From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9907D" ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 11:21:37 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nene Subject: Re: Name the Fanfic - Second Round ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit #5 is Great shades of Elvis by Zoomway Elena lanene@tin.it ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 10:37:54 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Name the Fanfic - Second Round ;) In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Hi Nicole! Right author, wrong fic ;) Wendy > Okay Wendy, I think I know a "Zoomway" when I read one, but it's the only one I > recognize! This is tougher than I thought, but it's fun! > > > > Extract 5: Wheels of justice, Zoomway ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 10:42:34 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Name the Fanfic - Second Round ;) In-Reply-To: <006801bed423$bfbf9420$b428d8d4@g6l0y4> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Well, since all the correct answers have been posted, I thought I'd wrap this one up. And the answers are: Extract 1: The Huntress' Revenge - Jenni Debbage Extract 2: Clark Stays Over - Melissa Dore Extract 3: Presidential Party - Pam Jernigan Extract 4: Yet Each Man Kills - Genevieve Clemens Extract 5: Great Shades of Elvis - Zoomway Nan wins this time with three right; Kelsey comes second with two right. Genevieve was the only person to recognise Pam's Presidential Party, and I'm *assuming* she also guessed her own? Consolation prizes to Debra and Elena for getting one right, and an honourable mention to Nicole, who got the right author and even the right series, but the wrong story for Extract 5. More? Or is everyone bored? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 07:47:49 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, It's been fun reading these quizzes on both lists so here's another. I've tried to keep the excerpts short. 1. "Lois laid her hand on his chest. "Clark", she purred softly, "We can not let this happen." Clark looked in disbelief at her hand on his chest. She was going to try to manipulate him with her feminine charms. Was she absolutely crazy? Did she think so little of his principles? Could she believe that his physical desire for her was more powerful than his ethics? Suddenly, her touch no longer felt like a caress, but an anvil. "Don't." Clark recoiled. "What?" Clark had pulled away from her. That alone had chilled her to the bone. She never believed he would willingly avoid her touch." 2. "Someone's calling somebody. Someone grips my arm and turns me around. I try this name. I don't know and I'm afraid. He looks at me intently. " 3. "And that's when she figured it out: the secret. She wasn't quite sure how she could have been so blind, so oblivious, but her conversations with Amanda triggered something. Lee had traveled all over the world and was fluent in all sorts of languages. He came and went inexplicably. It was a pattern Lois knew all too well. Clark disappeared at the drop of a hat. Clark could order dinner in 347 languages. Clark had traveled extensively... England, France, China and who goes to work for the Borneo Gazette as training to be a serious journalist? These were all clues she, Lois Lane, had missed. It was all an elaborate cover. She didn't know who exactly he worked for, whether the CIA or the FBI or the--the--the RTD, DMV, MTV... Whatever those silly government initials were these days, Clark was a spy!" 4. "An apparition appeared. It was a man, clothed in gold and white. He seemed to float into the chamber. In his hands were the two symbols of upper and lower Egypt. He sat upon the altar chair and gave his tools to a man who stepped up from the crowd. There was a hush in the room. The apparition held out his right hand, and the apparition of a woman appeared. She seemed to float to his side. Perry knew that he was seeing something that was special. The people in the crowd bowed and knelt before their God and Goddess. A priest stepped from behind the altar and crowned them with the crowns of upper and lower Egypt. Ramesses then stood and spoke to the people who were assembled in front of him. He spoke in his ancient tongue, but he was understood by all in the room. "We have appeared in this modern world to show you that myths can be true." 5. "She pulled it out and examined the curiously flattened bullet. Definitely not a bb. Lois fingered it, thinking hard. It must have struck Clark and ricocheted onto her, His body repels bullets. Flattens them. He can sustain injuries that would have most men screaming in agony. He can survive wounds from weapons that disintegrate wood. He doesn't need water. He can cool the air with his breath. He's not human; he can't be! That mean's he's... Lois had seen the films, but at the time they had seemed so far-fetched, so far beyond the technology currently available... But here was proof that it was possible...there was no doubt about it; this "man" was a cyborg" ----- That's it -- I wish I could offer a prize Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 07:57:23 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kate Crane Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit OK, Carol, I thought I had read every LnC fanfic known to man, but I have obviously missed some great ones.....patiently awaiting the titles so I can get my little hands on them. Kate ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 08:01:42 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii You too, Kate? I can't believe that I don't recognise even one excerpt. I can hardly wait for the titles too so I can indulge myself in some great fanfic. Irene --- Kate Crane wrote: > OK, Carol, I thought I had read every LnC fanfic > known to man, but I have > obviously missed some great ones.....patiently > awaiting the titles so I can > get my little hands on them. > Kate > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 13:26:02 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz In-Reply-To: <9b3fdb1b.24c85ee5@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Carol, I don't believe it - I can't name a single one! I recognise No. 2, but can't for the life of me work out what it is or who by. Hmmm... got to do some thinking here! How on earth do people like Elena recognise fics so quickly from just short extracts? ;) Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 10:00:58 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sharon Gilbert Organization: University of Maine Subject: looking for a fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit i have a fanfic by missy called "It's a wonderful life." it's just the start of the story, like chapter one or a really good teaser. alternate clark is in it, as well. i'm wondering if it was ever finished and, if so, where i could find it. thanks. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 15:59:57 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: looking for a fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sharon wrote: >i have a fanfic by missy called "It's a wonderful life." it's just the >start of the story, like chapter one or a really good teaser. alternate >clark is in it, as well. i'm wondering if it was ever finished and, if >so, where i could find it. > Not so far, Sharon, far as I know. I've been keeping an eye out ever since reading the first section last year! The premise was ripe for all sorts of interesting things to happen. Missy, you out there? Come on, girl....I'm dying here! LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I say 'start' let's have five seconds of silence. (Pause) That's pretty good. That gives something for the news media to quote with absolute accuracy." -- Bobby Knight, Indiana basketball coach, 1982. "Instead of being arrested, as we stated, for kicking his wife down a flight of stairs and hurling a kerosene lamp after her, the Rev. James P. Wellman died unmarried four years ago." -- From an unnamed American newspaper, quoted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones in a letter to Lady Horner. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 16:07:47 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Carol's quiz: #3 I think, is from that series which was a crossover of various shows - Clark had a huge range of cousins - and incorporated Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which is where the Lee and Amanda ref. hails from. Don't know which one specifically though. Either By The Light of the Moon or To The Stars, both by Elaine Gustainis. #5 is from Peggy Mueller's Loises and Clarks, isn't it? One of my favourite fanfics of this year so far. Haven't got time right now to check those out, so I'm winging it here! LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I say 'start' let's have five seconds of silence. (Pause) That's pretty good. That gives something for the news media to quote with absolute accuracy." -- Bobby Knight, Indiana basketball coach, 1982. "Instead of being arrested, as we stated, for kicking his wife down a flight of stairs and hurling a kerosene lamp after her, the Rev. James P. Wellman died unmarried four years ago." -- From an unnamed American newspaper, quoted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones in a letter to Lady Horner. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 12:06:33 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Labrat has got #3 & #5 . #3 - By the Light of the Moon by Elaine Gustainis ( I hope I have Elaine's last name right) -- a good story. #5 - Peggy's Loises & Clarks - also a good story! I loved Lois's conclusions in these stories -- they were so logical and so wrong. :) Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 12:10:21 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Carol, I'd like to read "By the Light of the Moon". It sounds fascinating. But I can't find it in the archive. Where would I look for it? Also, I have to reread Peggy's story. I remember how much I enjoyed it the first time around. Irene --- "C.C. Malo" wrote: > Labrat has got #3 & #5 . > > #3 - By the Light of the Moon by Elaine Gustainis ( > I hope I have Elaine's > last name right) -- a good story. > > #5 - Peggy's Loises & Clarks - also a good story! > > I loved Lois's conclusions in these stories -- they > were so logical and so > wrong. :) > > Carol > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 18:17:08 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nene Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit #1 is "In a child's name" #2 should be something like "Who am I?" #3,4,5 no idea Elena lanene@tin.it ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 12:21:57 -0400 Reply-To: nightsky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > 1. "Lois laid her hand on his chest. "Clark", she purred softly, "We can not > let this happen." > > Clark looked in disbelief at her hand on his chest. She was going to try to > manipulate him with her feminine charms. Was she absolutely crazy? Did she > think so little of his principles? Could she believe that his physical desire > for her was more powerful than his ethics? Suddenly, her touch no longer felt > like a caress, but an anvil. "Don't." Clark recoiled. > > "What?" Clark had pulled away from her. That alone had chilled her to the > bone. She never believed he would willingly avoid her touch." This is from "In A Child's Name" by Delaney. Some of the others are ringing bells, but I can't place them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genevieve Lots of great stuff on my webpage The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone to find in five hours what a competent librarian could find in five minutes. :-) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 13:43:57 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: FanFic Challenge MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email I have more ideas than I or my wife could ever write so I thought that I would share some of them from time to time. I hope someone might take a shine to them and give them a chance to live. WHAT IF: In 'This Old Gang of Mine' there was a look-a-like of Superman, Barry. What if Barry was more than a look-a-like? What if Barry was Clark's identical twin? Here is the premise. Jor-El and Lara had twin sons, Clark being the eldest by several minutes. Before Barry's ship lands it develops problems and jettisons the baby safely before it explodes. When it explodes, a microscopic fragment of green Kryptonite is lodged in his body. Not enough to kill him but enough to short circuiting his ability to gain super powers. There you have it. Are there any takers? MR. D8A A.K.A. James Philippians 4:8 ...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 12:32:43 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Andrea Englert Subject: Re: FanFic Challenge Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed I'd love to take up that challenge! I think it would certainly be an interesting piece to write to say the least, but I'd love the challenge! Sambrea >From: "Mr. D8a" >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: FanFic Challenge >Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 13:43:57 -0500 > >>From MR. D8A's work email > >I have more ideas than I or my wife could ever write so I thought that I >would share some of them from time to time. >I hope someone might take a shine to them and give them a chance to live. > >WHAT IF: >In 'This Old Gang of Mine' there was a look-a-like of Superman, Barry. >What >if Barry was more than a look-a-like? What if Barry was Clark's identical >twin? > >Here is the premise. Jor-El and Lara had twin sons, Clark being the eldest >by several minutes. Before Barry's ship lands it develops problems and >jettisons the baby safely before it explodes. When it explodes, a >microscopic fragment of green Kryptonite is lodged in his body. Not enough >to kill him but enough to short circuiting his ability to gain super >powers. > >There you have it. Are there any takers? > >MR. D8A A.K.A. James > >Philippians 4:8 >...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is >pure, >whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or >praiseworthy--think about such things. > >Please visit and explore my house at: >http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 >mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 17:24:22 -0400 Reply-To: shellylynn@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re-Introduction MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello all! I have just recently resubscribed to the list with a brand new e-mail addy, after being off for a couple months. I was so swamped with finals and such, but I'm back now and I thought I'd re-introduce myself for those who don't remember me (I was pretty much a lurker after all) and any new people. My name's Michelle and I'm 21 years old. I attend Towson University where I am studying early childhood education. I currently work at a computer company until I graduate. I started watching Lois and Clark in the 3rd season and i found fanfiction about a year or two ago. I have been off this list since there were only like 8 or 900 fanfics on the archive so I have quite a bit catching up to do!! Well, I suppose that's all! Michelle AIM SN: ShellyLyn3, if anyone wants to chat....i always welcome new Instant Message pals...:) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 22:48:41 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Irene wrote: >I'd like to read "By the Light of the Moon". It sounds fascinating. >But I can't find it in the archive. Where would I look for it? > You should read To The Stars first, Irene. By the Light of the Moon is the sequel to it. My copy definitely isn't from the Archive, as it doesn't have that distinctive rating and submitted format at the start. But I downloaded them so long ago that I don't have a clue where I picked them up from. Elaine's eddress back then, as given on the story, was (elgust@aol.com). I don't know if it's still valid. LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I say 'start' let's have five seconds of silence. (Pause) That's pretty good. That gives something for the news media to quote with absolute accuracy." -- Bobby Knight, Indiana basketball coach, 1982. "Instead of being arrested, as we stated, for kicking his wife down a flight of stairs and hurling a kerosene lamp after her, the Rev. James P. Wellman died unmarried four years ago." -- From an unnamed American newspaper, quoted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones in a letter to Lady Horner. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 19:22:57 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Irene, I think I got "BY the LIght of the Moon" from Leigh Raglan's wonderful web site a couple of years ago -- from her fanfic compendiums. As a rule, I don't care for crossover fanfic (too many variables for my simple mind) but I like this story very much. Elena & Genevieve, of course you're right. #1 is Delaney's great story "In a Child's Name". Elena, you wrote <<#2 should be something like "Who am I?">> & Genevieve, you wrote <> So close Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 16:45:14 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debra Gray Subject: Re: Name the Fanfic - Second Round ;) In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >More? Or is everyone bored? > > >Wendy > >---------------------- >Wendy Richards >w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk Ooooh, the only thing better would be... more. Clark... it was... SUPER. Oh, okay, so I can't quote LnC with the fluency of the rest of you, but you get my drift. This was fun, and I really can't wait til I have a little time to dig out all these fics and read (or re-read) them again. I'm archiving the original quiz posts and the answer posts for just that purpose, Wendy - and any other quizmasters we have out there... Debra G AKA Melisma ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 16:41:31 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit C.C. Malo wrote: > Irene, I think I got "BY the LIght of the Moon" from Leigh Raglan's wonderful > web site a couple of years ago -- from her fanfic compendiums. As a rule, I > don't care for crossover fanfic (too many variables for my simple mind) but I > like this story very much. > > Elena & Genevieve, of course you're right. #1 is Delaney's great story "In a > Child's Name". > > Elena, you wrote <<#2 should be something like "Who am I?">> & Genevieve, > you wrote <> So close > > Carol #2 is "Who, What, Why Am I?" by Bella Nan Smith ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 21:31:27 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I don't have an URL for Leigh Raglan's site. Is it still accessable? If so, could someone provide me with the URL? Thanks, Irene --- "C.C. Malo" wrote: > Irene, I think I got "BY the LIght of the Moon" from > Leigh Raglan's wonderful > web site a couple of years ago -- from her fanfic > compendiums. As a rule, I > don't care for crossover fanfic (too many variables > for my simple mind) but I > like this story very much. > > Elena & Genevieve, of course you're right. #1 is > Delaney's great story "In a > Child's Name". > > Elena, you wrote <<#2 should be something like "Who > am I?">> & Genevieve, > you wrote <> > So close > > Carol > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 22:18:21 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Lori McElhaney Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/22/1999 8:33:26 PM Central Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << I don't have an URL for Leigh Raglan's site. Is it still accessable? If so, could someone provide me with the URL? >> The only link I had was this one, and it's not active anymore: http://www.leighraglan.com/tv/loisclark/lcmp.html I don't know if any of the short story compendiums are still available somewhere or not - I have a couple saved on my hard drive(Compendiums 7, 19,24) that missed getting deleted when my husband insisted we get some of the "clutter" off the hard drive. I was under the impression that most of these stories were going to be transferred to the archive when Leigh got out of the L&C fandom. Evelyn Catano did alot of editing for these compendiums, maybe she could make them available? The compendium's list her email address as evelyn4lc@aol.com, which according to the aol directory is a valid address. I just don't know if she wants the attention or not. Lori ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:42:34 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (12/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (12/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) In the bedroom of 348 Hyperion avenue, Clark was talking on the phone, waiting for Lois to come back in after putting Jordan to sleep. “Yes. Thank you.” He said into the phone. Lois heard the last bit of conversation when she entered the room, and she was surprised that he’d been on the phone. “Who was that?” she asked, her inquisitive mind never letting anything go unnoticed. “No one important.” Clark replied, flipping on the radio and tuning in a station playing soft country music. He’d started listening to a country station the other day and heard a wonderful song that made him think of Lois. Clark took off his robe and Lois sucked in a breath at the sight of him in nothing but black boxers. His body never ceased to amaze her -- never stopped making her heart race and her stomach flutter. Even after two years of marriage she still found him irresistible. He climbed into bed and motioned for her to join him. She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor, revealing a small black nighty she’d bought just before the baby had been born in anticipation of a special night. Clark swallowed at the sight of his wife’s beautiful body, clad in nothing more than a tad of black silk and lace. The pregnancy had caused a few changes in her luscious curves, but changes that only improved her already beautiful body. Clark didn’t know how, but she’d grown more lovely since they’d been married. She climbed into bed and settled her head on his chest. The contact of their skin touching in so many places was overwhelming. Electricity crackled in the air. But, they knew there were a few things they needed to work through before they could make love. Before Lois had the chance to start speaking, Clark reached for the remote and turned the radio up where they could clearly hear it. “Clark? What are you doing?” “Just listen.” # As you all know, this is request and dedication night on Y101.9 and we have a special request from a Metropolis celebrity to his wife, who’s also pretty famous around here. So, this song goes out to Lois Lane from her husband, Clark Kent. He wants you to know how much he loves you. # Lois looked up at Clark, quick tears coming to her eyes and brimming over, falling down her face. “Oh, Clark.” Clark reached up and wiped them away as the song started playing. # I can't imagine # Any greater fear # Then waking up # Without you here # And though the sun # Would still shine on # My whole world # Would all be gone # But not for long # If I had to run # If I had to crawl # If I had to swim a hundred rivers # Just to climb a thousand walls # Always know that I would find a way # To get to where you are # There's no place that far # It wouldn't matter # Why we're apart # Lonely miles # Or two stubborn hearts # Nothing short # Of God above # Could turn me away # From your love # I need you that much # If I had to run # If I had to crawl # If I had to swim a hundred rivers # Just to climb a thousand walls # Always know that I would find a way # To get to where you are # There's no place that far # Oh if I had to run # (if I had to run) # If I had to crawl # (If I had to crawl) # If I had to swim a hundred rivers # Just to climb a thousand walls # Always know that I would find a way # To get to where you are # There's no place that far # Baby there's no place that far As the last sounds of Sara Evans and Vince Gill’s voices faded away, Clark turned the volume on the radio down. Lois was absorbing the words of the beautiful country song, tears falling freely down her face. Clark cupped her face in both of his hands and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “There’s no place that far,” he whispered. “Lois, I--” “Just a second, Clark, let me go first.” She sat up in bed, crossing her legs and taking both of his hands in hers. She stared deeply into his eyes. “Clark, I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible, probably more than any woman has ever loved any man. I appreciate the way you stand beside me -- the way you never give up on me, even when it seems our whole world is falling apart. I know that there’s no place I’ll ever be taken that you won’t do your best to find me.” She paused, trying to get her emotions under control before continuing. “When I was under the control of Lex, there was still a part of me that could *feel* you -- a part of me that wouldn’t let you go. It was like there was a war going on inside me, tearing me apart. It was the same way I’d felt when I almost married Lex.” At the mention of that event, Clark sucked in breath through his teeth. He didn’t like to think about that time, but he’d been confronted with it often in the last few days. Lois saw the pain in his eyes and it ripped at her heart, but she forced herself to go on, feeling she needed to get this out in the open. “When I was standing there in my wedding dress, when I should have been thrilled to be getting married, I was miserable. I knew that I didn’t love Lex; I even knew by that time that I didn’t really love Superman. What I did know was that I felt something for my partner . . . for my best friend -- that scared the hell out of me. I was testing out my married name in the mirror and from out of nowhere came, ‘Lois Lane Kent’ and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d *always* been in love with you. I tried to love Superman as a way to keep from getting hurt. I focused my attention on someone unattainable, knowing that I’d never get him, thus I’d never have to open myself up to the possibility of being walked out on again. I tried to tell you that, outside the Planet that day, but you wouldn’t let me. You insisted on going first and you told me that you didn’ t love me -- that you’d have said anything to keep me from marrying Lex. That hurt because I’d realized that I loved you and then found out you didn’t love me--” “I lied, Lois,” he said simply. “What?” she asked, incredulously. To her knowledge, she’d never known her husband to lie about anything that wasn’t directly related to Superman. Hearing him admit that he had, surprised her. “I had my fingers crossed behind my back. I’d always loved you, from that second I saw you in Perry’s office. I lied to keep our friendship because I thought you didn’t love me -- that you’d really been in love with Lex, and I didn’t want to lose you completely. So, I lied.” He realized that the whole thing with Lex had been both of their faults and, at the same time, neither of their faults. All the guilt he’d felt for so long, faded away and a part of his heart that had always been dark, was finally touched by the light of their love. Lois picked up a pillow and swatted him over the head. “And you’re just *now* telling me? Clark! If you’d only told me sooner, think where we’d be now.” “I like where we are just fine,” he said, tossing the pillow aside and drawing her into his arms. “There’s no place I’d rather be.” “So,” Lois said, “we’re okay?” “We’re more than okay . . . we’re Super.” He took her mouth hungrily, drawing life from the love that passed between them. Just as the yellow sun gave him his powers, Lois gave him life. He hadn’t been alive until he’d met her. He lowered her gently to the bed where they spent the night reaffirming their love for each other over and over again, each one complete in a way they’d never been before. There were no more secrets between them -- no more hidden feelings that were searching for release. They were just Lois and Clark, two halves of a whole, that had finally - totally - found each other. * * * * The Next Day - STAR Labs Lois was holding Jordan, listening intently to Dr. Klein’s explanation of the subliminal program which had held her under it’s evil grasp. Though she was loathe to admit it, she didn’t really understand anything the good doctor was saying, so she just concentrated on looking at her beautiful daughter. After Clark and the doctor had discussed it for a while, Lois asked, “So, does this mean I can have my computer back?” “Sure, Lois, I’ve deleted the program from your computer. I must say that it surprised me more than once. I know that Luthor was . . .excuse me, I keep forgetting he ’s *not* dead. I know that Luthor *is* a very intelligent man, but I don’t think he’s capable of making a program this advanced. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that he had outside help, though I can’t figure out who.” Lois and Clark exchanged a knowing look -- they were both thinking the same thing. With Lex and his mysterious helper still on the loose, would this ever truly be over? They took their leave of Dr. Klein and started for the Planet. They’d promised to give Perry an interview for his upcoming follow up story on the return of Lex Luthor. They also wanted to show off their daughter to the office staff. * * * * Lois, Clark and Jordan entered the Planet newsroom unnoticed. Everyone was bustling around, working on the latest front page story. They headed for Perry’s office, but before they could get there, they were surrounded by curious people who wanted to see the baby. No one in the newsroom could quite believe that ‘Mad Dog Lane’ had settled down, gotten married and had a baby. They needed proof, so they rushed to her side to see the bundle she was holding. “I’ll go get Perry,” Clark whispered in her ear. “I’ll be right back,” he said, kissing her earlobe softly. “I’ll be waiting,” she whispered before turning to the crowd who was ‘oohing ’ and ‘ahing’ over Jordan. Lois couldn’t believe she was actually enjoying the attention. She loved the thought of showing these people, who’d always thought there was no hope for her ever having a family, that she’d succeeded. Across the newsroom, Perry and Clark watched her with a look of pride in each of their eyes. They were standing just outside Perry’s office, observing the scene of a preening Lois showing off her daughter. “I’ve never seen her so happy, Son,” Perry said, patting Clark on the back. “Did the doctor say everything would be fine?” “Yeah, she said Lois should have a complete recovery.” Lois finally pulled herself away from the throng of people and joined her editor and husband. “Could I hold that li’l lady?” Perry asked, anxious to get his arms around what he considered his first grandchild. “Sure, Perry,” Lois said, placing Jordan gently in the older man’s arms. Lois and Clark watched as their editor talked gibberish to their daughter, turning into a completely different person than they’d ever seen. Gone was the hard-bitten newshound and in his place was a gentle grandfather. He was completely oblivious to anything except the little bundle in his arms. Lois wrapped her arms around Clark’s neck. “So, do you think everything will settle down now? You think we can go a day without any big surprises?” “I think it’s pretty safe to assume that. I mean, what else could possibly happen?” No sooner had those words left Clark’s mouth than a hush fell over the newsroom. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the elevator, where a very slinky, very sexy woman had just emerged. Cat Grant stepped off the elevator into the bustling activity of the Daily Planet newsroom, hearing just the reaction she’d hoped for - stunned silence. Lois looked at Clark and shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we spoke too soon.” Stay tuned for When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 3 -- Coming Soon! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:43:43 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (5/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (5/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) Back at the townhouse, Lois was pouring over her rolodex trying to locate the name ‘Ellias Turner.’ When she found the card with that name, she was more than surprised. Ellias Turner was Henderson’s partner! “Oh, man, this is bigger than I thought!” She punched in the web address for Henson’s groceries, wanting to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake about the name. She accessed the secret page, using the password that had been saved on her computer and there it was, as plain as day: Ellias Turner. >Tonight is the night you’ll leave Clark Kent< >You’ll be reunited with your true love, Lex Luthor< Lois couldn’t believe it! She’d met Henderson’s partner at a Policeman’s Ball a couple of years ago, and the elderly gentleman had seemed to her like a father figure. He’d been very courteous, and highly complimentary of her work and had also asked her to dance. She looked in the Metropolis phonebook, to make sure that there were no other Ellias’s listed under the last name Turner. Sure enough, the only one she found was Inspector Ellias Turner, MPD. She reached for the phone, wanting to fill Perry in on the details of this story. At the same time she was waiting for someone to answer the Daily Planet phone, she was writing a hurried e-mail to Kaylah, to let her know that soon she’d have her baby back. >Further instructions on a meeting place will be here tonight< “Daily Planet?” a cheery voice said into the phone, pulling Lois out of a temporary state of trance. “Oh, um,” she said, shaking her head, as pictures of Lex killing Clark ran through her head. “I need to speak to Perry, it’s urgent.” “One moment please.” Lois continued to type the e-mail furiously, all the while, being bombarded with derogatory messages about Clark and complimentary messages about Lex. Her warring emotions were tearing her apart inside, almost like a physical war going on within her body. Her head began to ache and she found it hard to breathe. By the time Perry had picked up the phone, she was near hysterics. “Perry White!” “Perry,” she panted, out of breath, “it’s Lois.” “What in the Sam Hill is wrong, Honey, you sound like you’ve ran a marathon.” “Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head, trying to free herself from the turmoil. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to call and tell you that I just got a break on the kidnappings. I’m on my way there now.” “Shouldn’t you take Clark with you, Honey?” “No!” She almost screamed the word. “No, I don’t need his help. He’s too much of a saint and his goodness always gets in the way of my investigations.” Perry held the phone out, looking at it strangely, hardly believing the words coming out of his star reporter’s mouth. She hadn’t talked about Clark that way in years! “But, Honey--” “No, buts, Perry, I can do this alone.” “Well, if you say so.” “Save room for this on the front page in the morning, Perry -- it’s got big connections at the Police Department.” Lois hung up the phone without waiting for Perry to say anything more. The last thing she needed was that hassle of a husband following her and messing up the story she’d worked so hard for. At that thought, she felt an emptiness inside her, one she hadn’t felt in ages. She bolted off the couch, and rushed up the stairs, bursting into Lucy’s room. “Luce,” she began, “I need you to watch Jordan for a while. Do you think you can handle it?” “Sure, Lois, I can handle it. But, what’s wrong, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “It’s nothing. I’m on the trail of a big story. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Lois dashed back down the stairs, grabbing her purse on the way, and rushed out of the house. By the time she was fully in the Jeep, she already had it started and, when she shut the door, she zoomed away from the house, in pursuit of the baby snatchers. She weaved in and out of traffic on her way to Henson’s and, when she was within two blocks of the store, parked her car. She exited the vehicle and jogged the two blocks distance to an alley just beside Henson’s. She peered around the corner and noticed a back entrance with the lettering “Employees or Guests Only” on the door. Never one to be daunted by a ‘keep out’ sign, she walked slowly and silently into the alley, looking all around her to make sure no one could see where she was going. When she reached the door, she noticed there was a lock and thanked the stars she’d brought along her ‘lock-picking’ equipment. She made quick work of a lock she deemed ‘easy pickings’ and soon she’d slunk into a back room of the grocery store. >From her vantage point, she could see doors to other rooms, which luckily all had windows. One seemed to be a nursery of sorts and the other two resembled meeting rooms, with one of these seeming to be the ‘auction’ room, complete with chairs, a podium and numbered cards. She tip-toed further into the store and, just as she was about to enter the room that held the many squalling infants, a hand came up from behind and wrapped itself viciously around her neck, the other hand of her assailant covering her muffled scream. “Well, well, well, Ms. Lane, it’s very nice to see you again after all these years.” The voice purred into her ear. It was a voice, same in tone to the one she remembered from the Policeman’s ball two years prior, but one that now was laced with an undertone of evil. Had she not been under mind control, she might have likened the baneful tone to that of Lex Luthor. She wriggled around, trying to break herself from his grip, mumbling muted “Mmphs” before finally elbowing him in the stomach. He winced but recovered, “Really, Lois,” he said the name almost like a physical caress and she shuddered at the thought. “Do you think I spent 35 years on the Metropolis Police Force and didn’t learn how to wrangle a squirming person?” Her brain failing to come up with any other course of action, she bit down on his hand hard and that resulted in having him throw her to the ground with a stunning blow to her face. Pain shot through her jaw, causing her vision to blur and the blood to start pounding in her head. Ellias Turner might be over sixty, but he was still a powerful man. Now that her mouth was free, the thought flitted across her mind that she should call for Superman. Again, an internal war raged inside her mind as part of her -- her soul -- wanted to call for its other half, and the other part of her -- her mind -- flung the hated thought away. But that part of her soul that yearned for Clark, that part of her that had an ingrained need to call for him in times of trouble won out this one time and she took a deep breath and yelled, “Help! Superman, help!” The words had no sooner left her mouth than Turner had knocked another stunning blow across her face, this time succeeding in silencing her for a time. * * * * In the chaotic newsroom of the Daily Planet, Clark Kent’s head raised up in a fashion that was familiar to many, but only understood by one, his partner, his wife, his soul mate. He heard her voice inside his head -- a shout he’d become accustomed to on the many occasions she’d been in danger since that fated day when he’d met her. And in that instant, all the fighting of the past few days, all the many harsh words and cruel jabs faded away in the light of her need for him. He ran out of the newsroom, tugging at his tie. He bolted up the stairs to the roof and took to the sky. She was no longer calling for him, which worried him immensely, but he remembered the vicinity the call had come from. If he had to guess, he’d say she’d been caught snooping around Henson’s Groceries, so that’s the direction he took. He flew fast and soon he was in the same alley that Lois had been in only moments before. He saw her car parked down the street and knew that he must have guessed right. He entered the still-ajar door and saw Lois tied to a chair, unconscious. ‘That explains why she didn’t call for me again.’ He x-rayed through the walls and found the babies sleeping peacefully in the make-shift nursery, and, in the room in front of that he saw Ellias Turner! Superman had dealt with Turner on many occasions when Henderson had been tending to other things. Clark couldn’t believe that he was somehow involved, but upon further inspection of the room, there was no mistaking that Turner was knee-deep in the baby snatching scheme. In one of the other rooms, Superman saw a man and a woman locked in a passionate embrace. ‘That must be Fredric and Velma.’ Before either of the three criminals knew what was happening, Superman, scooped them all up and flew them to the nearest police precinct. After he’d deposited the criminals and asked a few MPD officers to come with him, he made way for Henson’s once again. This time when he came through the door, Lois was awake, shaking her head, trying to clear her vision. “Clark!” she exclaimed. “Lois, you know you’re not supposed to call me that when I’m in the suit!” He admonished her. “I don’t care what I’m supposed to do! Where’s Turner?” “I’ve taken him and the other two down to the station and some officers will be here shortly to pick up the babies and return them to their rightful homes.” “How could you!” she screamed. “You took this story right away from me! I had everything under control.” “Everything under control? You call being knocked out and tied to a chair ‘under control?’” She just glared at him and said nothing further as the police swarmed the store. She started struggling against her bonds, trying to free herself and get away from this so she could write the story before Clark did. Superman went to her side and swiftly dislodged the ropes from around her wrists. “I didn’t need your help!” She spat the words out under her breath so no one else could hear her, just loud enough for someone with superhearing to pick it up. “Lois, I--” “Ugh!” she said, putting all of her frustration into that one word. She ran out of the door, heading toward her Jeep. Lois was so determined to beat Clark to the punch, she didn’t even notice her throbbing headache, remnant of the blow Ellias Turner had dealt her. Clark started to go after her, but then decided against it. His heart wanted to go with her and make sure she was all right, she’d been hit on the head many times, and even though his hurried x-ray of her head found no major damage, he was still concerned about her health. He figured she was going to the Planet to write up the story. He’d let her handle this one alone. And tonight, after dinner, they’d talk about what was going wrong between them. * * * * Lois ran into the Daily Planet newsroom and flung her purse down on her desk. “Great Shades of Elvis, Lois, I thought you weren’t coming into the office for a while,” Perry said as she breezed past him. “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t, but I’ve gotta get this story turned in before Clark does.” Perry looked at Jimmy who’d caught this last remark and they both shrugged. Who were they to get in the way of ‘Mad Dog Lane’ when she was hot on the tail of a story? Lois started typing frantically, all the while the words tumbling over and over in her mind, ‘Clark Kent doesn’t love you.’ She had to get this story written before Clark stole it right out from under her. He’d done it before. She continued to work on it, and for once in a long while, there were no subliminal messages polluting her mind. Though the one’s that had already embedded themselves were tormenting her. * * * * After everything was handled at Henson’s, Clark flew home. He changed into ‘Clark’ clothes before walking through the door because, when he’d x-rayed the house, he saw Lucy upstairs playing with Jordan. ‘I’d wondered what Lois had done with Jordan,’ he thought. “Lucy!” He yelled towards the upstairs, “It’s Clark.” He pulled his glasses down and peered through the ceiling, seeing Lucy get Jordan situated, and then coming down the stairs with her. “Hey, Clark!” Lucy said and smiled a disarming smile. Clark responded out of instinct -- that smile she’d flashed was so much like Lois’s. He beamed at her as he took Jordan out of her arms and then placed a friendly arm around her, hugging her closely. Gratitude and brotherly love shone in Clark’s eyes as he gazed at his sister-in-law. This was how Lois found them when she returned to her Hyperion home. Misinterpreting their warm embrace and the look that was passing between them, white hot rage gripped her body. “Well!” she yelled, as one of the subliminal messages kicked in. Her brain was screaming, ‘Clark Kent doesn’t love you!’ Clark turned around at the sound of her voice, the first indication he’d had that she was there. He realized what this must have looked like to her, but she was reading more into it than was there. Clark had always been one to respond to emotions and he felt strongly about anyone that was part of his family. He’d just wanted Lucy to feel at home and to let her know that he appreciated her watching after Jordan. Lois should know she’d never have anything to worry about with him -- he’d never given her any reason to be jealous. She, on the other hand, had almost *kissed* the other Clark and he ’d not held that against her. “Lois, Honey--” “Don’t you ‘Honey’ me, you . . . you scoundrel! I turn my back for *one* moment and you start making passes at my kid sister!” “Lois, really--” “Oh, shut up, Lucy! I know you’ve always been hot after my husband.” “I’ve never been any such thing!” “Whatever.” “Lois, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I really think we need to talk.” “I don’t think we do, Clark.” She took Jordan out of his arms. “I’m going upstairs. I’m taking Jordan with me. Don’t expect me to come downstairs for dinner. I’ll eat something after your . . . guests leave.” Clark started after her. “Lois--” “Don’t come after me, Kent! I don’t want to see your face.” With that, she rushed up the stairs. When he’d heard their bedroom door slam, Clark sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth in confusion. Lucy went to his side, though she refrained from touching him. He looked like he needed a hug, but after the earlier incident she was scared of how he’d interpret her giving him one. She’d come to look up to Clark and respect him on the few occasions she’d seen him since he and Lois had gotten married. She wasn’t attracted to him, but she loved him. She loved him for being the man for her sister and for loving Lois the way she’d always deserved to be loved. “Clark, I’m sorry.” He looked up. “No, no, Lucy, it’s not your fault.” He assured her and reached out and squeezed her hand. He loved Lucy like the kid sister he’d never had. Lois should realize that. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with Lucy since he and Lois had gotten married, but he’d found out in those few times that she was every bit as tenacious and determined as Lois. He’d had an ulterior motive when he’d invited Jack over for dinner. He felt they’d hit it off and they both deserved someone great. “Lois has been acting . . . strange,” he said, for lack of a better word to describe her behavior. “It’s been going on for a few days.” “You know, Clark, now that you mention it, I’ve noticed it too. I wonder what’s wrong?” “I don’t know, Lucy. I just don’t know . . .” * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:42:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (2/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (2/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) * * * * In an abandoned fall-out shelter in the bowels of Metropolis, Lex Luthor sat hunched over a computer. He was concentrating on the numerical values that adorned the monitor in front of him, trying to find some of the money he’d hidden many years ago. Strewn all over his desk were Addendums, Subsections, Conclusions and print-outs of an endless array of notes from LexLabs’ Experimental Mind Control Research Project. Lex knew his revenge was hidden somewhere in those notes and had spent most of the day trying to decipher the key that would bring him back his kingdom. “Hello?” a strangled voice said from out of the darkness. It was a voice full of pain, reeking anguish and the sound sent chills up Lex’s spine. Lex’s head shot up from the computer screen and he looked frantically around him. “Hello?” He said, puzzlement etched on his face. “Who’s there? Where are you?” “I’m in here.” “In where?” Lex asked frantically, beginning to think he’d lost his mind completely and was now hearing voices. “I’m in the computer.” Lex pushed himself back from the desk, the chair he was sitting in falling to the floor with a loud bang. “If this is somebody’s idea of a joke, I am *not* amused. I suggest you show yourself now, or when you do, you won’t live to see tomorrow.” “I really *am* in the computer. It’s me, your son, Jaxon Xavier Luthor.” Lex took a deep breath, composing himself. “I was under the impression that you died when your Virtual Center’s computer crashed.” He said, his voice surprisingly calm, masking the fact that for once in Lex Luthor’s life he’d been almost frightened. Lex righted the chair and put it back in its original place in front of the computer. He sat down, slowly, not really sure if he was yet ready to get close to the machine. “I didn’t die. My brain was separated from my body. I’m now part of the micro circuits within the computer system. It’s not as bad as it sounds -- I can pretty much go anywhere and do anything. Most days, I stay inside Lois Lane’s computer.” At the mention of Lois’s name, Lex perked up, starting to reform the plan that had been swimming around in his sadistical mind. “Lois Lane?” “Yes, Sir . . .” “Please, call me Dad,” Lex replied. “After all, I *am* your father.” Jaxon hesitated a moment. He’d craved the love of his father so long, he was blind to the fact that Lex was just going to use him in another plot to possess Lois Lane. “Well . . . Dad,” Jaxon began, “I’d like to know you. How did you escape the tunnel collapse that was supposed to have killed you?” “That’s a long story, son -- one best left for another time. I’m wondering, Jaxon, do you think you could devise some sort of subliminal mind control system that would work when a person used the computer?” “I’m not sure, Le . . . um, Dad. That’d take a lot of research. I know that I was working on something similar to that with the Virtual Center, but I’ve been unable to get back into those files.” “I’ve acquired a lot of old research notes from Lex Labs’ secret files. I had scientists working non stop on devising a plan for mind control through the computer system. Do you think you could use this data and come up with something?” “I could try.” * * * * After the long, grueling hours the rescue had demanded of his time, Clark finally made it home. It was late, Lois had already gone to bed and he stood over his daughter’s baby bed, just staring at the miracle that was her. When he’d come home, he’d unexplainably been drawn to Jordan’s room. Earlier Lois had asked if she was dreaming and he’d assuredly told her, ‘no. ’ But if the truth were fully told, he sometimes felt as if he were dreaming too. It was difficult for him to believe that the beautiful baby lying there so peacefully was his - his and Lois’s. He recalled the first few weeks and months he’d known Lois -- when he’d wanted her so badly and thought for sure she’d never want him in return. Sometimes it was still so hard for him to believe that he’d been married to her for two years. He felt that surely, one day, he’d wake up and find that he was nothing more to Lois that the ‘Farmboy’ from Kansas that she didn’t have the time to fall for. But, he thought wistfully to himself, if this were a dream, he never wanted to wake up because his life couldn’t be more perfect. He was so lost in thought, he didn’t hear his wife’s quiet footsteps as she walked up behind him. He only realized her presence when she wrapped her arms around his waist. Every fiber of his being came alive at her touch. He wanted to take her in his arms and make love to her -- it’d been so long -- but it was too soon after the birth and he controlled his instincts with every ounce of strength in his body. “Clark,” she whispered, her voice still heavy with sleep, “when’d you get home?” “A few minutes ago. I just didn’t feel much like sleeping.” “What are ya doin’ in here?” “Just thinking. I just keep watching her and thinking that maybe I’ve imagined all this.” “Clark, you’re starting to sound like me.” She checked the baby monitor, making sure it was on, before taking his hand. “Come on, let’s get some sleep.” Clark looked one last time at his sleeping child and followed his wife out of the room. * * * * Lex was roused from a sound sleep by his son’s voice screeching from the speakers of his computer. “Dad?!” “Yeah? What?” Lex replied, throwing back the sheet that covered him. The place where Lex was staying was nowhere near his usual standards, but he was getting by. He planned to rise to power again; he was just biding his time. And if all things worked well with Jaxon, when he did rise to power, Lois would finally be by his side, where she belonged. “I’ve gone through most of the notes you gave me and devised the first part of a control system that would allow me to bombard a computer user with a series of messages invisible to the naked eye. These messages could say anything we wanted and could basically have that person eating from the palm of our hands. There was some pretty interesting data included in one of the reports that was done right before you um . . . jumped . . . . It um . . . had a detailed formula for making the suggestions implant themselves in the person’s mind. After implantation, the messages would take root in the person’s brain and could be triggered to grow or spread by the use of a key word. When the person heard that key word, maybe a name, for example, the subliminal messages would spread, much like a computer virus, until the person that was infected wouldn’t be able to think anything that didn’t have to do with what had been implanted.” “Very well done, my son.” “Thanks, Dad. Who are we going to use this system on?” “All in good time, Jaxon. How long do you think it will take to perfect it?” “Four weeks, maybe. Six weeks, at the most.” “Do it.” * * * * Six Weeks Later “Lois, are you really sure you want to go back to work so soon?” Clark asked, taking the remaining supper dishes to the kitchen. Lois, having just put Jordan down for the night, followed closely behind, holding on to the back of his shirt, raising it up just enough to get a bird’s-eye-view of his tight posterior. “It’s not like I’m going into the office or anything. I’m just going to be writing from home. You’ll be doing all of the leg work and I can still feel like Lois Lane, reporter, and not just Lois Kent, wife and mother.” He placed the dishes in the sink and turned, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. “I like Lois Kent, wife and mother.” “Clark!” Lois swatted playfully at Clark’s chest. Clark chuckled. “Seriously, Honey, if you’d like to start working from home, then there’s nothing I want more. Besides, I’ll be happy to have my partner back. She’s brilliant, you know.” “I know.” Lois gigled, but then her expression turned hopeful as she gazed into her husband’s dark eyes. “What?” Clark noticed the odd way she was regarding him. “Mmm . . . you’re wonderful, you know that, Mr. Kent?” “Sure, but I don’t mind you telling me,” Clark teased. Lois’s smile widened before it took on a seductive edge. “Let’s go to bed, Clark.” “Are you sure?” he asked, concern for her evident in his deep brown eyes. “I’m sure.” * * * * Clark entered the Planet newsroom bright and early the next morning, despite the fact he and Lois had been up most of the night. He was shocked to see everyone working quietly at their desks. In the five or so years he’d worked at the Planet, he couldn’t remember ever seeing everything so calm. He made his way to Perry’s office and stuck his head in the door. The Editor was talking to someone on the phone. Clark shut the door quietly behind him and leaned back against the frame, waiting for Perry to finish his call. Before long, Perry put the phone back in its cradle. “That was your wife, Kent, letting me know she’s back at work from home.” “Yeah, she’s really excited about getting back to work. I’m surprised we kept her away >from the newsroom this long. So, what’s on the agenda today, Chief?” “Well, Son, if you can believe it, not a bloomin’ thing. I can’t remember the news ever being this slow.” Jimmy stuck his head in the door. He had a hard time pushing Clark off it. “C.K., Lois is on the phone for you.” “Thanks, Jim.” He turned back to Perry. “Let me know if anything happens, Chief.” “Sure thing, Son.” Clark reached his desk and picked up the phone. “Hello, Beautiful.” He whispered in his most seductive voice. “Hello, yourself. Anything interesting happening down there? Perry said it was pretty slow.” “If you can believe it, it really is. It’s as quiet as a church.” “It’s probably because I’m not down there sniffing out corruption.” Clark laughed. “That’s probably it. How’s my girl?” “Sleeping peacefully for a change. That girl sleeps less than her Daddy.” “Well, if her mother wasn’t so . . . insatiable, her Daddy would have gotten a lot of sleep last night.” “Yeah, but wasn’t it worth it?” “It was *more* than worth it.” “You can expect more of the same tonight. Now, Mr. Kent, get back to work and find us a story.” “I’ll do my best.” “You’d better.” “Love you.” “Love you.” Just as Clark hung up the phone, his superhearing kicked in. “Superman! Help!” ‘I guess she’s gonna get her wish.’ * * * * The air in Lex Luthor’s hideaway was thick with tension. “When *will* the system be ready?” Lex ground the words out through gritted teeth. He hated people who couldn’t do a simple task and have it finished on time. It was just one of the many things that irritated him about ‘normal’ people. To think that his son fell into this category, cut him to the core. The fruit of his loins, nothing but a lazy, worthless, fool, it was unthinkable. “Soon. Very soon,” Jaxon said, scared that his dad would once again cut all ties to him. “Soon isn’t good enough! You told me that the system would be ready *two* weeks ago. My patience is wearing thin, Jaxon.” In anger and frustration, Lex flung the book he’d previously been reading against the wall. “I want this system up and operational in the morning.” “Yes, Sir,” Jaxon replied, fearful of calling Lex anything less formal. * * * * Back at the townhouse, Lois was booting up her computer for the first time in weeks. She opened her mail program and checked her email. “Fifty-seven messages and they’re probably all spam.” She started skimming through her messages. She had a few departmental memos, lots of chain letters, software sales and one that said: URGENT PLEASE READ. She almost deleted that one but something inside stopped her. When she’d opened the email and read a few lines, she was glad she hadn’t deleted it. The email read: Ms. Lane - You must help me. Three weeks ago, my six month old daughter, Kali, was abducted >from Henson Groceries. I haven’t been able to get anyone to help me. I’ve been in contact with two other women whose babies have also been stolen from the same store. Their names are: Elizabeth Driscoll - baby girl Gabrielle, seven months and Savannah Lansky - baby boy Sheldon, three months. I’ve included pictures of Kali, Gabrielle and Sheldon for you to use. Please, I’m begging you, help me. Sincerely, Kaylah Holden “Oh, God,” Lois sighed. Being a new mother, Lois couldn’t imagine having Jordan taken and not knowing where she was. She vowed she’d do all in her power to help these mothers get their babies back as soon as possible. She picked up the phone and called Jimmy. “Jimmy Olsen.” “Jimmy, it’s Lois. I need you to pull up everything you can on a Henson Groceries and get back to me as soon as possible.” “Sure thing, Lois.” After Lois replaced the phone in it’s cradle, she got up and walked over to Jordan’s bassinet. Jordan was asleep and looked just like an angel. Lois picked her up, gingerly, so as not to wake her and carried her back to the couch. She sat down and just looked at her baby, love swelling in her heart. The tears started falling before she knew it. She hoped she had enough resources to find these babies. * * * * Clark finished up his latest super-rescue just in time for lunch. Missing his girls, he took a swift trip to Italy and picked up some food. When he arrived in Metropolis, he took a side trip by Lois’s old neighborhood, bought her flowers, and started home. Instead of making his usual entrance through the window, he sat the food down on the patio table, swiftly looked around to make sure no one was watching and spun into ‘Clark.’ Inside the kitchen he quietly set the table, pulled down the shades, dimmed the lights and lit two candles. He placed the dozen roses in front of Lois’s chair. He then flew back around the house and came in the front door. “Hi, Honey!” he said cheerfully, but as soon as he saw Lois’s tearstreaked face, his demeanor changed. He sat down on the couch beside her. “Honey, what’s wrong?” She brushed an errant tear away and sniffed loudly before saying, “It’s a story that was just about thrown in my lap.” Clark picked up the sleeping Jordan and laid her back in the bassinet, then took Lois’s hand, leading her into the kitchen. When she saw what he’d done she said, “Oh, Clark. What’s this for?” “Because I love you.” She picked up the roses. “They’re beautiful. Where’d you get them?” “Tony’s.” Lois grinned at the memory of how the ‘flowers from Tony’s’ tradition had began, all those years ago after being marooned on Spencer Spencer’s island. The both sat down to the array of Italian food - spaghetti, linguine, lazagna, and fetuccini. There was also salad, breadsticks, and Italian bread. “Clark, you really outdid yourself.” “I was hungry.” He said offhandedly. “Tell me some about this story.” She explained to him what she’d learned about the missing babies. “I’ve got Jimmy checking out Henson’s. It seems odd to me that babies continue to be stolen >from there and nothing seems to be done about it.” “That’s awful, I hope we can find who’s doing it.” “So do I. What are you doing away from the Planet?” “Superman had to help a farmer who’d gotten stuck under his tractor. When I was through, it was close to lunch, so I decided to come home for a while.” She reached over and took his hand. “I’m glad you did.” * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:42:24 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (11/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (11/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) When Clark made it back to Lois’s room, Lucy was already there and Lois was awake, sitting up in bed, booting up her laptop computer. ‘Lucy must have brought it, thinking Lois would be bored,’ he thought. “Lois!” he said, urgently. “You’ve got to stop working on that thing right now!” He was worried -- worried that this wouldn’t work if Lois was further inundated with Luthor’s messages. “I’ll do no such thing, Clark!” she yelled back. “Shut the door, for goodness sake, people are starting to stare. You could at least say ‘hi’ to Lucy. She was nice enough to bring Jordan down here, even though she has to be at work soon.” “Hi, Lucy,” Clark said absently as he jerked the laptop off Lois’s lap, yanked the plug out of the wall and started pulling on his tie. “I’ll . . . um . . . be back in a second.” Lois and Lucy were left gaping after his retreating form. They both shrugged their shoulders and resumed conversation. * * * * Clark flew with the laptop to the under ground former hide-away of Lex Luthor, where he scooped up the offensive machine that had the mind control system in it and started towards STAR Labs. He was amazed that the computer was still there, shocked actually, that Luthor hadn’t tried to get to it before Clark had the chance to examine it. ‘Oh, well,’ he thought, ‘no accounting of how a maniac thinks.’ When he flew into one of the inner labs in the STAR Labs building, Dr. Bernard Klein barely glanced up from what he was working on. The sound of Superman landing in the building had become so familiar over the years that most times it barely even registered to the often absent-minded doctor. “What can I do for you, Cl--” he caught his near mistake. “Superman?” “Dr. Klein, I found this desktop computer in an underground lair that was occupied by Lex Luthor--” Dr. Klein interrupted the super hero. “Did you say ‘Lex Luthor?’ Frankly, Superman, I’m getting a bit sick of that man myself.” “Yeah, Dr. Klein, I said ‘Luthor.’ He’d used this desktop computer to hook up a mind control program to Lois Lane’s home computer, thus exposing her to a myriad of demented messages which turned her away from her husband.” Dr. Klein knew who Lois Lane’s husband was, even though the rest of the lab didn’t, and he noted the weary look in Superman’s eyes, which was more than likely a result of all this. “So, Luthor was trying to use mind control to steal Lois from Clark. How typical. I suppose you want me to see what I can do with the mind control system and find a way to get it un-hooked from Lois’s computer?” “If it’s not too much trouble, that’s what I was hoping you’d do.” “Oh, no, no trouble at all. Might be interesting to see what that psychopath dreamed up this time. I’m still reeling from the whole ‘clone’ incident. He’ll have to do something to top himself there. I’ll have it finished as soon as I can.” “Thank you, Dr. Klein.” Superman turned to leave, but Dr. Klein’s voice stopped him. “Oh, Superman!” he said, then he mouthed, “Good luck!” Superman nodded his head and gave the doctor a bright smile, before whooshing away in a streak of red and blue. * * * * Metropolis Police Department - Precinct 2 8:50 a.m. Officer Lucy Lane walked into the office of the bustling Metropolis police, dressed in uniform and looking spectacular. Several of the men watched her slim figure as it made its way to the administrator’s office. In the years since she’d been away >from Metropolis, she’d started looking more and more like her sister. The men gazed at her with eyes filled with thoughts of the body that lay just under the tight fitting uniform. As she closed the door behind her, blocking her from their view, the officers’ thoughts turned to what she might be doing in their precinct. Even though she was dressed in police attire, the thought never crossed their minds that she’d be working amongst them. This branch of the MPD had always steered clear of female officers. One man in particular was not wondering about her presence -- he was just watching her with eyes that spoke of how much he’d already grown to care for her. He wanted to go to her and apologize for his callous remarks of the night before. But, he was stubborn and he felt that he’d been justified in his opinion, so that held him at bay. Jack Overstreet was pulled out of his wistful thoughts by the sound of the Captain calling his name. “Overstreet!” he bellowed, sticking his head out of the administrator’s office. “Get in here, now!” “Yes, Sir!” Jack stood and walked slowly to the room that held Lucy, almost shaking at the thought of being in the same room with her again. As he reached for the doorknob, he took a deep breath and pushed the door open slowly. The first sight he was greeted with was Lucy’s chocolate eyes and he felt himself almost melting into the floor. After he’d closed the door behind him, the Captain spoke again. “Jack Overstreet, I’d like you to meet your new partner, Lucy Lane.” Lucy and Jack just stared at each other, their mouths gaping and their eyes nearly bugging out of their heads. “But, Captain, I--” “No ‘buts,’ Jack. It’s time this precinct moved into the 20th century. Go on, go get acquainted. Show her to the desk beside yours. I’ll have your assignment to you in a while,” the Captain said, conveying by his tone that no questions would be tolerated. Jack walked back out of the office, Lucy following at a safe distance behind. When he reached his desk he turned to her and said, “Lucy, I--” “Let’s just forget about it, Jack. We’re here to do a job, nothing more.” She dismissed him and sat down at her new workstation. Jack knew that look she’d given him. He’d seen Lois Lane shoot that glare at Clark more than once when he’d been working at the Planet. It was that ‘hands off’ look that had caused Clark so much pain for so long. But, Jack grinned, look how that turned out! He sat down at his own desk, pondering what would come of this new partnership. * * * * After being diverted by several situations that required Superman’s attention, Clark finally made it back to the hospital at half past eight. He was drenched, having been subjected to the steady downpour that had started early that morning. The storm had stayed over Metropolis all day, never letting up for more than minutes. The thunder and lightning had been going on so long that Clark barely remembered what Metropolis sounded like without them. When he made it to Lois’s room, he found Nurse Ward with Jordan. “Hello, Mr. Kent,” she whispered. “Jordan’s almost asleep. She’s a wonderful little lady.” “Thank you. Where’s Lois?” “She was just carted down to Doctor Karen’s office. I’m sure you could go down there if you like. I’ll be fine here.” Clark walked over and kissed his baby on the forehead, taking a deep breath and smelling the mixture of soap and baby powder that he’d come to think of as ‘her’ smell. He then made his way to Dr. Waren’s office. He tapped lightly on the door and Dr. Waren yelled for him to come in. When he entered the office, he saw Lois sitting in the chair that he’d occupied earlier in the day, looking so fragile, and even serene compared to the last few times he’d seen her. Dr. Waren was sitting beside her and they were talking quietly. When Lois looked up and saw who’d entered the room, she starting screaming, “Get him out of here! I don’t wanna see him!” She was throwing looks filled with daggers at Clark and the pain he saw in her eyes scared him. Dr. Waren got up and hurried to his side. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Clark. Your presence is upsetting her and it’ll make it harder for us to work. Everything will be fine.” “Yeah, you’re right, I guess I should go. I’ll be taking a walk outside if you need me.” Clark glanced one last time at Lois before walking silently out of the room. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. He wanted to be there for Lois. Be there when she broke through, to see the light of love back in her luminous eyes. But, if he had to stay away in order for her to get through this, then he would. He strolled out of the hospital and into the pouring rain. He figured it didn’t much matter; he was still soaked anyway, and the rain was soothing as if it washed away all the bad things that happened. He sat down on a bench under a tree and tuned his superhearing into the tiny voice of his wife, only barely audible, even to him. She was talking in a small voice that Clark barely recognized and he assumed that Dr. Waren had already put her under. It was Clark’s understanding that the best way for a patient to get past subliminal messages was to be hypnotized, so, he’d agreed to that treatment for Lois. He cleared his mind and simply listened to Lois and the Doctor . . . “Lois? Are you in a safe place?” the doctor asked, her voice calm and soothing. “Yes.” “And you know that, at any time you want, you can bring yourself out of this hypnosis?” “Yes.” “What are you feeling?” She urged Lois to go on. “I . . . I feel . . . conflicted, unsure . . . afraid.” “What are you afraid of?” “I’m afraid of . . . Clark. He wants to take me away from Lex. I love Lex. I’ve always loved Lex. I--” Clark winced at her words, but forced himself to continue listening. “What were you going to say, Lois?” “I don’t know why I love Lex,” Lois said. It was such a simple statement, but one that held profound possibilities of things to come. Clark perked up at this -- at the first sign that Lois was just acting out on implanted emotions that she didn’t really feel. “Well, Lois, maybe it’d be best for you to discuss some of what you feel for Lex.” The doctor urged, thinking that if they could get Lois to see why she’d been believing she’d loved Lex, then this would be over quicker than they’d originally thought. “I . . . it just seems like the thing to do. I, well, I don’t actually *feel* anything, but, it’s like this voice in my head keeps telling me that I love Lex and no matter what I do, I can’t fight it. But--” Clark was listening intently. He had a feeling that Lois was very close to getting that man’s control out of her head. “But, what, Lois?” “But, I *don’t* love him. I never did love him.” At this realization, Lois came out of the hypnotic state, jumping up out of the chair and motioning with her hands. “I *never* loved Lex Luthor! I’ve always loved Clark. It’s always been Clark. Right >from the first . . . .” At those words, Clark jumped up off the bench and started for the hospital. “Where is he, Dr. Waren? I’ve gotta see him,” Lois asked, anxious to get to Clark, to tell him how sorry she was for everything she’d said these past few days. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was for ever getting mixed up with Lex in the first place. She’d never told him, and it was something they needed to get out in the open. “I believe he said he was going to take a walk outside.” Lois bolted out of the doctor’s office and ran down the hall, reaching the sliding glass doors that would admit her to the outside, within moments. When they slid back to grant her passage, she barely noticed the rain, all she saw was her husband, drenched to the bone, walking intently toward the hospital. She took off running and when she reached him, she launched herself into his arms. He immediately grabbed her and picked her up off the ground, spinning around with her in his arms. Within mere seconds, she was covered in rain, but it didn’t even register. She was too intent on raining kisses on Clark’s beloved face. No words were needed between them; they just reveled in the touch of each other -- the feeling of being in the arms of their soul mate once again. Lois’s lips found his and she kissed him hungrily and soon their embrace turned heated. “Lois, Honey,” Clark managed to say between kisses, “we’d better stop before I get carried away.” “I don’t wanna stop, Clark. I’ve got so much to make up to you.” She looked into his soft brown eyes -- eyes that held the other part of her soul. She saw the unfaltering love shining there and once again she was amazed at how much this remarkable man loved her. “Oh, Clark, I’m so sorry.” He cupped her face in his large hand, looking deeply into her eyes. He was relieved to again see the love that was mirrored in the velvety depths. He also saw the tears that were threatening to brim over. “Shh,” he soothed, “we’ll talk about this when we get home. You *are* ready to go home, aren’t you?” “Yeah, I am. I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.” They walked back into the hospital, arms wrapped around each other, as if they were afraid that breaking the contact would separate them forever. Lois led the way back to Dr. Waren’s office. Clark knocked quietly at the door and the doctor opened it. “I was just about to go home,” she offered. “I just . . . we just wanted to say thank you for what you’ve done. You’ve given us our life back,” Lois said, not knowing how to express what that meant to her. “There wasn’t much to do, Lois. Your love for Clark was always there, right under the surface, you just needed a little prodding to remember it.” A group of three people, two men and a woman, walked up to Dr. Waren as Clark and Lois were walking off. Lois did a double take when she got a good look at the men. “Clark, they look--” “Just like me. I know. It’s eerie.” A similar thing was happening with two of the other people that were in the hall. Cain and Maggie Waren were looking at Clark in unabashed curiosity. Clark merely nodded his head and started the walk back to Lois’s room, where they’d pick up their daughter and go home. Maggie Waren stood there, gaping at his retreating form for a while, unable to draw her eyes away from the man who looked so much like her husband. Cain pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “Maggie, it’s not nice to drool, even if the guy looks just like me.” “He doesn’t look just like you. You’re much more handsome,” she said, kissing her husband. “He does look a lot like Superman, though.” Clark hated to admit it, even to Lois, but he’d been super-eavesdropping on the conversation. He relayed it to Lois. “Well, with your hair wet, you do look like him,” Lois said and tousled his hair so that the stray lock that always fell over his forehead, found it’s usual place. “That’s better.” When they arrived at Lois’s room, Nurse Ward was proud to hear that Lois had made a complete recovery. She handed Jordan to her mother and bid her two patients farewell, wishing them a long, prosperous life together. “Well,” Lois said, “all that’s left is to go home.” “I’ll fly home and get the Jeep and meet you back here,” Clark said, knowing they couldn’t fly in the rain with Jordan. “Let’s just get a cab. I don’t wanna be away from you for a second.” “You’re going to ride with a Metro cabby to be near me? I’m flattered,” he said, grinning. “I’d do anything to be near you,” she whispered, looking up at him through her lashes. Clark put his arm around her and they walked out of the room. He shut the door, and let out the sigh of relief that he’d been holding. It was over. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:44:47 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (9/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (9/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) In the fall out shelter across town, Lex was struggling against his bonds while desperately calling into the air, in hopes that his son would hear him. “Jaxon?!” No answer. He couldn’t imagine where that . . . that *brat* could be at this most crucial moment, but it seemed that his son obviously thought he had better things to do than wait around for Lex to call. That settled something in Lex’s mind. From that day forward, he’d have no further use for his ‘son’ and if Jaxon ever tried to contact him again, Lex would do his best to have his brain erased from the computer system forever. A few more tugs and swift hand movements found Lex free from the temporary prison he’d been in and again on his feet. As he walked out of the shelter, he didn’t look back, and again, Lex Luthor faded into the night. * * * * Superman touched down in front of Metropolis’s Woodland Heights Hospital and as soon as he’d set Lois on the ground, she took off running in the opposite direction. He zipped around in front of her, held out his arms and she ran into them. “Let me go!” She yelled and passer-by started looking at their resident super hero like he was assaulting the woman he held in his arms. He spoke to the crowd. “It’s okay folks, everything’s under control. Ms. Lane is not quite herself and needs to be taken into the hospital for treatment.” Without saying anything further, he hoisted Lois up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, her head hanging upside down behind his back. He carried her into the hospital, despite her many heated protests and the numerous expletives she was muttering and when they reached the nurses’ station, all the nurses ran toward him, anxious to figure out what was going on. “Superman?” The first one who reached him asked. “Yes, Ms.--” he glanced at her name tag, “Ms. Ward. I have Lois Lane here, I believe she’s been put under some sort of mind control and been brainwashed by an escaped convict. I need to have her admitted to the mental ward for evaluation.” “Well, Superman, the only one that can do that is a next of kin.” The nurse informed him, but seeing the flailing form of Ms. Lane, the well known reporter, she offered, “but, considering her condition, I can sedate her until a family member can get here. Would that be all right?” “Oh, yes, that would be fine. As soon as you do, I’ll go get her husband.” Clark sat Lois down on her feet, but she immediately started running for the door. “Ms. Ward? I think I may have to restrain her until you can get that sedative.” Nurse Ward took in the scene of the fleeing reporter being chased by the handsome super hero, whose cape was billowing behind him, with a bit of amusement. This was probably one of the funniest things she’d ever seen in her hospital. Bringing herself out of her temporary reverie, she realized that whatever was wrong with Ms. Lane might be deadly serious and rushed to the supply room to get a vial of sedative and a syringe. She ran back out into the reception area where she saw Superman still struggling with the reporter. “I’ve got it Superman!” She said and hurried to his side. She filled the syringe with the liquid sedative and then tapped it twice. “You . . . you can’t *do* this to me!” Lois yelled and everyone in the waiting room that hadn’t already been watching the scene in rapt attention, took notice. Clark had a hard time keeping her in check even with his superpowers, so hell-bent was she to get out of his grasp and back to her supposed love. But he held on and the nurse brought the syringe down and injected the sedative into Lois’s flailing body. Within what seemed to Clark like only seconds, Lois’s eyes started to droop and he carried her over to a waiting wheelchair. “I’ll put her in a room until her husband gets here and tells us what he’d like to be done.” The nurse told him. Clark took one last look at his wife’s tear streaked face, looking deeply into the eyes of the woman he loved more than he’d ever thought he’d love anyone in his life. What he saw there scared him, but he wasn’t giving up. He loved her too much to ever give up on her . . . on them. Superman walked out of the hospital, a heavy weight on his shoulders, making his usually strong, confident form, look like a dejected little boy who’d just lost his baseball privileges. He took to the sky, flying back to Lex’s lair, ready to take out his frustrations on the skinny body of the madman. * * * * Clark arrived at the hide out on Bessolo in mere minutes, so anxious was he to get back to Luthor. When he walked into the room and found it empty, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Luthor had gotten away -- again! Clark couldn’t believe he’d been stupid enough to think that a mere cloth belt would be able to hold one of the most renowned criminals who ever lived. A whole building shattering on top of him hadn’t even been able to stop him so it really came as no surprise, now that Clark thought about it, that Lex had gotten away this time as well. ‘I let my feelings cloud my thoughts,’ he said to himself. But he realized it’d been what was necessary and if he had the entire situation to do over again, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Lois and Jordan were the two most important things to him in the world and their safety came before any deep set feelings of revenge he held against Luthor. Clark looked around the room and noticed a desktop computer on a desk with a chair in front of it, indicating it must have been Luthor’s workstation. Clark sat down in the chair and booted up the computer, marveling at Lex’s ability to have electricity in this old abandoned building. That man could *do* anything, it never ceased to amaze Clark. Clark started searching documents and programs on the computer, not sure of what he was looking for, but assuming that whatever it was, it would be something illegal. What he did find after long minutes of searching was a mind control program, that was hooked up to work on Lois’s laptop computer. “I knew it!” Clark yelled, jumping up from the table and knocking the chair over in the process. He knew that there had to be some very logical reason for Lois’s sudden change in character and he’d been right. He’d been right to believe in her, in their love. Lois would never willingly turn away from him, he should have realized that from the first. They’d been through too much and Clark *knew* as well as he knew that he was Superman that Lois loved *him.* It’d been a long time since he’d been this happy and as he rushed out of the lair and flew toward the hospital, it was with a light heart. It wouldn’t be long until he had Lois back and they could go on with their lives and enjoy being in love and having a daughter again. * * * * He landed outside the hospital yet again and darted behind a tree. After looking around to make sure that no one would see his quick change, he spun out of the suit and into his Clark clothes, then headed for the front doors of the hospital. He glanced down at his watch, it was 4 am! He’d have to call Perry soon and let him know that Lane and Kent weren’t going to be able to come into the office for a while. He also needed to call Lucy to make sure that everything was all right with Jordan, but first, he needed to get into the hospital and get some sort of treatment started on Lois. As the big glass doors slid back, admitting him into the hospital, he heard thunder in the distance. As the large doors slid soundlessly shut behind him, a heavy down pour unleashed itself >from the rain swelled clouds, drenching all of Metropolis, as lightning and the thunder that followed, lit up the night with it’s melodious display. He walked up to the nurses’ station, that he’d seen only minutes ago as Superman, thinking to himself that he and Lois had spent far too much time in hospitals over the years they’d known each other. He noticed nurse Ward talking on the phone and tried hard to keep the hint of recognition out of his eyes as he waited for her to end her conversation. When she’d finished talking, she placed the phone back in the receiver and looked up at the handsome young gentleman in front of her. “Can I help you, Sir?” She asked, careful as always to keep her voice cheerful, yet sympathetic. She met so many people who were without hope that she tried her hardest to make sure they had a kind and thoughtful nurse to deal with. “Yes, ma’am.” Clark smiled, warming to her efforts to make him feel more at ease. “I’m Clark Kent. Superman was in here a while ago and brought in my wife. When I talked to him, he said that she was under some sort of mind control and he thought I needed to have her admitted to the mental ward.” “Ah, yes, Mr. Kent. I’ve put your wife in a room where she could sleep comfortably.” She stood, walked around the counter and took Clark by the arm, noting in a far recess of her mind, how strong, but gentle this man seemed. The lovely, mixed-up girl she’d seen earlier sure was lucky. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to her room.” Clark followed the nurse down a couple of dimly lit halls, that reeked of that smell that can only be called ‘hospital.’ Though the walk was a short one, to Clark it seemed to take forever, he was so eager to get to his wife’s side. When Nurse Ward finally opened the door to a small room, Clark was relieved to see Lois sleeping soundly, curled in a ball on her side. She looked so fragile, so breakable and the sight pulled at his heart, as all thoughts of hateful words she’d said fled in the knowledge that they hadn’t been her words, but the words of a demented man, who lived for nothing but evil. Ms. Ward let go of his arm and silently went back down the hall, sensing that he needed to be alone with his wife for some time before he made the decision to have her committed. Clark inched into the room, one small step at a time, and shut the door behind him. As he got closer, he noticed the large, dark circles under Lois’s eyes, and the remnants of dried tears still on her face. Clark could honestly say, that to him, she’d never looked more radiant, more beautiful, because he knew that soon everything would be all right. ‘That is,’ he thought cynically, ‘until the next time some madman makes it his life’s goal to destroy the fragile thread of happiness Lois and I cling to so desperately.’ Sometimes he just wanted to scoop Lois and Jordan into his arms and fly away, away >from all the crime, all the evil and away from even Superman. He wanted to shuck it all and just live out the rest of his days without adversity. But he knew, as sure as he knew he loved the tiny woman who was engulfed by the size of the hospital bed, that he’d never be able to do that. The world needed Superman, as Lois had told him on so many occasions. And he realized that Lois Lane and Clark Kent needed Superman as well. He wouldn’t be the man Lois fell in love with if he gave up what he believed in just because he was afraid that one day something horrible and irrevocable might strike down someone he loved. And he *was* afraid, he begrudgingly admitted to himself. He shook his head at that thought, almost as if the mere word disgusted him. ‘If people only knew,’ he thought, letting his head fall down into his hands. If they only knew that the Man of Steel was nothing but a coward in a cape, then they wouldn’t revere him as some God sent to this planet to help, but they’d view him as nothing more than a laughingstock, someone who preached about justice and hope, but was afraid to risk emotional pain in order to have those things himself. He sat there for a long while, wallowing in the worst bout of self pity and loathing he’d ever experienced. The only thing that brought him out of it, was Lois starting to wriggle around on the bed, moaning in what seemed to be some indistinguishable pain. He took her hand in his and inwardly cringed as she cried out Luthor’s name over and over. Clark knew he had to make a decision about her treatment. He knew that even the nurse he’d talked to, Ms. Ward, had thought it best to have her committed, even though she hadn’t come right out and said it. He didn’t want to even contemplate thinking about the last time he’d had Lois institutionalized for ‘brain washing.’ Images of Maxwell Deter, who had reminded Clark so much of Lex Luthor, flashed through his mind. Lois coming into the Planet and telling everyone that she was quitting and moving to the South of France with Deter. ‘And,’ Clark laughed bitterly, ‘all that had been Lex Luthor’s fault too.’ But, he knew what had to be done. There was no use fighting it, in order for him to get Lois back, he had to do it. ‘God,’ he prayed, ‘just let her have a lady psychiatrist this time.’ And catching himself, because he wanted to be covered by this prayer for all the things that could go wrong, he added, ‘one who’s sane.’ Clark leaned over and pushed the button beside the bed that would summon the nurse and again, the kindly nurse he’d met earlier came to his aide. “How can I help you, Mr. Kent?” She asked. “I’m going to have her admitted to the psychiatric ward. Is there something I need to sign?” “Oh, yes, if you’ll just follow me back down to the reception area, we’ll get all the paperwork filled out and get treatment started as soon as possible.” Clark started for the door, but looked back one more time. “She’ll be fine, Mr. Kent. Everything’s going to be fine.” He wanted to believe that so much and made a silent vow that from that moment forward, he would. * * * * After all the necessary paper work was filled out, nurse Ward asked Clark who he’d like for a psychiatrist. “Well, that all depends.” He said, knowing full well that if one of them was named Deter, no matter if they were related to Maxwell Deter or not, he wouldn’t pick that one. He also didn’t want to trust and pick ‘the best one for the job’ again, either. Everyone knew where that had gotten them last time. “Who do you have on staff?” She glanced down at her computer screen and punched a few buttons. “We have Dr. Cook--” “Would you mind giving first names as well,” he asked, interrupting her and giving her a sheepish look. She merely tilted her head to the side and started reading again. “We have Dr. Elton Cook, Dr. Jefferson Williams, Dr. Cain Waren and Dr. Karen Waren.” At the name ‘Karen Waren’ Clark’s ears perked up, as he realized that he recognized that name. ‘That’s the doctor who helped the Alternate Lois and Clark save Lois’ s life.’ To the nurse he said, “That one. Dr. Karen Waren.” “All right, Dr. Karen, it is. I just have to tell you, Mr. Kent, you’ve made a wise choice, Dr. Karen and her brother-in-law, Cain, are some of the finest doctors I’ve ever had the chance to meet.” “Oh, I’d assumed they were married, having the same last name and all.” “No, no, Dr. Karen is married to Cain’s twin brother, Dean. Dr. Cain is married to a lovely little lady named Maggie.” Clark nodded and though he seemed to only barely be taking in what the nurse was saying, he was listening in rapt attention. He was eager to know all he could about the woman who he’d entrust with Lois’s care. “I wanted to ask you one more thing, Ms. Ward.” Clark said. “Yes? I’ll be happy to help you with anything I can.” “Do you think it’d be possible to have someone in the maternity section watch our daughter? We just had her few weeks ago and I don’t want Jordan to be separated from us too much.” “Sure, that wouldn’t be a problem at all. I’ll even look in on the wee one >from time to time, in case you need to do something while your wife is in treatment.” The friendly nurse offered. “You’re a lifesaver,” he told her and flashed a bright grin that made the nurse’s knees turn weak. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:43:57 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (6/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (6/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) In their bedroom, Lois was holding Jordan tightly to her chest and rocking her gently back and forth. Hot tears were pouring down her face and her head was pounding as the separate sides of her psyche fought over her thoughts. She knew without a doubt now that she had to leave Clark. Her mind was leading her and that’s the course it wanted to take. If she was so decided on this though, why was it breaking her heart? * * * * “So,” Lex began, rubbing his hands together in psychotic glee. “Tonight’s the night that I’ll have Lois back! You’ve done an excellent job, my son,” he said to the computer in front of him, actually meaning the words as they came out of his mouth. He *was* proud of his son -- his son had just handed the world back to him. If the system had worked so well on Lois, who he felt sure would never leave that Boy Scout of her own free will, then he shouldn’t have any problem using it on prominent figures of society to regain his position in Metropolis. “Thank you, Dad,” Jaxon said. “Now do you think we could talk to some of the people you know and see about getting my mind re-acquainted with my body?” he asked tentatively, referring to a conversation he and his father had had the night before. Lex just grinned an evil grin. “All in good time, my son. All in good time.” * * * * 348 Hyperion Avenue - 7:55 p.m. Clark was removing the burgers from the grill and trying to keep his mind on what he was doing. It was hard, to say the least. Lois had been true to her word and hadn’t stepped foot out of their room since she’d stormed out of the living room earlier that afternoon. He’d let her steam, knowing, after two years of marriage, it was much better to let her sort things out before he tried to patch them up. He planned to have a very long talk with her tonight. They needed it. Their marriage needed it. Lucy was helping him prepare dinner. She was currently chopping some lettuce for a salad. He had to smile. Even though she was trying really hard, she was as bad in the kitchen as her sister. His guests would be arriving shortly and he still didn’t know what he’d tell them to explain Lois’s very obvious absence. He figured he’d just go with the flow since he was bad enough at coming up with excuses for his Super escapades. He didn’t even want to ponder what he might come up with in the way of excuses for Lois’s not being at the dinner table. “Lucy,” he said, breaking the companionable silence they’d been working in, “you can go ahead and take the salad and the chips out to the table. I’m gonna keep the burgers warm until the guests arrive.” Lucy picked up the bowl of salad. Well, Clark grinned to himself, it sorta resembled salad except all the vegetables were just piled on top of each other and hardly mixed together. As he followed her out of the kitchen, the doorbell rang. He x-rayed quickly to see which of his guests had arrived and was surprised to see Jack. He’d expected the young man to be late and he’d had the nagging feeling he might not show at all. Frankly, he was thankful for the diversion this dinner would probably prove to be. He needed something to occupy his thoughts other than the state of his marriage. “Lucy, why don’t you get that?” Clark said, smiling slightly. He wasn’t going to push them to get together, but as his Mom always said, ‘a little helping along never hurt anyone.’ It might have done Lois and himself some good at the beginning, had they had someone pulling for them to get together. Lucy walked to the door, patting her hair down instinctively. Clark hadn’t told her who’d be joining them tonight, but she was always a little nervous when meeting new people. She opened the door slowly and then had to mentally catch herself before falling to the floor. She was met by the most beautiful, deep, chocolate brown eyes she’d ever seen. Eyes that held such courage and strength and yet gentleness in their depths. When Jack saw the vision of loveliness open the door to Clark’s house, he was afraid he’d gotten the wrong house number. He’d expected to be greeted by Clark, or even Lois for that matter, but never someone who was so . . . ravishing. “Hi--” they both said, each one turning a few shades of red, wondering if maybe the other didn’t know what they were thinking. Jack composed himself first. “I’m, um, supposed to be having dinner with the Kents. Is this their house?” he asked, hoping by some odd twist of fate this was where he was supposed to be, because he couldn’t imagine walking back down that street and never seeing *her* again. “Yeah, you’re at the right place,” she laughed nervously. “I’m Lucy Lane, Lois’s sister.” She extended her hand and his large one enveloped her small one, making it seem fragile in comparison. At the touch of their hands, an almost audible spark of electricity passed between them and in that instant they both knew that they wanted to get to know each other a lot more. Clark walked up behind Lucy, having super snooped on their conversation and thinking, if he didn’t pry them away from the door way somehow, they’d be spending the rest of the evening holding hands in the foyer. “Hey, Jack!” he said, pulling them out of their reverie. “Why don’t you come on in?” Lucy stepped back slightly so that Jack could step into the living room, but their hands didn’t separate. Neither one was quite ready to break that first contact. They realized they were holding hands about the same time and released each other nervously. Clark grinned inwardly. He’d been right. They were going to hit it off splendidly -- Martha would be proud. Clark motioned for them to make themselves comfortable on the couch while he went to make sure the dessert he’d made would be chilled for after dinner. He didn’ t actually have to chill it conventionally in the refrigerator; he just had to find some excuse to get out of the living room so that they could be alone and get better acquainted with each other. When he’d made it to the kitchen, he pulled his glasses down slightly, x-raying through the ceiling to look at his wife. God, how he missed her. He missed her touch, her voice, her smell. He missed everything about her. He had no idea what had happened or why she was acting so strangely, all he knew was that he’d done *something* to make her turn against him. He’d racked his brain for hours upon hours and hadn’t been able to come up with a single clue that would point to anything that had gone wrong between them. So, it had to be something else. He’d considered it might be Postpartum Depression and that had prompted his earlier call to Klein. If only the scientist would get back to him, maybe there’d be some light shed on the matter. She was curled up in a ball on the bed, rocking gently back and forth. He swept his glance over and saw that Jordan was sleeping peacefully in the baby bed they had in their room. He remembered the day they’d bought that extra baby bed -- the one they’d use for when the baby was sick and they didn’t want to leave the baby in the nursery. They’d been so happy, looking forward to the future, *their* future. Lois had beamed with pride and twirled around the room. Then she’d launched herself into his arms and whispered, “I love you, Clark. I love you so much and I’m so proud -- no make that honored -- to be having your child. This baby,” she’d said, placing his hand on her still flat stomach, “this baby will be . . . super. Not just because of your powers but because it’s a blending of our love.” He was pulled from further thoughts of happier times by the doorbell ringing again. He rushed out of the kitchen to see that Lucy and Jack were still talking quietly on the couch so he went and answered the door himself. As expected, it was Jimmy and his girlfriend Penny. It still amazed Clark that Jimmy had maintained, perhaps even thrived on, his relationship with the strange girl that had once confused him with Superman. Clark was also still a bit nervous around her, wondering if maybe she might be able to figure out Superman’s *real* secret identity. If she did know, she’d never let on. “Hey, CK, my man! Something smells great!” Jimmy said, walking into the living room. He’d been to Lois and Clark’s house so many times, he didn’t feel the need to wait to be invited in like Jack had. “Hey, Jim, Penny,” Clark said, nodding to each one in succession and shutting the door after Penny had come in. The young couple walked into the living room and Jimmy said, “Hey, Lucy! It ’s great to see you again.” “Hey, Jimmy!” Lucy said, getting up and walking over to hug the cub reporter. Jimmy wrapped his arms around her exuberantly. A long time ago he’d asked her out and they’d gone on a date. They’d both realized pretty early into the evening that it just wasn’t meant to be. Jimmy himself realized that he’d been a totally different person back then. He thought that she probably had been too. Lucy hugged her old friend. They’d gone out once years ago and she’d realized that’s all he’d ever be to her, just a casual acquaintance and that was fine by her. She wasn’t sure yet, but she thought she’d just met a guy she wanted to spend a lot of time with and maybe, just maybe, he’d finally be the one. The two other young people in the room were taking in the warm embrace with mixed emotions. Penny trusted Jimmy. Since they’d got all that mess fixed at the first of their relationship, she’d never had any reason to doubt another thing he’d said. But this girl, this Lucy, was making her extremely jealous. Jimmy had once told her that he’d had a crush on Lois and this girl who had her arms wrapped so snuggly around him now could easily be mistaken for a younger version of the famous reporter. Jack’s fists clenched against the fabric of the plush couch he was sitting on. To see another man with his arms around Lucy, even an old friend like Jimmy, made him see red. He’d just found her; he wasn’t about to lose her now. Jack vaguely recalled Jimmy mentioning once that he and Lucy had gone out, and this thought made him all the more jealous of the hug that was passing between them. Clark noticed the tension in the air and so clapped his hands together to break the spell before it went any farther. “Well, guys, how about we go to the dining room? Dinner’s ready and I’m starving.” “Yeah, me too, CK,” Jimmy said, releasing Lucy from his embrace. He turned to Penny and put his arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “It’s nothing, Honey,” he whispered into her ear. “Stop staring daggers at her back -- you know you’ re the one for me.” Penny flashed a bright smile at him, marveling at the fact that he knew her so well. Jimmy smiled back, hugging her closer. He knew he’d made the right decision. Penny was the woman for him. On the other side of the living room, Lucy turned to Jack as he stood up >from the couch. She noticed his crestfallen expression and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the others who were making their way into the dining room. “Jack,” she whispered, “why don’t we go out for coffee after dinner?” she asked hopefully, smiling up at him through her lashes. Jack realized at that moment that this woman could ask him to walk on water and he’d drown trying. “Sure, Lucy, that’d be nice.” They walked into the dining room holding hands and joined the others who’d already sat down and were waiting for them to begin eating. After Jack had held a chair out for Lucy, he sat down in the one beside it and inched it closer to Lucy. Clark took in the action and inwardly smiled again. He was happy for his friends and their developing relationships. He longed for the chance to be happy in his *own* relationship again. “So, CK,” Jimmy began, jump starting the conversation. “Where’s Lois?” Lucy and Clark exchanged a knowing look. They’d each been holding their breath in anticipation of this question. “Oh, um, well, she--” Clark began, faltering on the thought of lying to his friends. Admittedly, he lied to them daily about his ‘superness’ but this was somehow different. Yet, he didn’t want to admit to them that he was having a lot of trouble in his marriage, trouble that not even he understood. “Well, she . . .” Lucy started. “She’s just not feeling very well,” she said, shrugging her shoulders slightly at Clark. It wasn’t a total lie. She obviously wasn’t feeling all that well about much of anything at the moment. “That’s too bad,” Jimmy muttered. He didn’t buy that story for a second. He was no Lane, or a Kent for that matter, but even he could tell that something else was amiss. He let the subject drop, though, not wanting to push his friend further than he wanted to go. He knew Clark would tell him what was the matter in his own time -- he always did. Everyone ate in amicable silence, admiring Clark’s culinary skills. They purposely avoided mentioning Lois’s absence again, and for this, Clark was grateful. Soon their silence was interrupted by the phone ringing. The sound startled most of them and Clark rushed out of the dining room to get it. “Hello?” “Clark? This is Klein. Sorry it’s taken me so long to return your call, but after the debriefing I had to help an intern dissect this new formula that she’d run across on how to--” Clark cleared his throat, trying to bring the scientist back to the subject at hand. “Dr. Klein?” “Yes, I’m sorry. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” “Well,” Clark began. “I was wondering, do you know anything about Postpartum Depression?” “I’m no pyschologist, but that’s what some women experience after the birth of their babies. Oh, wait, I have a book about that somewhere around here. I picked up some books about pregnancy after I found out about Lois. Ah, here it is! This is what the book says about it, Clark. “Along with symptoms similar to what some refer to as the ‘baby blues,’ such as weepiness, anxiety, and inability to sleep, women may also become moody or irritable. Women with Postpartum Depression might lose their appetite or have panic attacks. Some women feel that they cannot adequately care for their baby. Others report feeling suicidal, or having negative thoughts about their baby. “Is that what you needed to know, Clark?” Clark took in the information and realized that those symptoms didn’t seem like what was wrong with Lois at all. She didn’t have any adverse feelings about the baby - just him. “Yeah, Dr. Klein. You’ve been a lot of help.” “I’ll talk to you later then, Clark.” Clark hung up the phone and joined his guests again, still puzzled over what was wrong with Lois. * * * * Lois padded out of their bedroom, taking each step gingerly, afraid that Clark might pick up the soft sounds of her socks brushing along the floor with his super hearing. She’d been off the offensive computer for hours and her own feelings were peering through the fog of demented thoughts Lex Luthor’s son had implanted in her mind. She stood at the top of the stairs. If she strained, she could just barely hear her husband’s deep voice. The sound was somehow comforting and she longed to go to him and wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything would be all right. But, there was that one nagging thought in the back of her mind that wouldn’t let her. She knew she was leaving him tonight, knew that as sure as she knew she loved him, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:45:21 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (0/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (0/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV. Any typos or editing comments should be sent to me privately. SUMMARY: Lois and Clark welcome the arrival of their daughter, while a maniacal sociopath from their past plots to take Lois and the baby away from Clark forever. Can Clark save his family, or will Lois give into the man's schemes? NOTES: You don't actually have to read the first book in this series to understand this one, because this story can stand on its own. But, after this one, it's gonna get pretty confusing if you haven't . This is the second part of my series, which began with 'When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 1: Beginning to Heal.' That story can be found at the archive or you can email me privately and I’ll send it to you as an attachment, or in multi-part email. I’ve borrowed part of a line from the movie 'Fools Rush In' because it’s a beautifully meaning line and one that I felt Lois would say *and* feel. If you’ve seen the movie, I’m sure you can pick it out. I've borrowed the idea for the name of the coffee shop in Centennial Park >from the TV show 'F*R*I*E*N*D*S' :) I consulted the script for ‘Don’t Tug on Superman’s Cape’ in order to find out what the STAR in STAR Labs stands for, it was interesting to finally figure that out. :) I consulted babycenter.com on a few things about Postpartum Depression. I’d like to thank LabRat for her help again regarding Jack, she gave me a nice little excerpt from the script that helped me with this story. Thanks go to Zoomway for filling me in on the correct spelling for ‘Bessolo Blvd.’ Thanks to Annobelle Simmonds for her help about Bobby Bigmouth. Thanks so much to Maggie for giving me the idea of how to get Lois out of the trouble she finds herself in. I’d have never resolved it without you Maggie-kins! I'd also like to thank Dawn (sorry, I don't have your last name!) for her help regarding hypnosis and other psychological things! Thanks again go to my Mom for introducing me to the show that has come to mean so much to me. Thanks to my Dad for not laughing too much at my strange hobby. I'd like to thank Irene Dutchak for her tremendous help with labor and birth issues. I’ve never had a baby, so anything that rings true goes to the credit of Irene. Thanks so much to Rachel TenHaaf for her help with so many grammatical errors that I’d missed. Also for finding more misspelled words than I’d have ever seen. Thanks to Kathy Pernisek for her willingness to answer an email from a complete stranger asking for editing help. She took time out of her hectic schedule and edited my story for me. Also, she gave me a very interesting idea for one of the scenes involving Lois. She knows what I’m talking about, but I don’t want to give too much of the plot of the story away. Needless to say, Kathy, you gave me a lot to think about, and started my brain churning. Thanks again! :) I’d also like to thank Phil Mogul for jumping head first into editing for me and sticking it out even though he didn’t always agree with how I write. Thank you, Phil, you’ve given me a new perspective on a lot of things and taught me a lot about what others are looking for in my stories. To Andrea Gidusko, for making the song "No Place That Far," which is sung by Sara Evans and Vince Gill, into an LnC video, it's helped me get through *so* many bouts with writer's block in this story, and without that video, I don't think I could have made it through putting Lois and Clark through what I have. She inspired me to incorporate that song into the subtitle of this story and one of the ending scenes. Thank you, Andrea! And, by the way, if you haven't seen that video, then you really need to; it's one of the best I've ever seen! A side note about the song: I’m not sure if it had even been released during the time frame my story takes place in, so, you’ll just have to suspend disbelief on that. :) Thanks to Erin Klingler who gave me the URL where I could find the lyrics to 'No Place That Far' and make sure I knew what I was talking about ! :) I’d like to extend my deepest thanks to Karen Ward. Karen, you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had, my mentor, my sister, and a ‘tower of strength and understanding.’ You’ve put up with my babbles, my typos, my craziness and went above and beyond the call of ‘cyber friend’ duty. I’ve never known anyone who understood me more than you do. And the mere words, ‘Thank you’ seem hardly enough for all the many things you’ve done for me and the things you’ve seen me through. Know that I’m forever in your debt and I’m just an email away. Thank you *so* much for convincing me to continue with this story and for all the many suggestions that you’ve made to make it what it is today. Without you, this story would be sitting in a trash can and my ‘Worlds’ of Lois and Clark would have gone no farther than Book 1. This story is for you. And last, but certainly not least, thanks to the many people who wrote to tell me that they’d enjoyed Book 1. Yes, if you can believe it, the long awaited sequel is *finally* through and I’ll be moving on to Book 3 soon. So thanks to: Labrat, James Tull (Mr. D8A), Melina (Snow Dolphin), Liz Alani, MSRFOLC007@aol.com, Alexis (MsLoisette@aol.com), Katie Bird, Brenda (d.arendt@worldnet.att.net), Peggy Mueller, Kathryn Ann Kent, Wendy Richards, Carla Anderson (Kasspur), and Alex Barron . Also, anyone I’ve forgotten, I'm sorry, but know that your comments were just as instrumental in seeing me go on with this series. Comments, suggestions or criticism (as long as you don’t pull out your flame throwers) are welcome PUBLICLY or PRIVATELY. You can reach me at mandyc@lcc.net . Are you still with me? If so, then here’s the story, I hope you enjoy it. * * * * denotes passing of time or change of scene >< denotes subliminal message <> denotes news bulletin # denotes voice or song on radio ---When Separate World Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far--- By Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) Our Metropolis - October 6, 1998 7:50 p.m. Lois Lane was sitting on the living room couch in the townhouse at 348 Hyperion Avenue. The T.V. was on, but she wasn’t paying much attention to it. She was absently stroking her distended abdomen, imagining the life within it. The life that she and Clark had conceived by their love. Three days ago, her due date had come and gone and she’d had nightmares of carrying their half-human, half-Kryptonian baby for years on end. However, about two hours ago, her fears were laid to rest when she started experiencing very mild contractions. When they’d first occured, she hadn’t wanted to worry Clark in case it was just a false alarm. So, she hadn’t told him. About thirty minutes after the contractions had commenced, she was nearly positive that the birth of their child was imminent. Unfortunately, by the time she had become concerned enough to tell Clark, he’d been called away on a super-emergency. Her thoughts were abruptly halted by the need to rush back to the bathroom. “This is definitely the biggest reason I won’t miss being pregnant.” She said aloud, as she struggled to hoist herself from the couch. ‘I wonder,’ she thought, ‘if I’ll ever move like a normal person again.’ As soon as she’d straightened herself up, she felt a rush of warm liquid flow down her legs. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “My water just broke!” Not knowing what else to do, she acted on an instinct acquired from many years of putting herself into life-threatening situations and yelled for the man who’d come to her rescue so many times, “Help! Superman, help!” * * * * Superman was struggling to free the last car from a thirteen car pile-up when he heard the all too familiar cry of his wife’s call for help. Fear coursed through his body at the panicked tone he heard in her voice. ‘Oh my God!’ he thought, ‘Lois!’ He took to the sky, a red and blue blur, leaving a sonic boom in his wake -- a sound that had become familiar to most everyone in Metropolis. He soared through the clouds, flying faster and harder than he ever had in his life, all the while imagining deadly scenarios that would cause his wife to call for help. Almost instantly he was home. He saw Lois standing in the middle of their living room, a look of bewilderment mixed with disbelief on her face. He rushed to her side. “Lois? Honey?” He asked, sweeping his gaze over her body, trying to determine the cause of her need of him. “Clark, it’s time. My water just broke.” She stated in a surprisingly calm voice. “I . . . um . . . well . . . we . . .” Clark was gesturing wildly, trying to figure out what to do next. “Clark, Honey, I think we need to get to the Hospital. I don’t know how much longer this baby’s gonna wait,” Lois said, her voice remaining remarkably calm. Had she not been so preoccupied with getting to the hospital, she would have found the sight of Superman amusing, as he spun around in a circle, his cape billowing out behind him, trying to figure out how to help his wife. “Yeah, you’re right, yeah, you’re absolutely right.” He said, scooping her up into his arms. “We’ll fly, slowly. This way we’ll bypass the traffic.” He carried her out to the patio and took off, flying to Metropolis Woodland Heights Hospital, where they were pre-registered. Clark purposely flew low, not wanting to put Lois or the baby in jeopardy. “Clark, I’m scared. I know, I can’t believe that I said that. ‘Mad Dog’ Lane scared of childbirth. I mean women do this everyday. I’m as brave as any other woman, so why am I freaking out?” “Lois, there’s nothing wrong with being scared -- I’m scared too.” “Really? You never told me that! You know, we’re plunging into uncharted territory. All those movies about aliens and humans reproducing. The outcome of most of those things hasn’t been good, no . . . no, hasn’t been good at all. I know, I have an overactive imagination and this is something I should have thought about a *long* time ago. I mean, you look like a normal human, there’s no reason why our baby shouldn’ t, but--” “Lois, Honey, you’re babbling.” “I know, I can’t help it. I just want everything to be okay,” she replied, her voice wavering at the thought that something might go wrong during labor. “Sweetheart, everything’s going to be fine.” When the silhouette of the hospital appeared against the sky, Clark began his descent. When he’d touched down, he rushed his wife into the emergency room. He approached the nurses’ station, ready to tell the nurse that his wife, Lois Lane, had just gone into labor. Fortunately, the nurse stopped him from making a big mistake. “Hello, Superman. Who have we got here?” Lois spoke up, realizing what had almost happened. “I’m Lois Lane -- I pre-registered two weeks ago. I’m having contractions pretty close together, actually, they feel like they’re right on top of each other. Superman was just doing me a personal favor by bringing me to the hospital. He’s going to go pick up my husband now, aren’ t you, Superman?” “Yes, I am, Ms. Lane. Congratulations on the baby. I’ll have your husband here in a few minutes.” He deposited Lois in the nearest wheelchair and again took to the sky. By the time he’d changed into Clark clothes and returned, they’d already taken Lois into the delivery room. Clark, anxious to get to his wife's side, found the nurse he'd seen earlier as Superman. As much as he enjoyed talking to his parents, and, on occasion, Lois's too, he was in too much of a hurry to take the time to call them. He approached the nurse, fidgeting with his glasses as he recalled his near slip earlier. “I'm Clark Kent, Lois Lane's husband. Could you call our parents and let them know that Lois has gone into labor?” He asked, patting around in his pockets, searching for a pen and paper. “I’ll be glad to do that, Mr. Kent,” she said, handing him a slip of paper and a pencil. He hurriedly jotted the numbers down and handed the items back to her. “Now, you need to go through those doors over there, get scrubbed and join your wife,” the kindly nurse offered. Another few minutes found Clark in blue hospital scrubs, entering the delivery room. Lois saw him come into the room and reached out her hand, needing his strength. “Clark, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it.” “I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he said and she instinctively knew he meant it. At the beginning of the pregnancy, they’d had a heartfelt talk. He’d assured her that the whole world could come tumbling down around them, but Superman was going to be with his wife when their child was born. “I must say, Mr. Kent, I didn't think you were going to make it either,” Lois's physician chimed in. “This baby is in an awful hurry! In fact, I don't think I've ever witnessed this rapid a delivery. And, might I say, you arrived just in time. This baby isn't going to wait any longer.” He then turned his attention back to Lois. “Lois, I'm gonna need you to start pushing.” Clark leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You can do this, Lois. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.” “Push, Lois,” the doctor urged. Lois bore down and grunted as the intensity of the pain increased. The sensation was strangely satisfying and though she wanted to scream, she couldn’t seem to find the air. “That’s enough right now, Lois. Wait just a minute,” the doctor added. “Oh God, Clark,” she gasped. “This is hard!” “I know, Baby, I know,” he whispered next to her ear. He was having trouble keeping the emotion he was feeling out of his voice. Things continued in a similar manner for what seemed like an eternity to Lois and Clark. Every cry of pain from Lois caused a wrenching sensation in Clark’s chest, as if his heart was being torn to shreds. Seeing Lois in so much pain made him wish he could exchange places with her. “Okay, Lois. Just one more big push should do it,” the doctor finally said. “Come on, Honey. You’re doing a great job. I’m so proud of you,” Clark added. Finally, mingled with Lois’s cries of pain, came the cries of the newest addition to the Kent family. “Lois and Clark, you have a beautiful baby girl.” The doctor handed the squalling infant to Lois. Over the tiny head of their daughter, Clark’s eyes met those of his wife. “I love you, Lois.” “I love you, Clark.” * * * * Metropolis Woodland Heights Hospital - Room 219 - 10:35 p.m. Two sets of grandparents and a proud father mingled around Lois’s bed, anxious to get a glimpse of the precious child she held in her arms. “Well, kids, what did you name her?” Martha, never one to sit back and wait, asked the question uppermost in everyone’s mind. “It took us forever to decide on a name we both liked. For two people that are usually so in sync, we sure have different taste in names.” Lois said, still amazed that she’d gotten Clark to decide on the one she liked the best. She was proud that her daughter would bear a name that honored her paternal grandfather. She had also felt very pleased that they had found a way to include ‘Lane’ in the name. “We wanted something to reflect *all* of our families,” Clark added. Only Martha and Jonathan caught the meaning of that cryptic remark. The name would reflect the Kents, the Lanes, and Jor-El and Lara -- the couple who’d so selflessly made all of this possible when they’d sent their infant son out into the cold universe to save his life. “Everyone, say hello to Jordan Delaney Kent,” Lois proudly presented her daughter. “Princess, that’s a beautiful name,” Sam said. “I think it sounds too much like a boy. No one is ever going to know that she’s a girl. Just what we need, another tomboy in the family. Trust Lois, though -- she’ s always had to be different.” Ellen added her opinion, much to everyone’s chagrin. “I think it’s perfect and so is she,” Jonathan chimed in. “Me too,” Martha added, tears clouding her vision. At one point in her life, Martha had thought she’d never have a child. Now, here she stood with her son, daughter-in-law and her beautiful granddaughter. Clark didn’t share her blood, but she couldn’t have loved him more if he had been a child of her own body. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:44:13 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (7/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (7/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) Clark sensed rather than heard Lois’s presence on the stairs. He wanted to rush to her side and plead for her to forgive him and wrap his arms around her, letting their love wash away all the pain. He knew that at that moment, all of that was impossible. Something had changed between them. He continued carrying on a conversation with his guests, but he was only half paying attention to them. He could *feel* her, feel her confusion, her pain. When he heard her soft footsteps tread carefully back to their room, he wanted to follow her. Dinner ended before he really even realized it had happened and soon his young callers were starting to leave. “CK, dinner was superb. I haven’t had a burger that good in ages,” Jimmy gushed. He could tell his friend wasn’t with them though. Clark was with Lois wherever she was. “Yes, Clark,” Penny said, “thanks so much for inviting me.” Lucy spoke next. “Clark, Jack and I are going out for coffee. Will everything be okay?” She asked him, wanting to assure herself that Clark and Lois were going to fare well. “Yeah, Lucy, everything will be fine.” After Clark had shut the door behind them, he turned to go upstairs. He stopped just at the bottom, with his right foot on the first step. It’d been easy to think about talking with Lois about their problems, but actually walking upstairs and starting the conversation seemed to Clark like the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. It’d have been much easier had he understood what he’d done. One minute he and his wife had the perfect marriage, the perfect relationship, and the next everything had shattered and fallen at his feet. Something was going on . . . if only he could figure out what. He took the first tentative step and with each surface his foot connected, he gained strength until he found himself at the top of the stairs and then in front o f their door. His sensitive hearing picked up the faintest sound and he heard that she was crying. Almost silent tears, but tears that seemed to come from deep within her soul and pull at that part of him that was celestially connected to her. Each sob he felt inside him and the tears felt like icy knives cutting through his heart. He inched the door open and saw her lying in a fetal position on their bed, rocking gently back and forth. Her back was turned to him so he couldn’t see her face. He went to the bed and sat down gently on his side and touched her arm. “Lois--” She jumped at his touch, like she’d been burned by the contact of his skin meeting hers. “Don’t touch me.” She said, her voice hoarse from the hours of crying. “Lois, we need to talk.” He tugged on her shoulder until she’d turned over onto her back and he could see into her eyes. Those eyes he’d always loved, always been mesmerized by, were full of the deepest anguish he’d ever seen in any living thing. To think that he’d caused her that kind of pain by something he couldn’t even remember doing, wounded him to the very depths of his soul. He’d rather die than cause her any pain, and it took every ounce of strength he held in his magnificent body not to leave her now in an attempt to make her happy again. “Clark,” she began, “please, I don’t want to talk to you. I’m going downstairs to fix something to eat. I’d really rather you not follow me.” She got off the bed and started towards the door. “There’s no sense in fighting it, Clark” she said, turning back to face him. Looking into his eyes, those deep brown pools of light, she almost lost her nerve. But, she was under the influence of a strong subliminal message and no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t quite shake it. “I don’t love you anymore.” Clark’s worst fear had just become a reality. She’d finally decided he was just too different, the thought of being married to an alien had finally pushed her past the point of revulsion. For, that was what he saw in her eyes. She was repulsed by his presence. In a last effort to salvage the joyous times they’d had together he pleaded, “Lois, please, that can’t be true--” his voice broke at the end as quick tears came to his eyes. He fought them back, wanting her to say how she truly felt and not be moved by his emotion. “It is true, Clark.” She walked out the door and shut it behind her. Stunned, Clark fell back onto their bed. The Man of Steel felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him. He lay there for what seemed like hours, every now and then x-raying through the floor to see what Lois was doing. She’d fixed some of the salad and was sitting on the couch working on the computer. The thought flitted through his mind that she’d been using it a lot more recently than she usually did. With all the other things on his mind, he was unable to draw a connection between her computer usage and her odd behavior. His head shot up off the bed as he heard many voices raised in terror. Superman was needed. He wrestled with the urge to stay with her or go help what he could tell were hundreds of people somewhere across town. His super instincts won out, because it seemed that whatever disaster was evolving was horrendous. He spun into the suit, took one last look down at his wife and Superman took to the sky. * * * * Lois was typing away at the computer, even though she was sure she had no desire whatsoever to use it. >Go to the corner of Bessolo and Grey, there you will meet your love, Lex Luthor< In an action akin to that of what her husband did when he was needed, her head shot up and she jumped off the couch and frantically ran up the stairs. She had thought to see Clark lying on the bed in their room and had he been there, he could have stopped her >from making a terrible mistake. But, his absence further pushed her away >from him and she furiously threw clothes in a suitcase and then hurried down the hall to Jordan’s room and threw some clothes in a diaper bag, sweeping the sleeping infant up into her arms. She ran down the stairs and looked around the living room for a piece of paper. When she’d found one, she scrawled a note to Clark and left it in a place she was sure he’d see it when he came back from wherever he’d gone. She then walked out of the door of 348 Hyperion Avenue, never once looking back and started the walk to Bessolo and Grey to meet her love. * * * * Clark was desperately trying to clear occupants out of the Lexor Hotel. A raging fire burned through the building and it had spread quickly, before they’d even had the chance to evacuate one person. Suddenly, he felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest, like he’ d lost something that could never be replaced. He mentally shook himself and went back to work, not knowing that he’d just lost his wife and daughter, the two most important people in his life. * * * * The walk to the meeting place took next to no time and soon she could see the silhouette of Lex Luthor. He stepped into the beam of a street light and she could see his smiling face. He glanced quickly around him, always mindful that he was a wanted fugitive and could never be too careful. “Hello, Lois, my love,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. The sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. He looked down at the baby in her arms. “Hello, beautiful,” he said, “say hello to Daddy.” At his last words Lois felt as if a knife had been viciously slammed into her chest. “Come with me, my darling,” Lex said, taking her hand and leading her to an almost invisible door in the pavement. Had the door not been open, it would have been impossible to see it. She followed him down a long staircase into a dimly lit corridor and finally they came to a room that looked as if someone had been living there. She finally found her voice. “Where are we, Lex?” “This is my temporary abode, my dear. Only until I can rise to power again and then I shall shower you with all the worldly goods your heart can fathom.” He led her to the corner of the room where there was a baby bed. It was a simple bed, hardly adorned and didn’t look that sturdy. “This is where our child will sleep, Lois.” He looked at her then, trying to gauge her reaction to him referring to the baby in their arms as ‘theirs.’ A guarded look crossed her face as she laid Jordan in the bed. “Thank you, Lex, for thinking of . . . Jordan.” She said, unable to bring herself to say the child was his. Jordan was one of the main things Clark had wanted out of life and it hurt her beyond words to be taking her away from her father. But Lois loved Jordan too, and couldn’t see leaving the baby with Clark. Lex took her hand again and the more he touched her, the easier it began for her to enjoy his presence. That part of her brain that had been influenced started taking over and she slowly became the woman Lex wanted her to be. “So, Lex, do you happen to have something more comfortable I could change into?” She asked coyly, lowering her lashes in a flirtatious manner. Lex was startled by her change in demeanor. He decided not to question it however, he was too pleased with her almost willingness to be with him. “Yes, my love.” He took her hand again and led her to a side room, that she could tell he used as a closet. It was bare, save for a few men’s clothes and almost garish women’s attire. Lois selected a robe, lined with imitation fur. She turned to Lex. “Would you be so kind as to allow me to change in private?” She asked. The voice was not her own, but more a mechanical incarnation of it. She couldn’t figure out why she’d asked the man she loved to leave the room while she changed, but she just didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of taking her clothes off in front of Lex. It seemed that every fiber of her being was on Red Alert. She didn’t understand it. She felt uneasy and repulsed at the very thought of being alone, in a room, with Lex; yet every thought in her war-torn mind urged her to stay. All she could think of was Lex, loving Lex, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why. When she’d slipped the robe on after taking off her clothes, the transformation was almost complete. She didn’t resemble Clark Kent’s wife when she walked out of that closet, she looked more like the long ago alter ego she’d taken on, Wanda Detroit. “My dear, you look stunning.” Lex said when he saw her. He was lying on the bed, the only furnishing in the room except a beat up table, computer and one chair. “Come, join me,” he said, indicating the empty space next to him. She walked over and sat down on the bed, gingerly, feeling out of place crawling into bed with anyone except her husband. She scooted closer to Lex and before she could lay her head on his chest, he captured her mouth with his. It was a rough kiss, full of domineering passion and Lois was loathe to respond to it until that part of her brain kicked in that wouldn’t give her a choice. She kissed him with what to him must have felt like pent up desire, but was really desperation. They clung to each other like that for long minutes before Lois pulled herself away and laid her head on his chest. Her mind was whirling, and she was having a hard time focusing on anything because her vision was blurred. The familiar feeling of a war going on within her head overtook her again and she closed her eyes in fear. She couldn’t figure out what was happening to her. “Lex?” She asked. “Yes, my pet?” “Tell me about what our life will be like together, where will we live?” “Well, I thought we would go to the Alps. There I could hide out and set up a shell company to start regaining some of my power.” “We’re going to leave Metropolis?” “That’s what I had in mind. The boy in blue won’t rest until he’s found us and I want to be as far away from here as I can get, to make that harder on him.” Lois shivered at the thought of leaving Metropolis forever. * * * * At the Centennial Perk, a small coffee shop on the outskirts of the park, Jack and Lucy were sharing a large cup of coffee and talking quietly about their pasts. “So, Lucy, what do you do now?” Jack asked, curious to know how she spent her days. “Well, I just came back to Metropolis. I’m joining the Metropolis Police Department in the morning.” “You’re what?!” Jack exclaimed. “I’m a cop, Jack,” she said as calmly as she could. “I’m starting with the force in the morning.” “Women shouldn’t *be* cops,” Jack ground the words out, worried about this fragile girl he’d just met being exposed to the criminal life of Metropolis. “Women can *be* cops and they *are* cops, Jack!” she retorted. Throwing her napkin down on the table, she got up. “You’re not who I thought you were, if you’ re closed minded enough to say something so . . . so . . . chauvinistic.” She rushed out of the cafe and Jack wanted desperately to go after her. But, he wasn’t used to relationships or how to deal with women, so he decided against it. He paid the bill and headed home. * * * * Clark stumbled into his house through the front door. The hours of exertion with the fire at the Lexor, having sapped nearly all of his strength. He didn’t know that deep in the walls of the Lexor, Lex Luthor had stored Kryptonite years ago and through the smoke >from the fire, he’d been exposed to hours of Kryptonite laced fumes. “Lois!” He called after he shut the door. “Lois!” He called again, needing her presence, needing her to walk down the stairs and tell him that everything was going to be okay. Tell him that there really *was* nothing he could have done to save those two babies that had inhaled so much smoke that it had killed them. But, as expected, he was only met with Lucy rushing down the stairs to see if he was all right. In his haste to get home, he’d forgotten to change out of the ‘suit’ and when Lucy rushed into the living room, she was met with Superman sprawled on her sister’s floor. “Superman?!” She exclaimed, bringing him out of the trance he’d fallen into and saving him from making yet another mistake with his ‘secret’ identity. “What are you doing here?” “I . . . um,” he stuttered, “Lois and Clark let me stay here when I need to rest. Do you think you could help me over to the couch?” He asked. “Sure, Superman.” She said and bent down and helped him lift himself off the floor. She guided him to the couch where he collapsed in a heap. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Superman?” she asked. She’d never spent much time around Superman, so she’d never had the chance to get over the initial awe of meeting the man so many people revered as a god in tights. “No, Lu--” He caught himself, realizing Superman probably didn’t know Lois’s sister’s name. Lucy didn’t seem to notice. “No, I’ll be fine.” “Okay,” she said, reluctant to disagree with the superhero despite her reservations. She hurried back up the stairs to her room where she’d been having mixed feelings about her ‘date’ with Jack. Clark laid there for a moment, trying to compose himself. He couldn’t imagine what had happened, no other rescue had ever taken this much out of him unless he’d been exposed to Kryptonite. Pulling his thoughts away from his physical dilemma, he tried to x-ray through the ceiling to see what Lois was up to. Though his x-ray vision wasn’t functioning too well, he saw almost instantly that she was gone and that she ’d taken Jordan with her. He rolled off the couch, trying to stand but his legs wouldn’t support his weight. He fell back down and as he did, he noticed a note lying on the coffee table. He picked it up, already suspicious of what it said. But nothing could have prepared him for what the note really said. Dear Clark: I’m leaving you. I’m going to be with the person I’ve always wanted to be with. Lex has contacted me and now we can be together forever. Jordan is coming with me. Don’t try to find us. The note wasn’t signed. Clark crumpled the paper in horror. If Lois was going to ‘be’ with Lex, and Lex was dead, did that mean she was going to kill herself and Jordan in order to be with that psychopath? But then the thought occurred to him that maybe Lex *wasn’t* dead after all. The tests that had been done on the rubble where he’d supposedly died had always been inconclusive and Clark had always held the thought in the back of his mind that this one hated enemy would rise again to cause him further heartache. He realized he was really in no shape to go out and look for Lois and Jordan, but he couldn’t just lay around while his wife and daughter were in the hands of that maniac. So, he walked out of the door and started looking for them on foot, the only way he was capable of at the moment. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:43:27 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (4/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (4/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) * * * * Lex was pacing around the room, a look of joy and underlying evil on his face. He clapped his hands together excitedly, “So, Jaxon, you’re telling me that Lois has already started turning away from Clark?” “Yeah, Dad, I’ve been monitoring and from what I’ve been able to hear, she’ ll hardly speak to him and she won’t let him touch her. The story she’s working on is keeping her on the computer a lot. I’ve been spending a lot of time there, making sure the system is working to the fullest capacity.” “Keep up the work, Son, but *don’t* ever run the system when Clark is using the computer.” “But we could make him leave her, Dad.” “No questions! Do *not* use the system on Kent. Now go, she may be using the computer and you’re here wasting time.” * * * * Clark was tossing and turning on the couch, gripped in the throes of a terrible nightmare. In his dream, Lois was dressed in the wedding gown she’d bought for their first wedding. She took off her wedding ring and handed it to Clark. A shadow in the shape of a man came and took Lois’s hand. She started speaking in a voice Clark didn’t recognize. “Goodbye, Clark Kent . . . Kal-El . . . Superman. I’ll be taking Jordan and you’ll never see either of us again. I’m with the man I’ve always loved now, the only one I’ve ever loved.” Then Clark heard male laughter that sent chills up his spine -- laughter that’d be recognizable to Clark for the rest of his life -- the laughter of Lex Luthor. * * * * A similar thing was happening in their bedroom. Lois was caught in a dream. She saw herself in a wedding gown, the one she’d worn at her wedding to Lex. The emotions she felt now were much different than the ones she’d felt on the original day. She was ecstatic. She was marrying the man she loved. She walked down an elegant staircase and saw Lex at the end of an aisle waiting for her. She walked into his waiting arms and the minister started the ceremony. “Lois Lane? Do you take Lex Luthor to be your husband . . .” In the background she heard sobbing. Crying that came from deep inside a broken person. Crying that pulled at her heart and made her feel deep anguish. The crying of Clark Kent. * * * * Clark sat straight up and wiped the tears from his eyes. ‘Why would I dream about Lois and Lex?’ he thought to himself. He decided he needed some time to relax, spun into the suit and took to the sky, trying to shake the image of Lois with Lex. * * * * Lois sat straight up in bed, the memory of her dream fresh in her mind. She got out of bed and began pacing around the room. Her head was aching, the conflicting emotions swirling in her mind. The part of her that loved Clark was fighting against the part of her that’d been brainwashed into wanting Lex. And unfortunately, the part that wanted Lex was winning out. * * * * Clark was at the Planet by 5 a.m. the next day. He’d been out flying all night and hadn’t wanted to go home - there was nothing there for him now. He was the first one in the office, Perry hadn’t even made it in yet. He was enjoying the quiet, enjoying the feeling of not being unwanted. He passed the time writing up the stories of Superman’s rescues >from the night before. Putting his solitary by-line on each one and all the while feeling further separated from Lois. Perry entered the newsroom about an hour after Clark. “Judas Priest, Son, what are you doing at work so early? You and Lois have a fight?” “Actually, yeah, and I have no idea what it was about.” Perry chuckled. “Do we ever really know what a fight’s about?” “Not really,” Clark said. “I sent three stories to your computer about Superman.” “When’d you see him? It’s pretty early to be getting stories.” Clark faltered on the lie. “He stopped by . . . early this morning. Told me all about it. Lois was still asleep, so it was one of those rare occasions that I land a Superman exclusive.” “So what’s going on with the baby snatching case?” “I’m meeting with an officer at 9:00 this morning to find out what’s going on. They haven’t been able to find any files on the cases, even though the mothers all reported the babies missing.” “Well, that sounds like a good place to start.” “I think so, Chief.” “Well, that’s good, Son. Keep up the good work.” He patted Clark on the back. “I’ll see you later.” Clark watched the retreating form of his editor until he was sure that Perry would be out of hearing distance. He picked up the phone and dialed the number for STAR Labs. A cheery voice picked up the phone. “Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories. How may I direct your call?” “I need to speak to Dr. Klein, please.” “One moment.” The line switched to the ‘Twilight Zone’ theme and Clark rolled his eyes. STAR Labs was a pretty ritzy facility, but they always had the worst hold music he’d ever heard. He was saved from hearing much more of it by the cheery woman coming back on the line. “I’m sorry, Sir. Dr. Klein is giving a debriefing to some staff members and won’t be able to take your call. Would you like to leave a message?” “Yes, please. Tell him that Clark Kent called. Could you also tell him that if he’s unable to get back to me at work, he’s welcome to call me at home? I really need to speak with him.” “I’ll tell him, Mr. Kent. Thank you and have a nice day.” The opposite line clicked off and Clark sat the phone back down in its cradle. He let his head fall into his waiting hands as the despair of his life washed over him. * * * * At the townhouse, Lois was in Jordan’s room just watching her baby sleep. It was a very relaxing activity, she’d come to find out over the last few weeks, and right now, she needed to relax. She didn’t know where the sudden feelings for Lex had come from, but they’d overtaken her sometime earlier that morning. She couldn’t get his face out of her head, she kept hearing his voice calling her name. She knew that she must find him -- knew that wherever he was, dead or alive, she had to see him again, to tell him how she felt, how she’d always felt. She figured he wouldn’t have her. He’d be angry about all the times she’d thwarted his plans and run away with Clark. But, she had to try. She knew that now. The whole thing with Clark had been a farce, a bad mistake she’d made in order to impress other people, the voice inside her head kept telling her. She strolled down to the living room, figuring she needed to get some work done. She noticed the laptop was still on and that the code had been broken. She realized Clark must have done that when she kicked him out of their room last night. It was typical of him, to use his Super abilities to cut corners. The page the code had accessed confirmed her suspicions about Henson’s Groceries. All the babies that Kaylah had told her about were up for auction at enormous prices. She noticed another name on the page that caught her attention. Ellias Turner. Now, where had she heard that name before? * * * * 9:00 a.m. Daily Planet A handsome young man in his early twenties exited the elevators of the world famous Daily Planet newsroom and was taken aback by how little it had changed in the years since he’d been there. Could it have really been only five years? His mind just couldn’t fathom that time as he looked at all the familiar people scurrying around, working to meet the deadline. He noticed his once good friends, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent, bent over their desks, each probably struggling to put the finishing touches on some story full of corruption. He had an appointment to meet with Clark today about some kidnapping cases. Wouldn’t everyone be surprised to see how he’d turned his life around? He was a bit hesitant about making the first few steps to Clark’s desk. He’d always admired Clark and he felt guilty now about leaving and not telling him where he’d gone. There was only one way to get past that, he realized, and he took the first steps in that direction. When he reached Clark’s desk, Clark was on the phone and didn’t have the chance to look up at the new arrival. So, Officer Overstreet, Jack, just Jack as he’d once been known, sat down to wait. Before long, Clark hung up the phone and looked his visitor directly in the eye. It was a habit he had, Jack remembered, and one that had bothered him when they’d first met and he felt he had so many things to hide. But this time, Jack looked Clark squarely in the eye, waiting for the anticipated reaction to his reappearance. “Jack?!” Clark exclaimed. Then noting Jack’s police attire, he said, “You’ re the officer I’m supposed to meet with about that kidnapping case?” “Yeah,” Jack grinned sheepishly. “Where have you been? When you left, I was so worried about you, I looked everywhere, but with only your first name to go by, it was next to impossible to find you. How have you been?” “Well, I didn’t go far. I wandered the coast for a while and finally settled down and went to the Police Academy. I’ve been doing great and always meant to come here and see you again, but didn’t know what your reaction would be if I had.” “It’s great to see you, Jack, really. I’m so glad that things have turned around for you -- you’ve deserved it for a long time.” “I’m just relieved you’re not mad.” “I’d never be mad, Jack.” They sat there a moment in companionable silence before Jack noticed Lois and Clark’s wedding picture on his desk. “You *married* Lane?” “Yeah, about two years ago.” “I always knew you were head over heels for her, but she really didn’t seem to pay that much attention to you. She always seemed sorta bossy to me.” Jack said, with a sheepish grin. He was, after all, talking about Clark’s wife. “Yeah, she did come over that way to a lot of people and it took a while to make her notice me, but she came around.” A stricken look crossed Clark’s face at the thought of happier times with his wife. Jack noticed, but pretended he didn’t. “Well, I’m very happy for you.” “Thanks. Have you got anyone special in your life?” Clark asked, and the younger man turned three shades of red. “No, um, I haven’t really had that kinda time, you know. I’ve been focusing on my career.” Clark was forming an idea in his head and, even with all the problems he was having at home, said anyway, “How about coming over for dinner tonight?” “Well, sure, yeah, I’d love that, Clark!” Jack beamed, glad to know that he hadn’t lost Clark’s friendship. Across the newsroom, Jimmy Olsen glanced up from his desk as he heard Clark laugh loudly. The man that was sitting with his back to Jimmy held a familiar air, so he decided to go see if it was someone he knew. When he’d reached Clark’s desk, and taken in the identity of his guest, he exclaimed, “Jack?!” “Jimmy!” Jack said, getting up to shake his hand. “It’s so good to see you, man. When you disappeared, I was really worried.” “Oh, well, sorry about that.” Jack noticed that his old friend looked somewhat different than he’d remembered. “You’ve changed a lot, Jimmy. Hope you don’t mind me saying that.” “Oh, no, I don’t mind, you’re right though, I went through some major changes just after you left.” “Jimmy, I just asked Jack if he’d like to come to dinner tonight. Do you think you and Penny could make it?” Clark asked. “Yeah, Clark, I’m pretty sure we could, we were going to do something together tonight, but we didn’t really have plans. I’ll go give her a call.” “Which reminds me,” Clark said, “I’d better call Lois and run this by her. Excuse me for a moment Jack.” “Sure, no problem.” Clark picked up the receiver of his phone and pressed the speed dial for his home number. His wife picked up and his heart started beating faster, remembering all too well the last time he’d talked to her. “Lane here.” “Lois, it’s Clark.” “Oh, hi.” she said, dejectedly. Clark closed his eyes and stilled himself for what was sure to be a difficult conversation. But, he plunged ahead, trying not to be daunted by his wife’s frigid behavior. “I wanted to let you know that I’ve invited some guests over for dinner tonight, Lois.” “What? Clark--” “Just listen to me a second, Lois. An old friend of mine has come back into town and I’m bringing him home for dinner. Jimmy and Penny will be joining us too.” He’d never taken such a controlling attitude with Lois before, but considering the circumstances, he really didn’t know what else to do. “Who’s the friend? Some hack from that rinky-dink hole in the wall you hail from?” she asked, her voice dripping with spite. “No, Lois, it’s Jack. You remember him, I’m sure, he worked at the Planet around the time you almost married that maniacal sociopath, Luthor.” Clark spat the name out spitefully. He hadn’t wanted to get angry with Lois but the way she was acting, brought it out. At the mention of Lex’s name, Lois became more angered. “Well, Clark, maybe I should have! So, it’s that sniveling little ruffian that robbed you? You’re bringing a thief into our home with our newly born child? How typical of you, Clark, really. That do-gooder attitude of yours is sure more than I can handle. Don’t expect me to cook. If you want them fed, you take care of it.” “That’s just fine, Lois. Besides, I wouldn’t want to poison my friends with your cooking anyway.” He knew the last remark was caustic and childish, but she’d really pushed him as far as he could go. “Fine!” she yelled and slammed the phone down. Clark simply set the receiver back in the cradle and turned to see where Jack had wondered to. He saw him standing outside Perry’s office, probably contemplating whether or not it would be smart to reacquaint himself with the Editor in Chief. Clark got up, walked over to him, and placed his hand on Jack’s back. “Come on, let’s go in and show the Chief how well you’ve done for yourself.” Clark opened the door and almost had to push Jack into the office. “Chief, you remember Jack that used to work here, don’t you?” “Great Shades of Elvis, Son, look at you! Sure, I remember him, Clark. I see you’ve cleaned yourself up a bit. Boy, I’m proud of you!” The Editor beamed at the young man. Jack became flustered. He’d always respected the older man, though he’d been loathe to show it when he’d worked for the Planet. “Well, um . . . thank you, Sir.” “I’d offer you your old job back, but it looks like you’ve got that handled. Are you enjoying working for the MPD?” Perry questioned, still having a hard time taking in that the young man who’d been a bur under his saddle had now taken a job with the Metropolis Police Department. “Oh, yes, Sir, it’s been a great experience so far. In fact, Inspector Burke sent me here today to get some information about some kidnappings that Clark had called to check on. I’ve done quite a bit of sniffing around down at the precinct, but haven’t been able to find anything remotely resembling the things that Clark had mentioned.” “Well, then, I guess I should let you two get to work. Thanks for stopping in to see me, Jack. I’m really proud of how you’ve come around.” Perry stuck his hand out and shook the younger man’s hand vigorously. “We’ll be in the conference room, Chief.” Clark spoke up as he escorted Jack out of the office. When they’d settled themselves in the conference room, Clark started relaying the information that Lois had given him about the missing babies. Jack took notes furiously, every now and then shaking his head and mumbling some things that were barely audible even to a Super-ear. Clark agreed with everything he was saying though, because the younger man was marveling at how such a large case had slipped right through the cracks in the system. “Well, Clark,” Jack stood up after their meeting, “I think I have enough information to at least begin an investigation. I’ll let you know what I come up with. I guess I’d better be going.” “Ah, you’re not getting off that easily. I asked you to dinner tonight and I mean to see that you come.” “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot,” Jack said, though he’d really tried to purposely get out of it. He hadn’t been in a ‘family’ setting in so long, he really didn’t think he’d be comfortable. “Lois and I live at 348 Hyperion Avenue. Dinner’ll be ready at 8.” “I’ll be there!” Jack said and rushed to catch the elevator that had just opened. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:42:08 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (10/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (10/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) Metropolis Woodland Heights Hospital - Room 119 6:57 a.m. Clark was glancing around at the new room they’d just moved Lois into, pondering how different things were between he and Lois from when they’d had Jordan. Lois was sleeping again, she’d woken up only briefly and being very confused by her surroundings, had tried to escape. Dr. Waren had prescribed more sedative until such time she could examine Lois. Clark picked up the phone from the bedside table and sat it in his lap. He figured he had quite a few calls to make, and now seemed as good a time as any. The first number he dialed, after checking the time on his watch, was the Daily Planet. He thought that Perry would already be in the office, as he usually made it in by 6 a.m. everyday. Even if Clark couldn’t talk to Perry, he could leave a message for him and that would at least be one thing out of the way. After a few rings, a gruff voice picked up the phone. “Daily Planet?” “Perry?” “Yeah, this is Perry. Clark, Son, is that you?” The elder gentleman asked, concern starting to creep into his voice as he thought of what could cause one of his star reporter’s to call into work at this hour. “Yeah, Perry, it’s me.” Clark said and paused a minute, trying to string together his thoughts before going on. At the sound of his editor’s voice, Clark almost gave into the tide of emotions he’d so studiously held back. He hadn’t let himself break down, had actually never given into his emotions and had a good cry, but just hearing the emotion and concern in Perry’s voice almost did him in. “What’s wrong? What’s the matter?” Perry asked, almost afraid of what he might hear this time. So many things had gone wrong for the two young people he considered his surrogate children, that usually it came as no surprise anymore when one more thing happened. But, after all they’d been through, Perry’s heart still almost burst every time he found out something else had been done to Lois or Clark. “Well, Perry, it’s a long story and I’m not sure just where to start.” “Just start from the beginning, Son, and go from there.” “A couple of days ago, heck, I’m not sure what day it is now so I’m not really sure when all this started--” “Son, you’re starting to babble, just like Lois.” Perry pointed out with a hint of amusement. Clark laughed, for the first time in days, a real laugh, from deep within. He proceeded to tell Perry about Lois’s strange behavior and subsequent ‘kidnapping’ by Lex Luthor. “Well, Son, don’t you think we oughta print up a story about all this? Let the world know that Lex Luthor is alive and still at large?” “You know, Chief, I hadn’t even thought of that until now. You’re right though, we should do that. Do you think you could come up with something from what I’ ve told you, Perry? I think I’m just too close to this story to be able to look at the whole thing objectively.” “Yeah, Son. I’ll have it in the morning edition. Maybe Lex is still around and someone will spot him.” “Thanks, Chief. I’ll keep you posted on Lois’s condition.” “You do that. And tell her we love her, that is, when she’ll wanna hear it.” Clark hung up the phone, contemplating calling Lucy. He wasn’t sure if it’d be too early. Then it hit him! Lucy had to go to work today! He picked up the phone again and hastily dialed his home number. It wasn’t long before a very groggy voice answered the phone, a voice that sounded so much like Lois’s when she woke up that it was uncanny. “He’o?” She mumbled, her brain not yet ready to form the entire word, especially after a night taking care of her sister’s baby, a baby who was none too pleased to be drinking refrigerated breast-milk. “Lucy? It’s Clark.” She came fully awake, finally getting someone on the line who she could voice her frustrations to. “Where in the *world* have you been, Clark? I love Jordan and I love my sister, but I’m really not cut out to take care of a baby. Especially, when I have no idea where the parents are, or when they’ll be back, or if they’re dead or--” “Lucy?” He asked, almost dumbfounded by the similarity to Lois when she went off on one of her tangents. “Yeah?” “You’re babbling.” “Don’t tell me I’m babbling. I *know* I’m babbling. Where’s Lois? Is she all right? Why haven’t you called me before now?” She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, “Omigod! I have to be at work in an hour and forty-five minutes! What can I do with Jordan? Where are you?” Clark just listened to Lucy, as he’d learned on so many occasions with Lois, that was really all that was needed when a Lane woman went into what Clark referred to as ‘babble mode.’ He knew that as soon as she wore down, he’d have his chance to talk. When he found a break in her conversation, he piped up, “We’re at Woodland Heights Hospital. I’ve had Lois admitted. Lex Luthor had her under mind control and we need to get her deprogrammed.” “Oh, God, Clark that’s awful! Is she going to be all right?” “Yeah, everything’s going to be fine, Lucy. Do you think you could bring Jordan by here on your way to work?” “Sure, Clark, Woodland’s just right down the road from the precinct. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Oh, I meant to tell you the next time we talked, your Mom called and left a message on the machine, she wanted you to call her. Bye!” As soon as Lucy’d hung up the phone, Clark clicked the button that would disconnect the line again and dialed the number for his parents in Smallville. Before one ring could sound though, he slammed the phone down, realizing that it was a couple of hours earlier where his parents were and even though life on the farm started early, they were more than likely still asleep. There was no use waking them up, it really wasn’t an emergency any more, everything was pretty much under control. Clark sat the phone back on the bedside table and leaned his head back on the headrest of the chair, closing his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept and with the tension of almost losing Lois, the fire at the Lexor and what he felt was Kryptonite exposure, he was bone weary. That, coupled with the soothing sounds of the thunderstorm outside, lulled him into much needed sleep. * * * * Dr. Karen Waren was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, leafing through the file of her latest patient. If she hadn’t been reading it with her own eyes, and had someone not just told her about it, she would have never believed all the things that had happened to this woman. Dr. Waren figured there’d be a lot of things to work through, and she thought the best place to start would be with the husband. She picked up her phone and dialed the extension for room 119. The phone rang for a while, and just as she was about to hang up, a sleep heavy voice picked up. “Hello?” That voice sounded so close to one she’d heard every morning since she’d been married, that it threw her for a loop. She almost felt she’d dialed the wrong extension and somehow gotten her home number. “Hello? This is Karen Waren. Is this--” she glanced down at her file, searching for the name, “Mr. Kent?” “Yes, Dr. Waren--” “Please, call me Karen.” “Yes, Karen, this is Clark Kent. Are you ready to start treatment on Lois?” He asked the doctor. Her voice was friendly and soothing. From the second she’d started talking, Clark had good feelings about her. He just *knew* that this woman would do all in her power to help them, just like her counterpart in the Alternate world had done for the other version of Lois and Clark. “Well, not just yet. I was wondering if you could come to my office for a while. I’m in room 511.” She could hear the pain in his voice, pain that she knew came >from deep within. She’d been right to want to start with him; there was a lot of emotion inside him waiting to come to the surface. “Sure, I’ll be there as quick as I can.” He hung up the phone, took a lingering look at Lois and then went in search of the doctor who’d given him his life back. * * * * When he found the room, he knocked softly. The voice he’d heard only moments before on the phone, said, “Come in!” He walked into Dr. Waren’s office. It wasn’t your typical psychiatrist office -- didn’t have a couch in sight. It was ‘homey’ without being unprofessional, done in shades of burgundy and rose. Definitely a woman’s office, but not so ‘girly’ as to make a man feel out of place. He found the doctor sitting behind a large desk, jotting down notes on a piece of paper. She looked up and motioned him over, indicating he should sit in one of the chairs at the side of the room. After a few more minutes, she gathered together a few things and then joined him, sitting in the chair to the right of his. When she sat down, she got a good look at him and was shocked to be looking into a pair of eyes almost identical to those of her husband and his twin brother. She extended her hand to shake his. “It’s remarkable how much you look like my husband,” she said. Picking up a small silver framed picture from the table beside her, she showed him what she meant. “This is a picture of me and my husband, Dean, his twin brother, Cain and his wife, Meg. See the resemblance? You could pass for one of them easily.” Clark took the small framed picture and examined it closely. She was right -- these two men looked strikingly like him without his glasses. However, with the way they had their hair fixed, they didn’t look the least bit like Clark did when he was Superman. They were somewhere in between -- a mixture of Clark’s looks with and without his glasses. It was eerie. But it was said that everyone had a twin and, in this case, it seemed he had two. “You’re right,” he said, when he found his voice. “They do look a lot like me.” Then changing the subject, he said, “I must admit, doctor, I’m a bit curious as to why you wanted to see me and not get right to work on Lois.” She’d anticipated this question when she’d first asked him to her office, so she said, “Well, Mr. Kent, it’s been my experience that the longer a patient stays away from the object of the mind control, the more the patient’s own feelings and thoughts start creeping in and taking over. If we keep Lois away from the object that was controlling her, then as more of her own emotions start peeking through the rubble that’ s in her mind, the easier it’ll be for us to break through and go on to complete recovery.” She saw him take in all of this with complete interest, absorbing the details of her explanation like a sponge. She could tell he was a very intelligent man and that he cared deeply about his wife and wanted to do what was best for her above all else. Clark nodded. “I can understand that. But, why did you want to see me?” “Well,” she began, “it’s my understanding that you and your wife have been through some pretty emotional experiences over the years. I also understand that this isn’t the first time Lois has had to be admitted for treatment. I thought you could fill me in on a little bit of the history, give me a better understanding of all that Lois has been through.” She purposely avoided telling him that she felt *he* needed to get some of these feelings out of him. She could see in his eyes that she was right. He held a lot in, much like her own husband, and needed some help getting it out. “Sure, I’d be more than happy to help. Where would you like me to start?” She glanced down at her chart and flipped to the front. “Would you mind telling me a little about the time your wife almost married Lex Luthor?” She saw the pained expression cross his face, even though he tried to hide it. She waited until he got his emotions under control and then he started speaking. “That was a long time ago . . .” he said in a way to make her think that to him it seemed like an entirely different world, but a world that was just close enough to haunt him. He seemed to get past something -- some inner battle -- and then continued, “I don’t think Lois actually loved Lex. I’m not sure what it was. Maybe the power, maybe she was feeling rejected.” He shook his head. He’d never really come to terms with all that went on those few months. When he and Lois had started over, after the Planet had been rebuilt, he didn’t think he needed to. But, this doctor had just shown him different. There were some issues he still had about Lois and Lex that had to be settled or they’d silently tear him apart. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and began again. “I think it was that. I think she felt rejected by . . .” he stopped before he revealed too much. “By this guy we both knew. What I told her didn’t help either. I just sorta dumped my feelings for her in her lap and I know that must have scared her.” “Why’d you do that?” Karen asked, glad that he was finding a way to open up about all this. “I was scared too. I was scared I was losing her to that . . . to Luthor. I should have told her how I felt before he had the chance to ask her to marry him. She might not have been ready to accept it, but at least it would have been out there for her to think about. If I had only told her, she might--” He stopped, the guilt he’d had buried inside for years overtaking him. Karen noticed this and urged him to go on, “She might what, Clark?” He still hesitated. He hadn’t ever admitted it to himself, and it was hard for him to come out and say what he’d felt deep inside for so long. “She might never have gone out with him and then everything he’s ever done to her might never have happened,” he whispered, in a barely audible voice. “Clark, you can’t keep blaming yourself for what Lex Luthor has done to Lois,” Karen pointed out. “But--” “But nothing, Clark. The man’s insane. It’s hard to tell what set him off. Had you told Lois your feelings earlier, do you think she would have accepted them?” “Maybe.” He knew that wasn’t true and shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t have. She wasn’t ready to be in love with me yet. I just feel like there was something I could have done that would have prevented it. Something I could have done to protect her from all the pain Lex has caused her.” “You can’t control the actions of other people, Clark, no matter how much you think you can. You’ve protected Lois. As far as I can tell from the things I’ve read and the things I’ve heard about the love you two share, you’ve done a lot for Lois -- more than any other man has ever done for her.” “You seem to know a lot about us,” Clark noted, with some curiosity. “I used to do some consulting with Maxwell Deter back around the time that whole thing happened with Lex and Lois and then him.” At the mention of Deter’s name, shivers ran up his spine and he had to shake himself before he could tune back in to what the doctor was saying. “After they carted him away, I took over his case files. I read through Lois’s; he’d written quite a bit of stuff about her. Most everything seemed accurate, except his obsession for her. I never did like the man much; he always seemed to have an air about him that just wasn’t right. He had a very long account of most everything that had ever happened to her. Makes me think he might have been studying up on her long before he acquired her as a patient. Anyway, I must admit, I remember a lot of what he wrote.” Clark glanced at his watch and figured Lucy had probably had enough time to make it to the hospital, so he needed to get back to Lois’s room. He stood up. “Thank you, Doctor. You’ve helped me deal with a lot of things that have been under the surface for a long time. Don’t be surprised if I come talk to you again before this is all over.” Dr. Waren stood also, “I think that’d be wonderful. I plan on starting treatment on Lois this evening. I do my best work at night. I’ll be seeing you later.” There was a faint knock on the door, as Clark started to leave and Dr. Waren opened it to reveal her husband. “Dean!” she said, and enthusiastically launched herself into the man’s arms, kissing him passionately. Clark said, “Excuse me,” as he tried to get out of the office and he came face to face with an almost complete replica of himself. It was like seeing the Alternate Clark again, but not. They took in each other with awe, mixed with a bit of amusement, until Dr. Waren pulled her husband into her office and shut the door. Though Clark tried to tune his superhearing elsewhere, he could hear their conversation. “So, you’re having an affair with a guy that looks just like me? I’m flattered,” Dean said. “No, silly, he’s a patient. There could never be a replacement for you.” Clark heard a male groan and then feminine laughter and forced himself to tune into the elevator music. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:45:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (1/12 ) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (1/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) Although it was difficult, the grandparents were soon persuaded to leave and Lois and Clark were finally able to get acquainted with their child. At the moment, Jordan was held in her fathers strong hands. The same hands which had launched space stations into orbit now supported her with great gentleness. Clark Kent looked into his daughter’s lovely eyes and was mesmerized. He felt sure his heart would burst with joy. He’d often wondered if he’d ever find someone to love, someone who’d love him despite the fact that he’d originated half a universe away. When he’d found that someone, he’d wondered yet again -- wondered if they’d ever be able to conceive the child they so desperately wanted. Their hopes had nearly been shattered when Dr. Klein had assured them that it would never be possible for Clark to father a child with Lois. But they’d proved him wrong. He and his Lois had overcome insurmountable odds yet again and now they had a daughter. Her birth was no less than a miracle in Clark’s opinion. He didn’t know what he’d done to be so lucky, but he gave thanks for it every day. Clark glanced over at Lois, the woman of his dreams, the woman who’d made all of his dreams come true. In all the frenzy of their new baby's arrival, Clark hadn't yet had the chance to acknowledge the significance of this date two years before. “What are ya thinkin'?” she asked. “That I’ve only ever been this happy one other day in my life,” he said, staring deeply into her coffee colored eyes. What he saw mirrored there still amazed him after all the time they’d shared together. The love she gave him still took his breath away. “What day?” she asked, but felt she already knew the answer. “This exact day two years ago.” “Happy anniversary, Clark,” her voice faltered at the end of the sentence as the emotion of the day caught up with her. Tears sparkled in her luminous eyes, threatening to spill over. Clark walked over to the bed and laid Jordan in her mother’s arms. The baby squirmed until she found a comfortable spot and, before long, her eyes were fluttering as she drifted off to sleep. He smoothed the hair back from Lois’s face and cupped his hand around her cheek, a gesture that had come to mean more between them than mere words could explain. “Happy anniversary, my Little Tornado.” They both started laughing at the reference from so long ago. “Would you look at me?” she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. “Who’d have ever thought Lois Lane would get so much joy out of being domesticated?” The tender moment was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Dr. Bernard Klein stuck his head in the door. “I realize it’s past visiting hours, but could I please come in?” “Sure, Dr. Klein, you’re practically family,” Clark said. Dr. Klein came into the room and shut the door soundlessly behind him, mindful of the sleeping baby in Lois’s arms. “I wanted to talk to you both about the results of the ovarian tests I performed on Lois,” Dr. Klein began. “What did you find out, Doc?” Lois asked, her inquisitive mind wanting answers to how they’d had a baby against all odds. “Well,” Klein continued in a hushed tone, so that no passer-by could hear their top-secret conversation. “After analyzing Clark’s semen and combining it with the information you gave me about Lois’s ‘Ultra Woman’ experience, I’ve concluded that while the super powers inhabited her body, they modified her reproductive system, so that, in essence, Lois now posseses a Terran-Kryptonian hybrid reproductive system. The reasons I kept giving you concerning your inability to conceive are no longer valid. Before the Ultra Woman phenomenon was factored in, I was going on the assumption that Lois was all human, which is, in fact, no longer true. You should be able to have as many children as you desire.” “What about our children, Dr. Klein?” Clark asked, worried that because of him, his children might have to face the agony of not having a family. “With the inclusion of the new data, I am reasonably certain that your children will also be born with the hybrid reproductive system, thus making them capable of conceiving children with humans. Now, I really must be going before they run me out of the hospital. Congratulations on the birth of your new baby.” “Thank you, Dr. Klein,” Lois said. After the doctor had gone, Lois motioned toward the door. “I still can’t get over the look on his face when we told him that you’re Superman and that I was carrying your child.” “Yeah, he stuttered and said, ‘That’s impossible! Superman can’t impregnate an Earth woman.’ Then he looked at you and said, ‘Are you from Krypton too?’” Their mutual laughter roused Jordan from her nap and she let out a loud cry. “I think Baby’s tired,” Lois said, looking down at her daughter. ‘Her daughter’-- she still couldn’t quite get her mind around the thought that she was a mother. “Well, she’s had a rough day.” Lois sighed, “Haven’t we all?” A nurse came into the room, interrupting further conversation. “It’s time for me to take her to the nursery,” she said, carefully taking Jordan from Lois. “Bye, Baby,” Lois said, missing her already. “Bye, Sweetheart,” Clark said, as the nurse took the baby out the door. Lois yawned, the events of the day finally catching up to her. Clark noticed the dark circles under her eyes and went to his wife’s side. “I’m going to head home, Lois. It’s been a long night and you need to get some rest. You’ll be all right, won’t you?” “Sure, I’ll be fine.” He kissed her softly, “Good night, Mommy.” She grinned against his lips, “Good night, Daddy.” * * * * Two Days Later “Have we got everything, Clark?” Lois glanced around the hospital room from the wheelchair she’d been placed in. “Yeah, I think we do. I can’t believe how much stuff everyone sent.” “Me either. I never realized so many people liked us,” she said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes playfully. “I’ll just take these things down to the car, then I’ll get the rest when I come back up for you.” Lois started to get out of the chair. “They haven’t brought the baby in yet. I can help you.” He put his hands on either arm of the wheelchair and leaned in to kiss her. “You’re not going anywhere, Mrs. Kent. You’re gonna sit right here and behave yourself.” “That’s Ms. Lane and I’m not?” “Uh, uh.” “I think you’re taking this ‘Daddy’ thing a bit seriously, Mr. Kent. Have you forgotten that you’re married to Lois Lane?” “No, ma’am. And trust me, I can’t wait for you to be able to fully remind me.” “Me either.” Their lips met in a passionate kiss, filled with longing. The familiar spark ignited between them and soon the kiss became heated. That’s how the nurse found them when she brought in the baby. “Mr. and Mrs. Kent?” She saw the intimate scene and said, “Oh, excuse me, I ’m sorry.” “Oh, no, come on in, Ms. Chapel,” Lois said, her voice slightly husky. “I just wanted to bring Jordan in,” the nurse said, placing the baby in Lois ’s arms. “I’ll also be walking you down.” The ride down in the elevator was less than eventful and soon Lois found herself in the Jeep, alone with her baby for the first time since she’d been born. She laid Jordan in her lap and pushed back the blanket. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine . . . ten toes!” Lois said aloud and kissed her baby’s tiny foot. Jordan’s fingers got the same treatment -- Lois kissing each one as she counted. “Well, sweetie,” Lois began, “I’m not real sure how to be a mom, but I promise you that I’ll do my best. I may not know how to cook and I’m not that crazy about cleaning, but I’ve learned how to love. Things have sure changed a lot for me these past years with your dad. He’s taught me so much about how to love and I’m going to teach you the same things.” Jordan was looking up at her mother in wide-eyed wonder, her tiny fists flailing in the air. “You’re such a little miracle, Jordan. It scares me sometimes to think about all the times I came so close to losing your dad and then we’d have never had you. I didn’t know if I was quite ready to be a mom, but now I know I am. I’m so lucky, Jordan. I’m so lucky to be your mom.” The tears started falling freely down Lois’s face as she took in the features of her child. Even at this early age, she could see a mixture of her and Clark in the tiny face. It was a thrilling thought to think that their love was joined together in this beautiful child. Clark opened Lois’s door and gently took Jordan out of her arms. He opened the back door of the Jeep and put Jordan in the car seat they’d bought weeks ago. He secured the various straps and checked once more to make sure she’d be safe. He then went around and got in the driver’s side. He glanced over at his wife and noticed the fresh tears on her face. “Honey, what’s wrong?” He reached over, picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm gently. “Oh, nothing,” she sighed. “It’s silly.” “You can tell me, Lois. You know that nothing you’ve ever done has been silly to me.” “I know,” she laughed nervously, “I was just thinking about how lucky I am. I’ve got everything I never knew I always wanted. Am I dreaming, Clark?” “No, Honey, you're not dreaming." Clark smiled tenderly at his wife before starting the car and steering the Jeep in the direction of their townhouse. “You know,” Lois said, “it’s still hard for me to believe we’re taking her home.” “It’s hard for me to believe, too.” Jordan started sucking loudly on her fist, searching for an object of sustenance. When she was unable to find one, she voiced her displeasure rather loudly. “I guess Baby is hungry. Talk about your Super lungs.” Lois turned around to look at Jordan. “We’ll be home in just a second, Sweetie, and then you can eat.” Lois crooned. They pulled up in front of the townhouse within minutes. Lois started to get out of the car on her own, but before she could open the door, Clark had zipped around to her side and opened it himself. “Clark, what are you doing?” “Just a second,” he said, and opened the back door, taking Jordan out of her car seat. After closing the door behind him, he placed her gently in her mother’s waiting arms. He scooped Lois up in his arms, being especially careful now that he had the two most important things in his life held in his embrace. “I’m carrying my family over the threshold.” “Oh, Clark.” Their lips met and the fire that had been smoldering under the surface since the hospital ignited again. Jordan started rooting around the front of her mother’s blouse, again searching for a respite from her hunger. When she came up with nothing, she again voiced her disgruntlement bringing her parents back to Earth. “I guess this is how things will be from now on,” Clark said, pushing the door open. He carried Lois into the living room and placed her on the couch. He needed to distance himself from her temptation, so he said, “I’m gonna go unload the Jeep while you feed Jordan.” Breast-feeding was still a new experience for Lois, but one she’d already grown to enjoy. It gave her a chance to further the bonding process with her daughter. It also gave her a sense of accomplishment; the feeling of nurturing her child was like none she’d ever experienced before. While Lois was feeding Jordan, Clark took two trips to unload the Jeep and, after he’d put the gifts away, he happily joined his family on the couch. “I love to watch you two together,” Clark said. “You’re so good with her.” “You sound surprised about that.” “Not surprised, really. I just remember a few conversations we’ve had -- namely back on Spencer Spencer’s island. You had quite a bit of trepidation about the whole ‘having a family’ thing. Although, *I* knew you’d do just fine.” “You have such faith in me, Clark. That’s probably why I’ve done as well as I have. Your faith makes me strong.” They leaned toward each other, ever closer, but before their lips could meet, someone knocked on their door. “It’s probably Jimmy,” Clark groaned, gritting his teeth. Lois laughed at his frustration, “He does have a way of interrupting us at the most inopportune times, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” “Hang on just a second!” Clark yelled, as the person knocked on the door again. He turned back to Lois, gesturing to her blouse. “You need to . . . cover up before I get the door.” “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” Lois buttoned her blouse and carefully raised Jordan to her shoulder, stroking her back gently. She then placed Jordan, now drowsy from the exertion of suckling, in the bassinet by the couch. Lois followed Clark to the door, anxious to find out who the caller was. When they opened the door, there stood H.G. Wells. “Mr. Wells?!” They exclaimed in unison. “Yes . . . quite.” He said, tipping his hat. “What’s wrong? What’s Tempus done now? Which time period are we going to? Clark, we’ll have to let your parents watch Jordan.” Lois said all of this in one breath, preparing to chase Tempus through countless times periods once again. After her tirade, H.G. Wells spoke again, “No, no, no, Ms. Lane. I’m not here about Tempus. May I come in?” “Sure, Mr. Wells. Pardon our paranoia, but considering our track record when we see you, surely you understand,” Clark said, grinning at Lois’s incessant babbling. “Yes, my boy, I understand,” H.G. said, coming into the house. He looked around at the structure that, in Utopia, would become the ‘Lane-Kent Memorial Museum.’ “Did I hear you right when you said, ‘Jordan?’ Have you had your first child?” “Yes, Mr. Wells, we had her three days ago,” Lois said, indicating the bassinet. “Ah, yes, I didn’t realize it was that time of year yet.” H.G. bent over the crib and looked down on Jordan. “Hello, my dear. It’s nice to see you as a baby. You turn out to be a remarkable woman.” “Please, Mr. Wells, have a seat,” Clark said, motioning to the couch. H.G. settled himself on the couch, trying to figure out where to start. “I’ ve come to see you both to bring news of the alternate universe.” Lois and Clark sat down opposite from Wells, both looking very interested in what the writer had to tell them. “Thank you for thinking of us, Mr. Wells. Clark and I have always wondered what happened to the other Clark. When you left here the last time, you seemed to imply that you were going to help him find his Lois. Did you?” She asked hopefully, wanting the wonderful man she’d met in the other reality to experience love like she and Clark had. “Yes, Ms. Lane--” “Please, call me Lois. You’re a dear friend.” “Ah, yes, Ms. Lane . . . Lois, I just left the alternate universe and all was well. I helped Clark find his Lois in a mission in the Congo.” “That’s ironic,” Lois said. “That’s the story we used when I was there.” “Yes, I thought that was ironic myself.” “So how come no one has been able to find her, Mr. Wells?” Clark spoke up. “Well, that’s just one more thing our nemesis Tempus is responsible for. He infected Lois with a debilitating disease back in 1993. When we found her, she was in a coma and all of her vital organs were systematically shutting down.” “Oh my God, Mr. Wells,” Lois gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. When she ’d regained her composure, Lois asked the obvious question. “Clark didn’t find her just to lose her, did he?” “No, no. I went ahead and saw that Clark found a cure for Lois.” “Really, what was it?” Clark asked, curious about the other version of himself. “He contacted a doctor and was going to give Lois his super powers.” “Was going to?” Lois asked, her reporter’s ear picking up facts quickly. “Yes, Clark was willing to give up all of his powers to save her. But the doctor, a Karen Waren, discovered a procedure that could duplicate Clark’s powers in Lois’s body.” “So now they *both* have super powers?!” Clark asked, incredulously. “Yes, and Lois has joined in helping the people of the alternate world as Ultra Woman.” “What a coincidence,” Lois said, proud of her counterpart for taking up the amazing responsibility she’d only had a small glimpse of. “When last I saw them, they’d just decided to get married.” H.G. Wells delivered this last bit of information happily. He was thrilled to know that the once desolate alternate universe, created by Tempus, would be on its own way to becoming the peaceful Utopia this dimension would eventually become. Lois reached over and grabbed Clark’s hand. “I’m so happy for them,” she said to no one in particular. “So am I,” Clark added. H.G. Wells stood. “Well, it’s time for me to go back where I belong.” Lois and Clark stood also, following Mr. Wells to the door. “Which time period are you going to now?” Lois asked. “I think I’ll go back to my own for a while. I’ll be seeing you in time.” And he tipped his hat and walked back out of their lives once again. Lois shut the door and leaned back against it. “Hmm . . .” “Hmm?” Clark asked as he trapped his wife against the door and began nibbling on her ear. “It’s almost like us falling in love all over again -- hearing about the other Lois and Clark getting together.” “Yeah, I know what you mean. I couldn’t live without you and I’m glad that Clark doesn’t have to live without his Lois either. You’re not getting any ideas about that ‘both with super powers’ thing, are you?” “God, no! I’ve done that and it wasn’t an experience I’d like to have again. I can see how it would work for them, though. With everybody knowing that Clark is Superman, the only way for them to have even a semblance of a life together would be for her to also have super powers.” Clark’s head shot up as his superhearing kicked in. “What is it? What do you hear?” “Someone calling for help.” Lois ripped open his shirt and kissed him hard. “Go!” ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:43:09 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (3/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (3/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) When they finished the meal, Lois started to get up and clean the dishes. “Those can wait till later,” Clark said and zipped out the kitchen door. He was back in a couple of minutes. “What’d you just do?” “Checked to make sure Jordan was still sleeping.” He scooped her up in his arms. “Clark! What’re you doin’?” “Well, I thought we’d go upstairs for a while. You *know* what pasta does to me.” “Is there time before you have to be back at work?” “I *am* Superman.” He zipped the giggling Lois up to their bedroom where he proved just that. * * * * In the fall-out shelter across town, things were boding very well for the Luthors and their maniacal plan. “The system is finished, Dad. Now all I need is a test run.” “I want you to use it on Lois Lane the next time she uses her computer. I want the messages to center around me and her. The words should stimulate images of our past relationship. The key word should be my name - Lex. Do you remember all I told you about Lois and me?” “Yes. I’m going to go monitor her computer now, the one at home, so I’ll be prepared when she uses it.” “Yes, do it.” Lex sat back in his chair and reveled in the feelings of power and contentment. He was going to have Lois again and he was going to destroy Superman in the bargain. He didn’t need Kryptonite to destroy the Man of Steel; he could bring him to his knees by taking away the most important things in his life -- his wife and daughter. * * * * Clark entered the Planet newsroom for the second time that day, a huge grin on his face. He saw Jimmy and walked over to see what he’d found out about Henson’s Groceries. “Hey C.K.!” Jimmy said when he saw Clark. “Hey, Jimmy. What’ve you found out about Henson’s?” “Not much really. Lois’ll probably kill me.” Clark smiled, “I doubt she’ll kill you, Jim. There’s really nothing on Henson’s?” “A few things about the owners, but they’ve been clean for years.” “I’m gonna catch the Chief up to speed on what we’re working on.” Jimmy sighed, “And I’m gonna call Lois.” Jimmy went to his desk, sat down and arranged his notes before picking up the phone and dialing the Kents’ home number. Lois picked up the phone after the first ring. “Lane here,” she said automatically, already easing back into ‘reporter mode.’ She figured it’d be good to answer the phone that way for a while since she’d have many sources and business acquaintances contacting her at the home number. It wasn’t like they got all that many personal calls at home and the one’s they did get were usually from their parents. “Lois, it’s Jimmy.” “So, what’ve you got for me?” She said, ready to sink her teeth into what could be a very juicy story. Jimmy paused. When he couldn’t find a lot of information for Lois, it always worried him. It wasn’t like she was scary, but he’d always had a desire to please her. “Henson’s Groceries is co-owned by Fredric Henson and his fiancee, Velma Kaminsky. Fredric’s been in trouble once, when he was a juvenile, for stealing a neighbor’s car. Velma, on the other hand, was brought up on prostitution charges two years ago. There was a pretty big stack of evidence against her, but somehow she got off.” “That’s it? No connection to anything about babies, or adoption rings, or anything like that?” “Nope. That’s all I’ve been able to find.” He said, holding his breath, waiting for the beratement to start. “Thanks anyway, Jimmy. I’m gonna see what I can find on the Internet.” She also made a notation on a stray piece of paper to get in touch with Bobby Bigmouth. Henson’s was in his neighborhood, so if something shady was going on, he’d likely know. As soon as Lois hung up the phone, it rang again. “Lane here.” “Kent here.” “Hey, Sweetheart.” “Hey yourself. How’s the search coming?” “Not so good. You know, I was thinking, one of us should call the police and set up an appointment with the officer covering the missing babies.” “That’s a good idea, Honey. I’ll do that.” “Thanks. I love you.” “Love you.” Lois felt sure she’d be able to get some work done, but as soon as she got off the phone with Clark, Jordan woke up -- as hungry and as loud as ever. * * * * At the Planet, Clark was on hold with the Metropolis Police Department. Finally, someone picked up the phone. “This is Inspector Burke. How can I help you, Mr. Kent?” “I need to talk to the officer investigating,” Clark paused, looking at his notes, “the Holden, Driscoll and Lansky kidnapping cases.” “Hang on just a second.” The line switched to elevator music. Clark sat there on hold for fifteen minutes, wondering if Burke had forgotten about him. Just when he was about to hang up, Inspector Burke came back on the line. “Mr. Kent?” “Yes?” “I’m unable to find any records dealing with kidnappings under those names.” “What?!” “It’s not totally unheard of. I’ll be sending one of our boys, officer Overstreet, to . . . where was it you worked again?” Clark groaned at the ineptitude of some people. “The Daily Planet.” “Ah, yes. Anyway, I’ll send an officer over there, tomorrow say around 9:00 a.m.” “Thank you, Inspector.” “Yeah, no problem.” Clark hung up the phone just in time to hear a call for help. * * * * Back at the townhouse, Lois was finishing feeding Jordan when she heard a news bulletin on the television that caught her attention. Lois looked down at her daughter, “Well, sweetie, your Daddy’s done it again. I’m so proud of him, Jordan,” Lois’s thoughts turned sentimental, “and I’m so honored to be his wife. It’s not the super powers that I’m proud of, even though sometimes I’ m sure he thinks those play a big part in it. I’m proud of *him.* Of the courage and strength of character it takes to use his powers for good. Most men, having been blessed with his powers would have used them for their own glory and power -- the Kryptonians proved that abundantly when they were here. But, your father, he doesn’t understand greed. I don’t think he’s even capable of feeling the least bit greedy. He’s a remarkable man, your Daddy, and you’re going to be a remarkable woman.” Lois sat there a few more minutes just looking at her daughter, imagining what sort of woman she’d be when she grew up. She finally pulled herself out of her reverie and put Jordan back in her bassinet. Lois sat back down at the computer and pulled up her web browser. She accessed a search engine and typed in -- babies. >You love Lex Luthor< That search was nowhere near what she needed. It pulled up sites about baby care, fertility, baby food, but nothing about stealing babies or stolen babies. She then typed in - Henson’s Groceries. >You don’t love Clark Kent< She found a link to a web site for the store. She followed the link to the site. It was a basic business site, nothing out of the ordinary, until she saw a link that said, “Members Only!” and clicked on it. >You have always loved Lex Luthor< >You should have married Lex Luthor< The link pulled up a screen that asked for a password. “What could a grocery store possibly have that’d require someone to have a password to access it?” She punched in a few combinations, all the while being exposed to more of Jaxon’s subliminal messages. >You will leave Clark Kent< >Clark Kent doesn’t love you< >Lex Luthor is the only one who ever loved you< >Everything Lex has ever done, he’s done because he loves you< The phone had been ringing a while before Lois noticed it, so intent was she on breaking the code. “Lane here.” “Lois? It’s Lucy.” “Lucy? Where are you?” “I’m at the airport, I just got back into town. You think I could stay with you for a while?” “Sure, Lucy. Do you remember the new address?” “348 Hyper Avenue?” “No, Hyperion Avenue.” “Oh, yeah. I’ll be there soon.” “See ya then.” Lois cleared the line and then dialed the number she usually used to get in touch with Bobby. Before long, his unmistakable spoke into her ear and she could tell that his mouth was filled with food. “Bobby? It’s Lois.” “Hey, Lane! What can I do for you?” He managed to get out between bites. “I was wondering if you know anything about a Henson’s Groceries, it’s in your neighborhood.” “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of that place. They hold some sort of auction there every Friday night. Not sure what the merchandise is though -- you don’t get in there unless you’re invited.” “Thanks, Bobby.” “Oh, and Lois?” “Yeah?” “Send some Peking Duck from Ralph’s Pagoda to the usual drop off spot.” “Sure thing, Bobby.” Lois’s head was throbbing, so she went to the medicine cabinet in search of some aspirin to ease the pain. * * * * Superman turned the last criminal over to the police, and noting the late time, started home. When he entered the house, he saw Lois hard at work on the computer. “Hey, Honey!” He said exuberantly. “Hi,” she said, absently, not looking up from the computer screen. He leaned down to kiss her but she pulled away. Before he had a chance to ask her what was wrong, the doorbell rang. Lois jumped up, “That must be Lucy.” “Lucy?” “Yeah, she’s going to be staying with us for a while.” “Well, okay.” Clark walked over to Jordan’s bassinet. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. “Clark, I just put her down after feeding her. I thought she might take a nap.” There was a tone in Lois’s voice that Clark hadn’t heard since long before they’d started dating. “Well, I just got home from work and I want to see my daughter.” “Fine! Do whatever you want.” She turned to the door and opened it. It was Lucy. “Hey, sis,” Lucy said, launching herself into Lois’s arms for a big hug. “Hi, Lucy. It’s really great to see you. Come on in.” Lois stepped back and let Lucy come in the house. Lucy dragged her two suitcases into the livingroom and noticed Clark. “Hey, Clark. Is that my niece you’ve got there?” “Hey, Lucy.” Lucy walked over and took the baby from Clark, looking down into the beautiful eyes of her niece for the first time. “She’s beautiful.” “Thank you.” Clark and Lois said in unison. Their eyes met and something passed between them, something that Clark didn’t quite understand. Clark smiled, trying to pull Lois out of the strange mood she’d been in since he’d come home. It didn’t work, only causing her to cast her eyes down. Lucy handed the baby back to Clark. “So, where’m I staying?” she asked. It took Lois a moment to answer. “Oh, um . . . follow me, Lucy. I’ll show you your room.” After Lois and Lucy had gone upstairs, Clark placed Jordan back in her bassinet. He cupped his large hand around her small cheek, much in the same manner he usually touched Lois’s face. Jordan’s small cheek was almost engulfed by the large hand. “What’s wrong with Mommy, Jor-Jor? Why’s she pulling away from me?” Of course Jordan was unable to answer, but it made Clark feel better to get his feelings out in the open. Lois came back down the stairs without Lucy. “Where’s Lucy?” “She’s getting settled in. I told her we’d call her down for dinner.” “Speaking of which, I thought I’d whip up those steaks we’ve got in the freezer. Wanna help?” “No, I’m gonna get back on the computer -- see if I can find a lead. Bobby gave me some interesting information this afternoon and I’m seeing what I can do with it.” “Anything I can help you with?” “No, I don’t need your help.” A pained expression crossed Clark’s face and he felt like he’d been physically injured. “Well, okay.” The voice sounded nothing like it’s usual confident self and more like a lost little boy who was afraid of being alone again. He walked toward the kitchen slowly -- he felt as if a heavy weight had been placed on his chest and he had trouble breathing. He entered the kitchen like a zombie, taking each step like a reflexive action, born from years of taking similar steps. He took the steaks out of the freezer, focused his heat vision and soon they were cooked to perfection Clark quickly fixed a salad out of some left over vegetables in the refrigerator. He carried everything out to the table. Lois was still hard at work at the computer when he brought the food out. “Lois, Honey, dinner’s ready. Could you go tell Lucy?” Lois barely looked up as she yelled, “Lucy! Dinner’s ready!” “Lois, I think we need to talk later,” Clark said, a note of pleading in his voice. “No, Clark, I don’t think we do, actually,” she said. Lois’s headache was getting worse by the minute. She felt as if her brain was splitting in two. She reached for the aspirin that was sitting beside her computer. She’d taken quite a few already, but they seemed to be having no effect on the terrible throbbing in her head. Before Clark had the chance to say anything more, Lucy came bounding down the stairs. “Wow! That smells great! And it was ready so fast,” Lucy said, eyeing the food on the table. “Lois, aren’t you gonna eat?” “Yeah, I’m coming. I’m just really engrossed in this story.” Lois took a seat as far away from Clark as she could get. “So, Lucy,” Clark began, “tell us what you’ve been up to lately.” “Well, I moved to Miami, where I met an actor. Boy, was he a loser! I worked at this convenience store, making just enough money to get by. He wasn’t working anywhere and come to find out, he was giving my money to this girl he was seeing on the side.” “That’s terrible, Lucy,” Clark said absently. Lois was looking down at her plate, picking at her food. She felt Clark watching her, but she didn’t want to look up. Then, her eyes were unexplainably drawn to his. His eyes held hers, his gaze caressing her like a touch. She could see the pain in his dark brown eyes and she knew she was the cause of it. She knew she ought to feel bad, but something in her head stopped her from feeling any emotion for Clark. Lucy was oblivious to the tension crackling in the air and continued her story. “After that, I moved to Nacogdoches, Texas and enrolled in the police academy. I joined the NPD for six months and then put in for a transfer to Metropolis.” “You’re a cop?!” Lois exclaimed. “That’s what I just said, Lois,” Lucy replied, a confidence in her voice that had never been there when she’d dealt with her sister. Lois had always been the over-achiever and Lucy had grown up in her shadow. But now, Lucy was proud of what she’d done, of who she’d become and she wasn’t going to be deterred by her sister’s overbearing attitude. “Lucy, that’s probably the craziest thing you’ve ever done. Do Mother and Dad know?” “No, they don’t. And it’s not crazy, Lois. I’m good at it, really good. I ’ve turned my life around.” “Becoming a cop isn’t turning your life around, Lucy. It’s just another in a long line of bad choices.” “You know, you would say that!” Lucy yelled, flinging her napkin down on the table and rushing out of the room. “Lois, don’t you think you were a little hard on her?” Clark asked. “No, Clark, I don’t. She’s irrational. She’s always been irrational. She’ ll never grow up. And really, Clark, it’s none of your business, this is about family.” “Lois, I *am* family,” he said, taking her hand. She jerked her hand out of his grasp and ran up the stairs. He just looked at the stairs until long after she’d reached their bedroom. He wrestled with himself; part of him wanted to run after her and part of him wanted to let her sort it out herself. The part that wanted to go after her finally won out. He ran up the stairs and made it to their bedroom, faster than a normal guy would have. In his worry over the strange things that were happening between he and Lois, he’d momentarily forgotten Lucy was staying with them and he had to keep his powers under tight control. He opened their bedroom door slowly and saw Lois lying on their bed, staring absently at the ceiling. He walked over and sat down next to her. She scooted away so as not to have any part of her body touching his. Something inside was telling her, willing her, to break all contact with Clark. He flinched, but said anyway, “Lois, Honey, what’s the matter? I’m *so* sorry. I don’t know what I did, but, whatever it is, I’m sorry. Can we just talk about this, *please*?” “Clark, you’re going to have to learn that sometimes ‘sorry’ just doesn’t cut it. You can’t expect to get your way out of every situation by saying you’re sorry. I really just don’t want to talk to you.” “I don’t understand what happened, Lois. This afternoon we made love like newlyweds and now you can’t stand my touch. If only I knew what I was supposed to be sorry for . . .” “Well, if you don’t know, then I’m afraid I can’t help you. I . . . just . . . don’t . . . like you anymore, Clark.” she said without looking at him. “I can’t explain what I’m feeling, all I know is I can’t go on like this anymore.” He inhaled sharply, “Do you still *love* me?” “I don’t know, Clark, I just don’t know anymore.” “Honey --” “Goodnight, Clark. I’m going to bed.” “But, Honey --” “Clark, I’m tired and I want to sleep, so I’d appreciate it if you’d either shut up and go to sleep too, or go do your nightly patrols . . . or something.” Clark stood, starting to prepare for bed. “I’m gonna take a shower and then I’ll be coming to bed too.” “I’d really rather you not sleep in here.” “But, Lois, I--” “Either you sleep downstairs, or I do, Clark.” “No, Lois, I will. I . . .” Clark stammered. “Goodnight.” Clark reluctantly walked back down the stairs, the shower he’d been about to take forgotten. The look of disgust he’d seen on Lois’s face had ripped his heart out. In the living room, he noticed Lois’s computer was still on. He saw she’d been trying to break a password code. He sat down and entered combinations at super speed until he’d broken the code. He had no idea why he’d done it, but it somehow made him feel closer to Lois. He laid back on the couch, willing himself to go to sleep and forget the horrible events that had happened since he’d come home. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:44:31 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (8/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit TITLE: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far PART: (8/12) AUTHOR: Mandy Crustner (mandyc@lcc.net) RATING: (PG-13) * * * * A few hours later, the effects of the Kryptonite had worn off and he was again able to fly, able to soar through the clouds and look for his wife and daughter. He swept the city, x-raying every part of it he could. When suddenly, he found a lead-lined structure, under Bessolo, that he’d always been curious about on his many trips over the city. Willing to try anything, he landed softly beside the part of the street that had an obstruction to his vision. He bent down and felt around on the side walk until he felt the slightest indention in the concrete. He applied pressure to that spot and the concrete gave way, allowing him to get his hand in and pull the door off the hide-away. He stepped down and walked slowly into a dimly lit corridor. He inhaled deeply as a familiar scent came to his attention. He smelled Lois’s perfume. He’d found the right place! Which meant that Luthor was probably down here with her. The thought sent cold chills down Clark’s spine. He plunged further into the corridor, which by the looks of it, used to be a fall out shelter. Up ahead he saw a light, but he’d yet to hear any voices, which was good. He wanted to surprise Luthor, before he had the chance to figure out what was going on. He peeked around the corner and the sight he saw sent all the blood rushing to his face and a vein started pounding in his neck. He had to draw from every reserve of goodness in his body to not rush into that room and rip them both to pieces. Lois and Luthor were kissing. Not *even* a ‘nice to see you again’ or a ‘oh, you’re my friend’ kiss, but a kiss like Clark had shared so many times with Lois. Not that Lois had any reason to give Luthor any kind of kiss. Seeing her like this with that hideous creature hurt Clark more than anything she’d done so far. He had flashbacks to the time when Lois had almost married Lex, when she’d told Clark, as Superman, ‘If you had no powers at all, if you were just an ordinary man, leading an ordinary life, I would love you just the same.’ She hadn’t meant it then, Clark knew and he wondered if she’d ever come to mean it. In the dark recesses of his mind, he wondered if she’d really only agreed to marry him because she’d figured out he was Superman. He tried to shake that feeling off, but seeing the passion build between her and Luthor, was slowly killing the trust he had in her. He went to make his move and was beside the bed in seconds, lifting Luthor off the bed and dangling him in the air. When Lois saw Clark she screamed and tried to rest his hand from around Lex’ s throat. “Please,” she begged, “don’t hurt him, don’t kill him.” It was the first time in Clark’s life he’d ever had any desire to strike a woman, and to think he felt like striking Lois made him even more angry. “See, Clark, see how she begs for my life?” Luthor said, even while his face was turning blue from lack of oxygen. He used ‘Clark’ to let his nemesis know that he did in fact remember *all* of his secrets. “She’s always loved me.” Luthor continued his tormenting spew. “She’s always desired me. We were just using you. It was all part of the plan.” Lex kept talking, forming the plan in his mind as he went. “We wanted her to pretend to love you, and marry you, then if at all possible, get pregnant with your child.” Clark’s hand tightened instinctively on Luthor’s throat, but he continued speaking anyway. “All those times she said she loved you, she was just using you, Clark, using *you* for *me*. Didn’t it ever occur to you why suddenly, Lois Lane, the self-proclaimed career woman wanted to have a child so badly?” Lex saw that he’d hit a nerve. “Enough!” Clark screamed, throwing Luthor down on the bed in unrestrained anger. In all his years on this planet called Earth, he’d never been this angry. He saw Lois go to Luthor to soothe him and a white-hot rage spread through his body, like lava running through his veins. He jerked Lois off the bed, causing her to scream again and wriggle against his body to try and free herself. At other times, Lois’s body pressed that close to his would have caused desire to run through him, but feeling her against him so soon after she’d been passionately entwined with Luthor, almost sent revulsion pulsing through him, even though his traitorous body came to life at her touch. “Let me go!” She screamed and he thought vaguely that her voice sounded nothing like the one he’d grown to love. “I’m never letting you go again, Lois, no matter what this maniac says. You ’re my *wife* and I will not let you stay with this lunatic again, I made that mistake once.” He couldn’t understand what was wrong with Lois. Surely, after everything they ’d been through together, everything they’d shared, she had to be under some sort of mind control to be shutting him out like this. “But, I *want* to stay, Clark. I told you I don’t love you anymore. I love Lex. I want to be with Lex.” “See, Kent,” Lex said, “everything I told you was true!” Clark shut his eyes and tried to make himself not believe what he was hearing. It didn’t matter how she felt, he wasn’t leaving her with Lex, not this time. He scooped her up into his arms and she started kicking and screaming and beating her fists against his chest, the contact causing her more pain than it did him. She was struggling so roughly and his thoughts were on so many things, that she managed to wriggle out of his grip and fall back to the bed. She scooted away from him as quickly as possible and when she reached Lex, they both bounded from the bed. Lex grabbed a knife from the table, “Stay away from us, Kent!” Clark laughed at his stupidity. “You know a knife can’t hurt me, Luthor!” “No, you’re right, but it can hurt her!” He screamed and held the knife to her throat. He saw the Man of Steel wince as the metal came in contact with the delicate skin of Lois’s throat and knew he had the bait to get him out of here alive. “Lex, what are you doing?” Lois asked, fearful of the man she claimed to love. “I’m doing what is necessary to get us out of here, my pet. Even after everything we’ve told him the fool still loves you and he’ll go to any means to save you from getting hurt, and if that means letting me leave with you, then he’ll let me.” “That’s not true, Luthor. I’d rather she die than spend a lifetime with you.” The scene flashed through Clark’s mind of the time when Lois had been held captive by another Luthor and what he’d had to do to get her out of that situation. If it came down to it, if there was no other way to get her away from Luthor, he’d do it again. “Let her go, Luthor.” “No,” Lex said in the voice of a spoiled child who refused to give up his most prized toy. Clark knew that children like that would often keep a toy just to spite another child that wanted to play with and cherish the toy. Then the spoiled child would destroy the toy in an attempt to prove that they owned it. Clark wasn’t going to let Luthor destroy Lois, even if she didn’t love him anymore. “Well, if that’s the way you want it then, that’s the way it has to be,” Clark told him. Clark waited until Lois had her eyes closed and in that millisecond, he focused his freezing super breath on her body and froze her in the manner he’d done on two other occasions. Before Lex could throw her down and break her, Clark zipped across the room, took her out of his arms and laid her gently on the bed. “You’ve killed her!” He exclaimed, looking at the frozen body of his love on the bed. “My God, man, you’re insane!” Lex said, taking in his archenemy in a new light. He’d never thought Clark had it in him to do anything so drastic. Maybe he’d underestimated him after all. Clark super sped back to Lex and picked him up off the ground. Then, glancing around the room, he realized there was no way to tie him up. He knew that time was short and he needed to get Lois thawed before any permanent damage was done. Clark saw Lois’s robe had a belt, that seemed to be made out of pretty strong material, so he dropped Luthor to the ground and went to her and made quick work of the belt, making sure to shield any exposed skin from Luthor’s lascivious gaze. He then turned his attention back to Luthor. “Lie down!” He said. “I will not.” Clark’s eyes turned a frightening shade of red, which reminded Lex that he wasn’t up against a mere mortal foe, but one who’d have no problem at all causing his death. He reluctantly complied, lying down on the ground. “Turn over,” Clark said. Lex again did what he was told, not wanting to incur the wrath of a man who’ d just murdered his own wife -- a wife he’d professed to love more than life itself. Clark tied Lex’s feet and hands together and making sure that he couldn’t get away, picked Lois and Jordan up and flew them out of the fall out shelter. In the nearest alley he could find, he laid Lois down on the pavement. He placed his still sleeping infant beside her mother and then took both of Lois’s hands in his. He then focused a beam of heat vision on her icy body. The red beam engulfed her almost fragile body and soon the ice started to melt away and she again resembled a living human. However, she didn’t start breathing nor did her heartbeat pick up it’s usually steady rhythm. “Come on, Baby,” he whispered. “We’ve done this before, too many times, but we have. You’ve gotta come back to me, Lois. Whether you love me or not, you can’t leave me.” He bent down and touched his lips to her’s trying to breathe life into her still blue lips. After a couple of seconds, she gasped, “Get away from me! Where’s Lex?” “That doesn’t matter Lois.” He gathered her in his arms despite her protests. “All that matters is that you’re here with me and that I’m never letting you go again. Whatever Lex had done to you to make you turn from me, we can fix it Lois. We can get through this, just like we always have.” A deep, hidden part of Lois started to respond to his touch and his kind words. She could hear his voice rumbling deeply in his broad chest and it brought back feelings that had been beaten down by Lex’s scheme. But the tranquil mood didn’t last long, as Clark said the one word that triggered the domino affect of the subliminal messages. As they spread through her mind like wild fire, she pushed away from him. Her mind was telling her to go along with whatever Lex said, that Lex was right and so, she did the only thing her mind would let her. “Let me go, Clark. Can’t you see, don’t you know? *I* don’t want you anymore. It’s nothing Lex has done, it’s *my* decision. It’s like Lex said, Clark, I never loved you, we just used you. You know that I was always more interested in your super powers than anything else. I wanted to have a baby that would have those powers, and now, with Jordan, I have a very real chance of that. But, I just can’t stand to be around you anymore. I need a powerful man. Not like you, you’re blessed with these great abilities, but that doesn’t make you powerful. Lex is powerful. He’s the man I want.” Many emotions played across his handsome face in the minutes that Lois dealt that cruel speech. Anger, hopelessness, denial and then fear. Fear like he’d never felt before. He was afraid, afraid that it wasn’t some mind control she was under but that this was the way she actually felt, had always felt. He wouldn’t let himself give into his emotions though, not if it meant losing the chance to get his Lois back. For the person in front of him barely resembled her even in looks any more. He felt surely that she’d been brainwashed somehow and he figured the best way to find out what was going on was to take her to Woodland Heights Hospital and have her admitted to the mental ward. But, making that decision and getting her to adhere to it were two different matters and he had to hurry, because he still had Luthor tied up in that fall out shelter and he wasn’t quite through with him yet. “Lois,” he said, picking Jordan up and standing himself. “We need to take Jordan home. It’s cold and she needs to be in her own bed.” Lois’s concern for her daughter was evident in her deep brown eyes, but there was also that uncertainty, that feeling that she needed to go back. “I have to go back for Lex, he *needs* me,” she cried. She stood up and realized that her robe was no longer belted together. She hastily pulled the two sides together, covering her body. “No, Lois,” he said, grabbing her arm. “*We* have to take our child home. *She* needs you.” He started pulling her in the direction of their townhouse. The walk home was quiet, Lois was looking around, trying to avoid her husband at all costs and Clark was soothing Jordan who’d started crying. “Lois,” he began, “when was the last time you fed Jordan?” “Not that it’s any of your concern, since *I’m* more than capable of taking care of my child, but it was not long before you busted into Lex’s.” Clark noted the fact that she’d called the place they’d just come from ‘Lex’ s’ and having done so, indicated a subconscious thought that Luthor’s place had not been *her* home. But, it also sank in *exactly* what she’d said. “You mean, you . . . he . . . you . . .” he stuttered at the thought of Luthor eyeing his wife’s well endowed bosom. When he’d composed himself he said, “You mean you let him *see* you feed Jordan? Let him see your . . .” his voice trailed off leaving the obvious next word unsaid. “Yes, Clark, he did. I told you, I’m capable of taking care of my child and she needed to be fed. It wasn’t anything sensual, not that it’s any of your business.” Clark had to bite back a sarcastic remark and decided instead to say, “ I know that you’re capable of taking care of her, Lois, but I’m her father and I have every right to be concerned.” He wanted to reinstate his position and let Lois know at the same time that whatever plans she had to take Jordan away from him were never going to work. He wasn’t going to give up his daughter and he wasn’t going to give up Lois if there was any way to keep from doing so. “Whatever.” She muttered as she walked up the steps of their brownstone. Clark followed closely behind her, not wanting to let her out of his sight for fear she’d run back to Luthor’s hideaway. Lucy was sitting in the living room, reading the note on the table. When she saw her sister walk in followed by Superman she said, “Omigod! Lois! I was *so* worried about you. Where have you been? How could you run back to that madman?” Lucy gathered her sister in her arms for a big hug. She’d been so scared that she’d never see her again. “I’m fine Lucy. There’s no need to freak out. Yes, I was with Lex. That’s where I should be right now, but Cl--” she stopped before she called Superman, Clark. Even though the subliminal messages were deep set, they didn’t get to that part of her that protected her husband’s secret at all costs. The omission of his real name didn’t escape Clark’s notice and he thanked the heavens that there was still a part of Lois that cared about him enough to keep his secret. He turned his attention back to Lois as she continued to explain things to Lucy. “. . . but Superman thought it necessary to rescue me or something and even after I told him that I didn’t want to leave Lex,” she glanced at her husband to emphasize her next words, “that I didn’t want to be with Clark, he wouldn’t listen to me. So, he insisted on dragging me out of there against my will and leaving poor Lex tied up on the floor.” Lucy stared at her sister in horror. She knew that Lois loved Clark more than life itself. It had been evident in every action, every word she’d spoken since all those years ago when Lois had allowed herself to realize she loved him. To hear words coming out of Lois’s mouth that implied she wanted to leave Clark for *Lex Luthor* of all people, left Lucy gaping, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Stop looking at me like I’ve grown another head, Lucy, and get out of my way.” Lois pushed past her sister and entered her home, starting for the stairs. Clark caught back up with her in seconds and took a firm grip on her arm. “Where are you going, Lois?” “I’m going upstairs to change, then I’m going back to Lex.” She flung the words at him, trying unsuccessfully to wrench her arm from his grasp. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to put a kink in your plans on that one, Lois.” He told her. He then turned his attention to Lucy. “Ms. Lane?” “Yes, Superman?” Lucy asked, her confidence building in his presence now that she’d been around him more. “I’m wondering, could you watch the Kents’ baby while I take your sister somewhere? I think Lois has had some sort of head trauma and I want to get her to a hospital as soon as I can.” He talked about Lois as if she wasn’t there, not because he didn’t care for her enough to acknowledge her presence, but to keep his true feelings about his wife hidden >from her sister in order to ensure she didn’t figure out all that was going on. When Lois heard ‘hospital’ she increased the struggling against his hold on her, desperately trying to get away from him. “Please, Ms. Lane,” he continued speaking to Lucy, who only nodded to signal her willingness to watch the baby. “Take Jordan,” he said, handing her the baby. When he was sure she had a firm grip on the infant, he scooped Lois up into his arms and rushed out of the house. The entire trip to the hospital was spent with Lois beating any part of Clark she could reach and trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to get away from him. He thought she must have surely lost her mind to want to get away from him so badly as to risk falling from the sky. “Lois, be still. You’re making it hard for me to keep altitude.” “I don’t care! I don’t want to go to the hospital, I’m not crazy. The only reason you think I am is because I want to leave you and *that’s* pretty crazy on your part. Millions of women leave their husbands everyday and they don’t get admitted to the hospital for ‘head trauma.’ You must think highly of yourself if you think the only reason a woman would leave you is because she’d been bumped on the head!” She said all this in one breath and for just a split second Clark got a glimpse of his Lois in full Lois-babble and even though she was basically demeaning his character, it was good to hear her talk again and not ramble on like a machine. Clark figured he’d been right. He was almost certain now that she was under some sort of mind control that Luthor had cooked up and the closer they came to the hospital, the more hopeful he became that he’d be able to find a doctor there who would know how to get these thoughts out of Lois’s head and get her back to normal. * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 23:53:35 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: Sorry RE: NEW: WSWC, Book 2 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sorry for the word wrap problem. I'm still having trouble with my email program, but I had to get that story sent before I lost the nerve :) Thanks! Mandy :) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 01:13:51 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alicia Utowski Subject: Re: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Fa... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mandy...The story was absolutely great! :-) I loved it. The song is one of my favorites and it fit really well into the story. :-) Alicia by the way... i just joined the list recently and I have been pretty much a lurker since i've joined because i wasnt quite sure how to post a message (im not too good with computers), so i hope i did it right :-) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 06:12:25 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz , answers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Nan Smith wrote <<#2 is "Who, What, Why Am I?" by Bella>> Yes!! #4 is "Mummy Dearest" by Meinuk -- I got this story from the AOL L&C fanfic archive a couple of years ago. Thanks , Lori, for the information on Leigh Raglan's fanfic compendiums -- as I recall, they contained some good stories, many of which did find their way to the fanfic archive, I believe. Carol ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 08:36:57 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide,Book 2: No Place That Far (0/12) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Mandy Crustner wrote: [Snip all the consults.] > I’d like to thank LabRat for her help again regarding Jack, she > gave me a nice little excerpt from the script that helped me with > this story. > > Thanks go to Zoomway for filling me in on the correct spelling > for ‘Bessolo Blvd.’ > > Thanks to Annobelle Simmonds for her help about Bobby Bigmouth. > > Thanks so much to Maggie for giving me the idea of how to get > Lois out of the trouble she finds herself in. I’d have never > resolved it without you Maggie-kins! > > I'd also like to thank Dawn (sorry, I don't have your last name!) > for her help regarding hypnosis and other psychological things! > > Thanks again go to my Mom for introducing me to the show that has > come to mean so much to me. > > Thanks to my Dad for not laughing too much at my strange hobby. > > I'd like to thank Irene Dutchak for her tremendous help with > labor and birth issues. I’ve never had a baby, so anything that > rings true goes to the credit of Irene. > > Thanks so much to Rachel TenHaaf for her help with so many > grammatical errors that I’d missed. Also for finding more misspelled > words than I’d have ever seen. > > Thanks to Kathy Pernisek for her willingness to answer an email from > a complete stranger asking for editing help. She took time out of her > hectic schedule and edited my story for me. Also, she gave me a very > interesting idea for one of the scenes involving Lois. She knows what > I’m talking about, but I don’t want to give too much of the plot of > the story away. Needless to say, Kathy, you gave me a lot to think > about, and started my brain churning. Thanks again! :) > > I’d also like to thank Phil Mogul for jumping head first into editing > for me and sticking it out even though he didn’t always agree with how > I write. Thank you, Phil, you’ve given me a new perspective on a lot > of things and taught me a lot about what others are looking for in my > stories. > > To Andrea Gidusko, for making the song "No Place That Far," which is > sung by Sara Evans and Vince Gill, into an LnC video, it's helped me > get through *so* many bouts with writer's block in this story, and > without that video, I don't think I could have made it through putting > Lois and Clark through what I have. She inspired me to incorporate that > song into the subtitle of this story and one of the ending scenes. Thank > you, Andrea! And, by the way, if you haven't seen that video, then you > really need to; it's one of the best I've ever seen! A side note about > the song: I’m not sure if it had even been released during the time > frame my story takes place in, so, you’ll just have to suspend disbelief > on that. :) > > Thanks to Erin Klingler who gave me the URL where I could find the lyrics > to 'No Place That Far' and make sure I knew what I was talking about ! :) > > I’d like to extend my deepest thanks to Karen Ward. Karen, you’ve been > the best friend I’ve ever had, my mentor, my sister, and a ‘tower of > strength and understanding.’ You’ve put up with my babbles, my typos, > my craziness and went above and beyond the call of ‘cyber friend’ duty. > I’ve never known anyone who understood me more than you do. And the mere > words, ‘Thank you’ seem hardly enough for all the many things you’ve > done for me and the things you’ve seen me through. Know that I’m forever > in your debt and I’m just an email away. Thank you *so* much for > convincing me to continue with this story and for all the many > suggestions that you’ve made to make it what it is today. Without you, > this story would be sitting in a trash can and my ‘Worlds’ of Lois and > Clark would have gone no farther than Book 1. This story is for you. > > And last, but certainly not least, thanks to the many people who wrote > to tell me that they’d enjoyed Book 1. Yes, if you can believe it, the > long awaited sequel is *finally* through and I’ll be moving on to Book > 3 soon. So thanks to: Labrat, James Tull (Mr. D8A), Melina > (Snow Dolphin), Liz Alani, MSRFOLC007@aol.com, Alexis > (MsLoisette@aol.com), Katie Bird, Brenda (d.arendt@worldnet.att.net), > Peggy Mueller, Kathryn Ann Kent, Wendy Richards, Carla Anderson > (Kasspur), and Alex Barron. Also, anyone I’ve forgotten, I'm sorry, > but know that your comments were just as instrumental in seeing me go > on with this series. > > Comments, suggestions or criticism (as long as you don’t pull out > your flame throwers) are welcome PUBLICLY or PRIVATELY. You can > reach me at mandyc@lcc.net . > > Are you still with me? What? What? I'm awake! I'm awake! In any case, I'm offended! I think I'm the only one left in folcdom not being thanked! Just kidding, Mandy. This story looks like it's going to be a great read. I'll save it for the weekend. On a personal note, I just finished by first non-L&C short story and submitted it to a writing list I'm on. So far, the feedback has been positive and helpful. Boy, was I nervous. On a further irrelevant note -- tempting fate here -- I'm going to be ushering for Cabaret on the evening of 8/14, 8/27 and on the last night. (I wasn't taking any chances.) So, maybe I'll seat some of you -- unless I have to stand outside a bathroom and hand out paper towels. Naah! (Ushers don't have to do that.) Sandy (who agrees with you that Kathy Pernisek is wonderful. She proofed my first three stories and gave me wonderful ideas for "Taken" -- a real class act. I miss her presence a great deal. And, if there were an award for proofers, I'd nominate her first thing.) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 20:42:52 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: For those who are visiting Washington during Cabaret MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello Folcs: It occurred to me, after I received a message verifying it, that there may be a folc or two coming into Washington from out of town or >from out of the country to see Cabaret next month. I want to let you know that it would be my pleasure to offer you any assistance, guidance, or advice on hotels, restaurants, clubs, or attractions -- anything that I can. (There are plenty of very helpful Folcs in this area of the world so you may already be swamped with info.) However, I would be happy to add my own two cents. Please just contact me through e-mail and maybe we can talk over the phone or I can send you info. over the net. Oh.... Since I do live in the city and have for the past decade -- without a car -- I may be most useful with public transit info. At your service, Sandy smcdermin@erols.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 21:26:18 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Eileen F. Ray" Subject: L&C Fanfic Writing Session Saturday, July 24, 1999 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everyone, Skip week is over and we hope you can join us Saturday, July 24, 1999, for our fanfic writing session. This week's premise: Lois discovers that not all the men in the Kent Family are as down to earth and mild mannered as Clark and Jonathan, when Clark's long lost *uncle* arrives for a visit. In addition we would still like to hear from you if you have any story premises of your own that you would like us to explore together. You can either email them to me at: eraygun@aol.com Or better still, just bring your ideas with you when you join us this Saturday or for our weekly "story bouncing" sessions on Wednesdays on #L&CFicOrg, starting around 9:00 PM EDT. We generally meet Saturdays starting at 3:30 PM EDT and try to start writing fairly soon thereafter. You can come and join the fun at any time, however. We are usually there for several hours since writing a story takes time. Since #L&CFanfic is on occasion "invite only" please message if you want to join us. If an official "inviter" is designated, we will let you know. Some of us should be hanging out on #Loiscla. A note on procedure here ;) : When people need to be caught up on the story in progress after being bounced off IRC or just joining the session late, please try and avoid pasting the story directly into the channel window. Please do that in a private message or dcc-chat window instead. Hope to see you all there! Cheers, Eileen ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 21:32:21 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kate Crane Subject: A humble request MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit For all you wonderful writers who share your masterpieces with us on this list....I (sheepishly) have a very small, infintesimal, microscosmic, itty bitty request: Would it be possible to put the part #s (ie: 9/12) at the beginning of the subject line when sending the e-mails out? It would just make it easier to read or save in sequence, as the #'s don't always show up after a long title. If not, believe me, it's not a big deal. Thanks for all the wonderful work I've been reading....there seems to be a deluge of terrific stories lately. I'm about 4 stories into my fanzine and am quite delighted. Kate the Maryland one off to start on Mandy's latest...... ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 08:29:53 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: Re: A humble request addendum MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Great idea! Sometimes if the subject line is too long then the mail system will truncate the subject line and all we see is .... Humble addendum to humble request: For those of you that are cranking out stories that require you to break them up into 10 or more parts(I aspire to write something that long someday :-) could you designate them as 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, ... This makes it easier to print them off if you are sorting your mail by subject line. An example, I pick on Mandy Crustner since she is the most recent poster and because I believe she wouldn't mind. Old way sorted by subject: NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (0/12) [PG-13] NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (1/12) [PG-13] NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (10/12) [PG-13] NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (11/12) [PG-13] NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (12/12) [PG-13] NEW: When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far (2/12) [PG-13] New way incorporating Kate's request and mine. NEW: (00/12)When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far [PG-13] NEW: (01/12)When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far [PG-13] NEW: (02/12)When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far [PG-13] NEW: (03/12)When Separate Worlds Collide, Book 2: No Place That Far [PG-13] Thank you for your indulgence. --- Kate Crane wrote: > For all you wonderful writers who share your > masterpieces with us on this > list....I (sheepishly) have a very small, > infintesimal, microscosmic, itty > bitty request: Would it be possible to put the part > #s (ie: 9/12) at the > beginning of the subject line when sending the > e-mails out? It would just > make it easier to read or save in sequence, as the > #'s don't always show up > after a long title. > If not, believe me, it's not a big deal. > Thanks for all the wonderful work I've been > reading....there seems to be a > deluge of terrific stories lately. I'm about 4 > stories into my fanzine and > am quite delighted. > > Kate > the Maryland one > > off to start on Mandy's latest...... > === Mr. D8a AKA James Tull Philipians 4:8 http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Starship/7859 _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 09:18:42 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Subject: SIGHTING: Teri in one magazine, Dean on another Comments: To: LoisandClarkNAOS@onelist.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm crossposting to both lists since I haven't gotten anything from LOISCLA in almost a month -- is it down? or did I somehow get unsubbed? hmmm... Anyway, There's a magazine currently on the stands called Autograph Collector, which has a couple of photos of Teri (one is her with an autograph collector -- she's wearing the black leather outfit she wore in one episode when she went to the jail to get some information -- I'm blanking on the title; I don't remember what the other photo was, but I've seen it before.) She's listed as one of the 10 worst signers -- it even says she avoids the Lois and Clark crowd and is just generally not willing to sign autographs. Also, Dean in the supersuit is on the cover of the TV crosswords magazine this month/week? (I'm not sure how often it comes out) -- they're doing a superheroes issue :) Again, it's not a new photo, but it's nice to see him making the cover. There are usually little articles inside, so there maybe something about him in there -- I bought a copy but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Peace ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 09:35:53 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Subject: Re: SIGHTING: Teri in one magazine, Dean on another MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Peace >I'm crossposting to both lists since I haven't gotten anything from >LOISCLA in almost a month -- is it down? or did I somehow get >unsubbed? hmmm... Peace suddenly notes with great embarrassment that she's got her email folders mixed up -- no wonder the LOISCLA folder is empty -- all that mail has been going into the fanfic folder.... sigh.... it's gonna be one of those days, you know? Sorry for the unnecessary crosspost! Peace beet-red at the moment.... ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 16:53:48 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: SIGHTING: Teri in one magazine, Dean on another MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Peace wrote: >I'm crossposting to both lists since I haven't gotten anything from >LOISCLA in almost a month -- is it down? or did I somehow get >unsubbed? hmmm... > Can I ask why when someone says that they are posting to both lists - I get both messages in this list? Not that it particularly bothers me - I simply hit delete on the duplicate; only takes seconds - I'm just curious. Does it happen to anyone else? And perhaps some of us need to leap to Teri's defence and write to Autograph Collector to point out that she's been perfectly willing to sign when asked on the Cabaret tour? LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 12:05:47 -0400 Reply-To: nightsky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Subject Lines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sigh! Obviously, both James and Kate are keeping up with their reading. I'm sitting here with over 200 fiction posts in my "read this someday" file, which makes sorting a whole different problem. If, as Kate suggests, the numbers are put first, then I'll have part one of Wendy's latest next to part one of Debby's Journal and part one Yvonne's and Chris' stories and all the rest. Then all the part 2's of each story, then all the part 3's and so on. For those of you who are keeping up with your reading, if two stories came out in one day, you'd have trouble sorting. In my opinion, keeping one's story in order *and* together is important, and the subject line is the only one the author can control. I fully support James idea of making the numbering system one a computer can sort on (09/13; 10/13; etc.), but some sort of title needs to come first. We all have different window sizes and display lengths for on in-boxes. Perhaps the senders could try to abbreviate the title into something shorter. It's hard to please everybody, isn't it? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genevieve Lots of great stuff on my web page The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone to find in five hours what a competent librarian can find in five minutes. :-) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 16:15:09 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: A humble request addendum MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I want to thank you guys for requesting this stuff now. I am currently working on my first fanfic and I will definately keep this in mind to better serve you guys when I finally get this thing written and sent off to the list.. {however long that takes!} Thanks so much! Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 15:37:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: another fanfic quiz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit re: an older fanfic, LabRat wrote: > My copy definitely isn't from the Archive, as it doesn't have > that distinctive rating and submitted format at the start. and I just have to point out that not all archive stories have the rating/submission info, that was started fairly late in the game. Kathy would know when, but I want to say 1998. Stories submitted before then wouldn't be tagged. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 06:01:02 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "=?iso-8859-1?q?R.=20Ziegler?=" Subject: LnC-Request Comments: cc: LoisandClarkNAOS@onelist.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hi all! I'm from Germany and desperately looking for the original (English) version of LnC-episodes. Is there anybody, who would make me copies? Of course, I'll pay for cassettes and postage! Please e-mail me off-list: r_ziegler_3@yahoo.de Ren _______________________________________________ Do you yahoo!? Gesendet von Yahoo! Mail - http://mail.yahoo.de Yahoo! Auktionen - gleich ausprobieren - http://auktionen.yahoo.de ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 16:59:11 GMT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eilonwy Jamison Subject: vacation Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Bonjour tout le monde! I know I'm kinda a lurker, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am leaving today for a 2 week vacation in Idaho with my family. I'm putting my subscription to this list on NOMAIL so when I get back I may need to have one of you friendly people fill me in on what happened while I was gone! I'll let you know when I get back I guess. see ya later Eilonwy Jamison who at the moment is thinking about all of the lnc fanfic withdrawl she'll be going through and is really happy that she printed about 5 stories to read. Thank God for printers!! :-) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 10:41:43 -0700 Reply-To: Ara Swanson Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ara Swanson Subject: Re: vacation MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Bonjour tout le monde! >I know I'm kinda a lurker, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am >leaving today for a 2 week vacation in Idaho with my family. I'm putting >my >subscription to this list on NOMAIL so when I get back I may need to have >one of you friendly people fill me in on what happened while I was gone! >I'll let you know when I get back I guess. > > >see ya later >Eilonwy Jamison Have a wonderful vacation! What a great place to go (although I'm a little biased because I am from there myself!)--enjoy! Ara ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 15:59:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Rating/submission date on Archived stories (was Re: another fanfic quiz) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Pam explained: >and I just have to point out that not all archive stories have the >rating/submission info, that was started fairly late in the game. Kathy >would know when, but I want to say 1998. Stories submitted before then >wouldn't be tagged. Correct as usual, Pam. Actually, I took over the story submissions in Sept 1997, and yes, this was something I instituted. Any story before then will not have that information. As for the story, "By The Light Of The Moon", yes, I have that on my hard drive in the old "Metropolis Club" folder. I didn't realize it was never submitted to the Archive; that's too bad since I thought it was a fun story also. Unfortunately, we don't many options when an author doesn't submit it to us. We can't just pull stories in without the author's permission. This is what was on the header of the story: "BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON" by Elaine Gust The email address was given, but considering the story is from 1995 and I haven't seen her in FoLCdom since then, I don't really want to put her address on the list so you can all bug her to submit it. If anyone knew her, though, and keeps in touch, please ask her if we can archive it. :) Kathy _________________________________ Kathy Brown Editor-In-Chief Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive kathyb@springnet1.com KathyB on IRC _________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:37:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jessica Sweeney Subject: Re: SIGHTING: Teri in one magazine, Dean on another MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/24/99 6:21:55 AM Pacific Daylight Time, peace9@SERVTECH.COM writes: << Anyway, There's a magazine currently on the stands called Autograph Collector, which has a couple of photos of Teri (one is her with an autograph collector -- she's wearing the black leather outfit she wore in one episode when she went to the jail to get some information -- I'm blanking on the title; I don't remember what the other photo was, but I've seen it before.) She's listed as one of the 10 worst signers -- it even says she avoids the Lois and Clark crowd and is just generally not willing to sign autographs. >> Hehe, I should feel lucky then. I managed to snatch my autograph after a performance of Cabaret. She did seem as though she wanted to get through the (small as it was) pack of us as soon as she could. We did manage to get a picture though. Just thought I would comment. Jess~ LL3692@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:36:45 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: Name the Fanfic - Second Round ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Not bored at all. I was in St. Louis so I just got to read this round. A poor player so don't expect a lot of responses from me, but this is a great way to learn about fanfic you may not have read and be encouraged to read now. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:36:05 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (01/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 1 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 now also available at http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/Season6/season6.html ______________ "Movers and Shakers" by Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Season 6, Episode 11 Original Air Date: July 25, 1999 ____________________ TEASER ____________________ Hyperion Avenue, July 1999 Lois Lane woke up slowly and squinted into the darkness of her bedroom. The lack of light told her it was still the middle of the night, and a quick glance at the alarm clock on her night stand confirmed it--four am. Lois rolled over to snuggle close to her husband; the warmth of his body always helped lull her back to sleep. Unfortunately, her arms grasped nothing but the coolness of his pillow. Groaning slightly, Lois wondered vaguely where Clark was. She hadn't heard him get out of bed, so she could only assume a rescue had required his attention while she was in a deep sleep. Thus, it was with some surprise that she heard the faint rustle of footsteps and the clink of a what sounded like glass being set down on the coffee table coming from the living room below. Curious, Lois quietly got out of bed and reached for her bathrobe. She tiptoed to the top of the stairs to peer over the edge of the landing, then relaxed as she saw Clark sitting on the couch. Clark looked up as she made her way down the stairs. "Hi," he said softly as she walked into the living room. "I didn't mean to wake you." Lois smiled at him through tired eyes. "Everything OK?" Clark nodded and motioned to the now-empty sandwich plate and half-full glass of milk resting on the coffee table in front of him. "Yeah, fine. I just got back from ..." He made a vague flying symbol with his right hand. "And I thought I'd have a snack before coming to bed." It was then Lois noticed that Clark was looking through one of the scrapbooks he liked to keep. Her brow furrowing, she sat down beside him. "What are you looking at?" Clark turned the book so she could see. It was a more recent album, containing photos from about two years ago. He opened up to one page in particular and showed it to her--it was a Daily Planet photograph of the two of them standing with "Superman", right after Tempus tried to expose Clark Kent's secret identity. Fortunately, the Clark of the alternate universe had been there to play the part of Superman during the press conference, so Tempus's declaration were met only by laughter and jeers by the waiting crowd of reporters, police and on-lookers. Lois laughed out loud. "I still remember the look on your face as we walked up to the press conference. You were positively gleeful, getting to prove Tempus wrong." Clark grinned. "The look on Tempus's face was priceless, too. He was outraged that we had outsmarted him and made him look like a lunatic. Imagine telling all of Metropolis that Superman and Clark were normally the same person, but on that day one of us was from an alternative universe!" "So what made you get this scrapbook out?" Clark shrugged as he took a drink of his milk. "I don't know; I had a rescue tonight at Met Bell, the same building Tempus used to send his brainwashing messages through the phone lines. It got me thinking, I guess." "About what?" "Oh, I don't know ... the alternative universe and ... him." Lois put her head on Clark's shoulder. "The other Clark?" she asked gently. Clark hugged her close. "Yeah. Sometimes I think about his life ... wonder how my life would be different, how I would cope with the losses he had to deal with." Lois was quiet for a moment, then replied. "I think he's finally happy though ... I don't know why, but I've had this feeling for awhile now. I just feel that he's OK, that things are going well for him." "Mr. Wells did imply two years ago that he would try to help that Clark find his Lois." Clark nudged his wife teasingly. "Let's hope they didn't have nearly the trouble we had getting together." At Lois's chuckle, he added, "But I think you're right--I have that same feeling, that they're together and happy." Lois raised an eyebrow to him. "Then why are we sitting down here reminiscing at four o'clock in the morning?" Clark smiled. "Point taken. C'mon, let's get you back upstairs. It'll only be another three hours before our little Laura alarm clock wakes us up." He set the book on the table in front of him, downed the rest of his milk in one gulp and stood, pulling Lois up next to him. He took her by the hand and led her to the stairs. "I'm sorry I woke you up. "That's all right," Lois replied, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze. "I kind of like these little interludes every so often. Our lives are so hectic these days, we have to steal a few moments alone whenever we can. Too bad we can't make the Earth slow down once in awhile." Clark nibbled on her ear as they started up the stairs. "Mmm," he replied in a low rubble. "Maybe we can settle for making the Earth move." Lois laughed quietly as he scooped her up in his arms and floated her up to their room. "You're incorrigible," she teased. "If the alternate Clark is anywhere near as persuasive as you are, his Lois doesn't stand a chance of resisting him!" ***** Alternate Universe, July 1999 Lois Lane and Clark Kent walked hand in hand down the quiet city street, stopping every so often to gaze in the lighted windows of the long-closed-for-the-night shops. It was nice to be able to take a stroll and be completely alone. Usually when they went out, they had to cope with the ever-present stares and murmurs of their fellow Metropolis residents. After all, Superman was a celebrity in this town, and although most people were polite enough to give him his privacy while he was dressed in his "street clothes", many were still enthralled enough to ask him for his autograph, or they simply wanted to thank him for all he had done to clean up the crime in the city. And it was just not in Clark's nature to be anything but friendly and polite when strangers wanted to chat. Now, however, all was quiet. It was the one (and only!) benefit of window shopping at four o'clock in the morning, Lois conceded as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand affectionately. It wasn't that either of them preferred to be night owls, but Clark had been particularly busy the last few weeks, and Lois had to steal what precious moments with her boyfriend that she could--even if it sometimes meant being awakened by a phone call in the middle of the night, the sexy voice on the other end coaxing her into taking a walk because "it's too beautiful a night to sleep". Thankfully, their editor at the Daily Planet, Vince Nelson, was understanding -- not just of Clark's erratic schedule (Superman set his own hours, no questions asked), but of Lois's need for flexibility as well. It had been sixteen months since Lois Lane had 'returned from the dead', or more accurately, had somehow escaped from a cell that the inter-dimensional criminal Tempus had devised for her. She had no memories of the five years she was missing--what little information she had been able to piece together pointed to the fact that she had been held in some type of suspended animation during that time. But for what purpose, she had never quite determined. The only theory that had any support was that this Tempus had engineered her disappearance for the sole purpose of tormenting Clark Kent, a man she had never even met. It was only after she resurfaced--under circumstances nearly as mysterious as those under which she disappeared--that she met Clark, the man who was to become her best friend, her partner and her lover. Another person might have resented the man that, albeit through no fault of his own, had prompted her capture. But Lois Lane could no more resent Clark Kent than she could resent her finger for obtaining a papercut. He was a part of her--an essential part that she had never even known was missing until they met on that glorious spring day over a year ago. Clark later told her an amazing story, a story about another universe with another Metropolis where things were similar yet oddly different from their own world. In this world, there was another Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and her Clark had met them. This other Lois and Clark were also deeply in love--married for years, in fact. Lois had been a bit intimidated by the story--it turned out that Clark had been searching for her, "his Lois", since he had met the other one. He acted as if he knew her already. Lois was wary of rushing into anything at first, needing to be sure that Clark recognized she was her own person, alternative universe or no. But she didn't have to worry for long. She was drawn to Clark immediately, drawn by an incredible connection she didn't necessarily understand, but had no desire to fight. They became partners at work right away, close friends almost immediately, and had fallen in love within weeks. The sixteen months since then had been a whirlwind. Knowing she would never get the missing years of her life back, Lois forced herself to look forward instead of back. It wasn't always easy--she shed many tears of anger and frustration in that first year, many of them on Clark's shoulder. But the unending support of her friends and family, combined with her own inner strength and refusal to let this Tempus 'win' by destroying her, carried her through the rough times. And now, amazingly, she was happier than she had ever been in her life. Lois paused as Clark stopped them in front of Mazik's Jewelry Store. He wrapped his strong arms around her from behind, catching her in an affectionate cuddle. At Lois's contented sigh, Clark smiled. "Happy?" he murmured in her ear. "Very," Lois replied sincerely. "Tired?" he teased. "Very, very!" she laughed. "But considering I can count on one hand the number of hours we've spent together in the last few weeks, I can't turn down taking a walk together. Luckily I worked late last night finishing my story, so Vincent won't be expecting me in until later in the morning. I'll just have to take a nap when I get home." Clark's expression grew a bit more serious though he kept his tone light. "You could always move in with me ..." He nibbled on her ear playfully. "Then I wouldn't have to call you when I had some free time. And we wouldn't have to steal private moments in the middle of the night." He kissed down her neck. Lois ducked her head, pretending to want to avoid the tickle of his lips. "Ha! Then we'd just have all our private moments in the bedroom," she teased. "At least this way, I make you take me out." Clark groaned. "Oh, the cruelty ... the lady doubts that my love is pure! She thinks me a knave in rusted armor." Lois turned in his arms and gazed into his eyes. "The lady sees you for what you are," she murmured, running a hand gently through his hair. "Her knight in shining armor ... always and forever." Their lips met softly as they tasted each other under the gentle glow of the streetlights. Clark sighed happily as they broke the kiss. But after a moment, he tore his eyes away from hers and cleared his throat. "Look where we are," he said, nodding towards the store window. Lois turned. "Back at Mazik's," she responded. "For the third time in as many months, too. I think we're in a rut; we need to find new stores to window shop." "Not at all," Clark defended with a smile. "I think they have the nicest selection in town. In fact, I was thinking I just might be paying them a visit someday soon when they are actually open." Lois looked at him, her eyes bright with renewed interest. "Well, my birthday isn't for three months, but if you really wanted to get me the necklace early, I wouldn't protest." Lois beamed at him. She had gushed over a particular diamond and sapphire pendant necklace the last two times they had visited the window and she wasn't above dropping another obvious hint. Clark smiled back, his eyes soft. "Actually ... I was thinking of something a little smaller," he said quietly. "Oh, the bracelet is nice too ... maybe next year we can get--" "I wasn't talking about the bracelet either," Clark interrupted. At her quizzical look, he took a deep breath, then began speaking softly. "Lois, I've spent my whole life not knowing who I am, not being able to open up. I was always hiding. But the moment I met you, everything changed. For the first time in my life, I can be myself and be proud of who I am--*all* of who I am. You encourage me, you support me, you love me ... you *center* me. I know exactly who I am when I'm with you." Pausing briefly, Clark took Lois's hands in his and dropped to one knee in the middle of the sidewalk. "Lois, what I'm trying to say is that I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. You are everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Lois took a deep breath, incredibly moved by his speech and the obvious emotion in his voice. She and Clark had discussed marriage in general terms many times over the last several months, but she had always demurred when it came to specifics. Although she loved Clark with all her heart, she had been worried about committing to him so soon after her return. She had had so many things to work out emotionally, and the last thing Clark deserved was to have any doubts that she may have turned to him only because her state of mind was fragile. There had also been the concern over how Clark's fame would affect their day-to-day lives. Lois had doubts about how being "Superman's girlfriend" would mesh with her career. And she knew Clark had wrestled with his fears that that same title would affect Lois's safety. But after each struggle, they had emerged stronger and more committed than before. The doubts became less troublesome, and the fears much less intimidating. Together they were complete ... they each could see it, and they each rejoiced in it. They were simply *right* together, and in that moment, Lois knew she could have but one answer. "Clark," she responded, freeing her hands from his and cupping his face. "I would love to marry you." "Lois--" he began, as if he couldn't believe his good luck. "Shh," she whispered with an impish grin, gently pulling him up. "Shut up and kiss me, Superman." "Yes Ma'am!" Their arms wrapped around each other in a tight embrace as their lips met. Soft murmurs of delight escaped as they explored each other, communicating their happiness and excitement over this next step in their relationship. As they continued to kiss, neither noticed the slight wobbling of the jewels in the display case, not even when one end of the necklace Lois admired so much dropped from its hook. A long moment later, they broke apart, breathing quickly but still smiling. "Wow," Lois gasped. "That was some kiss. I think I felt the Earth move." Clark scooped her up into his arms with a joyful smile. "Me too. Which only proves we need to continue our celebrating somewhere less public." "Why Mr. Kent," Lois demurred playfully, nibbling on his ear. "What about my ring?" "We'll come back this weekend and you can pick out anything you like." Lois's eyes lit up. "Really? Anything?" Clark laughed and slowly lifted off into the sky. "Uh oh. How about-- oh, what the hell. Yes, anything, my beautiful future bride!" His voice dropped to a sexy rumble as he pulled Lois more tightly to him. "Now about the Earth moving ..." As they flew towards Clark's apartment, the ground below trembled slightly once more, causing the hanging sign advertising Mazik's Jewelry to sway gently in its hooks. **** (continued in part 2) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:37:30 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (02/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 2 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ **** Roll Credits **** ACT I **** The bright sunshine of the new day gave Lois a moment of pause as she entered the Daily Planet building. She hoped that her new assignment today would allow her the opportunity to spend some time outside enjoying the beautiful summer day ... she was simply too happy and too distracted by Clark's proposal last night to stay inside all day. She and Clark had agreed not to tell anyone at work until next week, after they had selected Lois's ring from Mazik's and decided on a date. Still, she knew she'd probably end up calling her mom and sister later this week. This was too good to keep secret from everyone! She and Clark had spent the early morning hours together celebrating the change in their relationship. Only a serious accident on one of the highways outside of Metropolis stopped them from each taking the day off completely. Lois had napped at Clark's for awhile, but when an hour passed and he hadn't returned, she decided she might as well just go home and get ready for work. And so here she was, tired but happy, hoping that whatever new story her editor assigned her wouldn't require so much attention that she couldn't daydream about wedding plans once in awhile. Surprisingly, Clark was sitting at his desk when Lois stepped off the elevator. For the first two years after he became Superman, he had begun working more and more from home, e-mailing his stories to Vince in the middle of the night. All that changed once Lois started back at the Planet, though. Clark still spent several hours a day as Superman, earning his retainer from the city by performing frequent patrols. But now Clark had incentive to write his stories in the newsroom instead of at home--an incentive known as Lois Lane. Lois smiled at her boyfriend--*fiance*, she reminded herself with glee--as she passed by his desk. "Get the highway cleared up?" she asked cheerfully. Clark sat back in his chair and grinned. "Yup; just wrote it up for Vince. I had to transport a couple guys to the hospital, but the doctors think they're going to make it." Lois shook her head. "What did the world do before Superman?" she asked with a smile. Clark leaned forward. "What did Superman do before Lois Lane?" he replied warmly. Lois felt her heart jump a bit as she looked into her partner's eyes. Yes, it was definitely too distracting being here. Hmm, maybe if they left now ... Just then, Vince Nelson's voice called out from his open office door. "Lois? Clark? Can you come in here, please?" Lois sighed. Oh well, wedding plans would have to wait. **** Vince Nelson smiled as his two top reporters sat on the couch in front of his desk. He had worked at newspapers all around the world before coming to the Daily Planet, but he had never experienced talent like that he found in Lois Lane and Clark Kent. After being out of commission for five years, Lois was soon back at the top of her game as an investigative reporter. Her instincts more than made up for whatever lack of anonymity she had as 'Superman's girlfriend'. And Clark ... well, he'd always been a fine writer, but since being paired with Lois, he had become an outstanding investigator as well. It was as if he had finally discovered a 'love of the chase' that Vince always felt Clark was lacking. Together, they were an unstoppable team. "I've got something I'd like the two of you to work on," Vince said, sitting back in his chair. "Several of my sources are telling me about rumors that a new crime family is planning on moving into Metropolis." "Not a very smart crime family, apparently, considering Metropolis is the home of Superman, 'crime stopper extraordinaire'," Lois interjected. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lois, but Superman is only a deterrent. Crime still exists in this city," Clark added. "Unfortunate but true, Clark," Vince agreed. "But if my sources are right and we can get the drop on a new syndicate, the Planet can get the exclusive on their retreat from Metropolis." "Sounds good to me; what do you have?" Before Vince could answer, however, Clark cocked his head intently, then stood up. "I'm sorry, duty calls. Burglar alarm." With an apologetic smile, he handed his notepad to Lois and quickly left, closing the door behind him. Lois barely batted an eye, all too used to his disappearances. "Let's try this again ... what do you have?" Vince nodded and pulled out what looked like a computer print-out. "What I have is sketchy, to say the least ... but Lex Luthor contacted me the other day and provided us with a lead." Lois raised an eyebrow. "Lex Luthor?" she repeated. "You're sure he's not running the crime family?" Vince frowned. "Now, Lois, we've been through this before. You have no proof that Mr. Luthor isn't on the up and up. He's done wonderful things for this city since taking over for Nigel St. John. And LexCorp has been made generous charitable contributions to many good causes." Lois waved him off. "Yeah, yeah ... but my instincts tell me something else, and Clark's do too." Before Vince could counter, however, she acquiesced. "All right, what did Luthor give you?" "A URL to a website ... said he came across it while conducting some other business, and thought we'd be interested in it. I can't make any sense of it, but Lex said there was more to it than meets the eye, whatever that means." Lois took the piece of paper. "You don't have anything else concrete?" The editor shook his head. "I've been hearing these rumors from several different sources, but this is the first real lead we've had. Seeing if it pans out is your job." The two discussed other angles for the story, namely companion articles exploring crime fighting from both Superman's and the police department's point of view. Lois outlined her ideas for the stories, agreeing to discuss them with Clark when he returned. Several minutes later, she was back at her desk and switching on her computer. If a URL was all she had to go on, she'd better pull up the site as soon as possible and see what she could find. ***** Superman arrived at the site of the alarm to find a moving van with several workers unloading their truck. To his surprise, he found the workers ignoring the blaring alarm as they carried valuables *into* the house. A man who appeared to be the foreman walked up to Superman as soon as he landed. "The Churches are moving in, Superman, and we accidentally set off the alarm," he explained. "Mrs. Church is inside trying to figure out how to turn the alarm off." Entering the dwelling, Superman found a petite blonde dressed in faded jeans and an old T-shirt. Even with her hair pulled back into a loose pony-tail and no make-up on her face, she was still a pretty woman. Right now, however, she stood in the hallway struggling to punch codes into a control box. Her demeanor clearly gave away her frustration with the device. "Here, let me help you," Superman told her as he found the reset button. "Now wait a moment and punch your code in again." The alarm stopped and Mindy Church smiled her appreciation. "Thank you, Superman. I'm afraid my husband is the mechanical expert of the family. He showed me how to work the alarm twice and I still don't understand it." Her tone was straight-forward and sincere. "I can oversee heart monitors at the hospital where I work, but for some reason this thing keeps eluding me." "No problem, Mrs. Church," Clark told her with a smile. "Welcome to Metropolis." ***** "He's fast and he's good," Gene Newtrich reported to his boss. "He arrived within two minutes of my setting off the alarm." "We're going to have to learn to deal with him if we are to make any headway expanding Netgang into Metropolis," Bill Church, Senior, replied, running a hand over his thinning gray hair. "It will be slow going, just like it was in Gotham, but we will expand." "Yes, sir. I hope you have a plan." "Of course, I have a plan. I always have a plan." ***** Lois held the phone in one hand while absently scribbling doodles in her notepad with the other. She was tired of waiting on hold and looked up when Clark returned to the newsroom, thankful for the distraction. She had spent the last twenty minutes attempting to make an interview appointment with the Chief of Police. Acknowledging the return of her partner, Lois started to ask him about the alarm, but her attention abruptly returned to the phone conversation before she could hear his reply. "Yes, I'm still here ... I can be there anytime this morning ... Uh huh ... Yes." Lois glanced at her watch. "That'll be fine. Thank you." Noting the appointment in her calendar as she hung up the phone, Lois filled in her partner. "Vince gave me what information he had from his sources, but it wasn't much. Just one site on the Internet and several rumors, and I don't even want to tell you where the website address came from. I tried to pull up the site from here, but unfortunately our outside link is down. I'm going to try it again later. I used the time to set up an appointment with the Police Chief at eleven o'clock this morning, though." Clark nodded and updated her on his own activities. "The alarm was nothing; accidentally set off by movers. The new owners didn't know how to turn the thing off." "Vince wants us to examine crime fighting from the perspective of both the police force and Superman in the meantime. Until the link comes back, I figured we'd work on Superman's point of view for the story." Lois grinned as she turned the page in her notebook to a fresh one and readied her pencil. "Ready to be interviewed?" ***** Lois's appointment with the Police Chief was moderately productive. He'd only been able to spare a half-hour for her this morning, but Lois squeezed every bit of information she could out of him in that short time. It wasn't everything she needed by far but it was a start. She had spent the next half-hour in an empty office at the station, mapping out the approach she wanted to take on the story while it was still fresh in her mind and listing several statistics she would need Jack to research for her. She had grabbed a sandwich on the way back to work, eating it in her car as she drove. The all-news radio station she tuned to mentioned a few minor tie-ups on the roads, but nothing that seemed to require Superman's attention. That meant he'd probably be there when she got back. Balling up the empty sandwich wrapper and putting it back in its bag, Lois smiled as she stopped at a red light. She held her left hand up in front of her and tried to imagine how it would look with an engagement ring on the third finger. The realization hit her and she almost laughed out loud. She and Clark were getting married! Of course, there were still all the details to be sorted out ... when, where, how many people. Big or small ... family-only or press-included. Lois sighed. The press, that was something she hadn't thought of in awhile. The tabloids had mostly left her and Clark alone after their initial fascination with her background. But an engagement and marriage, that was surely going to be news. Superman's girlfriend had been one thing, but Superman's *wife* was another. Lois thought of the security system Clark had installed in her apartment, similar to the one he had in his own. Is this what it was going to be like, she wondered, always needing to find somewhere safe to escape to, out of the public eye? In the beginning, they couldn't even go out to dinner without flashbulbs popping in their faces, but as the months went by, the public seemed to get used to her and the attention dropped off dramatically. Still ... Lois much preferred to report the news rather than *be* it, and a large wedding would probably be news ... The sound of a horn blaring shook Lois out of her daydream. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered, stomping her foot down on the gas. "Keep your shirt on; it only changed two seconds ago." She sighed as she pulled into the underground parking garage of the Daily Planet building. There were definitely things she and Clark needed to talk about. **** A full half an hour later, Lois sat down in her chair, sighing contentedly. She had pulled Clark into the stairwell as soon as she returned to the newsroom and confessed her fears about their wedding turning into a media circus. To her amazement, instead of being concerned, Clark simply beamed at her. "What?" she had asked uneasily, not sure if he had understood. "You don't think it's going to be a problem?" "Oh, I think it's a very good thing to consider," he had replied earnestly. "Definitely something we'll need to think about when planning the wedding." "Then why are you grinning at me like that?" "Because you're beautiful, intelligent, brilliant ... and you've just agreed to be my wife! Lois, I haven't been able to do anything but grin since last night!" Lois had just stared at him for a moment, amazed, then launched herself into his arms. They had spent several minutes with their lips locked together, stopping only because Clark heard someone enter the stairwell >from one flight down. They reluctantly separated, disappointed by the interruption, but also invigorated by the encounter. Now back at her desk, Lois smiled as things suddenly gained a new perspective. Yes, there were issues to address, but as long as they were in this together, they could handle anything. A note from Jack told Lois that the outside link to the Internet had finally been restored, so Lois plunged back into her story with a new energy. She launched her browser and entered the URL Vince had given her. What she found was a innocent looking site with vibrant yellow logos over a navy background. Unfortunately, the text detailing the writer's view of media bias was not only confusing to Lois, but also hard to read. "Look at this website, Clark," she called to her partner. "The horribly mismatched colors and text make it difficult to read." Lois squinted at the screen trying to read the black text on a navy blue background. "There's an easier way ... sometimes. Find the 'view' icon and look at the source." "I can't ever read that stuff. Squinting is better for me." Clark stood behind her. "Let me see what I can do." He did a quick scan of the site, and much to Lois's surprise, did not use his super powers, but merely saved the page onto her disk. He made some quick edits to change the text color to white, and reloaded the file into her browser. "Better?" "Much! Someday you're going to have to teach me that little trick," she said with a smile. "But I still can't follow this guy's writing. If I came across this site on my own, I'd just surf right on by." Lois continued reading the saved web page until she came to an area that was blank, followed by more of the mismatched colors. "Clark, what happened here? There is a big blank space in the middle of the page." Again, Clark came over to Lois's computer and opened the source file. "Sometimes the pages are pieced together," Clark told her. "They each have their own text font color." Scanning down to where the blank space was, he found a second text code setting the color to match the background. "Hmm, that's interesting. Someone hid some text in the background by setting the colors the same. Only someone who was experienced with computers would ever suspect that there might be text hidden in the background." Intrigued, Clark set the font for that section of code to red and did a file search for additional font codes. He found several more occurrences, setting the font color to navy blue and black. He reset these codes to red and white respectively before saving the file again. In bright red was their first clue--a web address, followed in the next sections by a user ID and password. Lois and Clark looked at each other, eyebrows raised. "Well, just look at that," Lois said. "There's something here after all." She started to enter the new URL, but Clark stopped her with a hand over her fingers. "Don't try that from here; it might tip them off," he said, thinking hard. "Come over to my place tonight and we'll try it from my computer under an alias. I'll set up an account on my system that we can use that will keep them in the dark." ***** (continued in part 3) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:38:48 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (03/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 3 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Lois knocked on the door of Clark's apartment a little after seven o'clock that evening. Although they had planned to spend the remainder of the afternoon looking for more clues, Superman had been called away to help with a large fire on the outskirts of town. According to the Planet reporter on the scene, the fire had been out for close to an hour, but Clark hadn't answered the phone when she'd called him several minutes ago. When there was no answer to her knock either, Lois fished out her key to his apartment and slipped it into the lock. Once inside, she shut the door behind her and entered the series of codes necessary to appease Clark's elaborate security system. She had just finished relocking the door when she heard the swoosh of Clark's landing and saw him enter the apartment from the balcony. "Oh, good, you're here," he exclaimed when he saw her. He held up one finger. "Give me a minute to get out of this suit. That fire was a nasty one and took a lot more time to get under control than I had expected." In a flash, Clark was cleaned up, and dressed in comfortable slacks and a T-shirt. He walked up to Lois, finally able to greet her appropriately. "Hi, honey," he said warmly, giving her a quick but loving kiss. "Hi yourself," she replied with a smile. "Ready to get to work?" "You bet." Clark moved over to his computer and powered it up. The super computer provided by STAR Labs hummed to life. Almost immediately, Clark's fingers were flying over the keyboard. Lois watched his computer respond swiftly to his commands, amazing her with the speed. She gathered the needed information from her notes and pulled up a chair beside Clark at the computer. "That Dr. Klein sure scored a winner when he built you this computer," she remarked. Clark nodded. "I know ... it's so great to have a machine that can keep up with my typing. Klein's a genius." "So, what do we do first?" "OK, I've created an alias that we can use for the investigation. In case they try to trace us, I've set up the IP address to point to a system on the Island of Montserrat. With all of the recent volcanic activity on that island, we should be able to delay any face-to-face meetings. The airport is closed so the only access is by boat from Antigua." "Or Superman Air," Lois interjected. "Yes, or Superman Air. Although I don't really think Superman would want to fly 'cargo' in or out of that place if the volcano is erupting," Clark answered with a wink. "Still, we should be pretty anonymous now." "Good thinking. Here's the URL." The website loaded slowly, even on Clark's machine. It appeared to be an auction house. Clark opened another window, made sure it was also using the newly created alias, and performed a traceroute. "Well, it looks like the site is in Miami," he mused. "That doesn't mean that the owners aren't here in Metropolis though." They continued to explore the website until it prompted them for a user ID and password. Using the information gleaned from the website found at the Planet, they entered the information. Immediately the site transferred them to a secure site where they were asked to establish an account. Diligently, Clark filled out the information requested according to the alias he had established. When it asked for a mailing address, however, Clark was stymied for a moment. "A Post Office Box," Lois suggested. "But not here in Metropolis," Clark added. "I'll be back in a minute." Without even changing into the suit, Clark flew out the window and headed south. If he hurried, he could get a Post Office Box in the perfect place--Antigua. Twenty minutes later, Clark was back home and finishing the on-line account application form by supplying the newly acquired address. As a precaution, he printed the information entered on the page before clicking the send icon. Finally, the page accepting their account flashed on the screen. They were surprised to find it also contained information on where to deposit funds for participating in the auctions. "You mean we have to put money into their bank before we can go any further on the site?" Lois fumed. "Looks like it, or at least before we bid. But if you think about it, it really does make sense. What they apparently want is a closed auction house. That could mean stolen merchandise, or some other kind of contraband. It prevents you from changing your mind after a bid because they can still get the money and send you the merchandise or take a percentage. Actually it's quite ingenious." "How are we going to find out anything then?" "Well, I was hoping that they would let us take our new ID and browse the site. Now we're going to have to find some cash to wire to the account." Lois looked at the minimum prices of some of the sample items up for bid. "A lot of cash," she said glumly. **** Act 2 **** Alternate Metropolis Morning came early for Lois Lane, especially since it was well after midnight when Clark brought her home. She wasn't even sure of the time when her head finally hit the pillow. It had taken them several hours to search the auction website and try to glean some information on what was being auctioned. Although they didn't have any proof yet, Lois's investigative instincts were nagging her. She knew they were on to a story; she felt it. Dragging herself out of bed, she showered, dressed and grabbed a quick bite of breakfast before heading off to the Planet. Clark was already going over the printouts from the night before when she arrived in the newsroom. They had poked around enough to find several sample items that caught their attention. Yet they knew this was only the tip of the iceberg. Looking over the printouts in the light of day only confirmed what they had decided the night before. "We're going to have to go back into the site and do some bidding," Clark stated. "Then we've just got to find the funds to wire to the site's account," Lois replied. "We can't continue our investigation with out it." "Maybe we can convince Vince to give us the funds," Clark suggested. "The Planet has funds available for investigations." Lois's expression clearly indicated her skepticism. "Yeah, a couple hundred to set up a stake-out in a hotel room, not thousands to bid on what we suspect to be illegally gotten goods." "Well, you don't get unless you ask." "Good idea, Clark," Lois said with a smirk. "*You* ask him." Sticking his tongue out at her, he picked up some of the printouts from the previous evening's exploration of the site and headed toward his managing editor's office. He knocked lightly before entering and put on his most confident face. "Vince, that website you gave us definitely got our reporter's juices flowing ... the only problem is, Lois and I need to wire some cash to a bank to continue our investigation." "What kind of cash?" Vincent pressed. "Give me the details." "Imbedded in the site you gave us was information on accessing an auction site. Lois and I set up an account with them under an alias and took a look around. Some of the stuff we found being auctioned off is rather unusual. However, in order to further our investigation, we need to do some bidding. Now, I'm not talking about intentionally buying anything without good reason, but unfortunately they require funds placed in a bank they control in order to place even small bids" "How much cash do you need to deposit?" Clark paused, knowing that the figure required would shock his editor. "They have a minimum deposit of ten thousand dollars, but I'd like to get twenty. If we deposit the minimum, they may get suspicious that we are interlopers. We need to make sure they don't realize that we are investigative reporters." Vince Nelson's eyes popped. "Twenty *thousand*? Are you nuts? We're not talking petty cash here. What kind of safeguards are there that we will get the money back?" Clark pressed on. "I won't deny there's a risk. Anytime you investigate possible criminal activity, you risk losing the seed money. But Lois and I are certainly going to be as careful as we can. We recognize we're asking a lot, but if this story is a big as your sources indicate, it's going to be worth it. And of course when you have Superman protecting something, it usually stays safe," Clark added with a smile. Vince wasn't swayed. "Don't pull that on me, Clark. Even Superman can't promise this bank won't make off with our money." He shook his head. "I don't know. Let me talk with Mr. Olsen directly, see what he thinks. We'll let you know our decision this afternoon." Clark left the editor's office with his shoulders slumped. He had given it is best shot, but he knew there was a strong possibility that their investigation would get cut short. James Olsen built his fortune in the computer industry, but all in all, he was still a fairly conservative owner. Lois was waiting at Clark's desk. "Well, what did he say?" "He has to check with James; we'll know this afternoon." "How much did you ask for?" "Twenty thousand." Lois raised her eyebrows. "Wow, the full twenty, huh? Well, you are nothing if not daring." At Clark's unamused expression, she grinned at him to soften her words. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to give you a hard time. We both agreed we needed the money ... now it's up to James to decide if he trusts our judgment enough to give it to us." She gave Clark a quick hug. "In the meantime, let's look through those sample items again. I was thinking we could check them against police lists of stolen property ... maybe we'll get lucky." Our Metropolis, July 1999 Lois and Clark sat at their kitchen table eating breakfast. Their 11-month old daughter, Laura, sat in her high-chair, content with her bowl of dry cereal despite her father's best attempt to cajole her into trying some of his scrambled egg. "Give it up, Clark," Lois said with a smile. "She just doesn't like eggs." "I know, I know. But I keep thinking maybe she'll change her mind. Anyway, she better hurry up and eat, or we'll be late." Lois got up from the table and put her dish in the sink. "Your parents aren't expecting us until lunch time, so we can just relax a bit this morning. I still can't believe we were able to get two days off in a row." Clark smiled as he popped the last bit of egg into his mouth. "After all we've been through these last several weeks, we need a break. And I, for one, plan to enjoy it." "We both will," Lois agreed. They were interrupted by a knock at the front door. "I wonder who that can be?" Clark stood up. "I'll get it," he said. He trotted quickly off into the living room, lowering his glasses as he walked to x-ray the door. He slowed visibly as he realized who was on the other side. "Mr. Wells?" he asked as he opened the door. "What a surprise." Indeed, H. G. Wells was standing patiently in their vestibule. "Good morning, Mr. Kent," the elderly gentlemen said politely, hat in hand. "May I come in?" Clark stepped aside quickly. "Of course, of course ... Lois!" Lois walked through the door from the kitchen, Laura in one arm. "Mr. Wells," she exclaimed. "What a surprise." Although she was happy to see Mr. Wells, a sudden and nagging fear of separation haunted her thoughts. "Ms. Lane," the older man greeted warmly. "How nice to see you again." He then turned his attention to the small child who had crawled over to get a better look at him. "And this must be Laura," he said. "What a beautiful child." Lois and Clark nodded their thanks, then briefly exchanged an uneasy look. Lois spoke first. "So, what brings you to Metropolis, Mr. Wells? The last time we saw you ... at least at this stage of your life ... you had brought the alternate universe's Clark here to help us defeat Tempus." Wells smiled. "Yes, yes ... and defeat Tempus we did! You'll be glad to know that he is still incarcerated in the 24th century. However, there is another matter in which I need your assistance," Wells said deferentially. "This time, the alternate universe needs your help." Clark's brow furrowed in concern. "What's the problem?" "As you may remember from my visit two years ago, I had hoped to return to the alternate Metropolis at a time where I could save the life of that universe's Lois Lane. Fortunately, I was successful in accomplishing this." Lois and Clark exchanged an pleased smile. "That's wonderful news!" Clark interjected. "Lois and I were just talking about them the other night ... we just had this feeling that they were together and happy. I'm glad to know we were right." "Yes, quite ... and happy they are. In fact, at this point in the timeline, they have just become engaged to be married." "Then what's the problem, Mr. Wells?" Lois asked. "I'm sure they'll be very happy together." "Unfortunately, my dear, they won't ... not unless I can convince your husband to come with me to the other universe. You see, the alternate Metropolis is about to face something so awful that even Superman can't handle it alone. A major disaster puts hundreds of people, including that universe's Lois, in danger. Superman can't be everywhere at once, and thus, tragedy ensues." "What can I do to help?" Clark asked. Mr. Wells looked from Lois to Clark. "I was hoping you'd come with me to the other universe, to help that Superman in his time of need the way he was able to help your universe two years ago. Clark exhaled, lost in thought. "I'll do whatever I can to help them, Mr. Wells, but that would mean leaving this Metropolis without any Superman," Clark pointed out. He looked at Lois. "What do you think?" Lois looked at Laura playing on the floor, then met Clark's eyes. "Hurry back," she said quietly. Clark hesitated at the fear evident in his wife's eyes. He wanted to help the other universe, but still ... he now had a child to consider. "Are you sure?" Lois picked up Laura and hugged her. "Could you deny them the chance to have their own beautiful little girl?" Clark swallowed, then turned to their guest. "How much time do we have?" Wells looked at his watch. "To do the most good, we'll need to leave within the hour." Clark nodded, a new resolve clear on his face. "Lois, finish packing your suitcase. I'm taking you and Laura to Smallville as planned, then I'll come back to Metropolis and leave with Mr. Wells." **** Martha and Jonathan were glad to have the company of their favorite daughter-in-law and grandchild. They were not as glad that their son would not be joining them. Of course, they wanted to help the alternate Lois and Clark, of that there was no doubt. But they couldn't help but fear for their own son and his family. They took Laura to the crib kept at the farm for her visits and let their son say his goodbyes to his wife in private. Clark walked out on the porch to find Lois watching the leaves on the trees blow in the wind. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Hi," he said softly. Lois leaned back in his arms. "Hi." "Are you OK with this?" "Do I wish you didn't have to go? Of course, I do. But how can we deny them their future? They have their whole world ahead of them, the way we did three years ago, the way we still do today. He deserves that life." Clark held her closer. "I'll come back just as soon as I can. Remember how it was when you went to their universe the first time? How you spent three days there but it only seemed like ten seconds to me? Maybe it will be like that again." Clark smiled. "We're probably saying goodbye for nothing." Lois turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't mind saying goodbye ... as long as we get to say hello again. Just come home safely." Their lips met softly, in a kiss full of love and promises of the future. **** (continued in part 4) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:40:46 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (04/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 4 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Alternate Metropolis Clark watched from the car as Lois entered the bank, and he scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary. Using his x-ray vision, he watched as Lois filled out the paperwork to deposit the funds into the bank and arrange for the transfer. So far, everything was working just as they had planned. Lois, using an alias, was putting the funds in a local bank which would then transfer the money to a bank in the Cayman Islands. The money would then be transfered to the account specified by the website. They would be able to maintain anonymity by taking the extra step of the Caymans. Lois emerged from the bank and headed for the car where Clark was waiting. "It's done," she announced, as she slid into the passenger seat. As Clark drove away, she removed the glasses she'd been wearing, and pulled a long red wig off of her hair. "I'm certainly glad that's over with. Carrying that much cash makes me nervous." "They would have recognized me; we had no choice if we wanted to maintain our anonymity," Clark explained. "The disguise seemed to work?" "As far as I could tell," Lois replied. "They asked me a lot of questions, but they didn't seem to doubt any of my answers." "I'm sure you did fine. We'll head back to my place to make sure the funds arrived in the Caymans, then make the final transfer to the site." "Are you sure it's wise to make the transfer so quickly?" "It should be. They'd probably be more suspicious if we set up the account and didn't follow through with funds as soon as possible." "Sounds logical. Why set up the account if you aren't going to bid, and you can't bid without the funds. I guess you're right they would expect the funds quickly." **** Twenty minutes later they were in Clark's apartment, checking the bank balance on their account in the Caymans. Clark whistled. "Wow, that was even faster than I expected." "Boy, this Internet stuff is amazing," Lois commented. "You can do anything it seems. Six years ago, when I disappeared, it was barely mentioned in the media. Now it's everywhere." She picked up a copy of the Daily Planet Clark had on his table. "I bet you could find a reference to the Internet in every section of the paper." She started to leaf through the pages. Clark glanced over with a smile. "You're welcome to check." "No, I was just making a point ... hey, did you know there was an Earthquake two days ago?" Clark looked away from the screen in surprise. "Where?" Lois was reading through a small article on page three of the front section. "Here in Metropolis ... just a little one, a 2.5 on the Ritchter. The article says most people just slept through it." "When was it?" Lois scanned the article. "Um ... Monday; a little after four in the morning." She looked up. "Darn, I didn't feel it. Did you?" A slow grin spread across Clark's face as he remembered what they'd been doing two nights ago. "We were a little busy at four in the morning two nights ago, remember?" Lois looked at him blankly for a moment, then grinned herself. "Oh, that's right! How could I forget?" "I certainly hope you don't forget ... you said yes, and I'm going to hold you to it," he teased. Lois wrapped her arms around him. "And you still owe me a shopping trip," she teased back. "I seem to remember the phrase 'anything I want'." Clark gave an exaggerated cringe. "I knew I'd live to regret that. We'll start off married life bankrupt." Lois laughed. "What do you mean? You have twenty thousand dollars!" She pointed to the screen with a grin. "Speaking of which, we have some shopping to do!" **** The time machine materialized in an old abandoned garage several blocks >from the Daily Planet building. Wells turned the machine off. "It should be safe here," he commented absentmindedly. "Safe from what?" Clark asked. "Safe from discovery and the events which are about to unfold." Clark looked at him suspicously. He wasn't used to Mr. Wells withholding information. "Maybe you better fill me in on what exactly I'm supposed to do here." Wells sighed. "I'm sorry, Clark. I don't mean to be so cagey. The simple fact is, I'm not sure exactly what is going to happen. You see, I was curious about the future of this universe; I wondered how their Utopia differed from your future Utopia. Unfortunately, when I used my time machine, I found that the timeline was in flux. I traced it back to this week in time, but all I could determine was that somehow Lois Lane disappears and her Superman is unable to save her in time." "So you came to get me." "It seemed the best option ... my time machine doesn't work in this universe as well as it does in ours for some reason. And I didn't want to waste any more time in getting you here." Clark softened, believing the sincerity evident in the older man's voice. "I'll do my best, Mr. Wells." Before Wells could express his gratitude, however, a low rumbling noise reached their ears. The ground beneath their feet began to move, and Clark reached out to steady his friend so he didn't fall. The sound of breaking glass and the eerie groan of stressed metal reached Clark's sensitive hearing, along with yelps and screams of fear from many Metropolis residents. "What in the world is this?" Clark exclaimed. "Oh, my," Wells responded, taking a hankerchief from his pocket to wipe his brow. "Oh, my, we hit it closer than I thought." "Hit what?" "The earthquake." Clark looked at him wide-eyed and prepared to fly Wells to safety, but as suddenly as the quake had began, all became still. "Is that it? Is this the major catastrophe?" Clark asked. Wells replaced his hanky and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "I don't think so. Look here." He opened the page and showed it to Clark. "You see, according to the U.S. Geological Survey history on this quake, it was a minor 3.8 magnitude earthquake centered about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia." Clark studied the page. "But if you have this information, why don't you know what happens next?" Wells shook his head. "Notice the blurred lines on this page and how the information ends almost right after this entry? The records for this time are from *after* the week when the fluctuations begin, so they are also fading in and out as the timeline changes. From what I've been able to piece together, I suspect that an earthquake is part of the problem, but there is no way to tell exactly when it will occur. The information on this minor quake only appeared after the fact. With the timeline in flux, I think-- I think the answer of whether there *is* a future for this universe depends on what happens in the next 48 hours." ***** Lois felt the low eerie rumble begin as she and Clark were working on the computer. At first, she thought it was a large truck rumbling past his apartment but then the floor began to move ever so slightly ... then things began to visibly shake. "It's an earthquake," Clark announced. Lois looked at him in shock. "You're kidding? Like the one in the paper?" Clark nodded. "Yeah, but this one is a lot stronger than the one from two nights ago." Working at superspeed, Clark shut down the connections on his computer and rushed Lois quickly into the safest place in his apartment, the doorway between his kitchen and living room. Clark held her close, shielding her with his body. They huddled together until the rumbling subsided. When everything calmed down, Clark released her. "Are you OK?" he asked, looking her over carefully for signs of injury. Lois straightened up shakily. "I think so," she said slowly. "Wow, I've never been in one of those before." She surveyed the damage in Clark's apartment. "Well, two pictures in the living room fell off the walls, and a bunch of the knickknacks from your travels fell off the mantle, but other than that, things seem OK. We should probably check the bedrooms to make sure nothing's broken in there." "Can you handle that?" Clark asked. "I need to go out and check the city. Who knows how much damage that quake may have caused or how many people may be injured or trapped. Will you stay here until I get back?" Lois sighed. "Yeah ... can you do a fly-by my apartment, though, just to make sure nothing major happened to it?" Clark spun into his Superman suit. "Sure." He hesitated before heading out the balcony door. "You sure you'll be OK?" She nodded. "Go ... I'll be fine." Clark smiled at her. "I love you, Lois." "I love you, too, Clark. Be careful." "I will." After a quick kiss, he was gone. After checking the bedrooms and finding everything in good order, Lois turned on the television in Clark's living room, anxious to get news reports on the quake. She dialed the phone with one hand as she surfed the local news channels with the other. "Vince! This is Lois ... what's going on over there?" "It's pretty crazy, Lois, but we're doing all right. Where are you?" "I'm over at Clark's .. he's out checking the city, but according to WMET, it doesn't seem like it's too bad out there. You need me to come in?" "No, you stay put. I've got almost every evening shift reporter out looking for stories. They'll probably be out all night so I'll need fresh people tomorrow on the follow-up. I'm going to count on you and Clark for that, assuming he's not needed elsewhere." "OK, I'll stay here. Maybe I can help write up Superman stories for the first edition." Lois hung up the phone and returned to watching the television coverage. **** Bill Church sat uneasily in the big chair of his office. His plans for expanding Netgang into Metropolis had hit a snag. Sure, he could get the merchandise he needed, but he had to figure out a way to keep the big blue boy scout out of his affairs. The company he had established proved to be an excellent cover for getting a foothold, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. So far no one had found his movers worthy of suspicion, but eventually someone would figure it out. He had to make sure Netgang was firmly established before that happened. The Moving Company would have to select their targets carefully. In the meantime, though, he had to be ready when opportunity knocked. And knocked it had ... and shaked, rattled and rolled. Church reached for the phone. "Gene, get the boys out in the truck. See what you can find out there tonight. The confusion over that shaker should provide good cover." **** Clark Kent stood with H. G. Wells in the middle of a darkened alley, distracted. "I think I should check out the city, Mr. Wells, just to make sure everything is OK." Herbert smiled. "An honorable desire, Mr. Kent, but an unnecessary one, I'm sure. The quake was fairly minor and I'm positive this world's Superman has things well in hand." "But you said he needed my help," Clark protested. Wells began walking towards the street. "Yes, but don't you think it best if we announced ourselves to him first? I suggest we head towards Clinton Street as quickly and quietly as possible. After all, people in this world know that Clark and Superman are the same person, so I think it best that we stay out of sight." Clark hesitated but had to admit that Mr. Wells was making sense. It wouldn't do for people to see two Supermen in the skies, and until he talked with the other Clark, there was always a chance they'd run into each other. Also, he had to admit that he would feel a bit defensive if the other Clark were to come to Metropolis and began acting as Superman without warning. No, Wells was right ... unless a true emergency presented itself, it was best to keep a low profile. **** Lois sat down on the couch in Clark's living room for the twentieth time in the last hour. She just didn't seem to be able to keep still. The idea of getting her news from the competition--local television no less!--didn't sit very well with her, and she felt as if she should be out pounding the beat herself. Still ... according to all the reports she'd seen, the quake had not been severe. Very few injuries had been reported, only widespread but relatively minor property damage. Lois wished Clark would get home, however, so she could see if there was any damage in her apartment. A knock on the front door shook her from her thoughts. Turning off the television, she strode to the door and looked through the peephole. To her great surprise, Clark was on the other side of the door with an older gentleman. Quickly disabling the security locks, Lois opened the door. "Clark? What's going on; why did you knock?" She focused her attention on the other man. "Please come in." It was only once the man crossed the doorway, Clark following slowly behind, did Lois realize that this elderly man looked familiar. Studying him for a moment, she gasped audibly as she realized where she had seen him before. "Oh, my gosh ... it's you ... Clark, this is the man I saw in Africa." H. G. Wells smiled and looked at her with genuine affection. "Indeed, Miss Lane ... so good to see you again. I'm glad to see that you've made a full recovery." Lois grabbed Clark's arm. "You found him ... I can't believe it. This is really H. G. Wells?!" When Clark didn't respond immediately, she looked up at him. "What's wrong? Was everything OK in the city?" As she met his eyes, however, she knew that something wasn't quite right. Clark was simply staring at her, stunned. Lois stared back, and for the first time, noticed the differences. The hair was styled slightly differently and the glasses were wrong ... Lois released her grip on his arm and stepped back quickly. "You're him," she gulped. She looked back and forth between the two men. "You're the other Clark, from the other universe. Clark told me about you, but I never thought I'd--" She cut off as another possibility hit her. "What's wrong?" she demanded. "Where's my Clark?!" Mr. Wells quickly reassured her. "Oh, my dear, he's fine, I assure you. We saw him helping to determine structural safety of a nursing home not ten minutes ago." Heartened, Lois turned her attention to the man who so resembled her fiance. "Wow, you look so much like him ..." she said in awe. Clark, meanwhile, was still amazed. She looked so much like his wife, yet .. it clearly wasn't her. In that moment, he realized exactly what his wife had assured him, that while he and the other Clark looked alike physically and had the same basic personality, they *weren't* the same person. In Lois's case, however, there were physical differences too, albeit small ones. The woman before him had long hair, allowed to dry naturally into soft waves, while his wife wore her hair short and straight. As Clark watched this Lois interact with Mr. Wells, he was also struck by the differences in the way the two women carried themselves. This Lois seemed younger, more effervescent than his wife. Suddenly he remembered what Mr. Wells had explained on their way to Clinton Street, that this Lois had been in some type of suspended animation for five years--physically, she was probably closer to 26 than his wife's 31 years. Clark shook his head with a smile. "The resemblence is amazing." The introductions out of the way, Lois suddenly remembered her manners. "Come in, please ... can I get you anything?" "No, we're fine," Clark responded as he stepped from the entry way into the living room of the apartment. As soon as he reached the floor, however, he stopped and stared, again amazed. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed as he looked around the apartment. "What did you do to the apartment; it's huge!" Lois laughed. "I take it you didn't expand yours. About three years ago, when Clark became Superman, he added on. He bought the apartment next door and relocated the walls. He did a lot of the work himself," she added proudly. "He's very handy." She pointed out some of the features. "He kept the kitchen from next door since it was bigger, and expanded the master bedroom to include the original kitchen. The living room and eating areas doubled in size, plus he has two additional bedrooms." Lois continued to show them around, pointing out the security system and the STAR Labs super computer to an astounded Clark Kent. In response to some of her guest's questions, she also explained how Superman was on retainer with the city, as well as still working part-time as a reporter with the Daily Planet. She could tell that this Clark was impressed, seeing the pros and cons of going public in his world. Soon, however, Lois realized that there was a big question still unanswered. Lois turned to the two men. "Look, this has been fun and all, but I really have to know ... what are you doing here?!?" A male voice echoed seriously behind her. "I agree, what *are* you doing here?" All three turned in unison to find they had been joined by a fourth. Clark Kent and Superman stared at each other. **** (continued in part 5) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:42:07 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (05/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 5 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Several minutes later, the foursome were seated in the living room. "And so you see, my boy," said H. G. Wells, "since you were nice enough to travel with me to the other universe when this Clark was in trouble, I thought it only right that I should try to bring him here to help you." Superman ran a hand through his hair. "I appreciate that, Mr. Wells, I really do ... but I still don't understand why you think I need the help." He sat up a bit straighter, looking directly at his counter-part. "I mean, I may not have been Superman for as long as you have, but I've been doing it close to full-time for three years now. I'm not exactly a rookie." Clark shook his head. "No one ever said you were ... believe me, I'm not here because I thought you couldn't do the job. In fact ..." He hesitated, looking between Superman and Lois. "In fact, I don't know if I could do it full-time. There were many times I seriously considered giving up Clark Kent and just living as Superman in my world, but the older I get, the more I realize how difficult that would be. I'd miss my family too much." His words hit a chord with Lois, and she slipped her hand into Superman's as she sat closely next to him. She knew all too well the toll being Superman several hours a day had taken on her fiance. They themselves had agreed that, if they were to get married and consider a family, Superman would need to set stronger limits on the amount of time he spent patrolling each night. The touch of his finance's hand seemed to calm Superman, and he visibly relaxed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean it like that ... this is all just such a shock. Of course I'm glad that you came to help." He turned to Mr. Wells, his eyes full of emotion. "Mr. Wells, for what you've done for me, I can't thank you enough. We know that you were responsible for getting Lois safely out of the Congo." Superman stopped, his voice cracking. He took a deep breath. "I don't know what else to say but thank you." H.G. Wells smiled warmly at the young couple sitting closely together. Their body language and the way their looked at each other made it obvious to anyone that they were deeply in love. He was proud to have been able to help them find each other. "Just setting history right, my boy," he said with modesty. "You are meant to be together." "Soul mates," Superman said with a smile, looking into the eyes of his finance. Lois smiled and squeezed his hand. "Soul mates," she whispered back. Clark cleared his throat. Looking at them together like this, he was struck by how much he missed his wife. He was glad things were going well in this universe, but right now, he really just wanted to help and get back home. "So, Mr. Wells," he said, changing the subject. "Do you have any idea what we are going to be up against here? What exactly will happen and when?" Wells looked troubled. "I wish I could tell you more, Clark. But as I explained before, all I could learn during my travels was that a catastrophe hits Metropolis soon, and Superman *will* need the help. Believe me, if I could have pinpointed an exact time, I would have." "What kind of catastrophe are we talking about here?" Superman pressed. "Another earthquake? An asteroid hitting the Earth?" Clark almost smiled. "What, you haven't done that yet?" At Superman's confused expression, Clark waved him off. "I'll tell you later. Maybe you'll have an easier time of it than I did." Superman wasn't ready to let things drop yet, however. "How big of a catastrophe are we talking? How many people?" Wells coughed awkwardly. "Actually ... though certainly all life is precious, there is one life in particular that, should it be ended prematurely, would affect the future of this world's Utopia." Superman followed Wells gaze to the woman sitting next to him on the couch. "Lois?" he exclaimed. "Are you saying Lois is in danger?" Wells just looked at the young couple and sighed. "I'm afraid that possibility exists." Superman instantly became very concerned. "All right, then we'll make sure that doesn't happen," he stated emphatically. "Lois, I'm taking you out of Metropolis until all this is over. Call your parents and see if you can stay in California." Lois sat up straigher. "Excuse me, what makes you think you get to decide this?" "Lois, I don't want to argue. You're in danger." "I'm in danger everytime I step off the curb, Clark. I'm in danger everytime some bad guy decides he can reach Superman through his girlfriend. I'm not going to run away from this. Whatever it is, we'll get through it." "Lois--" "My place is here, Clark, reporting the news. Even if the world ended tomorrow, I'd have to be out there to see it." At her fiance's hesitation, she continued, more softly. "I was locked away for five years against my will ... I'm not going to do it again." Superman looked at his hands, contrite. "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just ... if I ever lost you, after all that's happened ..." "Shhh," she soothed. "I'm not going anywhere. I've got two Supermen looking out for me." She nudged him, trying to get him to smile. Finally, his expression softened. "OK, you win. I guess all we can do is try to stay alert." **** It was a little after ten in the evening when Lois and Clark realized they hadn't finished their exploration of the auction website. Although Mr. Wells had gone to bed early, their other guest was still awake. "Hey, Clark?" Lois called. "Yes?" both men answered at once. She sighed. "This is going to be difficult. Any ideas on how to keep you two straight?" Her finance wrapped his arms around her waist. "Easy," he said. "If he tries to kiss you, I'll be the one taking him outside." He winked at his look-alike to show his good humor. Lois laughed. "I meant with the *names*, lunkhead. I going to go nuts if you both answer everytime I say 'Clark'." Their guest offered a suggestion. "Well, my friend Jimmy calls me CK sometimes. Maybe I should just go by that while I'm here." "Sounds good, CK." Lois sat down at the computer. "Now that we have that straight, maybe Cl-- I mean, CK, would like to help us take a look at this website. Now that our funds are deposited, we can do some shopping." They quickly explained the background of their investigation, how they had gone to great lengths to set up a false identity in order to root out what they suspected was an illegal auction. The details intrigued CK, and he pulled up an extra chair to the computer. The first item Lois came to was a large vase. "Hmm, says it's from the Ming Dynasty ... bidding starts at $500." CK leaned forward. "I've seen that vase somewhere before. Now if only I could place where I saw it." Clark took over the mouse. "There are several other unique items on this site. Some of them, I find hard to believe are on the auction block. They look like family heirlooms." "You're right, some do seem like they'd be heirlooms," Lois remarked. "They seem like the kind of things that families try to hang on to despite their value on the market." "Unless there are extenuating circumstances," CK rationalized. "Like a family strapped for cash ... or a relative gaining possession who just doesn't have the same sentimental feelings." "Or they are stolen goods," added Clark. "When does the bidding close on the vase, Clark?" Lois asked. He scrolled down. "Tomorrow afternoon." "Let's wait until the last minute to bid so we don't raise the price more than we have to. I still can't believe Vince convinced Mr. Olsen to give us the money, but we better be careful nonetheless." Clark exited the site. "Good idea. It's getting late anyway, and I think we all better get to bed. Vince is going to expect us in early tomorrow." **** The next morning passed fairly quickly. Lois and Clark headed to the Planet, while CK and Herb agreed to search the Internet for more information on the auction items that may have been unique. The Planet was a flurry of activity. There were many stories of heroism in the wake of the earthquake, along with incidences of looting and minor damage around the city. Vince Nelson and his staff were busy. Clark spent the time transcribing his notes into stories. Fortunately, with his super speed he could read and edit a multicolumn story as fast as the word processor allowed. Lois was busy working on the overall coverage layout. Normally, it was the editor's job, but it was something Lois had tried her hand at recently, and found she really enjoyed it. She would always be a reporter first, but Vince seemed to think she had the potential to be a top editor herself someday. Today, however, there were so many similar stories that after a time it was difficult to tell one from another. It was becoming a laborious task to decide which stories would be delegated to the special supplement and which would be placed on page one. Of course, the editor had the final say, but Vince was so overwhelmed, he was glad to have Lois work on the initial layout. She, in turn, trusted Clark to help her pick out the more outstanding stories. Whenever he completed one story, he forwarded it to her with a brief comment on how high he ranked its importance. She used her own judgement, but found his insight to be excellent more often than not. By lunch time, everyone was exhausted. Lois felt like she had put a full day's work in only four hours. She was ready for a break. Wistfully thinking of a quiet lunch alone with Clark, she sighed as she remembered that CK and Mr. Wells were waiting for them at the apartment. She checked her watch as her partner walked by. "Clark, we're supposed to meet CK and Mr. Wells for lunch ... do you think we can get away?" "I just talked to Vince about that. Most of the stories on the earthquake have been completed, and as far as I know, the only additional story they are still working on is a historical piece on previous earthquakes affecting Metropolis that can run almost anytime. Pack up your notes while I double check with him, but I bet there won't be any problem, especially since we need to get back to our crime family investigation." Clark headed off to the editor's office and returned a short time later with a broad smile. "As far as he's concerned, we are on our own until tomorrow." Clark held out his hand to escort his partner to the elevator. ***** At twelve noon, a moving van pulled up to the home of James Olsen. A knock at the door went unanswered. The moving men looked around for signs they were being watched. When they felt it was safe, Gene Newtrich expertly picked the lock to the front door. Entering the home quietly, he spotted several items of interest and signaled the accomplice carrying cardboard boxes to assemble one. Taking some packing materials from a second mover, Gene carefully wrapped an ornate silver picture frame. It had to be safely wrapped for a move through the city to The Moving Company's warehouse. The final bundle was gingerly placed into the packing box. While one man handled the box, the second followed in the footsteps of his boss, wrapping the items selected by Newtrich and placing them in the packing box. The movers followed this same routine for about fifteen minutes, roaming throughout the inside of the house seeking only those items easy to sell but difficult to trace. Once the box was packed with carefully wrapped valuables, Gene stepped back out on the front porch alone. Carefully he scanned the neighborhood once again. There was no one watching the front door of this elegant home in the posh section of Metropolis. Signaling his men, they quietly carried the single box of stolen valuables to the truck while Gene secured the front door. Moving on to the next home on their list, Gene hoped that they would have several similar boxes of valuables on the truck before heading to the warehouse. ***** Clark and Lois stopped by their favorite Chinese restaurant and picked up lunch before heading to his apartment. CK took charge of the food while Clark logged into their alias account. Checking the auction website, they discovered that they only had a little more than an hour before the bidding closed on the vase. "Should we put in a bid?" Clark asked. "It's up to $1500 now." He'd been confident when asking for the money, but now that it was time to spend it, he couldn't help but hope he wouldn't get burned. "Let's wait and see if it goes up in the next thirty minutes," Lois suggested. "That will give us time to eat." "I've been thinking hard about where I saw that vase," CK interjected between mouthfuls of sweet and sour chicken. "If my memory serves me, I believe it looks like a vase I saw in the office of Bob Fences several years ago. Do you have a Bob Fences here?" "Yeah, he's the president of the phone company," Clark replied. "Quirky guy, but he seems basically honest. Do you think he's involved?" "Might be interesting to see if he put the vase up for auction himself, assuming he even owns it," CK suggested. "I wonder if there are any more items for auction that we might be able to track to their owners." "Checking the website will be our first task after lunch. Right now, I'll call Mr. Fences and see if he knows anything." Lois searched through the front of the phone book and found the phone company number. "Yes, this is Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. I'd like to speak to Mr. Fences, please, concerning a story I'm working on." She paused again, then mouthed to her companions, "They've put me on hold." A few moments later, however, she was successful. "Yes, Mr. Fences? Thank you for taking my call. I'm doing a story on on-line auction sites, and I came across an item that my partner and I thought might belong to you. The item is a Ming vase, white and rose colored-- really? Well, that's fascinating. Yes, absolutely ... I can be there later this afternoon. All right, thank you." "What did he say?" "It seems Mr. Fences used to have a vase like the one on the website but it disappeared from his home three weeks ago." "It disappeared? Is that a way of saying it was stolen?" Lois shrugged. "I guess I'll find out soon. He said he was on his way home to pack for a business trip and asked me to meet me at his home with a picture of the vase to see if he can identify it." Clark wasn't so blase. "I'm going with you," he said. "I don't want to take any chances." "Clark, someone has to stay here and do the bidding on that vase. If it does turn out to belong to Mr. Fences, we don't want to lose it." At that moment, however, Clark was listening to an alarm only he and his counter-part could hear. The two men looked at each other. "Explosion at Metropolis General Hospital," Clark said, standing up and spinning into his Superman suit. "I've got to go." A second later, however, he stopped. "Damn!" "What is it now?" Lois asked. CK answered by standing and spinning into his own blue and red costume. "A jetliner's in trouble over Gotham City." He faced his twin. "Go ahead to the hospital, and I'll take the plane. Since I'm here, I might as well help." Clark hesitated. "Lois, I want you to stay here until one of us gets back. Don't go on that interview alone." "Clark--" "I mean it, Lois, stay here." "Fine," she said, annoyed. "Someone has to bid anyway." A moment later, she and Mr. Wells were left alone in the apartment. "My, my," he exclaimed. "They certainly do keep busy, don't they?" Lois just smiled wanly, and reloaded the web page on the vase. The bidding was up to $1750. Twenty minutes later, it was up to $1900. Lois looked at her watch. "Well, only ten minutes left," she mused. "Guess I better throw my hat in the ring." With Mr. Wells looking over her shoulder, Lois bid $2000, then with less than one minute to go, had to counter again. A nerve-wracking moment later, she and Mr. Wells each let out a cheer--she had purchased the vase for $2200. Lois printed out the information on the screen concerning the shipping of the item, and logged out, pleased with herself and wishing she could fill Clark in on the details. Now if only she could determine whether the vase belonged to Bob Fences ... Lois quickly made up her mind. Waiting until Mr. Wells left the room, she jotted off a note to Clark. She then checked to make sure that Mr. Wells was still making himself useful packaging up the leftovers from their meal and storing them in Clark's refrigerator. He looked to be quite taken with the assortment of plastic containers in Clark's cupboard, and Lois knew it was now or never. Slipping on her shoes, she picked up her purse and left quietly out the front door. With any luck, she'd be back from his visit with Bob Fences before Clark and CK returned from their rescues. **** (continued in part 6) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:42:50 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (06/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 6 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Lois beamed as she left Bob Fences home in the trendy upper East side of Metropolis. Her visit had been even more successful than she had expected. Not only was Mr. Fences convinced the vase was his, but he provided her photographs of two sterling silver candlesticks and the high end audio receiver that mysteriously disappeared the same day. She could hardly wait to get back to Clark's apartment and see if any items matching those descriptions were also up for bid. As she reached her car and started to unlock the door, she vaguely noticed that the house across the street had a moving van in the driveway. Curious about a For Sale sign--you never know what kind of house she and Clark might be able to afford once they got married--she took a closer look. Lois didn't find a sign on the lawn, but she did watch as a man loaded a single box into the truck and lock the door. Mentally filing away the information, but still distracted by her desire to hurry to check out the website, Lois shrugged and turned the key in her lock. She gasped in surprise, however, as two strong arms surrounded her. Before she could scream for help, a chemical laden cloth was forced over her nose and mouth. Within seconds, Lois Lane had crumpled, unconscious. **** Act 3 **** Clark landed on his balcony, tired but pleased with the job he had done. The explosion at the hospital had thankfully been contained to just one lab. Two technicians had been in the lab at the time of the explosion, and they were expected to be hospitalized for several days as a result. Fortunately, everyone else in the area suffered only minor burns. Superman was credited with preventing the spread of the fire to the Emergency wing where several critical patients could not be moved without possibly inflicting additional injuries. But it was touch and go for quite a while. As Superman entered into his apartment, he was greeted by an anxious looking H. G. Wells and a concerned CK. He was instantly aware that one person wasn't there. "What's wrong; where's Lois?" CK handed him a piece of paper. On it was scrawled in Lois's handwriting, "Went to my appointment with Bob Fences. Be back soon. Love, Lois." "When was this written?" Clark demanded. Mr. Wells wrung his hands. "Oh my ... I feel just terrible, Mr. Kent. One minute she was here and the next she was gone. She must have waited until I was in the kitchen to slip out. I noticed her missing about 1:30." Clark looked at the clock on the wall. "It's after four." He looked at CK. "Did you fly by Fences' house to see if she's still there?" CK shook his head. "I just got back a few minutes ago." Clark picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, this is Clark Kent with the Daily Planet ... my partner Lois Lane met with Mr. Fences this afternoon. Is she still there by any chance?" "Hello, Mr. Kent," said the voice on the other end of the line. "This is Mrs. Fences ... yes, Ms. Lane was here a little after lunch, but she only stayed a hour or so. Let me look out the window to see if her car is still here ... hmm, that's odd. The car is still in front of the house, but she left well over an hour ago." Clark was pale as he hung up the phone. "She left the house at 2:30," he told his two friends, "but the car is still out front. Something's happened, I just know it!" With that, he was back out the balcony door leaving his guests to stare at each other in concern. Superman landed in front of the Fences' home within seconds. He was dismayed by what he found--not only was Lois's car still on the street, but the keys were hanging from the lock. Whoever had taken her--if someone had taken her--robbery was not the motive. Swallowing hard to keep his panic from becoming overwhelming, Superman rushed to the front door and knocked. Mrs. and Mrs. Fences was surprised to see Superman standing on her doorstep, but upon learning that Ms. Lane was missing, they became concerned. "This is such a safe neighborhood; I never dreamed something might happen to her walking to her car in the middle of the day!" "Please think ... was there anything unusual going on when she left? Anyone who shouldn't have been in the neighborhood lurking around?" The Fences thought hard. "No, I don't think so," said Mr. Fences. "Did you see anything unusual today, Susan?" "No," Mrs. Fences said slowly. "Unless you count the moving van across the street." "Moving van?" Superman asked. "Yes, but it was only there for a short time. I noticed it when I went out to check the mail. I thought it was odd because I didn't realize the Johnsons were moving, but it didn't stay long, so I just assumed they had the wrong house or were making a delivery or something." "What time was this?" Susan Fences wrinkled her brow. "I can't say exactly, but it was right around the time Ms. Lane left, I believe. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying that close attention." Clark realized this was all the information they had. He thanked them and asked them to call him if they remembered anything else, then walked back to the car. Clark pulled out his cell phone from a small pocket in his cape and dialed a number he knew by heart. Technically, he knew Lois couldn't be reported missing until tomorrow, but he also had a lot of friends on the police force who would bend the rules for him. His instincts were usually accurate, and right now, every one of them was screaming at him that Lois was in trouble. **** Two hours later, a dejected Superman reentered his apartment. He filled in his two guests on what he had found and explained how the police had found no fingerprints other than Lois's on the car or keys. "What do you want to do now?" CK asked him. "I don't know ... Mrs. Fences said that she noticed a moving van at the house across the street around the time Lois disappeared, but the police talked to the owners, and they said they hadn't booked an appointment with anyone. Mrs. Fences couldn't remember what the van looked like, so I've just been out scanning all the moving companies in Metropolis to see if I could turn anything up. I haven't found anything yet, but I'll search this city building by building if I have to." CK spun into his own Superman suit. "Where do we start?" **** Gradually, Lois began to feel her hands then her feet. Slowly she wiggled her fingers as sensation seeped into to her body. The motion stopped at her wrists, and she realized they were tied to the arms of a sturdy chair. Her shoulders and mid-section were bound to the back of the chair, her feet were duct taped together and a gag covered her mouth. She could not speak and could barely move. Trying not to panic, Lois breathed as deeply as her bindings would allow. With her head a bit clearer, she searched her surroundings for a way out of her current predicament. >>From her vantage point, she could see small windows high up on the wall indicating she was probably in a basement. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but if those were windows to the outside, it had been long enough for darkness to fall. She tried twisting her body to see more of the room. She could not see a door so she could only assume it was directly behind her. To her right was a bookcase filled with books; to her left, a battered glass cabinet filled with dishware and a small table with a portable transistor radio. Squinting in the dim light cast from a single dangling light bulb, she strained to see what was beyond the table. She concluded it was either a small bathroom or a closet with a curtain covering the entrance. She strained her ears, but could hear nothing. Forcing herself to relax, Lois sat and contemplated her next course of action, but came up blank. There was no way to call for help and her bonds were too strong to be broken. **** CK had searched a third of the city when he passed by the Daily Planet building. There, sitting on a ledge, staring out over the city, was Clark. "Hey," CK said softly, floating over and sitting down next to his look-alike. Clark didn't answer. "We *will* find her, Clark," CK assured him. "The police are searching, trying to get an identification on that moving van. Mr. Wells is at the apartment in case there is any type of ransom demand. She's out there somewhere, and we'll find her." Clark just shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening," he said quietly. "We're supposed to be planning a future together. I just got her in my life and now--" His voice cracked. "Damn it, we were going to get married! It's just not fair." "Look, I know how you feel. But it's gonna be OK; you'll see." Clark made a sound of disgust. "You have no idea how I feel," he spat. "You have your perfect life ... your wife and your parents. You have no idea what it's like to lose someone like this." CK closed his eyes. His first reaction was to get defensive, but he knew that Clark was just lashing out in anger. And it was true that he didn't know what it was like to lose someone ... unlike this Clark, CK had his parents and he'd met Lois as soon as he came to Metropolis. But Clark was dead wrong when he said CK didn't know how it felt to have his fiancee disappear without a trace ... "I have a pretty good life right now," CK said quietly. "And I'm very thankful for that. But I do know what you are going through. My Lois was kidnapped from the church on our wedding day, and it was days before I found her." He looked around with a sad smile. "And I sat on this very ledge, looking out over this very city, cursing my luck, the way you are doing right now." Clark turned his head and stared at the man next to him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea." CK met his eyes. "You *will* find her, Clark. Just like I found my Lois." Clark looked down once more. "I only wish I could be sure she was still alive," he whispered. "She is," CK said emphatically. "I can feel her." "What are you talking about?" "There's this ... bond ... that I have with my Lois. I can't really explain it, but it's like we have this connection." At Clark's doubtful look, CK continued. "When Lois--my Lois--first came to this universe, I literally *felt* her leave our world. It was like a part of me had just disappeared." CK struggled to find the right words. "I'll never forget that feeling, and I don't think you would either--if your Lois was dead, you'd know it." Clark looked up, encouraged. "Really? And you can feel her now?" "I don't have that same horrible feeling, no ... I think it's because your Lois is here." Clark closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He visualized reaching out with his mind and heart, reaching out for the woman he loved more than anything. He thought of his Lois, how she smelled, how she sounded ... and he tried to touch her. Suddenly, his eyes popped open. "Oh my God, I do ... I feel it. She's alive." CK smiled broadly. "Then let's keep looking." He stood up and stepped off the ledge, standing in mid-air before his new friend. Clark smiled back as he straightened up. "Thanks, Clark. For everything." And with that, he was gone. **** Bill Church and his wife were on their way upstairs when the phone on his private line rang. "Mindy, honey, just go on up to bed. I'll be up in a few minutes." His wife smiled. "OK, dear, don't stay up too late. We both have to be at work early in the morning." Church waited until she was up the stairs to answer the incoming call. "Church," he barked, closing his office door. His face darkened as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line. His team of movers had been spotted and as a precaution had abducted the woman who had seen them. Going through her purse, they discovered she was a reporter for The Daily Planet--Lois Lane. "You imbeciles!!" Church roared. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" This wasn't just any reporter ... "I'm sorry, boss," the man on the other end of the line stammered. "She was getting into her car across the street and glanced our way. The boys panicked ... no one has ever noticed us before." Bill Church closed his eyes, the vein on his forehead starting to throb. Amateurs ... stupid idiotic amateurs. "What did you do with her?" "They've got her tied up ... but we don't know what to do with her. Plus, there's one other thing ..." Church exhaled, exasperated. "What now?" "She had a computer printout in her purse. It was a page from our website, the auction website." Bill Church sat back in his chair, thinking hard. Well, this was certainly an interesting development, one that would require careful planning to resolve. It was hard enough to get rid of a nosy reporter, but just how did one dispose of Superman's girlfriend? "Keep her out of sight ... I'll arrange things and call you back in the morning." With that, he hung up. **** Lois was finally getting her emotions under control. Her current experience was playing with her mind as bits and pieces of her previous kidnapping mixed with the present. She closed her eyes hoping for calmness to invade her senses. << Come on, Clark ... where are you? >> Suddenly, her eyes popped open in a new panic. A low eerie rumble could be heard, similar to the reverberating sound accompanying the recent earthquake. This time the sound was deeper and built to a huge crescendo. The building shook. The floor moved. Glassware from the glass cabinet began to tumble into a broken mess. Even the transistor radio fell and shattered on the moving concrete floor. Lois felt like a sitting duck--tied up like she was, she had no way of moving out of harm's way. She could only pray that the building she was in would hold up to the shaking. Looking up, she watched the light bulb sway in the movement, casting strange shadows on the rafters of the floor above. At any moment, she expected the floor above her to collapse into the basement. **** Outside the basement, fear swept over the inhabitants of the entire city as the tall skyscrapers swayed to the tune of breaking glass. Terrified citizens ran from their buildings into the quiet streets of a late evening. Others found themselves struck by falling glass and bricks >from their own buildings. Suddenly, large portions of the city were plunged into darkness as the power failed. **** Clark had just reached Hobbs Bay when the earthquake hit. Although it didn't affect his flying, he watched as the buildings below swayed in eerie motion, rocking rhythmically to the motion of the ground. As he watched, one small residential building began to collapse. He could hear the screams of those who were trapped inside, and swiftly dove in that direction. As he got closer, he could hear the hiss of a broken gas line. As he x-rayed the building, he found a child huddling in the closet, his parents standing in the doorway attempting to block the falling plaster from striking their child. Oblivious to the hissing of the gas or Superman, the parents struggled to keep their former ceiling away from their child, shoving each piece away as it fell into the remains of their living room. Grabbing the child and his mother, Superman exited the building seconds before the gas found a pilot light. Depositing his two passengers into the street, Superman immediately flew back into the building, attempting to extinguish the resulting blaze before the child's father was consumed. Spotting the source of the gas, he used his super-breath to cool the vapors into a liquid before freezing it. With the center section of the pipe frozen, he was able to seal the open end of the pipe with a combination of his super strength and heat vision. With a sigh of relief, Superman flew the man out of the building and reunited him with his terrifed family. **** (continued in part 7) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:43:51 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (07/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 7 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ >>From his vantage point above the city, CK could see various degrees of damage around the city. Some parts of Metropolis had fared well in the strong quake. Others, like sections of Hobbs Bay that had been built on compacted fill, were in shambles. CK was torn. He knew that he had to continue the search for Lois, but there were so many people that needed his help throughout the city. Hobbs Bay was just the worst hit area. Seeing that Clark was already in that area, CK began searching other sections of damaged Metropolis, always keeping one eye open for the possibility of locating Lois. As he approached the downtown cinema, terrified screams filled the air. The marquee had fallen, trapping many movie-goers in the theater. With strange creaking noises emanating from the roof area, CK knew time was running out. Setting down in front of the theater, he took the marquee in his hands and propelled himself upward. "Get everybody out of the theater fast," he shouted down to the lone police officer on the corner. "The roof's about to collapse." People rushed out of the theater for several minutes as CK held up the fallen marquee, until finally the rumble of a mild aftershock brought down the roof once and for all. Glancing over his shoulder, CK spotted the arrival of trained rescue personnel. His x-ray vision showed ten people trapped under the fallen roof. Sizing up the situation quickly, CK felt that with a little guidance on where to search, the rescuers could safely complete the job without his help. There were so many places in the city to search for the trapped and injured, he felt compelled to continue his search elsewhere when trained rescue personnel could handle the situation at hand. Cries and shouts filled the air; there were so many people that needed help. This was the hardest part of being a superhero, knowing he couldn't be everywhere at once. **** Lois groaned as she lay on her side on the basement floor. Darkness completely enveloped her, and dust filled the air. Trying to get her bearings, Lois heard moaning from above her. Someone upstairs was injured. Unfortunately, she didn't know if it was someone come to rescue her, or her captor. Suddenly, she heard a large crash next to her in the darkness and felt pellets of what she could only assume was plaster raining down over her. Lois squeezed her eyes shut and wished she could curl up into a ball to protect herself. The ceiling wasn't going to hold forever, and she had no way of escaping when it finally came down. **** As Clark continued his search of Hobbs Bay for survivors of the quake, one thought continued to nag him. Where was the fire department? Several buildings were still on fire as a result of the broken gas line, yet there were no fire fighters battling the flames. He flew over the Hobbs Bay fire station and discovered the reason. Fire fighters were busy trying to dig out their equipment. The facade of the older building had collapsed into a pile of rubble from the shaking. It was now blocking any egress from the huge garage doors at the front of the station. Taking a moment to evaluate the situation, Clark turned and headed quickly to the north. Excavation for a new police station had recently begun only a few blocks away, and he sped off to see what might be available there to help dig out the fire company. Spotting a partially buried bulldozer, he used his heat vision to detach the big blade and returned to the fire station. Becoming the power behind the blade, Superman quickly had the debris moved away from the station entrance. The fire fighters were now free to fight the spreading blaze only a few blocks away from the station. Clark quickly explained that he had shut off the gas main to this part of town, so the firefighters didn't have to worry about additional explosions of that kind. Still, he knew there were other gas pipes that could cause additional explosions within the broken buildings of Hobbs Bay. Circling over the collapsed building he searched for additional broken gas lines, but found none. He realized things were in good shape for this corner of the Hobbs Bay district, and continued his search for trapped and injured people ... praying that he would find Lois alive and unharmed in the process. **** CK flew back toward the Daily Planet building. The building was still standing, although the Globe had crashed into the street and the power was off. He quickly scanned the newsroom to check on everyone there. Thankfully, he spotted only minor injuries. Reporters were struggling to write up their stories by candlelight, hoping that the power would return in time to get out the morning edition. CK retrieved the wayward globe and placed it near the front entrance. Continuing his search, CK realized that a portion of the subway tunnel ceiling had collapsed into the line. He decided to check more of the subway line, and to his horror, found a train partially buried in the debris of a full tunnel collapse. Working quickly and carefully, he made his way to the train. In the dim emergency lighting, the front two cars appeared intact. Riders in these cars had very few injuries. In the third car, the injuries were a bit more serious. People from the front part of the train were helping those more seriously injured. Several strong men were working feverishly to remove debris from the entrance to the last car. CK moved in and finished the job. Prying open the door, he found the fourth car partially crushed. He and a few of the men entered the car, crouching to avoid the roof that was now several feet lower than normal. As carefully as possible CK and the men pulled the seriously injured passengers from the last car. As they moved further back into the car, however, the roof sloped downward at a severe angle. A quick scan caused CK to lower his eyes. The few passengers in the back of the car could no longer be helped. Knowing he didn't have the luxury of time, CK quickly picked up the most seriously injured passenger and headed towards the hospital, promising to return for the others. On his way back to the train, he spotted one of the rescue teams. Swooping down, he told them of the dead and injured in the subway car. The team reported the location to their command post and headed down the tracks to the train. Superman continued to airlift the seriously injured to the hospital, leaving the others to the rescue team. **** Clark floated high above the city, trying desperately to control his growing emotions. He'd seen too much death and destruction in the last few hours to keep any confidence that Lois had escaped the earthquake unharmed. Where ever she was, time was surely running out. CK had given him a glimmer of hope that she was still alive ... but there was no guarantee she'd stay that way much longer. There were still many people that required assistance, but Clark found he could no longer concentrate enough to offer it. He didn't know what he'd do without CK's assistance. A few times he'd been flying from one part of the city to another and had seen "Superman" on the ground below. Fortunately, Metropolis was mired in too much confusion for anyone to notice that their resident superhero was in more than one place at a time. Clark thought briefly about Mr. Wells. He had every confidence the man was safe--Clark's apartment building had been reinforced not long after he became Superman. It was just one of many changes Mayor Perry White had effected as a result of Superman going on the city payroll. Mr. Wells would likely be shaken up, but unharmed. Superman was thankful that Mr. Wells had brought the other Clark here to help. Wells had been right--this was too much for one Superman, especially when that one was in a near panic over the disappearance of his fiancee. Suddenly, Clark realized what Wells had obviously understood--that CK's help as Superman would allow Clark the ability to look for Lois. Clark took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. He had to find Lois ... he just had to. If only this "bond", as CK called it, could help him. << Lois, where are you? >> **** A loud thump and a scream caused Lois's body to jerk on the cold, dank floor. She had obviously dozed off, a feat which showcased her exhaustion given how uncomfortable she was. Another scream reached her ears, along with some scuffling from above. The man above her was apparently injured and trying unsuccessfully to free himself from something. She had no choice but to silently listen to him scream. **** Unable to find Lois and reaching the end of his rope, Clark flew higher, trying to escape the noises of the city below. Not knowing what else to do, he had tried reaching out to Lois mentally, trying to see if this newly defined 'bond' of theirs would give him any insight into her location. Like he had done earlier in the evening, Clark closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to feel Lois. He visualized reaching out to her, and willed her to reach back to him. << Please Lois, send me a sign. >> Nothing. But as he was about to give up, Clark stilled, unsure. Was that ...? He had felt *something*, but he couldn't be sure what it was. He tried to reach out once again with his mind, but this time, instead of feeling Lois, only the sound of a man yelling for help reached his ears. Clark almost screamed in frustration. No, not when he was this close! He had to concentrate! Clark rose still higher in the sky, trying to ignore his super-hearing and simply concentrate on what he was feeling in his heart. But once again, all he could hear was a male voice. Clark shook his head and took a deep breath, about to try one last time. Then suddenly, it hit him. The voice he heard ... it wasn't coming from the ground at all. In fact, he wasn't even *hearing* it--he was *feeling* it. But how...? Suddenly, it all became clear. Lois *had* been reaching back and this was the message she was sending him. Clark did a barrel roll in the sky, his exhaustion forgotten. It was a long shot, but it was the only shot he had. He began flying over the city, trying to hone in on the exact shouts he had heard from the sky. He traveled south, then west ... each time trying not to rely on his super-hearing as much as his gut instinct. It wasn't long before he reached his target, a home in a run-down part of town known as Kingston. X-raying the house, Superman saw the source of the screaming. A middle-aged man was trapped beneath a fallen entertainment center. His legs were broken, but he was not fatally injured. Clark swooped into the house, breaking a window in the process, and lifted the large piece of furniture off the man. "Is there anyone else here?" Superman asked quickly. The man stared at him, almost fearfully. "Uh ..." Clark's eyes narrowed. This man would have nothing to fear from his rescuer, unless ... "Where is she?" he demanded. The man paled. "I don't know what you're talking about," he squeaked. It was all Clark could do to keep from lifting the man up by the throat and make him talk, when he thought he heard a noise coming through the floor below. << Lois?? >> **** Hearing voices above her, Lois tried to scream for help through her gag, but the sound that came out was far too muffled to be heard upstairs. Still, she continued to fight her bonds, hoping that whoever it was would somehow hear her. Suddenly, through her struggle, she thought she heard Clark call her name. Lois froze. << Clark? >> **** In the living room, Clark tried to x-ray the floor into the basement, but found that the floor had been covered in lead paint. Still, he could swear he heard his name ... and it sounded like .... << Lois! >> Looking around the tiny house, Clark quickly spied a set of stairs that led downward. Confident the man he had just rescued wouldn't be going anywhere, he traveled through the door at super-speed. If Lois was in the basement, he didn't want to risk bringing the roof down on her by tunneling. In a fraction of a second, he was in the basement. Clark almost passed out >from relief when he found Lois there, alive and moving. "Lois," he gasped, racing to her side. "Oh, God, honey, are you OK?" He quickly broke her bonds and gag and x-rayed her for any internal injuries. "Clark!" she cried, letting him pull her into his arms. A second later, a large section of ceiling came crashing down directly over the chair was she had been sitting. "Oh, Clark, you came. I was so scared." "I know ... I know ... I'm so sorry." "... and then everything began to shake, and the light went out ..." He held her as tightly as he dared, his tears threatening to join hers as he whispered her name over and over. In that instant, had the rest of the world come tumbling down around them, Clark knew he still wouldn't have been able to let her go. **** Act 4 **** The afternoon edition of the Daily Planet was greeted by a grateful public. It was the first newspaper to get an edition out after the earthquake. Power had been restored sporadically, but many people were still without a reliable news source. The newspaper was like a godsend. Getting the paper out had been a major accomplishment. Since the power was still unavailable in most of downtown Metropolis, it was impossible to compile and print the paper through conventional methods. Vince Nelson wasn't about to admit defeat, however. Old typewriters were hauled out of storage, and those that still worked were put into service. Some of the younger reporters balked at using such machines but were quickly put in their place by their managing editor. Vince edited by hand, the way his own editors had done 30 years ago when he'd been a cub reporter just starting out. Slowly but surely, the Daily Planet came together. Feature articles were put on hold, but the hard news was all there. Getting the paper to print had been a challenge. But once again, Vince called on his many years of experience and welcomed a very special Planet employee up to the newsroom. Smiling broadly, he had introduced the man to Jack. "Jack, I'd like you to meet Andy ... the only man left in the print room who remembers how to run the old linotype machine." **** (continued in part 8) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:44:37 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (08/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 8 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Less than twenty-four hours after the quake, Metropolis was in surprisingly good shape. There had been multiple fatalities, but thanks to the efforts of two Supermen, the number of lives lost was far less than was normally seen by a quake of this size. Mayor White had jumped into action, contacting state and federal government agencies in an effort to obtain relief funds. The National Guard had also been requested to help with the clean up. City engineers began the difficult task of checking damaged buildings for structural damage. Reporters from area television stations and major news wires flocked into the city for stories. Some covered the damage, others the carnage, each searching for the human interest stories that would boost their ratings. The Daily Planet led the way, however, proving once again why it was one of the most repeated newspapers in the world. The daylight brought additional exposure for Superman as well, and Clark and CK both realized they needed to be more careful. With all the extra press watching the city, it would be too easy for someone to notice an extra superhero and turn it into a headline. At four o'clock that afternoon, Mayor Perry White held a press conference, updating those present on the current state of affairs, and praising the relief efforts of both the local police and fire departments, and Superman. City government buildings, White explained, would be closed to all but essential employees until the city's civil engineers could ensure the stability of the buildings. City streets were being cleared even as they spoke, but the public needed to understand that it would take time--their patience and understanding would be appreciated. Major arteries would be cleared first, then secondary roads, then finally less traveled neighborhood streets. Crews would be working around the clock, and volunteers were especially welcome. Because the power company expected that it would be at least another day or two before power could be restored to most homes in the city, Mayor White declared a city-wide curfew from 7 pm to 6 am. Several of the area schools had been designated as shelters for those without power or a safe place to stay. Mayor White also announced that National Guard troops had begun arriving in the city and were helping to assist the police in maintaining the peace during the curfew. They would also be available for continuing search and rescue efforts. State officials had rallied to help Metropolis as much as possible, however, it was not the only city in New Troy needing assistance. Governor Jim "Don't Mess Around With Me" Croce had declared several counties and the city of Metropolis a state disaster area, and the President had agreed that some federal aid would be available. When he had completed his prepared comments, Mayor White turned the podium over to a representative of the U. S. Geological Survey, asking the man to explain in detail about the magnitude and location of the quake. "Good afternoon. I have only preliminary information on this quake at this time. Currently, we believe that the epicenter of the quake was approximately 40 miles southeast of Metropolis. The magnitude has tentatively been set at 6.5 on the Richter scale. Please remember that the Richter scale is logarithmic. In comparison, the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake was originally thought to be a 6.9 and was reevaluated upward to a 7.1 on the Richter scale. Damage to Metropolis has been consistent with a quake of this size. There is also a strong probability of aftershocks. These aftershocks can be on the order of a 4.0 and even as strong as 5.0 on the Richter scale. Obviously these aftershocks can cause additional damage to already weakened structures. Please, if you have any concerns about the building you are in, the shelters are open to help you. They have been checked by the city engineers and are structurally sound." **** As night fell, both Supermen were once again called into service. Clark and CK worked in distant parts of the city, helping workers who were trying to clear the roads and restore power. Superpowers were very handy for lifting heavy transformers into place and removing large chunks of debris. One request for assistance involved removing the large subway cars caught in the cave-in. City and state workers wouldn't be able to spare the manpower or equipment to restore the subway tunnel for another few days, but they felt the removal of the cars would allow them to better assess the damage and recover the dead. The superheros also searched the rubble in Hobbs Bay, the hardest hit area, for victims who might still be buried, and picked up a few bold thieves who decided to risk looting one of the stores damaged in the quake in the meantime. In the wee hours of the morning, Clark and CK met briefly at the Daily Planet building to return the globe to its place of prominence. CK held the globe, positioning himself in the shadows so he wouldn't be seen, then Clark used his heat vision to replace the welds holding it to the building. When they had completed the task, they hovered high above the building admiring their handiwork. It wasn't the most urgent demand on their time, but they each felt a need to do it. Seeing the globe restored gave them encouragement that the rest of the city wouldn't be too far behind. **** Lois struggled to awaken the next morning, drifting in and out of a fitful sleep. In her dreams, she was back in the basement, fighting against her bonds. No matter how much she tried, the ropes around her middle could not be broken. Finally, with a slight jerk, she woke up, breathing hard. She had a moment of panic when she still felt the pressure around her middle, but relaxed instantly as soon as she realized that it was not a rope at all, but the strong comforting arm of her fiance. Lois rolled over so she was face to face with the man that she loved. The fact that he hadn't woken up when she had was telling--he'd obviously been awake all night, working to help Metropolis after the earthquake. The clock told her it was seven o'clock in the morning. She figured it was a good bet that Clark had worked constantly until sunrise, then finally fallen into bed, exhausted. She wouldn't be surprised if CK was in much the same condition in the guest room. She knew it had been hard for Clark to leave her last night. Lois had never seen him so shaken up after a rescue. He had saved her life many times before, and she'd even managed to get him out of a tough jam once in awhile, but she had never seen him react so strongly. When he'd held her in the basement, he was trembling. When she'd gently mentioned it to him, all he could whisper was, "It's different now." Although Clark couldn't put it into words, Lois knew exactly what he meant. Now they were no longer 'just dating', but were engaged to be married, planning a future together. She understood because she'd had the same response. When the earthquake hit and Lois realized how much danger she was in, all she could think of was how unfair it all was. She had 'returned from the dead' to find the man of her dreams ... and now, just as it was all right in front of them, a maniac threatened to ruin it all. Lois ran her fingers gently through the hair at Clark's temple, and he subconsciously relaxed, his breathing deep and regular. He had rescued her just before sunrise yesterday, and they had spent the next several hours together in his apartment. CK and Mr. Wells were both thrilled that she had been found safe, and they each recognized Lois and Clark's need to recover from the ordeal. CK had napped for an hour, then immediately flew off to offer more assistance to the city. He had all but ordered Clark to stay home with Lois, and Clark didn't give more than a half-hearted protest. They all knew that leaving Lois so soon after finding her would have been excruciating for him. Mr. Wells had kept himself occupied in the guest room for much of the day, writing in his journal. He emerged periodically to check on the sleeping couple, he told them later, peeking in the ajar bedroom door to reassure himself that all was well. Although Mr. Wells didn't have super-powers, he did have the heart of one, and his affection for Lois and Clark--the Lois and Clark in both universes--was obvious. He had been forced to stay on the sidelines while the two Superman took care of the city, but it was clear that being physically remote did not mean he was emotionally so. CK had acted as Superman until mid-afternoon, then returned to the apartment and collapsed into bed for some much needed sleep. Only then did Clark pick up the reigns, grateful that CK's presence allowed him to spend time with his fiance. Both men went out together in the middle of the night, when the cover of darkness gave them greater privacy. But now Clark, at least, was back. Lois gave her fiance a soft kiss on the cheek, and gently slid out from his embrace. She'd showered off briefly after her return yesterday, but had been too exhausted to get as clean as she would have liked. Now she couldn't wait to get under the hot water and wash all the painful memories away. **** Lois, CK and Mr. Wells were enjoying a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and bacon when Clark walked out of the bedroom. He joined them at the table looking considerably more rested and relaxed than he'd been the day before. "Oh, honey, I'm glad you're up. I was just trying to figure out how to keep these men from eating your breakfast." Lois winked at her guests. Clark smiled. "What do you think woke me up? I was dead to the world, but the smell of your cooking is enough to get anyone's mouth watering." He gave Lois a kiss before taking his seat and filling his plate. "So, what did I miss? Have you three solved the world's problems while I was out?" Lois poured him a glass of juice. "No, but I was just telling them how anxious I am to figure out who grabbed me and why." Clark swallowed some eggs. "Well, I just called Marty from the bedroom. He said that the guy we found in the house where you were kept is named Gene Newtrich. But we don't have to worry about him coming after you again; he should be in the hospital for quite awhile." "Gene Newtrich?" CK asked, surprised. "Yeah, you know him?" CK sat up straighter. "Definitely. He was a geologist, but ended up working for Bill Church, Junior, when he was at Cost Mart doing some dirty deals. Newtrich found a hunk of red Kryptonite which has been a thorn in my side ever since." Lois shot a look at her fiance, then back to CK. "*Red* Kryptonite? Do I want to know?" CK smiled. "No, but I'll tell you later, just in case you ever run into it." Clark, however, was still interested in Newtrich. "Cost Mart doesn't strike any bells, but Bill Church ... that sounds familiar." Clark thought for a moment, but shook his head. "No, I can't remember where I heard the name. In any case, Newtrich has been arrested." "Has this Newtrich guy said anything about why he was holding me?" Lois asked. "They still need to officially question him, but so far, he's not talking. The earthquake is messing things up ... one, things are moving slowly since the police don't have as many officers available to investigate, and two, they haven't been able to get into the apartment to search for evidence because the building might be unstable." "Well, there is a guard on the door at least, isn't there?" Lois said sarcastically. Clark put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Marty has taken care of that. He won't let him get away." "Who's Marty?" CK asked. "Oh, sorry, Martin Snell ... he's a friend of mine in the police department. I can usually count on him to give me the straight dirt on what's going on." CK blinked in surprised. "Martin Snell, an honest cop?? You must be kidding." "Really?" Clark asked him. "He's a decent guy, though I admit he does dance the line sometimes if he feels justice is taking too long. That's why I called him when Lois disappeared; I knew he'd bend the rules and start looking for her right away." CK shook his head. "He was an Intergang attorney in my world. Got killed before he could rat on who the big bosses were. We never did find out." Clark looked interested. "I've never heard of Intergang, either; I'll have to keep my eye out. But Marty is OK ... he had a rough childhood from what he's told me, and would have gone bad if his parents hadn't moved the family out of Paramus. He told me once that he was angry at his parents at the time for making him leave all his friends, but that looking back, it was the best thing for him. Now many of his old running buddies are in jail." CK gave a laugh of disbelief. "This is amazing. Next thing you're going to tell me is that your Dr. Klein has hair!" Lois just gave him a quizzical look. "You mean yours doesn't??" **** The trio of reporters went to the living room, exiting the kitchen at Mr. Wells' insistence. Wells knew they had a lot of work to do discovering why Lois was taken, and he would do his best to make himself useful by staying out of the way. Clark pulled up three chairs around his computer and booted the machine up. "I asked Marty to send me what they have on this Newtrich guy ... it should be here by now." A few clicks later, a photo of Gene Newtrich appeared on the screen. "Yep, that's him," CK confirmed. "Same guy we have in our universe." Lois took a closer look, but shook her head. "Never seen him before," she said. "Whoever it was grabbed me from behind." Clark looked closer, too, then sat back in surprise. "Wait a minute, I do know this guy. I didn't get a good look at him last night, but now that I see this picture, I remember. A group of movers set off a burglar alarm the other day, and this guy was the foreman." "Movers?" Lois repeated. She looked away, deep in thought. "Wait a minute ... I saw movers working across the street from the Fences', right before I got kidnapped." Clark nodded. "That's right; Mrs. Fences said she saw a moving van across the street right before you left the house. I actually started my search for you by scanning any moving vans I found on the road." CK pulled the keyboard over and began scrolling through the information Marty had sent. "Says here that Newtrich's employer is The Moving Company." "That's it, that's the van I saw!" Lois exclaimed. "Now I remember; it had a big TMC in the logo. With all the excitement, I'd forgotten." CK scrolled some more. "Current address ... 311 Gore Street." "That's where I found Lois," Clark verified. "There was no access to that basement except through the living room. He's going to have a hard time convincing a judge that someone else put Lois there." CK started to respond, then stopped mid-word. Clark stilled as well, cocking his head to listen to something only he and his counterpart could hear. "What is it?" Lois asked. "Water main break at 5th and Madison," said Clark, standing. CK had already beaten him to it, however. "Stay," CK said, putting his hand on Clark's shoulder. "Let me take care of this today; you guys keep investigating. If there's anything I can't handle by myself, I'll let you know." As their guest flew away, Lois and Clark looked at each other and smiled. "I could get used to him being here," Clark said softly. "Me too," replied Lois, looking deeply into his eyes. "I get to spend more time with you this way." Clark moved forward to kiss her. Lois sighed as their lips met. There were times yesterday that she thought she might never get to kiss him again. "I love you, Clark," she whispered. "And I love you." Their kisses continued, soft at first, but soon increasing in intensity. Just as things started to heat up, however, they were interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat awkwardly. "Ah, excuse me ... I didn't mean to interrupt." Lois and Clark pulled apart reluctantly and just looked at him. Mr. Wells continued. "Yes, yes ... so sorry. I just wanted to let you know I was going into my room if you need me. I've been keeping a journal of my various time travel adventures, and while this one doesn't exactly fit the pattern of the rest, I still feel the need to write it down." With a small smile, he waved a copy of his leather-bond journal, went to his room, and shut the door. Clark sighed. "I forgot we still had company." "I guess that's the price we pay ... a break for Superman, but no privacy at home." A tender smile spread across Clark's face. "I like that," he said, "you calling this home." Lois almost blushed. "Well, it is, kind of. I spend as much time here as I do at my place." "Do you like it? I mean, I thought maybe you'd want to buy a house or something; you know, after we're married." Lois looked around. "I don't know; I'm kind of attached to this place. Maybe once we're married, we'll change our minds, but for now, I'm happy here." She looked at him teasingly. "Besides, there's plenty of room for kids." Clark raised an eyebrow and fixed her with a look of pretend shock. "Oh, yeah? Just how many kids are we talking?" "Oh, I don't know," Lois said breezily. "Ten, twelve? After all, Superman does have a reputation to keep up." The last few words were nearly swallowed by her laughter as his eyebrows crawled up into his scalp. "I'll show you a reputation!" he threatened, beginning to tickle her. As she shrieked, however, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He kissed her, hard. "I love you, Lois Lane," he said huskily. "And I'll give you all the babies you want." The look in her eye told him that while she may have been teasing him about the number of kids, she would offer no argument about practicing how to get them. **** (continued in part 9) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:45:24 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (09/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 9 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ Some time later, Clark sat back down at the computer, sighing contentedly. "Back to work, I guess," he said to Lois, who soon joined him. Clark pulled up the information that Marty had sent once again. "OK, so Newtrich is a foreman for The Moving Company, and he apparently grabbed you while he was working because the moving van was there ... why would he do something like that?" "I have no idea, Clark. I wasn't confronting them or anything ... I just kind of glanced their way. It was a nice neighborhood and I was curious what houses were for sale, and when I noticed the moving truck, I look for a sign. I didn't see one, so I just turned back to the car. That's when someone grabbed me." "Was Newtrich alone with the truck?" Lois furrowed her brow. "No ..." she said slowly. "I think there were several men there, at least a few ... I really didn't look at that closely. But I'm sure there was more than just one man." Clark nodded. "OK, then that means Newtrich isn't the only one involved. His crew must have helped, or at least been aware of what was going on." Clark jotted a few notes. "I wonder if The Moving Company owner is aware of this activity. And I wonder what a moving truck was doing in that driveway if the people weren't moving. Hold on a second." Clark picked up the phone and quickly dialed. "Marty! I've got some information for you, and I was hoping you could send some back to me. Lois confirms what Susan Fences told me about there being a moving van in the driveway across the street that afternoon, and Gene Newtrich works for The Moving Company. Can you contact ..." Clark flipped through his notepad. "The Johnson family? Yeah, on Montgomery Circle ... find out why that truck was there. I want to know if they were bystanders, victims or somehow involved with this group. OK? Great, thanks, Marty! I owe you." Lois, meanwhile, had done a search on-line to see if The Moving Company had a website. When Clark hung up, she pointed out what she had found. "The site looks pretty typical; it's mostly just testimonials and education materials on how to pack, but I did find one thing ... look here in the bottom corner. It says "A Church Group Company." "Church Group? Wait a minute, didn't CK say that in his world Newtrich was associated with a Bill Church, Junior? And come to think of it, I just remembered the name of the family that was moving in when the alarm went off -- it was the Churches! I only met the woman, but she mentioned a husband." Lois leaned forward. "You think it's the same Bill Church that CK knew?" "Only one way to find out." Clark picked up the phone once again and dialed. "Jack! I need some research and I need it fast." **** While they were waiting for Jack and Marty to get back to them, Lois and Clark suddenly realized that they hadn't visited the auction website in two days. They checked in briefly with Vince Nelson, who had already been informed of Lois's kidnapping and ordered her to stay home for a few days and recover. Then they set to work. Logging in under their alias account, the two pulled up the website. Their purchase of the vase was confirmed, and the records showed that it had been shipped and was waiting for them in Antigua. Clark agreed that he would pick it up later; Mr. Fences would get it back, but only after the police were done using it for evidence. "Let's see if there's anything new to bid on," Lois suggested, clicking her way over to that area. Sure enough, there were several new items, and they casually scrolled through each one. When Lois clicked past a silver picture frame, however, Clark came to attention. "Hey, back up a second ... that frame looks familiar." When the photo of the frame came back into view, Clark was certain. "This is amazing ... that frame belongs to James Olsen." Lois looked more closely. "Are you sure?" "Absolutely; it was a one of a kind item. Perry White gave it to James when James bought the Daily Planet. See those initials in the lower right hand corner of the scroll? WMW ... Wanda Mae Waldecker." "The famous artist?" Lois asked in surprise. "Yeah, but five years ago she hadn't been discovered internationally yet. Perry commissioned her to make this frame for him to give to James. It was just a nice gift then, but now it's worth a small fortune." "I think we have our connection," Lois mused. "Stolen goods ... both items we recognized came from Metropolis homes, too." Just then, the phone rang. Clark answered on the second ring. "Hello? Hey, Marty, what's up? Really? Let me write this down ... wow ... OK, thanks; this is really helpful. Uh, not right now, but I might have something for you a little later." Lois just looked at him expectantly. Clark filled her in. "Marty says that the Johnsons have no idea why the moving truck was in their driveway two days ago, but they think they were broken into because they are missing several things from their home. I've got a list here." Lois checked the list against the website, and sure enough, all of the Johnsons' missing items were up for bid. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Oh, this is good," she exclaimed. "This is really good!" Clark, too, was excited. "We've got them ... now we just need to figure out who 'them' is." "Gene Newtrich, for sure, and his crew ... but the big question is whether The Moving Company and this Church Group is aware of what is going on. Is Newtrich a renegade employee out to supplement his income on company time?" "Or," Clark finished, "is TMC just a front for illegal activities?" "Any ideas on how to find out?" Clark thought for a long moment, staring at the screen. Finally, he sat up. "Well, I have one idea." Opening another window, he did a traceroute to The Moving Company's site. "Hmm ... Lois, dig out the traceroute printout we did on the auction site." Lois found the paper and handed it to Clark. "See this?" he asked, pointing. "Both websites have the same IP address. That means that both websites are on the same machine." "How is that possible?" Lois didn't pretend to understand everything about this new computer technology; the Internet was just one of many changes she had to adjust to when she'd returned to Metropolis. "Each machine linked to the Internet has one unique IP address," he explained. "This address can be assigned one or more domain names in the host table. These domain names are what most people use to get to a website. Some people have them customized--like mine, for example, 'superman.org'." "And this host table is a big cross reference guide as to what domain name has what IP address?" "Exactly!" Clark was always impressed at how quickly Lois had picked up on things. "OK, so if both sites are on the same machine, whoever owns the machine is involved in the thefts. And if that owner is TMC ..." "Then TMC is probably aware of the auction site." "Precisely. Now we just need to figure out where the machine is. So far, we don't have proof of who created or maintains the site. Let's see if a whois will give us some information." Clark typed the command into the window for The Moving Company site and printed out the response. It listed Gene Newtrich as the principal contact for the site. Switching over to the alias they created for the auction site, Clark repeated the command for it. Printing out the response, it was confirmed that Gene Newtrich was the principal contact for the site. "I don't know why I didn't think of the whois command earlier," Clark lamented. "It might have saved us a lot of time. I guess I expected it to be forged." Lois cocked her head. "Who would be so stupid as to allow his name to be linked to an site like this?" Clark exhaled a deep breath. "I guess we should consider it an early birthday present." "So where is the computer located? Did you see one in Newtrich's house on Gore Street when you rescued me?" "No ..." he answered slowly. "But then, I really wasn't looking for one. Next time I talk to Marty, I'll be sure to have him check for one." The phone rang at just that moment. Lois smiled. "Could be him now." Clark answered quickly, then mouthed to Lois, "It's Jack. He says he's got something for us." "Put him on speaker phone." Soon Jack's voice could be heard in the apartment. "OK, guys, this is what I could find out. Bill Church, age 59, is the owner and founder of The Moving Company. It was incorporated six years ago, but it's a privately held company, so I don't have any info on earnings. Word is that he's done extremely well establishing market position, especially considering how young the company is. He and his wife, Mindy, age 33, just moved to Metropolis last week from Gotham City. They've been married for two years; no kids, but Church does have a grown son from his first marriage." "Guess our Bill Church is the senior, not the junior," Lois observed. "This is where it gets interesting," Jack continued. "That house on Gore Street? Owned by a Mindy Stoddard." "Mrs. Church's maiden name?" Clark guessed. "Exactly. I ran a check of other buildings in her name in Metropolis. There's also a big warehouse in Kingston, not too far from Gore Street. Both were purchased three years ago, so apparently they've been anticipating this move to Metropolis for some time." "What do you know about Mindy Church?" "Not a whole lot ... she's a nurse, specializing in the care of heart attack patients. They met a little over three years ago in Florida when Bill Church was one of her patients." As soon as Clark hung up with Jack, he called Marty. Explaining what they had found, he asked if the police could get a search warrant. If the computer wasn't in the house on Gore Street, maybe it would be in the warehouse. **** Gene Newtrich was not a happy camper. His legs had been all but crushed when the large entertainment center had fallen on him. And to top it off, he was unable to escape when Superman discovered the female reporter in his basement. Now the police had stationed a guard outside his door and had read him his rights. He decided not to brag that he had those rights memorized. Instead, he demanded to see his attorney. They allowed him that phone call, and so now here he was, waiting. It wasn't long before he heard a conversation at the door to his room. Gene smiled. The leggy blond was probably making those cops outside the door drool. Her innocent face and killer body disarmed many men; that's one reason she was so effective in court. But a person only needed to be on her bad side once to realize she was not someone you wanted to cross. The door opened. "Hello, Mayson," Gene said, trying to look like he had all the confidence in the world. "Thanks for coming." Mayson Drake smirked at him, obviously amused at his condition. "Doing a little heavy lifting, I understand." "Ha ha. Can we get down to business? You need to get me out of this." Mayson sighed and opened her briefcase. Glancing at the closed door of the hospital room, she lowered her voice. "You're not getting out of anything, Gene. I've already talked to Mr. Church; he's been following what's been happening. I'll be honest, things don't look good." Newtrich's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, things don't look good? You're my attorney; you need to make them go away." Mayson barely contained a roll of her eyes. "Actually, I'm Mr. Church's attorney. In the past, he's paid good money to make things go away for you. Now it's pay-back time. Lane and Kent from the Daily Planet have found the website, and they've got the cops closing in on the warehouse as we speak, and we don't have much time. Correction--you don't have much time." "They can't trace that website to me ... it's a TMC machine. If I go down, the cops will be looking at TMC as well." The attorney almost laughed. "Gene, how naive are you? Mr. Church has taken steps to make sure nothing on that machine links to anyone but you." Newtrich looked like his head was going to explode. "Why those dirty little back-stabbers!" Mayson was appropriately annoyed. "Look, you're the one that screwed up; you're the one who's taking the fall. Here's the deal. You are TMC's computer expert and TMC entrusted you with their website. Unbeknownst to them, however, you were also using company equipment to steal and you created a website to auction off those goods. Mr. Church and the Church Group have nothing to do with it, and they were completely in the dark about what was going on." "And what do I get out of this?" "Mr. Church has paid you well in the past and he will continue to do so in the future ... assuming he's happy with your story." Mayson paused to make sure Gene was listening. "Each year of your incarceration, Mr. Church will forward $20,000 to a bank account opened in the name of your two sisters. I take it you are still supporting them?" she asked pointedly. Gene's face darkened. "Yeah, no good bums. I go broke putting them through graduate school, and they can't hold a job to save their lives." Mayson smiled. "Then it's settled." "Now wait just a minute--" The smile left her face. "I'm getting tired of this. The deal is only good for the next ten seconds. You refuse to take it, and you're on your own." She waited for him to respond. "Tick tock, tick tock ... OK, fine." She begin to pack up her briefcase. Gene lifted his arm to stop her. "You drive a hard bargain, Mayson," he said through gritted teeth. "But you've got a deal." **** Bill Church sat back in his chair, smoking a fat cigar. Things had gone well, all things considered, in their first foray into Metropolis. Of course, they had lost the computer system and all the stolen articles they'd accumulated in Metropolis so far to the police, but this was all just small potatoes compared to the larger picture. All in all, the thefts had been a nice distraction for the police while allowing NetGang to establish a small foothold in Metropolis. Newtrich had done his job especially well. When confronted with all the evidence against him, he'd confessed almost immediately and was transferred to a prison hospital. The Church Group, for its part, was very cooperative with the police. They'd even turned in a list of the other crew members that had been working with Gene Newtrich so they could be brought to trial as well. Oh, sure, those nosy reporters from the Daily Planet had their suspicions, but when none of the men brought to trial would admit the scheme went any higher than Newtrich, the police were forced to drop the investigation due to lack of evidence. Bill Church laughed. The best part, however, was knowing that he'd thwarted Lex Luthor. "Mr. Luthor thought he was being clever, putting the Daily Planet on our trail. He thought he could get rid of NetGang, but he was wrong." Mindy Church took a swig from her Diet Coke. She smiled at her husband and settled back in her own large leather chair. "Move over, boys," she smirked. "There's a new game in town." **** (concluded in part 10) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 17:45:32 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: NEW S6, Ep 11 (10/10) Movers & Shakers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Movers and Shakers Part: 10 of 10 Author: Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown Rating: PG Feedback: All feedback, public and private, is welcome Description: Episode 11 of Season 6 ______________ By the time CK returned to Clinton Street that evening, Lois, Clark and Mr. Wells were already celebrating. "What's the occasion?" CK asked, noting the champagne glass the was thrust into his hand. Clark grinned "We've not only figured out who kidnapped Lois, but we managed to break open a burglary ring while we were at it. Police got a search warrant on a warehouse in Kingston and found the computer system housing the website as well as most of the stolen articles." "When we sent the story to Vince, I thought he was going to pass out from joy," Lois piped in gleefully. "Not only did we get most of our seed money back from the bank, but we managed to bag an exclusive before other papers in the city even knew there was a story." "Of course, we still weren't able to tie in The Moving Company and Bill Church to any of this, nor did we find out anything concrete about this new crime family in town. But for now, I'm just happy all those people are going to be able to get their family heirlooms and other valuables back." Lois smiled. "And there's an unsubstantiated rumor that James Olsen is so happy we got his picture frame back that he's talking about giving us each a raise." CK laughed and raised his glass. "Unsubstantiated rumors--the best kind." **** Over dinner, CK filled Clark in on all the work he'd done as Superman in case he needed to write anything up for the Daily Planet. The city was moving steadily towards recovery, though there were still pockets of the city which still needed work. Fortunately, Mayor White was doing a fantastic job keeping the various crews on track. The trio brainstormed a bit on how Clark would explain how he'd bagged the theft ring story while acting as Superman all day--they ultimately took CK's advice that being vague on the details was usually the safest bet--then Mr. Wells announced that the crisis was over, and he thought he and CK could soon return to their own universe. As Mr. Wells went into his room to pack, Lois found CK sitting on the couch, looking through the pictures in his wallet. She hesitated, then sat down next to him. "Hi," she said. CK smiled. "Hi." "May I?" When CK handed her the photos, Lois studied them intently. "So this is her, huh?" CK smiled as he looked at his and Lois's wedding picture. "Yeah." "You really miss her, don't you?" she asked. CK's smile faded. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I really do." "I've seen you looking through these several times this week, but I didn't want to intrude by asking to see them. Thank you for letting me. I know your Lois showed Clark some pictures when she was here three years ago." "You don't have to thank me ... I love showing them. Lois is curious about you, too, you know." Lois looked at him doubtfully. "She is?" CK laughed. "Absolutely. I know I'm going to get the third degree when I get home." "And what are you going to tell her?" His expression softened. "That you two are as perfect together as we are." Just then Clark walked over and sat on the other side of Lois. "Thank you, Clark, for everything," he said sincerely. "I don't know what we would have done without you." CK smiled. "It was my pleasure. I have to admit I was curious about what it was like here. I'm just glad it all came out fine." Lois grinned. "Maybe someday we'll all get together, all four of us. I mean, it's so unfair! Everyone has been to their alternate universes but me!" Everyone laughed. Just as Lois was about to hand the wallet photos back to CK, she flipped to the top one in the stack. "Oh, what a cute baby ... who is she?" CK grinned. "That's Laura. Of course she's a lot bigger now. She'll be one next month," he finished proudly. "Here, look behind. There she is at three months; this is six months. And the one you saw first was nine months." Clark laughed. "You sound like a proud father." "You better believe it!" CK agreed. "I don't know who I miss more, her or Lois." At Lois and Clark's arrested expression, he blinked. "Wait ... you mean Mr. Wells didn't tell you?" As the couple shook their heads in confusion, CK smiled tenderly. "Laura is our daughter. Lois and I are her parents." Their eyes wide, both Lois and Clark once again studied the photos, this time with even more scrutiny. "Wow ..." they both whispered at once. When Lois looked up, she had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. "This is what our daughter could look like, Clark." Her fiance was equally moved. "I know," he whispered. A few minutes later, Mr. Wells was packed, and they were ready to go. After hugging Lois good-bye and shaking hands with Clark, Mr. Wells stepped outside. CK, however, turned back one final time. "Congratulations, you two, on your engagement. I can't tell you how happy both Lois and I are for you. I know you'll have a beautiful wedding." His eyes twinkled. "Even if Mr. Wells does need to take you back in time before you can consummate it." Lois and Clark looked confused. "Consummate it?" They looked at each other, then back at CK. "Um, we haven't run into any problems in that area ..." CK raised an eyebrow and gave a little, "Huh." With a shrug and one final wave, he trotted to catch up with Mr. Wells. **** Lois and Clark cuddled together on the couch. This last week had been exhausting, both physically and emotionally, for each of them. It was nice to finally have some time alone, especially since they knew that soon enough, Superman would be called back into service. "I feel so guilty, Lois," Clark finally began quietly. "You needed me to keep you safe and I failed." Lois sighed. "Clark, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one that went out without you, even though I knew Mr. Wells said I could be in danger. You can't take that on yourself." "I know, but--" "You can't run my life for me, Clark," Lois said earnestly. She wasn't angry but she needed to make him understand. "You have to let me make my own decisions and my own mistakes." "Lois, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me; I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." She hugged him close. "I'm not going anywhere." He smiled. "I know ... and neither am I. In fact, almost losing you like this made me realize that I need to reexamine my priorities. When emergencies happen, obviously I need to make every effort to be where I'm needed. But I want you to know that you are my highest priority, and I will do everything I can to keep you safe and happy. I can't promise that Superman won't get in our way sometimes, but I do promise that I will love you forever ." "And I love you, fly boy," she said tenderly, lifting her head to give him a soft kiss. As their lips parted, Clark sat up straighter, lifting Lois from his chest. "That reminds me ... I have something for you." He reached into his front pants pocket and pulled out a ring box. With a warm smile, he handed it to her. Lois took the box with wide eyes. She opened it slowly and gasped. "I know I said you could pick out anything you like," Clark said. "But if this week taught me anything, it's that I don't want to wait anymore to be with you. Will you marry me, Lois?" Lois looked up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. The ring contained a single center diamond surrounded by five beautiful sapphires. It matched the necklace that she had admired in the store window. "Oh, Clark, it's wonderful." "You like it?" She laughed and threw her arms around him. "I love it. And I can't wait to marry you either." As Clark slipped the ring on her finger and drew her in for a kiss, they each knew that this really was the first day of the rest of their lives. **** TAG **** Our Metropolis Mr. Wells dropped Clark back in Metropolis, but as soon as the machine shimmered out of view, Clark launched himself into the sky and headed for Kansas. As he walked into the farmhouse, he was greeted warmly by his family. Although he had been in the other universe for three days, it had only been 24 hours in his own. "Clark!" Lois called as he entered the kitchen, launching herself into his arms. "You're back." He hugged her tightly, closing his eyes and winding a hand through her short dark hair. Yes, this was his Lois ... and he had missed her so much. Sitting down at the kitchen table, a slice of his mother's apple pie in front of him, he began to relate the events of the last three days. **** All too soon, their time off ended. The next afternoon, Clark brought his family home to their house in Metropolis. After Laura was tucked in for her nap, Lois and Clark sat cuddling on the couch. "I really wish you could see them, Lois," Clark said with a smile. "They are so much in love, and they are so happy. But I have to admit, seeing what Clark went through when Lois was missing, knowing he had to choose between looking for her and saving people from the earthquake ... it really scared me. I don't know how I could function in that kind of situation, if I didn't know you and Laura were safe." Lois hugged him closer. "You'd do your best; that's all anyone can ask." "I know, Lois, but when something that big happens, it's so hard to prioritize. You can't do everything, so you have to choose." "And you're concerned that you'll lose track of your priorities." Clark sighed heavily, his eyes locking with hers. "With such a large number of strangers needing Superman, it's hard to ignore their cries for help and stay focused on the most important part of my life--you and Laura. I can't help but think that something like that earthquake could happen any time I'm out being Superman, and you--" "Shhh, don't even say it." "But, what if ..." Clark tried to continue. His protest was met by the stern yet loving gaze of his soulmate. "Clark, you're obsessing again. If it happens, we'll deal with it together." Falling silent, Clark pulled his wife into a tender embrace and dropped his lips to hers. As their lips touched, however, Clark froze as he felt something familiar. The kiss was broken by a low rumbling noise. The rumble crescendoed into a shudder, causing the floor beneath their feet to move ever so slightly. Finally, it faded away. "What in the world was that?!" Lois exclaimed. "An earthquake," Clark said seriously. "Good thing you haven't unpacked. I'm taking you and Laura right back to Kansas for the next 72 hours." "Now wait just a minute! Perry's going to need everyone working on the story, just like their editor did. If things are repeating themselves, we still have plenty of time before the big one hits." "Lois--" "Clark, you can't run my life for me." Her gentle tone softened her words. "I know you're worried, but let's not rush into anything. We don't even know if there will be another one." Clark sighed. "OK," he said reluctantly. "I'm going to do a quick fly-by and see what I can find out. If everything is all right, I'll stop at the Planet." With that, he spun into his suit. He kissed Lois deeply before he left. "I love you," he whispered. **** Jimmy was the first to spot Clark entering the newsroom. "Hey CK, wanna get in on the epicenter pool? The USGS is going to have a press conference on the quake in a few minutes." "Thanks, Jimmy, but I think I'll pass." Clark went directly to Perry's office. "Clark, good to have you back," Perry told him. "I know you're officially off until tomorrow morning, but I'm going to need either you or Lois to put in a long night covering the quake. Talk it over with her and let me know." A concerned Clark headed to his desk to call Lois. Although there was very little damage from this quake, just like in the alternate Metropolis, he knew what the next 72 hours could bring. Jimmy spotted CK leaving Perry's office. "I won the pool!" "Let me guess, a 3.8 centered 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia." "No CK, a 4.2 centered 30 miles southwest of Metropolis." Clark breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared history may not be repeating itself after all. **** THE END Characters in this episode are copyrighted by DC Comics, December 3rd Production and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended in any part by the author or the Season 6 group, however, the ideas expressed within this episode are copyrighted 1999 to the authors. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- People who will reed a text, rather than use software to Czech it, are worth there wait in sliver and gold. ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 18:00:19 -0500 Reply-To: Barbara Knutson Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Barbara Knutson Subject: Re: Subject Lines In-Reply-To: <199907250504.AAA25707@c.mx.execpc.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT I, too, agree with James and Kate - it's *really* difficult to read some of the longer subject lines, even with my reader maximized to full window and "give me all the space you can squeeze in" for the titles. And I'm *totally* in support of Genevieve's "I got 200 of these to read".....I'm so far behind on fanfic, it really isn't funny anymore. Real Life has this *very* nasty habit of getting in my way.....Tho I'm trying to collect and reformat and have ready-to-print (when we can afford half a dozen cartridges!).....and I'm keeping recommendations, too! One thing I've found that helps, Genevieve, is to create separate FOLDERS in the e-mail program - as each part of a story comes in, I move it to the appropriate folder (and as part of the folder title, I try to put in how many parts I'm looking for, based on what the author writes in part 00 or part 01. That way, and it would really help with authors using James' suggestion, I can either "save" all the posts to *one* text file and reformat and print, or if I'm reading "online", I can be sure all of the same ones are together and in order. It also helps me see almost immediately if one or more parts of a story hasn't come in, so I can write the author and get it. As with any suggestion, YMMV.....and there's probably not going to be any way to keep *everyone* happy..... Barbara ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ wbarbara@execpc.com WAFFYBarb on IRC One-half of TheWAFFys - now in our 2nd year of married bliss! Barbara: http://members.tripod.com/WAFFyBarb Jon: http://members.tripod.com/waffyjon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 20:53:40 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Easy ways to combine story parts MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I've found several easy ways to combine multiple parts of a story into one. Aol users can use the log manager on the file menu to combine emails or newsgroup postings into one file. Hopefully you have something similiar if you don't use AOL. If you don't skip to below 1. click file, log manager. 2. open session log. 3. save as a file name for the whole thing (usually the name of the story) 4. open each part of the story in order 5. when done recall the log manager screen and close the log Another method Go to the link below ( ZDNet ) http://www.zdnet.com/swlib/ do a file search for Wincode which is a freeware program , download it and install it. 1. Save each part of the story to your hard drive with a part number in the name. 2. move the parts to subdirectory Wincode/Files 3. open the program wincode 4. on the menubar select Actions- Join/Split files 5. you will see all the files in the subdirectory window on the left 6. double click on each file in the proper order or click on the heavy bold arrow if already in order to put them in the right hand window 7. choose the file name for the new file with all the posts combined 8. click on join and the new file is created 9. click done and close the program NOTE: This is a windows 3.1 program so file names should be 8 characters Marie (Choirgirl12@aol.com) also has a batch file she wrote to do the same thing. See her letter in the LISTSERV Archives in Dec 98 week three. This is also a windows 3.1 program. Unfortunately for me, win95 causes the files to join mixed up on my computer. I can't say what it would do on yours. Wincode works fine though. That's it. budmayes@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 20:54:23 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Word Wrap Screwups MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I thought that I would repost this for those who may have missed it the first time. It's a good way to fix word wrap screw ups. You can also use this to reformat a story for printing to use less paper. If reformating to use less paper, you can go to page setup and change the margins and take even less paper. Changing the font size adjusts it even more. For those of you bothered by the screw ups of word wrap and broken paragraphs messing up files you've downloaded and don't know how to fix it, I've come up with a few easy simple ways to fix them. This only works if you have an edit and replace on the menu bar that can replace paragraph marks and tab marks. Works 4.0 and 4.5 have buttons for these. If you don't have these buttons you might be able to type ^P or ^p in place of ¶ and ^T or ^t in place of the tab mark arrow. 1. Tell your word processor to show all characters - space marks, tab marks and paragraph marks. 2. If you have text like this: When Mother started drinking, I remember eating take-out a lot. Especially Chinese/Japanese. Of the rare times that my sister actually spoke during that time, she said that she could never get tired of Chinese/Japanese. But when she woke up the next morning with appendicitis, she changed her mind before you could say "sweet 'n sour." Though I doubt it was the food that caused the infection, she didn't know that, so I didn't tell her. It was too much fun to see her run out of the house screaming bloody murder every time we got Chinese/Japanese after that. We got a dog when I was 9 and Lucy was 6. It was an interesting cocker spaniel, and I say interesting because she was probably the dumbest animal I had ever seen in my entire 9 years. I swear she was. She was the hardest thing to crate-train. It took her almost 4 months before she finally caught on. Note whether there are space marks or tab marks at the beginning of each paragraph. Replace the indentation space bar marks with a single tab mark, ^T. Replace All of them. Note: If the story doesn't have tabs or spaces to indent each paragraph but instead double spaces each paragraph from the next, then mark that space by replacing ^P^P with ^T^P^T^P and skip part 3. 3. If there are spots where there are several paragraph marks in a row, to seperate scene changes, replace the paragraph mark,^P^P , with a tab mark followed by a tab paragraph mark,^T^P^T^P. 4. Replace all paragraph marks with single space mark. When Mother started drinking, I remember eating take-out a lot. Especially Chinese/Japanese. Of the rare times that my sister actually spoke during that time, she said that she could never get tired of Chinese/Japanese. But when she woke up the next morning with appendicitis, she changed her mind before you could say "sweet 'n sour." Though I doubt it was the food that caused the infection, she didn't know that, so I didn't tell her. It was too much fun to see her run out of the house screaming bloody murder every time we got Chinese/Japanese after that. We got a dog when I was 9 and Lucy was 6. It was an interesting cocker spaniel, and I say interesting because she was probably the dumbest animal I had ever seen in my entire 9 years. I swear she was. She was the hardest thing to crate-train. It took her almost 4 months before she finally caught on. This will create a run on paragraph with tab marks marking the site where every paragraph should start. And several tab marks in a row will mark where scene breaks should go. 5. Replace all instances of two or more space bar marks with a single space bar mark to clean up the text. 6. Replace every tab mark , ^T, with a paragraph mark followed by a tab mark or several space bar marks, ^P^T or ^Pspacespacespacespace. or If the original text did not have paragraph indents but used double spacing to seperate paragraphs , replace every ^T with ^P^P. or use which ever format which you want to change to. 7. This will break the text back up into the proper format. This will also remove the paragraph mark from the end of every sentence. The word wrap on your word processor will wrap it to fit. The only paragraph mark will be at the end of the paragraph. When Mother started drinking, I remember eating take-out a lot. Especially Chinese/Japanese. Of the rare times that my sister actually spoke during that time, she said that she could never get tired of Chinese/Japanese. But when she woke up the next morning with appendicitis, she changed her mind before you could say "sweet 'n sour." Though I doubt it was the food that caused the infection, she didn't know that, so I didn't tell her. It was too much fun to see her run out of the house screaming bloody murder every time we got Chinese/Japanese after that. We got a dog when I was 9 and Lucy was 6. It was an interesting cocker spaniel, and I say interesting because she was probably the dumbest animal I had ever seen in my entire 9 years. I swear she was. She was the hardest thing to crate-train. It took her almost 4 months before she finally caught on. That's it. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 09:46:30 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: NEW: Forever Young (1/6) PG MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: Forever Young PART: (1/6) AUTHOR: The German L&C Fanfiction Team CKgroupie (NKWolke@t-online.de), KiwiPit (petrast@gmx.net) and LittleS (Martina.Koerber@t-online.de) RATING: (PG) FEEDBACK: welcome public or private. No editing, please SUMMARY: It's Lois' 40th birthday. Time to celebrate and to enjoy lots of memorable presents. What if one of the presents is a complete flop and nearly an insult though? She wouldn't be Lois Lane if she couldn't make the best of it and come up with a story about beauty and murder. NOTES: A big thank you to our editor. To Angelika: Happy Fortieth Forever Young (Part 1/6) by the German L&C Fanfiction Team CKgroupie (NKWolke@t-online.de), KiwiPit (petrast@gmx.net) and LittleS (Martina.Koerber@t-online.de) The weather forecast had been right again. Unfortunately. Since last night it had been pouring in Metropolis. No sign at all of the lovely Indian summer the meteorologists announced days ago. "How else could it be? Really appropriate!" Lois thought sleepily and pulled the pillow over her head to keep this unpleasant day out of the warmth of her bed for a little while longer. She'd like nothing more than to stay in bed and not to care about anyone or anything. "Perhaps everyone will forget me and especially my birthday and I won't have to go to this embarrassing party at the Planet!" A few days before Lois had asked Clark whether there would be a surprise party for her. Knowing that his wife wasn't very enthusiastic about that kind of party Clark hadn't even tried to deny the fact that the staff was planning one. Even Perry White, who had been enjoying his retirement for a few years now, wanted to come and congratulate "his" Lois on her big anniversary. "Maybe the weather will get worse and there'll be a storm,'" Lois hoped fervently. Then nobody will go to this stupid party anyway." Just then she was startled and pleasantly surprised by a noise outside the house. Had her wish come true this fast? But as she partly removed the pillow from her head and listened more closely, the noise became a rustle and was clearly coming from inside her room. Also there were whispering voices that had nothing to do with a thunderstorm at all. "I wanna be first to congratulate," a young voice was whispering determinedly. "But you promised that I could be first! And I want to give the flowers," an even younger voice wailed. "How about waking up Mommy first?" Lois heard Clark suggest with amusement. The next moment she felt the movement of her children crawling onto the bed and carefully removing the pillow off her head. "Mommy? Are you awake yet?" CJ asked softly while tapping her shoulder. The instant Lois started to open her eyes Kathy threw her arms around Lois' neck and smothered her face with wet kisses. "Happy birthday, Mommy," the eight-year-old said cheerfully. "And I love you very, very much!" "Love you too, sweetheart. Thank you." Lois smiled at her little daughter and happily hugged her. "Happy birthday, Mom," her son added his congratulations, presenting a colorful bunch of flowers and shoving it into her hands with a quick kiss on her cheek. "Oh, they' re beautiful, my darling." Pulling him into a hug too, Lois thanked her oldest. "All right, sweeties, that's it for now," Clark interrupted. "Breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen. It's only fifteen minutes before we have to leave for school and I haven't congratulated your mommy yet." Without argument the children climbed down off the bed and headed for the bedroom door. "Come on, Kathy. Let 's go. All they want to do is neck again," CJ grumbled. Being ten years old now he had decided that he would never do such a "disgusting thing" as kissing. Clark gave a low chuckle and leaned down to his wife. "He's so right," he murmured. "They only wanna neck again." Tenderly, he smoothed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her on the lips. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." Lois eyed him doubtfully. "Forty, Clark!" she whimpered. "I'm turning forty!" He raised his eyebrows. "And?" "I'm so old," Lois answered sadly. Clark laughed and kissed her again. "So old," he mimicked her. "Oh, my old, old girl." Lois had to admit he was pretty good at distracting her and also that a nightdress with spaghetti straps sure had its advantages. She decided to forget about the "dreadful number" for a while and to just enjoy herself instead. Following her thoughts, her hands magically had found their way through his hair and now were wandering down his throat towards the buttons of his shirt. But there they were stopped by a barrier and she grabbed his tie accusingly. "You're overdressed," she murmured. Clark sighed ruefully and raised his head. "True," he said. "But I have to take the kids to school before we drive to the Planet and as you know, *some* things ..." he grinned pointedly, "are not as good in superspeed." He gave her another little peck on the cheek and stood up. "I'll be back in twenty minutes so we can have breakfast together. And then ..." he paused dramatically, "you'll get your *present*!" ***** 'I wish I knew what he got me this year,' Lois thought a little later, standing in the shower. Clark always had a way of finding nice presents for her and he had pleasantly surprised her repeatedly. This fact was even more remarkable, because Lois didn't usually like surprises and in the past always had searched for clues. This year however, she had no idea at all what he could have gotten for her and she hadn't used her usual investigative talent to figure it out either. On the contrary, for weeks and even months she had avoided every thought about today. Forty years. Clark may be able to laugh about it, but she didn't feel very good about it. For some reason the number "40" had made her uncomfortable for quite some time now. Wasn't it just a few years ago that she had turned thirty? Where had all the years gone? Her 30th birthday was still a nice memory. She had been married to Clark for a little more than a year then and she had been a bundle of energy with 'forever' ahead. There was the prospect of an eternity spent together with the man of her dreams, who adored her and fulfilled her every wish. No, she hadn't minded at all turning thirty. She was young, successful, beautiful and desired, and she also felt that way. Well, Clark still was the man of her dreams and it wasn't his fault that this time she was frightened about that significant birthday. He still was the best husband she could wish for and even after eleven years of marriage he was tender and caring. They had two wonderful children together and after a "baby-break" Lois had found a reentry in her career that other mothers could only dream of. And yet ... During the last months she had been so agitated. She had been afraid of this birthday. Much more afraid than she showed and Clark didn't seem to notice. He always laughed when she made a remark about her age and on the outside Lois was laughing with him, but inside she felt lonely and misunderstood and that was a feeling she hadn't experienced in her marriage before. 'After all, what is supposed to happen now?' she asked her face in the mirror. 'Everything is like it should be, everything done, established ... routine ... Now I'm only getting older.' With ill humor she detected another gray hair and noted that her face didn't look as fresh and naturally beautiful as it had done a few years ago. Objectively, her hair was almost as black and shiny as it had been ten years ago and only when you took a closer look could you see the little lines around her eyes that were a result of laughing. Clark would have told her that they didn't make her look older, but more mature, but Lois wasn't in the mood for objectivity. She was in the mood for world-weariness. And come to think of it ... this new intern they had at the Planet who made goo-goo eyes over Clark all the time was barely twenty-five and looked exactly that age. Life just wasn't fair! She sighed again and reached for her make-up. She wished the party at the Planet was over already. She wasn't in the mood for it at all! Of course, though, she would join them, for she had changed. In former days her colleagues probably wouldn't have dreamt of surprising her with a birthday party but she no longer was the loner she used to be when Clark had started working at the Planet. She still didn't make friends easily but she didn't keep only to herself either. Gone were the times she determinedly fought trying to show everyone she was the best. That was something she long since had proven, both in her old job when she had been running after headlines, and in her new job -- as far as you could call it "new" after three years --as editor-in-chief and successor to Perry. She had to smile thinking about how happy she was that she could share work with Clark. The Planet really got a bargain with the current arrangement. Long before Perry had retired, the suits on the executive floor had realized that the workload was too much for one person. So a few weeks after Lois had started to work again, they had asked her to take over the job, together with Clark. They decided to do it, though only under the condition that they could limit their overall working hours to accommodate their children. The Planet's owners gladly accepted, knowing very well that both Lois and Clark would put in overtime if it was required. Despite everything this still gave them more spare time for their family, and additionally more time for Clark for his second job as flying savior of Metropolis. Thank god their work as editors-in-chief paid considerably better than as reporters so the cut-down of working hours didn't mean an automatic cut-down in their finances. At first, Lois hadn't been too sure about it, being reminded only too well of the time she had taken over for Perry for a short while. It had resulted in the first fight Clark and she had had as husband and wife and she had been concerned their work could again have a negative influence on their private lives. Thankfully that hadn't proven to be true and Clark had allayed her doubts quickly. At least, more quickly than their bosses, who tried to convince her with such dubious arguments as 'there are lots of up-and-coming reporters who need experienced supervisors'. This statement years ago had even then given her the feeling of being old, so old. She liked Clark's spin on the whole thing much better, telling her they were still the hottest team in town and he didn't want to lose his partner. And she had to admit, she hadn't regretted their decision once since then. Strange what kinds of thoughts about the past crossed her mind today. Another year passed. A perfect opportunity to reflect on everything that had happened. A soft smile graced her lips when she thought about all the things that had gone wrong until she and Clark had managed to accommodate work and family but now everything was going smoothly. Established paths, the same routine day after day... There it was again, that thought. But before she could again brood about missing out on something, she felt a kiss between her shoulders and two arms encircling her. "A penny for your thoughts," a husky voice murmured against her ear before the man belonging to the voice started nibbling on her earlobe. "They're not worth that much. Can you make the change, honey?" Clark laughed and turned her around in his arms. "So, where is my present?" she demanded curiously, closing the last button of her blouse. Clark had to smile. She just couldn't bear the thought of not being in on everything, even if it was only something as small as a present. "Okay," he sighed, "I can see where your priorities are." He looked at her mischievously. "Come on, I've hidden it in the study so you won't find it." He pulled her into the office they had set up at home. Lois looked around impatiently. "All right, where is it?" Her husband stepped aside and Lois spotted a dark green, medium sized cardboard box lying on the desk. With a radiant smile and a soft lingering kiss, Clark handed the present to Lois. "Happy birthday, honey." Expectantly she removed the ribbon and lifted the lid. Lying between burgundy tissue paper was an obviously expensive, sporty but elegant dark green bra and matching panties. Putting the box aside she held them up and admired them. "Oh, Clark! These are beautiful. You have... " Puzzled, Lois took a closer look at them. "But these aren't underwear. It's a bikini!" Confused she lifted her head. A new bikini was a wonderful thing but winter was near and she wouldn't get to wear her present for a long time. "Well, of course it's a bikini," Clark replied, grinning and putting the green box back in her hands. "You' re gonna need it. Check your present again. You didn't unpack everything." Curiously Lois searched the box and found an envelope. "Oh, my god," she exclaimed as she read the letter. "The Kahlua Inn in Hawaii? You've made a reservation at the Kahlua Inn?!?" Not quite believing what she saw Lois flung her arms around Clark's neck and kissed him passionately. "Clark, that's wonderful!" This present was more than she could ever have wished for. They hadn't had a real vacation in years. Of course they'd been to Smallville time and again or had spent a few days by the sea, but since they'd had children their travels hadn't led them to exotic places anymore. "What about the kids?" Lois asked, a little doubtfully after disengaging >from Clark's lips. "I mean, can we afford that? We can't fly Superman Airlines with them and airplane tickets for the four of us will cost a fortune. Let alone the rooms..." A long kiss stopped her babbling. "Lois, this vacation is only for the two of us," Clark finally explained. "We never really did that trip to Hawaii we'd planned for our honeymoon, remember? Well, we've been there for a day..." "... or a night," Lois added with a knowing smile. "... but we never actually got to see the islands, " Clark continued before taking her hand and leading her downstairs to the kitchen. "And to answer your question: no, we couldn't afford this vacation with the kids. That's why I talked to CJ and Kathy about it. They're really looking forward to spending a week with their grandparents." Lois still couldn't quite believe it. One week in Hawaii? Alone with Clark? She loved her children dearly but the prospect of not having to watch over her kids' homework, or settle their quarrels, or take care of scratches and bruises, or wash dirty clothes was very appealing. "At first CJ wasn't too happy to miss such a 'cool vacation', " Clark explained while pouring coffee for both of them, "but Sam promised to take him to his laboratory once or twice. You know how much he loves to 'help' his granddad with his experiments. Kathy was thrilled by the idea immediately. She really adores Ellen." "It's the same for Mother," Lois agreed. "It always amazes me how good she is with her." With a happy smile she sat down at the table. Against her expectations her fortieth birthday had begun quite nicely. Maybe the day at the Planet and the party wouldn't be that bad after all. "Anyway, " Clark resumed, "I thought this trip would be a perfect opportunity for you to relax. You really could use a vacation." 'What is that supposed to mean?' Lois wondered. "Clark, what do you mean I... " She never got the chance to ask her husband whether she looked worn out and exhausted to him as suddenly Clark's face got the faraway expression which indicated that Superman was needed somewhere. "Bank robbery with hostages. I'm sorry, darling, " he explained apologetically. "It's all right. Go!" "See you at the Planet." A quick kiss on her cheek and he was gone. Lois took the card again. Hawaii, it sounded wonderful. Maybe it wasn't so bad to turn forty after all. to be continued in part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 09:47:30 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: NEW: Forever Young (2/6) PG MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: Forever Young PART: (2/6) AUTHOR: The German L&C Fanfiction Team RATING: (PG) ***** One hour later all these optimistic thoughts were gone and she stared at the voucher in her hand in total bewilderment. The staff had surprised her with a weekend on a *beauty farm*!? This couldn't be true, could it?! She forced her glance back with an effort to a proud Gabby, who had gotten the honor of presenting the 'nice' gift, and noticed, not for the first time, that the girl looked like fresh beauty incarnate. Her blue eyes sparkling, her well-shaped body dressed in a slim but flattering dress and the little extra air of excitement from being able to give the birthday present to her secret idol glowed on her skin and gave it a fresh and annoyingly *young* appearance. "This is really an unexpected... ehm, surprise," Lois managed weakly. "I'm totally speechless." Okay, that was the truth at least. What in heaven's name were they thinking? Was she in need of a beauty farm? Yes, she knew that she wasn't 25 anymore like little Gabby, but there *was* a lot to be said for maturity and experience wasn't there? She decided to write a story about the damned youth-cult in today's society. Suddenly she became aware that people were still staring at her expectantly. Obviously she hadn't shown the appropriate amount of joy over the gift yet. "Thank you," she forced herself to say with all the maturity gained in her forty years. "And now champagne for everyone." "I should have bought the really cheap one instead of that good stuff >from France," she breathed to her husband who was standing next to her. "What?" Clark asked, surprised, and directed his glance away from where it had absently landed on Gabby's admittedly very pretty legs, to his wife. "Why?" "Forget it," Lois snapped. "Try working instead of staring at blondie for a change." Clark raised his eyebrows and watched her intently. Had it been something he said? She couldn't seriously be annoyed only because he had given little Gabby a second glance, could she? That was ridiculous. No woman in the Daily Planet stood a chance against Lois and she knew that. Or didn't she know it? He wondered if a compliment would placate her but a look at her face showed him that it was probably not a good idea. Lois was mad and his experience had taught him that there was only one way to calm her. Get out of her hair until the worst was over. He was slightly surprised about it though, because until now the party had been such a success. Perry really had stopped by and Lois had been very happy to see her former editor so healthy and in such a good mood. Of course the 'Chief', as Lois and Clark still called him, also brought along a few new Elvis stories, but as Lois told Clark, "You really miss them once you don't hear them every day." Later, Clark in his function as the other editor-in-chief had given a little speech. He had tried to keep it as professional as he could, but obviously he hadn't been all too successful with that and hadn't been able to hide his feelings for her and so Lois had been genuinely touched. No, everything had been well. Maybe she had just had enough party for one day? With Lois you never knew. So he didn't say anything, but turned around and went to his desk. He and Lois shared Perry's old office. On first sight it was too small for two people, but since Lois and Clark seldom were at the Planet at the same time, it didn't bother them. Furthermore they were so used to working closely together that they almost felt as if they needed the small space. They loved to talk about a story with each other and discuss the problems and questions they faced at work. They both knew that Perry had been right when he had partnered them so many years ago, because each of them alone was good, but together they were incredible. Clark took a bunch of papers and started to work on them with a sigh. Ralph claimed to have "really hot information" from one of his sources again, which meant, as Clark knew from experience, that he didn't have any real facts yet and needed to be slowed down. Jimmy was working on a real scoop, but it wasn't printable yet. Unfortunately though, their publisher, who had somehow heard of this story, was getting impatient. That meant Clark had to stall the publisher and push Jimmy. Gabby finally had brought in a story of a dog-show in Metropolis Mall and one glance at this newbie's work showed Clark that he couldn't print even one sentence as it was, but had to rewrite the whole thing. More than enough work for an editor in chief, and Lois would have plenty of time to calm down. And maybe they would be able to celebrate in private tonight. He already had something in mind for that ... ***** At the same time in another part of town Detective Wolf had just been talking to Roger Beauville, the owner of the beauty farm Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse. A routine check had led him to that exclusive center for body fitness and body care where its motto of preserving and prolonging youth manifested itself in the farm's name. 'Fountains of youth, yeah, right!' Wolf thought while closing his notebook. 'Some ideas never die.' "Thank you very much for your co-operation in this matter, Mr. Beauville," he said aloud and gave Beauville a friendly nod. After the death of the very wealthy Dorothy Gardener, chairwoman of the biggest dog-breeding association in New Troy, the heirs were accusing the owner of the farm of blackmail. Apparently a few week prior to her death Mrs. Gardener had donated about a quarter million dollars to Roger Beauville without the knowledge of her family or her accountant. Taking that kind of accusation very seriously the police started investigations. "As I said, Detective, if it's of any use, I can easily provide you with a copy of our monthly balance." Beauville pointed to the computer on his desk to emphasize his offer. "That won't be necessary," Wolf declined and got up to leave. "I have no doubt the money was a donation. It's Mrs. Gardener's relatives who won't believe that she gave so much money out of the blue and without mentioning it to anyone." In fact Wolf was sure that the bereaved family was only trying to reclaim this impressive part of their inheritance. 'Greed makes people do even worse things than accusing someone of blackmail,' Detective Wolf said to himself. 'Next they'll insist that their aunt's heart attack was caused by fear of this alleged blackmailer.' "There's nothing unusual about the donation to me," Beauville replied, shrugging his shoulders. "My customers are very content with the service at my institute. We often receive such unexpected gifts. Out of gratitude for the touch of youth the ladies have regained." "Tell the heirs!" Wolf sighed. "It seems that Mrs. Gardener seldom made donations. And if she did, all the money went to organizations that care for dogs in one way or another. Dogs were her life, you know. Apart from dogs she was only interested in a good business deal. It looks like she didn't care for anything else." Smiling politely, Wolf left Beauville and the beauty farm. He wished the report had already been written and the case closed. ***** Meanwhile, Lois was still seething, though her anger had somewhat decreased and now she was feeling insecure instead. Did she really look that old or did her colleagues have the impression she needed a visit at a beauty farm? All right, she no longer was twenty and she had two children, but up until now she had been convinced she was in quite good shape. And Clark had never complained about her looks. Sure, she had gained a few pounds after the kids' births but Clark rather had seemed to like it instead of being opposed. Absently she went on with her work, a part of her attention still on the present she had received. What bothered her in the first place was the fact that perhaps Clark could think like their colleagues, too. She hadn't forgotten about the adventure they had had prior to moving into their home. The agitation they had to go through with the doctor who had caused Jimmy to age. Even though Clark had reassured her then, all the insecurities from years ago came surfacing now again. She looked up from her computer and studied Clark for a moment. He was a little bit more seasoned since the day he had started working at the Planet, but breathtakingly so in her opinion, and judging from the looks he got from co-workers of all ages throughout the newsroom, she wasn't the only one to think so. Oh, she didn't have to worry about it, of course. She knew she could trust him, be sure of Clark's fidelity. Still ... She frowned. Clark chose that moment to observe her. Oh dear. She still appeared to be upset. Her face didn't look too pleased. Time for a little distraction. She had been sulking long enough. "Honey," he said softly. Relieved, he noticed that her expression softened. "I'm done. What about you? The kids are waiting." In order to have more spare time to celebrate today, they had decided to both work in the morning. Lois smiled at him. The children had been adamant about baking a birthday cake for her and had admonished them to make 'suuuuure' to be home on time today so they could celebrate, just the four of them. She shut down her computer and offered her hand to her husband. "I'm all yours, my lord!" "And I'll be eternally grateful for that, Lois," he gently whispered, hugging her quickly before they left the office for the day. ***** The children really had put a lot of work and effort into the baking and Lois' praise had made them so high-spirited that it took some time to quiet them down and put them to bed. Normally Clark was the parent the children could easily persuade into expanding their evening a little bit. Especially Kathy, who was definitely Daddy's girl. When she looked up at him with her big round eyes, those eyes that looked exactly like Lois', there was very little Clark could deny her, whether it be one more game or another story. But tonight he had other plans for only Lois and him. "What's the hurry, honey?" Lois grinned. She soon had gotten back her good mood, thanks to Clark and the kids, and she knew he was up to something. Clark pulled her into his arms. "We have something to do." "We do?" "Yep. Something we haven't done in a long time." He changed into his Superman costume and took her into his arms, floating slowly to the terrace. They had been really lucky to find this house. It couldn't be observed from the outside and Clark was able to set off on his rescue missions without being seen. But that wasn't what was on his mind right now. He looked around one more time and shot right up into the sky. Lois didn't worry about leaving the children alone in the house since she knew Clark was always listening in on the house in case one of the kids needed them. As soon as they were over the clouds he wrapped his cape around Lois more firmly. Lois was mesmerized. The moon and the stars seemed so near. She snuggled closer to him. "You're right. We haven't done this in a long time." Clark was silent, stroking her hair and caressing her back, all the while planting soft kisses on her face. "Mmmmmh, don't stop," Lois whispered dreamily. This is just what I need after today. The last weeks have been so incredibly hectic." "That's what I thought, too, and why I find the gift from the others really appropriate," Clark innocently replied. "That was one of my better ideas, a real stroke of genius, don't you think?" Seeing her face drop he wasn't so sure anymore. The look she gave him wasn't as dreamy and loving as it had been seconds before. "What?!?" Lois shouted, clearly upset. "The voucher was my..." Clark repeated, a little confused. "What in the world were you thinking?" she interrupted. "I..." Clark started. "Do *I* need a beauty farm?!" Lois snapped. "Lois..." "Well, thank you, Clark! I really appreciate that!" Lois was fuming. "Lois..." he tried again, but she didn't let him finish. "As if I didn't notice how much you like it that that little bimbo Gabby is making eyes at you all the time! Okay, I am not 20 anymore! And you know what? I don't *want* to be 20 again!" Lois was in full rant mode now. "She's getting on my nerves anyway because she is totally dumb! How you could give *her* that job will always remain a mystery to me. Oh no, sorry! It won't! On the contrary. It is totally clear!" That was too much. "Lois!" Clark stopped her, slightly irritated. "Take a breath!" He had no idea what was going on here. One moment they had been floating happily above the clouds and the next she vented like he hadn't seen her doing for a long time. What was happening? He shook his head. "Honey, what are you talking about?" he asked gently. Lois drew her head away. Mostly she was mad at herself, because she couldn't stop the tears filling her eyes and she didn't want him to see them. But she should have known him better. He noticed immediately. "Lois, you're crying?!!" he asked, bewildered. "But, for heaven's sake, honey, what's the matter with you? You don't really mean that about Gabby and me, do you? It's *ridiculous*!" He forced her to look at him and repeated firmly, "Totally ridiculous." Lois swallowed hard. "Then why are you giving me a voucher for a beauty farm?" "Oh Lois ..." Clark sighed in comical exasperation and took her in his arms. "Because I thought *you* wanted it. You talked about it a few times and that your friends all had been there. And I thought a weekend away from the kids and your husband would please you." He kissed her gently and added, "Although I know that the weekend would be very long for *me*." Lois smiled softly. "Would it?" she asked in a small voice. "Hmm," he nodded and nuzzled her neck. "Awfully long." Lois closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation that his touch created. God, she loved this man. Eleven years of marriage and she still got goosebumps when he touched her! "You could stare at blondie for a whole weekend," she murmured, but he could hear the teasing tone in her voice. "Don't think I didn't see that you checked out her legs today at the Planet ..." Clark chuckled, his head buried at her neck. "I just compared," he whispered in her ear. "And she doesn't stand a chance against the most beautiful legs at the Daily Planet." Lois pressed tighter against him. "Ah yes?" she asked provocatively. "And just who has those 'most beautiful legs at the Daily Planet'?" "Guess who," Clark grinned. "I'll even give you a hint. If she keeps that up, we won't make it home." Lois chuckled softly. "Oh yes, Clark," she whispered. "This was a great idea for my birthday. We haven't made love above the clouds in years ..." ***** During the following days the voucher wasn't mentioned anymore. Clark didn't dare to ask Lois about it again. He thought that she probably was going to throw it into the garbage. But one week later the topic came up again, although in a totally different and unexpected context. "Clark, did you read this?" Lois showed him a story in the social column of the Daily Planet. "Another old lady died shortly after her visit to a beauty farm. Like the others who died, she had been on the farm to relax or to get a treatment or whatever. I think it's the third woman in two weeks! Isn't that weird?" Clark shrugged his shoulders. "They were all pretty old, honey. It's probably just a coincidence." "They even were at the same beauty farm," Lois continued reading. " Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse. Hey, that's the same place that I have my voucher for!" Clark flinched when she mentioned the dangerous topic. Now some diplomacy was in order. "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously. "Nothing," Lois answered. "I just think we should put a reporter on that. There could be a story." She folded the newspaper and continued eating her breakfast. "Maybe," Clark said hesitantly. He wasn't really convinced. Old ladies died every day, didn't they? Okay, three rich women had died shortly after a visit at a beauty farm, but was that fact really so suspicious? "To be honest, I don't think that one is available right now," he added. "They're all pretty much booked." "Hmm," Lois murmured. She was amazed. She was used to the young reporters - god, she was really feeling old referring to them like this - not recognizing a newsworthy story if it hit them in the face. But Clark? The work as editor-in-chief must have dulled his sense of being able to smell stories like this one. She secretly had worried about - she would never admit it out loud, of course ... Oh, her mind began to drift again. Well, she had been worried she might have lost the drive that used to distinguish her from the other reporters but she was obviously wrong. She suddenly knew she still had it in her! Clark noticed the sudden silence. He looked up from the newspaper questioningly, just in time to see the look of triumph crossing Lois' face. Instantly, he was alarmed. "Lois, what are you planning now?" "Planning? Planning what? I haven't even progressed to that state yet," she innocently replied. Clark sighed and closed his eyes. On one hand he was glad that she hadn't snapped at him for mentioning the voucher again, but on the other he had the feeling he didn't really want to know what she was about to say. That was a feeling he often had experienced when they had still been hunting down headlines. It always had resulted in a great article but more than once there had been quite critical and dangerous incidents involving Lois and her safety. "So, what is it this time?" he asked resignedly. There would be no point in trying to stop Lois from doing whatever she intended to do. Once she had that expression on her face ... He had to suppress a grin, not quite successfully, when a sudden image popped into his mind. "What?" Lois wanted to know, hearing him laugh. "Nothing, I just thought about something Jimmy mentioned early in our partnership. Mad Dog Lane. And now I see a dog with your head standing before me, a bone between your teeth, and you, that is the dog, not willing to let go of it or even sharing with me." At first Lois didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered but seeing Clark laughing out loud she couldn't do anything but join in his laughter. She had to admit he was absolutely right! "So, what are you planning?" he wanted to know when they had managed to get themselves under control again. Before Lois was able to answer his question there was yelling on the stairs and the children stormed into the kitchen. Kathy had tears in her eyes and she jumped onto Clark's lap, putting her arms around his neck. "Daddy, CJ is soooo mean!" He pulled her more firmly to him, while CJ gave his undivided attention to preparing a bowl of cornflakes. "Face it, midget. You'll never see more of me than my navel!" He stuck out his tongue at her. "He took my doll and put it up above his head so I couldn't reach it!" Kathy sniffled some more. She knew that this almost always worked with her daddy and she wanted him to scold CJ for teasing her, so she had to bring out the big guns: tears and misery. Lois smiled at the unfolding scene. "Well, have fun, Mr. Referee!" She winked at Clark and tousled CJ's hair. It was her turn for the early morning shift at the Planet so it was up to Clark to restore peace at home. "Bye, sweetie!" She leaned down to plant kisses on Kathy's hair and Clark's mouth. "Lois, you haven't told me about ..." She interrupted him. "I will, at the Planet. Make sure the china stays in one piece!" She waved at them one last time and was gone so fast she would have given Superman a run for his money. As dearly as she loved her children, she gladly left it up to Clark to settle their argument. She had a story to investigate! to be continued in part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 09:48:24 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: NEW: Forever Young (3/6) PG MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: Forever Young PART: (3/6) AUTHOR: The German L&C Fanfiction Team RATING: (PG) In Lois' office, folders, computer printouts, and press releases were piled up on her desk like on her best days as a reporter doing massive research. For hours she had been looking for similarities among the deaths of the three ladies. From Gabby she got the little research the girl had done on Dorothy Gardener as background information for her article on the dog-show. Steven, the new copy boy, came up with more information on each of the deceased he had found in the archives and on the Internet. At first sight there was nothing suspicious about the deaths. The doctors had attested the ladies had died of natural causes, and there was no sign of fraudulent claims on the estate. Therefore the police had no reason to investigate the case any further. However Lois had this nagging feeling that there was a story to it and not only an obituary. 'The ladies had a lot of things in common,' she mused. 'They were very rich and hence belonged to New Troy high society. They were even members of the same charitable societies.' Could there be a motive for murder anywhere? Or suicide? Her instinct told her that there would be another dead body soon. Something in the open drawer next to her caught her eye. "The wells of youth for your mind and body," Lois read aloud the brochure of Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse that she'd put in her desk along with the voucher. The women had also been to this farm, which would not have been remarkable if there hadn't been a statement in the police file that Mrs. Gardener's relatives had accused the beauty farm's owner of blackmail. "Yeah, right! What would he blackmail her with? Pictures of her wearing a cucumber mask?" Shaking her head and laughing, Lois went through the police report again. 'She donated a quarter million dollars to this farm? Wow, must be something when Mrs. Gardener was that enthusiastic about giving money!' Lois wondered if many other guests had made such generous donations to express their gratitude. "Steven!" she called as the boy passed by her office, and signaled for him to come in. "Steven, get me statements of Mrs. Palmer's and Mrs. Fairchild's accounts." "Sure, but it'll take some time," he replied with a grin. Ever since Jimmy had mentioned that Steven would some day hack into the NIA network, Lois was convinced that the boy was a genius when it came to computers. "Looking for something special, chief?" "For transfers in favor of this institute." Lois wrote down the name of the beauty farm." Look for amounts, six digits at least." With a nod the boy left her office. Still a little undecided what to do with the information she'd gathered so far, Lois took the voucher for the beauty farm weekend out of the drawer. For a moment she stared at the name of the institute and then finally picked up the phone determinedly. "Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse? Hi, this is Lois La... Kent." ***** It was a few minutes to twelve when Clark stepped into the newsroom. He should have started work nearly an hour ago but the collapse of a scaffold had kept him. Being editor-in-chief it wasn't as important to find an excuse for being late as it had been a few years ago as a reporter. Most of the time it was enough to mention a meeting he had to attend not to raise any questions. However he had called Lois before he went to help at the accident. 'Let's see with what kind of excuse for me Lois came up this time. Maybe the kids for a change?' Clark thought, grinning as he entered their office. "No, Mother, I've already told you it was a present," he heard his wife saying on the phone, carefully keeping herself under control. "No, I don't think I need that, but taking a few days off to relax... This has nothing to do with a midlife crisis! Only men have midlife crises." While Lois was talking with Ellen on the phone, Clark glanced at the voucher on her desk. Obviously she wanted to give it to her mother to get rid of this unwanted gift. When Lois had finished the call, he bent down to give her a kiss. "Hi, honey," Lois said with a loving smile. "Everything okay?" "Yeah, everything's just fine. The kids forgot about their quarrel only seconds later, it went smoothly at the supermarket, the house is cleaned up, and your lunch is waiting for you in the oven. You only need to heat it up." "That's sweet of you but I was speaking of the accident at the construction site," Lois whispered. "Oh, that!" He grinned because of the misunderstanding. "Everything's okay. But what's wrong with you and Ellen?" Lois sighed. "You mean in general or the phone call? I only told her that I'm going to use my voucher and go to the beauty farm." Clark couldn't believe what he heard. "You... what?" Lois shrugged her shoulders. "Now that I got it for my birthday ..." she said, "it would be ridiculous not to use it, wouldn't it?" She shook her head at his raised eyebrows and open jaw and gave him an exasperated glance. "And you don't have to look at me as if I had two heads or something. Aren't I allowed to change my mind at least once in my life?" Clark closed his mouth. "Sure! Of course you can," he assured her hastily. "It's pretty unusual for you, but why not?" He smiled happily. "This is really nice, Lois. You'll see, it will be so good for you if you don't have to see us for a few days, and don't have to worry about anything but your own relaxation. You really deserve it, honey." "Thank you," Lois said. She rose, took a few folders from her desk, and gave them to her husband. "And you know what? I'll start this very moment with my relaxing." She grinned as she piled up other folders in his hands. "These are all stories that I'm working on. Here ..." she took a piece of paper from her purse, "is a list of all the kids' appointments. You know... school, sports, music lessons, ballet, etc. I also have a list here of all important phone numbers. The doctor's number is first. You never know if they're really *super* or not, so just in case..." "Honey," Clark cut in gently, "I took care of the kids a few times already, remember?" "Oh." Lois stopped, a little surprised and embarrassed. "Of course you did. I just thought ... well, it's the first time I'll be gone for so long and ..." Clark smiled and put the folders he was still holding aside on her desk. "We'll live," he assured her. "But right now, you should think about something way more important." "What?" Lois stared at her list. Did she forget something? "You should say a proper goodbye to your husband," Clark answered and took her in his arms. "Oh that!" She grinned and responded enthusiastically. "I'd never forget about *that*." ***** A few hours later she was standing at the reception of Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse being given a room. It turned out to be a pleasant, sun-lit room with tasteful furniture, a luxurious bathroom, TV and a comfy bed. 'I really have slept in worse hotel rooms,' Lois thought with a satisfied smile. Maybe the visit would be nicer than she expected, even if the story turned out to be non-existent. The concept of a weekend of total relaxation suddenly became more and more appealing. After unpacking her suitcase she took a look at the plan she had gotten at the reception desk. My god, what kind of things they did here! Body wrapping, Bio Lifting, waxing, tanning, saunas, massages, breath therapy, steam baths, hydrotherapy, seaweed baths, paraffin treatments, "Enzyme-Phenol peel," aroma-therapy, permanent make-up, eyelash perms... She didn't even know what most of those words meant, but she was here to find out. With a determined step she went to the door. "Skin-type-analysis" was the first item on her list. ***** Clark really had planned to be home early, but somehow the whole world seemed to have decided against it, so it was after seven when he finally opened the door to their brownstone. "CJ? Kathy?! I'm home!" he shouted cheerfully, took off his jacket and tossed the keys on a table next to the door. Uncomfortable silence surrounded him. Obviously all his effort to be early had been for nothing anyway because nobody was there. Where could they be? Still playing with friends? But didn't they have to be home at six? Suddenly he thought of that list Lois had given him right before she had left the Planet. Didn't she mention something about "the kids' appointments"? Hastily he searched in his jacket for the paper and took a look. Oh my God! He was supposed to have picked up Kathy from her ballet-lessons almost 15 minutes ago and CJ would finish soccer in another 15 minutes! How could he forget about this? What kind of a father was he?! When he came to a screeching halt in front of the ballet-school 10 minutes later, he saw his daughter sitting on the porch by herself. "Daddy! You're way too late!" she greeted him reproachfully. "The other kids are long gone!" "I know, Kathy. I'm sorry. It really was great that you've waited so patiently," Clark said remorsefully. "Mommy said so. She said I should sit here and wait in case she couldn't make it in time," Kathy announced proudly. "But Mommy is *never* late!" she added unmercifully. Clark sighed and started the jeep. If he didn't hurry, his son would have a reason to complain about his dad, too. He had to admit his weekend without Lois hadn't started exactly well. He could only hope that it didn't continue that way! **** Lois had never imagined that a skin-type-analysis could be so depressing. She had always considered her skin as great, but when the storm of scientific terms mixed with such dark words like "oily" and "combination" that the expert was mumbling poured down on her, she now thought otherwise. She was happy when the procedure was over and the expert told her that a cleaning-mask would be her first treatment. 'Okay, you'll start on your job and I'll start on mine,' Lois thought. While Laura, the cosmetician, was laying warm towels on Lois' face to prepare her for the peeling, Lois began to gush about the farm. "It's so nice around here! And everything is so relaxing. The things that are offered! You just don't know how to try out everything in the short time you're here." Her voice sounded a tad bit muffled under all the towels heaped on her face. "Yes, our customers usually are very content," Laura agreed with her, stirring the mixture. "That's what Mrs. Gardener told me. She was so pleased with her stay that I decided to give it a try, too." Lois suspiciously glanced at the glutinous mass Laura was spreading on her face. The cosmetician happily ignored Lois' skepticism and covered her with the mix. Lois now definitely was at a disadvantage, for whatever was in it was drying extremely fast and she wasn't able to say one more thing without it pinching and pulling at her skin. Fortunately mentioning Mrs. Gardener had been the perfect remark to start Laura gossiping. "Poor Mrs. Gardener," Laura purred, and her tone of voice didn't quite match the subject of their talk. "She didn't seem to have any problems with her heart during her stay here ..." In the next thirty minutes Lois learned some things about Dorothy Gardener that could prove to be useful for her investigation, but most things she would gladly have never heard about and they had nearly put her to sleep. After her treatment she glanced at her watch and made herself comfortable in the lobby. Five more minutes till her massage began. What was her family doing now? Hopefully Clark had thought about picking up Kathy from her ballet lesson. She didn't like to wait and easily got cranky when that happened. To make up for having her wait she usually demanded two more bedtime stories. And knowing Kathy, Clark wouldn't be able to deny her that. Thinking about Clark she felt guilty. Perhaps she should have told him that she was here to investigate the story and not to enjoy some time away from her family. No, she decided, she would love to see his face should she be able to prove there was something odd around here. Like she used to do in the old days when she had been the only one to smell a rat and get a story out of it. The next thought of Clark was how much she was missing him already. It didn't happen too often that they were really away from each other. Of course there were his absences when Superman was on duty or the times one or the other had to participate in a conference. But this, practically spending a vacation on their own, that was one thing they had never done before. She desperately missed him. Sighing, she stood up. She really had to hurry now. She had been deep in thoughts the last few minutes and hadn't paid attention to the comings and goings around her. In spite of the bustle, the lobby was fairly peaceful, so the loud voice she was hearing had to be a trick of her imagination. Right. That had to be it. She simply didn't hear someone demanding to know: "And why isn't my room ready yet? For the price I'm paying I can surely expect you to take my needs into consideration, I assume. My migraine..." Ignoring the nagging feeling Lois had upon hearing this, she looked around questioningly. Where was it the room for her massage had been? There were just too many places to remember, a different room for every procedure. She simply lost track of them. Lois headed towards the desk to ask about it. One of the friendly receptionists rolled her eyes and pitied her colleague who had to deal with the noisy newcomer but readily explained to Lois which direction to go. Lois took a step backwards and bumped right into the lady in question. Both women turned as one. "I'm awfully sorry, I didn't realize you were standing so close ..." Lois' eyes went round. "Mother!" No, this simply wasn't possible. Fate couldn't be so cruel. That wasn't really her mother. It was only a figment of her imagination. Ellen beamed at Lois. "Lois! There you are! And here I thought it would be more difficult to find you! I just couldn't let you wallow alone in all your problems and doubts. I thought it would be a nice idea to join you here and support you. So, are you surprised?" "P-p-p-problems? Doubts?" Lois managed to stammer. She had the feeling she had been hit by a truck. "Well, yes ... about your midlife crisis! Don't worry, we'll get a handle on it," Ellen confidently remarked while slipping her arm through Lois'. "Mother, I am not having a midlife crisis," Lois insisted slowly recovering from the shock of meeting Ellen so unexpectedly. "Besides, I don't have time at the moment. I.. I need to... to go to get a massage." She motioned in the direction of the massage rooms and stepped back. "Oh, I see, Lois," Ellen snapped. "It's annoying you to talk to your mother. I've come here all the way from the city because I'm worried about my daughter..." Lois rolled her eyes. 'Sure, all the way! At least twenty minutes from door to door,' she grumbled silently. "Mother!" "... even take off a few days to stand by her side in this difficult situation and what do I get for it? I'm being pushed away like an old..." "Mother!" Lois again tried to stop her. "What?" "I'm not annoyed. I'm glad you're here," Lois explained in a calm voice before adding quietly to herself, 'At least I think I am.' "However, right now," she continued. "I have an appointment with my masseur, which I'd rather not miss. That's why I'm here, remember? Relaxing." Ellen wasn't quite convinced yet but she nodded and smiled at her daughter. "All right, you go to your massage and I'll go check in. I'll catch you in an hour and we'll talk, okay?" Lois agreed more or less enthusiastically and left for the massage. Nice prospects, indeed! Three days on a beauty farm with her mother! "Hi, Mrs. Kent! I'm Henry, your masseur," an athletic, good-looking guy in his late twenties greeted her with a radiant smile. "Nice to meet you, Henry." Lois was pleasantly surprised to have this gorgeous young man for her masseur. Somehow she'd figured it would be an enormous woman who would knead her thoroughly and with no mercy. "And please call me Lois." Only fifteen minutes later Lois had forgotten why she'd come to the farm in the first place. Eyes closed appreciatively, she was lying on the massage table and surrendering her body to Henry's skilled hands while her thoughts drifted. 'I'll ask Clark for another weekend at the farm as a Christmas present,' Lois decided. 'Okay, maybe it can wait until next year as a birthday present. This is just so wonderful! I don't need to take care of anything, not even of myself. The staff is doing a great job of spoiling their guests.' With every passing minute Lois felt more and more relaxed and her body was overcome by a warm heaviness that slowly spread from head to toe. Being done with massaging her fingers and arms, Henry worked his way over her neck and shoulders. Miraculously he found each and every little knot and worked it until the muscles became smooth again. A small sigh escaped Lois. 'What I wouldn't give if it were Clark's hands massaging my body.' Hardly a few hours away from her husband and she already missed him. Lois imagined how he would rub some of the sweet-scented massage oil in his hands and on her back before starting to knead her muscles with gentle pressure. His massage would be more like a loving caress of her body than physical therapy and his fingers would graze her breasts not so inadvertently while rubbing her sides. Then he'd reach her lower back where, without any hesitation, he'd push down the towel she'd wrapped around her hips. But before she was completely naked his hands would slip under the towel to... "Lois? Did I hurt you?" Henry's voice ended her daydreaming "Huh?" Shaking her head she returned to reality. "I heard you sigh," the young man explained. "So I assumed I put too much pressure on a sore spot." "Oh! No. Go ahead. It feels wonderful," Lois quickly assured him. 'Good thing he can't see my face right now,' she grinned inwardly. 'If he could see me turning all shades of red, he'd know exactly why I sighed.' With that Lois banished all those pleasant thoughts of Clark out of her mind and saved them for later. "You have a great, well-trained body, Lois," Henry said after a while. "Why thanks! That's very flattering. Do you get paid for compliments like this?" Her stay at the farm got better by the minute. The masseur chuckled. "No, I'm serious. Only a few of the young women at your age can keep up with you." "And the older ones?" This seemed to be a good opportunity to get back to her story and to gather some information. "Some of them are in quite good shape." "Like Mrs. Fairchild, to name one?" Lois interjected. "Yes, she really did a lot for her body. As far as I know she went to step-aerobics regularly while she was here. Although I can't tell exactly because she was one of my boss's customers," Henry unsuspectingly revealed. "It was only Roger who did her massages and things like that." While the masseur continued to philosophize on different types of customers, Lois brooded over his comment on Roger Beauville. Laura from skin-type-analysis had mentioned something similar. Didn't she say that Mrs. Gardener got her facial masks only from the boss? to be continued in part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 09:49:09 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: NEW: Forever Young (4/6) PG MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: Forever Young PART: (4/6) AUTHOR: The German L&C Fanfiction Team RATING: (PG) It was about time to take a closer look at Roger Beauville. "Oh yes, Mr. Beauville," she therefore chimed in enthusiastically. "You only hear good things about him. I haven't met him personally yet though. Is he often here at the beauty farm?" "Oh yes, you'll probably see him a lot while you're here. He practically lives here, actually. Most of the time you find him in the lobby, but >from time to time he also does treatments himself. Like the massages for Mrs. Fairchild." Lois nodded and thought about what she had heard. She needed to get a chance to talk to the owner of the beauty farm in person, but she wasn't sure how to do it. She got her chance much sooner than expected, because when she left the room after her massage, she found her mother in an agitated conversation with a tanned middle-aged man. "Lois!" Ellen Lane exclaimed when she saw her. "This is Mr. Beauville, the owner of Les Fontaines de la Jeunesse, and I was telling him just this moment how really wonderful this place is! Mr. Beauville, this is my daughter, Lois." "Oh please, call me Roger," the man said smoothly. He turned to Lois. "How are you doing, my dear? I hope everything is to your liking?" Lois said yes, and after a few minutes of small talk Roger left the two women, but not without reminding Ellen that she had a massage appointment with him the next morning. "You'll get a massage from him, Mother?" Lois asked as soon as he was out of earshot. "Yes!" Ellen sighed, excited. "Isn't he an incredibly charming man?" "Incredibly," Lois mumbled, lost in thoughts. Maybe it wasn't so bad that her mother was here with her on the beauty farm! Now she had gotten her first suspect served on a silver platter! "Come on," she said warmly and took her mother's arm. "It's my first day off in ages and I feel like celebrating. I'll pay." **** Clark awoke as the book in his hand fell to the ground with a bump. He winced and sent an alarmed look over to his daughter, but she seemed to be sound asleep. He sighed in relief. Another story of Winnie the Pooh would have been too much for him. Kathy was too old for Winnie the Pooh anyway, but she was a very traditional girl and showed a never-ending energy when it came to making her dad read bedtime stories to her. She never got enough, unlike CJ, who called them kindergarten-stuff. Slowly, anxious not to wake her, he raised from the much too small chair he had been sitting on and tiptoed out of her room. Closing the door he sent a last guilty glance at the mess the room was in. He had to remind himself that he needed to clean up the house before Lois came home on Sunday. One evening with his kids had put the whole house into complete chaos. For a moment he thought about cleaning up at least the living room in superspeed, but he was too tired. He only wanted to sleep. The bedroom was dark and cold without Lois.