759.20af128e@swcp.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Having just come from an "extraction of teeth" style writing period, trying to get into *Clark's* head ... I guess I'll have to say, I don't write Clark's POV very well :) (we'll see what the editors have to say!) Anyway, this POV discussion brings up a question for me: aren't you supposed to pick a POV and *stick* with it for the whole of the story? (says she who just broke this rule) Is this hard and fast, except perhaps when you want to make a point? >From my "The New Writer's Survival Guide" by Dianne Bates (this is an Aussie book): "A short story is usually told from the point of view of one of its characters, though in the novel the point of view can switch from one character to another. ... The point of view you decide to use can be of any kind [she listed 1st, 3rd, omniscent, multiple] but you must use it consistently. Do not change viewpoint in mid-story as it can weaken the narrative." Being one of those souls who like to break rules -- ("Whaddya mean the hero can only be at most 10 years older than the heroine??" "Whaddya mean no one can actually die in the Regency Romance?" and so on) -- my stories may never sell *grin*, but at least I don't have to stick to poncy plot rules! Anyway, I forgot my point ... when should one break this particular POV rule and when to stick to it? When I do multiple-POV in a story that's not quite a novel -- I don't do POV switches mid-scene, but separate scenes can be viewed by different people... Next? Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 22:29:10 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Zoomway Subject: Re: Major Apologies... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-05-15 21:49:14 EDT, you write: << I can understand you getting besieged with "is that true?" comments and asking people to stop emailing you personally, but "the thread is dead" is awfully list-mom-ish and that's Farah's job on this list. >> My comment was to make sure that those who subscribe to LOISCLA where the old thread had taken place realized they read aev's post here on the fanfic list and not LOISCLA. I do apologize to Farah though if she thought I was stepping on her toes, I wasn't, I just wanted to make sure this dead thread wasn't resurrected on the other list because the e-mail I received indicated confusion over where it had appeared. Hope that clears it up ;) Zoomway@aol.com (Tom Bodet will leave the light on for ya ;) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 20:28:55 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Joan Organization: MailCity (http://www.mailcity.com:80) Subject: Re: Desktop Themes Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, my whole pc has the Lois & Clark theme. Not only all the icons, cursors, sounds and wallpaper have the Lois&Clark theme, I even changed the word assistant to "power pup"(a dog with a red cape,haha)just to keep up the super theme....and I use a superman mousepad also, though it is the image of the comics superman. If you want to see how my desktop looks like, please visit the Lois & Clark Fun Page on my main L&C page. The URL is as below.:) p.s. I just need to have a L&C screensaver to complete the whole thing. So if anyone of you have one, please help me and tell me where to find one, please. Thanks. --- Joan aka dmj ***************************************************************** * My Lois & Clark page: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~dmyeung/ * ***************************************************************** >Cassie: I not only have an L&C desktop theme but I mixed and matched a >few different versions of it (including 2 animated ones) until I came up >with (for me) the perfect combination of sounds, icons, wallpaper and >color schemes. I do not however, have a screen saver idea but I would >LOVE to have one (It would just drive my family crazy!) so if you ever >do find one it would be great if you could send it my way . . . :) >-Caroline Amberson supersticky@hotmail.com > > > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > Get your FREE, private e-mail account at http://www.mailcity.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 23:34:17 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kat5107 Subject: Re: the POV "problem" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/15/98 7:17:12 PM, Leanne wrote: <> I find that when writing fanfic, I tend to switch POV from scene to scene, depending on which is more convenient I even switch POV in the middle of a scene (*huge* no-no!), but I think it's because we're so used to seeing everything projected. No, I don't mean that everyone's fanfic is actually acted out , but we have concrete characters on which to base our stories on (meaning they have actual faces and personalities, not necessarily ones we have to invent). But in my short stories and other fiction, I tend to stick to one POV throughout. <> A great professor once told me, "You can break the rules, but only once you've learned them and *know* you're breaking the rules." Or something to that effect. So I think you're OK with all your rule-breaking, Leanne! Kat Kat5107@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 01:08:06 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: SStroud Subject: Re: Desktop Themes Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Coming out of lurk mode to say... My screensaver is a floating picture of Dean Cain in a leather jacket. Nothing like leaving the computer for a few minutes to return and find Dean waiting for you. Back to lurk mode. Susan ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 04:09:08 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Georgia E. Walden" Subject: Re: the POV "problem" In-Reply-To: <55dfaede.355d093b@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I'm coming in on this thread a little late, and I don't know if anyone has defined POV. Are we talking about first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc. which may or may not be the same throughout a story, or the varying points-of-view of the characters in the story? I've read stories which were entirely first person, and therefore only one person provides information to the reader, and I've read third person ominiscient, where the author and by extension, the reader, is God, but most stories are combinations. For instance, Mary Stewart's TOUCH NOT THE CAT alternates pure first person (describing a past event) and third person narrative (in the present) until the climax brings the two storylines together. Within the third person narrative, the POV can shift among as many characters as you like, depending on what you need or want the reader to know. At 11:34 PM 5/15/98 EDT, you wrote: >In a message dated 5/15/98 7:17:12 PM, Leanne wrote: ><supposed to pick a POV and *stick* with it for the whole of the story? >(says she who just broke this rule) Is this hard and fast, except perhaps >when you want to make a point? >> I'm surprised that anyone would make it a "rule" - it seems like a useful guideline for a writer, for organizing the narrative perhaps. Or it could be a disciplinary technique - testing the ability to select the most effective way to tell a story. However, I suspect that a writer instinctively shifts the POV because, as stated below, it's a way of describing what the eye sees and in the case of L&C, we see a TV screen. ;) Just as the camera shifts from one actor to another within a scene or to another place altogether when the scene changes, the writer tries to duplicate that effect on paper. Kat wrote: >I find that when writing fanfic, I tend to switch POV from scene to scene, >depending on which is more convenient I even switch POV in the middle of a >scene (*huge* no-no!), but I think it's because we're so used to seeing >everything projected. No, I don't mean that everyone's fanfic is actually >acted out , but we have concrete characters on which to base our stories on >(meaning they have actual faces and personalities, not necessarily ones we >have to invent). And because we're writing about characters who exist in a visual medium that we all share, I've noticed that a lot of fanfic writers don't do much physical description in their stories. The kind of things that are standard in most genre fiction - clothes, food, interior decoration, weather, all kinds of elements that make up the characters and their world - are described as a way of making the reader "see" the story. We don't have to do that - all we have to do is say "Clark grinned at Lois" and a perfectly clear image of Dean's face and that killer smile of his is there in the reader's mind. ;) Or we write "Perry surveyed the news room of the Daily Planet" and we all know exactly what he's seeing. The prose writer ordinarily doesn't have that luxury. One of the reasons for choosing a POV is that it offers a tool for descriptive information. Instead of a flat listing of a character's physical appearance, you can paint a visual picture by describing him through another character's eyes. I apologize for giving an example from something I wrote myself, and I'm not saying it's a great example, but bear with me. In ALT SHOOK UP, I wanted to describe the scene which we saw in the original episode ALL SHOOK UP in which Clark is found naked in a crater, but in the alternate universe the event occurs in a somewhat different context. My version uses Lois and her limited POV - she sees and hears something and investigates but she has no idea what exactly has happened. Because the scene is viewed through her eyes, it seemed to me natural to describe Clark's appearance as a woman might react to it - her response to all that skin, ;) his voice coming out of the darkness, his smile - things that this particular person would note and react to, rather than an objective description from the omniscient point of view. This technique of introducing a character by viewing him through another's eyes is very common in romantic fiction - it allows the writer to describe not only how the character looks in an active rather than static way, but it gives the reader emotional clues about how the viewing character thinks and feels. Later on, I wanted to say that Lois had a particular expression on her face, so I wrote what Clark saw, rather than simply describing it. I think everyone who tries to write instinctively chooses the vantage point that hopefully works best to get across what they want the reader to know, to think, or to feel. >A great professor once told me, "You can break the rules, but only once you've >learned them and *know* you're breaking the rules." Or something to that >effect. I agree with this, and it's also helpful to know not only what the rule is but what it was designed to accomplish. If what you're doing works, then you're not breaking the rule, you're making a new one. ;) Georgia gwalde14@mindspring.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 17:20:06 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Louise Kendall Subject: Re: Continuity & Soul Mates In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" hey everyone I was cleaning out my mailbox and I found this post. I have 'The Falcon' and 'The Lone Rider' but I don't have 'The Sea Hawk'. I was wondering if anyone could tell how I could get my sticky little fingers on this one? panzer division jem At 22:22 15/03/98 EST, you wrote: >In a message dated 98-03-15 22:11:46 EST, you write: > ><< So what era are the three current ones set in? >> > >SoulMates Chronicles: The Falcon--- is set in Itlaly, 16th century, the >Renaissance. >SoulMates Chronicles: The Sea Hawk---is set in Cuba, 18th century. >SoulMates Chronicles: The Lone Rider--is set in Texas, 19th century. > >If anyone has more questions, I will be glad to answer them. > >Annie >Lansbury1@aol.com > > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 11:43:21 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: IndiBlue Subject: Re: Continuity & Soul Mates Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-05-16 04:44:45 EDT, you write: << SoulMates Chronicles: The Sea Hawk---is set in Cuba, 18th century. >> The Sea Hawk! I missed that one completely. Can someone tell me where to find it. Thanks. Layney ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 15:04:18 -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: Re: the POV "problem" and limitations of speaking thru certain characters Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >>I'm coming in on this thread a little late, and I don't know if anyone has defined POV. Are we talking about first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, etc. which may or may not be the same throughout a story, or the varying points-of-view of the characters in the story?<< I'm sorry, Georgia. I started this discussion, and, for lack of a proper term, took liberties with the term POV. You're right. POV really refers to whether a story is in first person, third person, etc. But, the question I was trying to get at was what *character* does one fine easiest to speak through? As I mentioned, I am most comfortable seeing the world through Lois' eyes and describing the action in my stories in terms of her viewpoint. However, in three of my four stories, I switched viewpoints because I had to. There were scenes where Lois didn't appear. When there is a scene which includes Lois, I tend to write the action in terms of what she sees. I find, when I am writing a scene where I have to see the world through Clark's eyes and verbalize his thoughts, I have a more difficult time. I think it's because he is a character very different from my own personality. He's less sarcastic than Lois and, usually, less funny. I also enjoy writing from Ellen's point of view because she's so outlandish. In "Love as a Blonde", surprisingly enough, I did find Clark to be less difficult for me because **finally** I could make jokes with him and about him (in a gentle sort of way). I loved having him go to a book convention and finding amateur writers, professional writers, and intellectuals hypothesizing on Superman's erotic impact on science fiction writing. I loved having him flabbergasted over the use of his suit as an aphrodisiac. And, I loved his reaction to finding out that his wife was becoming a romance writing queen, including romantic scenes from their life in her stories. I enjoyed finding humor in his discomfort at how people might react to him in his suit. Obviously, he wants people not to know that he's Clark through the use of this suit and he wants people to respect him as Superman when he wears it. But, I don't think he wants the general public to see him as a romantic idol or fantasize about him sexually. Notice his discomfort in AKA Superman. I think his embarrassment is charming and one of his attractions. In fact, through that story, I was -- ultimately -- poking fun at myself (and the whole L&C n-fic genre ) by having Clark stumble upon that lecture and realizing he had caused some interesting developments in the science fiction world. (God knows, before they put Dean Cain in tights, *I* wasn't exactly interested in Superman.) I've edited the following excerpt slightly since it came from an n-fic story, but I believe it's fairly innocuous. ******** Exiting the bank of elevators, Clark roamed between the long rows of tables lining the wide, carpeted hallways of the hotel. Every conceivable book was being touted in every genre. He stopped beside a few display tables covered with mystery novels and glanced at the easel standing sentry outside the accompanying conference room. According to the busy agenda posted on the board, the event currently going on behind the closed doors was "The Butler Didn't Do It: How to Keep the Mystery in a Mystery," a discussion with noted author ... J ... J ... something ... Fletcher. Clark was just about to pull his glasses down for a closer look, when an easel further along the corridor caught his attention through the passing crowd. "Science Fiction, Superman, and Sex: An Evolution of the Genre," a paper presented by Professor G.I. Cant with responses by well-known science fiction authors.... Both intrigued and wary, Clark walked toward the sign, entering the area designated for fantasy and science fiction literature. He pushed his way through the door, noted the full ballroom, and leaned up against the back wall. The audience seemed to be hanging on the words of a bearded, bespectacled university-type droning on in a monotone that belied the nature of his topic. "The existence of Superman, whether one considers him an alien or not, *has* had a positive correlative relationship with the...." The speaker stopped for a moment to sip from his water glass. "... with the level of sexual content in science fiction literature." He stopped to sip again. "Superman's *power,* his *force,* his ... *command,* his ... *boldness,* his ... tight, uh...." The speaker seemed to almost hyperventilate as he searched unsuccessfully for an appropriate word. "his tight.... " Giggles began to emanate from the crowd in response to the presenter's failing vocabulary and the suggestive movements his eyebrows seemed to be involuntarily making to supplement the lack. Clark reddened. "Professor C*an*t!" A serious, young man who was taking rapid, copious notes towards the front of the large room raised his hand in a vigorous wave. The speaker, looking over his glasses, frowned at the nasal sound seeming to screech at him from across the rows of seats. "That's pronounced C*aun*t! Professor C*aun*t! As in, *Immanuel.*" A snicker escaped the crowd. "Professor C*aun*t, what does 'a positive correlative relationship with the level of sexual content in science fiction literature' mean *exactly?* Are you saying that Superman qua Superman is a sexual turn-on and has opened the floodgates to a wave of erotica in science fiction; *and,* if you *are* saying that, would you also agree that this development in the genre is heightening its popularity with, *and* is being used to market to, the female demographic? In other words, Professor, is Superman a tease to get women interested?" The audience roared with laughter at this last question and many shook their heads in vigorous assent. Clark could feel himself flushing even more. Although he was sure there was no one in the room who could make a positive correlation between himself and Superman, the direction of the discussion was making him decidedly uncomfortable all the same. "Exactly!" the speaker exclaimed, seeming to gain new strength from this penetrating breakthrough. "Superman has put the sizzle in science fiction!" Superman qua Clark, his sizzle on a low burn for the moment, found himself slinking out of the room, taking a deep breath of relief at the exit. 'What is going on here?! Were lotharios across America -- maybe the world -- not only reading and writing about ... "Superman" but donning his tights like c-- at his ... *my* unintentional instigation?! Am *I* selling sex?!' ****** The bottom line is I like using humor and I find Clark (and especially Superman) to be the least "funny" character of the L&C world. I guess it's because you can't make him seem too ridiculous or play too fast and loose with his character without endangering his moral authority. Responses *to* him can be "wacky," but can Clark be seen as wacky, as Lois -- for instance -- has sometimes been portrayed? I don't think so. You can have fun with him (that's what red-K is for), but you can't risk putting his overall "stature" in question. Sandy ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 15:25:34 -1000 Reply-To: shore@maui.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: Re: The Dissapointment of Dean MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jon Neil wrote: > I think I just wish to see Dean more. I wish that Lois & Clark > would've > continued. I wish Dean were so famous that we would see him all over > the > small sceeen and the silver screen. I wish.. I wish.. I wish.. Oh well I was just cleaning out my email and realized I forgot I wanted to respond to this email. I feel exactly the same and was just looking up his Dean's name on the net when I stumbled onto this site: http//www.pworld.net.ph/~lara/deancain.html#q2 It mentions a couple of movies that he has been in "Miracle Beach" and "Stone Boy". I haven't seen either of them and am hoping they have them at the video store. (I think it will help my sense of reality to see that Clark Kent isn't real, he's just an actor playing a role! :-( ) Anyways, It mentions another movie that is supposed to come out in Sept. or Oct. called "Best Men" (I think that is what it is called) and he is supposed to play opposite Drew Barrymore (Sorry, but I don't seem to like her!) The person who has this web page up says they were confused with the movie The Wedding Singer, but realizes now that that movie was a different one not starring Dean Cain. So I'm wondering if they mean that this new movie "Best Men" is comming out this Sept. or Oct. or if it already passed and just didn't make the big screen? Anyone else hear anything? j-me ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 21:01:33 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sara Kraft Subject: Re: Desktop Themes Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >> OK, How many of you are so loyal, so dedicated, so disgustingly >> preoccupied with L&C's world that you too have the L&C Desktop Theme with >> sounds, icons, and wallpaper? Just curious to know how many other >> completely sickeningly Obsessed L&C fans there really are out >> there.....Besides just me My wallpaper has one of the tatoo pics with a blue & S-shield background. >Yup! AOL welcomes me with the theme to Superman, and I stare at this little >superman curser all day. All I need now is a screen saver...any suggestions >;) I used to have the supes cusor until my computer crashed one day. Now I can't seem to find jijib's page, if it still exsists. Anyone who can email it to me, could they please write me privately? I miss my flying supes. =( Sara (who is graduating from high school in four days!!!) __________ Sara Kraft likemoo@azstarnet.com http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/hills/3192 ----------------- ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:43:01 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jenny Stosser Subject: Re: Desktop Themes In-Reply-To: <199805170401.VAA08027@cepheus.azstarnet.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:01 PM 16/05/98 -0700, you wrote: >>> OK, How many of you are so loyal, so dedicated, so disgustingly >>> preoccupied with L&C's world that you too have the L&C Desktop Theme with >>> sounds, icons, and wallpaper? Just curious to know how many other >>> completely sickeningly Obsessed L&C fans there really are out >>> there.....Besides just me > >My wallpaper has one of the tatoo pics with a blue & S-shield background. > > >>Yup! AOL welcomes me with the theme to Superman, and I stare at this little >>superman curser all day. All I need now is a screen saver...any suggestions >>;) > >I used to have the supes cusor until my computer crashed one day. Now I >can't seem to find jijib's page, if it still exsists. Anyone who can email >it to me, could they please write me privately? I miss my flying supes. =( > >Sara (who is graduating from high school in four days!!!) I use a combination of various Superman themes for my computer. My wallpaper is the pic of Dean in the white sheets. My hubby says it's enough to put him off using my computer . I use the flying supes for my arrow cursor, and one of clark changing to superman for my busy cursor. I also have a variety of other superman.ani cursors available (including one called bonk.ani for my error cursor ) I found a screen saver program that lets you play avi files in sequence as a screen saver, and had that set up to play Demi's 5 parter avi, but it used so much memory that it never went into green-mode auto shutdown, and it played it way too loud too (you could hear it down the street!), so for now I've just switched to one of the screensavers that comes with win'95. I also found a shareware programme somewhere that mimics Plus!, so you don't have to pay for it - it also allows you to change the startup and shutdown wallpapers, so I have a L&C montage for startup and one of the clone-wedding photos for shutdown. Erin/Elk was working on producing a screen saver to go with her Superman Desktop theme, of the cape flapping from the credits for L&C, but I haven't heard if it's ready yet. Anyone who wants copies of the bits I've mentioned above to use for their homemade L&C themes, please ask by private email and I will attempt to attach them for your viewing pleasure . -- Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*- (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- My ICQ# is 11477318 -*- This message is umop ap!sdn -*- Photos of David (5) and Megan (2) on the Stosser Family HomePage: http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583 Please sign our guestbook! ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 09:55:45 -1000 Reply-To: shore@maui.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: Virus warning!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all! Below is a virus warning I recieved a couple of days ago from a friend. I don't know if it is okay to send this to the list, but since I have sent it out to all my email pals already 2 of them have thanked me up one side and down the other because they had the exact emails warned about in their box! So I'd feel bad if I didn't tell all of you too and something happened! :-( take care, j-me VIRUS WARNING MEMORANDUM DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUBJECT: ALERT FOR LAHAINA INTERMEDIATE If you recieve an e-mail titles"WIN A HOLIDAY" DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT OPEN IT. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as may people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from microsoft; Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED or UNABLE TO DELIVER." This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL stated: "This is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO REPEAT NO REMEDY for it at this time. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 17:02:34 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: demona Subject: MEMO: VIRUS WARNING In-Reply-To: <355F40C1.4136C853@maui.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" VIRUS WARNING WARNING MEMORANDUM DEPARTMENT Of Lois & Clark DEMI'S DESK SUBJECT: HAND OVER THAT "SEND" BUTTON. If you recieve an e-mail titled "VIRUS WARNING" DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT BELIEVE A WORD IT SAYS. It will tell you that God's firey wrath will be visited upon your hard drive via an email message. But rest assured that this is not true! A virus cannot be spread this way. Forward this letter out to as may people as you can. This information is announced every 4 days when some new person FWDs a chain letter to an ENTIRE LISTSERV. Also, FEEL FREE to open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED or UNABLE TO DELIVER." This virus does not exist, and will not attach itself to your computer's underwear. It's completely useless. IMMEDIATELY delete any mail items that tell you otherwise! When AOL stated: "This is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO REPEAT NO REMEDY for it at this time." They were talking about their own software. You probably got a copy of it in the mail recently ;) Best Everyone! Demi _______________________________________________________ Demi (a.k.a) Demona or http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy/demona.htm --- L&C Site http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy --- As a director, one is responsible for weaving together the genius of others into comprehensive expression. --- I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. ________________________________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:03:55 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time -- the last episode ... Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Well, all, here it is: the last episode of S5. It's going out a little early because I have an embankment to prepare for planting ... the web version'll be out a little later 'cause I just finished it to send off to our wonderful webmistress, Alyssa. Thanks Alyssa -- and thanks to all those who did the screen captures which illustated our online work! I'd like to publicly thank all the writers and editors for working so hard on this S5 in the face of tough deadlines, real life and requested rewrites. And also to thank you, the readers, for your encouragement and support, because believe me, this wasn't easy and you gave us the energy to keep on going. Kudos also to past scriptwriters/producers of L&C -- now I have an idea of what you had to go through! (thank *god* we didn't have an ABC looming over us though) So I hope you enjoy this last episode of S5 ... and an announcement about S6 will be made in due course, I'm sure. I know they're still on the lookout for writers. Any questions, offers to sign up as an editor/writer/etc should be made to Kathy Brown at kbrown@toolcity.net Well, that's all from me for now! Enjoy! Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:04:15 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time (part 1 of 6) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IT'S TIME by Pam Jernigan edited by Kathy Brown Teaser August 17, 1998 -- Monday, 2pm "Lois, you're still pregnant?" Lois Lane, entering the Daily Planet newsroom for the first time since beginning her maternity leave, glared at Ralph, the source of that particularly witless question. Before she could reply, however, her husband came up to meet her at the elevator, selflessly throwing himself in front of her intended victim. "Yeah, Ralph, we're still pregnant." Clark leaned in for a quick kiss, stifling Lois' mutter of "what was your first clue?" He turned around and smiled. "You just never know when the kid will decide to appear." Lois, standing with Clark's arm around her, managed to smile. Here, with Clark, in the newsroom, she felt comfortable, capable, in charge. Sitting at home, waiting, was about to drive her bananas -- especially after that bout of false labor last week had raised and then dashed her hopes. "I just came in to visit." "Oh, well, good to see you. And since I'm not on vacation, like some people," Ralph grinned broadly to show that he was joking, "I've got to get going. Good luck!" The elevator pinged again, and Ralph dove inside the car. Lois rolled her eyes. "Vacation, he calls it. It's driving me nuts!" "Well, that's not surprising, honey," Clark teased. "Our last vacation drove you nuts, too." "No, darlin'," she corrected, smiling, "you're thinking of that island with Spencer Spencer. Our last vacation was our honeymoon, and *that* I enjoyed very much!" "You're so right," he conceded gracefully, and motioned for her to precede him over towards the small visitor's couches. Lois always looked so adorably smug when she won a point. "How are you feeling today?" With his assistance, she sank down into the couch and immediately propped her feet up on the table. "I'm as good as can be expected. I think the baby's dropped a little because I can almost take full breaths now, but I'm still tired, and my back aches, and my feet look like water balloons, and I have to go to the bathroom roughly every half-hour. Other than that, though..." Clark smiled sympathetically. Despite her complaints, she bore her pregnancy well; he admired her equanimity, and thought she'd never looked more beautiful. "Other than that," he finished for her, "you're excited about the baby and you're worried about labor. And sitting at home with nothing to do is making you wish you hadn't started your leave so early." She considered that, then shook her head. "No, I had to leave, I wasn't able to get anything done, between naps and bathroom breaks -- not to mention the occasional murderous ex-obstetrician," she smiled wryly. "And I'm feeling less tired this week, so it was a good decision. It's the waiting that's hard. I just wish things would start *happening*! Well, not just anything. I want the world to be perfectly peaceful so you and I can bring this baby into the world together." "I don't care if the world falls apart, Lois." Clark's face was as solemn as she'd ever seen it. "I will be there." "I hope so." She smiled up at him, accepting his determination, but knowing that anything could, and usually did, happen. "Anyway, I'm actually on my way to the airport to pick up your mother; she called this morning and said she'd decided to come, and I didn't think you'd mind..." "No, not at all, if you don't. How long is she planning to stay?" "Well, it depends--" "Hey, Lois, how ya doing?" Jimmy bounced up the stairs, grinning broadly at the sight of his favorite couple. Lois smiled; she found she missed Jimmy's enthusiasm, even as misplaced as it often was. "Fine, Jimmy, thanks. How are you?" "I am doing *great*. The Chief has me helping Clark and Dianne, so I'm learning a lot, and I got this cool new statistics program. It's kind of like the one Penny's got, actually, but, um, never mind about that. Anyway, I was feeding it information about Superman, and cross-indexing it to crime figures, just trying to see if there was a pattern of which types of things were more likely to attract Superman, you know." Lois exchanged a worried look with Clark. "And did you come up with anything?" "Not really, but there was this one interesting thing -- for, like, a month, Superman hasn't done *anything* on Monday nights. No arrests, no rescues -- not so much as getting kittens out of trees." Clark turned his head away to hide a wince, and Lois sighed inaudibly. Childbirth classes. Well, those were over with now, so that pattern would come to nothing. "I don't know if you can call that a pattern," Clark argued, fiddling with his glasses. "Sure you can," Jimmy countered easily. "Once is an anomaly, twice is a coincidence, three times is--" "Three times is enemy action," Lois completed the homily for him. "Except I doubt that. Anyway, he's probably just been ... watching Monday Night Football or something." Clark and Jimmy both turned to frown at her for that, but only Clark was brave enough to correct her. "It's the wrong season for that, honey." "Don't argue with a pregnant woman," Lois scowled back at them, sticking her tongue out for good measure. "Hey, I'm out of here, guys," Jimmy declared with a smile. "You two can fight this one out yourselves. Take care, Lois, and make sure we know when the baby's born!" "You'll be the first to know -- or should that be Clark?" Lois joked. She shared a smile with her husband, then began the complicated process of getting to her feet. "I'm off to the airport, now Clark..." He frowned slightly, and she paused. "What?" "Nothing, really," he assured her with an apologetic smile. "But is it really wise to drive that far? You could go into labor..." She rolled her eyes. "I only wish. Anyway, if I do, I'll call you, either on the phone or out the window," She patted his chest and smiled up at him. He was so cute when he was overprotective -- as long as he didn't carry it too far. "You just try to be home by six, okay?" "I will," he promised, kissing her good-bye. "And if you need anything -- anything at all -- you just yell." "All I need is for someone to induce labor," she grumbled good-naturedly. He grinned. "I can think of a few things to try, later tonight..." "And if I don't fall asleep first," she countered, "I'll hold you to that." She pushed the elevator call button, and then gazed at the doors speculatively. "Hey, you know, on TV, pregnant women *always* go into labor in elevators..." His grin widened. "Well, if it works, you let me know, okay?" "You bet." The elevator arrived, and they kissed good-bye before she stepped inside the car, smiling broadly. Clark watched the doors slide closed and waited, listening to it hum its way smoothly downward and release his disappointed wife into the lobby. He smiled, and headed back to his desk. *** Monday, 2pm "...so then *I* says, hand me the money, see?" Peabody recited, feeling very smug about his prowess. He strutted a few steps around the dingy apartment for good measure. "Can it, Peabody," Stubbs replied, quellingly. He was larger than his companion, both in height and weight, with a sterner look in his eye. "You ain't never bullied anybody without you had help." "Did so!" replied the smaller man, indignantly. "I dunno why you has to disbelieve everyt'ing I say -- it ain't polite." The two men were in a small, cluttered, dirty apartment, belonging to Mr. Jeremiah Stubbs. To say the place needed a woman's touch would be misleading; it would have benefited more from the careful placement of a small explosive. However, its owner barely noticed, as he didn't like to bother himself with irrelevancies. "Yeah, well, forget it -- we got something more important to talk about." Stubbs pointed to the table before him, which bore a handful of newspaper clippings. "See those? "Yeah, I see 'em, what's not to see? And it ain't true I never bullied nobody, I bullied lottsa peoples..." "Them there clippings," Stubbs continued, ignoring his companion's attempt at an argument, "show things going wrong, this past month. They ain't big things, I ain't saying they are, but," he held up one thick finger for emphasis, and waited to see if Peabody would notice. "... I bullied Archer, the other month, and, oh, he was scared o'me ..." "Archer was scared of Intergang, you knucklehead, and all you was doin' was carryin' messages for 'em. But you listen t'me for a minnit, here." Peabody, silenced for a moment, finally paid attention. "Where'd you get da clippings, Stubbsie?" "Don't call me that -- and never you mind where I got 'em. What I found out is that these here things, they all happened on Mondays, and Superman wasn't anywhere near 'em. As far as I can tell, he wasn't doing nothing those nights. Now, I dunno what he mighta been doing---" "Monday night poker, you think?" interjected the irrepressible Peabody. "What?" Stubbs was momentarily distracted by this. "Nah, couldn't be. Everybody knows he's got that, whatchamacallit, x-ray eyes. He'd see through your cards; nobody'd play with him." After looking mulish for a moment, Peabody reluctantly agreed; he could see the sense in that. "So then, what?" "It don't matter what, see? Whatever it is he *is* doing, what he *ain't* doing on Monday nights is stopping crimes." Peabody's face slowly lit up, as he worked through this. "So you mean that if we was to pull something onna Monday..." "He wouldn't be around to stop us," Stubbs finished, pleased to have finally communicated. "So I figure, we can knock us over a jewelry store or something tonight. I mean, what could go wrong?" Opening Credits Monday, 4pm Lois unlocked the door to her townhouse and ushered her mother-in-law inside. "And then Jimmy noticed that Superman's been otherwise occupied during our childbirth class," she continued, "although, of course, Jimmy doesn't know it was because of childbirth classes, but he does know *something*'s been happening..." She flicked on the lights and headed for the sofa. She tired more easily than ever these days, and standing around the airport waiting for Martha's flight had not helped her swollen feet. "And I don't know why we even bothered with childbirth classes," she concluded bitterly, sinking down onto the sofa as Martha sat next to her, "because obviously I'm never going to actually give birth!" Martha laughed softly. "I know you're a little overdue, dear, but that's normal, you know -- due dates are only an educated guess, after all." "Yeah, for human pregnancies," Lois reminded her crossly. "Except this baby is half-Kryptonian. Who knows? They might stay pregnant for *years*...." "No, I doubt that," Martha replied, taking on a coolly reassuring tone. "Clark developed normally as a baby. We didn't even suspect anything was different about him until he was, oh, five or six ... and didn't Dr. Klein say things were progressing normally?" "Yeah ..." Lois admitted, her dark mood lifting as she sat and regained her breath. In only the past few weeks, the baby had grown so large that it pressed up against her diaphragm, leaving her diminished lung capacity. "But I'm still overdue by a week." "Well, how long will your doctors wait before they induce labor?" Lois brightened further at the reminder. "Only another week. I've got another appointment on Wednesday morning, and Dr. McGrath said after that, they'll talk about getting things started. She did say, last week, that everything looked normal." "I thought they wouldn't wait too long," Martha replied, satisfied. "The instructor at my childbirth class said they usually don't let women go more than two weeks overdue." Lois nodded her head in absent-minded agreement, then looked at her mother-in-law. "Wait a minute, when did you take a childbirth class?" Martha's eyes twinkled. "This past summer. I was interested, and the local clinic offers courses, so..." "They just ... let you in? I mean, you're not pregnant..." "Lois, my dear," Martha laughed, patting her daughter-in-law on the knee. "One of the benefits of growing older is that you cease to care so much what others might be thinking. I asked to observe, and paid my fee. Actually," she confided, "it turned out well, because there was a girl in the class who didn't have a partner, so I volunteered to help her out. Her name is Annira, just the sweetest thing. She gave birth a month ago. It was such a privilege to be able to help her, and be there when her baby was born..." She gazed off into her memories, shaking her head in wonder. Lois just looked at Martha, once more amazed at the things the older woman was capable of. "And how are they doing now?" Martha's smile was tinged with sadness. "She gave the baby up for adoption. He's been placed with a good family. She misses him, of course, but she knows it was the best thing she could do for him, the best life she could give him. I was so proud of her. Other than that, though, she's doing fine -- she gets more rest than most new mothers, for one thing." "There is that," Lois concurred, not quite sure how to respond. "Next time you're out at the farm, you can meet her, if you like," Martha offered, then stood, ready to get back to business. "Now ... can I get you anything?" "No, I'm fine thanks." Lois heaved herself back to her feet, smiling ruefully at the reality of pregnancy. "I just need to visit the bathroom -- again." *** Monday, 6pm Clark was able to finish his article before six, but before he could start home, he heard a radio report of an oil tanker foundering offshore, threatening Metropolis Harbor with pollution on a massive scale. He sighed and called Lois. "Hey, honey, how are you? ... Oh good, Mom's there ..." He glanced around the newsroom. No one appeared to be paying him any attention, but it never hurt to be careful; Lois would pick up on a veiled meaning. "Look, something's come up. I've got to go check it out. Yeah, that's right, have to see if Superman will show up on a Monday." He smiled, once again appreciating his wife's quick mind and generous soul. "I'll be home as soon as I can, but if you need anything, just call me. Love to you and junior ... and my mom, too. See you soon." He hung up the phone with a smile and headed for the stairwell, pulling at the knot in his tie. *** Monday, 6:30pm The Cozy Corner Shopping Plaza wasn't unusual in any way. Its developer had built any number of small neighborhood plazas, with a bland similarity in design and layout. The L-shaped strip mall boasted a bank on one end, and an upscale grocery store on the other, with a variety of small shops in between. Many of the stores were already closed for the evening, but a few remained open. There was a light on at the hairdresser's as a late customer got her roots touched up, and a yawning clerk held the dry-cleaners open for evening drop-offs and pickups. What interested Stubbs and Peabody, however, was the jewelry store. The two crooks sat in Stubbs' old Buick, hoping to be inconspicuous. There was only a thin sprinkling of cars in the lot at this hour. It had taken three tries to find a parking spot that satisfied them both; the first spot had seemed much too close to the store for Peabody's comfort, and the second, too far away for any practical observations. "So they're closed, right?" Peabody asked, nervously. "Yeah," Stubbs assented, his eyes trained on the store windows. "If we was closer," he elaborated, with exaggerated politeness, "you could see that they closed half an hour ago. But since that's too much excitement for ya, you'll hafta trust me." "Yeah, we could see them, they could see us. No thanks. If they could see us, they'd figure we was up to somethin'." "They're gonna know eventually, Peabody." The smaller man frowned, fidgeting in his seat. "I dunno why we has to go in when they're still there. It's a whole lot easier to go in after they leaves. I mean, it's still bloody daylight out!" "It's August, y'little moron, what'd'ya think, we're gonna wait until midnight? I need my beauty rest. Besides, I told ya -- the stuff I want goes in the safe at night, and we need one o'them to open it for us!" "No you don't, I could open it..." Peabody's boast faded away under his companion's withering stare. "Aw, shaddup ... c'mon, it's time to go." Stubbs emerged from the car, whistling and looking around as nonchalantly as he could manage, given that he looked exactly like a thug who was about to commit a major felony. He set off purposefully towards the storefronts, with Peabody trailing behind him, muttering indignantly to himself. "... thinks I don't know how to cracks safes. Why I was cracking safes back from when I was a kid, it was my whatchamacallit, my speciality, I couldda got a patch for it, if they'd had safecrackin' patches in the junior scouts ... not that I was ever in the scouts, but I *couldda* done, is my point ..." *** (continued) !^NavFont02F365E0007MGHH}600DAC E-mail from: Pam Jernigan, 16-May-1998 jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC ~~~~~ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html ~~~~~ "Are you under the care of a qualified psychiatrist, Constable?" -- "The Ladies' Man", Due South "Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -- Robert A. Heinlein ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:04:24 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time (part 2 of 6) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IT'S TIME - pt 2 "And then you pull your other arm down and thrust forward like *this*," Lois demonstrated. She and Martha stood in the front room of the townhouse, relaxing after dinner. Martha complied, paying careful attention as her daughter-in-law led her through the rest of the martial-arts form. She smiled. "I think it's marvelous how they've taken a fighting form and transformed it into exercises." Lois smiled back, pleased that her idea had been a success. "It's called Tai Chi, and I ran into it a few years ago. Clark's friend from Chinatown taught it to me. It's a great way to warm up." The moves could also be very effective, speeded up, if one needed them, but their chief attraction to her these days was that they could be performed around her swollen belly, and they weren't too taxing on her already-stressed system. "Let's do that one again, from the beginning." With Martha copying her moves, Lois began the form once more. Taking a deep breath, she raised her arms over her head, and set her legs slightly apart. Gracefully, she moved her right hand downwards in a stylized arm chop. Then, she followed that up by stepping forward, with a forward thrust of her left hand, palm-outwards. A complex series of moves later, and her arms ended up back over her head. As a final move, she swept them both downwards, exhaling as she moved. Martha smiled in delight. "I was able to follow it much better that time, dear -- although I'm sure I didn't look nearly as graceful as you." "I've been practicing a lot," Lois admitted with a rueful laugh. "It's had a very soothing effect, and lately--" She was interrupted by the doorbell. *** Mr. Stanley Tucci closed the vault with a muted, yet definitive thud. He was the senior manager and part owner of Mazik's Jewelers, and he took great satisfaction in both roles. He'd worked for Mazik's for the past 30 years, and had opened up this new location last year, shortly after buying into the business. Young Michael Mazik, his partner, didn't have the same passion for the business that his father had had, but it could have been worse - the business could have gone to his worthless brother Jason. Anyway, old Mazik would never have taken on a partner. Now Mr. Tucci was an owner, and felt he finally had something concrete to show for a lifetime's worth of hard work. "Are we done?" That was young Peter Collins, the newest store employee. Mr. Tucci liked to reserve judgment on his employees for at least the first six months, but so far, at least, Collins was working out fairly well. He was a good salesman, well dressed, and deferential to the customer -- all necessary attributes when your merchandise tended to be priced from the multiple hundreds and up. "Yes, I've put the last tray away," Mr. Tucci replied, patiently refreshing the younger man's memory of closing procedures. He absentmindedly fingered his watch chain. "The vault is closed, so now we need only make sure the floors are clean, and--" He was interrupted by a banging at the front of the store. *** The doorbell rang again before Lois could reach the door. Frowning slightly, she opened the door to see her mother. "Lois? You're still pregnant?" Ellen asked with raised eyebrows, bustling inside. "No, Mother, I'm not pregnant," Lois answered, with more than a suggestion of gritted teeth. "You're looking at a hologram, a clone, an evil twin, take your pick. The real me is slim and trim on a beach in Tahiti." "Whatever you say, dear. Hello, Martha, I didn't expect to see you here." "Hello, Ellen," Martha laughed in greeting. "We were just doing some martial arts exercises.... Come to check on your grandchild?" "Yes, indeed," Ellen nodded. "And I've been *shopping*!" She held up two store bags in proof, smiling with the thrill of conquest. "I was beginning to think I'd never have grandchildren, you know -- Lois didn't seem to want to admit she was female, let alone get married, and God knows Lucy never meets anyone decent." "Oh, I know," Martha sympathized. "Why, I thought for sure that Clark would never settle down enough to stay in one city, let alone get married .... Come on over, sit down, you look a little tired." "Well, I am a little tired," Ellen confessed, following Martha to the couch. Lois, ignored in the background, rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen. She could use another glass of water. "Iced tea for me, Lois," her mother called after her, scarcely breaking stride in her conversation with Martha. "Yes, mother." Lois took a deep breath and tried to regain the calm she'd achieved earlier from the Tai Chi exercises. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother; she did. But no one, not even Ralph, could drive her crazy faster than Ellen Lane. When she reentered the living room, drinks in hand, she found the two grandmothers-to-be head to head over Ellen's purchases. "Oh, isn't this just darling!" Martha cried, using the universal baby-shower tone to which every woman, no matter how sensible, occasionally succumbs. "And with a hat to match," Ellen added proudly, displaying said hat on her fingertips. "I just love hats, don't you?" "Oh, Lois," Martha turned to include her daughter-in-law. "Don't you just love this?" Lois gazed down at the small white and green outfit, at a loss for words. At moments, her impending motherhood still seemed distinctly unreal. "It sure is ... tiny." "Well, dear," Ellen explained, with a touch of impatience, "babies are tiny at first. I do wish, though, that we knew whether it was a boy or a girl -- it makes shopping rather difficult." "I'm sorry, Mother, but like I told you, the technician couldn't tell. We'll find out soon anyway." Her previous calm had completely evaporated, leaving her tense and restless. She needed more exercise, but she couldn't imagine her mother doing Tai Chi forms. "Would you like to take a walk? Walking is supposed to stimulate labor, I've heard, and I need to pick up some of Clark's shirts from the dry-cleaners anyway." "Well, I suppose," Ellen began doubtfully, but Lois overrode any objection she might have voiced. "Great, we'll go! After I take a precautionary bathroom break, anyway. It's not far." *** Collins hurried to the front of the store. He knew he was still on probation in his manager's eyes, and Mr. Tucci had lately been impressing on him the need to improve his skills with customers. As he neared the glass storefront, he saw two men standing outside; for a moment he thought he recognized one of his customers of a week ago. The resemblance faded as he got a better view, squinting into the dying outdoor light, but the impression remained. "I'm sorry, but we're closed for the evening," he said loudly, pointing at the sign which listed the store's hours. "We'll be open again tomorrow." The larger of the two visitors frowned, and cupped his hand to his ear, indicating that he hadn't heard through the glass. "We're *closed*," Pete tried again, louder. Still the man seemed not to have understood. Pete sighed, suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, and unlocked the door. Opening it slightly, he spoke through the crack. "Sorry, gentlemen, but we're closed." Stubbs grinned evilly. "We know," he replied briefly, pushing the door open, knocking Collins off balance. "But we just can't wait." Peabody followed a second later, closing the door behind him. "Surprise," he announced with a grin. "We're your friendly neighborhood jewel thieves." *** After righting the tanker, Superman had decided to make one quick sweep of the city before heading home. He had just finished coaxing a kitten out of a tree when his attention was caught by a police report. It seemed that a pediatrics hospital upstate was being threatened by a fire. He briefly debated the wisdom of going so far away from Metropolis, but decided that it was worth the risk. Besides, it should only take him half an hour or so, and how much trouble could Lois get into in half an hour? Absentmindedly bidding the kitten's owner good-bye, he took off; gaining some altitude before turning to the north. The 12-year old girl on the ground clutched her newly restored kitten and watched his flight, her mouth agape with delighted astonishment. That was *so* cool! *** "Back against the wall," Stubbs ordered. Pete moved back obediently, concentrating on surviving this encounter. Store policy didn't call for employee self-sacrifice. Mr. Tucci entered the main showroom from the back. "Peter? What's going--" He stopped, his eyes widening, as he took in the sight of his employee being faced with a gun. "What do you want?" "Gee, a sandwich would be nice," Peabody quipped nervously. Stubbs briefly glared at his partner in crime, then turned his attention back to his victims. "Never mind him -- we want diamonds, rubies ... you know, the usual jewelry store robbery. So open the safe and give us some goodies." Mr. Tucci swallowed, his hands automatically reaching for his watch chain, a nervous habit. "Don't move," Stubbs warned, moving towards the older man. "What?" Mr. Tucci asked, not comprehending that his actions could be interpreted as a threat. "I said, don't move," Stubbs repeated, backhanding the manager for emphasis. The older man collapsed in a heap. Collins started forward with a cry, but stopped when Stubbs brought his gun around to cover him. "That was a warning," Stubbs said, although he hadn't really meant to hit the geezer that hard. "So open the safe." "I can't!" Pete replied, angry and worried for his boss. "He's the manager; he knows the combination; not me! I don't know how to open it!" *** The Cozy Corner Drycleaners was open until 7pm on Mondays, later than usual, but even so, Lois barely made it there in time. The clerk looked disappointed to have his quiet evening disturbed, but she ignored that. "I need to pick up some shirts for my husband," she announced briskly, handing over the ticket stub. "The name is Kent." The clerk took the stub with an unintelligible mumble of acknowledgment, and headed for the rear of the store to fetch the shirts. Halfway there, he suddenly turned, with a look of comprehension that quickly faded to a leer. "So you're Mrs. Kent, huh? I wondered what you looked like..." His eyes wandered down her figure, settling on her prominently bulging midriff. "Figures." With a snort of private satisfaction, he turned again and disappeared into the back of the shop. Martha and Ellen turned twin mystified gazes to Lois, who shrugged in bewilderment. "I've no idea. Clark usually picks this stuff up on his way home from work." In another minute, the clerk returned, once more with an air of bored disinterest. "There you are, all fixed up and ready to go." Lois paid him and they left, still unable to fathom the clerk's attitude. Suddenly, however, Lois broke out into laughter. "I get it now." She turned to catch her mother-in-law's eye. "Clark is always needing buttons sewn back onto his shirts." Martha nodded confused agreement, then her eyes began to twinkle as enlightenment dawned. "So he thinks that you and Clark--?" Lois nodded, and the two women collapsed into a fit of giggles, leaving Ellen to draw the inevitable conclusion. "Lois!" she exclaimed, scandalized, "Don't tell me you tear his *shirts* off?" *** "Damn, damn, damn," Stubbs swore with quiet passion. He paced from one side of the store to the other and back, but when he returned, the situation had not improved. The old guy was still on the floor. The younger guy said he was breathing, and that he'd live, which Stubbs was secretly relieved to hear. He hadn't meant to knock him out; who knew the old goat was so frail? So now they couldn't get the safe open, and the guy was not coming around, but the other one, he'd seen their faces real good. Stubbs was beginning to perceive a few flaws in his plan, but if there were any way to carry out the job, he was game. The money was too good to pass up. "Hey, Stubbsie?" Peabody asked tentatively. "Aw shaddup," Stubbs replied irritably. "And I told ya not to call me that." "No, you gotta listen t'me," Peabody persisted, more forcefully. "I can crack that safe, I tell ya. I looked at it, real good, and I can do it!" Stubbs squinted sullenly at his accomplice and weighed his options. He hated to do it, but ... "Oh, alright. Give it a try, I guess it can't hurt nothing. And maybe this guy'll come around." Peabody's face lit up. "Thanks, Stubbsie! I'll get it, don't you worry none!" "Yeah, sure," Stubbs replied sourly. "But don't call me that!" *** "You don't tear his shirts off?" Ellen demanded, as the three women walked along the sidewalk. "Well, then, what *is* it? What's so funny about buttons?" Lois tried to stop giggling and come up with an explanation. "It's not funny, really, Mother, it's just my hormones, and Martha and I were talking earlier about, ah, clothes, and..." She ran down, her babble withering under her mother's penetrating glare. "And what do your hormones have to do with Martha?" Ellen riposted with some spirit. "I'm sorry, Martha, I don't mean to be annoying, but I do feel as if I'm being left out of some private joke, evidently a very funny one, and I don't appreciate the feeling." Lois and Martha both sobered at that, exchanging guilty glances. Lois reached out to touch her mother's arm. "I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to exclude you." It was at times like these when Lois most regretted the barrier that Clark's secret had erected between herself and her mother. "But it's too complicated to explain, and it's not that important, anyway." She searched for a way to distract her mother. "What's far more interesting to me right now, though," she continued briskly, "is finding a bathroom -- are any of these stores still open?" "We can certainly find out," Martha replied quickly, just as eager as her daughter-in-law to change the subject. They walked on in silence, scanning the complex for open doors or other welcoming signs. "Mazik's Jewelers has lights on," Ellen offered, but Martha shook her head emphatically. "I won't go in there, Ellen." Lois tuned out the conversation, gazing idly in the store windows as they passed the jewelry store. They were nearly past the store when Lois caught sight of something odd. She turned her head slightly and frowned; was that a body lying on the floor? Her instincts were screaming that something was wrong, and her brain kicked into high gear. She turned away from the store window, trying to act as if she hadn't seen anything. If ever there were a time for her to *not* get involved, this would be it. She consoled herself with the reflection that when she was safely away from the scene, she could call the police. Ellen was continuing, oblivious to anything amiss. "For God's sake, how can you have had a bad enough experience that you won't even to go to the bathroom in there?" "It's a long story," Martha replied stubbornly, "but trust me, we haven't had any luck with Mazik's." Just as the three women passed the last window of the jewelry store, they heard a door open behind them. Lois squeezed her eyes shut in resignation. "Damn," she muttered, coming to a halt. Ellen and Martha turned to see what was the matter, then kept turning, their eyes widening. "Lois," Ellen whispered hoarsely, "There's a man back there--" "With a gun," Lois finished for her, squaring her shoulders and then turning to face him. "Hello, ladies," Stubbs grinned evilly. *** A few short minutes later, Lois, Martha, and Ellen had all been herded inside the store. They ended up standing in one of the front corners. "I ain't gonna hurt ya, less'n I have to," Stubbs assured them, "but I can't let you go, neither, not til we're done and gone." "You could have just let us walk past," Martha protested. "We hadn't even seen anything!" "She had," Stubbs contradicted her, nodding his head towards Lois. Lois winced, not quite daring to look either her mother or mother-in-law in the eye, and muttered, "Clark is going to kill me." She straightened her shoulders, and placed a protective hand on her belly. "Mom, Martha ... let's just relax, and keep out of his way. He'll be done soon, and then we can go. And speaking of going," she added, with a determined look on her face. "I'm going to use the bathroom." Stubbs saw the look in her eye and took the prudent course. "It's in da back. You come right back, though, and don't you even think of going nowhere," he added, "because these other two ladies is stayin' right here." "Fine," Lois agreed, moving off in search of relief for her overstressed bladder. "What's wrong with this poor man?" Ellen asked, suddenly, pointing to Mr. Tucci. Pete Collins turned from where he'd been observing his boss's breathing. "They hit him -- knocked him out! I can't get him to wake up." There was a note of panic in his voice. Ellen got up, daring Stubbs to stop her from crossing the floor to Mr. Tucci's side. "I'm a nurse, let me have a look at him." Stubbs observed them for a minute, then decided they weren't much of a threat. He turned his attention to more important matters. "How are you doing, Peabody?" Stubbs called out towards the back, keeping an eye on his hostages. "I'll get it, pretty soon now, prob'ly..." came the muffled reply from the back of the store. "Aw nuts. This ain't working." Stubbs looked speculatively at Collins, who was now standing against the wall while Ellen examined the unconscious manager. "Maybe you really can open the safe, after all, and you're just not telling me." Pete Collins swallowed hard but stood his ground. "I'm just a trainee, I'm telling you. I *can't* open it. Look," he indicated the nearest display case. "There are ten Rolexes in there, they were supposed to go in the safe but I forgot. You can take them!" Stubbs didn't so much as glance at them. "I don't want no cheap wristwatches, I got me one already." Collins gaped at him. "But, but, they're--" "Yeah, no wristwatches for us," Peabody chimed in loyally from the back of the room, although his voice held a distinctly wistful tone. "Are you complete morons?" Ellen burst out, distracted from her examination and unable to contain herself. Didn't these cretins know how much a gold Rolex was worth? She started forward, indignantly. "We're not too eddy-cated," Stubbs replied laconically, "but we do know a few things. Like how to use a gun." He turned the muzzle in her direction and she stopped short, her eyes widening in fear. Very slowly, she backed up until she was sitting next to Mr. Tucci once more. "Thank you, ma'am," Stubbs smiled toothily, tipping an imaginary hat in sardonic courtesy. *** Ellen finished her examination of the fallen manager and crawled over to where her daughter was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "He's not looking very good," she confided. "He really needs to be looked at in an emergency room, but I don't *think* he's in immediate danger." She looked around the store angrily. "Where in heaven's name is Superman when you need him?" *** (continued) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:04:32 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time (part 3 of 6) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IT'S TIME - pt 3 At the New Troy Pediatrics Hospital, forty miles north of Metropolis, Superman worked quickly to contain a roaring fire. He'd already evacuated patients and hospital employees from the two floors closest to the blaze; rescue workers were now clearing out the remaining floors of the affected wing. For an emergency situation, things were going relatively well, but Clark was driven by an internal urgency, a nagging worry that Lois was in trouble. He told himself that he was being paranoid, but directed all his efforts towards getting things under control as quickly as superhumanly possible. Soon the fire department would be able to take over, and three seconds after that happened, Superman would be back in Metropolis. *** Lois closed her eyes and tried to meditate. It was difficult, mainly because Ellen was still muttering complaints and imprecations, twenty minutes into the situation, but Martha was trying to calm her, leaving Lois free to concentrate on her own well-being. Sitting cross-legged was not uncomfortable, especially with one of Clark's clean shirts rolled up to use as a pillow for the small of her back. Standing up again would be a challenge, but that was for the future. She opened one eye and peeked at her watch, then closed her eyes once more, going into the breathing exercises taught in the class. Very slow breath in, very slow breath out. In, out. In, out. This situation would not be helped by panicking. "Lois, what is it?" Ellen's question, sharp with worry, intruded on the calm Lois had managed to achieve. Lois opened her eyes and faced her mother. Their situation would not be helped by denial, either. "You know how I said we could just ride this out?" she asked softly. Ellen nodded slightly, and Martha leaned in closer, drawn by the intuition that something had changed. "We've just run out of time. I think my labor has started. And I refuse to have my baby in a hostage crisis -- it's too damn cliched." Ellen paled, looking around frantically in the hopes that the robbery would suddenly cease to exist. Martha reached out to touch Lois' arm. "Are you sure, honey?" "I think so. I've had Braxton-Hicks contractions on and off for a while now; these are different. They're not too close together yet, or too hard to handle, though, so we've got a little time." She considered her options for a moment. "Martha, Mother, help me up." She held out her arms, and the two older women helped her struggle to her feet. "Thanks," she said breathlessly, smoothing down her clothes and patting her belly in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry, baby. Mommy will get you out of this," she promised in a near whisper. Looking around, she saw that Stubbs was at the back of the store, checking on Peabody's progress. Before she could change her mind, she called out, "Hey, you!" Stubbs looked around, surprised and displeased by the interruption. "What d'ya want?" Lois stepped forward, her mothers trailing uncertainly behind her. "I want to get out of here," she stated bluntly. Stubbs laughed sourly. "Don't we all, but see, there's this little problem." "Yeah, I know, you're having trouble getting into the safe. So I'm offering to help you." "What?" Ellen protested, flabbergasted. Stubbs was scarcely less surprised. Martha watched in fascination as Lois ignored her mother and pressed on. "Believe it or not, I know a few things about safe-cracking. I meet a lot of crooks in my job, and I was curious." Lois took a deep breath and bluffed. "Big Louie taught me everything he knows." Stubbs looked distinctly skeptical. "You know Big Louie?" She smiled, coolly. "I know guys who know guys," she quoted, remembering the man who'd helped her recover Clark's stolen possessions, four years previously. Seeing that Stubbs still wasn't quite convinced, she added, "Plus I played tennis with his daughter in college." Ellen, ignored in the background, rolled her eyes and sagged against a counter. "For this," she moaned, "I paid four years of tuition..." Stubbs mulled over the information, then looked back towards the safe. Peabody was mumbling to himself, and the safe was still closed. She could hardly do worse. "Okay, you give it a shot. But I ain't cutting you in on the loot." "Oh, I understand," Lois agreed evenly. "All I want is to get this whole thing over with. Plus, this makes you more secure -- you know we won't go to the police, because we'd be accomplices." Stubbs grinned. "Yeah, that's right. Sounds like one o'them win-win situations t'me." Lois began walking towards the back of the store, slowly, so as not to spook the man with the gun. "It's quite a coincidence, really," she stated conversationally. "Because I was just practicing my safe-cracking skills today." She passed Stubbs now, and looked back past him at Martha. "I was even teaching my mother-in-law a few moves." Martha frowned for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Yes, that's right." Ellen looked at her as though she were crazy. "You interrupted us when you came over, Ellen." Satisfied that Martha knew what she was getting at, Lois proceeded to the safe, and concentrated on remembering everything she'd ever heard about safe-cracking. She had investigated the subject once, two years ago, in a series on robberies. The trouble was, the main thing she'd discovered was that it was nearly impossible to crack modern safes, unless one used large quantities of explosives. But that really didn't matter too much -- all she had to do was fake it until she got into a good position, and until her next contraction passed. They had been coming about every 10 minutes, and it had only been 7 minutes since the last one. As if reading her mind, the contraction started then. The muscle of her uterus tightened. It wasn't painful, exactly, but it seemed stronger than the last one had been, and under her hand she felt her belly turn rock hard. Her instinct was to tense up, but she started breathing deeply and consciously relaxed her shoulders, arms and legs. When the contraction diminished, a minute later, she opened her eyes to find Peabody staring at her fearfully. "Lady, what's the matter w'you?" "Nothing," she reassured him, then smiled wryly. "It's just labor." *** The fire finally under control, Superman sped down to the ground for one last word with the fire chief. Superman described what he'd done, and what work still needed done, then explained that if they could handle things >from now on, he was needed elsewhere. The fire chief thanked him, but reassured him that her men were up to the task. Superman nodded, accepted thanks for his help, and then took off southwards in a blur of red and blue. He couldn't shake the feeling that Lois needed him. *** "Stubbsie, the woman's in *labor*!" Peabody wailed, torn between worry for her and a revulsion at the thought of the biology involved. Lois quickly took advantage of his queasiness. "Oh, this is nothing, just wait until my water breaks ... amniotic fluid, all over the place ... and you know, it's not just the initial gush, because my body keeps on producing it...." Peabody swallowed hard, and backed away from her, almost involuntarily. "Stubbsie!" Stubbs peered around the corner, trying to keep an eye on his hostages as well. "Will you relax?" he demanded, impatiently. "And don't call me that!" A frantic look was his only reply, and Stubbs heaved a sigh. At the rate things were going wrong, he could obviously expect Superman at any moment, and that would almost be a relief. "Alright, Peabody, alright, you go out front and watch the rest of 'em, I'll keep an eye on her." Peabody made a break for the door, pausing only momentarily to take possession of the gun. Lois busied herself with the safe door, and smiled. Now the odds were more even. She had worried about Martha going up against the larger man. Even with a gun, Peabody wasn't much of a threat. She glanced at her watch. Another 8-10 minutes to go before her next contraction, so she had to look busy during that time. She couldn't risk starting a fight when her own body had another agenda; the safest time to try something would be right after a contraction had passed. There was no way to coordinate with the women in the front room, but that couldn't be helped. *** Martha began to pace slightly, suddenly keyed up. She mentally reviewed the Tai Chi moves she'd been taught, and tried to guess when Lois would make her move. Most likely, she'd want to wait until after the next contraction, but there was no way to predict when that would be. Peabody didn't object to her moving around, his attention torn between the front and back rooms, so she increased her pacing radius, examining her surroundings for anything helpful. "Martha," Ellen hissed, "What is going on here?" She was sitting on the floor again, with her back to the front wall, keeping an eye on her patient. Martha glanced at their captor, who hadn't seemed to notice the question. She moved a bit closer to Ellen and spoke, low voiced. "Lois taught me some self-defense moves. We've got to try to get the gun away." "Are you crazy?" Ellen demanded in a frantic whisper. "Martha, after the baby shower incident, I don't know if I can take this kind of excitement!" Pete Collins, overhearing, widened his eyes in horror. "You can't, ma'am; they'll hurt you!" "Not if I do it right," Martha replied quietly, moving away from them again, so as not to attract too much attention. *** Clark arrived home with a whoosh, adjusting his tie as he entered the townhouse. "Lois? Mom?" He walked over towards the kitchen, looking and listening for signs of life, anything to ease his nebulous fears. "Everything okay?" One whiff of the aroma emanating from the kitchen caused him to smile; his mother had cooked dinner. But his smile faded quickly as he realized that Lois wasn't home. He moved towards the stairs, but paused when he found a note on the desk. "Gone for a walk with your mother and mine, be back soon, love, Me." Clark rolled his eyes, his worry unabated. "Lo-is!" He spun back into the suit and flew a quick patrol above the immediate neighborhood, hoping to spot them from the air. When that didn't work, he hovered in place, instead, considering his alternatives. He listened intently, trying to hear his wife either talking, or laughing ... or calling for help. Nothing. He had sometimes been able to track her by listening to her heartbeat, but that only worked when he knew where she was to start with. Tonight, unfortunately, he hadn't a clue. *** Lois was running out of ways to fiddle with the safe controls when the next contraction hit. This one seemed stronger yet, and she bit back a moan. A second later, however, inspiration struck, and she groaned loudly. Loud enough, she hoped, to be heard in the front. She pressed her palms to the safe door and leaned into it, planting her feet widely apart, practicing one of the labor positions she'd been taught. Stubbs saw her move, heard her groan, and frowned. This labor stuff made him uneasy, and he was starting to consider cutting his losses and just running for it. *** Peabody winced when he heard Lois moan, moving a bit away from the back. Martha smiled grimly. Showtime. Her pacing led her to the display case with the Rolexes, and she stopped. "Oh, my, look at these," she commented brightly. "Look at what?" Peabody asked warily, eager for a distraction. "Those are the Rolexes I was talking about," Pete volunteered, standing up and moving closer so he could see them better. "That one there," he pointed, "is worth $15,000." "Really?" Peabody asked, startled. "What kinda looney would spend that kinda dough on a watch?" "I would," Ellen spoke up, not moving from her position on the floor. "If I had that kind of money, that is." "Well, just look at how it's made," Martha invited Peabody to take a closer look. She turned to the young employee. "Could you take it out of the case for us?" "Why not?" He asked, rhetorically, and reached for his keys. Peabody drifted closer, torn between greed and disbelief. "There ain't no watch worth fifteen grand." His gun drooped, nearly forgotten in his hand. "That's what the price tag says," Pete replied, matter-of-factly. *** Lois felt the contraction subside, and heard a burst of voices in the front room. This was it. She turned the main wheel one more time, then cried out, "Got it!" "Yeah?" Stubbs replied, startled. He moved closer to see for himself, and she backed away slightly, stretching her arms upwards. When they were even to one another, she struck, bringing her right arm down in a fast chop to the base of the man's skull. He bent slightly, and her kick caught him in the stomach, taking him the rest of the way to the ground. *** Martha moved back, ostensibly to allow Peabody a better view of the watch Pete was holding. Then she swung at his gun-arm, startling him and making him drop the weapon. Peabody looked at her in astonishment, an expression that that only intensified when she followed up her arm chop with a strong kick to his solar plexus, just like in the exercise they'd practiced. He doubled over, letting her follow up with a knee to his face, which knocked him sideways. Peabody stumbled to his feet and faced Martha once more. She held her hands up in what she hoped was a threatening posture, and his determination wavered. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Pete was there, throwing a punch that laid out the small thief. Ellen scooped up the gun from the ground, holding it carefully, and they all looked at each other, exhilarated and delighted at their success. *** Stubbs lumbered back to his feet, and Lois faced him from the other side of the room. She was more winded than she'd expected, and was hampered by her bulging midriff. He glowered at her, but seemed unwilling to attack a pregnant woman. "You don't wanna do this, lady," he growled. "No, *you* don't want to do this," Ellen contradicted him. Lois turned, surprised, to see her mother standing in the doorway, covering Stubbs with his own gun. Ellen entered the room slowly, moving towards her daughter, and keeping the gun carefully aimed. "Get on out to the front, Mr. Stubbs," she ordered. "This robbery is over." Stubbs shook his head and gave in to the inevitable. He trudged back out front, and found Peabody standing in the front corner, guarded by Pete. Peabody looked at his partner sheepishly. "They hit me, Stubbsie ... I'm sorry." "Yeah, you're sorry alright," Stubbs growled, joining him in the corner. "And for the last damned time, don't *call* me that!" As Ellen took up guard duty, Pete turned away slightly, calling out to Martha. "Have you found it yet? It's just a little button under the counter there..." She peered closely at the indicated area, then smiled. "Yes, here it is." She reached under the counter, and suddenly an alarm siren blared out. Everyone in the store winced. "Not that one!" Pete yelled, running over to where she stood. He fumbled under the counter, and just as suddenly, the siren stopped. "Sorry, I forgot about that one. I've hit the silent alarm now, the police should be here soon." Lois looked around the store and had to laugh. What an unexpected bunch of crime-stoppers -- even if the crooks in question were pretty dumb. She was the one with the most experience, and yet they'd rescued her. "Thanks, Mom!" She smiled broadly. Perhaps she'd been reacting unfairly to her mother. Ellen smiled too, not looking away from her prisoners. "No problem, dear. That's what mothers do for their daughters. And at least you appreciated my help this time, unlike the way you complained and moaned about the baby shower, or the way you avoided discussing plans for your wedding..." Then again, perhaps not. *** Mere seconds later, Superman arrived in a whoosh and flash of cape. He surveyed the scene, ready to do battle with the forces of evil, and was somewhat nonplused to find that the bad guys were already under control. "Oh, Superman," Ellen called out with false cheer, "So glad you could join us!" Superman raised his eyebrows at the sight of his mother-in-law with a gun, then turned unerringly to Lois. She smiled wearily. "We're fine, Superman. Just a little adventure. The police and ambulance are on their way. And don't worry, the ambulance is for Mr. Tucci, not me," she reassured him, gesturing to the still form of the manager. Superman crossed his arms over his chest, trying to mask the strong emotions he was experiencing. "You just had to go for a walk, huh?" he asked her quietly. "Well, it wasn't supposed to get this exciting," she replied, with a rueful smile. "I just thought I'd get your, um ... my husband's dry-cleaning -- which is ruined, I'm afraid, so it'll need to be pressed at the very least, but I think we need to find a new dry-cleaners anyway -- and then we were walking, and there was a *body* on the floor! I tried to ignore it, but I wasn't quick enough, and they noticed me, and, well..." she stopped, suddenly, as another contraction hit. "What is it?" He asked sharply, noticing her change of breathing and posture. "Oh, God, you're in labor." He reached for her, panicked, but as soon as she felt him touch her, her eyes snapped open. She grabbed his arm and held it, speaking with some difficulty. "I'm -- fine. Just need -- Clark," she stressed, glancing significantly up and down his red and blue outfit. "Can you -- find him for me?" "Yes, by all means," Ellen chimed in sternly. "A woman needs her husband at a time like this." "I'd do like they say, Sooperman," Peabody concurred. "These dames is scary." Superman grinned suddenly at his commentators. "Tell me about it. Okay, I'll find Clark, and set him down outside. He'll be here in no time. You sure you'll be fine for another few minutes?" Lois breathed deeply, another contraction over. "I'll be fine for hours, honestly. All I want is for my husband to drive me to the hospital." "Okay...." He left reluctantly, noting that the police were arriving on the scene. He'd have to remember to be careful when he drove up -- the last thing he needed right now was a traffic ticket. *** When Clark arrived at the store, a few minutes later, things were a flurry of activity. Mr. Tucci was being loaded into an ambulance, with Pete accompanying his boss. That left Martha, Ellen, and Lois to explain events to the police, who'd already arrested the two would-be jewel thieves. When Lois saw Clark arrive, her face lit up, and she hurried to meet him. Finally, they could embrace, reassuring each other that things were really okay. Clark hugged his wife and child to him, holding as strongly as he dared, still shaken by her brush with danger. He never got used to that, and it was only made worse by the fact that he hadn't been there to protect her. After a moment, he pulled back, anxious to find out more about what had happened. He was forestalled by a police officer. "Ma'am, we need your statement, then we need you to come downtown with us, for procedures." Lois looked at him dismissively. "No, I'm sorry, I've got to--" "Well, well, well," the policeman spoke suddenly, a look of enlightenment spreading across his plain features. "If it isn't Lois Lane! I knew you ladies looked familiar." He swung around to face the other women. "Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Lane, how nice to see you again," he grinned impudently. "You remember me, right? Officer Doyle -- but you can call me Frankie." "Yes, this is touching," Lois snapped back, recognizing him now as one of the officers who'd arrested her, two months previously. "But I've got to go to the hospital now, to have a baby, *if* you don't mind?" "No, no, not at all," Frankie replied affably. "I'll just stay here and get reacquainted with your mothers." Lois and Clark took their leave before he could change his mind. On their way out the door, they heard Peabody muttering to his cohort, "See, Stubbsie, I told ya these dames was scary!" *** (continued) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:04:38 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time (part 4 of 6) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IT'S TIME - pt 4 Monday, 9pm Check-in at the hospital was an uncomplicated affair, since they'd pre-registered as part of the childbirth class. The only delay, in fact, was in the form of contractions. By this time, they were strong enough that Lois could not keep walking through them. "Are you sure you're okay?" Clark asked, helplessly, as she stood leaning against the corridor wall, finishing yet another contraction. Lois took a deep cleansing breath and then smiled shakily at her husband. "I'm fine, this is normal; you know that. We should think of it as a good sign, really, that it's going this fast. I don't want to have to use Pitocin to stimulate labor if I can help it." They continued walking, finding the labor room to which they'd been assigned, where a nurse would determine for sure that this was true labor, and not a false alarm. It was a private room, with a bed, a chair, and ample floor space for various pieces of equipment. They'd learned in childbirth class that they would remain in the same room all through labor and delivery. "I just don't like seeing you in pain," Clark murmured. He'd helped to deliver babies a few times before, as Superman, but the fact that this was his wife, the woman he loved more than life itself, was scattering his wits and testing his mettle. She smiled at him. "I know, but I'm tough, and remember, when we're together, we can handle anything. Being with you," she quoted him, "is stronger--" She paused, looking downwards incredulously. "Wow, that felt weird..." "What, another contraction, so soon?" "Nope. I think..." she looked down at the floor below her. "I think my water just broke." "Oh. Did it hurt?" Clark asked half-fearfully. Lois rolled her eyes indulgently. Men. How could a man, especially a superman, be able to take charge in almost any situation, and then be left fumbling by simple biology? Especially after all the books he'd read? It would be annoying if it weren't so cute. "No, it didn't hurt. Think you could find me a towel, honey? I'm dripping here," she prompted. That galvanized him into action. The nurse entered the labor room just as he reached a cart piled high with various linens. "Your water just broke, right?" Lois looked up at the unexpected and friendly voice. "Oh! Yes, I think so." Clark retrieved a few towels, handing them to Lois. "Well, that's a good sign," the nurse replied cheerfully. "My name is Judy, I'll be your labor nurse for the evening." She grinned at her own joke. "And you must be Mr. and Mrs. Kent, right?" Lois hesitated fractionally, momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliar title. She had put a great deal of thought into choosing which name to use while registering for the hospital. Lois Lane, was, after all, her professional name. But this was definitely a family occasion, and she had finally decided that using her husband's name for this made her feel much more like they were a family. Besides, the baby would be identified by the name the mother registered under, and this baby would definitely be a little Kent. "Yes, we are," Clark replied for her, finally finding his voice once more. "My name is Clark, and this is my wife, Lois." "Pleased to meet you both," Judy smiled at them. "Now, Lois, let's get you out of those wet clothes. You'll need to wear this gown -- nothing underneath it, please." She handed over a shapeless garment, nodding towards the far end of the room. "There's a bathroom through that door." Lois took the gown with a dubious expression. "Clark, I may need your help with this..." *** Downtown, Ellen and Martha faced the police station. Martha was briefly amused to note that it was the same one they'd "visited" last June, following the baby shower fiasco. "Well, here we are again, right, Ellen?" she joked, trying to cover her sudden case of nerves. Taking that childbirth class had been wonderful, but it had also pointed out the multitude of things that could go wrong -- even when the mother and child were both entirely human. "Please, don't remind me, Martha," Ellen replied testily, heading up the stairs and into the building with the resolute determination to run this gamut as quickly as possible. Martha followed more slowly. It had gotten dark, and while the entrance was well-lit, she preferred not to take chances on the stone staircase. Martha caught up with her and Officer Frankie just inside the front doors. The 37th Precinct had not changed since their last visit; even the people sitting on the benches seemed familiar. "C'mon back here," Officer Frankie beckoned, "and I'll get your statements." "Fine," Martha replied with a touch of nervousness. "Can we get this done quickly, please? My daughter-in-law is at the hospital, in labor, and I would like to be there...." Frankie lifted his hands in a gesture half calming, half self-defense. Ellen smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, Martha, we've got plenty of time. First labors take a long time, believe me," she emphasized, rolling her eyes at the memory. "Lois took forever. And that's assuming this is real labor, and not just a false alarm." *** Monday, 9:20pm "Oh, this is the real thing alright," Judy announced from the bottom of the table. Lois and Clark looked at each other with a mix of triumph and terror. "Lois, you're about fifty percent effaced, I think, and four centimeters dilated. You're doing great." Judy backed away from her examination, and Lois repositioned herself on the bed. "Stay put there for a little bit, Lois. I want to hook you up to an external monitor for a few minutes." The nurse wheeled a cart next to the bed and fished out a bundle of wires. "This'll give us a gauge of how strong your contractions are, and we can keep an eye on the baby's heartbeat, too, to make sure baby's fine. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" "No, we couldn't tell," Lois replied, watching as Judy expertly fixed two convex plastic monitors to her belly with two strips of elasticized material, like colored Ace bandages. Wires from the monitors led to the machine on the cart, and as the devices were plugged in, lights sprang into view. "Okay, we're in business. See this number here?" Judy pointed to an LED readout. It was blinking on and off every few seconds, with the number constantly going up or down by a few digits. "This is the baby's heartrate. It's hovering around 138-140, I see, and that's normal. When you have a contraction, that heartrate will drop a bit, and that's normal too, as long as it comes back up afterwards. This monitor over here," she pointed to the readout beside the first, "measures mama's muscle stress. It's low right now, because there's no contraction, but when the next one comes along, you'll see this number rise. The actual values aren't too important, but it'll be a way to compare. And that, in turn, is charted on this." she held up a skinny printout that resembled a seismograph chart, or a chart from a polygraph. "Hey, Clark," Lois joked, holding his hand tightly, "doesn't that remind you of when Trask made us all take polygraphs, a couple of years ago?" He laughed, more as a release of tension than any inherent humor. "Yeah, I remember. He was looking for Superman, and I was *so* nervous." They shared a glance of private amusement at that. "You weren't, though, you were so cool..." He glanced over at the readout. "Hey, look, the line jiggled when you laughed." She laughed again at that observation, watching the needle jiggle over the graph paper. "Well, if this is really the real thing, you've got some phone calls to make -- we need Dr. Klein!" *** "How long is this going to take?" Martha paced the confines of the interview room. The officer had begun to take their statements, but had been interrupted by other business. Ellen checked her watch. "He said he'd be back within five minutes, and it's only been two minutes. And when he's back, we'll finish up our statements, sign them, and leave. It won't be too much longer." Martha looked at her in surprise. "How can you be so calm? Our *grandchild* is being born, without us!" "Hah, trust me," Ellen stated, "they're barely getting started. And they won't want us in there with them anyway." Martha was distracted by this. "You don't think they'll let us in?" "Well, they might," Ellen allowed, "but I doubt they'll pay much attention to us." A moment later, she spoke again, low voiced. "I was just remembering when I had Lois. They wouldn't let Sam in with me, they didn't tell me anything, and with the pain medication, I was barely conscious for most of it. Still, when they put her in my arms for that first time ... That is not something I will ever forget. She was so tiny, so perfect." She paused for a moment, lost in thought. "Sam wanted a boy, of course," she continued, tossing a glance to Martha. "He didn't say that, did he?" Martha asked, taken aback. "Oh, yes, he said it." Ellen's smile was brittle. "Sam never was tactful. Not that Lois minded at the time, of course, but I wish I could have kept her from hearing it later. Still, she's done very well with her life. It's just amazing how much they change -- and how much attitudes about childbirth have changed. What was your labor like?" "I, ah..." Martha cleared her throat, unprepared for the question. "Clark was adopted." "Oh, God, I knew that. I'm so sorry." Ellen winced at having broached a painful topic. "No, it's alright, Ellen," Martha assured her. "I got over being upset by my infertility a long time ago. I regret that I missed out on some things, but ... we were very blessed to have Clark." She smiled, and turned the subject to a more pleasant topic. "I remember the first time I held him; he was so cute! Bigger than a newborn, of course, and he already had a full head of dark hair..." *** Monday, 10:15pm "You're doing great, Lois," Clark reassured her in a low voice, as she finished another contraction. He helped her walk back to the bed in the center of the room. They'd been changing positions frequently, which helped things to progress and kept Lois relaxed. She smiled shakily. "Easy for you to say. Can you get me something to drink? I'm parched. It must be all that mouth-breathing." Clark looked over at Judy, who nodded. "The best way to quench that thirst is to suck on ice chips -- there's an ice machine out in the hallway, just for that purpose." "Sounds terrific," Lois mumbled, and leaned against the bed. She'd heard that they wouldn't let her eat or drink much during labor, and she understood why, but at that point she would have killed for a cream soda. On Clark's way out the door, he nearly collided with Dr. Alyssa McGrath, Lois' primary obstetrician. "Finally, you're here!" Lois exclaimed. "I thought I'd have to have this baby without you!" The doctor laughed. "Oh, you don't need me for much. Judy can handle most of it. But since I'm here, let me have a look." Lois submitted to yet another examination of what had previously been a very private region, and was rewarded by good news. "You're doing terrific. Six centimeters dilated, and ninety percent effaced!" "I should hope so. This is hard work!" Lois managed to joke. Clark returned, and offered Lois a mouthful of ice. "Well, it's going to get worse before it gets better," the doctor reminded them. "You're nearly into transition, and that's the toughest part of labor. The contractions get longer, and harder. And your body might want to push, but you can't, because your cervix isn't yet fully open. If you push, you might bruise it, and it will swell, and things will take much longer." "We know," Clark nodded. "Lois, I think this is your last chance for pain medication?" He looked inquiringly over at the doctor, who agreed. "If you want an epidural, Lois, this is the point of no return. Any later than this, and it won't have time to take effect." "Yeah, well..." Lois considered the question, as she'd been considering it for months. She'd never been able to make up her mind, though; between villains and deadlines, who had the time? "Oh, here comes another one." She sat up on the bed, crossing her legs for balance and grabbed Clark's hand. He began counting out the seconds of the contraction. The recent ones had been running about 45-55 seconds. She began doing her breathing as Clark murmured encouragement in her ear. When the pain subsided, she looked up into Clark's concerned gaze. "What do you think?" He hesitated. "It's your call, honey. You know I'll support you, whatever you do. And I think you've been handling this amazingly well, but I'm not the one in pain." She took a deep breath. "Well, so far, yeah, I can handle this. As long as you're here..." "I'm here, Lois," he vowed. "No matter what." "Then I don't want to cloud this experience with drugs." She squared her shoulders and repeated, "I can handle this. I'm tough." *** Monday, 10:30pm "So then I grabbed the gun," Ellen explained, with exaggerated patience, "and I went to see how Lois was doing. She was in a standoff with the larger man -- Stubbs, you said? -- and I held the gun on him. Then Martha hit the alarm, and ... there we were until you people arrived." Officer Frankie made sure that Rosa had that all down, and then turned back to the women with a bemused look. "So how is it, Mrs. Lane," he looked over her upscale outfit, "that you know so much about handguns?" "A long time ago, I was the wife of a fashionable doctor. And it was briefly fashionable to know how to shoot." She glanced at Martha as she spoke, unsure of the other woman's reaction. Martha smiled sympathetically. "Well, I was glad you knew how to use it. I've only ever used rifles and shotguns. Are we ready to go, now?" Rosa pulled the sheet out of the typewriter and presented it for their approval. They skimmed it over, and then signed it at the bottom. "We may still need you at the trial, you understand," Frankie amplified, "but it shouldn't be any big deal. They'll probably plea bargain." "Whatever," Ellen sighed. "Now can we *please* leave?" "Ladies, you are free to go. Thanks for your help." *** Monday, 11:10pm "...and in other news, a local jewelry store had an attempted robbery this evening. The would-be thieves were apparently held at bay by three women -- one of them in labor, aparently -- who managed to get their gun away >from them and who held them there until the police, and of course, Superman, arrived..." Lex Luthor watched the footage taken at the scene and recognized Ellen and Martha. He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Lois, that be you in labor, then?" he murmurred appreciatively. "You always did have that certain flair." He leaned back, thoughtfully. He had failed in cloning Superman, and he had let Lois slip away from him. It suddenly occurred to him, however, that their baby presented new opportunities. He would have to consider this carefully. *** Monday, 11:30pm As Martha and Ellen finally arrived at the hospital, they were surprised to overhear a man asking the receptionist where he could find Lois Lane. They exchanged quizzical glances, establishing that neither of them recognized him. He was short and small of stature, dressed in a long, black coat of archaic style, and carried a bowler hat. Ellen frowned and stepped forward, but before she could accost him, he turned, and his face lit up. "Ah, good, good!" he exclaimed happily. "Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Lane, what a pleasure to meet you both!" "And you are?" Ellen inquired frostily. Her daughter might know any number of questionable people (Big Louie, indeed) but that did not mean that Ellen Lane was prepared to be on speaking terms with them all. "Oh, yes, quite," the strange little man chuckled, his high spirits not in the least quelled. "Allow me to introduce myself. H.G. Wells, at your service." He bowed, sweeping his hat before him in a dramatic arc. Ellen stared at him for a moment, then pronounced, flatly, "You're a lunatic." Martha raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You don't look like H.G. Wells." Ellen rolled her eyes. "Martha, don't encourage him!" Ignoring them both as hopeless, Ellen stalked off towards the hospital front desk. "Have we met?" Mr. Wells asked, with an interested expression. "I don't believe I recall...." Martha crossed her arms and assumed a challenging expression. "Yes, I've met Mr. Wells, but he was a good bit older, and--" Mr. Wells laughed again, interrupting her. "Do you know how much you resemble your son when you do that? Quite comical, really. But I believe I see the root of our confusion. Yes, that was me, but, ah, an older me. Apparently I continue my journeys for quite a few years, according to dear Lois, and I can't tell you what a comfort that is to me. I've been having a simply smashing time, lately, visiting various incarnations of ... well, that's of no importance." He lowered his voice and looked around significantly. "You see, it occurred to me that this is, as it were, the birth of Utopia, and I simply could not resist a quick visit." Martha regarded him in bemusement. He seemed to act like H.G. Wells, from what she'd seen, and she did recall, now, hearing that Clark and Lois had encountered both a younger and an older version of the same man. At any rate, he scarcely seemed dangerous, so she gave up and decided she might as well believe him. "Come on, Martha," Ellen called out from over at the desk. "Lois is in room 218. It's this way..." She was clearly impatient. "You go ahead, Ellen, thank you," Martha replied, less nervous now that she was in the right building at least. "I'll be there in a moment." Ellen shrugged and left, and Martha turned back to her companion. "So, you've been to the future, correct?" "Oh, my, yes, many times. Beautiful there, really." He lifted his shoulders and shot a quick glance upwards in wordless appreciation. "May I accompany you?" Without waiting for a reply, he began slowly walking off in the direction Ellen had taken. "I don't want to interrupt Lois while things are, ahem, in progress, but I would so like to be somewhere near, and be apprised of their status." "I think that can be arranged. So tell me ..." Martha asked as they walked. "Is this baby a boy or a girl?" Mr. Wells laughed. "Oh, no, Mrs. Kent, oh no. I couldn't tell you that. You'll just have to wait and see. I can tell you, though, that it won't be that much longer, so just have patience!" *** (continued) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 14:04:43 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: It's Time (part 5 of 6) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" IT'S TIME - pt 5 Monday, 11:35pm "Clark, I don't think I can do this anymore." Lois' voice held a distinct note of panic. The transition stage of labor had started, and the contractions had gotten longer, closer together, and more painful. "You can make it, Lois," he encouraged her, squeezing her hand gently. "Remember, you and I together can handle--" "Easy for you to say," she snapped, snatching her hand away from his grip. "All you've ever had to deal with was--" she broke off, looking around for Judy. The nurse was at the other side of the room, so Lois continued in a quiet hiss. "The worst thing you've ever faced has been Kryptonite, and trust me, that was nothing compared to this!" "I believe you, honey," he replied fervently. "But then you've always been tougher than me, anyway." Lois laughed breathily at that. "You think so?" He smiled. "I know so. So what can I do to help you? Do you need more ice, or a back rub?" She squared her shoulders, regaining her determination. "A back rub would help, I guess." *** Monday, 11:45pm Ellen poked her head into the labor room. "Clark?" she called softly. She could see that Lois was standing with her face to a wall, leaning into it for support, and Clark was right next to her, massaging her lower back. Not a false alarm, then, she concluded. Clark looked around briefly, and waved her into the room. "Glad you made it." "They are so slow at that police station," Ellen complained bitterly, not noticing the startled glance she earned from the labor nurse. "But never mind that. How are you doing, Lois?" Lois didn't turn around. "Fine," came the muffled reply, with a note of what could have been sarcasm. "Well ... good. Can I get you anything?" Ellen offered, for once reluctant to intrude. "Some more ice chips would be good," Clark suggested. "There's a machine down the hall, next to the waiting room." "Okay, then ... I'll be right back." She returned momentarily with a cup of ice, but when she heard Clark's steady voice counting, she realized that they were paying her no attention. Leaving the cup on a table, she retreated to the waiting room; she had a phone call to make, and she suspected that Martha would want to make one, as well. *** Tuesday, 12:30am "C'mon honey, you can do this. 45 ... 46 ... 47 ... 48. Just a couple of more contractions, then you can begin to push ... 60 ... 61 ... 62 ... Okay, now the contraction's peaked, it's ebbing away now ... that's it, it's going down ... 76 ... 77 ... 78 ... Whoops, it's coming back up! You can do this, Lois, you're tough, just do your breathing. No, honey, don't try to push, you're not ready to push yet ... 92 ... 93 ... 94 ... okay, there it goes, now ... it's on its way out ... just relax, honey, it's over, you're doing great. Deep cleansing breath, there we go, you're fine." "Clark?" "Yes, dear?" "Shut up." "Yes, dear." *** Tuesday, 12:30am Phone calls made, silence reigned in the waiting room. It was a slow night in the hospital, apparently; Martha, Ellen, and H.G. Wells had the place to themselves. Ellen had shared what she'd seen, Sam and Jonathan had been called, and now it seemed there was nothing they could do but wait. *** Tuesday, 1am Lois lay back, panting, trying to recover her breath. This transition stage of labor was just murder. The contractions were long, hard, and way too close together. She already regretted snapping at Clark, though; this wasn't his fault. Well, in a way it was, she supposed, but she was equally responsible for getting into this condition. She looked over at him guiltily. He caught her glance and smiled. "It's okay, Lois, I can take it. You can swear at me if you need to." She breathed a faint laugh. "Nah. I'll save that for -- midnight feedings." Judy watched them, and had to smile to herself. She loved her job most of the time; bringing new babies into the world was a never-ending thrill, but she especially loved it when the parents were as close, emotionally, as these two were. Some fathers couldn't take the delivery room, or weren't at all supportive; some mothers seemed angry at the world, or withdrawn. The trust and love between the Kents, however, was palpable. Somehow, that always gave her hope for the future. It was time to check on their progress again. Judy approached them as unobtrusively as she could and examined Lois once more. She smiled. "Okay, Lois, congratulations, you've made it through transition. You are now ready to push." "Oh, thank God," Lois groaned. She'd been feeling the need to push for the past few contractions. The books she'd read on childbirth had mentioned that she would feel an "urge to push" but they had failed to explain that it was more like an overpowering, involuntary movement. It had taken a great deal of willpower *not* to push, to suppress her body's instinctive reactions, and her muscles had still spasmed a few times. With Clark's assistance, she changed positions once more, pulling up into a modified squat on the bed, so that she'd be working with gravity, not against it. Judy talked her through the first contraction of the new stage, counting to eight while Lois pushed, then insisting that she relax for a moment before beginning again. "That was great, Lois," she commented as the contraction ended. "You're nearly there -- the pushing stage is sometimes as short as half an hour. Stacey?" She directed one of the other nurses, "Run tell Dr. McGrath that she's getting close. Lois, you just relax as much as you can." Lois sagged back into Clark's strong arms. "This isn't fun anymore," she mumbled. "And where the heck is Dr. Klein, anyway?" *** Tuesday, 1:15am The quiet of the waiting room was disturbed by the hasty arrival of one very distracted scientist. "Is this where Lois is having her baby?" He was a balding, middle-aged man, mild in appearance with the startling exception of a well-worn black leather jacket. "Who are *you*?" Ellen cried, startled by his dramatic entrance. All in all, she was *not* having a good evening. He looked at her, affronted. "I'm Bernard Klein. Who are you?" "Ellen Lane, and I just happen to be Lois' mother." "Well, I just happen to be her doctor. Sort of." Martha jumped up from her quiet conversation with H.G. Wells, and moved forward with a smile. "Dr. Klein, I'm pleased to meet you. Clark's told me so much about you." "He has?" Dr. Klein looked vaguely panicked for a moment, then his face cleared. "Oh! You must be his mother ... I've wanted to meet you, actually; you've done a terrific job with him. Is your husband here?" She shook her head. "Not yet, he didn't want to leave the farm this close to harvest time, not when we didn't know when to expect the baby. But I called him, and we hope he'll be here by morning." Dr. Klein smiled. "Maybe Superman could give him a lift." Ellen regarded them impatiently. "Why do I get the feeling you two know something I don't?" For a moment she frowned, subject to a fleeting sensation of deja vu, then shook it off. Of course this hadn't happened before, she'd have remembered it. Klein looked startled, but before he could speak, Wells interrupted. "I expect it's something private about Clark, Mrs. Lane; Dr. Klein is, I believe, in the way of a family physician to them both." He glanced over at Klein with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, yeah," the researcher replied, thoroughly confused now. "Who are you?" Ellen groaned and massaged her temples. "Don't ask." *** Tuesday, 1:30am "Okay, Lois, *push*, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Relax, now, take a breath and *push*." Clark talked her through another contraction, then wiped her face with a damp washcloth. "You're doing terrific, honey," he whispered in her ear. "Have I told you how much I love you?" "Once or twice," she replied, trying to relax between contractions. "There's no way -- I could do this -- without you." She was sitting on the bed now, with Clark sitting behind her, supporting her. The bottom of the bed had been removed in a curved section that allowed the labor nurse to observe the baby's progress. "You're doing really well, Lois; when you push, I can see the baby's head -- looks like he or she will have a nice head of