From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9804D" ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 10:06:27 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >"Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide," Is this what's killing the animals at the new Disney exhibit? ;-) Great fic btw, very well written/edited, I can't believe how fast I read it! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 17:28:36 -0400 Reply-To: NightSky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gary wrote: > > >"Disnium, synthetic eisnerium, and tarsinium oxide," > > Is this what's killing the animals at the new Disney exhibit? ;-) Gary, thank you. I was beginning to think that no one was going to notice this. I almost didn't use those names, thinking they were way too obvious. But then none of my editors/proofreaders noticed them, and no one else had mentioned them up to now either. Personally, I can't think of anything more poisonous than the three chemical compounds mentioned above. Pat would probably want me to point out that the nasty chicken in the story -- the one who is destined to become chicken soup in the not-so-distant future -- is named "Jamie." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Genevieve (NightSky@erols.com) ; For everything you want to know about Superman: in comics, cartoons, television, or movies; from Bud Collyer to Dean Cain -- check out THE SUPERMAN HOMEPAGE ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 16:33:12 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Subject: Re: "PARADISE LOST" Comments: To: Genevieve In-Reply-To: <353E6104.E4D005B8@erols.com> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 22 Apr 1998, Genevieve wrote: > Pat would probably want me to point out that the nasty chicken in the > story -- the one who is destined to become chicken soup in the > not-so-distant future -- is named "Jamie." Mwa ha ha. I got the names of the chemicals on the first read but the chicken's name flew right past me. I bow down before such greatness. :-> Seriously, your story was excellent, I enjoyed reading it a lot. Remind me to say something more constructive when I'm not in the immunology lab and can sit down and reread it. == Alyssa in St. Paul == (agmondelli@stthomas.edu) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/ Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zero? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 15:24:05 -0600 Reply-To: Erin Klingler Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: fanfic search...and question!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi guys! Yet again I am turning to you fellow fic-ers for help. I am trying to find out if anyone has written fanfics dealing with the eutopia that H.G. Wells said Lois and CK/Supes founded. I would bet that there have been some written, so could ppl tell me what the titles are and if they are on the archive? Also...did anybody ever get around to writing that fanfic we discussed here on the fanfic list a while back dealing with...gosh, how do I explain it...a kind of "Life and Times" of Lois and Clark? You know...how they met, what Jimmy, Perry, Martha and Jonathon, etc. thought of their relationship during different aspects of their relationships? I can't remember if one ever got written, and the idea has intrigued me ever since we talked about it. It's even been nagging at me to write it (like at 3am when I'm up feeding the baby, when I'm doing dishes, and--much to the frustration of my tennis coach --during tennis practices :). But I don't want to step on anyone's toes or, heaven forbid, steal anyone's ideas, by writing something that's already been written. So if somebody could help me out with this info, that'd be great! Erin :) ___________________ (aka ELK on IRC) erink@ida.net "The truth is, no one knows how long they've got. Anyway, it's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now...as they happen." CK to LL in BY ******* "You bet your sweet little chumpy I am." _________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 22:54:12 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jeff Brogden Subject: TUFS Promo MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Airing this Sunday, on TUFS! Then Came You H.G. Wells told him that nothing was impossible. Now the Clark Kent of the alternate dimension is determined to find the Lois Lane of his world. His search, however, uncovers more than he bargained for. A love triangle that even the Man of Steel will find difficult to break. For all the answers, go to the TUFS Web site! http://members.aol.com/thenando/tufs.htm ================================================================ Jeff Brogden jwbrogden@bigfoot.com http://www.bigfoot.com/~jwbrogden/ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:17 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC ALERT: Three New Stories on the Way ;) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi Folcs . It's me again spamming the list with more IRC round robin fanfics. This time I'll be posting three stories. "I Now Announce You." is a story set right after Ultra Woman and it tells of Lois's and Clark's trip to Smallville to tell his parents of the engagment. "The Perils of Clark Kent" is a story that pits Lois and Clark against an mysterious assassin. "The Werewolves of Metropolis" is a hair raising tale of a Star Labs experiment gone wrong. We hope you enjoy all three. Comments are welcome. Cheers, Eileen Eraygun@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:20 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 1 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis by Zoomway; Eraygun; Nekanuq, and Mackteach Lois and Clark shared a frustrated glance as Dr. Klein paced in front of them. In a way, Clark privately felt that Klein and Lois were a lot alike. Both were prone to pacing, exaggerated arm movements, and hard-line babbling before coming to the point if the problem was emotionally distressing. "Dr. Klein," Clark finally said while the doctor took a re-set breath. "If you just *tell* us what has you so upset, and why you feel Lois and I could help--" "What do you think I've been *trying* to tell you? Haven't you been listening?!" Before Clark could respond, Klein continued, "Of course you haven't. Who listens to *me*? It's not like don't I hear the jokes about the 'Pillsbury Doughboy' and his 'poppin' fresh pocket protector'." As Klein went on another self-deprecating tirade, Lois touched Clark's shoulder and stepped forward. Clark gave Lois that 'you think I can't handle it so send in the A-Team look'. It was rather hard to describe other than Clark set his head at an angle with one side of his lips turned down, accompanied by a frustrated sigh. Lois, on the other hand, had her 'if you want a job done, do it yourself' lip curl of confidence. "Dr. Klein," she said matter-of-factly, "we just want to help, but we can't do that unless you calm down, and just give us the facts." Klein opened his mouth, but Lois raised her hand. "*Just* the facts." Klein focused, and then blurted, "I translated the works of Dr. Winninger and was synthesizing a drug that would not only increase male potency, but would also increase hormonal drive in either gender, and it was stolen - the whole thing, the formula, the test drug, notes, everything!" He finally took a deep breath. "Everything but...well, the latest study on the..." "The what?" Clark asked, stepping forward. "The side effects!" "Serious side effects?" Clark asked "Seizures, convulsions, death?" Lois asked. "Hair," Klein sighed. "Hair?" Lois laughed. "Isn't that how that high blood pressure medicine made a fortune? It grew hair?" "Not hair, Ms. Lane, *hair*," Klein corrected her, and ushered them into a lab strewn with several cages. Klein uncovered one. "This is a sphynx. A hairless breed of cat." Clark whistled. "Not anymore!" Lois shook her head. "It looks like a Persian." Klein rubbed his temples. "It's a Chia pet Frankenstein! We have to keep cutting his hair." A beeper sounded. All three of them checked. "We have a winner," Lois said, holding up her pager. "It's Perry, be back in a second." After Lois departed, Clark looked at the cat more closely. "So anyone taking the drug will be...oversexed, and --" "Fuzzy!" "How long after taking the drug does this hair growth begin?" "Almost immediately. Not only that, but the hair growth is *everywhere* on the body." Clark raised his eyebrows. "When you say everywhere, you don't mean--" "I *mean* everywhere." Lois rushed back in. "I think we got a break! There were reports of..get this..'werewolves' near the 4th Street subway entrance." "Then call Superman," Klein said, and tugged at Clark's jacket. "No!..I mean, no," Lois said. "Superman couldn't handle this the way it needs to be handled." Clark folded his arms. "Oh?" Lois folded *her* arms. Klein felt he was watching a showdown, and he wasn't far from wrong. "Clark, Superman would scoop up the 'werewolves', and what good would that do if we need the drugs and Klein's notes?" Clark, his arms still folded, purposely straightened a bit, as if to increase the height difference. "Superman could question them, Lois." Lois straightened. "And people who have been taking illegal drugs to increase potency are going to tell Superman where they got the drugs?" Clark's expression conceded the point. "Well we could start off at Police Headquarters. Maybe Henderson and Company will be able to give us a little help," he said. Outside of STAR Labs and away from Dr.Klein's interested gaze, Clark returned to his argument. "Look, Lois, once we get some hard information about the missing material, I think it would be much safer to let Superman take over -" He broke off when she raised a superior eyebrow and shook her head. "What? What's wrong with using a little super-help in this situation?" Lois shrugged. "Nothing's *wrong* with it, Clark, if you think *you* need superpowers to do this, by all means, use them." "And what exactly does that mean - 'if *I* need them' ?" Clark studied her face, which was suspiciously bland. "Are you saying that I couldn't handle this without my powers?" Lois raised a superior eyebrow. "Are you saying that you could?" "Of course I could!" "Prove it." "What?" "Prove it. You're so used to relying on your buzz-buzz that I bet you can't do this investigation without it." He studied her face for a moment and then grinned. "Okay. Bet." Clark chuckled at Lois' surprised expression and took her arm. "But I get to set the stakes." "What --?" she began, but he placed a finger on her parted lips and smiled at her slightly wary look. "Later, honey." He kissed her quickly. "Hold that thought." They caught a cab at the curb, and within thirty seconds were snarled in one of the worst traffic jams Metropolis had seen since the last Arnold Schwarzenegger movie had blocked off the whole of downtown to shoot his big finale. Clark sat quietly in the back seat, his arm draped behind Lois' shoulders, while she cursed under her breath the lousy timing of this traffic jam, the Jeep being in the shop, and the bet. "I don't suppose you want to get out and walk, do you, Lois?" Clark smiled, a little too sincerely for Lois' taste. "Sure, Clark, let's walk. The fresh air will be nice." The cab was wedged between two other cars so closely they ended up climbing through the window, then across several hoods and trunks before finally finding clear pavement. "This is ridiculous, Clark. What could be causing such a mess?" "Hard to say without rising above it to find out, honey." Clark craned his neck to look around as far as he could see. Then he grabbed Lois' arm and pulled her behind him in a protective gesture. She tried to see where he was looking over the car tops. "Lois, I think we're about to find out." Three 'people', all covered in hair, their clothing abandoned, were running away from police officers and the animal control officers. Everywhere the 'werewolves' ran, the hairless variety of humans ran screaming in the opposite direction. Squealing brakes at the head of the intersection had caused the traffic jam. Lois slapped the back of her hand on Clark's arm, "Let's go!" Clark shook his head, and started trotting after his wife at 'space normal' speed. They weaved in and out of cars, fallen packages, fainted bodies, and dogcatcher loop sticks. "There!" Lois shouted, and turned a corner as one of the fur-covered miscreants vanished down an alley. Clark caught up to her at the alley. "Any sign of them?" "No, and you could at least breathe hard after running." Clark propped an elbow on the wall. "Don't take this out on me. You wanted the buzz-buzz put in exile." "I'm not taking anything *out* on you," she said, unable to hide her frustration. "But?" "But even if you didn't have powers, you could run faster than that!" "Honey, I played football in college so I could learn to gauge a..well, a human standard. I chose football so everyone at least would be padded. I got pretty good at playing to that standard, but it isn't exactly a science." Lois put a hand on Clark's chest and smoothed down his tie. "I'm sorry." "It's okay," he said softly and wrapped his arms around her. "I think we need a more subtle approach anyway. "All right," Lois smiled. "What's the 'subtle' approach?" Clark whispered, "Remember Angel and Spike?" Lois raised one eyebrow. "So why do you think we need a reappearance of that dynamic duo?" "Well, whoever is selling this stuff has got to be on the sleazy side. And I can't really think of anyone sleazier than those two. Besides, if I've got to handle this as a regular guy, it means undercover teamwork." Lois looked at Clark warily. "Well, I guess I have Angel's old outfit somewhere." "It's in our bedroom closet way in the back." "You know where it is?!" "Well er..er..." "I thought you said it was 'appropriately cheap'." "Well, er... I..." Clark scuffed his foot against the ground. "I...um...yeah, 'appropriately cheap'..." He looked up then, a little gleam in his eye. "But I like a cheap thrill now and then." Lois let out a small "ha," then folded her arms across her chest. "Clark Kent, you are just full of surprises. Were you planning on telling me about this fantasy any time soon?" He grinned, his smile shining out from his tanned face. "Well...I figured some Saturday night, when you ran out to get videos, you'd be greeted by Spike when you got back." Lois' mouth dropped. "It's times like these I really wish I didn't have a job. Maybe we can solve this one easy. What do you think?" "I'm with you. We find these hairy beasties, give 'em a quick shave, get the formula and everything back to Klein, and you've got yourself a date." "And we can practice being sleazy in advance. So, does Spike live anywhere near Angel?" "Right next door in a sweater box, honey. He doesn't like to leave her side." Lois tilted her head at him. Even when he was thinking sleazy business, he was the sweetest man she'd ever met. "Well, let's pick them up, and find out who's behind this." Lois started moving briskly down the street, Clark hot on her heels. Continued in Part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC:THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 3 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis Continued from Part 2 _________________________________ Better forget about it, pal. That egghead wants his stolen stuff back too." "I can get that! I can get it all. Just find a way to get me outta here." Lois walked over to Clark and put a hand on his shoulder. "Spike has a friend that can get you out." Clark smiled. "You mean it, Angel?" "Yeah," she sighed. "You proved what you needed to prove." "Thanks," he whispered, and dashed out of the room. An instant later Superman flew into the window. "I heard one of the 'werewolves' was in this--" "I ain't no werewolf, Superman!" "I believe you, sir, but the police want them all rounded up, so--" "No! They just wanna shoot us!" "With silver bullets, no less," Lois added as she filed her nails. "Look, Mr. Superman, this lady's brother is gonna get me outta here, and I was gonna take them to the stuff stolen from STAR Labs," the ever-fuzzier man whined, and then looked pleadingly at Lois. "Ain't that right, Angel?" "That's right, Superman," she shrugged. "So just butt out." Clark suppressed a grin. "I can't do that, Ms..?" "Flamingo, daughter of exotic dancer La Belle Flamingo." "I'm sorry, Ms. Flamingo, but this man is probably lying to both you and your brother." "I ain't, I swear!" Clark sighed. "Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but if you're lying--" "I'm not!" "All right. I'll fly you and Ms. Flamingo to STAR Labs and I'll go back for the stolen items." ***** It was hard to say which of Superman's two passengers caused more talk at STAR Labs. Jo-Jo's hairy frame was unusual, but Lois dressed as she was made most of the lab techs turn and stare. "Things must be rough at the Planet," one of them whispered as she entered Klein's lab with Superman after Jo-Jo was deposited in an observation room. "She must be moonlighting." Deciding that the story aspect of the matter was in control, Clark flew back to Suicide Slum to pick up the missing drugs and Dr. Klein's notes and research. While Clark was gone, Lois went home to change, returning to STAR Labs to study the man who could be a lobbyist's dream for making "hair in the sink" a crime punishable with hard labor. She understood why the hotel clerk had said he was so tall. His hair was out of control, snarling in tangled rat's nests all over his body, making him look twice as big around, and at least a foot taller than he probably was. Lois thought that if she didn't know that this man was the victim of science gone awry, she'd be just as likely as peasants with pitchforks to believe he'd been cursed by some wart-nosed wizard. She watched as Dr. Klein's team of crack lab techs strapped the mutating man to a table, and began his depilatory treatments. Dr. Klein came out to Lois' vantage point by the door. "It won't be a perfect cure, but at least he won't have to shave his tongue when we're done with him. And he'll always be warm in the winter!" he added brightly. "Dr. Klein," Lois rolled her eyes. "I think you haven't told us everything about this...experiment, have you? I need to know everything, now! Superman is out there trying to find the formula, and the notes, but this is still a major health danger, isn't it?" And, she thought, I don't want my husband suddenly becoming a paint target for every fur activist group out there. Klein went pale. He'd wanted to tell them the whole story right from the start, but the higher-ups had put a clamp on that idea. "You're right, Lois. the truth is..." "Is *what*?" Klein sat down heavily. "Nothing...really...just...the drug, to some degree, can be transferred by touch." "Oh, God!" Lois looked at her hands and felt her face. "No, no, Ms. Lane, not the hair side effect." "Then what? What!" Before Klein could answer, a red and blue blur entered the lab. As the blur solidified into Superman, it was clear what effect the drug was having. Superman was kissing Lois passionately, and Lois...wasn't resisting. "Here now!" Klein shouted and clapped his hands together. "Enough of that!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Clark Kent will kill me." Lois turned her head to the side. "How long will this side effect last, Dr. Klein?" "Oh, Lord, up to three hours at least, and with Superman, I have *no* idea. I'm so dreadfully sorry!" Clark laughed against her neck, "Try and bear up under the strain, Lois." "Um, I think if I can get Superman to take me *home*," Lois said breathlessly as Clark did that 'thing' with her neck. "Clark and I can...reason..oooh..with him." "If you think that's best, Ms. Lane, but maybe...tranquilizers--" "No, we don't know how the drugs would..mmm...would..um.." "Interact, Ms. Lane?" "Bingo!" she laughed. "God," Klein whispered. "You won't be able to reason with Superman if you're feeling the same thing!" Clark lifted Lois into his arms. "Takes one to know one, Dr. Klein," he said, and flew from the lab. "I'm ruined," the doctor sighed. "Not that it matters after Clark Kent kills me." He walked over to his file cabinet. "Better make sure they have my blood type right on the insurance policy." ***** Lois held on tightly to Clark as he flew them in the general direction of their brownstone. She was amazed at his sense of direction considering that hers had gone completely haywire. Clark's kisses had a tendency to do that to her. She lost all sense of time, all sense of direction. All she was aware of was that she was here...in his arms. She broke off the kiss and tried to figure out exactly where "here" was. She looked around, trying to get her eyes to focus. Between the clouds and Clark's kisses, she felt like she had gone cross-eyed. She looked back at her husband. Gently stroking his neck, she could see that he wasn't really focusing on where he was going. In fact, he wasn't focusing ahead of him as much as he was focusing on looking down her blouse. "Clark!" Her gasp of surprise seemed to break his concentration and they dipped slightly in the air. He pulled his gaze away from the front of her blouse and looked at her. "Huh? His face was flushed and Lois could see that he was breathing rapidly. "Are you okay?" Clark grinned. "You tell me." With that remark, he stopped their forward progress and hovered. He slipped his arms around her, allowing her legs to dangle. Slowly, he rotated them in the air until they were floating, drifting vertically. He pulled her tightly into his embrace. "Tell me, Lois. Am I okay?" "Um.....I think that you're more than okay, Clark. Let's get home." Clark nuzzled Lois' neck. "Mmmmm. Home." "Clark....um....I.....oh, that's.....I think that....." "Y'know what, Lois? Sometimes you think too much...." His words trailed off as his mouth closed over hers, swallowing her words of protest and replacing them with soft moans of pleasure. Lois' hands caressed the back of Clark's neck, moving upward to tangle themselves in his hair. She loved how Clark kissed her. Tenderness and strength, friendship and love, heart and soul. All combined to take Lois' breath away. She responded in the only way possible. She returned his kiss with the same intensity, the same passion, the same love. It was Clark's turn to moan as the effects of the drug intensified his reactions. God, he loved this woman and how she made him feel. He physically shivered as the sensations washed over and through him. Excitement. Anticipation. Completeness. Love. With great reluctance on both their parts, they broke off the kiss. Re- positioning Lois in his arms he flew to their brownstone, through the French doors, up the stairs, and directly into their bedroom. As if she were a priceless Lladro figurine, Clark gently placed Lois in the middle of their bed. Looking into her eyes, he caressed the side of her face and whispered. "How long did Dr. Klein say the side effect would last?" Lois blinked once, recovering from Clark's kiss and the burst of speed home. "Um...I think he said something about ... three hours?" Clark's smile deepened and Lois saw his eyes darken with desire. "Well, then. Looks like Superman's taking the night off." He stepped back, his hand lingering along her face until only his fingertips touched her. Desire mixed with a sense of responsibility in Lois. She reached out for his hand and held it. "Clark.....you know that there's nothing that I would love more than for you to be here all night, but...." Her words were cut off by Clark's sudden movement toward her and his soft, gentle kiss on her lips. His mouth moved across her cheek until he reached her ear. Lightly nipping the earlobe, he whispered, his warm breath making her shiver. "It's all right, Lois. Three hours for humans. I'm Superman, remember?" Lois closed her eyes as his deep husky whisper caused a familiar and welcome tingle deep inside her. "Uh huh....I .... re -- what does...that.....um....mean? Oh god......." Her hands reached up to pull him closer to her. "Shhhh." He kissed her ear and began to trail kisses along her jawline. "It..." Kiss. "..means..." Kiss. "...that...I..." Kiss, kiss. "...choose....not to ......" He had reached her mouth again and her lips were too hard to resist. His tongue slowly and teasingly swirled around her mouth before sweeping inside. "Mmm.....ah, Clark....not to?....." Lois' question dissolved into another moan of pleasure. Clark raised his head. He smiled a very masculine and proprietary smile as he took in Lois' face. Her flushed cheeks, her lipstick-smeared mouth, her closed eyes, her smile of satisfaction. He was glad that he was the only one able to do that to her. "Lois, honey. Open your eyes. I need you to hear this." Slowly, as if she were awakening from a dream, her eyelids opened. Clark felt himself begin to fall into those twin pools. Her eyes were dark, almost black, and Clark could swear that he could see the fires of passion behind them just waiting to flare out of control. "Lois. Listen to me. I'm not going on patrol tonight. Not because of some drug. But because I *choose* not to." She smiled a lazy smile and reached up to caress his face. "That's good, Clark. That's very good." She suddenly giggled. "Y'know why?" Clark smiled down at his wife. "Why?" "'Cause I think that I've been affected." A frown of concern creased Clark's brow. "Are you okay?" Lois trailed her hand down the front of his suit, her finger outlining the yellow S. "You tell me, Clark." "You're more than okay, Lois." Closing his mouth over hers once again, he proceeded to show her how "more" she was. ***** Clark opened his eyes to a darkened bedroom. Moving carefully so he wouldn't waken Lois, he looked at the clock. Three hours! It had been three hours since he and Lois had been affected by the touch of that over-sexed 'werewolf' - and what hours they'd been. Their lovemaking had always been creative and passionate, but combined with the effects of coming in contact with the 'werewolf', it had taken on an intensity that surprised them both. More than anything, the sensations and feelings were heightened for Lois. He looked around and chuckled to himself. Clothes were strewn everywhere. His cape hung from the dresser mirror. Lois' bra was hooked on the bedroom doorknob. His red boots were thrown in the corner and her blouse was draped over the lamp on their night stand. Clark looked down at his sleeping wife. Her head was on his chest and even though he couldn't see it, he could feel her smile of contentment. He grinned. To see her lying there so peacefully, her arms loosely wrapped around him, who would think she could have been so wild earlier. "My little tornado..." he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. She moaned softly and snuggled closer to him. Caressing her shoulder, Clark thought back over the past three hours and remembered..... As the memories filled his mind, he unconsciously tightened his grasp on her shoulder. He heard a soft chuckle. "What were you doing, Clark?" He looked down at her and growled his reply. "Remembering." She smiled up at him. "Why don't you make some memories right now?" Her hand stroked his chest. She sighed. "I'm so glad that you didn't grow any hair like those others, Clark. I love feeling your smooth skin and muscles." Clark smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Me too, Lois. I don't like the idea of kissing you and coughing up a fur ball, either." Lois laughed. "That is so sweet, Clark. I love you." "I love you, too." He kissed the top of her head, and then slid from her arms and out of bed. "Where are you going?" "I have to make a phone call." "A phone call? To whom?" Clark grinned. "Dr. Klein. I'd better tell him that I'm not gonna kill him, don't you think?" Lois chuckled. "Yeah, you'd better. He'll sleep better knowing that neither you nor any werewolves are out there stalking him. But hurry back." Her smile was seductive. "We have some more memories to make." Clark grinned and bent to kiss her. "Hold that thought." THE END ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:22 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC:THE WEREWOLVES OF METROPOLIS Part 2 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Werewolves of Metropolis Continued from Part 1 _________________________________ After helping each other...dress, Angel and Spike emerged from a cab onto the less than tidy streets of Suicide Slum. The cabbie knew better than to even ask if they wanted him to wait. A cab up on blocks couldn't drive anywhere, anyway. "Honey," Clark whispered, his tone so incongruous with the 'Spike' look. "I'm not trying to be overprotective, but this part of town--" "It's okay, Clark, I can handle myself." As if thugs followed a cosmic director's cue, a large, broken-nosed man walked out of the shadows. "You are one hot property," he said, in a slow, deliberate manner. Clark stepped forward. "Watch what you say to the lady, pal." The hulking man smiled. "I wasn't talking to the lady, pal." Lois placed a hand to her vinyl-clad midriff. "Oh my gawd!" Clark swallowed his chewing gum. "Me? You mean *me*?" "Yeah, there's a nice heap up the block called the Chatterbox Hotel, rents on the half hour..interested?" Clark cleared his throat. "I'm not that kind of...I don't--" "Listen," the man continued, "I got some stuff..new on the street, really hot. We might spring for a whole hour." "That's it!" Lois said, and stormed forward, but Clark restrained her. "My sister Angel is just looking out for me. Tell you what, you get the room, leave a note at the desk, and I'll meet you there." "You gotta deal, kid." The moment the man turned the corner, Lois pushed Clark against the wall. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you *know* what that..that..chickenhawk wants?" Clark shrugged, "I have a pretty good idea, but, honey, he talked about some 'new stuff', it might be what we're looking for, and if so--" "And if Gargantua was after me, would you let *me* meet him at the Blabbermouth?" "Chatterbox." "Whatever!" "Lois, I know you're upset, but--" "Upset? Why would a woman be upset about her husband being the new talent in the tenderloin district?" "Lois, calm down! I'll go to the desk, find out what room he's in, and then phone a tip to Henderson." Lois let out a deep breath. "Okay, I'll wait here and see what I can come up with." "No way!" Lois smiled. "Uh huh, just as I thought." "You're coming with me, and you can get mad, throw a fit, leave tools in the rain, but I am not leaving you here." "Leave your tools in the rain?" Clark smiled weakly. "Well, Dad said Mom did that to him once to get even." "I don't care about bucolic justice, Clark. I'm staying here." "Fine," Clark nodded. "Then so am I." "Clark, I can...oh, forget it, let's go, you're making that face," she said, and then waited a moment. "Aren't you going to ask 'what face'?" "No," he smiled, and put his arm around her neck as they began walking up the street. "I know what face I was making. You're the only person on this or any other planet who can get me to make that face." "Good," she laughed, but the amusement was short-lived. Men, women, and others of difficult to identify gender came pouring out of the double doors of the Chatterbox Hotel in all states of dress and undress. All were screaming and apparently running for their lives. Clark started to change and launch himself toward the Chatterbox at superspeed when he noticed Lois standing behind him with her arms folded across her chest. She smirked at him. "I knew you couldn't do it." "What do you mean? "A simple little riot and you're ready to drag *you know who* into this." Clark shook his head and gave Lois a look that was tinged with equal parts of admiration and exasperation. "Okay. You want me to handle *this* as a regular guy? You're on. Let's go, Angel!" And grabbing Lois by the hand he quickly made his way through the panicked crowd and into the lobby of the Chatterbox. The ambiance off the Chatterbox matched its reputation Ignoring the cheap furnishings and peeling paint, they scanned the lobby (sans buzz-buzz, of course) and hearing a noise behind the front desk, discovered the desk clerk cowering in fear. "What happened?" Lois was the first to reach him, tenacious as always when she was hot on the trail of a story. Clark helped her get the man to his feet, but the clerk leaned back against the stained wallpaper behind him for support. Clark and Lois looked at each other, wondering how long the construction of a building obviously ignored by building inspectors and fire codes could support hose, much less a human being. "It...it was...ten feet tall, I swear...It walked in here like nothing was the matter, and asked for a room for a week! I didn't know Bigfoot could talk!" The man was chattering half to himself, wringing his hands and darting glances everywhere. The two reporters nodded to each other. "Uh, Bigfoot? You sure it wasn't just someone who needed a haircut...uh...all over?" The clerk stopped to look at them sharply. "What kind of idiot do you think I am? Look at this joint. You think I ain't used to seeing the dregs of your coffee filter walk through that door? You think all my regular customers would run screaming out of here if it was just some shaggy bum?" "Well, where'd your Bigfoot go? I sure didn't see him come rampaging out after your clientele like a wild boar." Lois' skepticism was what would always make her the best investigative reporter there was, Clark mused. He stood quietly next to her, and simply admired her. "He asked for a room," the clerk repeated. "I gave him one." "You what?" Clark suddenly came to life, and stepped forward. "He's still here? Which room?" "Number 13. Back down that hall, around the corner, down the steps, through the bar, across the moat..." "Moat?" Lois and Clark spoke as one incredulous unit. "Well, that's what we call it. We had a problem a few years back with a water main...It's really just a plank across a hole in the floor..." "Glad to see you reinvest in the establishment," Lois muttered, and headed off to follow his directions, hoping she wasn't supposed to have taken notes. "Come on, Clark." "Right behind you, my little Sasquatch." Lois suddenly felt that perhaps her partner wasn't taking this case seriously enough any more. "What's with you?" she asked. "Come on, Lois...we're dressed like the Fonz and Pinky Tuscadero, and we're wandering through some labyrinthine hole in the ground looking for a mythical creature, who now lives at Number 13, Chatterbox Way. What's not to love about this? Since when do hotels use the number 13 anyway?" "Probably since they can't afford to skip a number in the decal package." She stopped at the end of the hall. "Did he say right, or left?" Clark peered at Lois over the top of his sunglasses. "He didn't say, you interrupted him when he mentioned the 'moat'." "Never mind," she whispered. "It's right over there." Clark nodded and approached the door. He raised his fist to knock, and then lowered it. "What should I say?" Lois shrugged innocently. "Hot Pockets is here, my big strong lover man." "Geez," Clark said, and tapped on the door. "Go away!" a frightened voice shouted from the other side of the door. Lois nodded at Clark indicating he should try again. Clark reached down to the doorknob instead. It was unlocked, thus explaining how many private detectives got incriminating photos. He opened the door swiftly, but made sure he stood in front of Lois should their friend decide to bolt. In that instant, a blur of hair leaped from behind the bed. "I said go away!" "Angel and I aren't here for a good time," Clark said, trying to sound tough. "We want that new drug you were talking about." Lois moved around to the far wall. "Spike - oh my gawd, it's Chewbacca!" "I don't know nothin' about no drugs." Clark shrugged,. "Suit yourself, but word on the street is it turns people into werewolves. You kinda fit that description, Jo-Jo." "Yeah," Lois nodded. "I heard cops were given silver bullets. Talk about tax dollars down the drain. Rhinestone bullets would be cheaper, and they go nice with blue uniforms." The hairy horror looked up from behind the bed. "Silver bullets?" Clark folded his arms. "Yep, I heard the cops had orders to shoot the werewolves on sight." "No," the man groaned pathetically. "Of course," Clark added, "there's this egghead at STAR Labs who says he can reverse the effects of the drug, but--" "But what! I'll do anything, *pay* anything." Continued in Part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:37 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU...". Part 3 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 2 _________________________________ She relaxed back against his chest, feeling his arms around her. She felt safe; she was home. As if Clark had picked up her thoughts, he replied. "I'm glad I can share this with you. It's home. But you're 'home' too. I have longed for this so much." Lois heard just a bit of hoarseness in his voice and remember his swallowing hard earlier. She knew that Clark was talking about more than sharing the treehouse and his childhood treasures with him. They were drawn together by fate. Clark again kissed her gently, this time putting his arms around her more and pulling her even closer. Lois was filled with an inner warmth. They were together, and she was getting another glimpse of what made him the person he was and who she loved so much. At that moment, she wanted so much to share and to give of herself just as he had to her. The air was still warm. She could smell something sweet in the air. Picking up her intake of breath, he guessed her question before she could ask it. "Honeysuckle," he supplied. "Mom loves it." "Honey ..." The rest of her words were silenced as he kissed her again, on the lips this time. The kiss lasted for a long time. Then very gently, Clark began to caress her, still holding her close. Lois enjoyed the sensation, the atmosphere, his closeness. It was as if this was meant to happen. The place and the setting were perfect. This was the man she loved dearly and had at last come to acknowledge she was to spend the rest of her life with. Clark wasn't pushy. He was as gentle and caring as she had gotten to know him, yet a little more daring at the same time. Lois was sure the fact that they were officially engaged had to do with it. She smiled at the thought. Had he ever ... growing up? This was *his* "fortress." But somehow she couldn't imagine him making out, not like that. And she was also beginning to wonder if it was right tonight. She longed for his touch and his tenderness, and she could feel the same longing in him, too. But ... When they stopped for a breather in between kisses, their eyes locked. Understanding flowed between them, and they each started to speak simultaneously. "Clark, you know how I feel about you, and it feels so right, but I wondered..." "Lois, I know. I want to touch you, and I know we're engaged, but..." They were speaking at the same time. They both stopped, smiling self- consciously for a moment, before Lois collected her thoughts and began again. When she saw that Clark might interrupt, she placed a finger over his lips and spoke. "Clark, I love you so much. I just want our first time together to be perfect. I've made mistakes in the past, and I don't want to make any more." She tried to put her feelings into words, but she was so afraid to hurt or disappoint him that she couldn't go on. "Lois, I know," he told her after kissing the finger she had placed on his lips. "I love you, and our first time *will* be perfect." He put his arms around her and gathered her close to him. "Don't you think it would be wonderful if we waited for our wedding night to take the final step?" he said quietly. Lois wasn't sure if the idea had come from him or if he had read her mind, and at this point she didn't care. She wrapped her arms firmly around him and whispered her thanks for his understanding. Clark breathed a sigh of relief, not certain if it was for his averting the potential argument, or his putting off the revelation of his ... inexperience. He knew that Lois had been in relationships, and he had been a little afraid that she would have physical expectations that he was unprepared to acknowledge just yet. "It isn't that I don't want to make love with you, Lois," he told her. "I just want to enjoy being in love with you for awhile first." Lois was near tears at the tenderness in his voice. She held him tighter yet, confident that she could not hurt him, and then pulled back to see his face. She gazed into warm brown eyes that looked back at her with adoration. She smiled briefly, and then pressed her lips back to his. Clark was relieved that she had acquiesced, and met her kiss with a combination of joy and the usual excitement that she always inspired in him. They kissed for a very long time, caught up in the tenderness of the moment. Somehow, knowing that there were no expectations gave Clark a freedom he hadn't known before as he allowed his hands to gently explore his fiancee's body. He stroked her back, her hair, and even allowed himself to briefly go beyond his usual limits. Lois, too, enjoyed the freedom of knowing that she was loved and that she would not have to turn Clark down at an inopportune moment. She allowed herself to touch and caress him, and just enjoy being in love. After quite a long time of mutual exploration, Clark found himself with a problem. While knowing that their activities would soon come to a stop was somewhat a relief, it also meant that he was going to need to stop things in a hurry, for his own sake if not for hers. With reluctance, he pulled away slightly to regain his breath. Her heartbeat was as rapid as his, and he allowed her a moment to calm as well. When she appeared to be, he invited, "How about a walk in the moonlight?" Lois understood his need to distance himself a bit from the situation. She was having the same need. If things didn't cool off now, the relief from their previous conversation would be truly short lived. "A walk sounds nice," she answered. Clark put his arms around her once more and slowly flew her out the door and to the ground below. As he put her down and took her hand, he discovered that walking wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked. With a silent curse that the night was not a little cooler, he began leading Lois through the dark. Lois felt Clark's fingers tighten over hers, and she squeezed him back. "So..." she began, whispering as though something about the magic of the night demanded that respect. "This is really beautiful, Clark. This is..." Her voice trailed off as the moonlight in the distance reflected off something glassy. Tiny shards of shimmering light caught her gaze and she let out a short breath which Clark immediately heard. "It's the lake. Well, sort of a large pond actually. But we call it "The Lake". Would you like to see it?" He turned and glanced down at her, capturing in her expression everything he thought he'd ever need to live. "Yes, I'd love to." Her smile set his soul on fire, and he leaned forward, impetuously capturing her lips with his. They lingered that way, kissing each other slowly, over and over again until Lois couldn't remember her own name, and Clark felt as though he'd been born for this moment in the moonlight with her. An eternity later they parted, Lois's soft sigh caressing the side of his face for an instant before she smiled at him once more, shaking her head. "You know something?" she whispered. "What's that?" Clark responded, taking both of her hands in his. "I don't think I ever knew what love was...until I met you." She swallowed, and Clark could see her eyes shimmering in the semi-darkness. "Lois, I don't know *how* to... I mean, sometimes, I feel as though I'm...tongue tied when I try to express to you how much you mean to me. I guess I..." "Shh," Lois cooed, placing her fingers on the edge of his mouth and sliding each one over his lips. "I know." She tipped her head and caught his gaze. Clark pulled her to him and wrapped one arm around her, turning their bodies once more in the direction of "The Lake". He led her forward. For long moments, neither spoke, both content to feel each other's nearness, and to know that there was nothing in the universe which could make the night any more perfect than it had become. ***** Martha walked out on the farmhouse porch carrying two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Jonathan who was leaning against one of pillars. "Thanks, honey," he said as he planted a kiss on Martha's forehead. "You've been out here a long time. What are you thinking about?" "Am I that obvious?" Martha chuckled. "Only to me." "That's what I love about you, Martha, you are so perceptive... so ...." "Jonathan, I'm also very focused so you're not going to be able to distract me that easily. What's troubling you?" Jonathan sighed. "Not troubling really. I just wonder if she knows what she's going to be letting herself in for." "You mean Lois?" Jonathan nodded. "Sweetheart, I'm sure she knows what it'll be like to be married to Clark." "It's not just being married to Clark, Martha. She's also going to be married to Superman. That's a mighty big responsibility, to be the one to take care of the man who takes care of the whole world." "Well, I pretty much think they'll be taking care of each other, the way any other married couple does. But maybe you might want to have a little talk with her?" "Me?" "Yes, you. I think this weekend is a perfect chance for the two of you to have that talk. And if you want you can start right now. Here they come." "Huh?!" Martha and Jonathan watched as Lois and Clark came walking towards the porch arm in arm. "Here's your chance," she whispered to her husband. "Ah... no...not now, Martha. I think I had better wait until the light of day before I go putting my two cents in." Martha gave him a grin and led him over to the porch swing. He could have sworn he heard her say 'chicken' as they both sat, but wasn't 100 percent sure. He gave her a side-long look and was about to question her about it when young couple came to climb the steps of the porch and sat down on the top step. "Did you two enjoy yourselves out there? It's a beautiful night to explore each other. Ah, to explore the farm with each other, I mean," Jonathan stammered. He could feel the embarrassment rise as soon as he heard the words come out of his mouth. He could sense Martha's amusement as she murmured for his ears only, "oh, Jonathan, nice save." Clark answered for both of them before his father could say anything else. "We had a great time, Dad." "A really great time," Lois added. "Now before it gets any later we have something to discuss. Where are you two going to sleep tonight?" Lois's bottom nearly scooted off the step at Martha's question. Without batting an eye Clark said, "She can have my old room and I'm going to take the fold-out in the living room. We think that's best for the time being." Lois knew she was turning red with each of his words but nodded in agreement. "Well it's getting late. Life on the farm starts early. We'll see you children in the morning." "Goodnight, Mom and Dad," Clark said to his parents as he rose to give each a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Martha and Jonathan." Lois looked back at Clark and he could see the love in her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "Come on, spill it." "I've never seen a son kiss his father before. I like it," she said to him with a tear in her eye. "I never had a real relationship with my father. I hope I'll be a good daughter-in-law." Continued in Part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:34 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU..." Part 2 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable I Now Announce You... Continued from part 1 _________________________________ "Well, that went well," he said as he smiled into her ear. She was cradl= ed=0Abetween his thighs, facing away from him, and she could feel his smi= le as she=0Aleaned herself back into his chest. "It did go well," she agreed. "I'm sorry I spoiled the surprise." He smiled once more and turned his head to kiss her lightly on the cheek.= =0A"You didn't spoil anything," he told her. "You were perfect. You alwa= ys are." "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Kent," Lois replied. Pulling his = arms=0Atighter around her she leaned back and snuggled into his chest. "Well, I'll file that away for future reference. Something tells me that= =0Amight come in handy later," Clark chuckled. Then he shifted their pos= itions=0Aonce again and began planting soft kisses on Lois's neck. "Anym= ore secrets=0Ayou'd like to reveal?" he murmured. Lois sighed. "Well maybe," she said with a shy smile. "But first I've got= a=0Aquestion for you." "What?" "Just where the heck are we?" Clark smiled and then floated them up from the floor. "It's my old playho= use.=0ADad helped me build it when I was about 11 or so. After I started= to *change*=0A... get stronger and faster, I spent a lot of time up here= alone, away from=0Athe other kids." "It was sort of a refuge for you," Lois said as she looked around at the = old=0Acircus and movie posters on the walls and the dusty books on the ma= keshift=0Abookshelves. "Yes, that's right. It was my fortress from life I guess, a fortress of= =0Asolitude." Lois looked around at Clark's fortress. She placed a hand on a metal box= .=0A"What's in here?" Clark looked at her and grinned. "After Dad and I finished this, I starte= d=0Amoving all my treasures up here." "Can I look? I want to see what you considered a treasure," she said. Without missing a beat Clark placed his hand on the lid. "Lois, how abou= t=0Alooking at my stack of comic books." He tried to guide her focus awa= y from=0Athe box. "I have some Spider-Man comics that are in mint condit= ion and are=0Aworth a pretty penny." Lois could not take her eyes off the metal box as he showed her his treas= ures=0Aof childhood. Clark could tell she was dying of curiosity As her eyes moved once again to the box, Clark took her hands into his.= =0A"There are some others I want you to meet." He lifted the lid and a s= mall=0Asphere about 5 inches in diameter lifted out and came to a stop in= front of=0Athem . Lois's eyes widened a bit and she took a step backwards. Visions of alie= n=0Amind probes and a flashback to Bob Fences went through her mind. Clark sensed her startlement and rushed to reassure her. "It's okay, Loi= s.=0ALook ..." He held out his hand. The sphere hovered a second more b= efore=0Asettling in his upturned palm. It continued to glow. Lois's curiosity got the better of her and she ste= pped=0Aforward again. She reached out to touch it, but hesitated. She lo= oked at=0AClark, a slight grin on her face. "It won't bite me, will it?" Clark chuckled. "No, I don't think so." He went on to explain, holding = the=0Asphere as if it were a baseball. "This was in my spaceship. Remem= ber Jason=0ATrask and Bureau 39?" Lois nodded. "Yeah, I do. Are you telling me that he knew about this gl= obe?" "I don't think so. He knew about the spaceship. I saw it in that wareho= use.=0ABut this globe was in a bag beside it. I pulled it out and kept= =0Ait...remember? You were furious with me for not telling you. I immed= iately=0Aknew that it was from Krypton." "What do you mean 'you immediately knew'?" Lois continued to look at the= =0Aglobe. Its glow had intensified slightly. Clark shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to explain. It's almost as if = ---" His next words were cut off as a hum came from the globe. They both look= ed at=0Ait. Clark again opened his hand, palm up, and the globe hovered = off his hand. Clark knew what to expect but Lois didn't. She gasped as a projection wa= s=0Aemitted from the globe. A projection of a very beautiful woman. Sta= tely,=0Aserene, with a look about her that reminded Lois of ... "Clark! Is that your mother?" He nodded and smiled. "Lara. Her name is Lara." He turned to look at t= he=0Aprojection and then back at Lois. "I think she's here for a special= reason." "My son ..." Lois turned to the projection, a sense of awe filling her. This woman ha= d=0Agiven birth to Clark. And had, along with his father, died before sh= e had=0Aseen the man that he had become. She would have been proud of hi= m. They both=0Awould have been. There was so much Lois wanted to say to= Lara, so much she=0Awanted to ask. But she couldn't. Lara was gone. H= er thoughts were=0Ainterrupted by Lara's next words. "Kal-El, it is my greatest hope that you will find someone to share your = life=0Awith as I have with your father. You are a special child with a g= reat destiny=0Ato fulfill. The life ahead of you will not be an easy one= . It will be filled=0Awith trials and tribulations. It will, at times, = be a lonely one. I wish=0Athat it could be otherwise." Lois blinked back the tears that were forming. She had known. Somehow, = Lara=0Ahad known what Clark's life would be like. And still she had had = the courage=0Ato let him go, to let him live. Lara had been an amazing w= oman. She sneaked=0Aa glance at Clark. Clark was listening to Lara's words. How had she known, he wondered. He= =0Awished so many things right now. That he had gotten to know Jor-El an= d Lara.=0AThat they could have seen him grow up. That they could have me= t and loved=0ALois as he did. He swallowed back the lump that was formin= g in his throat. Lara's next words caught both their attention. "This next thing I tell you, Kal-El, is difficult," the image intoned. Cl= ark=0Asat up straight. Lois glanced at her fianc=E9. "What is it?" "The image never said this before. This is new." "Since this device is attuned to you, it is clear that now you have found= your=0Alife mate." Clark smiled uneasily at Lois; he wished he could tu= rn the thing=0Aoff. "Your father and I committed an act of grave heresy = sending you to=0AEarth. Perhaps where we were meant to send you will neve= r be known to you." Lois whispered, "They broke the law?" "Krypton has been recreated in all its cold and indifferent logic. It is = that=0Abarren rock to which you were to be sent. Your father and I...we s= imply could=0Anot. We wanted your eyes to open on a world that still und= erstood love and=0Acompassion," Lara said. It was obviously a difficult= secret to tell. "I'll=0Aspeak no more of our crime, Kal-El. Just know t= hat we love you, and that we=0Ahope it is a love that you share with your= life mate." The image faded. Lois leaned against Clark's arm and laced her fingers i= n=0Ahis. "How did you end up with two great sets of parents, and I can't = even have=0Aa civil dinner with mine?" Lois's comment broke the edginess Clark had been made to feel by the new= =0Amessage. He laughed. "I'm not sure what she was talking about, and I get the feeli= ng I=0Adon't really want to know." As the globe went dark Clark lit a nearby lantern with his heat vision. H= e=0Ascooted the metal box over between them. "Go ahead," he prompted in a= whisper. Lois smiled up at him. "Really?" "Yeah." Lois took a deep breath, and opened the box. She half-smiled. "I= t's=0Alike Scout's cigar box in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'." Clark nodded. "Pretty much," he said, and removed a metal Band-Aid box. "= I=0Aused to trap bumblebees in this and listen to them hum." Lois opened the Band-Aid tin and looked inside, but all the "hums" were l= ong=0Agone. She smiled up at him. "My mom used to give me a jar to coll= ect=0Alightning bugs in." "So did mine," he replied, with a smile to match her own. She put the Band-Aid box back and began to sift through the other "treasu= res."=0AThere were some of the usual things: marbles, pebbles, and button= s, and she=0Apicked some of those up, turning them around, looking at the= various colors=0Aand highlights. She could just picture a young Clark finding these things and filling his= =0Apockets with them. Martha must have enjoyed discovering them when she= was=0Adoing the laundry, Lois thought. In with all the usual things, though, she also found a small notepad and = a=0Acouple of pencils ... pencils that looked as if they'd been sharpened= with the=0Apocketknife she could also see lying in the bottom of the box= . She looked up at him, as if for permission to look in the pad, and he nod= ded=0Ato her that it was all right. She picked it up gingerly, opening it slowly ... here was a part of him t= hat=0Ashe'd never imagined glimpsing. At first she could only see the handwriting. Like Clark's and yet not li= ke=0Ahis. A younger and perhaps less self-assured Clark? How old had he= been when=0Ahe'd written in this notepad? she wondered, but didn't ask. = The moment didn't=0Aneed words. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd expected ... pages and pages of loneli= ness,=0Aor "woe-is-me" maybe? She wouldn't have blamed him if he had cov= ered reams of=0Apaper with those kinds of thoughts. After all, when he'd= written this he was=0Adeveloping powers he'd never asked for or couldn't= possibly have understood.=0AHe didn't yet know who he was or why these t= hings were happening to him. And=0Athose kinds of feelings were here... ("I was skimming stones down at the pond, 'cause I was angry about someth= ing=0Athat happened at school, and somehow one of the stones went too far= ...right=0Athrough the window of the shed. Dad was just about as angry a= s I've ever seen=0Ahim... I didn't mean to do it... Later on, I heard th= em talking about how I=0Acould have hurt someone...What if I had hit Dad = or Mama, or one of my friends?=0A") But that wasn't all. In other passages she could see in the child the ma= n who=0Awould one day be able to be Superman. Despite all that was happe= ning to him,=0Adespite all the confusion, she could read how his spirit w= as coping with these=0Anew developments... ("Dad's been sick with the flu, and I've been able to do all his chores p= lus=0Amy own, and I don't even feel tired afterwards. I don't know why I= can do the=0Athings I do, but if these ... powers ... don't just disappe= ar one day, then=0Amaybe my parents won't have to work so hard. I could = do something to help=0Athem for a change.") Whether it was the love he was receiving from Martha and Jonathan, or=0As= omething that was entirely his, or maybe it was both ... she could feel t= ears=0Aforming at the thought of that boy-Clark sitting in this "Fortress= ," writing=0Adown these thoughts, feelings and yearnings. ("Mama, Dad and I had a long talk today. I'm so glad I can talk to them = about=0Aall this stuff." ..... "I lifted the freezer today!" ..... "T= oday was=0Aawful." ..... "I heard something yesterday that I don't thin= k I was supposed=0Ato." ..... "I'm scared." .....) She reached up to wipe tears from her cheeks, then turned to Clark and hu= gged=0Ahim. She felt him pulling her close. He kissed the top of her h= ead, and she=0Acouldn't help smiling through her tears. How often had he= kissed her like=0Athat? "Thank you, Clark," she whispered, as she replaced the notepad in the box= .=0A"Thank you." Continued in Part 3=0A ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:41 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU... " Part 5 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 4 _________________________________ They ate their picnic lunch companionably enough, but for Lois it seemed as if the day was just a bit dimmer without Clark there beside her. It wasn't that she didn't like Martha and Jonathan ... it wasn't that at all. It was just-- It was just ... "Well, Lois, since it looks like Clark is going to be occupied elsewhere for a while, how about you and me showing those fish a thing or two?" Jonathan's cheery voice recalled Lois from her rather dreary thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled. "Sure. I'm surprised you're willing to put your life in my hands that way, though, Jonathan. The last time I had a fishing pole, I nearly made it a lethal weapon." Jonathan laughed. "Well, maybe that's because you were using the wrong pole. I think I've got just the thing for you right over here." Lois got up to follow him, then realized that she was leaving Martha to clean up the picnic all on her own. "Martha, here let me--" Martha shooed her away. "I can manage with this, dear. You go put a scare into those fish." Down at the edge of the lake, Jonathan was busy skewering a worm onto a hook that was attached to a plain pole without any reel on it. "What's that, Jonathan?" "It's a cane pole, Lois. A good pole to learn how to fish with." He adjusted the bobber on the line with practiced ease and then showed her how to toss the line out into the water. "Just watch that bobber," he instructed her. "If it goes below the water, yank on the pole--hard!" "I think I can handle that, Jonathan. Thanks." He gave her a smile and a pat on the back. "I know you can, Lois." He picked up his own rod and cast out expertly. They stood side by side for a while, listening to the water ruffling in the breeze, feeling the sun shining down on them. It was a wonderful day. It would have been better if Clark would come back, but-- "You know, Lois, you can learn a lot from fishing." "Hmm ..." she replied, listening with only half an ear. With the other half she was hoping to hear a certain superhero returning. "Like, sometimes you have to use one kind of pole, or a certain kind of lure, but it's all guess work at best." "What do you mean, Jonathan?" "Well," he continued, "you can't see what's below the surface, can you?" "No." "So, all you can do is try. Try one thing, then another. Sometimes one kind of lure will work, and the very next time, you can't get a bite with it if your life depends on it." Lois smiled. "Sounds like being a reporter." "Like most things, I guess," he added. "As long as we give it a good try, though, we've accomplished something, I think." Lois thought about that for a moment. From the look on her face, Jonathan could see that she was thinking hard about something ... or maybe remembering something. "Because no one can do everything ..." she murmured. "But what you can do, that's enough." He didn't think she had said it to him, but more to herself, so he kept quiet ... waiting. Finally, she seemed to come back to herself. "I think I know what you mean." She reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Jonathan." He patted her shoulder and smiled down at her. "You're welcome, Lois." Just then Lois felt something tug on the line. Omigosh, she thought, and jerked up on the pole. ***** It was a couple more hours before Clark was able to come back. As he landed and spun back into his shorts and tee-shirt, Lois came running up to him. "Hiya," he greeted her with a smile and kiss. "How are you doing?" He waved to his parents where they were sitting on the picnic blanket just out of earshot. Lois returned his kiss with enthusiasm. "I'm doing just fine," she told him. He looked at her more closely and could detect a slight change in her. She was all sparkly, kind of lit up from within. "What's up?" he asked her. "I just feel much better about certain ... things ... all of a sudden," she told him as she hugged him tighter. "You do? That's great, Lois. What things?" "The stuff we talked about last night ... I know we can handle it. We've got each other, don't we?" She kissed him. "Yes, we do--" "And we love each other, don't we?" She kissed him again. "Yes, of course--" "Then, even if we can't see below the surface of the water, we can still sometimes catch our share of fish." "Water? Fish? Lois, what--?" "I'll explain later." She kissed him again. "But first you have to come and look at the fish *I* caught," and she pulled him down towards his parents. THE END ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCEYOU..." Part 1 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit "I Now Announce You..." an IRC Round Robin by AMCiotola (AMCiotola@aol.com); ChrisM^ (mulders@mindspring.com); ChrisnDor (dorisschmill@gmx.net); CrystalW (JCWimmer@aol.com); Eraygun (Eraygun@aol.com); Lansbury (Lansbury1@aol.com); Mackteach (Mackteach@aol.com); Zoomway (zoomway@aol.com); EpicSoul (demi22@aol.com); ^MissyToo (Missythree@aol.com); TanyaG (kassia@concentric.net) Clark hung up the phone and looked over at Lois. She sat on her couch staring at her ring. Clark thought she'd never looked more beautiful. He sighed as he walked over to join her. Instead of sitting next to her, he knelt before her, taking her left hand in his to kiss her fingers. He then looked up and met her eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this tonight? We can wait until tomorrow." Lois took his face into her hands and gave him a whisper of a kiss. "I can't think of anything else better to do right now than to tell your folks." She stood up and then grinned. "Well, yes, I can. But we have time for that later." "Well, Mom and Dad are expecting us. Are you ready?" At her nod he spun himself into the suit, leaned in to give her a kiss, and then scooped her into his arms. If he dared to give in to half the desire he was feeling right now, they would never leave here. However, Lois made sure she put some use to being so close to the "pilot" so that Clark could hardly remember which way was up, let alone where Smallville was. ***** Martha hung up the phone and looked around for Jonathan. Figuring he was finishing up some last minute duties for the night, she headed out toward the barn. She couldn't quite place it, but having heard some excitement in Clark's voice, she decided to fetch him before the kids got there. As Martha approached the barn, she noticed that there weren't any lights on in it. She stood in the yard for a moment, then saw a light shining through the windows of the shed. Ah, she thought, he's in a tinkering mood tonight. Wonder what's on his mind? "Jonathan?" she called to him as she approached the shed. "In here, honey." Once inside the door, she couldn't help but smile when she saw what her wonderful husband was up to. He looked over at her, caught her expression, and grinned back at her On his workbench, he had collected a group of things that Clark had once used when he was a boy: his sled, a tricycle, a wagon, as well as various toys. "What's this?" she asked, although she had a pretty good idea what was going on. "Well," he said, bashfully, "Clark and Lois have been getting along so well lately, that I ..." She went forward and put her arms around him. "...that you just thought that someday, maybe, there might be someone who might want to use these?" "Well, you never know," he told her. "We might just get to be grandparents yet." "Wouldn't that be something," she agreed. "Grandparents. I like the sound of that." "Me, too." He leaned over for the kiss he knew would be there and she didn't disappoint him. After all these years, they didn't even have to think about it, or rather it was almost like they really did think of the same things at the same time. "I love you," she told him, "and ... speaking of Clark and Lois ..." "Hmmm?" he murmured, his attention divided between his wife and the cracked wooden slat on the sled. "Clark just called. They're coming for a visit." "Now?" "Uh-huh. He sounded ... I don't know. Excited. Happy. Nervous." Jonathan turned to Martha, the sled forgotten. "Did he now? Well, well ... well!" "Yes ... well!" They looked at one another for a few more seconds, then hugged once again, laughing happily at what they believed was the reason for their son's visit. Then Martha pulled back out of the hug and wagged a finger at her husband. "Not a word, now, about what we suspect, Jonathan." He looked affronted, but there was a prominent twinkle in his eye. "Certainly not! I can keep a straight face, you know." "Sure you can, dear," she agreed, patting his arm. "That's why I can always beat you at poker." "Martha!" She laughed and then kissed him again. "You'd better put that stuff away before the kids get here, or they'll know we know." Jonathan started a bit and looked around at the things on his workbench as if he'd forgotten they were there. "Oh, yeah, I guess I'd better." "I'm going to pop some cupcakes in the oven real quick. Don't be long." "I won't ... Grandma." Martha left, humming, and Jonathan began putting the toys away, knowing that he was wearing the biggest grin of his life on his face. They were approaching the farm at last. Clark was taking his ease, pointing out a few illuminated windows on the way. He was flying fairly low now, just enough to not be spotted too easily. Then as he was beginning the descent to land on the field behind the barn, he suddenly slowed his flight. Lois turned her face and looked up at him. Clark was wrinkling his nose. She had come to know that wrinkle. A hound sniffing the air ... or a super nose picking up a trail. "What is it ...?" she asked, noting that his eyes had taken on a far away look, not one of alarm. "Mom's baking ..." He smiled. "And she's really good. You'll smell it soon too." And she did when Clark, instead of landing behind the barn as originally planned, turned and aimed directly for the back door of the farm house. After spinning back into his regular clothes he took Lois by the hand and they walked toward it hand in hand, pausing momentarily for another kiss before knocking on the door. Clark was still straightening his collar when Martha opened the door. He felt just a little awkward, although he was excited to share the news. He knew his parents would share his happiness at seeing his dream of a home and family of his own beginning to come true at last. Clark hesitated momentarily at the doorstep. Martha glanced at him and then at Lois who was standing half hidden from view behind Clark. She bit the inside of her cheek quickly to keep the knowing smile from appearing on her face. She could still read her boy very easily. Clark had never been good at keeping secrets from her. Thus she took a practical approach. "Hi, Clark. Good to see you, too, Lois. I'm glad you made it here safely. And just in time to lend me a hand getting those cupcakes out of the oven. Would you, Clark, please? Well, then, go get them before they get cold." Martha aimed a playful slap at his rear as he headed for the oven, then placing an arm around Lois, hugged her close. Lois smiled at her in return. "Good to see you again, Martha. And it's good to be here. It's so peaceful." "I'm sure you can use a bit of peace and quiet after what you've been through recently." Lois knew that Martha must mean her recent adventures as a superheroine. At that moment, the back door opened and Jonathan came in. "Hi, Lois, hi son." He grinned at Lois. "Where did you leave the suit?" Lois smiled back. "I've had enough of playing hero for a long time. I still don't know how Clark can do it." As Clark was approaching the table with a tray of steaming hot cupcakes, Martha smiled. "It takes a lot ... but you both have it." "Yeah, you two go well together," Jonathan beamed. "Jonathan ... could you please get us some dessert plates, please?" Martha shot him a warning glance. Then they settled at the table just as Jonathan returned with the plates. "Things have been slow here lately," Martha was saying. "Now, how are things in Metropolis ...?" Lois and Clark looked at each other and grinned. Clark cleared his throat. "Oh, well, you know how it is in the big city. Never a dull moment." Lois poked him in the ribs. She had been careful to keep her left hand hidden, but Martha had noticed and was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She didn't dare look at Jonathan. Clark cleared his throat again. "There was one thing that happened that you might be interested in." Martha couldn't help it. She chuckled and Jonathan choked on his coffee. Everyone jumped up to pound Jonathan on the back and Lois forgot to hide her hand. When he was breathing normally, Martha grabbed Lois's wrist. "And what's this?" she asked with a huge smile. Lois looked up into Clark's face, and saw an expression somewhere between surprise and disappointment. He'd planned this whole speech, and he had almost had a chance to give it, but the surprise was out of his hands. He met her eyes for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. With that done, the couple took a small step back and faced the Kents. "Mom, Dad," Clark said with as much authority as he could manage under the circumstances, "Lois and I are getting married." Martha was the first one to regain her composure after the unintentional goof. She stepped forward and pulled Lois into a hug, whispering into her ear, "Well, it's about time." Clark, of course, heard the comment and smiled a little self-consciously. Lois grinned and found herself passed from Martha's arms to Jonathan's, as Martha reached past her to grab her son. Clark accepted their good wishes and gentle teasing with good humor. After all, they were right. If it hadn't been for his stubbornness, and Lois's as well, this moment would have been reached a long time ago, and he knew it as well as they did. Once the hugs and comments had faded into smiles, they seated themselves at the table. They talked as they enjoyed more of Martha's cupcakes and coffee, brainstorming colors for bridesmaids' gowns and locations for a honeymoon. When finally Martha rose to clear the table, she refused to allow the younger couple to help with the dishes. Martha fairly pushed them out the door. Lois and Clark looked at each other as they were left standing on the porch with the closed door behind them. They looked into one another's eyes for just a moment before breaking into laughter. Martha was sweet, but far from subtle. If she wanted them to spend some time alone, they would oblige. Clark took Lois's hand in his and led her from the porch. After the festive atmosphere within the house, the quiet of the night was soothing to Lois's nerves. She sighed as he led her across the yard and into a wooded area. He walked with a specific destination in mind, and soon stopped at the foot of a tree. She looked at him with a question in her eyes as he slipped his arms gently around her. He stepped forward, kissing her lightly on the lips then slowly rose, carrying her into the air. She soon saw the doorway to the treehouse that was his destination. He carefully lifted her through the door, and seated both of them on the floor of the treehouse. Continued in part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:13:39 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANIC ALERT: "I NOW ANNOUNCE YOU ..." Part 4 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I Now Announce You... Continued from part 3 _________________________________ Clark looked at Lois for a long while. Sitting back down on the step, he put his arm around her. "You will be. I've talked about you to Mom and Dad ever since I got to Metropolis. They already think of you as part of the family." He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Why? Are you worried?" Lois sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Kind of. I mean, I like the idea of being married to Clark Kent, I *really* do. It's just ..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words. "What is it, Lois?" "It's just that.. I'm not just marrying Clark ... I'm marrying Superman, too. That's a bit overwhelming for a 'mere mortal' like me." Clark smiled and hugged her to him. "Sounds like you need to talk." Lois came to a decision. "Yeah, I do. But not with you. No offense, but you're a bit too close to the whole thing." She smiled up at him. "I think I know just the person to talk to." She moved out of Clark's embrace and stood up. "But, that's for tomorrow morning. Come on, let's see about that fold-out bed." Clark grinned up at her and took her hand. They walked inside the farmhouse and into the living room. Lois pulled the cushions off the sofa and grabbed the handle. It wouldn't budge. "Clark? You want to help me out here?" "Sure thing. Lois stepped to the side. Her arms crossed in front of her and a smirk came across her face as Clark pretended to "psych up" for the test of his strength. He grinned and winked at her as he took hold of the handle. He pulled. And the bed came flying off its attachments. Clark stopped its forward momentum before the swing sent it crashing into Martha's collection of knickknacks. Lois stared open-mouthed as Clark held the still-folded bed aloft. "Ooops." "Ooops? That's all you can say? Just how long have you had this super strength?" Lois started to giggle. "Now what?" "I wonder if I can fix the darn thing?" Clark began to pick up the pieces that had at one time been the fold-out. Lois threw her head back and laughed at his attempts. "Uh, Clark," Lois interjected. "You're Superman...it's a done-deal, I'd say." She flashed a bright smile at Clark whose brow had become crooked in worry and embarrassment. Clark was glad that his parents hadn't come rushing in after the noise. "I wasn't all that tired anyway." Clark smiled at Lois before realizing the potential connotation of what he had just said. "Uhhh..what I meant to say was...." "It's okay," she encouraged. "I understand." Lois pulled Clark down onto the floor and they sat beside each other. She reached out and gingerly caressed Clark's cheek. Her fingers traced the definitions of his contours. He was so strong and yet so soft to the touch. She realized that there was almost too much to love about the man beside her. They had spent years of loneliness and shared feelings of abandonment but they had been so far apart. And Clark had seen through the bitter surface that Lois had tried so desperately to maintain to the outer world. It was hard to be the 'star reporter' and keep her feelings inside all of the time, even if it kept Cat fuming. Watching her parents' marriage crumble had left an indelible impression on Lois that Clark sought to erase for all eternity. Lois held Clark's hand in hers as a thought crossed her mind. It was a dangerous thought.. "Um, Clark. We could always share your room upstairs." Lois kept her eyes to the floor. Clark's heart skipped a beat before it began a frantic rhythm. Lois's tone was a mocking echo of a memory. "Well, it's a big bed, Clark. How 'bout we share?" Clark grinned at the thought of their 'honeymoon'. He could hardly wait for the real thing. In fact, increasingly, Clark was wishing their honeymoon could be tonight. Before she knew it Lois was being scooped up and carried upstairs. Her temperature rose with an already familiar heat. At the doorway Clark lowered Lois and planted a tender kiss on her quivering lips. "Clark, if you asked me...." "I will wait for you until the end of time if I have to, Lois. But there is something else I have to ask you..." Lois swallowed. "Yes, Clark?" "Could I have a pillow? I think I'll fly out and sleep in the barn." "Clark--" "Lois," he said softly. "When we finally make love, it'll be as husband and wife, if for no other reason than I've waited thirty years already, and the thought of waking up in your arms the next morning and being interrupted by Perry yelling on the phone that he needs to talk to my *wife* turns me on more than I can say." Lois stroked his cheek. "That's so...you." ***** Lois brushed at her nose. She moaned in her sleep and then brushed at her nose again. Finally, the sound of Clark laughing awakened her. He was standing by the bed teasing her nose with a dry fishing fly. Lois opened her eyes just a crack. "Oh God, Clark," she yawned. "You leave last night as a Romeo and come back as...as a guy." Clark laughed again. "Glad you noticed." Lois opened her eyes a little more. "It's still dark." "It won't be for long," he smiled. "We're going fishing with Mom and Dad this morning." Lois pulled the covers over her head. "It's hell week in Kansas." Clark shrugged and lifted her, blanket and all, from the bed and set her on the floor. Lois looked at him bleary-eyed. "I don't know *how* to fish." "That's okay, the fish don't know that." He kissed her. "Get dressed, and I'll meet you down stairs." Lois scratched her hopelessly mussed hair. "Why do you look so good in the morning?" He put his forehead against hers. "Sweet dreams. Besides," he said, smoothing her hair. "You look sexy in the morning." "God, you really *do* need glasses." "As a matter of fact--" Lois smacked Clark's rear end. "Out! I'll get dressed." ***** Lois slept against Clark's shoulder in the bed ... of the truck. He put his arm around her as the sun peeked over a row of trees, and the greens and yellows of the cultivated land started to become visible. He kissed the top of her head. "Hey," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "We're almost there." ^Missytoo> Lois sat up, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She looked around, and saw that they had pulled up beside a genuinely lake-sized reservoir. Clark got out of the truck, and held out his hand, waiting to help her out. Jonathan and Martha got out of the cab, and the picnic basket was unloaded, along with the fishing gear. Jonathan grabbed the gear, and Martha took the basket, leaving the couple a small bit of privacy. Clark took hold of Lois's hand and they followed his parents to the edge of the water. The blanket was spread out, and the picnic goodies put on it, partly to keep the blanket down in the windy, sunny morning. Clark watched Lois closely. "Don't you lie there and fall asleep. I'm planning on showing you how to cast properly." She stuck her tongue out at him and Martha smiled, then got out her copy of a mystery novel and leaned back to read. Jonathan decided to untangle the fishing gear and tried to suppress his snort of laughter with a clearing of his throat. Clark sighed, and turned to help his dad with the gear. Lois leaned back on the blanket, content to watch Clark in his tee shirt and shorts bending over the fishing rods trying to determine how best to untangle all the hooks and line from their previous outing. The man certainly looked good in shorts ... or tights, or probably nothing at all. she thought. Clark felt her staring at him. At least, he figured it was Lois that was staring him. Funny, but instead of being embarrassed or shocked, he just felt happy. It was comforting to know she was as interested in him as he was in her. Clark turned around and caught her staring. He grinned at her and left his dad to fend for himself for a moment. He walked over, and helped her to her feet. "Excuse me, but since I forgot my lucky charm, I've *really* got to do this." He pulled her into his loving embrace, and kissed her. It was light, and sweet, but the passion simmering just beneath the surface tingled through both of them. She felt her knees start to wobble a little and he turned her around and guided her toward Jonathan. "Come over here and you can help me pick a spot." He took his fishing rod from Jonathan with a grin, and clasped her hand to walk to the shore of the water. Martha looked up at Jonathan, and they shared a smile. "Think there will be any fish still around?" Jonathan leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Who cares? The day passed slowly and quietly. Clark taught Lois to cast, and she seemed to try really hard. Maybe she tried *too* hard. The hook got caught in the grass Then it got caught in the tree limbs. And finally, when she hooked Jonathan in the seat of his overalls, it was decided that they might be safer if Clark took over the casting duties. Martha had just called them over to have some lunch when Clark suddenly turned his head, hearing something that was silent to the rest of them. He nodded an apology and started running for the shore, changing into a blue and red blur as he launched into the sky. "Well, I guess we can save him a sandwich or two," Jonathan sighed. Martha patted Lois's knee. "Maybe he won't be gone too long." Continued in Part 5 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:27:19 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ellimrac Subject: Full Circle Fanfic Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I was wondering if anyone can send me Chapter 11 up to the end because I accidentally deleted it from my mailbox. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:53 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandra McDermin Subject: S5: Promo for Ep. 19: CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Next Sunday on LOIS AND CLARK: THE SEASON FIVE EDITION "Every time it rains, it rains ... pennies from heaven." ***Announcer: "ARE THE KENTS EXPECTING ... *MONEY* TROUBLES?" ".... ' economists estimate that it takes over $1.2 million to raise a child in today's dollars'," Lois read. "Oh God," Lois said with a sigh, noticing a backache she hadn't had a few seconds ago. "And, who do you propose pay for this extravaganza...?" "Are you *worried* about anything?" "Like what?" Clark asked. "Well ... perhaps about whether the two of us have the wherewithal to provide for a child?..." "Twenty-five ... thirty-five ... forty-five ... fifty." "A buck fifty?" "I think you meant it to be the start of our child's college fund," Lois answered. Once again, he buried his face in his hands. "Oh no." ***Announcer: "OR, TROUBLES OF ANOTHER SORT?" Although she knew Clark had been faithful to her even before he was aware that there was a her, she also was pretty sure that he had had some romantic experiences before she came along, and she couldn't help but feel that this woman was one of them. "Ah-h-h, so that's it, "Clark answered, thinking he had finally stumbled upon what was really bothering his wife. "Honey ... Marigold and I were college friends. That's all...." "Superman ... I'd *love* to go to Paris with you!" Marigold exclaimed, melting towards him. "Is that what this is all about?! Money?! Is that why you went with her?!" Lois asked anxiously,... ***Announcer: "IS FINE JEWELRY THE ANSWER?" "Yes, I know who you are. You're Wendell "The Weasel" Van Horton -- the European jewel thief." Lois glanced down at her own simple engagement ring -- the ring she loved more than anything she had ever worn or ever would. And then, she thought of the huge diamond Lex had given her all those years ago...." Magnifico! Like uncut corundum!... Here, before us, is a stone more precious than the Hope Diamond, the Star of Asia, the Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, itself." He looked up, cocking his brow sardonically.... "It's amazing what one can pick up wholesale." ***Announcer: "OR, CAN SUPERMAN BECOME A CASH COW?" "We *can't* accept all of these things. Clark ... Superman never accepts payment for what he does. You know that!" "Well, *now*, maybe he should," he answered. "When I get up, I'm going to the airport," Clark said. "The airport! Why?!" "Because I can make thousands of dollars there. Double, if the traveller doesn't stay over a Saturday!" ".... Honey!" Lois exclaimed, standing and walking quickly towards him.... "Where have you been since yesterday? What's going on? *And,* why did you drop $35,000 on our patio?" ***Announcer: Find out if money *truly* makes the world go round when Lois and Clark question whether "CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME" (Next Sunday, April 26, on the Season 5 Website). ".... It cost me $80.00, but he let me do his laundry," Klein said happily, pointing to the machine. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:08 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 2 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 1 ___________________________ Lois had no misgivings in the sense of fearing a rival, at least not a romantic one. But there was the awkwardness of trying to fit into conversations about the 'good old days' when Lois was not a part of them. "So," Sylvia said after an uncomfortable pause, "what does Clark do now? I mean I'm not sure how much we'd even have in common these days." Lois smiled to herself, realizing that type of awkwardness worked both ways. Sylvia was out of the loop as far as Clark's current life was concerned. "He works at the Daily Planet. Well, we both do, we're--" "A newspaper?" "You sound surprised." "I guess I am. Clark always seemed so idealistic. I thought maybe he'd be in legal aid or a crusading missionary, or a doctor at a free clinic, or--" "Or an investigative journalist who changes the world one paragraph at a time." "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make journalism sound unworthy, it's just--" Lois laughed. "It's okay. When I first met Clark, what with his sartorial tribute to dock foremen everywhere, his rumpled hair and less than cutting edge eye wear, I thought he was cajoling Perry into running a Greenpeace ad." Sylvia laughed too. "That at least sounds more like Clark, the Clark I remember anyway. Has he changed much?" Lois smiled, finding it hard to hide her affection for the hack from Nowheresville. "Maybe a little on the outside. After I agreed to go out with him, he got new glasses, a haircut and discovered GQ hidden under the Farmer's Almanac somewhere. But inside, he'll always be Kansas." "That's good to hear," Sylvia sighed. "Since you two are married, I guess he got over that shy thing." Lois thought a moment. "Clark never seemed shy around me...until I called his bluff, and then you'd think he was a member of Apron Strings Anonymous." They both laughed, and then Lois heard the familiar 'whoosh-thud' in the other room. Lois decided to distract Sylvia. "While we're waiting for Clark to get back, could I offer you some tea, or coffee?" "It is a little chilly out this evening. Some hot tea would be lovely, thank you, Lois." "Okay," Lois said, with a smile as she headed for the kitchen. Because she was listening for it, she heard another slight "whoosh" and knew her Clark had taken the hint. Unless she was much mistaken, he'd soon be at the front door, looking very surprised to see their guest. Sure enough, before the kettle had started to boil, Lois heard her husband's voice. "Lois! I'm home!" She moved back into the living room in time to watch him appear to notice Sylvia for the first time. "Hello, I see we have company." Clark seemed to do a double take. "Sylvia? Is that you?" "Yes, Clark, it's little ol' me. How are you?" She stood up and walked forward, extending her hand to her old friend, a broad smile on her face. "I'm fine," Clark responded, obviously a little uncomfortable with this situation. Lois had seen this from him before when he'd tried to explain why Lana Lang would want to come to his and Lois' wedding. She came to his rescue ... sort of. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, then said, "It's always nice when one of Clark's old girlfriends stops by for a visit. Isn't it, honey?" "Lo-is!" Clark exclaimed in a pleading undertone. She winked at him, then turned to Sylvia. "I'm just kidding, Sylvia. We're delighted you're here. You two sit down and get reacquainted, and I'll bring the tea." Lois squeezed Clark's hand before releasing it, and felt him respond. She knew he'd have something to say to her later about her teasing, but that would be a fun way to end the evening. Sylvia stayed for about an hour, chatting with Clark about the old days in Smallville and catching up on the news of former classmates. Since Lois couldn't contribute much to the conversation, she was at liberty to observe Sylvia, and she had to admit that she didn't like what she saw. The woman seemed friendly enough, but there was something about her that Lois couldn't quite put her finger on. Something Lois just didn't trust. She decided that she ought to run a background check on her the next day, and then was ashamed of herself for thinking such a thing. Just because the woman had had a crush on Clark 'way back when' was no reason for Clark's wife to go into full investigator mode as soon as said old girlfriend shows up on the doorstep. Besides, Lois reasoned, the woman would be leaving Metropolis soon and that would be the end of that. So Lois sat and listened and tried not to yawn over yet another "Do you remember when ...?" story. It wasn't until much later in the evening, when she was about to fall asleep in her husband's arms, that it occurred to her what she hadn't liked about Sylvia and why it might be a good idea to run that background check after all. She'd been wearing the exact same perfume as had been on the letters in the attic. Was this woman after her husband? Over my dead body, Lois decided. ***** The next day Lois again decided that she had been overreacting to Sylvia. After all lots of women were attracted to Clark and if Sylvia was carrying a torch for him what harm could that really do? But as she left the brownstone on Hyperion the feeling of uneasiness returned. She decided not to mention her feelings to Clark. Walking down the outside stairs, she smiled at Clark who was taking advantage of a rare opportunity and sitting in the driver's seat of their Jeep. "Come on honey" Clark called out. "We're going to miss the staff meeting. You know how the chief gets when we're--" Clark's comments were interrupted by a loud BANG! "Clark!" Lois hurried for the Jeep. All she could see was smoke pouring into the front seat. Clark exited the vehicle in a blur as Superman and was at Lois' side in an instant. "It's okay, honey," he whispered. "It was the airbag exploding." "What? It shouldn't produce that kind of smoke." "I know. It's not exactly standard issue." He opened the door and pulled the smoke into his lungs. He was about to expel it when Lois put her fingers over his lips. "STAR Labs." He nodded and started to pick Lois up. "No, that's okay, Clark. I can walk to the Planet." Clark, still holding his breath, shook his head. "I'm *fine* Clark. Besides, the airbag attacked you, not me." Clark put his hands on his hips. Lois did the same. It was a standoff on Hyperion Street. "Clark, the neighbors are coming out to see what's going on. How good is this going to look?" Clark saw faces peering curiously from windows and people making their way down the steps. He shook his head and flew off. Lois faced her neighbors. "Don't miss the matinee!" she called, and began walking to the Planet. It wasn't a terribly long walk but somehow with the song 'Sylvia's Mother' stuck in her head, it seemed an eternity. ***** Klein shook his head. "It's toxic, but not at a lethal level, Superman." He noticed that the superhero seemed a bit edgy. "Something wrong, Superman?" Clark finally sighed in exasperation. "Have you ever been in a relationship where the 'relation' part is good, but the 'ship' is sinking? "Pardon?" Clark shook his head. "Never mind, Dr. Klein. Could you fax a readout on that gas's composition to Lois Lane at the Planet?" "No problem, Superman." "Thanks," Clark said and flew back to the Planet, managing to step out from under the canopy in time to escort Lois in. "The gas would have made you sick, but it wasn't lethal." "You think someone is after me, then, Clark?" "Well, Lois, you do the driving most of the time ... maybe they thought it would be you behind the wheel this morning." She groaned a bit as they walked through the revolving door and into the Daily Planet lobby. "Not again!" Clark smiled. "Or, they could be after both of us this time. We were running a bit late this morning." "That's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked in exasperation. "Why does this always have to happen to us?" Clark shrugged and gestured for her to enter the elevator ahead of him. "Well, we could just quit our jobs, sell the house, and fly off to a deserted island somewhere." "Don't tempt me," she replied with a rather sad smile. "With our luck, though, the place would probably have exploding coconuts or something hanging from all the trees." The elevator doors opened and the other people in the car with Lois and Clark exited onto their floor. Once they were alone, Clark took his wife into his arms. "Lois," he told her, "we'll figure this out." "I know." Clark was a little worried by her uncharacteristically dismal attitude. He leaned forward and kissed her, then teased her by saying, "Besides, exploding coconuts or not, I'd rather be in trouble with you than anywhere else I can think of." She couldn't help but smile at that. Hugging him a little tighter, she kissed him back. "Thanks, Clark." The elevator slowed to a stop and Clark started to pull away. Lois grabbed him again and kissed him once more. "Just promise me that we actually get around to checking out that deserted island one of these days." He chuckled. "You got it!" They put Jimmy onto running checks into the whereabouts of their past enemies, and in all the confusion Lois forgot all about running a background check on Ms. Sylvia Campbell. Jimmy came back with a list of the usual suspects, but there was one surprise on his list. "Baby Rage is out of prison?!" Lois and Clark said in unison when Jimmy began his rundown. "Yep, he sure is," Jimmy replied as he shook his head in disbelief. "But, how? The last I heard he was serving 8 to 20," Clark said. "Apparently his gang was involved in more than just providing muscle for Intergang. He had some info about its drug operation so the DA's office cut him a deal and he got an early release." "Any idea where he might be right now?" Lois asked with concern. "Not yet but I can keep checking." "You do that, Jimmy," Clark said quickly. As the younger man headed back to his desk, Lois turned to Clark. "Sounds like we may have a prime suspect." "Lois, we don't know that for certain. Maybe he's turned over a new leaf." "Clark--" "All right, it's unlikely. But it still could be someone else. This wasn't exactly his style. He was an arsonist, remember." "Maybe he picked up some new skills in prison." Lois replied grimly. Clark sighed. "It's possible, honey, but let's not worry about that now. We've got work to do." Continued in Part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:13 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 3 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 2 ___________________________ Putting thoughts of Baby Rage behind them, they went back to work on their current story. It wasn't until Clark had gotten an anonymous tip halfway through the morning, and had rushed off to meet this new, unknown source, that Lois had a moment to remember her resolve of the night before. Clark should have been back more than an hour ago. She glanced at her watch nervously. She just didn't trust Sylvia. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to her visit than catching up on old times. Neither checking into The Planet's database nor placing a discreet call for information with the police department brought up anything to confirm her suspicions. She tried to ignore the nagging feeling of unease that increased with every minute that passed. Just as she was debating whether she should wait by the phone or take off in search of Clark, the phone rang. "This is Officer Simmons of the Metropolis PD. Are you Mrs. Kent?" the voice at the other end of the line asked when she picked up the receiver. "Yes." It was odd, she thought, that she was being addressed as Mrs. Kent since she was fairly sure she had called there earlier as Lois Lane. "Did you come up with some additional information after all?" she asked. "I beg your pardon?" the police officer asked. "Your husband has been in an accident, ma'am. He's at Metropolis General Hospital now." *Kryptonite!* The alarms went off in Lois' head. If Clark was in the hospital, there had to be foul play involved. With an effort, Lois fought down the panic rising within her. Drawing upon her reporter's resources, she paused a moment while she considered the information. Clark had been in an accident and was at the hospital now. That didn't mean that he had been hurt. He could even have taken somebody else there for all she knew. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What happened...? And..." She paused, remembering that she had to be careful with her choice of words here. "Has he been injured seriously?" "He was in a car accident, Mrs. Kent. Apparently his brakes failed. He couldn't stop at the light and drove into two other cars. In answer to your second question, no, he's not injured seriously. Actually, it's a miracle. He seems fine. He even helped to get the others from the cars. The doctors are checking him out now. He's probably still in shock." Lois felt a bit "in shock" herself as she dazedly tried to listen to the officer's words. That didn't sound like her Clark ... letting other people be injured that way. What could have happened? Had he heard or seen something which made him suspect that the perpetrator of these acts of sabotage was close at hand? Maybe even watching him? She could imagine his helpless frustration at that moment: not wanting others to be hurt, and yet not wanting to do anything to reveal his secret identity, which in turn might put the people he loved in further jeopardy. Poor Clark! No matter what had happened, however, she knew with absolute certainty that he would have tried as hard as he could to minimize the seriousness of the accident. She remembered him telling her about dragging his foot along the pavement and helping to stop her car the time that The Prankster had sprayed the street with some slippery chemical. He might have done that again, or maybe, if he really was afraid he was being monitored, he might have pressed back against the seat, using his strength to counter the car's forward momentum. Whatever he'd done, it hadn't been enough to completely avoid the accident, and some other people had gotten hurt. Which meant that her "invulnerable" guy was hurting quite a bit at the moment. She needed to get to him ... now. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible." Another accident! If this kept up, Clark might find it difficult to explain how he was able to continually escape injury. Grabbing her purse and coat and LANing a note to Perry, she set off to catch a cab to the hospital. She had almost reached the elevator doors when her phone rang yet again. Turning on her heel, she rushed back to her desk to pick it up, only to find Sylvia at the other end. She had been with friends all morning, she said. Could Lois and Clark meet her for lunch? So much for her theory that Sylvia might be involved in the accident, Lois thought. She seemed to have a solid alibi. Yet she chose not reveal anything about the accidents to the woman, just saying that she and Clark were working on an urgent story and wouldn't be able to meet with her. Hanging up the phone, she headed for the elevators a second time. This time she made it out of the newsroom and onto the street, where she was lucky to find a taxi almost immediately. When she arrived at the hospital, Lois checked with the admissions office and then went to find Clark. He was sitting on a chair outside the emergency room, his clothes disheveled and smoldered in places, with his head lowered and his eyes staring on at ground. "Clark!" Lois cried as she covered the distance between them with something akin to superspeed. "Are you all right?" Clark pulled Lois into a close embrace. "I'm fine, honey. Let's get out of here." Then he whispered, "We need to *talk*." Lois nodded in agreement and they hurried towards the exit. They made their way to the hospital parking lot and once they were certain they were alone Lois began her interrogation. "I got the call from the police, they said the brakes failed. Is that right?" "Apparently, honey. The Jeep was almost totaled. I'm sorry. I used my powers to minimize the damage to the other cars, but I couldn't save ours without completely giving myself away. " "Clark, that doesn't matter. Are you all right?" "Lois, I'm Superman, I'm invulnerable. A little car accident won't hurt me." "Maybe not physically but I know that look you're wearing. You're obsessing again. What is it? What's the matter?" she asked. "There's more to this, isn't there?" "Well..." "Clark," Lois said, in her 'the sofa can be a bed' tone. "Okay," he relented. "It looks like...preliminarily now...that the damage to the brakes was deliberate." Lois sighed. "You know, Clark, just once I'd like to hear that a fried squirrel was found in the master cylinder or something." "Lois, you're...what did Dr. Friskin call it?" "Distancing, and I am *not* distancing, Clark. I know you're going to say someone is gunning for me for the millionth time and then I'll counter by saying that you can't be everywhere..." "Lois, I think *I'm* the one they're gunning for." Lois shook her head and dropped her hands noisily to her hips. "Okay, then the bad guys are after Superman for the millionth time." Clark stepped closer. "Not Superman...*me*." ***** (CLOSEUP on Dean's concerned look; CUT TO Teri's stunned response - COMMERCIAL and MIDNETWORK ID: "Lois and Clark will be right back ... Here on IRC." ***** "Well ..." Lois said, after a long pause. "At least we know now that it's not me they're after." Clark nodded. "And another thing, the phone call was phony too." "Phony!?" "Yep. When I got there, there was no sign of anyone. It was all an excuse to get me into the car again. They must have tampered with the brakes while I was in the abandoned building looking for my 'source.' " "Why didn't you hear them, then?" "Lois! Down near the docks, with all the cranes going, and everything else clanking or banging down there, I had to tune some stuff out or end up with a splitting headache." She smiled, remembering another time when he'd tried to get her to stop talking so he could superhear. "Okay, honey, I'm sorry." By now they had reached the curb outside the hospital and were looking around for a taxi. Lois put her arm through Clark's. "I guess the first thing we need to do is get you a change of clothes and then see if we can find out who's after you." "It's so weird," he replied, "having someone after me instead of after Superman." His face took on an arrested look. "You don't suppose it could be Baron Sunday again, do you?" "I hope not." They flagged down a cab and climbed in. "It probably isn't, Clark. No one's heard or seen anything of him for months. We'll check on it, though." As the cab pulled out, headed towards their apartment, she added, "At least we can rule out your old girlfriend." Clark looked surprised. "Sylvia? What made you mention her?" "She has ... I don't know ... something about her that I don't like." She took note of Clark's expression. "I know what you're thinking, Clark, and it's not jealousy, I swear. But it doesn't matter anyway, because she has an alibi for this morning." "An alibi, Lois? I think *you're* obsessing." Entering their townhouse, they noticed that their answering machine was blinking insistently. Lois listened to it while Clark went to change his clothes. He was back down the stairs by the time the message ended. Continued in Part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:16 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 4 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 3 ___________________________ "The office," she said flatly, walking towards him and letting herself be drawn into an embrace as he opened her arms for her. "Perry wants us to report back in as soon as possible. Clark, I think we should really book that island..." He smiled, nodding at her. "I'll go. If Perry really needs to see both of us, I'll call you. No use to sit in a cab for an hour in this kind of traffic." "Clark, please don't... You've just been in the second freak accident today." "Well, they say that flying is still the safest way to travel. Besides," he grinned, "Superman Airways always keeps their equipment in perfect condition and under constant surveillance. No chance to tamper with anything." "Oh, really?" Lois replied with a flirtatious smile, "well, remind me to run an equipment check later on, then." Clark's grin got even wider. "Count on it!" Lois hugged him tighter and kissed him, giving him a preview of just how thorough that "check" would be. Eventually the kiss ended, leaving Clark looking down at his lovely wife's face, and regretting the fact that they were about to separated again. "And you can remind me to tell Perry that his timing could be better." That opening gave Lois all the encouragement she might have needed. "Okay, but I'm going with you. I've done enough waiting and worrying for one day." Knowing that he probably wasn't going to win this discussion didn't keep Clark from trying. "Lois, that won't be necessary. I'll be back in no time at all." Seeing the determined look on her face, however, he knew better than to protest further. He shrugged his shoulders in mock surrender, then gave her a smile. "All right, all right. But first things first: Do you want to fix something to eat or should I?" As if on cue, Lois felt her stomach grumble, but chose to ignore it. She wanted to get the formalities at the office over with as soon as possible. "Don't worry about it. We can grab a sandwich at the Planet. Let's just get there and get things settled so that we can return to the case at hand." Clark relented, and spinning into the suit, picked her up in his arms and headed out the back window and towards The Planet. They had barely entered the newsroom when Clark suddenly got that faraway look in his eyes that told Lois she would need to hurry if she wanted to at least get a goodbye kiss from her husband before he took off to the rescue. As it was, he quickly brushed his lips against hers, whispering something about a fire at the dockside, and had disappeared back into the elevator within seconds. Lois sighed then squared her shoulders and marched towards Perry's office. Once she had closed the door behind her, Perry looked up from the computer printout he had been studying. "You're late." It wasn't a question. "I'm sorry, Chief. We --" Perry nodded, indicating a chair across from his desk. "Well, I'm glad you made it. Sit down. What kept you?" Something in her boss's and mentor-friend's voice told Lois that for once it would be wise not to argue. "We were ... delayed." "Umm-hmm." Perry gave her a look over the top of the long printout he continued to study. "Where's Clark?" "Oh, he'll be right back. He just --" "He's not off on another supposed source's call, is he?" The printout was down and Perry's eyes caught hers. She could clearly see concern in them now. And what had he said? '*Supposed* source' ...? Had she slipped? Lois tried to keep her voice even, not giving away the emotions racing within her. "No, no source. He just ..." What? Cheese of the month ...? Returning a video tape ...? Seeing the look Perry gave her, she finished lamely. " ... forgot something." "Are you sure? -- Never mind, of course you'd be concerned about his well- being, too. He's your husband." "Chief ...?" "Well, who wouldn't be? Lois," he said sternly but with sympathy in his eyes, "you were 'delayed' because you were picking up your husband after his escape from a second accident ... pardon ... assault attempt in one morning. I want you kids out of town. Tonight." Lois' mind was racing. She knew she'd been upset earlier when she had received the message that Clark was in the hospital. Just before leaving, she had left a note where she could be reached. But nobody at The Planet should have known about the earlier "accident" this morning, and even she and Clark had no proof thus far that the failing brakes had been more than just an accident, despite their suspicions. How could Perry possibly know? "Oh, it was nothing, Chief. Nothing really. You know we've been involved in a number of cases recently. I'm sure it's just some coincidence ... or at least nothing serious. And Clark ... he's just checking to see if his special magazine order came in downstairs." Oh my gods! She was babbling again. Magazine order? Even Clark couldn't have come up with one worse then that. Better not wait to see if Perry would pick up on it. "But I don't understand, Chief," she added quickly, trying to keep her thoughts in order. "Clark has been in an ... okay, actually two accidents ... but how ...?" Now that he had gotten her to admit the incidences, Perry allowed himself a slight smile. "How do I know even though you didn't come to me right away as you should have? Well, I may be pushing papers most of the time these days, but an old newshound can still pick up a scent now and then, and put two and two together. And it really wasn't difficult in this case. You two arrived here late this morning and had Jimmy check into the whereabouts of your past enemies." He paused, holding up the long computer printout again. "Quite an impressive list, I might add. And Clark was called away to meet a source who, I assume, never showed and ends up in the hospital after his brakes mysteriously failed. Yes, Jimmy told me after he heard about Clark's accident and the call from the hospital. While you were gone, we received a fax and one phone call. The fax from Star Labs was to inform Ms. Lane of the exact composition of a toxic gas sampled by Superman after an airbag exploded in the Kents' car this morning; the phone call was from the police laboratory to report that examination of the car wreckage indicated that Mr. Kent's brakes had been tampered with." When Perry was finished, he looked at her from over steepled fingers. Lois had to admit she was impressed, although once broken down, the chain of events must have been obvious, especially to one as experienced as her boss. It was hard to hide anything from him. But she didn't want to be grounded. She smiled at him a little sheepishly. "You got it figured out pretty well, Chief. But it's really nothing that bad. We've been in tight spots before. No reason to send us out of town. We'll have this solved in no time at all." I'm babbling again, she thought. "I know you have. But this time it looks like it's Clark they're after. It was *he* who was called away to that source this morning. I know he's a big --" "Boy scout." Lois finished for him, now smiling a little. "I think I see your point. Maybe ..." A plan was beginning to form in Lois' mind. "Maybe I could use this to plant a false trail." Perry shot her a glance. He should have known that Lois wouldn't give in to this so easily. "Lois ... " "I know. I'll be careful. I just thought ..." She quickly began to outline her impromptu plan. She'd fix Jimmy up with some of Clark's clothes and ask him to get into a cab and visit several travel agents, making sure he was *seen*. The police would follow him unobtrusively and keep him safe. It was a long shot, one that might not turn up anything. But it was something that could be done while she and Clark were getting out of town and to safety, and that ... "Clark won't like at all," Perry said. "Yeah." Lois shrugged. "I won't tell him. Not for now at least." "That's probably better. Well, if you're to make it there tonight, you'd better start making arrangements." "Where *is* 'there' anyway? And what ...?" "Well, I have a friend whose old classmate has a cousin who owns a lovely little fishing cabin at the northern lakes ..." ***** ***** When Clark returned half an hour later, he found Lois back at her desk, checking train schedules on the computer screen in front of her. Bending over her from behind, he gently kissed her neck, then indicating the screen, asked, "Someone going somewhere?" Lois halfway turned to look at him, her voice rather grim. "Yes. Us. Perry is sending us to some godforsaken hideaway." Although she had agreed to the plan, she still didn't like being away from where the action was. "Why's that? New story?" "No. He heard about your 'accidents'. And since Baby Rage is apparently missing he wants us to get out of danger. We won't be able to do a thing from there. The place doesn't even have a phone." "What place are you talking about, Lois?" "Oh, Perry knows a guy who knows a guy who has a cabin up by the northern lakes. He's already set it up." Clark studied her curiously. From the way Lois was grumbling about it, he wondered if Perry had ordered them to leave town or else have their press passes confiscated--a threat dire enough to impress even Lois. Since he was extremely relieved that this would get her out of danger, he decided to go along with it, even though he would have preferred to spend time doing some "Super-sleuthing." "So, you think we should go?" Her attention still on the screen, she shrugged. "I hate being stuck there, but I couldn't talk him out of it." A small smile tilted one corner of her mouth. "Remember those bullet-proof vests?" Clark placed his arms around her from behind. She turned her face towards his and he kissed her again, deeper and more passionately this time. "Well, it doesn't sound that bad to *me.* Just think of that island." Her face brightened. "Well, when you look at it that way... We're all set to go. Perry wants us out of town tonight." Continued in Part 5 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:05 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 1 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT An IRC Round-Robin by ChrisM^ (mulders@mindspring.com); CKDor & Dor2 (dorisschmill@gmx.net); Ckgroupie (NKWolke@t-line.de); Eraygun (Eraygun@aol.com); Zoomway (zoomway@aol.com) Whenever Lois recalled the string of incidents that she would later refer to as "The Perils of Clark Kent," she would always remember how quietly it had all started. She and Clark were spending the weekend in Smallville at his childhood home, helping his parents with some spring cleaning. They'd both been very busy in the weeks just prior to that, and having the chance to do something besides chase criminals and dodge bullets had a real appeal. Clark and his father, Jonathan, were spending most of their time outdoors repairing damage from Kansas' winter storms and getting things ready for the new growing season. Martha and Lois, on the other hand, were having a ball inside the old farmhouse cleaning out cabinets and going through closets. Much to Lois' delight they'd uncovered more than just dust bunnies. She was getting some wonderful glimpses into Clark's past. Sunday afternoon the two women found themselves up in the attic. They knew it wouldn't be possible to really do a thorough cleaning in the time remaining for the younger couple's visit, but Martha said she would appreciate whatever help Lois could give her. Lois didn't mind at all. It was great fun to open a box and find old Halloween costumes that Martha had made for Clark when he was a little "trick-or-treater" or to peek into a trunk and find clothes that a much smaller Clark had once played in. Almost every garment held some special memory for Martha and she had a great time sharing stories about her "boy" with her daughter-in-law. Soon they were giggling over what they were finding, and their laughter reached a pair of "super" ears. Clark looked up from what he and his dad were doing in order to focus on the house for a moment. "What is it, son?" "Oh, no." Clark turned back to his father. "They're going through my old stuff, Dad, and Mom is showing Lois the costume I wore in the second-grade Thanksgiving play." Jonathan couldn't help chuckling a bit. "They get like that, Clark. We just have to put up with it." The men returned to their chores, while up in the attic Lois had found a box of old letters Clark had saved. Some of them had a distinctive female look about them. What's this, she wondered? Martha chuckled when she noticed the letter in Lois hands. Lois looked at the letters slightly yellowed by age. She wrinkled her nose a little at the trace of perfume she could still smell emanating from the box. She look at Martha. "Lana?" "No." Martha shook her head. "Sylvia." "Oh, Clark never told me about her..." Her voice trailed off for a moment, then added, "He didn't mention having that many girlfriends." "He didn't have many. He dated Lana casually for about a year, and you've met Rachel Harris - he took her to the prom. Sylvia," she chuckled at the memory, "used to write him these long letters. I don't think it ever really occurred to him she had crush on him." "But it's obvious! Perfume on a letter. You don't need supersenses to pick up the smell after all this time." "No, you don't, " Martha smiled, placing a reassuring hand on the younger woman's arm, "but Clark is assaulted by all kinds of smells all the time. He probably just never realized the significance." "Well, what was all this about then?" Lois asked, waving the bundle of letters in the air. Martha chuckled again. "Well, you know Clark. He helped her a lot. She came from a broken home and had problems in school. He tutored her for a while and in general was just his friendly self. They kept corresponding for a while when he was in college. I'm sure he won't mind if you read those letters. You'll notice that a number of them are in French. She really improved with Clark's help, to the point she was able to write him letters in French. He thought he was continuing to help her. She, on the other hand..." Lois had relaxed once more. "...saw more in Clark just being...Clark. What became of her?" "Well, we're not sure. She was a year younger than Clark. They kept corresponding till she graduated. She then went to France for a year, probably in an effort to be able to impress him more. Eventually, though, she must have realized that Clark didn't return her feelings. We heard that she cut short her time overseas, then went to college in another state. Since both her parents moved, too, we lost track of her." Lois placed the letters back into the box. "Well, I think it's almost dinner time. I'm sure we'll have two hungry guys to feed. Do you think the roast is done yet?" "My, more than done if we don't hurry!" Martha exclaimed, glancing at her watch. Out in the field, the two men were putting the finishing touch on a fence they were mending. As the women were descending the stairs from the attic, Clark cocked his head slightly, then grinned. "Chow's on." During the lively conversation at dinner Lois totally forgot about the letters. ***** The next day they returned to Metropolis and business as usual for them. As soon as they left the elevator on Monday morning, they heard Perry's excited voice telling them to come into his office ASAP and from that moment on they hadn't had a minute's rest. By Wednesday Lois was thinking longingly of the quiet evenings together in Smallville. Clark was out again doing his second job and saving the day as Superman. She was going over the notes for their latest assignment when the doorbell rang. Lois sighed. Who was it now? She really didn't want to see *anyone* right now except her husband. When she opened the door there was a strange woman standing in front of her. "Hi, my name is Sylvia Campbell. I'm here to see Clark Kent." Lois eyebrows went up. Why was that name so familiar? "I'm sorry, he's not here right now, Ms. Campbell. I'm Lois Lane, his wife." Sylvia Campbell's gaze was cold. "So I heard," she said shortly. Lois suddenly remembered where she had heard the name before. Sylvia was Clark's long-lost school friend. And boy, was she good-looking. "Maybe *I* can help you?" she asked. "No, I don't think so," Sylvia answered. "I would prefer to talk to Clark *privately*." The air was thick with tension for a few moments as Lois and Sylvia eyed each other carefully. Then suddenly Sylvia broke into a warm smile. "I'm sorry, Lois - I can call you Lois, can't I? I must be suffering from jet lag and I'm a little cranky. I don't get to Metropolis very often. You must think it's incredibly odd for a strange woman to be demanding to see your husband. But you see, Clark and I are old friends from Smallville and I'm just in from the coast. You might have seen me on television, " Sylvia added coyly, but Lois still waited unresponsively, her hand on the doorknob. The woman continued with a slight toss of her head. "I'm in that new soup ad campaign, you know. I'm only going to be here for a short while and I wanted to see Clark and reminisce about the good old days. May I come in?" Still a little wary, Lois nodded and showed Sylvia into the living room. "Won't you sit down, Ms. Campbell..." "Sylvia, please." "Of course, Sylvia. How long exactly are you going to be in town?" Lois asked. "I know Clark would love to see you, but things are a little hectic right now and I want to make sure that *we'll* be able to see you." Lois mentally kicked herself, she was babbling again and she only did that when she was nervous. Despite her somewhat rude entrance Sylvia seemed perfectly charming and normal, but still something about her left Lois feeling a little uneasy. Continued in Part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:55:20 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eraygun Subject: NEW FANFIC: "THE PERILS OF CLARK KENT" Part 5 of 5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Perils of Clark Kent Continued from Part 3 _________________________ Looking up the train connections and buying a ticket was an additional coverup for them. They arrived by air hours ahead of schedule just as the sun was setting in a purplish orange glow across the lake. "My god, look at that view," Clark said as he gazed across the lake. "It's really something," Lois agreed enthusiastically. "Maybe I should let someone take potshots at me more often," he joked, but Lois could sense uneasiness under Clark's jovial manner. "You're still worried, aren't you?" she asked. Clark nodded. "Yes, the actual attacks are almost minor annoyances but other people could really get hurt. *You* could get hurt. We've got to figure out who's after me and why before that happens." "Or before one of the acts reveals your secret identity," Lois added. Clark nodded again wearily. "This is really frustrating. I don't like waiting around for things to happen. I guess I'm not very patient." "I don't know about that, Clark. I'd say you've got more 'patience' than anyone else on the planet." Clark looked confused, but only for a moment. Then he laughed and picked her up in his arms. "Well, Mrs. Kent, let's just try my 'patience', shall we?" he asked with a wicked grin before heading for the cabin door. ***** Back in Metropolis, a door slammed in a high-priced uptown hotel, and hasty steps stomped across the floor. If anyone else had been in the room, they might have thought it prudent to remove themselves to a safer locale. As it was, the room's sole occupant was furiously pacing back and forth, all the while muttering angrily, frustration evident in every gesture, every expression. "How? How is he doing this? I don't understand it. He should be sick, or dead, or at least damaged so badly that--" The furious pacing stopped for a moment, as the would-be murderer savored a sudden idea. "I've been too careful. If I'm to succeed in getting back at Mr. Clark Kent, I'll have to be bolder." Stalking to the closet and wrenching out a change of clothes, the mysterious assassin worked on the details of the next move. It had to succeed this time ... it just *had* to. ***** A fire burned in the fireplace, bringing some light and cheer to what was otherwise a rather Spartan habitation. The fishing cabin Perry had exiled Lois and Clark to wasn't loaded with creature comforts. As long as they had each other, though, they didn't seem to really notice much of anything else. Although the temperature was already pleasantly warm during the day, it still got somewhat chilly at night. They had drawn the old, rustic-looking sofa with its haphazard collection of assorted pillows and cushions closer to the fire and were huddled together in blankets for warmth. The fire had burned down fairly low and Clark was idly stirring the coals with the poker. After preparing dinner from the supplies they'd brought, they made use of the time by becoming acquainted with their surroundings and reacquainted with each other in ways they hadn't had time for during the hectic days since their return from Smallville. Neither of them wanted to break the mood, but they knew if they were to get any further on their private investigation the next day as they had planned, they needed to be awake and rested in the morning. Although the cabin didn't come with a phone, they had brought along their notebook computer and cellular phone, Earlier in the evening, they had called the Planet to announce their safe arrival. Clark was to go back to Metropolis in the morning for some quick and secret investigation Eventually, Clark sighed and stretched reluctantly. "I guess we better go to bed." Lois winked at him, turning to bite his earlobe playfully. "Bed doesn't sound bad at all..." "Lo-is," Clark tried in vain to sound exasperated. "Well, you're Superman, and I can sleep in a little after you've left for Metropolis." A smile spreading across his face, he kissed her, wrapped her up in his arms, and zipped into the cabin's bedroom to start on an investigation closer at hand. ***** For someone with determination and the right skills, all it took were a few carefully worded calls to the Daily Planet, the First Avenue Travel Agency, and the Metropolis' Union Station to ferret out the current whereabouts of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent. That same determined person who returned to the hotel room, picked up a few key items and headed off to the mountains was sure that this time nothing could go wrong. ***** Clark slowly got out of bed in preparation for his trip back to Metropolis. Hovering a few inches off the floor he gazed back at a peacefully sleeping Lois before spinning into his supersuit and launching himself into the pre- dawn sky. As he turned in the direction of the city, Clark's super sense of smell detected acrid smoke and using his telescopic vision he saw a raging forest fire in the neighboring county. His mission to Metropolis temporarily shelved, he headed down to offer his assistance. Back at the cabin Lois groggily staggered from bed and attempted to start the ancient coffee pot in the cabin. She got out her notebook computer to begin examining the information Jimmy had compiled in hopes of finding some clue to what was happening to Clark. A few minutes later there was a knock at the cabin door. Still groggy, she stumbled to the door and opened it. And was confronted by Sylvia, pointing a rather large caliber handgun directly at her. "What the--?" Lois exclaimed. "Where is he?" Sylvia demanded as she forced her way into the cabin still brandishing her weapon at Lois. "He?" "Don't be cute, Lois," Sylvia replied and moved a step closer. "Why do you want to kill Clark? You were friends." "Give the lady a kewpie doll. That's *all* we ever were. What magic potion or spell did you have, Lois?" "I...don't know. I think it was the other way around." "You know," Sylvia said, her voice rather distant. "I went to therapy. Believe that?" Lois swallowed. "Hard to believe." She was thankful she wasn't hooked up to a polygraph. "It's true. There I was, nearly thirty. I had a career. The Campbell soup spokesperson. They don't just *give* that to you, Lois, you have to *earn* it." Lois nodded. "I get past tomato and mushroom and freeze up." "Don't worry, Lois, I'm not *that* crazy. I can tell you're humoring me. Not unlike your husband did when we were young." "Sylvia, Clark is just a sweet man, maybe too sweet sometimes. He saw someone who needed help, and he *helped* you." "Then why you, Lois? We're back to that." Lois' mind raced. "It was me, Sylvia, I...tricked him. Took advantage of his sweet nature." Lois noticed Sylvia's expression had calmed slightly. "I told him...I was pregnant." Sylvia moved in another step. "I'd have settled for getting him with that kind of lie, but you see, he turned me away. Every advance I made, he denied. You'd think he was saving himself for that one special woman," she added sarcastically. Lois tried to maintain her expression of polite interest, but knew she'd failed when Sylvia's eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into a contemptuous smile. "You don't mean he actually *was*?" She pulled back the hammer. "I guess that was you." Lois stared at the revolver. "You know why guns were invented?" Sylvia took aim. "To kill people?" Lois made a spinning kick and sent the gun across the room, and then high- kicked Sylvia in the jaw. Sylvia fell backward to the floor just as Clark flew in. Clark smiled at Lois. "Okay, why *were* guns invented?" Lois retrieved the revolver and set it on the table. "So you don't have to stand in kicking range of your victim." "Good thing *she* didn't know that," Clark said, as he and Lois stood looking down at the unconscious Sylvia. "Such a waste," he added. "She had so much potential." Lois kissed Clark's cheek and then fanned her nose. "What have you been up to, Smokey Bear?" Clark blushed slightly, "I thought I was stopping a forest fire, but it turned out to be a controlled burning of underbrush to prevent it from becoming a fire hazard if the summer is too dry." Lois just laughed and put her arms around him. "I love you, Clark Kent." He returned her hug, thankful that she was all right. "Thanks, Lois. I love you, too." "No matter what happens, Clark, you're always thinking of other people ... even people who've tried to hurt you. I love that about you. It took me a while to appreciate it, though, as a strength and not a weakness." Clark smiled again, and was about to add kissing to the great hugs they were exchanging, when he heard Sylvia beginning to come around. "Guess we'll have to postpone this 'til a little later. Looks like Superman has to make a delivery to the City Jail." "I guess so," Lois agreed, "but don't forget where we left off." "I won't," he promised. ***** "So," Perry said, after reading over the story Lois and Clark had just brought to him, "this woman who used to know Clark in Smallville was trying to kill him because he wouldn't date her?" "Not just Clark, as it turns out, Chief. Apparently, there are a couple of guys missing in France, too." "Well, Clark, I'm glad things worked out all right for you two. Guess my idea about the fishing cabin was a good one, huh?" Taking advantage of the fact that Clark was glancing over at Lois and reaching for her hand, Perry winked at his co-conspirator. She smiled briefly to let him know she was grateful to him for keeping their secret. "It sure was, Chief." Clark squeezed Lois' hand and then looked up at his boss. "Especially since we arranged to have Superman standing by, just in case." Perry laughed. "Well, it never hurts to have insurance, I guess. By the way what happened to that Baby Rage character? If he wasn't involved, why did he drop off the face of the earth?" "Superman did some checking, Chief, and apparently since his old gang was after him the DA's office arranged to put him in the Witness Protection program. He's out west somewhere," Clark replied. "Probably having a wonderful time at some vacation spot," Lois added wryly. "Well, speaking of vacation spots," Perry said with a grin, "no one's using that cabin this weekend, if you two want to ..." Lois and Clark smiled at each other. "Thanks, Chief, but we've already got plans for the weekend." "Oh, okay. Well, you just let me know." "We will." They exited Perry's office and began gathering their things in preparation for heading home. Lois looked at Clark with a perplexed smile. "We have plans for this weekend?" "Sure we do, remember?" "No ... not really." He put his arm around her as they headed for the elevators. "I promised you a trip to a deserted island. Now do you remember?" "Ah, yes. It's beginning to come back to me. And ... I remember where we left off back in the cabin, too." "So do I, Lois. So do I." THE END ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 16:32:46 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Patricia Chenenko Subject: Question about story ideas MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everybody, I'm relatively new to this list, so I wanted to find out if it's appropriate to post story ideas to the list to elicit comments. If so, is there a size limitation? Thanks, Patty ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 23:05:40 -0400 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: Re: Question about story ideas In-Reply-To: <000001bd6fc0$244d6da0$109d440c@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 4:32 PM -0400 4/24/98, Patricia Chenenko wrote: >Hi everybody, >I'm relatively new to this list, so I wanted to find out if it's appropriate >to post story ideas to the list to elicit comments. If so, is there a size >limitation? Patty, this sounds like a wonderful use for this list. Post away. :) As for size limits, I believe that AOL converts emails over a certain size, maybe 21-25K?, to attachments. But as long as you are under that limit, you should be fine. (It's hard to get over 21K in an email anyway. I have done it but it's probably a sign that you are talking too much. ) Kathy ______________________ Kathy Brown kbrown@toolcity.net KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 10:37:57 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Eric A. Maxwell" Subject: Re: Full Circle Fanfic Here's Chapter 11 Enjoy In-Reply-To: <38bfceec.353fce5a@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit *********************** Chapter 11 *********************** It had been four months since the baby's birth when Lois opened her eyes. Her brain activity indicated responses to sound and sight, but she did not react to it. Clark was the first to notice the big brown eyes of his wife begin to follow him. When he moved across the room her head would vaguely move to follow his movement, and her eyes began to fixate on him. The link appeared to only be with Clark, as she did not react when other people entered her room. Clark continued to care for as many of her needs as possible, and the nurses were relieved to have one less patient to bathe and turn. Nearly a month later, Lois left the ICU for a step-down unit on another floor. Dr. Klein continued his daily visits, although there was rarely any change in her condition. Dr. Klein feared that Lois had experienced brain damage as a result of the continued exposure to the pregnancy, and he felt responsible because he had both initiated the pregnancy and allowed it to continue against his better judgment. He was unable to look Clark in the eye, and he sensed a subdued rage when he was in the other man's presence. Once Lois was moved to the new floor, she was allowed to have visitors. CJ was able to visit his mother, and he was finally able to feel a part of a family again. He brought copies of the Daily Planet and read the stories to her one by one. Lois began to respond to more of her visitors, and especially to CJ. She vaguely imitated a smile, and followed him consistently with her eyes. Even the other physicians and the nursing staff remarked about her improvement. She was not talking, or caring for herself, but just the fact that she appeared aware of her surroundings was encouragement to those around her. Martha and Jonathan brought her pictures of the baby, and while Clark refused to look at them Lois stared at them for hours. The Metropolis General Hospital became a member of the Kent family. They lived there, slept there, and revolved their lives around it's schedule. Clark was there first thing in the morning, and last thing each night. More than once he slept next to Lois on the tiny hospital bed, his arms wrapped around her still form. The nurses knew that his happened, just as they knew it was against all the rules, but the most acknowledgment it ever received was when an extra blanket was left for him, or a reminder given to put Lois' rail up so he would not fall. Even the staff realized that something special was going on in the room, and they were loath to disturb it. ******************** "Can I go with you to the hospital today?" Kat asked as she sat down on CJ's bed. She had dropped by for a ride to school, and he was almost ready. "Sure. I wanted to take mom my new column. I finally got the farm piece edited, and I think she'll like it." CJ finished buttoning his flannel shirt, and turned around to tuck it into his pants. "What time did you want to leave?" Kat swallowed heavily and looked anywhere except for at her friend. Friends were not supposed to feel like this about friends. CJ thought about it for a moment. "Let's leave around four. Dad wants me to pick up some chow mein for mom. The doctor said she's ready for solid foods, and Dad doesn't want her starting with that nasty hospital stuff." "Leave it to your dad to think of everything," Kat commented. "Yeah, I guess." CJ didn't sound so sure. "I just wish, sometimes, he thought about someone besides mom." "You know she needs him, now." "I know. Forget I said that. We need to get to school." "CJ, talk to me," Kat pleaded. CJ had been quieter this week than he had since his brother's birth. She knew he was worried about his mom, and even his brother for that matter, but this felt different. "I'd rather not." "CJ!" With a sigh, CJ gave in to the inevitable. "Sometimes I just wonder why I'm even here. I feel like I'm just in the way. They give me these little jobs to keep me busy, but it's not like they really want me here." CJ sat on the bed with a miserable look on his face. "I just want stuff to be like it used to. I'm sick of living in that place, or living here alone. Even my grandparents spend most of their time with the baby, and they don't care about me now." CJ quietly began to cry. Kat was immediately by his side, with her arms around him. She hugged him as the small cries turned into wracking sobs, and cried with him when he began to shake. She was vaguely aware that he was hurting her with his grip, but she didn't feel it was a good time to mention it. After awhile, CJ loosed his grip on her and relaxed somewhat. "Sorry about that," CJ mumbled as he wiped his face on his sleeve. "That's what friend's are for," she replied as she wiped her face in a similar manner. They looked at each other briefly before breaking down into a laugh. "We're pretty pitiful," CJ commented. "Oh, well," Kat smiled. She sobered quickly and her eyes met CJ's. "You know your dad loves you. He'd do anything for you. He's just really having a hard time with this." "I know. Sometimes, it feels like I'm loosing both of them, and I'm sort of afraid of being left all alone." You'll never be alone, CJ. You'll always have me." CJ smiled and kissed Kat on the cheek in thanks. Then he took her hand in his and reached for their backpacks with his other hand. If they didn't leave now, they'd be late for school. Baby Boy Kent was moved into a regular baby isolette on the first Tuesday in May. He was no longer in need of oxygen, and he was eating more than two ounces of formula every two hours. Martha nagged the baby's doctor incessantly until he consented to allow the baby off the floor. With her husband and a nosy nurse following behind, Martha pushed the isolette to the elevator, went down three floors, then pushed the baby out of the elevator towards Lois's room. Martha had a bottle tucked in her pocket and was intent on allowing Lois the privilege of feeding her own son. When Martha saw Lois sitting up in bed, she smiled. She rolled the baby into the room and right up to Lois' bed. Her attention was so focused on Lois, that she did not see her son begin backing away from the bed with an alarming speed. "I've brought someone to see his mommy," Martha told her. She picked up the tiny infant, now just over four and a half pounds, and placed him on the bed next to his mother. Lois focused on the tiny infant and smiled. She wished she had the strength to hold him, but she couldn't lift her hand. She wanted to tell them how beautiful she thought he was, but her voice wouldn't make any sound. She stared at the beautiful child for several moments before she became so frustrated with her limitations that she began to cry. Martha, seeing Lois's tears, smiled at her daughter. She took the bottle from her pocket and placed it in Lois' hand. Holding her own hand around Lois's, she helped Lois guide the nipple into the baby's open mouth. The little boy latched on to the food source immediately, and within a few minutes had drained the bottle dry. Lois watched the boy eat with fascination, grateful that Martha had understood her need to be with the baby. Martha lifted the child into her arms, and patted gently until a large burp was heard. Then she sat next to Lois on the bed and laid the baby carefully into the crook of Lois's arm, supporting it with her hand. Lois smiled down at her son, then focused on her mother in law. Her lips moved to form the words "thank you", but no sound came out. Martha had been watching. "You're welcome." Lois smiled once more at her mother in law before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. When Martha took the baby back into her arms and placed the baby in the isolette, she was surprised to see that Clark and Jonathan had disappeared and the nurse that had followed her was wiping suspiciously moist eyes on a tissue. ******************** Jonathan had found Clark downstairs in the hospital cafeteria. He alone had noticed his son's hasty departure, and was concerned that he was quite upset. Clark was getting a candy bar from a rather uncooperative vending machine when he lost control of his temper. When the candy caught behind the spiral dispensing arm, Clark brought his hand down on the machine with a frustrated sigh. Unfortunately, the material that the machine was made of was not designed to tolerate such abuse. The aluminum crumpled beneath his strength, and would be quite useless to others in the future. Jonathan could see that Clark was at the end of his frustration threshold, and suggested a walk outside. Reluctantly, Clark followed his father into the May sunshine. It was a rare, clear day, that seemed filled with such possibility. Clark was momentarily stunned that the world was going on outside the hospital. His life had been reduced to the enormous cement structure standing behind him, and the metal and glass structure of the Daily Planet Newsroom. He saw little in between, whether flying or driving, and occasionally he began to feel that the world had ceased to exist. "Do you want to talk about it, Son?" Clark glanced back at this father and sighed. He really should talk to someone, but he had no clue how to put his feelings into words. It seemed impossible that anyone could understand the pain that he felt each time he looked at his wife and could feel that she was reaching for him but not able to get there. It was so frustrating to look into those brown eyes that he loved and not be able to communicate on any level more complex than awareness. It was tearing him apart to feel as if touching his wife, his privilege and joy in the past, was being observed beneath a microscope. "I guess I'm just tired," he finally answered. That didn't begin to address his pain, but it was all that he thought he could share. "Is there a reason you don't want to see your son?" Jonathan addressed his primary area of concern. He had watched Clark avoid the baby for months, usually under the pretense of caring for Lois, but he had never seen him actively turn his back on the child. He was becoming concerned that this ran more deeply than a matter of not having time for the infant, and might even boarder on disliking the tiny person. Clark leaned his back against a tree. They had walked to a small park that was located a block or so from the hospital. He could see children on swings and playing in a sandbox, boys chasing balls and Frisbees with their fathers, and various families taking advantage of the unusually pretty day. He wanted to feel a part of that. He remembered sharing similar activities with Lois and CJ in years past, and he longed for the feeling that he had lost. He just wanted to go back to the way things had been before. He wanted to take back the pregnancy and the illness that had followed. He wanted his wife back. "I guess it's not really the baby," he finally told his father. "I feel like I've lost Lois, and I just can't seem to care about the baby. I know how much we wanted him, but it doesn't feel right without Lois." Clark sighed. He knew his father couldn't understand. Jonathan had always loved Clark unconditionally, and it seemed unlikely that he had ever had doubts. Clark felt like a traitor. If he loved the baby, he was loving the one thing that had cost him his wife. If he hated the baby, he was betraying what Lois had wanted the most. He had stayed between the two extremes by ignoring the existence of the child, and this was becoming more difficult to do. The child wasn't a medical definition anymore, as his mother had just demonstrated. Martha had just forced Clark to see the child as his son, as Lois's son, and he wasn't ready to deal with the implications of this. "I'm afraid he won't go away if you ignore him," Jonathan told his son. It was hurting him to see Clark in such pain, but denial was not solving the problems. "The baby is nearly ready to be taken home, and you haven't even given him a name, yet." Clark looked up in alarm. His face blanched white, and he appeared near panic. Jonathan observed Clark sweating, a sure sign of panic, and reached out to steady his son. Clark was breathing rapidly, and thinking as quickly as he could. "You and mom can take him, right? You can take care of him for us, until Lois is better." The look of fear in Clark's eyes nearly broke Jonathan's heart. He had known the question would come, just as he knew the answer. "I just can't take him home. How could I take care of Lois and him at the same time? I just can't do it." "Son," Jonathan began, "I wish we could." He sighed and walked around the tree to lean against it, next to his son. "Your mother and I have raised our family. Martha turns seventy-five next month. I can't ask her to start over. It isn't fair to her, and it wouldn't be fair to the baby. Just the few hours she spends here during the day tire so much." Clark sighed as well. His father was right, and he knew it. The baby was his responsibility, and there was no way around it. He also knew that his father was being kind with his explanation. He had noticed how tired his mother had been looking. The older Kents had moved into the house in Claremont, and had been commuting here daily to see the baby and Lois. They had placed the farm up for sale, and were planning to move into an apartment closer to Metropolis to help with raising CJ and caring for the baby. He knew that this situation wasn't the only reason for the move. Martha had been having trouble with arthritis for the past few years, and Jonathan was just now realizing how much he had relied on Clark to get his work done on the farm. It had not been a fabrication, telling CJ that he was needed on the farm. There was too much work for the older man to do alone, and there was no reason to deny it any longer. In truth, Jonathan had looked into selling the farm long before this medical crisis had necessitated the move into Clark's house, but the final decision had not been necessary until Clark had asked for help in caring for CJ. Martha had enjoyed getting to know her grandson. Both of them, for that matter. She had spent hours talking with CJ about his concerns regarding his mother and the new baby. She had taught him a little more about cooking, and had helped him with his homework just as she used to do for Clark. She spent hours caring for the newest Kent while CJ was in school, feeding and diapering the little one, and holding him for hours on end. The experience had not been all bad, but she was tiring. She was sleeping longer at night, and beginning to feel less herself. She had shared her concerns with Jonathan when they realized that Clark was not even attempting to bond with the baby, and Jonathan needed to relay the concerns to Clark. Jonathan would do anything for Clark, but he could not commit to raising a child for him. He had hoped that Clark would start to show an interest in the baby when Lois had begun to improve, but if anything he had withdrawn from the child more. His care of CJ had not suffered, in fact he had seemed to grow continually closer to the teenager as the crisis enveloped their lives, but he would not acknowledge his newest son. Jonathan understood his fear, but he didn't know what to do about it "The nurses say the baby can go home within the next few weeks. You will need to make a decision, Son." Jonathan knew that Clark would not face the choices without some prodding. "What decision? Can't the baby stay here until Lois is well enough to care for him?" Clark had never allowed himself to consider that Lois might not recover. They had always planned to raise the child together, and he had not dealt with any other options. Lois was strong, she was feisty, and she would get better. From the moment that she had come off the respirator, Clark had believed this, and he would not listen to the doctor's opinions to the contrary. Jonathan knew that his son was not dealing with the facts, but he didn't know how to force him to do so. "Son, we don't know when Lois will be able to come home. She may be here for some time, and even when she does come home she won't be able to take care of a baby for right away. This is something she can't do for you." Clark looked at his father sharply, ready to argue, but having no grounds to do so. Just because his father had a better grasp of reality, that was no reason to attack him. Clark took a deep breath and attempted to face a world without Lois in it. He contemplated the concept for several moments, then decided once more that it simply couldn't happen. He needed her too much. "I can't live without her, Dad." Jonathan placed his arms around his son, as Clark began to cry. Tears too long denied flowed down his face for several moments, and he was too shaken to stop them. His father held him tightly, just as he had done for CJ, and waited for the storm to pass so that he could continue with what had to be said. When Clark had calmed somewhat, Jonathan offered him a handkerchief, which Clark took gratefully. "I can't raise him alone, and you can't help. Lois isn't up to it now, and she may never be." Clark's voice was desolate as he recited the facts as he saw them. "We can't put him up for adoption, he's my son. Eventually, he'll be like CJ, and there are powers that would have to be explained. I don't want him winding up being dissected because I'm not capable of raising him." Clark turned to his father with a hopeless expression on his face, his eyes tortured, "Do you have any ideas?" "Not at the moment, son," Jonathan told him. "We'll figure this out together. I just wanted to make sure you were thinking about it. It's something we need to settle." Clark knew his father was right, just as he knew that he had a little time to make the decisions that would effect the rest of his life. At least the issues were out in the open. Where they would go from here, Clark had no clue. But at least he had a starting point. > -----Original Message----- > From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic > [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Ellimrac > Sent: Thursday, April 23, 1998 6:27 PM > To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > Subject: Full Circle Fanfic > > > I was wondering if anyone can send me Chapter 11 up to the end because I > accidentally deleted it from my mailbox. > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 07:27:55 -1000 Reply-To: shore@maui.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: Re: Full Circle Fanfic Here's Chapter 11 Enjoy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello everyone! I'm very new to this! I've been reading the tufs episodes and now started on the other groups episodes, but have now Idea what this chapter eleven Full Circle is that I just got in my mailbox. Iknow someone requested it but where can I get the chapters before this? Also I thought that "Full Circle" was something after all the Tufs episodes, like the last episode or something? I'm really confused! Can someone take the time to explain to me? Thankyou so much! J-me;-) Eric A. Maxwell wrote: > *********************** > Chapter 11 > *********************** > > It had been four months since the baby's birth when Lois > opened her eyes. Her brain activity indicated responses to > sound and sight, but she did not react to it. Clark was the > first to notice the big brown eyes of his wife begin to > follow him. When he moved across the room her head would > vaguely move to follow his movement, and her eyes began to > fixate on him. The link appeared to only be with Clark, as > she did not react when other people entered her room. Clark > continued to care for as many of her needs as possible, and > the nurses were relieved to have one less patient to bathe > and turn. > > Nearly a month later, Lois left the ICU for a step-down unit > on another floor. Dr. Klein continued his daily visits, > although there was rarely any change in her condition. Dr. > Klein feared that Lois had experienced brain damage as a > result of the continued exposure to the pregnancy, and he > felt responsible because he had both initiated the pregnancy > and allowed it to continue against his better judgment. He > was unable to look Clark in the eye, and he sensed a subdued > rage when he was in the other man's presence. > > Once Lois was moved to the new floor, she was allowed to > have visitors. CJ was able to visit his mother, and he was > finally able to feel a part of a family again. He brought > copies of the Daily Planet and read the stories to her one > by one. Lois began to respond to more of her visitors, and > especially to CJ. She vaguely imitated a smile, and > followed him consistently with her eyes. Even the other > physicians and the nursing staff remarked about her > improvement. She was not talking, or caring for herself, > but just the fact that she appeared aware of her > surroundings was encouragement to those around her. Martha > and Jonathan brought her pictures of the baby, and while > Clark refused to look at them Lois stared at them for hours. > > The Metropolis General Hospital became a member of the Kent > family. They lived there, slept there, and revolved their > lives around it's schedule. Clark was there first thing in > the morning, and last thing each night. More than once he > slept next to Lois on the tiny hospital bed, his arms > wrapped around her still form. The nurses knew that his > happened, just as they knew it was against all the rules, > but the most acknowledgment it ever received was when an > extra blanket was left for him, or a reminder given to put > Lois' rail up so he would not fall. Even the staff realized > that something special was going on in the room, and they > were loath to disturb it. > > ******************** > > "Can I go with you to the hospital today?" Kat asked as she > sat down on CJ's bed. She had dropped by for a ride to > school, and he was almost ready. > > "Sure. I wanted to take mom my new column. I finally got > the farm piece edited, and I think she'll like it." CJ > finished buttoning his flannel shirt, and turned around to > tuck it into his pants. > > "What time did you want to leave?" Kat swallowed heavily and > looked anywhere except for at her friend. Friends were not > supposed to feel like this about friends. > > CJ thought about it for a moment. "Let's leave around four. > Dad wants me to pick up some chow mein for mom. The doctor > said she's ready for solid foods, and Dad doesn't want her > starting with that nasty hospital stuff." > > "Leave it to your dad to think of everything," Kat > commented. > > "Yeah, I guess." CJ didn't sound so sure. "I just wish, > sometimes, he thought about someone besides mom." > > "You know she needs him, now." > > "I know. Forget I said that. We need to get to school." > > "CJ, talk to me," Kat pleaded. CJ had been quieter this > week than he had since his brother's birth. She knew he was > worried about his mom, and even his brother for that matter, > but this felt different. > > "I'd rather not." > > "CJ!" > > With a sigh, CJ gave in to the inevitable. "Sometimes I > just wonder why I'm even here. I feel like I'm just in the > way. They give me these little jobs to keep me busy, but > it's not like they really want me here." CJ sat on the bed > with a miserable look on his face. "I just want stuff to be > like it used to. I'm sick of living in that place, or > living here alone. Even my grandparents spend most of their > time with the baby, and they don't care about me now." CJ > quietly began to cry. > > Kat was immediately by his side, with her arms around him. > She hugged him as the small cries turned into wracking sobs, > and cried with him when he began to shake. She was vaguely > aware that he was hurting her with his grip, but she didn't > feel it was a good time to mention it. After awhile, CJ > loosed his grip on her and relaxed somewhat. > > "Sorry about that," CJ mumbled as he wiped his face on his > sleeve. > > "That's what friend's are for," she replied as she wiped her > face in a similar manner. They looked at each other briefly > before breaking down into a laugh. > > "We're pretty pitiful," CJ commented. > > "Oh, well," Kat smiled. She sobered quickly and her eyes > met CJ's. "You know your dad loves you. He'd do anything > for you. He's just really having a hard time with this." > > "I know. Sometimes, it feels like I'm loosing both of them, > and I'm sort of afraid of being left all alone." > > You'll never be alone, CJ. You'll always have me." > > CJ smiled and kissed Kat on the cheek in thanks. Then he > took her hand in his and reached for their backpacks with > his other hand. If they didn't leave now, they'd be late > for school. > > Baby Boy Kent was moved into a regular baby isolette on the > first Tuesday in May. He was no longer in need of oxygen, > and he was eating more than two ounces of formula every two > hours. Martha nagged the baby's doctor incessantly until he > consented to allow the baby off the floor. With her husband > and a nosy nurse following behind, Martha pushed the > isolette to the elevator, went down three floors, then > pushed the baby out of the elevator towards Lois's room. > Martha had a bottle tucked in her pocket and was intent on > allowing Lois the privilege of feeding her own son. > > When Martha saw Lois sitting up in bed, she smiled. She > rolled the baby into the room and right up to Lois' bed. > Her attention was so focused on Lois, that she did not see > her son begin backing away from the bed with an alarming > speed. > > "I've brought someone to see his mommy," Martha told her. > She picked up the tiny infant, now just over four and a half > pounds, and placed him on the bed next to his mother. > > Lois focused on the tiny infant and smiled. She wished she > had the strength to hold him, but she couldn't lift her > hand. She wanted to tell them how beautiful she thought he > was, but her voice wouldn't make any sound. She stared at > the beautiful child for several moments before she became so > frustrated with her limitations that she began to cry. > Martha, seeing Lois's tears, smiled at her daughter. She > took the bottle from her pocket and placed it in Lois' hand. > Holding her own hand around Lois's, she helped Lois guide > the nipple into the baby's open mouth. > > The little boy > latched on to the food source immediately, and within a few > minutes had drained the bottle dry. Lois watched the boy > eat with fascination, grateful that Martha had understood > her need to be with the baby. Martha lifted the child into > her arms, and patted gently until a large burp was heard. > Then she sat next to Lois on the bed and laid the baby > carefully into the crook of Lois's arm, supporting it with > her hand. Lois smiled down at her son, then focused on her > mother in law. Her lips moved to form the words "thank > you", but no sound came out. > > Martha had been watching. "You're welcome." > > Lois smiled once more at her mother in law before closing > her eyes and drifting off to sleep. When Martha took the > baby back into her arms and placed the baby in the isolette, > she was surprised to see that Clark and Jonathan had > disappeared and the nurse that had followed her was wiping > suspiciously moist eyes on a tissue. > > ******************** > > Jonathan had found Clark downstairs in the hospital > cafeteria. He alone had noticed his son's hasty departure, > and was concerned that he was quite upset. Clark was > getting a candy bar from a rather uncooperative vending > machine when he lost control of his temper. When the candy > caught behind the spiral dispensing arm, Clark brought his > hand down on the machine with a frustrated sigh. > Unfortunately, the material that the machine was made of was > not designed to tolerate such abuse. The aluminum crumpled > beneath his strength, and would be quite useless to others > in the future. > > Jonathan could see that Clark was at the end of his > frustration threshold, and suggested a walk outside. > Reluctantly, Clark followed his father into the May > sunshine. It was a rare, clear day, that seemed filled with > such possibility. Clark was momentarily stunned that the > world was going on outside the hospital. His life had been > reduced to the enormous cement structure standing behind > him, and the metal and glass structure of the Daily Planet > Newsroom. He saw little in between, whether flying or > driving, and occasionally he began to feel that the world > had ceased to exist. > > "Do you want to talk about it, Son?" > > Clark glanced back at this father and sighed. He really > should talk to someone, but he had no clue how to put his > feelings into words. It seemed impossible that anyone could > understand the pain that he felt each time he looked at his > wife and could feel that she was reaching for him but not > able to get there. It was so frustrating to look into those > brown eyes that he loved and not be able to communicate on > any level more complex than awareness. It was tearing him > apart to feel as if touching his wife, his privilege and joy > in the past, was being observed beneath a microscope. > > "I guess I'm just tired," he finally answered. That didn't > begin to address his pain, but it was all that he thought he > could share. > > "Is there a reason you don't want to see your son?" > Jonathan addressed his primary area of concern. He had > watched Clark avoid the baby for months, usually under the > pretense of caring for Lois, but he had never seen him > actively turn his back on the child. He was becoming > concerned that this ran more deeply than a matter of not > having time for the infant, and might even boarder on > disliking the tiny person. > > Clark leaned his back against a tree. They had walked to a > small park that was located a block or so from the > hospital. He could see children on swings and playing in a > sandbox, boys chasing balls and Frisbees with their fathers, > and various families taking advantage of the unusually > pretty day. He wanted to feel a part of that. He > remembered sharing similar activities with Lois and CJ in > years past, and he longed for the feeling that he had lost. > He just wanted to go back to the way things had been > before. He wanted to take back the pregnancy and the > illness that had followed. He wanted his wife back. > > "I guess it's not really the baby," he finally told his > father. "I feel like I've lost Lois, and I just can't seem > to care about the baby. I know how much we wanted him, but > it doesn't feel right without Lois." Clark sighed. He knew > his father couldn't understand. Jonathan had always loved > Clark unconditionally, and it seemed unlikely that he had > ever had doubts. Clark felt like a traitor. If he loved > the baby, he was loving the one thing that had cost him his > wife. If he hated the baby, he was betraying what Lois had > wanted the most. He had stayed between the two extremes by > ignoring the existence of the child, and this was becoming > more difficult to do. The child wasn't a medical definition > anymore, as his mother had just demonstrated. Martha had > just forced Clark to see the child as his son, as Lois's > son, and he wasn't ready to deal with the implications of > this. > > "I'm afraid he won't go away if you ignore him," Jonathan > told his son. It was hurting him to see Clark in such pain, > but denial was not solving the problems. "The baby is > nearly ready to be taken home, and you haven't even given > him a name, yet." > > Clark looked up in alarm. His face blanched white, and he > appeared near panic. Jonathan observed Clark sweating, a > sure sign of panic, and reached out to steady his son. > Clark was breathing rapidly, and thinking as quickly as he > could. > > "You and mom can take him, right? You can take care of him > for us, until Lois is better." The look of fear in Clark's > eyes nearly broke Jonathan's heart. He had known the > question would come, just as he knew the answer. "I just > can't take him home. How could I take care of Lois and him > at the same time? I just can't do it." > > "Son," Jonathan began, "I wish we could." He sighed and > walked around the tree to lean against it, next to his son. > "Your mother and I have raised our family. Martha turns > seventy-five next month. I can't ask her to start over. It > isn't fair to her, and it wouldn't be fair to the baby. > Just the few hours she spends here during the day tire so > much." > > Clark sighed as well. His father was right, and he knew > it. The baby was his responsibility, and there was no way > around it. He also knew that his father was being kind with > his explanation. He had noticed how tired his mother had > been looking. The older Kents had moved into the house in > Claremont, and had been commuting here daily to see the baby > and Lois. They had placed the farm up for sale, and were > planning to move into an apartment closer to Metropolis to > help with raising CJ and caring for the baby. He knew that > this situation wasn't the only reason for the move. Martha > had been having trouble with arthritis for the past few > years, and Jonathan was just now realizing how much he had > relied on Clark to get his work done on the farm. > > It had not been a fabrication, telling CJ that he was needed > on the farm. There was too much work for the older man to > do alone, and there was no reason to deny it any longer. In > truth, Jonathan had looked into selling the farm long before > this medical crisis had necessitated the move into Clark's > house, but the final decision had not been necessary until > Clark had asked for help in caring for CJ. > > Martha had enjoyed getting to know her grandson. Both of > them, for that matter. She had spent hours talking with CJ > about his concerns regarding his mother and the new baby. > She had taught him a little more about cooking, and had > helped him with his homework just as she used to do for > Clark. She spent hours caring for the newest Kent while CJ > was in school, feeding and diapering the little one, and > holding him for hours on end. The experience had not been > all bad, but she was tiring. She was sleeping longer at > night, and beginning to feel less herself. She had shared > her concerns with Jonathan when they realized that Clark was > not even attempting to bond with the baby, and Jonathan > needed to relay the concerns to Clark. > > Jonathan would do anything for Clark, but he could not > commit to raising a child for him. He had hoped that Clark > would start to show an interest in the baby when Lois had > begun to improve, but if anything he had withdrawn from the > child more. His care of CJ had not suffered, in fact he had > seemed to grow continually closer to the teenager as the > crisis enveloped their lives, but he would not acknowledge > his newest son. Jonathan understood his fear, but he didn't > know what to do about it > > "The nurses say the baby can go home within the next few > weeks. You will need to make a decision, Son." Jonathan > knew that Clark would not face the choices without some > prodding. > > "What decision? Can't the baby stay here until Lois is well > enough to care for him?" Clark had never allowed himself to > consider that Lois might not recover. They had always > planned to raise the child together, and he had not dealt > with any other options. Lois was strong, she was feisty, > and she would get better. From the moment that she had come > off the respirator, Clark had believed this, and he would > not listen to the doctor's opinions to the contrary. > > Jonathan knew that his son was not dealing with the facts, > but he didn't know how to force him to do so. "Son, we don't > know when Lois will be able to come home. She may be here > for some time, and even when she does come home she won't be > able to take care of a baby for right away. This is something she > can't do for you." > > Clark looked at his father sharply, ready to argue, but > having no grounds to do so. Just because his father had a > better grasp of reality, that was no reason to attack him. > Clark took a deep breath and attempted to face a world > without Lois in it. He contemplated the concept for several > moments, then decided once more that it simply couldn't > happen. He needed her too much. "I can't live without her, > Dad." > > Jonathan placed his arms around his son, as Clark began to > cry. Tears too long denied flowed down his face > for several moments, and he was too shaken to stop them. His > father held him tightly, just as he had done for CJ, and > waited for the storm to pass so that he could continue with > what had to be said. When Clark had calmed somewhat, > Jonathan offered him a handkerchief, which Clark took > gratefully. > > "I can't raise him alone, and you can't help. Lois isn't up > to it now, and she may never be." Clark's voice was > desolate as he recited the facts as he saw them. "We can't > put him up for adoption, he's my son. Eventually, he'll be > like CJ, and there are powers that would have to be > explained. I don't want him winding up being dissected > because I'm not capable of raising him." Clark turned to > his father with a hopeless expression on his face, his eyes > tortured, "Do you have any ideas?" > > "Not at the moment, son," Jonathan told him. "We'll figure > this out together. I just wanted to make sure you were > thinking about it. It's something we need to settle." > > Clark knew his father was right, just as he knew that he had > a little time to make the decisions that would effect the > rest of his life. At least the issues were out in the > open. Where they would go from here, Clark had no clue. > But at least he had a starting point. > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic > > [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Ellimrac > > > Sent: Thursday, April 23, 1998 6:27 PM > > To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > > Subject: Full Circle Fanfic > > > > > > I was wondering if anyone can send me Chapter 11 up to the end > because I > > accidentally deleted it from my mailbox. > > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 12:41:16 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Eric A. Maxwell" Subject: Full Circle Fanfic Chapter 11 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Full Circle chapter 11 was sent to Ellimrac care of LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU I meant to put chapter 11 after the original message. Sorry for the confusion. Eric Maxwell eamax@swbell.net ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 15:28:34 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kat5107 Subject: Re: Full Circle Fanfic Here's Chapter 11 Enjoy Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 4/25/98 10:24:07 AM, shore@maui.net wrote: <> Hi, J-me, welcome to the fanfic list! Actually, TUFS (The Unaired Fifth Season, sponsored by the Krypton Club) chose the name "Full Circle" for our final episode waaaay back in December ... CrystalW (JCWimmer@aol.com) posted another story by the same name. They are two completely separate stories written by different authors. Incidentally, the TUFS finale will "air" sometime during the summer (June). It will be written by the TUFS staff, and Genevieve Clemens ("Yet Each Man Kills," "Paradise Lost") will be organizing it. (And as usual, yours truly will gleefully edit it ) Later, Kat Kat5107@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 23:09:03 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: IndiBlue Subject: Full Circle Fanfic Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Like so many others, I am farely new to the loiscla list. I have read a few posts about "Full Circle" and am admittedly intrigued. Is it possible to get the 15 chapters? IndiB (indiblue@aol.com) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 11:54:07 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: IndiBlue Subject: Re: FULL CIRCLE Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Thanks for the fic. I expect good readin' tonight :) IndiB ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:04 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 11 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" THUD! The newspaper hit the front door and bounced to the stoop of the fashionable, old town house at 348 Hyperion Avenue, still in shadow and slightly chilled from the previous night's gentle cooling. The delivery boy had already cycled halfway down the block, before the force of the impact unravelled the paper's folds.... ****** Clark came up behind Lois and leaned over her shoulder as she began to peruse the morning news. Following the Planet's lead, left-hand column downward, she spread out the front page across the breakfast table. "Slow news day?" he asked, reading along with her. FOUNDATION BUTTRESSED AS SUPERMAN PLEDGES NEW SUPPORT by Clark Kent Daily Planet Staff Writer METROPOLIS, June 26 -- At a late afternoon press conference, Superman announced a clean sweep of his recently embattled Foundation. Promising a renewed funding effort for one of its centerpiece projects, the Kingston Venture, he personally donated over $35,000 given to him from various unnamed sources. In further news, Superman announced the start of a new search for a Chief Executive Officer, after former Director, Marigold Smythe, was indicted for alleged misappropriation of funds. In the interim, he stated, the day-to-day work of the Foundation would be overseen by the Members of its Board of Directors, including newly installed Member, Mrs. Ellen Lane, former nurse and wife of well-known physician, Dr. Samuel Lane. Superman calls Mrs. Lane's unique organizational abilities a welcome addition to the Superman Foundation family.... BODY FISHED OUT OF HOBBS BAY IDENTIFIED by Lois Lane Daily Planet Staff Writer Police reported yesterday that the body found floating Monday in Hobbs Bay has been identified as Harry de Silva, 36, little known member of the Intergang crime organization. Detective Henderson, lead investigator on the case, suggested that the alleged murder might have been a hit, resulting from a rivalry between Intergang and other underworld forces attempting to gain control of Metropolis' criminal activities.... THIEF STOLEN: "WEASEL" KIDNAPPED BY GUERRILLAS WHILE IN SEARCH OF LOST MINE by Michael Landes Associate Press Writer JOHANNESBURG, June 26 -- Authorities at the British Embassy have received a ransom note for the return of noted jeweler, lapidary, explorer, and former international jewel thief Wendell "the Weasel" Van Horton aka Alfred Morton aka Wendell Norton aka Morton Phalstengraft, sources say. Van Horton, who was reported missing by one of his party last Tuesday, had only just joined a team of fellow adventurers in search of the lost diamond mine of Nimoy Falls. The guerrillas claim that they will hold Van Horton until British government officials.... LEX PROPOSES "HOUSE OF LUTHOR" by Cat Grant Daily Planet Staff Writer In a surprise announcement at a luncheon of Metropolis' top business leaders, Lex Luthor, Chairman of LexCorp, proposed the start of his own charitable foundation. Luthor, responding to a reporter's question on his thoughts about the Superman Foundation's recent troubles, said, "Reports of 'charity's death' in the United States are greatly exaggerated. There's plenty of room and plenty of need for those who have the necessary management skills and business savvy to help others, especially in light of the Superman Foundation's unfortunate shaky status.... Lois' eyes widened, not from one story or two, but from the combination of all they found -- like the pieces of a puzzle falling into place. She looked up to find Clark staring back at her, equally dumbfounded. "Slow news day," she repeated, shaking her head.... "Sweetheart, it's just the same old, same old." ~~THE END~~ In memory of Dr. P.M. Roget, *my* hero. Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:03 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 10 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Superman determinedly entered the doors of the police building, unsure what he was going to find. Passing a phalanx of people -- the lawyers, the bail bondsmen, the accused, the family members -- all those who seemed to be permanently attached to the benches lining the dirty, green walls, he made his way to the huge front desk, which was elevated to an exalted level. "Superman! What are you doing here?" the Desk Sergeant asked, putting down his phone in surprise as Superman floated upward to get an eye-to-eye view. They didn't often get the big guy at the smaller precinct buildings, and Sergeant Major was dutifully impressed. "I understand there was a ... a disturbance at a baby shower at the Lexor Hotel," Superman said, crossing his arms authoritatively. He refused to christen his wife's baby shower a "riot". "Yes ... funny you should ask about that. I was just on the phone with the hotel. It seems there was a mix-up between a 40th birthday party and a baby shower. Lance, a male ... exotic dancer, showed up at the wrong party and caused a bit of a commotion among the ladies," Sergeant Major reported. "Frankly, Superman, when they dragged them all in here, I felt sorrier for Lance." "Really ... Lance the exotic dancer.... Are Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Ellen Lane here?" he asked in a whisper, not wanting the names to get too much of an airing. "Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Ellen Lane," the Sergeant repeated. "Hey Frankie!" Clark winced as the officer yelled to a man sitting only a couple of feet away. "Are Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Ellen Lane in custody?!" Officer ... Frankie lifted his eyeglasses and perused the record of arrivals. "Hmm ... yes. *Oh, yes!*" he suddenly said with emphasis. "*They're* here." Curious, he moved down toward Superman and the Sergeant. "Uh ... a friend of mine -- Clark Kent -- asked me to pick them up. I assume they can be released," Superman whispered again, although the volume of the previous exchange made the whole effort beside the point. "Released? Definitely. But, if you don't mind me asking," the Sergeant said, leaning in, "who are they? One of them looks familiar." Superman didn't want to reveal much, fearing that someone might get wind of it, and, once again, his and Lois' life would be headline news. "They're Clark Kent's wife, mother, and mother-in-law." "A wife, mother, *and* mother-in-law, huh?" He chuckled, poking Officer Frankie in the ribs and giving him a dramatic, conspiratorial wink. "Hmm. *So*, does your friend want one of them, two of them, or all three? If you wouldn't mind some advice, Superman, I'd think hard about this one. Two of them came in armed." "Armed?!" Clark's eyes widened at the news. "Yeah." The Sergeant reached behind his desk and pulled out a large box, riffling through it slowly.... "One of them had a pair of sugar tongs," he said, cracking a smile as he laid it on the desk in front of them, "and the other one had-- Now, what was it that the pregnant lady had, Frankie?" The second officer reached over into the box and pulled out a small contraption that looked a tiny bit like an old time, RCA Victor phonograph. "Oh," Officer Frankie said loudly, "she had a breast pump!" He laid it next to the tongs, and the two of them burst out with laughter, drawing the titters and chuckles of others about the room. The laughter was so infectious, in fact, that Superman, himself, felt the corners of his own mouth betray him by lifting up slightly in a smile. "Um ... could you please release them," he said, gingerly picking up the breast pump to get it out of public view. "Sure, Superman." The Sergeant leaned over to direct an order to one of his subordinates. "Rosa ... can you bring out these three women?" he asked giving her a small sheet of paper with the names written on it. "Sergeant ... Major," Superman said slowly, giving the officer's badge a double-take, "is there also a Marigold Smythe in custody?" "Let's see," the Sergeant, said, running his finger down the list. Superman held his breath and prayed that she hadn't yet gotten out. "Most have already left. That Detective Reed wasn't too happy, I'll tell you.... A-h-h, here she is. Yes, she's here. Do you want her released too?" "No, um ... actually, I was wondering if you could *keep* her in custody. She's the CEO of the Superman Foundation, and I have reason to believe -- and the evidence to prove it -- that she bears some responsibility for the collapse of the Kingston Project's day care center last Thursday." Sergeant Major's mouth dropped open. "What?! Really?" All kidding pushed quickly aside, he grabbed his colleague's attention once again. "Frank! Call Henderson up at HQ. I think we have something here he's going to be *very* interested in." "Can I see her, Sergeant?" "Marigold Smythe? Sure, but I think she's going to need an attorney before we talk to her." "I understand.... Just a couple of minutes." The doors to the holding area swung open and a gust of hot air escaped. "Superman!" Ellen exclaimed. "What are you doing here? God! First, we get arrested at the Lexor at high noon and now Superman bails us out. Can things get any more perfect than this?!" she asked with a grimace, shoving on her huge sunglasses. "*Moth*-er," Lois groaned, following in her mother's wake, barely able to look at Clark once she had spotted him. "Honey," Ellen continued, "I just wanted things to be so perfect for you -- so beautiful. Instead, it turned out to be one big, unnatural disaster." "No it didn't.... Everything was fine," Martha insisted, pulling up the rear. She smiled over at Clark, shaking her head in secret amusement. "Mother ... I have to admit, I had my doubts about the baby shower. But, you did an incredible job with it, you're a terrific organizer, and I was having a really lovely time until we got arrested." "Arrested! Arrested at a baby shower. My life is one endless screwball comedy," Ellen cried. She sat down on a nearby bench as Martha tried to comfort her. "Lois," Superman called, motioning her to come with him out of the others' earshot. She, in turn, gestured toward the front desk. "I want to make sure the police lets everyone go. They're still holding a few people." He pulled her to the side. "I'll take care of it. How are you?" he said, pointedly looking downward. "Fine, fine," Lois answered still embarrassed by the whole affair. "This is the second time you've had to break me out of jail. The last time, you were a hot-to-trot newlywed," she joked, "but, this time--" "This time I had a different incentive," he interjected, smiling into her eyes. "After all, I can't bail out the kid without taking the mom too." "Very funny," she countered. "How did you find out we were here?" "I flew to the Lexor after I left the Foundation." She watched him closely, noting his clouded look. "You've found the proof on Marigold, haven't you?" "In black and white." "I'm sorry, Sweetheart.... *Really*," Lois said in low tones, "What are you going to do?" "Turn her in ... *after* I talk to her. Did you see her back there?" "Yeah ... she looked kind of sad. I almost felt sorry for her," Lois said. "Should we wait for you?" "No ... why don't you all go home and try to get over this ... this incident," he suggested, giving the busy, disheveled room a sweeping glance. "Okay," Lois agreed. "My mother will certainly need a recovery period, and rightly so. *But*, first, I want to stop by the Lexor and pick up my shower gifts." "Ahh. *Now,* whose being acquisitive?" Clark asked with a smile. "Hey! I got those gifts fair and square. No super powers. And, besides, they're for the baby." "What about this?" he asked, holding out the breast pump. "I understand it makes a pretty good weapon." She snatched it from him, tossing him a withering look. "Yeah, it was great.... I'll send off a recommendation to the Pentagon." ****** Officer Rosa Lopez, who had earlier escorted Clark's family out of their jail cell, led Superman back to the area where Marigold was being held. Most of the cells were filled with women who had been arrested for "activities" other than disturbing the peace or assaulting an exotic dancer with a pair of sugar tongs, a breast pump, and an assortment of petit fours. But, Clark doubted that their reasons for being arrested were any more colorful than his wife's. As they walked by, Clark noticed a few women who had undoubtedly been guests at his wife's baby shower. However, before he could ask the police officer if she could release them, the officer began pointing to them one at a time.... "You, and you, and you, over there. You can go now," she said to the relieved women, as she unlocked the doors of the large cell. Marigold, sitting off by herself, looked anxiously over to Superman, but something about the way he returned her gaze seemed less than promising. Getting up quickly, she walked over to where he stood. "I'm guessing you're not here to get me out." "No ... I'm sorry. I'm not. As a matter of fact, I was doing a little digging around at the Foundation this morning, and I found something interesting.... You know, I never realized how beautiful and ... unique your desk is." Marigold sucked in her breath quickly and looked away, beginning to feel the onslaught of tears pricking her eyes. "My-- my desk...." "Yes, it's very unusual -- especially the front panel." "You ... you found the compartment." "I found the compartment ... *and* its contents," he said sadly, attempting to hide his pain behind a steel mask. Little could she know how difficult it was. "Mari-- Ms. Smythe, I don't ... understand. How-- How could you be a part of something that might have ended up killing people. In four days time, that day care center would have been *filled* with children. Frankly, it's a blessing the roof collapsed when it did." She turned back to him, the tears pooling and threatening to fall. "Superman, you've got to believe that I didn't expect *anything* like that to happen." "What *did* you expect to happen?" Superman asked in exasperation. "I don't know.... I expected paint to peel, a roof to leak, pipes to burst.... Nothing compared to the collapse of a building." "But, *why?* Either way, you're robbing a worthy cause of the funds it needs. Clark told me of your past -- of the rough times your family had while you were growing up, the handouts they had to take. I thought you *of all people* would understand the need these people have." "I understand it, and when I was growing up, I resented it. I resented always having to ask for things, always having to be grateful. The government, the rich, even your so-called "do gooders", they talk about the importance of charity, and then they turn around and condemn the very same people they claim to want to help -- condemn them for being lazy, shiftless, morally bankrupt, you name it," she said, her bitterness fighting with her tears. "When I finally clawed my way out of poverty, I promised I would never look back. *And*, I guess I overdid it," she continued with a laugh. "When I got to Wall Street, I was so hungry for security, I overcompensated. I took a little bit more than I should have. They *all* do it, but I got caught. *So*, it was either prosecution or "prostitution" -- in so many words." "*Who* caught you? *Who* made the deal with you? Was it Lex Luthor?" Superman anxiously pressed. "Lex Luthor? Why ... no." Superman frowned in frustration. "You *never* dealt with Lex Luthor? *Never*? You *do* know that he owns Burnston-Hughes." "Owns Burnston-Hughes? LexCorp *owned* Burnston-Hughes, but then it went into litigation. No. I dealt with someone by the name of Harry ... Harry de Silva." "Harry de Silva? Oh-h-h, Marigold," he said, no longer holding back. He couldn't believe that such a smart woman.... "How could you be *so*-- How could *I* be so-- Oh, I don't know. Ms. Smythe, I trusted you with something very important to me," he concluded, an edge to his voice. She looked away. The tears, which had threatened her earlier, were falling freely now, and all he could do was clear his throat and avoid focusing too closely on her. Finding it too difficult, Clark looked around instead. He took in the large, dirty cells filled with prostitutes, panhandlers and drunks. He took in the noises and smells of government officialdom in all of its destitute glory. It was quite a contrast to his and Marigold's earlier days on a sun-speckled, tree-lined campus made up of red-brick, ivy-covered buildings and young dreams. Superman finally returned to her and tried to make sense of his conflicting emotions. "Look, Ms. Smythe ... you're obviously going to have to face what you've done, *but* I'll get you an attorney -- someone who will see to it that all of this blackmail business comes out, who will make it clear that you were *not* the one ultimately responsible for targeting the Foundation.... Someone who will see to it that you get treated fairly." "You would do that, after all I tried to do to you?" she asked in disbelief, offering him a shaky smile that barely made it through her tears. "You know ... you remind me a lot of Clark Kent -- intelligent, caring, filled with integrity, innate goodness," she said, staring into his eyes as if seeking his soul. "It's going to be hard to face him." "I'm sure he'll be ... as supportive as he can be." "I hope so, although I certainly don't deserve it.... And-- And, what about you?" Marigold tentatively asked. "I can't promise you more than I have," he said. He reached out and impulsively squeezed the hand which gripped one of the bars. Marigold smiled at Superman's words and watched as he strode away, his cape billowing behind him like an errant knight of old. He couldn't know what that pledge meant to her. How could he? He didn't know the depth of her regard. ****** "Mindy Church." "Hello, Mrs. Church," she heard a smooth, male voice intone. Straightening like an arrow, she gripped the phone as if it were someone's neck. "*Well,*" she haughtily answered, "if it isn't the pooper at Superman's last party--" "Mrs. Church!" Lex interrupted, grinning into his receiver, "are you attempting to imply something?" "I'm not attempting to imply anything, Luthor. I'm *saying* that you've been a very naughty Metropolian lately. *But*, in spite of that, I'm glad that you've called." "Really? And, why is that?" "Ohhh, for one extra-special -- precious -- priceless reason," she said, fingering the glinting red gem which adorned her. Lex Luthor chuckled. He knew exactly to what she was referring. It was part of the game. "I hope you appreciate it," he said, an edge to his tone. "Oh, I do," she answered, lounging back in her chair. "In fact, right now, it's lying tucked in my cleavage, caressing my bosoms. I like it. You would like it too. Do you want me to tell you what I was doing the last time I wore it?" "Ahem.... Maybe the next time I see you, you can show me. Um, speaking of ... *that*, how is Harry de Silva? Still ... going strong?" "Harry? I'm not happy with Harry. He had to go away -- *far away* -- and it's such a shame because he was *so* good at what he did," she said in a pout. "Well, maybe he was and maybe he wasn't," Lex said, sounding more assured than he should. He turned his free hand one way, and then the other, admiring the bright red stone of one of his extra-special -- precious -- priceless cufflinks, as it glimmered. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion. "O-h-h, nothing in particular. It's just that ... *well*, Mrs. Church, kryptonite's not only a *girl's* best friend." ****** Lois sat at her dresser, brushing her hair and watching Clark's reflection in the mirror. Although he appeared to be relaxing, lying back in his boxers, reading one of the many baby books he had come across during his latest flight to the other side of the world, Lois knew his thoughts were elsewhere. "So ... Marigold never had any contact with Lex Luthor," Lois repeated for the fifth time that night. "That's right," Clark answered, closing his book and putting it aside. "I spoke with Constance, after her first interview with Marigold, and she confirmed that the only time Marigold had ever met Lex was at the day care center dedication." "And, what did the police say?" "They can't find any connections to Lex either," he said, as he shook his head in disgust. "There's one saving grace, though." "*Oh*, do tell. I could use some good news." "Well, the police also said that part of the reason the day care center's roof collapsed so easily was because of rain damage. Those storms we've been having recently really weakened the structure. *However*, what would have been a simple leak, or a small hole, under the best of conditions turned into a major catastrophe with the substandard materials and shoddy workmanship they were using." "How is that good news?" "Constance thinks it might help Marigold's case -- sort of like mitigating circumstances which factored into the accident." "Oh," Lois said simply. She looked over to him and tried to dig up a few sympathetic words -- not because *she* felt Marigold deserved them, but because she loved her husband and, in the midst of his pain, *he* deserved her support. Lois bit her lip in frustration.... "But, *still,*" she finally said in disgust, whirling her chair around, "it makes my blood boil that Lex is going to get away, scot free, when I just know he's involved. I can feel it." "I know, Honey," Clark said, reaching for her hand as she came over and sat on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand over the silky sleeve of her robe, feeling her warmth under it. "The whole thing's making me crazy too, but I just have to get past it and promise myself it'll never happen again. I'll never again be so ... *gullible*," he said, after searching for an appropriate word. "Clark! You're not gullible -- not really," she added with a smile. "You just trust people. You're open to them. You're loyal. You think the best rather than the worst." "*Yeah*," he replied, "like I said, gullible." Lois let out a deep breath, knowing she wasn't going to assuage his guilt overnight. The restoration of his spirit was going to be a gradual process just as will the restoration of the public's confidence in the Foundation he had built. "I'm going to take my shower," she said. "Talk to me?" He got up without a moment's hesitation and followed her into their bathroom. As she took off her robe and climbed into the tub, she took his hand to steady her way. "Have you stopped by to see Marigold?" Lois asked, as nonchalantly as she could. She watched him carefully, noting the battle going on behind his features and knowing he had to come to terms with his twin desires -- the need to help someone who he had always considered a friend, and yet, the equally compelling desire to avoid her out of anger and disappointment. "Well, Superman went--" "*No, Clark*," she interrupted, before closing the shower curtain, turning on the spray of water, and continuing to speak to him over it. "Have *you* visited Marigold?" "No." "Clark." Lois pulled the shower curtain open again, revealing a beautiful glistening body heavy with child. "Why haven't you tried to see her?" "I don't know ... I-- I got Constance Hunter to represent her." "Superman did that. Why haven't *you* gone to see her?" she repeated, poking him in the chest before returning to her shower. "I don't understand you," he called back. "Why would *you* want me to see Marigold. You're the one who had all the suspicions. You're the one who wasn't so gung ho about her in the first place." 'Maybe my maternal hormones are softening me up,' Lois sarcastically thought, but didn't say. She pulled back the curtain again to face him, revealing a body which was not only shimmering but soapy as well. "Honey ... this isn't about my feelings. I didn't have a relationship with Marigold and neither did Superman; you did. And, I don't think you're going to be able to put this whole thing behind you until you face her. Besides, when I said that you were a trusting and open person, I meant for you to take that as a compliment. They're qualities I never managed to cultivate, and which I love in you so much. Why is it that you have friends back in Smallville who write you and old college classmates who keep in touch? Why is it that people at work approach you with their problems before they'll approach me? Why is it that I couldn't believe that anyone would actually plan a baby shower for me? Because -- despite the Superman guise -- there's no artifice about you, at least, where it counts," Lois said, poking him in the chest again in the general direction of his very big heart. He looked down at his smooth, muscled skin, inexplicably watching the soapy water she had left there drip off. "You know," he said, slowly lifting his head to return her gaze, "you're right. I *have* put off facing Marigold -- as Clark. Although I know she wants to talk to me, I didn't think I could get through it. Each time I've shown up as Superman, she's asked about Clark. For both our sakes, and, in spite of everything, I've got to show her that *I'm* willing to help her make amends ... to me, to everyone. It's certainly how I feel," Clark said, turning away, determinedly, and walking back into their bedroom. "Clark ... where are you going?" Lois asked in concern. "I've got to go and see Marigold." "But ... Honey, it's nine o'clock at night," she said, hoping she hadn't "created a monster". He looked about him, focusing on the digital clock by the bed just flipping to 9:20. "Oh ... yeah," he answered, a little embarrassed. As Superman, he was used to having no limits, but even Superman was limited by time. She smiled at him, reaching out her hand. "Come here." He walked slowly back to her, a glistening woman beckoning him; her smooth, blemishless skin rivalling the painted porcelain for perfection but completely surpassing it in terms of beauty and warmth. Sometimes, she could make him forget -- not in a bad way -- but in a way that comforted and healed. 'I'll go tomorrow,' Clark thought, 'first thing in the morning.' He reached her, and she pulled him so close that standing on the bathroom floor was no longer an option. Dressed or undressed, he didn't care. He floated in. "Sweetheart," she whispered against his lips, as the spray hit them both, "when it comes to showing people that you care about them, charity -- most definitely -- begins at home." ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:03 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 9 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "Jimmy ... You know the Wall Street securities firm, Burnston-Hughes?" The younger man looked up from his computer to find Clark hovering over him and nodded his head "yes" in reply. "Would it be-- Would it be possible to break into their personnel files?" Clark said, finishing his request all at once with a bite of his lip. "I take it you don't mean with a sledgehammer," Jimmy quipped, wondering if Lois and Clark ever *spoke* to each other. "No, uh ... with a computer," Clark replied, frowning. Without a further word, Jimmy dug through a large pile of folders which were threatening to take a tumble at the edge of his desk. Through what appeared to be random selection, he pulled out one of the thicker ones and handed it to Clark. "What's this?" "Burnston-Hughes' personnel records, specifically information on Marigold Smythe. It was pretty difficult. I couldn't get into everything, but I--" "How did you know I was going to ask-- ?" Clark shook his head, indicating that no answer was needed. Lois Lane, investigative reporter extraordinaire, must have gotten the ball rolling after all. Should he have expected otherwise, considering all that was at stake? "CK," Jimmy called, after Clark had turned away and was heading back to the conference room. "Yeah?" Jimmy nodded towards the file tucked under Clark's arm -- the file on his old friend, Marigold Smythe, which revealed much more than her salary level and benefits package. "I'm sorry," he said, his eyes showing his concern. "That's all right, Jimmy.... It couldn't be helped." ****** Despite Lois' prayers for a tornado or a typhoon or even a heat-induced thunderstorm, Saturday dawned as brightly as the weather forecaster had predicted, leaving all activities for the day annoyingly on schedule. In fact, the *only* shower still in the offing was being produced and directed by Hurricane Ellen, featuring Lois Lane, in a make or break performance as Ellen's gracious daughter. The night before, in anticipation of this turn of events, Martha Kent had brought up something that had been at the back of Lois' mind. Namely, should Lois request that her mother *un*-invite Marigold from the baby shower, considering all that Lois and Clark suspected of her. Surprisingly, however, as they sat around the kitchen table sharing a cherry cheesecake, Clark, who had heretofore been as silent as a mouse, interrupted the women's conversation. "If you don't mind, I would prefer that you keep things as they are," he said, offering no explanation. "Why, honey?" his mother asked, anxious over Clark's morose manner. 'Maybe I *should* have encouraged his father to come with me to Metropolis as he had wanted,' she thought. Martha reached out to lift a curl from her son's forehead as she had a thousand times in the past. "I want to know that people who *I* can trust are occupying Marigold's time tomorrow," Clark finally answered. "I want to make sure that she won't show up at the Foundation unexpectedly." "You're going over there to snoop around, aren't you?" Lois interjected, the excitement she always felt at such a proposition beginning to take hold. "Superman is going to look through *all* the records, as he should have been doing all along," Clark corrected. "Can I rely on you to keep her busy?" "What a question." ****** As Martha and Lois walked quickly down the street towards the Lexor, Lois checked her watch every few steps, certain they were going to be late. "Are you sure we can park in that spot?" Martha asked, looking back at the jeep in concern. "I think that was a loading zone." "Martha ... trust me. I've been driving and, um ... parking in Metropolis ever since I was sixteen. I *know* this city. Besides, we don't have any time to find a legal spot." "But the Lexor has valet park--," Martha began to say before catching her daughter-in-law's distracted expression. "Okay," she said, questioning no further. Still, she checked behind them once again to see if the jeep had, as yet, attracted any unwanted meter maids. Upon arriving at the Lexor, a man in livery opened one of the large glass and gold-trimmed doors, welcoming the two women in a courtly manner to the hotel's unquestioned elegance. Immediately, the huge lobby enwrapped them in an odd combination of warm coziness and open grandeur. The interesting contrast, which Lois had admired in the past, appeared to be fostered by large, oriental area rugs, thick-cushioned couches and low slung tables carefully arranged about smooth columns which rushed upward into the heights of an atrium lined with balconies trimmed by lush hanging plants. Within moments they were greeted by a concierge. "The Lane party," Lois said. "Bayne? That's the blue room," the concierge answered, pointing towards a set of doors. "No ... *L*ane," Lois emphasized. "*Not* Bayne?" She frowned for a moment in thought. "Oh ... excuse me, Madam. The Lane party's right next door to that. In the rose room," the woman replied, directing them to a wide, carpeted corridor off the main hall, interspersed with double white doors, either closed, opened, or slightly ajar. It was a busy Saturday at the Lexor and there seemed to be a multitude of uses being made of the hotel, both celebratory and business in nature. Each room offered a separate glimpse into the whirl of life in Metropolis. "Just in time," Martha said, noting Ellen standing near the doors of the rose room. "Get ready," the younger woman whispered, "I can only imagine what she's come up with." As they moved closer, Lois prepared herself for the worst in ostentation. However, as her mother took her arm, leading her into the medium-sized meeting room, Lois couldn't help herself. She gasped in delight. There were seven round tables -- one centered and three to each side -- tastefully draped in white linen with centerpieces of white roses gathered by the thinnest of light blue and pink ribbon. Crystal sparkled from each place setting, dancing off of the delicately lit chandeliers which created a restive atmosphere in contrast to the brilliant June sun they had just left outside. In fact, the curtains to the side windows were attractively draped to allow only a subtle glow to filter in and play about the very thinly striped, pale rose and white walls. To top off the delicate feeling, a light string accompaniment was piped in over the sound system, tickling the ear. Granted, to Lois it did seem like high tea in a ladies salon, but for some reason it pleased her and she wondered if a little of her mother wasn't peeking through the layers of the hardened newswoman she had become. "Oh, Mother," Lois said softly. "This is lovely," Martha intoned. All the women seated about the tables turned and smiled, greeting her warmly. Some she recognized as friends: Alice White, Penny Barnes, Cat Grant, Molly Flynn, Michele Sipkowicz, Star ... 'Star!' Lois' head whipped about, wondering if the psychic counselor had found her mother or her mother had found Star. Either way, Lois wished she had been in on *that* conversation. Dragging her eyes away, Lois continued to gaze about the room. Other guests she recognized as colleagues and acquaintances, professional and otherwise: the President of the local chapter of NOW, Detective Reed from Police Headquarters, Carolyn, a researcher from STAR Labs, Dr. Friskin--'Dr. Friskin!' The woman reassuringly smiled back at Lois' startled look.... Topping off the melange of guests were a few friends of her mother's, and the Mayor of Metropolis, who, Lois would bet, was "severely overbooked and behind schedule." To the side, Lois noted Beverly Lipman, her mother's partner in crime, looking about the room with a certain air of satisfaction. And, to the other side, bringing Lois up short, was Marigold Smythe. Although she too was smiling at the guest of honor, unlike everyone else in the room, Marigold also had a tightness around her mouth, a heaviness to her eyes, and a paleness to her skin, suggesting more than one sleepless night. Lois took a deep breath and turned away, allowing her mother to escort her to their table and away from her suddenly sour thoughts. Within minutes, a side door opened and in walked the waiters with the start of what promised to be a five course lunch complete with a liberal supply of wines in accompaniment. "Take my word for it," Cat Grant whispered to her colleague, noting Lois' most appropriate, if dull, Perrier and lime, "*this* is superb." And, with that, she took the flute glass she was studying and thoroughly enjoyed the contents. Lois grimaced. 'This is one thing I *can* fault Mother on,' she thought, glowering at Ellen through her glass of nonalcoholic bubbly. 'How could she serve this, considering her background with liquor?!" However, Lois could also hear, without missing a beat, her mother and Beverly caroling back in response.... "Lois! French?! *Without* wine?!" ****** True to Lois' expectations, the Mayor, encouraged by an insistent, eager-beaver staffer, began making her apologies shortly before dessert, leaving the guest of honor no choice but to begin the heart of the celebration -- the opening of gifts. With that beginning and the Mayor's leave-taking, the women all turned their chairs towards Lois. Filled with good feeling and countless glasses of wine, they "Ooohed" and "Ahhhed", and some reminisced, over small booties, delicate nighties, practical tote bags with multiple pockets, a baby car seat, a folding stroller. Then, suddenly it hit Lois. 'These things are for a *real* baby! For *my* real baby!' she mused, sporting a stupefied grin. With that, Ellen quickly took up her camera and captured her daughter's "charming" expression for all posterity. Slowly but surely, Lois made her way through the pile of prettily wrapped packages, until, all that was left was a glittery gold one with a crazy, hot pink ribbon tied about it and blue sparkling stars poking out in all directions. "Let me guess," she deadpanned, sending a sidelong glance to her Mother. "If it's not from Star," Lois said, nodding her head at the smiling psychic who had given her a diaphanous baby shawl along with a certificate for a free natal chart and astral portrait for the exact moment the baby was born. Lois picked up the box and shook it. "Then, it must be from Lucy." "Who's Lucy?" Penny asked. "My sister." "Ellen ... you have another daughter?" a second woman chimed in. "Yes ... she lives in some state out west," Ellen offered. "It's called California," Lois interjected, rolling her eyes over the fact that Lucy would never be forgiven for living so far away, with those "Hollywood people". Lois smiled at the Day-Glo packaging once again. Ripping into it, she slowed down once she reached the box, carefully opening the lid in case the contents proved fragile. Her frown, which had only been teasing her features, grew bigger as she pulled out a funnel like contraption she couldn't quite put a name to. "What is this?" she asked her mother. Martha leaned over to whisper in her ear. "It's a breast pump." "What?" "It's a breast pump," Martha tried again. "I'm sorry?" "Will somebody tell her it's a sex aid?!" Detective Reed called out to shrieks of laughter followed by several more off-color jokes, leading to additional loud guffaws. ****** In the midst of the merriment, very few of the women noticed a man enter the room. In fact, most thought he was a waiter until they focused more clearly on his dark uniform. Martha's eyes grew wider as he strode directly over to Lois, put down a bag he was carrying, and took Lois' wrist in his hand. "Ms. Bayne ... I"m Officer Lance, and you're under arrest," he said, softly and simply, "for having a hot time on your birthday without me." "What? Who? What-- What are you doing?!" Lois demanded. Attempting to tug her hand back, she looked up at the policeman's deep blue eyes and sandy blond hair only to be rewarded with a wink. "Officer ... what is this? What did she do?" Ellen anxiously asked, not at all surprised that Lois was being arrested in the middle of her baby shower. After all, pregnant or not, her daughter wasn't above doing things slightly shy of the law in pursuit of her work.... 'But, even so,' Ellen inwardly cried, 'how could she do this to *me*!?' "For God sake," Martha declared to the policeman, "she only parked in a loading zone!" The officer -- the quite good-looking officer if one were honest -- paid attention to none of the women, neither the ones who were fretfully questioning him, nor those who could only stare in appalled fascination. Instead, he focused his full attention on the bemused, pregnant woman in front of him. Unhooking a set of handcuffs from his belt, he clamped one end onto Lois' wrist and the other onto her chair. "Hey!" Detective Reed shouted, as she ran forward. "What's your name? Which precinct are you from?" "The precinct of love," he said, smiling suggestively at her. With that, he pulled a boombox out of his bag and pushed a button which signalled the start of a deep, seductive beat. Seconds later, he began to slowly sway his hips, in time to the pulsating rhythm as over fifty mouths dropped open in astonishment. "I don't know about the rest of you," Alice White muttered to no one in particular, "but, this is quickly becoming the best baby shower I've ever attended." "It sure beats trying to guess the sex of the baby with a string and a ring," Cat replied. A big smile broke out on her face and she quickly stood up and clapped to the music. Encouraged by even this minor show of support, the young officer whipped off his hat, dancing with it, like a fan dancer, before setting it jauntily on Lois' head. With a wiggle of his hips, he then began to slowly snap open the buttons of his jacket, each inch displaying a bit of muscled chest. "Young man!" Ellen bellowed, "This is outrageous! Who sent you--" "Ellen ... did you ask this man to come?!" Beverly asked, speaking at the same time. Her eyes widened as the last button was popped on the officer's coat, exposing a broad, hairy chest for all to see. Ellen twirled around, glaring at Beverly. "Don't be ridiculous," she answered before turning back to find the Policeman's jacket draped across her pregnant daughter's stomach, with the bare-chested man, who belonged to it, undulating and gyrating in front of her. "Whoa!" Cat cried out in enthusiasm, drawing a few women to give a round of applause along with her. "Stop this!" Ellen demanded, looking towards Detective Reed almost accusingly. "Mrs. Lane," the Detective said with a laugh, "normally, I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole.... After all, why would I need a ten foot pole--" The pants were the next to go. The young man picking up his actions as the beat became faster, moved his hands to his sides, and, with one sweeping movement, ripped his pants off and swung them in the air. His hips, supporting a black, sequined G-string, swung wildly along with them. "That's it!" Ellen cried out, while Beverly leapt up to join her. "Stop it!" Moving forward, Ellen grabbed a pair of sugar tongs and advanced towards "the officer." He promptly backed away in time to the rhythm of the music. "Mrs. Lane, I'll handle him-- I mean, I'll take care of this," Detective Reed said. But, it was too late. Even though Lois had also jumped up to try and stop her mother, forgetting that she was shackled to her chair by a pair of intractable handcuffs, Ellen had already reached the hapless, young man. "Lois!" Martha and Alice exclaimed in unison, each stumbling over the other to get to Lois before *she* began stumbling over the chair she dragged behind her in her pursuit. Ellen, completely engrossed in her semi-naked target, was oblivious. She picked up a napkin and began to sling it sharply against the young man in a G-string. "Hey, Lady ... get away from my livelihood!" he shouted back as Ellen's napkin hit a sensitive spot. She hit him again, snapping the tongs at him in tandem, and avoiding all attempts by Detective Reed to intervene. "Lady! I don't get paid enough for *this*!" he shouted at her. Taking a handful of cake, he slung it in her direction. "Duck!" Beverly Lipman exhorted, joining in by throwing a petit four, which promptly hit a waiter. "Madre de Dios! Senoras! Senoras ... por favor!" the waiter began to plead. "Incoming!" a second waiter shouted. SPLAT! It was hopeless. Both men dove behind a dessert cart, each, in his own language, cursing the emotional natures of women. ****** Racing out of the rose room, the second waiter, who had managed to make his escape, sped down the sedate and elegant corridor towards the Lexor's concierge who was conferring with a bellman. "I think we're going to have a riot in there," he reported, out of breath and trying to clean cake off of his glasses. "A riot! Where?!" the appalled woman asked. She looked towards the large ballroom, thinking immediately of the Shriner's Bi-Annual Initiation and Awards ceremony. "At the-- at the baby shower-- in the rose room," he said, squinting through his icing-smeared lens. "They've already hit Jose Ramirez with at least five or six of those little pink and blue cakes! And, one lady is attacking some naked guy with a set of tongs," he added, cringing at the painful memory. "A *naked man*?! At a baby shower?!" she repeated in disbelief. Muttering that it took all kinds and you can never tell by looking at people, the concierge ordered the bellman to get help, and then headed towards the front desk. "Charlie," she said to the reservationist, "call the police." The bellman, hearing her words to Charlie at the desk and wanting to prove *his* worth, walked swiftly through the lobby. He tried to maintain the decorum the dignity of the Lexor demanded; however, hoping he was out sight of their guests, he burst through the impressive front entrance, knocked over the doorman, and scanned the street. For once, he wasn't helping to look for a taxi. "Ah, ha!" he said, brimming with efficiency. A block away, a policeman was diligently giving a ticket to a jeep, brazenly parked in a loading zone. "Officer! Officer!" ****** Superman flew off in the direction of the 37th Police Precinct, wondering *why* he was flying off to the 37th Police Precinct. Moments earlier, he had arrived at the Lexor Hotel to find a very discomforted management still upset over having to have a group of women from a baby shower, along with a half-naked man, hauled off in police wagons. Completely nonplussed, but trying not to show it, Superman questioned whether it had, indeed, been the *Lane* baby shower which had been so unceremoniously dispatched. "Yes," said the Manager, "definitively" -- although one or two of the Lexor staff thought it might have been the *Bayne* birthday party which had been the cause of the ruckus. Clark shook his head in confusion. Before he had decided to go to the Lexor to find Marigold, he had been at the quiet, darkened offices of the Superman Foundation scanning the entire place for files, papers, records, computer traffic -- anything that would indicate whether the Foundation had been the victim of sabotage, especially anything that would implicate his old friend, Marigold. Fortunately -- or unfortunately -- depending on one's point of view he supposed, all of the papers he went through seemed perfectly, boringly legitimate. 'Maybe she's *not* involved,' Clark thought in relief, 'but *who* has the access and the kind of power necessary to hinder such a large project as the Kingston Venture? Could it be a Board Member?' Just as Clark was about to give up, he swept the room one last time with his x-ray vision, and suddenly found his feeling of relief vanishing, only to be replaced by an odd curiosity. 'What is that old phrase?' he asked himself, 'if one wants to hide something, they should "hide it in plain sight".' Clark focused, once again, on Marigold's lovely, ornate oak desk. He remembered how she had insisted upon bringing it with her, despite the fact that it could barely get through her new office's door. In fact, she seemed especially attached to it as it had a personalized front panel -- a carving of a bouquet of marigolds. When he scanned the entire desk, he could see through the wood and into the drawers filled with files, office supplies, personal items. However, when he scanned the front carving, he couldn't see through it at all. Lead? 'The front of the desk is lead-lined?' Clark squatted down, pushing his cape back to get it out of his way. Carefully, he ran his fingers along the sides of the panel, and then, just as he was expecting, he found a small catch. Flicking it upward, the panel -- a false front obviously built for stealth -- magically sprung loose, revealing a shallow cabinet. So many of these old pieces of furniture sported such odd compartments that he shouldn't have been surprised. However, what did surprise him was the lead sheet riveted to the back side of the front panel. 'Undoubtedly a recent "improvement" to the piece,' Clark thought, before turning to what was truly of interest. With resignation, he reached in and pulled out a leather book. Opening it, he found dates, with their corresponding entries of sales and purchases -- all in contradiction to the dates of delivery for materials to the Kingston Project which were reported in the public books he had previously seen. Furthermore, a computer disk was slid into the sleeve of the front cover. 'I wonder what I'll find here -- that is if I can access the files,' he mused. He didn't have to ponder the question long. Sticking the disk into the nearest computer, the "paper trail" Lois had earlier guessed at and he had been unwilling to accept was painfully revealed: all the memos and records sent to the accountant for the Kingston Project from the CEO's office discussing the profitable sales of the high-quality materials which had been purchased earlier; the statements acknowledging the receipt of second-rate supplies from K.O. Construction's contacts in the underworld; the shifting of men so that only those who were "trustworthy" would be working on the site. Combined with the hard-copy files Lois had earlier collected on the connection between Burnston-Hughes and LexCorp, Clark was finally prepared to believe that Marigold had been planted to help destroy the Kingston Venture, if not the Foundation itself. By hiding the evidence in plain sight behind a bouquet of marigolds, Clark wondered if, perhaps, his old friend was emitting a subconscious cry for help. Superman shook his head, trying to push aside his emotional turmoil. "But, who's been giving the orders?" he asked, steadying himself. There was no sign of Lex in any of the documents. Of course, Luthor would never permit such laxity.... "The communications had to be person to person," Clark said aloud, realizing he could delay it no longer. He had to speak to Marigold, to try and convince her to give herself up, as well as to implicate Luthor's name -- if she could. ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:02 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 8 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "Who else would have the wherewithal to track down red kryptonite?" Lois posed. "And, Morton stole it?" Clark continued. "It's the only thing that makes sense," Lois said. "Except, I don't know whether he stole it for Lex or from Lex." "Definitely *for*." "But, from where and ... why?" Lois asked, wondering if she dare draw a connection to the Foundation. "I don't know," Clark answered, rubbing his aching head and feeling his stomach roll over in general dissatisfaction. "Does there *have* to be a reason why when it comes to Lex Luthor?" "Well ... sometimes," she offered, squirming slightly. Lois hated to broach her next topic but knew she could no longer put it off. "Remember those new men who Bobby mentioned were hired for the Kingston Project?..." "Yeah. I asked Marigold about that, and she said that they were needed to keep the Project on its original schedule, and they've done it. It appears they're doing wonderfully." "That's not exactly what *I've* heard. Bobby said that the new men had been hired as replacements, not as additions. He met one of the laid off workers in a pub. He also said that the new workers came from the K.O. Construction Company." "That's not possible," Clark declared, immediately recognizing the name of the shady company and its once-upon-a-time connection to Lex Luthor. "Honey ..." she began. Clark sat up slowly but determinedly. "No, Lois. I know Marigold. She would never do business with those type of people." "Maybe she doesn't know about it," Lois offered, although she certainly didn't believe it. "Even if the men are from K.O. -- and I'm not saying that they are -- Lex doesn't *still* control K.O., does he? And, what does all of this have to do with Alfred Morton and red kryptonite?" "I don't know *exactly*, but I know one thing for sure." Lois paused, gathering her courage. "Clark ... Lex owns Burnston-Hughes Securities. Marigold was employed by Lex Luthor, and for all we know, she may *still* be employed by Lex Luthor." "That's it!" Clark angrily replied. "Lois, you've gone too far. Marigold is an old friend. That's all. Nothing happened the other night between us, beyond dinner and dancing and flying. Nothing!" Lois stood up, glaring down at him. "Are you implying that I'm saying all of this about Marigold because I'm *jealous* of her?! Clark! I have proof that Burnston-Hughes is a subsidiary of LexCorp." "And, *I* know that, when Lex "died" the *first* time, LexCorp was divested of all of its Wall Street holdings, along with most of its other holdings," Clark countered, folding his arms stubbornly in his "I know I'm right," Superman pose. "I don't think so.... *Clark*, just stop and begin adding everything up," Lois threw back. "And, just think about one other thing as well.... The only person you remember being with yesterday -- before you went loopy on kryptonite -- is Marigold Smythe." ****** Clark stood before their bedroom mirror, adjusting his Superman costume, tucking and pulling it here and there. "Does it still fit?" Lois asked, watching him from the sidelines as she applied her make-up. "I think so," he said, making a face as he tugged at a particularly sensitive area. "Frankly, I'm surprised that you can get into it at all," she observed. "I must have washed all your suits ten times over and disinfected them within an inch of their life." He said nothing. Lois knew he was still angry over her allegations against Marigold, but he couldn't deny that she was at least partially right. Upon his return from STAR Labs on Wednesday night, she had shown him all the boxes of files in their living room and had made him face the fact that, indeed, LexCorp still had a healthy -- or, perhaps one should say unhealthy -- grip on Burnston-Hughes. If the company had once been divested, it was now completely re-invested. "Clark ... maybe Superman shouldn't go to the dedication ceremony this afternoon. Dr. Klein did mention that you should take it easy for a few days." "He said I shouldn't use my super powers, *not* that I shouldn't speak in public. Besides, I want to be there. After having my picture bounced all over the world hobnobbing with the jet set, my absence wouldn't exactly go without comment." "I suppose you're right," she answered, knowing their colleagues in the press and what they were likely to report if Superman failed to make an appearance. "In any case, this will be the best opportunity I know of to announce that I'm donating to the Foundation the money I picked up during 'Superman Airlines' brief tenure," he added. Lois sighed, knowing *that* to be true as well. Even so, a part of her *was* concerned about Clark's physical well-being. And, more importantly, she was concerned about his mental state -- about the psychological toll this whole episode had taken on him. Facing Marigold was going to be hard for him, no matter what he claimed. And, it would be hard for Lois as well. ****** A carnival atmosphere played about the street facing the newly minted Kingston Community Day Care Center. In front, draped with colorful bunting, a temporary dais had been constructed, supporting city officials, various members of Metropolis' philanthropic world, Superman Foundation Board Members, and other notable private citizens -- including both Superman, and, oddly enough, Lex and Beth Luthor. As the Super Hero looked down from his perch, today no higher than anyone else's sitting on the stage, he could see a local high school band settling before the audience, emitting a cacophony of notes as they tuned their instruments. To his left side, an enthusiastic children's chorus was assembling in a tumbling and haphazard manner. On his right, and in direct contradiction, the media took *its* place, looking bored and jaded as they adjusted their equipment and periodically checked their watches. Scanning this side more carefully, Superman immediately found Lois Lane, who, it seems, had successfully convinced Perry White that, as a "working mother", *she* should be the one to attend a day care center dedication. Happily, unlike earlier in the week, the sun was streaming down upon the celebratory group. However, in conjunction with the ceremony, a light wind had also gained strength, causing odd creaking noises to sound from the wood bleachers and the surrounding buildings in competition with the flapping of pennants and banners. Once the music, the invocation, and the initial welcomes were finished, the Mayor was the first of the major speakers to make her remarks. Immediately, she apologized for having to run off as she was -- as most politicians were -- "severely overbooked and behind schedule". Through all of this, Clark watched Marigold Smythe carefully, and for the life of him, he couldn't see the act. But, then again, he wondered if he wasn't allowing himself to see it. In irritation, his eyesight slid sideways, and he nonchalantly peered at the seemingly unimpeachable Luthor, trying to detect some sort of a surreptitious communication with Marigold -- some body language, an eye blink, mental telepathy. The thought repelled him and abruptly, he looked away, angry that Lois had planted it in his mind on an occasion he wanted unblemished and disappointed that he couldn't quite dismiss it. The wind whipped up further. In response, Clark felt a slight swaying of the dais. 'Marigold better get this show moving faster,' he joked to himself, 'or the wind's going to blow this whole event straight to Kansas.' Fortunately, in light of this growing blot on an otherwise stellar day, Superman was the next speaker on the list. He watched as Marigold charmingly recounted how she had been given her current job by a great man, how she was very new to the Kingston effort, as well as to Metropolis, and that *he* really deserved the lion's share of the credit for today's success. At the round of applause which ended her introduction, Superman stood up. As he did so, in the near distance, he heard that odd creaking noise again. Quickly, he scanned the dais with his better-than-average vision and breathed a sigh of relief at finding nothing. Still, the rumbling he heard disturbed him and he wondered if it could be far off thunder, giving them warning of a coming storm. 'Yes, that must be it,' he reassured himself, until suddenly, as he began to speak, thanking everyone for attending the dedication and for supporting this important community effort, the bottom fell out. It didn't fall out gently, but swiftly and dramatically. For all at once, the building behind them gave a big, gaping groan before instantly imploding, causing debris and dust and small, jagged metal and glass to shoot outward where once a structure stood. It was a tremendous shock that froze everyone to the spot as if snapped by a camera. And then, they all moved, running and screaming. All Superman could do was watch in horror, as it became immediately clear that the front end of the day care center was rapidly becoming a growing heap of rubble. However, he hoped -- *he prayed* -- that it still wasn't too late to save the people who were in the path of the flying wreckage and were still being showered by it. With a swift turn, he spun about and blew as much of the debris as he could backward, away from the crowd. Quickly, his eyes searched the side where the press had been positioned. It was the least affected, and mercifully, Lois had escaped unscathed. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he spotted her carefully leaning over a battered and disoriented woman, tending to the woman's minor wounds. Glancing to the opposite side, all his best hopes suddenly fled him. This side -- the side that had held the rambunctious children -- appeared to have been the worst affected, leaving many small bodies with gashes and deep cuts from rubble that had hit them before he could act. With a growing dread, he saw a woman kneeling next to a young boy who looked to be the worst hurt of the group. Superman sped towards them in a flash and focused on the boy's body, scanning him like a human x-ray machine. "Ma'am, I can't be certain," Superman said, trying to sound both soothing and reassuring, "but I-- I think he's suffering a concussion." She glanced up at the Super Hero, tears streaming down her face. "What's-- What's happened here?!" she cried mournfully, cradling the child. "My little boy...." "Please, let me help," he pleaded, leaning over to pick up the boy and take him from her arms. "Please, let me," he repeated, as he heard the blaring horns and sirens of rescue vehicles speeding towards them. "No!" the woman suddenly screamed, lashing out. "Get away! This is *your* doing! What do you *really* care about us down here in Kingston. We ain't fancy movie stars or foreign millionaires!" "Ma'am, please!" "No! Stay away from my baby! What could you know about it?!" she spat, pushing against him. He stumbled away. Superman -- the Man of Steel -- physically knocked aside by a frightened, angry mother. "Cla-- Superman!" He felt someone grip his arms from behind. They pulled him away as the paramedics rushed to the little boy, examining the child quickly before carefully placing him on a stretcher. Clark looked around at the other children who had been hurt, trying to reassure himself that all of them were alive and being cared for. Still, the shock hit him, perhaps more slowly than it had hit the others but, in any case, not any less forcefully. "Superman," he heard someone say again. He turned with a vacant, lost look. It was Lois. Behind her, in the distance, he saw Marigold standing in horror amidst the rubble. And further yet, like the visage behind the mask, Clark saw Luthor and his wife holding each other, apparently in comfort. Separated by a wide chasm, the Luthor's watched them, as Superman and Lois stared back. ****** SUPERMAN'S FOUNDATION COLLAPSES "Lex Luthor," she said, addressing the newspaper article she was perusing, "you're not exactly my dream date, and you *don't* play fair, *but* ..." Mindy Church giggled, snuggling down into her disheveled bed and pushing the paper aside. "Ha-r-ry ... are you going to be long?" "Are you lonely for me, sweetheart?" she heard him call from the bathroom. "Totally." "I'll be right there in a few minutes." "Okay ... take your time." With a secret, little grin, Mindy sat up again and leaned over to her bed table. On it was a glass decanter filled with a warm golden liquid. Lifting the stopper, she splashed a generous amount of the brandy into two snifters just as she had the night before. Looking sidelong at the bathroom door, however, she did something more. Quickly, she opened the drawer under the table top and retrieved a packet. Seconds later, she dropped a powder into one of the glasses, shaking it ever so slightly so that it nicely dissolved. "Hmm ... it's not exactly red kryptonite, *but*," she said with a smile, "in Harry's case, it doesn't have to be." "Did you say something, sweetheart?" "Yes, Harry. I'm *really* lonely now." He came out of the bathroom wearing a short, silk robe that complemented his dark good looks. Pulling open the robe, he threw it to the side, leaving only a half smile as his adornment. She reached out for him, her eyes sweeping his taunt, lean form. 'Nobody can say that Mindy Church doesn't appreciate a man ... before she kills him,' she mused to herself, as he hopped back into bed beside her. "You know, Harry," she said, rubbing her soft, shapely body against his, "I think Luthor did me a big favor by stealing that kryptonite. Before, it was just an ugly, old hunk of rock, but now ..." she lifted the large, red, glittery pendant well-set between her breasts. "Now, I've got something that not only gives Superman a very, bad day, but also goes with lots of lovely outfits." "Well," he said, bending over to examine it as well as its setting, "it certainly looks better on you than it would have on Beth Luthor." "He would have never given it to her," Mindy said, speaking a home truth. She fingered the stone's multi-faceted, marquis shape. "Did you say Wendell Van Horton -- the infamous international jewel thief and dealer -- cut this stone?" "Yep ... like I said, one of Luthor's men told me that Luthor hired Van Horton to steal the kryptonite from you and to create that pendant. Then, he had Van Horton grind the chips and shavings down into a fine powder so that he could go after Superman with it." "Hmm. Luthor's a bright boy ... but not bright enough, cause I had *my* man steal it right back," Mindy chirped. She ran her hand lightly across his cheek, moving in for a kiss. "It wasn't easy," he continued, when their lips parted. "I had to wait until that day care center ceremony started before I made my move. I knew that Luthor wouldn't want to miss that one -- especially after he had put so much effort into seeing that it fail." "Hmm," she moaned, pulling his lips down to meet hers again.... ****** With a smile on her face, having thoroughly enjoyed him one last time, Mindy reached over for the two sparkling goblets which were patiently awaiting the next act. "Harry, darling," she said, offering him a brandy as he leaned back for a smoke " ... to us and to the return of my poor, unfortunate husband's red kryptonite." "To us," he agreed, clinking his glass with hers. Reveling in the good brandy, he savored it in several long, satisfying swallows. She, on the other hand, sipped daintily, watching him with a devilish glint in her eye as he finished up the last drop and placed his empty glass on his own bedside table. All at once, feeling tired, he stubbed out his cigarette and turned to stretch and yawn, contentedly. He wasn't in the least surprised at his sudden lack of energy. 'After all, it had been a very long night,' he thought, remembering it all with pleasure. He shimmied down under the satin top sheet and rolled away from her. "Goodnight, Mrs. Church," he said automatically, although the sun had been moving ever upward, cycling through a new day. "Goodnight, Harry," she replied, admiring the red stone once more. It glittered and glowed.... "Goodnight," it seemed to say. ****** Looking as forlorn as he had immediately after the event had occurred, Clark Kent sat in the Daily Planet's conference room, surrounded by the files, papers, and records that made up their investigation of the day care center collapse. Worriedly, his wife studied him as she approached the room, spying at him through the glass windows. Although Dr. Klein had earlier informed her that Clark's recovery from kryptonite ingestion might not be as rapid as it might have been if he had simply been exposed to it, she knew that Clark's current condition was far more psychological than physical. To her mind, he was in mourning -- not only over the temporary setback of Superman's Kingston Project but over the possible involvement of his friend in the whole debacle. During the previous night, he had tossed and turned until she had sat up, put on the light, and forced him to talk. They had gone over everything that had happened after the tragic end to the ceremony: The interview with the police, firemen, building inspectors and other city officials who had arrived to do a preliminary sweep of the scene; the examination of the documents which Marigold had produced, showing all the proper signatures on all the proper forms; the trip to the hospital to assure themselves that all who were hurt -- especially the children -- were going to be fine. They had gotten very little sleep that night. Trying to overcome an uncontrollable yawn, Lois took a deep breath and painted a smile on her face. "She's amazing," Lois chirped, finally entering the room. "She is?" he answered automatically, having no idea to whom she was referring. "Yes ... in a week and a half, she's managed to book a meeting room at one of the most prestigious hotels in the city, have it decorated to her specifications, gotten one of the best chefs to prepare an elaborate lunch, invited and received acceptances from over fifty women...." Lois shook her head, sitting down to take in all their work spread across the table. "Clark?" she called. "Clark?" "What?" "My mother.... I was talking to you about my mother. I was just on the phone with her." "So," he said, returning his attention to her, "you've agreed to go through with the baby shower of the century?" "Yeah," Lois said, with a grin and a shrug. "I figure, if I cooperate, she might not insist that we have the baby's christening at the basilica." He smiled, just as she had hoped, but it didn't last. "Clark?" "I ... I can't do this anymore, Lois." "What?" Lois replied, looking about the table. "Investigate this story? If you're tired, we can stop, and you can come with me to pick up your mom at the airport. We can go to dinner at Roma's." "No, it's not that," he said. "Then what?" She stared at him, afraid of what she was hearing. "You don't mean you can't *be Superman* anymore? Not help people? Especially those people who need you in Hobbs Bay and Kingston? Clark, I don't believe this! Are you going to let them beat you?" "Who? "Lex Luthor! Alfred Morton!... *Marigold Smythe*. Look, I'm not going to kid you, what happened yesterday wasn't a good thing, but it could have been a lot worse. *Everyone's fine*. The children are *all* fine. Now, let's concentrate on getting some answers." "You mean about Marigold." "Wherever the chips fall, they fall," Lois said, with feeling. "What if they fall on me? I was part of the problem here," he said, once again picking up that day's Daily Planet and pointing at the headline he had barely been able to face. "I wasn't paying enough attention even before I hired Marigold. And then, after that, with the help of red kryptonite, I was completely gone. For all intents and purposes, I was no better than William Wallace Webster Waldecker on speed." Lois moved around to his side of the table. Sitting down beside him, she took the paper away from him and grasped his hands in hers. "Yes, *those* are the operative words ... *with* the help of red kryptonite and the people who've wanted to see Superman fail -- who've wanted to see the Foundation fail. I suppose, even I contributed to it -- inadvertently -- by insisting that we not get too involved." "That's not true," he quickly responded, halting her words. She pat the hand she held in hers. "Never mind. You can't give up, Clark. *We* can't give up. We've been through too much." He looked away from her steady gaze, glancing up at the clock. "You'd better go. Mom's plane...." "Are you sure you don't want to go with me?" "No, I ... I think I have some investigating to do.... That is, if we're going to find the answers." Lois reached up to caress his cheek, spotting a spark of determination ignite in his eyes. "Good," she whispered. "I'll bring home dessert," he said, kissing her lips, which tasted sweeter than anything he could possibly find in a bakery. "Leave room." "For you *and* fattening pastries? Ha! Always!" He followed Lois out of the conference room and to her desk, watching as she gathered her purse and briefcase before hopping into the elevator. Only then did Clark head back to their work. What he had to do next, he wanted to do without her. ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:01 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 7 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "I don't need a drink, but, please go ahead and have one yourself," Superman insisted. "You *do* know I mean a soft drink," Marigold said. "Nothing alcoholic." "It wouldn't matter anyway. Please, go ahead." Marigold took a deep breath, realizing that he was leaving her no choice. "Okay." She walked over to the door and called out to her secretary. "Joyce, can you get a couple of sodas out of the fridge?... Oh, and bring some glasses as well," she said before turning back to him. "Just in case you change your mind and want to join me," she added. Once the soft drinks were delivered, Marigold nervously turned her back on the Super Hero, pulled open the tab on a can, and poured out a small sampling for herself. '*Now* what do I do?' she wondered. Frowning at the obvious answer -- an answer she could no longer put off -- Marigold reached down into her pocket full of kryptonite, snapped the top off the cylinder, and ran her fingers through the loose red sand. Walking slowly and purposefully back towards the sofa -- "quite unexpectedly" -- she tripped. Within an eye blink, Superman was at Marigold's side, catching her before any damage could be done ... to her. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand, gripping the material before moving her hand downward. "I'm sorry," she said softly, meaning it sincerely. "That's okay. No harm done -- except to your carpet." She looked down. The soda had spilled on the Oriental promising a nasty stain. He grabbed a tissue from a box on the table and began blotting at it. "Here. Here's a napkin," she said, snatching one from her desk and leaning over him to sprinkle a little more of the sand. "I guess I *really* deserve a drink after that," she said jokingly. "Actually, you've read my mind," he answered, as though he *hadn't* spent the last ten minutes refusing all offers. Before he could reconsider, Marigold rushed to her desk and poured out two more helpings, surreptitiously dousing one with a light coating of the red powder and shaking it as vigorously as she could. "I'm so glad you changed your mind," she said, handing him the glass and watching him down the liquid. She had no idea what this red stuff did to him, but -- one thing she noticed -- suddenly, he seemed very agreeable. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, when Superman wrinkled his nose like a small boy after a dose of castor oil. "It has a slight metallic taste," he muttered, pushing the glass aside. "Well ... let me get you something else," she quickly offered. "My treat." My treat.... Those two little words appeared to work magic. All at once, Superman perked up and his eyes sparkled. "Your treat? Well! If you *really* mean that ... have you ever been to Paris?!" "Paris!" Marigold couldn't believe her ears. She had wanted to get out of town -- as far away as she could from the Foundation, from the construction site, from anything that could implicate her. *But,* to go to Paris with *Superman* -- that topped any employee benefit a company could possibly offer! "Superman ... I'd *love* to go to Paris with you!" Marigold exclaimed, melting towards him. ****** Lois returned to the office, expecting to find a message from Clark. She was surprised, therefore, upon punching the code for her voicemail, to find nothing from her husband at all. Instead, she was greeted with a most unlikely message from an equally unlikely caller. "Lois ... this is Marigold-- Marigold Smythe?... I'm just phoning to let you know I received an invitation from your mother to attend your baby shower. She must have heard about me through Martha -- or perhaps Clark? I hope this is okay. I know we don't know each other very well. Anyway, it would be a pleasure to attend, and if there is anything I can do...." "Anything you can do?" Lois countered. "Yeah, there is one thing you can do -- stop taking my husband for a ride," she mumbled, before glancing up and finding her eyes immediately drawn to the bank of ubiquitous television sets which monitored the news. "Or, maybe I should tell *him* to stop taking *you* for one," she added, as she sat down with a graceless thump and stared at the screen. "Hey, Lois! Take a gander at this!" she heard someone shout. Immediately, the volume on one of the TV sets was turned up, followed by wolf whistles and catcalls erupting across the newsroom. "... the grand opening of Chef Robert's highly anticipated 'bistro', 'Deux Cheminees' was attended by some of Europe's most sought after members of the jet-set as well as more than a few Hollywood notables," the reporter opined, her diamond drop earrings and simple black cocktail dress stating that *she* belonged.... "And -- surprisingly -- *Superman* also arrived escorting a lovely redhead, who we have yet to identify," the woman continued, as a shot of the Super Hero climbing the wide stone steps and entering the ornate doors flashed across the screen. "Well," the reporter added, a self-satisfied smile settling on her face, "don't they make an attractive pair?... This is Mona Strumpet with all the news you just *have* to know." Lois quickly glanced over at the many clocks lined up across the city room wall and noted that the time in Paris was now 8:35 p.m, obviously the dinner hour in Europe. 'But, what was Clark doing in Paris, having dinner with Marigold Smythe?!' her mind shouted. 'Why wasn't he at home, resting?! Why wasn't he at STAR Labs getting the check-up he undoubtedly needed?! Why wasn't he here, at the office, waiting to take *his* wife to *his* baby's birth classes?! Why?!' "Hey ... chin-up sweetheart," she heard a purring voice intone, "Superman is yesterday's news. *You've* got the real man of the moment." Lois' watery eyes listlessly searched about her, settling on Cat Grant, two desks over. Smiling weakly, Lois swiftly looked down so that no one could catch just how much this was affecting her. "I know," she replied, swallowing back her tears and reaching for a tissue. "I-- I just have a ... a thing in my eye. Just this ... this little thing." ****** Lois laid as close to the edge of the bed as she could, her mind drifting in and out of a restless, unwelcome slumber. Each time sleep tried to entice her, her conscious mind chased it away, demanding answers to a hundred questions about him. 'Where was he? What was he doing?' And, on and on. She wasn't sure just what time she abandoned the questions. She wasn't quite sure when he arrived home. ****** "What time did you get in last night?" "I can't--" "Where did you go?" "I don't--" "How could you do this to me?!" "I didn't--" "*Just* tell me this.... Did you run into that little man, Alfred Morton, yesterday?" "I'm not--" he halted, looking up at her in anticipation. "Well! Aren't you going to answer me?!" she demanded, pacing in front of their bed. "I was waiting for you to interrupt me again." "Don't be funny, Clark! What did you do with Marigold Smythe in Paris?!" "I didn't do anything *with* her. Leave me alone," he said, tiredly, turning away. "Clark!" she yelled, pulling on his arm, roughly, to get him to roll over again. "Don't you *dare* turn your back on me! Do you know where I was last night! *Well* ... I *wasn't* at our baby's birth class, I'll tell you *that* much! Why?! Because the baby's father was in Paris with his college girlfriend until God knows when, doing God knows what!" "Lois, leave me alone ... *please*." "Clark ... did you meet that man, Morton, again yesterday?" The silence in the room was palpable as he watched her, watching him ... expectantly. "No." "I-- I don't understand what's happening here," she said, walking away from him before moving back with determination. "But, I know one thing. It's gotta stop, and it's stopping now!... Clark. Get up. We're going to see Dr. Klein." "I don't want to." "Clark." "When I get up, I'm going to the airport." "The airport! Why?!" "Because I can make thousands of dollars there. Double, if the traveller doesn't stay over a Saturday!" "Is that what this is all about?! Money?! Is that why you went with her?!" Lois asked anxiously, trying desperately to find an answer that didn't involve an attraction to tall, shapely, ex-college girlfriends. "I went because she said it was her treat. That I could have whatever I wanted. I wanted to have dinner in Paris." Lois rushed over to her purse, pulling out her wallet and flipping through the money. "I have twenty ... thirty ... forty-three dollars here. Forty-three dollars, Clark. For forty-three dollars, will you go with me to STAR Labs?" He looked at her doubtfully. "No deal? How about this? You can't beat this offer!... You know how much I have in my checking account. Well, we got paid last Friday, right?" Lois said, striding quickly over to the bed with her check book. "Look, Clark -- *everything*. I sign over everything -- my *entire* checking account -- to you, if you come with me to see Dr. Klein." He sat back thinking, as she watched him in hope. "Everything," she repeated. Minutes passed and she began to wonder if her child was doomed to have a father who, unlike the Beatles, thought he "*could* buy him love". "Okay," he finally agreed. 'Yes!' ****** Clark sat in his Superman outfit on a STAR Labs examining table looking distinctly unhappy. "I take it he doesn't want to be here," Bernard Klein observed, turning back to Lois. "You'd take it right.... Dr. Klein, I don't know what to make of this. There've been three separate episodes, and this one's lasted the longest and seems the worst." "What've been the symptoms?" he asked, trying out a bedside manner he had never quite mastered. "Well ... I don't know how to explain it exactly, but during each, successive ... *bout* he's become increasingly ... acquisitive." "Acquisitive?" Klein repeated, wondering if he had heard right. "Yes, acquisitive. As Superman, over the last couple of days, Clark's accepted anything and everything people have wanted to give him -- money, material objects ... services. Not only that, but afterwards, when he appears to have returned to normal, he seems to forget all the details of what he's done. He gets very tired and unwilling to-- to explain himself." Dr. Klein waited for Lois to continue but she seemed to be reluctant to go on. She shook her head as if relegating some thought or problem to the back of her mind for later examination. "I had to bribe him to come here," she said at last. "Bribe him?!" Not able to help himself, Klein choked back a laugh.... "Ahem-- *hmmm*. In my opinion, this sounds psychological rather than physical; however, it *has* been persuasively argued by many in the field that the mind and the body are intricately linked in a symbiosis that's a bit like the tango...." "The *tango*," Lois repeated in disbelief. "I read a paper just recently that was quite interesting on the topic of mind over matter--" "Doctor," Lois interrupted. "Yes ... *well*, I suppose this isn't exactly the right time to go into all of that." "No, it isn't." "Look ... this might take some time. Why don't you go to your office, and I'll call you just as soon as I've finish examining him." "You won't let him out of your sight?" she said anxiously, very reluctant to leave and have him fly the coop again. "If you do, he could end up ... *anywhere* doing *anything*, as long as there's a price attached to it!" "No, I won't. I promise." ****** As the hours passed, Lois sat by her phone, both staring at it imploringly and shying away from it in fear. Strictly as a reporter -- just as one of the Fourth Estate -- she was sorely tempted to call Marigold Smythe, and get the ... "the scoop", as Cat had so delightfully put it, on her *date*. After all, *Marigold* was the one woman in the world who had actually been on a certifiable, public date with Superman. Yes, indeedy, no other woman could claim that honor. *No one* -- not even Lois Lane. Feeling an inward growl rising to the surface, Lois reached out and tore the receiver out of its cradle, but then immediately threw it back as if an electric shock had bolted out of the line in warning. "Argh! Jimmy!" she yelled instead. "Yeah!" Lois jumped, swiveling in her chair as the young man unexpectedly came up behind her. "Jimmy," she repeated, taking deep breaths. "Would it be possible for you to break into Burnston-Hughes' personnel files?" "What? With my computer?" he tentatively asked. With Lois, one could never be sure. "No, with a sledgehammer! Of course, with a computer! Well?..." "It would be very difficult. The NIA is one thing, but personnel departments--" Lois was not to know how the nation's foremost secret agency rated against the security of personnel departments, for her phone rang abruptly, cutting Jimmy off. "Lois Lane!" she exclaimed, gripping the receiver like a lifeline. "Yes.... Yes. You have?! Oh, thank God, Dr. Klein! W-*one*-derful! I'll be right there." Lois grabbed her purse, pushing Jimmy aside like a discarded thought. "Lois, what about your question? The personnel files?" he called after her with a raise of his brow. "Later! Never mind!... Oh-- oh, I don't know!" she tossed back. "Got it," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'll get right on that." ****** Lois Lane burst into Bernard Klein's elaborate, high-tech laboratory with more than her usual impatience. "Where is he?!" she demanded of one assistant only to get a shrug. "Where is he?!" she asked again, rushing towards another. "Down there, Ms. Lane," a young man answered, obviously figuring out who "he" must be. The young researcher pointed towards a hallway, and Lois ran down it as quickly as a seventh-month pregnancy would allow her, ducking from one door to the next until she was finally alerted to the sound of a machine. Thinking it might be one of Dr. Klein's sophisticated pieces of arcane lab equipment, whirring away and solving all kinds of important problems, Lois threw open the door. "Oh, Hi Lois," Dr. Klein said, pleasantly acknowledging the interruption. Turning back, he leaned casually against a long table, and with chin in hand, stared into the round window of a commercial-style washing machine, the suds working up a healthy lather. Frowning, Lois slowly entered the room. "What's this?" "A washing machine." "I see that," she responded, wondering if Klein always did his laundry at work and writing it off as one of those eccentric scientist-type things. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked over to him and waved her hand in front of his face. "H-e-l-*lo*!" "I'm sorry," he replied, with a grin. "Isn't it fascinating how one can be hypnotized by watching clothes in the wash cycle?" "Fascinating," she agreed, "and I'd love to hear more about it some day *real* soon. *But, what about Clark?!*" she demanded. "Where is he? How did you cure him? What did you do?" "Simple. It cost me $80.00, but he let me do his laundry," Klein said happily, pointing to the machine. "*What?*" Lois looked more closely at the suds-filled window, finally noting the unmistakable bright red and blue material. "Well, you see, as I was examining Superman -- I mean, Clark -- I began sneezing. And then it occurred to me -- my allergies were acting up." "Uh-h huh.... I'm *really* not following this," Lois said, shaking her head. "Are you telling me you're allergic to my husband, and, if you are, what's that got to do with *his* problem?" "No, No," he assured her. "I'm allergic to dust!" "*O*-kay," she said, gesturing for him to continue, trying to will some logical connection. "*Well,* as I was saying, when I began sneezing, I got very suspicious. After all, we try to keep this place pretty pristine. It's very important not to have dust--." "Yes?" "And, *so*, I looked more closely at Clark's costume *and* at my hands. Both had tiny, red dust particles all over them." "Tiny red dust particles?" "Kryptonite." Lois' eyes widened, and then, slowly -- ever so slowly -- a tiny smile snuck on her face. "So ... my husband *isn't* subconsciously trying to turn Superman into a cash cow?! He *isn't* interested in igniting an old college flame?! He's just been exposed to kryptonite! Thank God!" "Huh?" "I mean," Lois said, catching herself, "so, what did you do? Just wash his suit? Where *is* he?" "Not exactly. After I quizzed him further -- and it wasn't easy, I might add -- he said he had a very vague recollection of drinking something that had an odd, metallic taste. Sure enough, after we took some tests, it was clear that he had *also* ingested the substance in some sort of powder form -- kind of like Metamucil." "Ingested kryptonite?!" From the upswing of sheer happiness over the fact that her husband was neither cheating on her nor going crazy, which would have been one and the same thing as far as she was concerned, Lois experienced the downswing of worry that he was physically harmed. "Where *is* he?" "He's fine. He's resting," Dr. Klein assured her. "But, I don't understand.... How can he be fine?" "Well, the atomic weight and structure of red kryptonite is slightly different from green making it less than deadly. When I discovered he swallowed red kryptonite, I thought about using green to combat the effects. The mixture of the one with the other seemed to help the last time--" "But, you *didn't* do that, right?!" she interrupted, willing him to agree with her. "No, I didn't," he said with a smile. "I pumped his stomach." "Pumped his stomach? I didn't know that that was even possible." "Neither did I, but it worked. He's drained, a bit weak, but definitely okay." "Doctor...." Lois reached out to him gratefully, putting her arms around him in a tight hug as he awkwardly returned it. "That's all right. Everything's going to be okay," he said, patting her back with short, stiff movements. "I want to see him." "No problem. He's lying on a bed I sometimes use in a room next to my office-- for sleeping," he quickly added as if other uses might have conceivably popped into her head. "Dr. Klein." Lois halted in her tracks, pulling on the sleeve of his lab jacket to draw his attention. "Usually red kryptonite causes a particular effect on Clark: the first time he was apathetic, the last time he couldn't control his powers, and the time in between he ... well, never mind that. The point is, this time he was -- for lack of a better word -- acquisitive. *But*, he was also very forgetful and tired. Why do you think he suffered these other side effects as well?" "Oh, gosh.... I'm not a psychiatrist, but if I were to hypothesize, I would say that he was attempting to fight it. Perhaps, this *particular* effect was so subconsciously disagreeable to him that his mind was trying to wipe it out," Klein posited. "That's only a guess, of course." "Hmm." Lois frowned, beginning to open the door. This time Dr. Klein stopped them from leaving. "Actually, I have a question for you, if you'll allow me?" "Yes?" "Do you have a lot of pre-processed, chemical-filled, artificially-flavored foods at home?" "Why-- Why do you ask?" Lois nervously replied, briefly wondering if this was some sort of test of her wifely worthiness. "It's just that during the-- um ... during Clark's treatment, I noticed that he had the remains in his stomach of what looked like the ingredients of a ... a *lot* of Twinkies." "Really." "In fact, it's quite interesting. Twinkies have enormous staying power. You know, they can survive a nuclear explosion.... Anyway, the Twinkies Clark ate managed to coat his stomach and diminished the effects of the kryptonite." "You mean, it-- it helped him?" she asked, astounded. "Yes, I think it did." "Jeez! I can hear the jingles now.... Kryptonite poisoning got you down; try Twinkies the dessert that stays around." "That's quite good," Dr. Klein said, leading the way to Clark. ****** The light in the room was a grayish blue. Not happy with that, Lois walked over to the blinds and opened them so that the sun's warm rays could bathe and rejuvenate her husband's body. "Dr. Klein," she heard him call out. "No, Clark -- sweetheart -- it's Lois." "Lois." He reached out for her and she walked over, allowing herself to be pulled down to the side of the bed. Immediately, he wrapped his arms about her waist and laid his head on what was left of her lap. "I'm sorry," she heard the voice say, muffled against her stomach. "So sorry." She ran her fingers lightly through his mussed hair, trying to comb it into some sort of order. "Clark, you have nothing to be sorry for," she said, gently, over and over, until -- all at once -- a slight chill began to run through her, despite the sun's influence. "I'm right, aren't I Clark? You don't have anything to be sorry for, do you?" Her hand had stopped moving against his hair, and he looked up at the worried frown growing on her face. "You said you can't remember what happened last night with Marigold. I thought -- maybe -- you might have begun to remember ... something," she said. Rather than reflecting her worry, his own face gazed at hers sorrowfully, unhappy at what he had put her through. "Honey, *no amount* of kryptonite of *any* color could make me do something like that to you." "But, how do you know?" her sad voice asked. "*I know*. Believe me, I know.... I'm just sorry that I haven't been here for you these past few days. I'm sorry that I wasn't here to go with you to our first birth class. Did you-- Did you take your mother with you?" "You don't think I'd go without *you*, do you? No amount of kryptonite of *any* color...." He smiled in relief, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I'm just sorry, that's all." "Well," Lois said, trying to put the best light on the situation, "the most important thing is that you're fine now, and we *know* what's happening." "Yeah," he agreed, lying back upon the small bed, his head sinking into the pillow. "But, we don't know exactly *how* it's happening or *who's doing it* or *why*." "That's not true, Clark. Alfred Morton has got to be involved. He was with you on at least two occasions when you got sick, right?" "Right, but *not* the last time -- at least, not that I can remember," he added in disgust. "Well -- get this -- Bobby's heard of him." Clark turned towards her, thinking, once again, how lucky he was to have her. "It seems that Morton's an infamous European jewel thief." "European jewel thief?! I'm sorry -- jewel thief or not -- how would he find red kryptonite and why would he go after Superman? I don't get it," Clark said, shaking his head in exasperation. "The only thing I *do* get," he added, embarrassed to admit it, "is that I'm the fool who flew Morton *back* to Europe -- I think.... Or, was it Africa?" Lois shook her head. "Never mind that. In any case, we know even more." "What?" "Bobby also said that Lex Luthor has done business with Morton in the past." "Are you saying *Luthor* is behind this?!" Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:25:00 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 6 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" As the day wore on and night approached, Lois went from staring at the piles of money in front of her to staring at news reports; from trying to tempt her mind with work in light of Bobby's message to wondering if she should place a call to Martha and Jonathan and see if their son was dropping bags of money on top of *their* house. Worried, and yet also angry with herself for not pursuing Clark's unusual behavior when he first displayed it, she was reluctant to drag anyone else into something so damnably mysterious. After all, she just didn't know how dangerous it might become, and no one else needed to know -- yet. Her thoughts spiralled further downward. Feeling all alone amidst them, Lois was jarred alert by the slam of a door and a loud thump coming from the kitchen. Seconds later, Clark, still attired in full Superman regalia, stumbled into the dining room and headed for the stairs. "Clark," Lois called out from the shadows. He stopped and squinted in her direction. "Oh. Hi, Lois." "*Hi, Lois?*... Honey!" she exclaimed, standing and walking quickly towards him. "Where have you been since yesterday? What's going on? *And*, why did you drop $35,000 on our patio?" Clark looked confused for a moment, as if he were facing a barrage of bullets that -- for once -- he couldn't easily catch and crumble into dust. "I'm tired," he simply said, turning to go upstairs. "Where have you been?!" she demanded. "Flying." "Well, I didn't think you were walking." "Lois, I can't deal with this now. I'm *so* tired," he said, climbing up to the middle landing. "Clark ... does all of this money belong to that man you flew off with?" she asked, gesturing to the mountain of cash. "Which man?" "The man from the airport!" "No ... not really." "Well then..." Before she could utter another word, with the last of his energy, he dashed the rest of the way up, gratefully escaping her questions. "Clark! Just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I can't walk upstairs!" she yelled, proceeding to do just that. Arriving at their bedroom, Lois pushed the ajar door fully open and was presented with a sight she hadn't counted on. On their bed, lying undoubtedly as unabashed as the day he was born, was Clark Kent, completely naked and snoring soundly. "Clark ..." she repeated softly, fighting her anger. She walked over to the rocking chair in the corner that Jonathan had sent all the way from Kansas and lifted the afghan that had been tossed across it. She snapped it into the air and watched it fall like a cover of snow on her husband's body. He barely moved an inch. Bending over as far as she could she picked up his sullied hero's suit and took it into the bathroom, tossing it into the hamper on top of the one from the previous day. 'Laundry,' she thought with derision, 'who could be bothered?' ****** "Ahhh!" He splashed the cold water into his tired eyes, but it was no use. They still wanted to close and take him back to dreamland. "Clark," Lois said, running her hand down his arm. "You have to see Dr. Klein. No more, 'Honey, I'm just fine'. You're *not* just fine." "I know. I know. I have an appointment at the Foundation with Marigold, but after that...." "Clark, I think you should just go!" Lois insisted. "Lois, I haven't been to the construction site in a week, and, even then, I only flew over it -- and it wasn't exactly leisurely." "Okay, but right after that." "God! I think I have a headache," he said, leaning his forehead against the bathroom mirror. She poured him a glass of cold water, feeling enormously ineffectual. "Tell me again what happened. Perhaps we can figure it out.... Both times you met this man?" "Yes ... he was a strange little guy. The first time I met him he was upset because he couldn't get a soda out of a vending machine." "And so, *you* helped him get it ... *and more,*" Lois reminded, unable to stop herself. Clark nodded, looking disgustedly at his reflection. "The second time, he was at the airport during that bomb scare. He came up to me and thanked me for helping him on the previous day, and then he started talking about how often people fly and how much money the airlines are making. *And*, before you know it, I was ... *flying him somewhere*." "Where?" "I *can't* remember! I wish I could!" "Do you remember his name. You said he introduced himself." "It was ... Mort ... Morton, I think." "First or last?" "Last. The first name was the same as that guy who was the butler on 'Batman'." "Batman?!" Lois looked at Clark in dismay, amazed that he could remember the name of a TV character's butler, and yet *not* remember where he went or what he had done for almost thirty-six hours. "Yes ... Alfred! That's it. It was Alfred!" he exclaimed, cringing in pain at his own enthusiasm. "Why don't you lie down?" she suggested as she led him out of the bathroom and back to their bed. "I'll tell Perry you're not feeling well. It'll be a real novelty saying it and knowing it's actually the truth," Lois added with a laugh before preparing herself to broach a topic she wasn't too eager to discuss.... "Clark, I got a call from Bobby. He claims that there's suspicious activity going on at the Kingston construction site. That it has something to do with some new men who were hired." "What kind of activity?" Clark asked, shooting up like a punching bag and groaning at the effect. "He didn't say," Lois said, wincing with him. "You know Bobby, you have to feed him like a slot machine to get any kind of a payback. I'll ask him about this Alfred Morton person, too. Maybe he's heard of him." "I should go with you," Clark said, moving to get up. "No! *You* should go to see Dr. Klein -- as soon as possible! Pronto! Faster than a speeding bullet! He frowned. "*No*, I should go to see Marigold, just as I had planned. She might know something about all of this." 'Yeah,' Lois mused to herself, gathering up her keys, her lipstick, her comb and everything else she needed to throw into her purse. 'That's what I'm afraid of....' "I hate to do this to you, Honey," she said aloud, "but, I thought I'd take that junk food you confiscated and use it to pay off Bobby." Lois had to laugh at Clark's crestfallen face. "Don't worry. I'll leave you a couple of Twinkies." "Thanks," he said, smiling. "Seriously, though. Yodels and Ding Dongs are one thing, but what are we going to do with the $35,000 which obviously doesn't belong to us -- at least, not technically?" "It's not just $35,000," he confessed, his voice lowering in shame. "I went out for a second go round, remember?" "Clark, what are we going to do with it all -- especially since somebody's bound to mention that Superman took them on a joyride for cash." Clark physically flinched at the thought. "I ... I think Superman needs to have a very public press conference announcing that any money he received while flying people hither and yon will be going directly to his Foundation. Beyond that, Superman Airlines is definitely grounded." "Not so fast, Captain," Lois quipped, flipping through her day planner. "Don't ground yourself before this evening." Clark looked up to her in puzzlement. "The childbirth classes?... They start tonight," she reminded him, leaning over for a kiss. "Gotcha. Don't worry; I won't forget." "Better not," she said, swatting the side of his cheek affectionately. "Ow!" he responded, rubbing his backside in mock pain and flashing ... a charming grin. ****** "Are you sure he'll be here today?" Harry asked. "Yes!" Marigold assured him, puffing nervously on a cigarette while pacing back and forth in front of her ornate desk, cleverly decorated with a bouquet of woodcut marigolds. "That's what he said, and Superman *always* keeps his word." Harry leaned back in one of the soft-cushioned chairs provided for visitors and propped his feet up on a coffee table arrayed with the latest public interest magazines. "What are we going to do?" she asked. "I've managed to cover up the paper trail, but what if he asks to visit the site and notices something suspicious, or what if he starts to talk to the new men? Can we even rely on them? Oh God! *You* said that you and your boss were going to keep him occupied!" "We *did* keep him occupied," Harry said, appearing to examine his manicure while actually taking in her attractive figure. "But we discovered -- and it was proven this weekend -- that the fix is only temporary.... It seems he can be ... 're-engaged'." "Well, what am I supposed to do, then?! The deal was that I would oversee the milking of the Foundation's resources -- *not* distract Superman as well." "I'm afraid you're going to have to distract him." "What?!" Marigold took a swipe at his feet, knocking them off the coffee table. She sat down in their place, leaning towards him close enough so that the smell of her perfume wafted under his nose along with the smoke of her cigarette. "Don't get excited," he said in calming tones. "We've come upon something that promises to be a permanent distraction. All *you* have to do when Superman arrives is to offer him a drink -- ice tea, juice, liquor ... sarsaparilla -- it doesn't matter." "Offer him a drink! In all the times that I've been with him I've never seen him drink or eat one thing. How do we know he even *does* drink?" "The boss assures me that he does," Harry answered, not certain where all this information was coming from, but on the basis of Luthor's previous knowledge, Harry was willing to bet that he was right. "I don't understand, Harry. What will a drink do?" Her polished, nattily dressed companion pulled a small, clear, cylindrical container out of his pocket partially filled with a red powder. "Normally nothing, *but* if you mix this into it...." "What is it? What does it do?" "Never mind," Harry quickly said, frankly, not too happy that he had been instructed to trust such a precious commodity to a virtual neophyte. "Just be careful with it. Use it judiciously." "But, what if he won't take it and things get dicey?" "Well, if he won't drink it...." Harry took a deep breath, barely able to get his next words out. "*Then* ... just take this powder into your hand and apply it." "Pardon?" "Sprinkle it on him. Put some on your hand and shake his," Harry said. He bent towards her, taking in Marigold's long legs exposed by the slit of her skirt and the cleavage just peeking over her blouse. "You're a woman. Use your charms." "This isn't what I expected," Marigold said, rising from her seat in disgust. "It isn't what I expected either," Harry countered, his mind drifting far away from Marigold and *her* problems. He studied the cylinder he held in his hand, half tempted to take the powder back to Mindy Church and tell her that *this* was all that was left of the stolen kryptonite. 'I could do that,' he thought, 'collect her reward, and call it a draw.' 'A draw, nothing!' an inner voice immediately chimed back. 'You do *that*, Harry, and you're dead. Undoubtedly, Luthor would find out that you double-crossed him. And Mindy Church, who, it appears, is not as easily manipulated as you thought, would find out that her arch-rival still had a few, lovely -- extremely choice -- jewelry pieces made, strangely enough, from another planet. Ipso facto, *both of them* would be after you.... 'Harry -- my man -- you're in a tight spot; a very tight spot, indeed.' ****** "What's this?" Bobby Bigmouth asked, crawling into the back of the waiting jeep and immediately spying the large, brown grocery bag sitting beside Lois. "Nuh, uh!" she said, with a slap of her hand. "You don't get the goods until *I* get the goods.... Whatta ya have?" "What do *you* have?" he insisted, leaning over to peak into the top of the sack before shrinking back in horror. "Yodels *and* Twinkies! Lady, please! My body's a temple!" "Look ... if what you have to tell me is *truly* interesting, I'll take you to Mario's Steakhouse and you can be ordained." Slightly discombobulated, Bobby sat back for a moment, considering. "All right," he finally agreed, "but *I* get to choose the sacraments." "Deal." "Okay ... The other day, I was at Murphy's Pub. You know," he said conversationally, "they serve a ham and cabbage there that would make a leprechaun immigrate--" "Bobby!" "Okay! okay! Keep your skirt on! *So,* a guy's sitting next to me at the bar slobbering into his Guinness, which is very annoying cause *I* have an extremely delicate stomach." Lois waved her hand in the air, encouraging him to "please get it moving". "Well ... he says he's just been laid off from the Kingston Project. Says they brought in a whole, new bunch of guys from K.O. Construction with reputations that would curl your hair." "K.O. Construction ... the outfit that's been suspected of having mob connections? The outfit Lex once controlled?" she added, speaking to herself more than to him. "Ah-h ... so, you've been keeping up with the "society pages" too, huh?" he said. "Yeah. *So,* how far up the food chain do you think this goes?" "What? Do you mean, do I think Superman's involved?!" Bobby asked in astonishment. "No! Of course, he's not!" Lois blurted out defensively. "I mean," she added quickly, "that's just not possible. He's not the type. What I meant was, do you think-- do you think the new CEO is involved?" "Well, it would be pretty quick work if she was." ****** Marigold nervously glanced out of her office window for what seemed like the hundredth time, wondering if -- for once -- Superman just might be standing her up. Frankly, she almost wished he would. She hadn't the taste for what she was about to do to him, and yet, she knew, that when you make a pact with the devil you had to see it through. Marigold closed her eyes, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek. 'Why, oh why did I let myself get in over my head? Did I *really* think Burnston-Hughes wasn't going to figure out how much cash I managed to pocket in all those funny-money stock transactions? If it wasn't for this--' She flung her arms wide, encompassing her new office. 'this "opportunity" they gave me to show my gratitude at their "forgiveness", I'd run--' A jarring buzzer hit the air, halting her escalating alarm. Quickly, she hit back, stabbing the button on her intercom. "Yes?!" Marigold responded, running the back of her hand across her face and sniffling like a lost little girl. "Superman's here," a voice chattered back through the staticky machine. Pulling her compact out to make sure her face wasn't streaky, Marigold dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and cleared her throat. "Yes ... thank you, Joyce. Send him in." Within seconds, the door opened and in walked a figure she never thought she would get used to seeing -- a good-looking, muscular man in electric-blue tights coming forward with his hand outstretched in greeting. 'Sprinkle it on him,' she heard an inner voice instructing her. 'Put some on your hand and shake his.' Quickly, she looked down at her pocket, almost pulling out the red powder. 'Please, Superman,' a second voice intoned, 'I can't do this.... Please throw this stuff on yourself so you won't find out what a rat I am.' Of course, he didn't hear her brief bit of panic. Instead, he stood there expectantly, waiting for her handshake. Following his lead, she put out her own hand devoid of anything but goodwill. "Shall we take a seat on the sofa?" Marigold suggested. He nodded, stepping aside and allowing her to lead the way. "I briefly flew over the construction site," Superman informed her. "Oh?" she nervously answered. "Yes, and I understand some new men have been hired." "That's right," her voice shakily responded. "And, as a result, things have really sped along. Although -- of course -- we can't open the day care center until the building inspectors have been through it, I think we can safely go on with the dedication scheduled for this Thursday." "*This* Thursday?! I *never* thought we'd make that deadline, especially after all the storms we've had this season.... Congratulations, Ms. Smythe," Superman said with a warm smile, thinking that Bobby Bigmouth *must* have gotten his news wrong. Granted, on his latest flyby as Superman, Clark hadn't taken a very close look at the site, but he hadn't spotted a thing out of place either. Besides, Marigold looked perfectly comfortable and confident. "Well, shall we go down to the site and see how you managed to pull off this miracle?" he suggested. "Ahh ... Superman.... Actually, I thought we could take this time to talk -- to get to know one another better," Marigold glanced around, as if searching for something. "I'm feeling a tad thirsty. Let's have a drink." ****** Sitting in a booth of a busy steakhouse watching Bobby down a baked potato in three perfect bites, Lois forced her eyes away from his expert performance and yelled over the din and clatter of the lunchtime crowd. "Bobby! Have you ever heard of a guy called Morton? *Alfred* Morton?" she asked as she leaned in to chase an errant cherry tomato across her plate. Bobby reached over and steadied it with his knife, allowing her to stab it with one thrust. "Thank you." "Hey! I honor motherhood." Lois smiled weakly. "Morton?" "Morton," he repeated, swallowing a large helping of coleslaw. "The name's not familiar in this neck of the woods." "Well, in what neck of the woods would it be familiar?" "Europe, primarily," he quickly answered after carefully choosing which topping he would like on his third potato. "If he's the guy I'm thinking of, he did some time in the French penal system for stealing jewels. Used to be a very well-known gem cutter and dealer. Has various aliases." "Did he ever have any connections to Metropolis under *any* name?" Lois asked. "We-l-l." Bobby hesitated, taking the time to dissect his steak in several expert strokes. "A few years back he had some connection to Luthor." 'Lex, again.... First K.O. Construction and now this,' she said to herself.... "*Lex* Luthor?" she asked aloud. "No, *Martin* Luther," Bobby sarcastically volleyed. "Lex used to do all his "jewelry shopping" by way of Morton, or Norton, or Van Horton, or Phalstengraft." "Phalstengraft?" Bobby shrugged. Lois glanced down at her own simple engagement ring -- the ring she loved more than anything she had ever worn or ever would. And then, she thought of the huge diamond Lex had given her all those years ago. Could *that* ring have come by way of Morton? Could it've been stolen goods?" All at once Lois felt sick, wanting very much to get out of the closed-in confines of the booth. "I've gotta go, Bobby. Thanks." "Hey, what about the Yodels and the Twinkies?!" "I thought your body was a temple." "Temples *do* accept charitable donations. Consider it a tax write-off." ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:24:59 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 5 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Unlike most of his colleagues at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent entered the office, late on a Friday afternoon while the sun still hung lazily in the hazy sky, with a big smile on his face and eager to work. It was an attitude most at the paper couldn't quite fathom, but neither did they know that Clark Kent was also Superman, the life-affirming, all powerful hero. And, as such, for his own mental health, Clark needed to be there -- he needed to be the Kansas farm boy turned top-flight, investigative reporter. To him, it was a constant struggle -- a struggle between what he was capable of doing as the alien Super Hero and what he wanted to do as Clark Kent -- husband, expectant father, award-winning reporter. Clark looked down towards Lois -- his co-conspirator in balancing his two personas -- and wondered, once again how they were going to juggle all these demands. He watched as she *literally* juggled the receiver of her ringing phone, only half paying attention to it as she dug through the files in front of her with one hand and flipped through her rolodex with the other. He smiled at how she dove in to one difficult situation after another without checking the water line. *She* saw this trait as a character fault, *he* -- at times -- saw it as a saving grace for a man who needed such a woman in his life. All at once, wanting very much to hear Lois' voice, he found himself surreptitiously, and against his better judgment, listening in on her phone conversation. "Lois Lane." "Mrs. Lane?" "*Ms.* Lane," she politely corrected. "I apologize. This is the office of Congresswoman Moreno." "Yes?" Lois perked up, dropping the file she held in mid-dig. "Ms. Lane, the Congresswoman regrets that she cannot attend your baby shower next Saturday." "Next Saturday?!" Lois repeated, amazed at her mother's blitzkrieg like organizational skills. "The Congresswoman?!" Clark echoed, amazed at Ellen's audacity. "Yes. I'm afraid she has a prior speaking engagement in Washington, but she does wish you and your baby all the best." "Oh. Oh, yes. Thank you, and thank Ms. Moreno," Lois replied on autopilot, finally realizing why she hadn't been able to get her mother on the phone all day long. "She must be calling every female citizen of New Troy -- inside the borders, outside the borders, and in all the U.S. territories and protectorates," Lois grumbled, causing Clark to grin from his distant perch. Perhaps sensing his presence *and* his sympathies, Lois looked up, caught Clark's eye, and threw him a relieved smile. A moment later, however, gazing down again, she realized just which files and papers she had lying across her desk. They were a small portion of those Jimmy had pulled out of the Planet's archives on the relationship between LexCorp and Burnston-Hughes, and, although she knew she had to at some point, she wasn't quite ready yet to bring Clark into the loop. Swiftly, Lois stood up, grabbed her purse, and walked determinedly up the ramp to the city room's mini-mezzanine. "Let's kick it," she said to Clark with a wink. "Lois!" he exclaimed, pulling away. "I haven't been at my desk in over a day and a half." "Yes ... I know. And, Perry's pretty unhappy about that. Believe me." "Well?..." he answered, indicating that she had clearly made his point for him. "Clark, it's late on a Friday afternoon. What are you going to get done? Besides, it's turning into a lovely evening." "Lois, they're predicting a downpour." "Weather forecasting is an art, not a science. *I* would do better reading the entrails of a sheep," she countered, pulling him into the elevator. He frowned, not sure what bee she had in her bonnet, but pretty sure she wasn't in the mood for sharing. They stood in the elevator, in silence, each to their own thoughts. Clark perused a couple of flyers and memos that had been posted, thinking this was the only opportunity he was going to have to get reacquainted with the office: FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION TO: ALL STAFF FROM: THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL Please be advised. The rest room facilities at the Daily Planet clearly designated for women and for men must be utilized ONLY by members of that gender, exclusively. (See Employee Relations Policy No. VI.H3.d-6). Thank you. Clark laughed. He hadn't a clue how he had managed to miss this little gem on the way up. "What's this all about?" he asked, pointing at the memo with its unfortunate coporat-ese. "Who knows?" Lois said. "Those people in Human Resources have *way* too much time on their hands." ****** A crack of thunder snapped the air jarring her awake by its intensity. Automatically, still immersed in a fog of sleep, Lois reached out for him, wanting her security blanket. He was gone. Coming more fully awake, she searched quickly about the room. She would have guessed that he was off somewhere saving the world, but there he was standing in front of the bedroom window, staring out into the night. "Clark, what are you doing?" her sleep-filled voice asked. "Just checking.... I think I'm going to have to go," he concluded, his built-in, police-like radar scanning the air waves. "I knew you were going to say that.... What time is it?" "About 9:00." "9:00 a.m. or *p.m.*?" She looked passed him, once more, into the dark purple-gray sky. "A.M. The, um ... fortune-tellers at the weather service came through on this one. They're predicting a pretty lousy day. Last night's storm caused a lot of flooding. Roads are washed out. Many are blocked from fallen trees and power lines. *And,* there's been some accidents," he reported. Walking over to her, he bent down and lightly placed a hand on the protruding mound still covered by the thin blanket. "I'll be back with the both of you as soon as I can," he whispered. Catching her lips in a solid kiss, Clark gazed back at her with regret. "I promise." Before she could say anything more, he left. Lois threw herself back, groaning over another weekend morning without a husband, 'and *what* a morning,' she thought, as a hard rain hit the glass of the window. It was certainly the type that most women spent cuddling in someone's arms. Lois shrugged, knowing that she was never going to be "most women". On a lark, she reached across his side of the bed to the telephone and pushed the speed dial button for her mother's number. As was the case each time she had tried to call the number on Friday, a busy signal instantly followed. "*Un*-believable," Lois muttered. "Maybe she's bought a phone with a headset!" Frustrated, slightly irritated, and feeling the need to work it off, she opened the nightstand drawer, pulled out her personal address book and looked up another number. "Jimmy? Are you up yet?" "Ma-a-a?!" a raspy voice answered. "No, Jimmy ... this is Lois." "Lois! What's-- What's wrong? What time is it?" "Nothing's wrong, and it's nine ... fifteen," she said, leaning over to see the clock face. "In the morning?! Lois, it's *Saturday* -- my day off. What do you want?" "Would you be able to go over to the office with me and pick up all the LexCorp/Burnston-Hughes files?" "Today?!" "Yes." "But--" "I'd *really* appreciate it. It would be a lot easier for me to work on this from home," she said, pulling out the "I'm pregnant" card she had learned to use when it suited her.... "O-kay," he answered, sighing heavily, "but what about CK? Won't he notice all those boxes in your house and ask questions about them?" "He's-- He's out this morning. Besides, if what I'm beginning to suspect actually turns out to be true, then I think he's going to have to start noticing more than a few boxes. He's going to have to start facing some facts as well." ****** It had seemed strange to him. He had been up and down the East coast all day long, saving stranded people, repairing bridges, clearing blocked roads for police and emergency crews, and yet, when he had phoned home with an apology all memorized, his wife was unfazed. In fact, she had sounded preoccupied and not overly concerned about the length of his absence. Taking her at her word that "all was okay," Superman continued to devote himself to following the path of the storm as it made its way to the sea, giving a helping hand to rescuers in the most ravaged areas. Now, with only a light rain falling as he turned South from New England and headed towards home, he finally permitted himself to wonder why Lois hadn't seemed all that anxious about his return. She certainly had always been supportive of his "other job," but, considering the last few days, could she be *this* supportive without an underlying reason? The thought barely entered his consciousness when he heard a familiar call and felt himself go rigid in response. Oddly, it sounded very far away ... and almost conversational. As he sped up, breaking the sound barrier in his rush to get to it, he realized it was coming from Metropolis International Airport.... {{"Well, I think they *should* get Superman, don't you? Help! Superman!" he heard. "Please! You're yelling in my ear," a woman's voice responded with what sounded like irritation. "Besides, bomb detection and detonation units have certainly been able to handle these kind of things before Superman arrived. In any case, he can't be everywhere." "Yeah! Haven't you heard?!" a third person chimed in. "Superman's been helping out with all of that storm damage up North." "Still," the first person seemed to be insisting, "Metropolis *is* his home. We need him here ... and I have a plane to catch in a half hour. Help! Superman!"}} With his trademark entrance, Superman appeared out of the sky, focusing on the crowd of people congregating outside of the airport terminal. He knew the call for help came from that group, but saw no one in any identifiable trouble. His eyes scanned away from the crowd to the fire trucks, the rescue vehicles, the police cars, all parked at jagged angles near the terminal entrance. Captain Parks, the senior officer on the scene, was shouting orders into a hand-held radio, only noticing the Super Hero's arrival after he had landed next to him. "Finally!" the man in the crowd who had called Superman exclaimed. "It's about time!" He smiled in delight at the Hero's rapid response to the "crisis" -- no matter how fictitious it was -- and twitched his pointed nose like a skunk sensing its target. "Well, I'm glad *you're* happy!" the woman said. They watched Superman enter the building after conferring with the officers. "Ever since Superman came to town, those so-called public servants have been virtually *loafing* on my tax dollars!" she added in disgust. "Perhaps we should pay *him* instead!" the little man countered, cackling at what must have been a private joke. "Not Superman. He's far too principled to take it!" she declared. The man laughed even harder. Moments later the Super Hero emerged from the terminal with various members of the bomb squad following him in full gear and looking slightly disappointed. Cautiously, he carried a brown, unmarked package before him as he headed towards Captain Parks. Reaching the officer's side, he just as carefully placed it into the surprised man's unsteady hands. "What's this?!" "It's a clock," Superman said. "Not a bomb?" The Super Hero shook his head, "Not a bomb." Captain Parks sighed heavily, rolling his eyes in relief. "A clock! Jesus! All right, people!" he yelled, his glance sweeping across all his police units. "Let's get this place functioning again!" "Superman! Superman! Remember me?" As the Super Hero turned in response, his cape swirling gracefully outward, a smallish man charged towards him from the barricaded crowd. Since the emergency appeared to be over and many were returning to their earlier activities, no one bothered to chase him down. "Uh ... yes?" Clark frowned, trying to place the man. He had met *so many* people as Superman -- people who remembered him far more easily than he could recall them -- that he spent a great deal of time attempting to put names to faces. "The gentleman who had trouble with the vending machine the other day?" the man said in clarification. "Oh! Oh, yes." Clark didn't *want* to remember that exchange. "It's such a coincidence that I should run into you. I was hoping I would." "Yes?" "You see, I had *such* trouble with that machine over the years, that I really wanted to reward you for your help," he explained. Pulling out his wallet, he flipped through it quickly before selecting a one hundred dollar bill. Clark backed up as if the man were offering poison. "No, no. You keep that," he said, waving his hands in front of him. "But, Superman, you *deserve* it," the little man insisted, thinking that he would try just one more time. "No, please. If you want to show your appreciation, then I would like it if you would make a donation to your favorite charity, or-- or to the *Superman Foundation*. They're doing a lot of worthwhile things for Metropolis -- especially its neediest citizens," Clark replied. 'Luthor was right,' Van Horton thought, 'the suit *does* come off.' He returned his wallet to his jacket and briefly ran his fingers through an inner pocket coated with a certain red powder. "All right, Superman. But, at least, let me shake your hand once again." He reached out and grabbed one of the Super Hero hand's in both of his. "By the way, my name is Alfred ... Alfred Morton." "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Morton." "Nice to meet you, as well," he said, patting the Super Hero's muscled arm. "*My* you're a big boy," Morton/Van Horton commented, reaching up and squeezing the powerful shoulders. He danced spritely around the larger man, making a full circle as Superman followed, putting one in mind of a dog chasing his tail. It was dizzying. "What-- What are you doing?" "Superman, you don't *really* want some bureaucratic charity that spends more money on paper clips than on good works to get this hundred dollar bill, do you?" Morton/Van Horton asked, pulling out his wallet once more. "Yes, I do." "Oh, surely not," Morton/Van Horton threw back, watching carefully as the Super Hero's gaze remained glued to the waving greenback. "Surely not," Superman slowly repeated. He reached over with the utmost tentativeness, took the bill from the self-satisfied man, and stuffed it quickly into the belt of his suit. "Now, doesn't that feel better?" "It feels great, actually," Superman agreed, letting loose a big sigh. "Oh, my!" the little man suddenly exclaimed as he glanced at his wristwatch. "I've missed my flight." He looked about them, noticing more than a few people stopping to stare in curiosity, having given up on the dull pastime of watching the police and firemen pack up their gear. "You know, Superman, all these good people pay the airlines hundreds and thousands of dollars to fly them all over the world. The airlines, in turn, must pay for fuel, maintenance, salaries...." He ticked off each expense on his fingers. "*And*, they don't have half the speed, or the--" Morton/Van Horton quickly took in Superman's muscular body. "*Or*, the undeniable appeal to the customer that *you* have." "So?" "So?! My good man! Haven't you ever thought of captaining your own airline?" "You mean, fly people around for money?" Superman asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the idea but not *completely* averse. "Superman!... What a brilliant plan?! Why couldn't *I* have come up with it! I suppose that's why you're so ... so *super*. Well Sir," he said regretfully, "must go. Have to book another flight." Giving his luggage a tug, Morton/Van Horton began to slowly -- very slowly -- walk off. "Mr. Morton!" he heard, all at once, just as he had hoped. "Mr. Morton!" "Yes, Superman?" Morton/Van Horton innocently replied, smiling over his shoulder. "Ah ... where are you going, and just how much did the airline charge you?" ****** Lois tried to stretch the kinks out of her body but felt herself bumping up against something immovable. Opening her eyes, she realized it was the back of the couch. Peering over the side, she saw the boxes and files still lying on the living room floor next to the folding table with the remains of her dinner from the previous night. 'God,' she thought sarcastically, 'nothing stimulates the mind more than reading old financial statements!' Looking around once again, reality finally hit her, and she struggled -- as she did most days now -- to get up. "Clark! Clark, are you home?!" she shouted before searching the room for a note or for some sign of where he might be. "Clark!" she yelled again. She climbed the first few steps of their staircase, until she noticed the answering machine light blinking at her impatiently. "Ah, ha!" she exclaimed, homing in on the "play" button. BE-E-P. "Lois ... Lois?... Are you there? I've been trying to get you all evening." "Mother ... how ironic," Lois muttered to the machine, almost forgetting how much she had wanted to be reached by the elusive Mrs. Lane. "Do you have the volume turned down on the phone again?!" "Ye-es...." "Lois, please call me. It's about the guest list for the baby shower." "Baby shower? What baby shower?" she snidely responded. "Do you know the Dean of Women at Metropolis University?" "No-o." "I thought you knew her through your Women's Lib group?" "No-o." "Well ... call me." BE-E-P. "Lois? Clark? It's Bobby. I think I've got something interesting for you two, and I think you'll want to pay for it. It involves some new construction hires that were brought in to work on Superman's Kingston Project. Looks like things are getting mighty fishy down there. If you're interested, meet me on Monday. You know where and when.... *And* you know what to bring." BE-E-P.... Silence followed. "Is that *it*?" She pushed the rewind button. The only answer was the whirring of the machine, making its way back to the beginning of the tape. The messages she had received, which under normal conditions would have piqued Lois' curiosity and been given a thorough mental work over, were shoved aside testily. She grabbed the TV remote, pushed on the power button, and flipped swiftly to LNN. Perhaps *they* could tell her of her husband's whereabouts. ".... Recapping our top story, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale hit the northern section of Kansu Province in China early this morning. The quake, causing only limited damage in heavily populated areas, devastated several remote villages. We'll be updating this story as soon as further details are known.... In other news, the Weather Center reports...." "Damn!" she muttered cursing the fact that, for once, the twenty-four hour news channel wasn't milking every last detail out of a developing crisis. "What a time to get responsible," Lois grumbled. Now, she could only wonder about him and hope that he *was* in China. As if seconding her irritation, Lois felt the baby kick and her stomach rumble in unison, making her realize just how late in the morning it was. She grabbed the leftovers from the night before and headed for the kitchen. Stashing the dishes in the sink, she gazed out of the window in thought. "Might as well," she muttered. Opening the back door, Lois looked around for signs of movement from her neighbors, and, finding none, let out the loudest yell she could. "Superman!... Superman!" She listened, hoping to hear a familiar SWOOSH, but nothing answered her call -- nothing but morning traffic, birds chirping in a fury, the bells of a nearby church pealing at the end of its Sunday service.... Disappointed, she roughly closed the door. Lois walked over to the refrigerator desperately needing ... something. Pulling on the handle and leaning against the side, she scanned the eggs, the fruit, the milk, the juice, and headed straight for the piles upon piles of Yodels, Twinkies, and Ding Dongs. "Someone's been at these," she smirked, knowing it was Clark. Lois plucked out a Yodel from the stack, wanting a chocolate fix more than she ever could remember and not caring one whit about the caffeine, the sugar, or the pre-processed, unnatural ingredients. "Baby," she said, patting her abdomen, "fasten your seat belt." "... police were called in to Metropolis International Airport at the report of a suspicious package. While investigating, Superman arrived..." 'Superman!' Lois made a quick exit to the living room and parked herself in front of the television, a cellophane wrapper floating to the floor in her wake. "... to discover that the package contained only a simple clock! Superman has not been available for comment. He was last seen flying off North by Northeast, carrying a man and his luggage." "Carrying a man and his luggage?!" Lois repeated in a muffle, her mouth filled with chocolate cake and cream. "When?! When was this?!" she called out to the television, her arms swinging upward in exasperation as the news reader turned, instead, to the "Hollywood Minute" and a picture of the "Titanic's" modesty-challenged director flashed across the screen. "Make another movie, already!" she groused at him. Beginning to pace, Lois returned to the kitchen and, once again, looked out the back door. 'Perhaps, I'll see a spot of blue and red in the distance, growing bigger and bigger,' she thought, 'eventually turning into my husband, carrying a person under one arm and a full set of American Tourister under the other. "That's ridiculous ... a man and his luggage," she grumbled under her breath.... "Superman!" Just as she was about to give up and concentrate on her next move, Lois thought she heard a noise that usually heralded the entrance of a well-dressed man, surreptitiously checking both ways, while straightening his tie. She peered upward, praying for it to be so, when a red and blue streak blazed across the sky. "Superman!" she cried out. THUMP! Lois jumped back in alarm. Tearing her eyes away from the heavens, she found herself staring at a large, light-colored sack, lying in the middle of the patio. "This better not be his laundry," Lois muttered as she dragged it inside and tentatively tugged on the drawstrings. Spreading apart the material, she gasped at the surprising sight. Before her, in a loose pile of many denominations, was what she could only guess to be thousands of dollars. She frowned, trying to find a note -- something that would tell her what this was all about. But there was nothing, and, for the life of her, she couldn't stop humming that old time tune.... "Every time it rains, it rains ... pennies from heaven." ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:24:57 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins at home" (part 3 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "I'm going up to Research," Lois announced to the busy newsroom. She glanced at her watch once more and made her way to the elevator. Tapping her foot impatiently, she finally heard the ding, which signalled its arrival, and prepared to enter the car no matter who or how many wanted to exit. Barely making the effort to look up as the doors slid open, Lois spotted a familiar patch of bright red. Her eyes quickly scanned further upward and was immediately rewarded with her husband's smiling face. Before him, quite innocently, he carried a bulging red bundle -- a makeshift sack drawn together by its tips. Although he was dressed in the lightweight business suit she had seen on him earlier, it was clear to her that this red cloth belonged to another suit altogether, and it shocked her to see the juxtaposition of the two so blatantly and casually displayed. If she could make the connection so easily, couldn't everyone else?! "Clark!" Lois rushed into the elevator. "What are you doing?!" she frantically whispered. Stabbing a button -- any button -- the doors closed and they shot up into the stratosphere of the Planet. "What do you mean, what am I doing?" he asked in puzzlement. "I'm coming back to the office to work. What are you doing?" "Clark!" she hissed through her teeth. "This is Superman's cape." Lois tugged at the cloth he held before him in emphasis, briefly capturing its bulk with her fingertips. "What do you have in here?" Before he could answer, the panels sprung open again, exposing the top floor of the Daily Planet building. Unlike the city room, a hushed, cathedral-like atmosphere greeted them assisted by the deep-piled, blue gray carpeting which tempered any noise that dared to make itself a bother. Heavy, brown doors lined the hallways, disinviting both the curious and the disgruntled. In the very center of it all, was a large-boned woman of an indeterminate age, sitting behind an intimidating command post which, like a magnet, compelled visitors forward for inspection. Lois, however, was *not* the typical visitor. Ignoring the surprised woman, she dragged Clark out of the elevator and down a side corridor. "Ms. Lane! Mr. Kent!" the woman called after them, bustling from behind her desk in hot pursuit. "Ms. Lane, can I help you?" Lois opened one of the many doors she found along the hallway and pushed Clark through. Whirling to confront the anxious woman, Lois smiled sweetly, lowering her voice to a respectful whisper. "*Mrs. Cavanaugh* ... would you mind? Could my husband and I use the conference room? Just for a few minutes?" "*Well*, I don't think it's quite appropriate--" she huffily answered, before her eyes travelled to the obvious evidence of Lois' fertilized state. "Well ... all right," she reluctantly agreed. "I suppose whatever could happen already has," Mrs. Cavanaugh commented as she examined her watch. "*But*, Mr. Stern is scheduled to hold a meeting in there within the half hour." "Just a few minutes, I promise. Thanks." Lois backed into the room, making sure the Planet's formidable sentry backed away as well. Slowly, both of them did, each eyeing the other more than a little suspiciously until the door shut between them. Finally, Lois turned to face him. "Okay, spill it. What's so important that you're carrying it around in your cape for all to see?" she demanded. Bewildered, Clark stood in stark relief against the huge windows framing the fading afternoon sun. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked over to the large table dominating the room and emptied the contents of his makeshift sack upon it. Immediately, cans of soda began rolling down its length, cellophane packages of Twinkies and Yodels bounced after them, and candy bars slid on its polished surface. "I ... I don't understand. What did you do, shakedown Sara Lee?" "No, a vending machine." "Clark, be serious. What's going on here?" "Honey." Clark reached out for her hands, drawing her near. "There was a defective vending machine. I shook it to get a can of soda out for a man who had lost his money, and all of these other cans just fell out--" "*All* of this came from one defective machine," she said in disbelief, backing away from him and spreading her arms to encompass the entire scope of Clark's plunder. "Well ... I--" About to explain further, Clark was mercifully cut-off by a sound only he could hear, communicated to her by an expression only she could recognize. He looked out over the city and the skyscrapers that surrounded them and pointed to a column of smoke rising on the outskirts. "It's a fire ... in the woods behind the mall. It looks like it's spreading quickly." Lois squinted out to the horizon. "Can they--" "I don't think they can handle it alone," Clark promptly answered. He glanced over at the table with its pile of goodies. "Go, Clark." "But...." "But what? This stuff?" She frowned at him in bewilderment before lowering her voice in mock exaggeration. "I won't let anybody near it. It'll be safe with me." Still appearing reluctant, he, nonetheless, ran towards the door, grabbing his cape along the way and loosening his tie. "Oh." He stopped in his tracks, suddenly remembering something. Turning on a dime, he came back to her, and with anticipation of why he must be returning, she readied herself for a goodbye kiss. However, instead of the brush of his lips against hers, all at once, she felt a wad of paper being pressed into her hand. "For the baby," he whispered before finally sprinting off. Lois opened her eyes and, with knitted brow, peered into her opening fist. A dollar bill slowly unravelled, revealing various coins tucked within. "Twenty-five ... thirty-five ... forty-five ... fifty. *A dollar, fifty*?" she mumbled to herself, more confused than ever. "Ms. Lane?" So wrapped up in Clark's strange behavior, Lois failed to notice the door opening yet again. Mrs. Cavanaugh cautiously peered from behind it, expecting to catch God knows what kind of shenanigans. Finding Lois alone, she took courage and walked in. Immediately, her eyes widened as she gaped at her highly-polished, heavy wood conference table strewn with what seemed to be the snack aisle of the local Super Saveway. "U-h-h." With a low whimper of dismay, she looked helplessly at the mess before her and then down at the stack of carefully prepared, neatly collated, laminated financial reports she was toting, all ready to be fastidiously aligned about the table. Giving the distressed woman an apologetic shrug, Lois reached out and picked up one of the sugary delicacies. "Twinkie?" ****** "They're all going nuts ... everyone," Lois mumbled, as she drove her jeep down Hyperion and hunted for a parking spot that never seemed to be there when she needed it. The evening shadows had gotten longer and she could feel her stomach grumbling at the prospect of dinner. Finally finding a space into which she could quickly shoe-horn herself, Lois patted her abdomen reassuringly. "Spicy.... Definitely something spicy." Peering out of the window as she locked up, she spied Clark strolling along the pavement towards their house. Bags, clearly labelled "Shanghai Gardens: Chinese Gourmet," hung from each hand. "That's my boy," she said, grinning at his remarkable "hunting" instincts. "Clark!" she called. She climbed out of the jeep and met him at their stoop. "Hi, sweetheart," he greeted her, leaning into her kiss. "I got home after the fire and thought that maybe we could just relax and have take-out tonight." "Good thinking.... Are you okay? I understand you saved the shopping mall from a pretty bad scorching. My mother should be pleased," she added with a laugh. At his questioning look, she continued. "Ralph phoned-in the story. Did you see him?" Lois reached out for the handrail that ran beside their front steps and lowered herself slowly onto the warm stone. "Oh ... oh yeah, I think I did," Clark answered. He sat down beside her, taking in her deep yawn. "What about you? You seem tired," he said, brushing his wife's cheek with his fingertips. "Well...." Lois glanced around at their neighbors arriving home from their own long, work day; at pet owners walking their dogs; at Mrs. Pierpont meticulously sweeping her steps, as she did every evening, before the pitch black of night made such chores a tiny bit too eccentric. "It's my mother," Lois finally answered. "She's impossible, Clark. It's hardly been a day, and she's already taken over the baby shower from *your* mother. She wants to host some catered spectacle at the Lexor. She's planning to invite all these women I barely know -- including the Mayor--" "Really? How many women?" he unexpectedly asked. "I don't know, exactly ... a lot." "The more people she invites, the more gifts we'll get," Clark observed. Lois chuckled, patting his knee, affectionately. "Well, you have a point there, honey.... I'm hungry. Let's go inside." ****** For the first time that day, Lois was beginning to relax as she followed her husband into their comfortable nest. Snuggling close to him, she waited for him to flick the light switch before proceeding. "What the..!?" Lois closed her eyes and then opened them again, hoping she was hallucinating. She wasn't. Surveying their living room, Lois turned to Clark expecting to see an equally stupefied expression crossing his features. To her surprise, he wasn't batting an eyelash. Instead, he was nonchalantly removing his suit jacket, only giving the room a cursory, but fully satisfied, glance. Obviously, the condition of their home wasn't as astonishing to him as it was to her. "Clark! What is this?!" Like Vanna White, Lois flung her arm in an arc capturing the varied array of items within it. "Well," he said, excitedly, practically skipping into the center of the chaos that was once their tastefully decorated living room. "*This* is a barcalounger -- the latest kind -- it vibrates!" he reported with delight. "This is a pinball machine, featuring the conquests of Superman. *This* is a 80" big-screen TV. The latest and largest on the market. In this box," he continued, alighting from one item to the next, "is a build-it-yourself hot tub kit. Here's a power saw and a full set of tools. After all, you can't enjoy a hot tub without power tools," he offered with a suggestive wink. "This is a garage door opener.... Oh! Oh no! *This* is the garage door opener. This is the TV remote," Clark added, holding one gadget in his left hand and the other in his right with a look that suggested that he wasn't quite sure. "Over here," Clark added walking, to another huge, brightly colored box, "is a pitching machine *with* a batting cage -- for the baby." "For the baby?" "Yes ... and Lois, look at the definition on this television set. It's incredible!" While Lois stared at him incredulously, Clark flicked the buttons on one of the gadgets he held. 'I hope that's the right one,' she found herself surreally thinking, 'or *somebody's* garage is going to be opening and closing mysteriously. Heaven knows, we don't have one -- *I think*.' Lois frowned, tempted to check outside in case there was an addition to their home she hadn't noticed. Before she could make a move, however, all the extraneous, uncontrollable thoughts that were bouncing about her instantly took flight as a seven foot picture of Lex Luthor's head and shoulders suddenly jumped out to replace them. "A-H-H!" Lois yelled, hopping behind Clark's body. "*I'm* sorry, sweetheart," he said apologetically, quickly minimizing the TV picture and lowering the sound, on an LNN interview Lex had recently granted discussing the importance of corporate giving. "It's great, though, isn't it." "Great?! Cl-a-r-k! *Where, O' where* in the world did you get all of these ... these ... *things*! And, *don't* tell me you shook them out of a vending machine!" "Honey ... sit down. Relax," he soothed. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Clark escorted her to the huge, cushiony lounge chair. Gently sitting her down upon it, he pulled out the foot stool and pushed a button that started a mini-vibrator. Immediately, tiny tingles ran pleasurably up and down her spine. "I think we should get one of these for the bed, don't you?" he said with a wiggle of his brow. "That would be very nice ... but why do we have all of this?" she pointedly asked. "Well ... when I put the fire out this afternoon, the owner of Levin's was so relieved, he graciously offered me the choice of any of the merchandize I wanted from his department store -- up to $25,000. The baby's things are coming tomorrow." "The baby's things? I thought the pitching machine was for the baby." "It is," Clark insisted, a little self-defensively. "Clark!" Lois sat up -- all at once hit with the implications of his last words. "You picked out *baby things* as Superman? How did you explain that one?" Lois shuddered at the thought, knowing how pathetic Clark's excuses had always been. "Simple. I said I had friends who were having a baby." Lois emitted a sigh of relief. 'I guess that's all right, then,' she thought, her adrenaline rush subsiding as swiftly as it had risen. Lois threw herself back against the chair and tried to come up with some reason -- any reason -- why Clark would have suddenly turned into ... into a modern-day Monty Hall. "Earth to Superman," she finally said, as she looked up to him with a cocked brow. "We *can't* accept all of these things. Clark ... Superman never accepts payment for what he does. You know that!" "Well, *now,* maybe he should," he answered. Clearly unhappy with Lois' level of enthusiasm, Clark picked up the abandoned bags of Chinese food and headed towards the kitchen in a sulk. "Maybe everyone's *not* going nuts. Maybe *I'm* the one who's crazy," Lois muttered, as she glanced over at their new, one thousand inch TV set. Unable to help herself, Lois picked up the remote control from where Clark had left it on the arm of her chair and enlarged the picture, increasing the volume in the process. Mercifully, the news had moved away from Lex Luthor's latest exploits and onto other topics. "Thank you, Maribeth, for that ground-breaking report on the devastating impact of high fiber in our diet." With a swivel of his chair, Dan Sooner, the anchor, turned his ten foot, smiling face away from his LNN colleague and began earnestly addressing the camera. "Tomorrow night, in this continuing, exclusive series, we'll look at the hidden effects on our bodies of our leafy compadres in a report entitled, 'Broccoli, We Hardly Knew Ye'." "Now, on a lighter note," he continued, his voice becoming noticeably cheerier, "earlier today, police were called in on the report of a disturbance at the corner of Market and Albemarle. When they arrived, they were surprised to find a large group of Metropolis' citizens chasing after and fighting overa bevy of sugar-filled baked goods and candies that had mysteriously poured out of several vending machines outside of Joe and Judy's Food Mart. After questioning witnesses, the police reported that some in the crowd claimed that ... *Superman* had allegedly shaken the snacks out of the machines and had walked off just moments before with more than his fair share.... Hmm." "Well, Maribeth," the anchor said, swiveling back, his voice lowering an octave, "hard to believe *that* one." "I don't know, Dan," the woman perkily responded, every single one of her twelve inch pores gloriously displayed for Lois' inspection. "It could be an example of the devastating impact of my exclusive series." "Maribeth ... You might be right." "Clark!..." Lois shouted, her legs flapping as she desperately tried to free her rotund shape from the tight grasp of the deceptively inanimate recliner. "Yes, Honey!" he called back from the kitchen. "Honey ... where are my Ding Dongs and Sno-balls?" ****** Lex Luthor looked out over the glittering lights of Metropolis which hung like a diamond necklace about the pitch black sky. From this high vantage point, he could almost imagine that he could see into the very depths of all of those -- both friend and foe alike -- who filled his every thought: into the mind of a cold and calculating, killer-siren who played the fool so well and tweaked him at every turn; into the heart of a seemingly guileless waif who claimed to love him, although he could sense the caution in her love; into the soul of a beautiful, fiery crusader who haunted his every dream and drove him mad with her pity. And, finally, into the inner core of his arch-nemesis, a half man, half demigod who had managed to wrench away from him both the world he had dominated and the woman he had desired.... "Oh, well," he sighed with a shrug, never one to let minor set-backs dissuade him. "Mr. Luthor ... he's here," a voice said from the shadows. "A-h-h." Lex moved from his contemplation of the city night scape, which had inched open a window to his own dark depths, and turned to greet the man he had patiently awaited. "Mr. Van Horton ... please have a seat. I understand from Harry, here, that you have had some very promising results." "Yes, I think you can say that our enterprise has been an unqualified success. From what I can tell, Superman is going to be a rather busy bee in the future, certainly not paying much attention to anything you may have planned, Mr. Luthor," the little man reported, his smile suggesting that *he* had never had any doubts. "Excellent.... But, in what way was it a success? What was the outcome?" "Well ... I watched him very carefully, following his exploits for the remainder of the day, and the kryptonite appears to have affected him in a most ironic manner. Instead of performing his usual selfless acts without any reward, he seems to have gotten quite ... well, quite greedy -- going from one crisis to the next collecting gifts-in-kind and selling autographs." "Amazing!" Lex observed, both fascinated and astounded by the deliciousness of the results. "But, couldn't that work against us?" Harry interrupted, raining upon the other mens' celebratory mood. "What if Superman suddenly sets his sights on the Foundation? He could suck it dry himself!" "Yes. He could do that," Lex countered, a wide grin arresting his features, his mind clicking with the possibilities. "Yes, he could, *and* wouldn't you say that it's been rather thoughtful of us to have gotten the ball rolling for him?... In truth, we couldn't have come up with a better result if we had planned it. Here we have the spectacle of Superman flying about the world like the 'Great Acquisitor'. Considering this, who will have any doubts, when the Foundation's duplicity is finally discovered, that Superman is behind it? He'll be ruined -- pure and simple.... Well," Lex added, with a snort, "no longer so pure, but, without a doubt, still simple." "You're right ... that *would be* convenient," Harry conceded, shaking his head over the remarkable coincidence. Lex turned to Mr. Van Horton, leaning closer. "But, how did you accomplish the feat, *exactly*?" he asked -- one master to another. "Well ... I took the leftover shards of kryptonite and ground them down to a fine powder," the man replied, obviously taking pride in his ingenious method of application. "You did what?" Harry said in disbelief. Van Horton frowned at the man without answering, not appreciating his unending interruptions. "I, then, placed a bit of the powder within my hand and deftly applied it to Superman's own hand. After all, a happy, satisfied citizen would surely want to congratulate his hero with a handshake. I also made sure to rub the powder vigorously into his suit. Presto! He literally carried it around with him all day." "Wait a minute here," Harry interjected. "You ground the kryptonite into a fine powder? Do you realize that that stuff is priceless, and it can't be replaced!" "I didn't use it all," the little man answered, indignantly. "I don't care if you're parceling it out one grain at a time. Kryptonite's not exactly renewable." "Harry, Harry ... calm yourself," Lex said. "Do you think *I* would place such a valuable resource in the hands of an amateur? Our Mr. Van Horton is a virtuoso lapidary--" "A what?" "A gem cutter," Lex enunciated carefully. "In fact, he is fashioning an extraordinary red pendant out of the piece." "For your lovely wife?" Van Horton suggested. "Hmm ... perhaps," Lex replied, noncommittally. "As well as cufflinks?" "Now, *that* sounds promising." "You're making jewelry out of it?" Harry repeated, taken aback, his thoughts spinning with the novelty. And then, all of a sudden, the pieces of the puzzle began to align. "You're Van Horton!" Harry finally asserted, despite his usual good manners, pointing his finger at the man. "Yes, I know who you are. You're Wendell "The Weasel" Van Horton -- the European jewel thief." "Jewel *aficionado*, if you please," the little man swiftly corrected, affronted by the reminder of his unwelcome moniker. "You see, Harry," Lex offered, "you can rest assured that your efforts on my behalf have not gone in vain. Mr. Van Horton is the premiere ... acquirer and appraiser of gems on both continents. However -- gentlemen -- I do have one concern. We cannot be sure that this one exposure to the kryptonite will suffice." "Mr. Luthor, I rubbed the powder quite thoroughly into Superman's cape. It's inescapable." "But, the man *can* take his suit off and put on another." "Has it been proven that he does, indeed, take it off?" Van Horton asked. "Most definitely," Lex answered, with a cocked brow, thinking of the last time he had seen Lois Lane, obviously enceinte, and unfortunately, glowing. "Yes ... I'd say he most definitely takes it off." "Well, I don't think I'd have any problem repeating the procedure if necessary." "Good. Until we think of a more permanent solu-- tion. Hmm ... solution. Now, there's a possibility," Lex softly reiterated, addressing himself more than the two men standing before him. "Yes. Well," he continued, realigning his thoughts, "as they say on the shampoo bottles ... repeat." ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:24:58 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 4 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "And, then what happened?" Clark asked. Almost afraid of the answer, he buried his face in his hands before running them through his hair. Lois tossed him a concerned look as she carried their morning coffee into the living room. Carefully navigating around their newly acquired wealth, she sat down beside him on the couch and placed the steaming mugs on the table in front of them. "*Well*, when I finally managed to hoist myself out of that ... that so- called chair over there," Lois said, waving her hand towards "the enemy" in disgust, "I went to the kitchen and there *you* were, literally leaning up against the refrigerator, out like a light.... I'd never seen anything like it." "I'm sorry, honey," he said, for the tenth time that morning. "It's all right," she assured him, with a pat to the knee. "You were highly ... *suggestible*. I towed you along upstairs, sat you down on the bed, and got you undressed.... Actually," Lois added with a grin, "it wasn't half bad. Before we were married, I used to have dreams of peeling off your tights while you were ... um ... let's just say 'out of it'." "Oh, r-e-a-lly. You want to try it again?" "Not so fast, Superman. We do have a little problem here," she said, gesturing about the room. "Oh, yeah. Is this ... the extent of it?" Clark asked, shamefacedly. "All of this, plus two bags of junk food in the back of the jeep.... Oh! I almost forgot. *And,* a buck fifty," she said, picking up the loose change she had thrown on the coffee table. "A buck fifty?" "I think you meant it to be the start of our child's college fund," she answered. Once again, he buried his face in his hands. "Oh no." "Clark ... are you all right?" He quickly looked up and half turned towards her. Removing Lois' hands from her mug of decaf, he cradled them in his own. "Honey, I'm fine now. Whatever was going on with me yesterday is definitely over. *And,* just as soon as I get dressed, I plan on taking all of this ... *stuff* back to where it came from." "I know you will, but that's not my concern." She looked into Clark's eyes, studying him carefully, trying to dig below the surface. "I mean, are you all right? Are you *worried* about anything?" "Like what?" he asked. "Well ... perhaps about whether the two of us have the wherewithal to provide for a child? Maybe that article I was reading the other day got to you -- you know, about the cost of raising children?" "What?!" "Because *if you are worried about it*, you know we can discuss it." "Lois! Of course I know we can take care of the baby. God, there are so many people, much less fortunate than we are, who've done marvelous jobs raising families. In any case, raising a child isn't *just* about money or material things," he said, feeling a touch ironic voicing such words in the midst of what looked like a furniture store showroom. "It's mostly about love, and I know we've hit the jackpot in that department." Lois smiled. "Okay. It's just that.... I don't know. You were giving a very good impression yesterday of a papa bird preparing his nest." "With a big-screen TV and a pinball machine?" "Well ... you *are* a man after all," Lois joked. "Granted, a super one, but a man nevertheless. And you obviously had your priorities straight," she said, glancing about herself. "Don't remind me," Clark said, ruefully. He listened to her gentle laughter, which drew out his own, until both slowly faded and silence surrounded them. "Oh!" she exclaimed, breaking the quiet moment. "Actually, I *do* have to remind you of something. I've signed us up for the childbirth classes. The orientation is this Monday night. Now, I've jotted it down in both your "Clark Kent" day planner *and* your "Superman" day planner. *So*, there's no excuse, buster," Lois said, jabbing her finger in his ribs for emphasis. "Ah-h, sweetheart," he said, feeling guilty all over again, "I should have gone over to the hospital with you like we planned." "That's okay. It wasn't necessary," Lois assured him, matter-of-factly. "*Oh*. So, you admit that that whole thing about my going along with you to get the information was really just a ruse so that you could have lunch with Marigold and me," he teased. "Ha! Too bad you didn't pick up a polygraph machine on your world wind shopping tour," Lois teased back, glad things were getting back to normal, "cause I ain't admittin' nuthin'." "Okay. This Monday ... I'll remember," he whispered. Giving her a tender kiss, Clark hopped up to head for the stairs. "Speaking of Marigold," he said, looking over his shoulder. "I'd better phone her and let her know I can't drop by the Foundation today. I wanted to check on the progress at Kingston, but, between taking these things back and catching up at the Planet, I don't think I'm going to have time. Good thing she's such a tremendous manager," Clark added, as he sprinted up the steps to their bedroom. "Yeah, good thing," he heard Lois answer, although he missed her lack of inflection. Instead, he was fully focused on getting dressed and getting back to his old self. Clark picked up his used suit from the previous day, soiled by the fire. Wrinkling his sensitive nose at the clingy odor of smoke, he tossed it aside with a sneeze. '*That's* odd,' Clark thought with a shrug. 'Oh, well! A new day, a new suit.' Although his niggling doubts persisted, Clark managed to brush those away as well. ****** Marigold glanced about the confines of the trailer, noting the half empty coffee cups, the blueprints, the schedules and the piles of reports haphazardly lying across the table in front of her and atop the rusted gray filing cabinets on the side. Despite the veritable hodgepodge, however, like a bad piece of art work you couldn't quite ignore, her eyes were consistently drawn to a much less important item. It was a girlie calendar which held pride of place on the far wall. She had discovered, while alone and waiting, that if you lifted the top layer of transparent film attached to the calendar, the bikini on the overly endowed woman magically disappeared. When you lowered it, the bikini reappeared. Somehow, at some elemental level, the simple action of lifting and lowering the transparency appealed to her long ago childhood attraction to playing dress up, to unclothing and clothing a doll, a stuffed animal, an action figure.... 'An action figure, hmm.... I wonder if anyone has ever thought of creating one of these of Superman,' she mused, almost managing to envision it before her attention was drawn to the jiggling of the trailer door, and to Ed Reeves, the Kingston Venture's foreman, climbing in to join her. Marigold was quite sure that, to the man now facing her in the crowded compartment, the calendar was just fine as it was. "Um ... has Superman been here lately?" she asked, forcing her attention away from the buxom body and pouty lips of Miss June. "Uh ... not lately," Ed answered. "I mean, has he been to the site?" she asked again, to clarify. Ed, trying unsuccessfully to station his large bulk in front of the calendar without being obvious about it, cleared his throat with a hint of embarrassment. "No, not since the new men and the sub-- stitute materials arrived," he said, catching himself before he uttered the taboo word, "substandard". "You mean they're already here?" "They arrived two weeks before you did." "Before I did!" Although she recognized that she had no right to be indignant, she felt stunned by the news all the same. "Hmm ... so sure I would fall into line without an argument," she muttered. "Excuse me, Ma'am?" "Nothing. *So*, you've already started using the new materials?" "Well, yes, Ma'am. If we were going to keep on schedule, we had to. In fact, I've ordered the men to speed things up." 'Ah ... shoddy workmanship *and* shoddy materials,' she couldn't help but think. "Have the 'old' supplies been resold?" "I believe so. I can call in the project's 'accountant', if you'd like to know the balance," Ed offered, reaching for the phone. "No, that's all right. I'll talk to him later," Marigold roughly answered. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly she felt the need to breathe fresh air. Clumsily, she pushed on the door of the trailer, but it stubbornly resisted until Ed, giving up his efforts to shield her from the ambiguous morals of men, moved forward and gave the door a more familiar "thump" of his fist. In one graceless maneuver, Marigold spilled out onto the gravel parking lot and took two deep breaths of sawdust and cement before pulling out her cell phone and walking swiftly towards her car. "Joyce?" she yelled, over the din of the construction work piling higher and higher about her. "Has anyone called?" "Superman phoned," she heard a tinny voice reply, causing her heart to take an erratic leap. "He did!... What did he want?" Marigold asked anxiously. "He said he was so sorry, but he wouldn't be able to meet with you today. That he would come by on Monday." "Monday? I can't let him do that," she muttered, her one hand cupping the receiver. "Joyce, put me in touch with Harry ... Harry de Silva. Quick." ****** A foot was tapping impatiently. At least, that's what she could see from the corner of her eye. "Lois, the last time I checked, I had someone on the payroll by the name of Clark Kent. Does that name ring a bell with you?" the man who owned the foot asked. "Yes," she said, looking sideways at a tie imprinted with tiny, reproductions of Graceland. "Well ... I'm so glad to hear that, because I was beginning to think he was just a figment of my imagination. After all, according to the National Whisper, there've been more sightings of Elvis this week, then we've seen of your husband. Where is he *now*, for instance? It's almost noon." Lois straightened up and glared at the clock labelled "Metropolis" as if she could will it to change its mind and say 9:00 a.m. "I'm sorry Perry. Clark and I should have told you. He's ... He's been ... out on a story," she finally finished, finding no other inspiration in the comings and goings of their busy office. "Really." Perry pulled up a chair, parking himself next to his discomforted employee's desk. "And what exactly might that be -- the untold story of pregnancy test kits?" Lois smiled painfully, recognizing that she was *never* going to live that one down. Neither, it seems, would she easily escape Perry's questions. Not this time. Desperate to get him off her tail, Lois bit her lip, deciding to unveil a new addition to her "bag of tricks". "O-o-o-h!" she moaned, clutching her belly with the dramatic flair of a Sarah Bernhardt. "What? What?" Perry asked. Swiftly standing, he nervously shuffled about her. "What's the matter?!" Frantically, he grabbed the arm of a passing delivery boy, pulling him roughly towards him. "Where's Clark?" Perry gruffly demanded. "I don't know, man," the boy said, backing away with a disgruntled frown. "Who's Clark?" "Who's Clark!" Perry bellowed. "No! No, Perry." Quickly, Lois put her hand out to stop the Chief from going into a deep nosedive. "It's just that ... the baby's putting a bit of pressure on my ... on my bladder, and I've-- I've got to go," she ended in a rush. With that, she pushed him out of her way, scooted up the ramp and tried with all her might to wipe the smile of relief off her face once she got away. ****** At the violent swing of the rest room door, Penny Barnes jumped, did an acrobatic twirl, and landed in a position resembling an Egyptian hieroglyphic, only to find herself facing a panting Lois Lane, holding her abdomen and breathing heavily. "Lois! Are you all right?!" she immediately asked. She broke out of what -- under this or any other circumstance -- was a ridiculous pose and ran forward. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. *Really*," Lois said, tiring of the question. "But, now that I'm here." She signalled to a stall and hopped into it. "Whew! You really scared me," Penny said loudly with a laugh. "I don't think my instructor would approve -- using karate on a pregnant woman." "That's reassuring," a voice yelled back. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to tell you that I'm looking forward to the baby shower. I'm really honored that your mother would invite me, and if there's anything particular you need -- anything at all I can do--" "The baby shower?!" A rush of water forestalled the rest of Lois' words, and she was feebly left to listen to Penny's shouted response. "Yes. You did know about it, didn't you?" the younger woman suddenly asked in a worried tone, wondering if she had let loose on more than just her self-defense skills. "Your mother called me this morning with the invitation.... I really hope you knew about this." "Yes ... I knew about this," a tired voice responded. "Oh-h, good. Frankly, I'm very impressed -- a luncheon at the Lexor. I've never eaten there. But, I've heard marvelous things about their high tea." At those words, the lock on the cubicle was pulled back with an aggressive jerk. "High tea?!" Lois repeated, joining Penny at the sink. "My mother's not planning a high tea, is she?" "No! No, I wasn't suggesting that," Penny assured her. "Well ... *truthfully*, I don't know." "High tea," Lois muttered, heading out the door under a head of steam. "That's it, Mother. Forget high tea! Try high noon!" ****** "Lois! Is Penny still in the res--" At the less-than-welcoming expression on his colleague's face, Jimmy took the wisest course of action and decided the better part of valor was to keep his mouth perfectly shut -- especially as Penny was following close behind. "Oh. Oh Jimmy." Immediately upon seeing the young man, Lois stopped and mentally juggled the various annoyances and problems -- both personal and professional -- vying for her attention. In light of Jimmy's fortuitous presence, however, the problem *he* was helping her with suddenly won her mental tug-of-war. "How's it going on that ... you know, that research?" she asked, glancing over to Penny with an imploring look. Happily, the younger woman sized up the situation nicely and signalled her intention to give them some privacy. "I'll ... I'll just wait at the elevator, honey," Penny said to Jimmy, making small, pantomime movements that he instantly understood. "I'll see you later, Lois." "Yes, um ... bye Penny. I'll-- I'll talk to you later. Thanks," she called after her. "Well?" Lois prompted the young man, turning back to him with a lift of her brow. "I think ... I *only* think that I've come across something pretty interesting," Jimmy said, lowering his voice to a whisper. Appreciating his caution, Lois pulled him back with her into the bathroom. "After digging through boxes of old files -- *and, I mean boxes* -- I found some documentation linking Burnston-Hughes Securities to LexCorp." Lois' eyes widened at his last words. "Are you saying that LexCorp *owns* Burnston-Hughes?!" "No. I'm saying that LexCorp *owned* Burnston-Hughes before Lex's clone -- or *Lex*," Jimmy quickly added upon seeing Lois' frown, "took his great leap forward' off his penthouse balcony, then its ownership went into adjudication." "Uh, huh.... *But*, he could still have control of it." "I don't know, but when it comes to Lex Luthor, anything is possible." "That's for sure. Was there anything in the files about Marigold Smythe?" she anxiously asked. "Not back that far." "Well then, move forward in them, Jimmy," she said, insistently, "and I'll--" "Lois," he interrupted all at once. "Yes?" "Am I ... Am I in the *ladies* room?" Her eyes followed his as they scanned the walls, devoid of unsubtle, in-your-face urinals, and lined instead, with discreet machines coyly demanding coins in exchange for intimate products, tastefully sketched i outline, and promising that certain "feeling of confidence". Scanning further, as if in slow motion, they also watched as the door gradually swung open to reveal a clearly startled senior member of the Planet's administrative staff. All three froze, each trying to chase away the worst thoughts that came to mind, only to find it a losing battle. "What the?! What's *he* doing in here?!" the older woman indignantly inquired, finding her voice before the others could even find a breath. "Don't you watch television?!" Lois demanded just as fiercely and as soon as she could. "Unisex bathrooms are in!" she declared, tugging the hapless Jimmy through the door yet again. ****** "Superman, I don't understand." In bewilderment, George Levin surveyed the large boxes amassed on the loading dock of his department store. Turning, he shrugged at his equally dismayed employees, hovering at a discreet distance. "Yesterday, you were more than happy to accept these small tokens of my gratitude," Levin observed, turning back. "You saved my business! I *wanted* you to have them!" "I ... I thought I could accept them," Clark answered, attempting to think of one credible reason why he could have accepted the gifts yesterday but not today. "But-- but the homeless shelter I was going to give them to already had a big-screen TV." "A *homeless shelter* has a big-screen TV? And, a pitching machine? And, a hot tub?" At Superman's brief, but uncomfortably affirmative nod, George Levin shook his own head in increasing bemusement. "Where *is* this shelter? I want to know where to go, just in case." For five painful seconds, Superman looked like the proverbial deer caught facing his proverbial traffic dilemma, until the other man, sensing the Super Hero's growing discomfort, ceased any further questioning. "It's all right; it's all right," he assured him. "But, what about the baby items -- the clothes, the books, the toys? Do you want to cancel those too?" "No." Clark instinctively reached for his reporter's notebook before quickly remembering himself. "Ah, Mr. Levin ... Do you have a paper and pencil I can borrow?" Seeing Levin patting his pockets without result, an employee stepped forward and nervously handed Superman a small pad and pen from her own jacket. "Thanks," the Super Hero responded with his patented smile. "Mr. Levin, if you could, I want you to call this number. It's a battered woman's shelter. They'll have somebody come by and pick up the baby things. I'm sure they could make good use of them, and *I* would be *very* grateful," he added, hoping that *that* would suffice to satisfy the man. After a pause, wherein Superman faced an assessment he wasn't quite used to, Levin finally reached out a hand to him. "It would be a pleasure," the store owner said, as the Hero sighed in relief. "After all," Levin added, "it's better to give than to receive." "Yes," Clark muttered, "I'll have to try and remember that one.... Thank you, Mr. Levin," the Super Hero said, more clearly. "If you'll excuse me, Sir, I have to go." With that, Superman took off, feeling renewed by the transaction. 'At least *something* good has come of this,' he thought. ****** "Harry de Silva, I know what you've been doing," the blonde woman declared as she sidled around her desk and let loose the full affect of her considerable sex appeal. "You do?" he choked, trying to hide his disconcertion behind a gruff cough. "You've been avoiding me." "No. No, I haven't. I've just been doing my job -- you know, staking out illegal opportunities, shaking down businesses, threatening competitors -- just my job, Mrs. Church," he said, wondering which was worse, dealing with a power hungry, man-eating she-boss or a high-strung, overeducated broad who demanded that he "do something" about Superman, as promised, or else! "Or else what?" Mindy Church asked, closing in on her prey. Harry hadn't realized he had spoken his last words aloud, but, then again, Mindy had moved in on him with such stealth, that she was next to him, running her hands up his arms before he could utter the phrase, "sexual harassment". "Or else ... I could do whatever *you* needed me to do ... of course," he quickly added. "Well -- Harry -- as it so happens, I do need your help," she said, pressing her body against his. "You've heard what's happened, haven't you?" At the questioning lift of his brow, she proceeded to enlighten him. "Someone who works for me, someone who I -- a poor, defenseless woman left all alone to find her way in the world -- trusted, has betrayed my trust, and *I* think that's rude." Harry tensed. The only movement he dared show was the slightest narrowing of his eyes -- a narrowing which attempted to hide as much as he knew, while trying to discover just how much *she* might have managed to uncover. "I can understand why you'd feel that way," he carefully responded. "I knew you would," she said, breathily, "I knew you would understand which side of your bread has butter on it." Harry blinked, waiting for her to continue. "I suspect that Lex Luthor -- that sorry excuse for a clone -- has gotten someone -- perhaps someone in Intergang -- to steal the kryptonite *I* found in *my husband's* store. The kryptonite which *my husband* commissioned Newt Gingrich to unearth in order to kill Superman fair and square. The kryptonite *my stepson* finally told me about after I informed him that, if he were feeling *really* lonely in the Big House, I could certainly arrange to have him bunk with Bad Burt, a poor, unfortunate soul who lost his *very* special, best friend, Fang, to an untimely execution." ".... Really?" Harry said after a pause. "Yes, and I want *you* to get the kryptonite back for me," she said. "That won't exactly be easy, Mrs. Church." "Oh, I know, Harry. But, I trust you. I'm *sure* you can get your hands on it, *and*," she added, kissing him lightly on the corner of his mouth, "you'll be very handsomely compensated." Harry's lids lowered again as he tried to measure her honesty, recognizing the incredible irony of the act. 'It's certainly important to be cautious,' he thought as he smiled at the woman, more dangerous than any intergalactic rock, and accepted another invitation from her generous lips. 'But, it's even more important to be handsomely compensated.' ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:24:56 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins at Home" (part 2 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" As the Planet reporting staff gathered for its daily debriefing, the yellow sun arced further into the sky, peering sideways at them through large, slightly dusty windows. At the same time, discriminating against no one, the sun's rays shot across the veneer of other office buildings in Metropolis, pouring a golden shaft of light into each. A dark man advanced into the speckled warmth, walking towards a huge mahogany desk with a confidence few people, under similar circumstances, would have been able to summon. "Have you given her her instructions?" a cultured voice smoothly intoned, as if he were simply asking the time of day rather than whether his plans to thwart Superman, and, in the process, go one-up against his newest arch-rival, were proceeding apace. "Yes, everything is in hand.... Do we have the kryptonite?" "Yes, Harry. Thank you. It was exactly where you said it would be. You've been invaluable," Lex answered Harry's eyes narrowed. 'Been invaluable?' Lex Luthor's verb tenses were always carefully chosen. There were very few slips of the tongue. And yet, Harry saw no noticeable change in the man. Luthor fluttered not an eyelid. His face remained impassive. Even his cigar ash stayed precariously balanced on the tip of his Fuente, daring to be flicked. Harry tried to shrug off his uneasiness, but it still hovered about him. 'As it should,' he thought. 'After all, when you crawl into a jar with two circling scorpions, you don't let your guard down.' "Mr. Luthor, as long as we have the kryptonite, why bother with the Superman Foundation?" "Harry," Lex responded after a pause, "the idea is not just to defeat one's enemy but to defeat him soundly -- with style, panache, and in a way which most matters to him. Frankly, I have discovered something very important." The other man closed in to catch the nugget Lex Luthor was offering. "Superman is not just a very capable nemesis, he is an idea, a belief, a hope.... That is his greatest strength, *and* that is where his greatest weakness lies. As such, we have to attack the myth as well as the man." Harry's brows lifted at Luthor's flamboyant explanation. He never guessed, when he had decided to go to Luthor with information about Mindy Church's recent, unearthly discovery in the bowels of Costmart, that he had also enlisted in an "epic struggle between good and evil". "When do we begin?" Harry asked, a dash of mockery escaping him. Lex chose to ignore it. "Immediately. Now that we've ensured Ms. Smythe's cooperation, the only thing remaining is to see that there is nothing -- or should I say no one -- standing in her way.... Ah, Mr. Van Horton, come in." Harry quickly made a half turn. He hadn't heard a sound behind him and yet here was someone who had seemed to materialize out of thin air -- a small, wiry man with salt and pepper hair and a handlebar mustache. To Harry's eyes, a human ferret. The man moved forward on the balls of his feet, gingerly carrying a miniature chest in front of him like a nervous ring bearer. Something about the guy seemed very familiar. 'Van Horton ... Van Horton, I've heard that name ... somewhere.' "Gentlemen, we worked very hard to liberate this little gem. Let's take a look at it, shall we?" Lex waved towards Harry, still wrapped in his own thoughts. The trio -- three unlikely conspirators -- drew together as Van Horton placed the chest on Lex's large desk. "Maybe we should have a tympani," Lex joked as he stood up. Placing his cigar between his teeth, he dramatically snapped his wrists in the air in a gesture reminiscent of an orchestra conductor just before the downbeat. With that bit of flourish, he leaned over, unlocked the clasp and slowly lifted the lid. All at once, a red glow bathed them, seeming greater than the sun beaming in on them in an odd, intergalactic competition. "Magnifico! Like uncut corundum!" Lex pronounced, as they stared down at the small slab of red rock. "Here, before us, is a stone more precious than the Hope Diamond, the Star of Asia, the Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, itself." He looked up, cocking his brow sardonically.... "It's amazing what one can pick up wholesale." ****** "Check!" The waitress, rushing by on the way to the kitchen, stopped to scribble down the "bad news" and plopped it right in front of the only male at the table -- Clark Kent. "Oh, I'll take that," Marigold said, reaching out for the bill. "No, no, Marigold. You've just moved into town. I'll get this." "Yes, Clark, I just moved to Metropolis ... into a terrific job -- thanks to *your* recommendation. It's *my* treat." "Marigold! Exactly! You're new in town. It's *my* treat." "Clark...." "Alright, already!" Lois snapped, slapping her hand down on the check. "*I'll* pay for it," she followed, more sweetly. Opening her purse in a no- more-nonsense manner, she pulled out her credit card. After figuring the tip, she sat back, massaging her abdomen and relaxing into the booth. "So, Marigold ... I hear tell that Clark, here, rescued you from the big, bad natives of the American heartland." "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly," Marigold responded, moving to affectionately pat Clark's hand. "In truth, he rescued me from myself." "Really!" Lois snorted and then tried to appear as earnest as possible to cover-up. "*Marigold*, that's not how I would--" Clark began, before feeling another hand reach out to touch him. He froze and his eyes widened. Quickly, Clark looked down, staring intently through the tabletop with little care as to how odd his actions might appear. Slim fingers with shell pink nails, and -- he was relieved to find -- a familiar wedding ring were squeezing his thigh. Clark sighed, putting his own hand over the adventurous one that was causing tingles in places he tried to ignore.... 'Whose stupid idea was it to have lunch with an old ... *friend* and a wife!' he thought for the hundredth time that hour. "I don't mean to sound so melodramatic," Marigold continued with a coy smile, "but I grew up on the mean streets of New York and dragged myself out of the gutter through a combination of stubbornness and smarts. Midwest State University was like another world to me, and, I must admit, I both resented the people I found there *and* the life they lived. At the root of it, I suppose, was a certain amount of jealousy." Marigold's eyes, which had been primarily focused on Clark swept over Lois. "You see, most of the people I met there had something I wanted." Lois raised a brow, fancying that she could guess just what that something might be ... *or who*. "Such as," she innocently prompted. "*Oh*, stable families, a sense of community, a safety net of love and caring." "Marigold, you would never have become the dynamic, successful person you have without the obstacles you faced growing up. Adversity isn't *all* bad," Clark reminded her. "Yes ... I know that now, but it took *you* to drum it into me all those years ago. By the time we graduated, I was like a new woman." 'A new woman,' Lois thought. She glanced over Marigold's polished persona, her expensive clothes, her well-coiffed auburn hair. 'Hmm ... new. I'm sure she's been dyed and resurrected -- many times,' Lois couldn't help but muse, and then kicked herself for her less than charitable thoughts. She hated to think she was having these feelings strictly based on the fact that Marigold had shared a past with Clark -- a past he clearly valued. Still, there was something about the woman that set Lois on edge, and Clark was such a trusting soul, especially in the face of a person he considered an old friend. 'Well,' Lois thought, as she watched Marigold flutter her eyelashes at Clark, 'the big galoot needs *someone* to protect him!' {{Help!... Superman, Help!}} Clark looked around anxiously. No matter how often he heard the words, a rush of adrenaline pulsed through him each time, almost causing paralysis as his thoughts and movements stumbled over one another, each trying to act first. Desperately, he shot a glance at Lois who immediately picked up on her husband's meaning. "Uh ... Clark," she quickly said, pointing to her watch and wondering why they didn't just sit down and make up a list of 'adequate-excuses-to-use-in-order-to-run-off-and-be-a-super-hero.' "Aren't you going to miss that ... that meeting if you don't get moving?" "Meeting! Yeah!... Marigold, I'm sorry," he said, as she returned his imploring look with surprise. "I'll phone you later. Lois and I would love to have you over for dinner. Right, Lois?" {{Superman! Help!}} Out the revolving doors Clark ran, and, within seconds, Superman streaked up into the sky. "Right," Lois responded, in a weak, knee-jerk fashion. Her lack of enthusiasm barely registered, however. Taken aback by Clark's rapid departure, Marigold's attention was fully focused on the restaurant doors, spinning and spinning, left to propel nothing but the warm breeze. "O-o-o-h!" Lois suddenly jumped, touching her abdomen and drawing Marigold's eyes back to her unlikely companion. "Is anything the matter?" "No.... no," she quickly reassured with a laugh. "I just think that junior might be wanting to fly off as well ... so to speak." Lois smiled as artlessly as possible. ***** SWOOSH! With explosive force, like the entrance of a great predator bird swooping in on its prey, a blue-suited figure with red plumage landed. It peered about, trying to spot the armed assailant depriving innocent citizens of their property or person; the injured passengers trapped amidst the angry, jagged metal of a mangled vehicle; the collapsed work site, like a huge, lumbering animal, still alive and emitting groans and pleas from within.... There was nothing. Nothing but a curious little man, who, despite the unusually warm June day, was dressed in a brown tweed jacket. To Clark, strangely enough, he bore a slight resemblance to a marmoset, twitching his nose impatiently as he stood next to a bank of vending machines stationed outside a convenience store. Quickly, a small crowd began to gather, obviously hoping for a morsel of excitement to parcel out at the dinner table that evening. "Superman!... Finally," the marmoset said in exasperation before purposefully reaching out to clasp the Super Hero's hand in a firm shake. "What ... uh." Superman tried to mask his puzzled look. Pulling back, he crossed his arms defensively. "What seems to be the problem here?" "Superman, I put 60 cents into that ... *that contraption*." The man gestured toward a soda machine with contempt. "I pushed that button, there." He leaned forward, offering a re-enactment of the crime. "*And then*, what do you think happened? Not one measly item deigned to come out. Zilch! Nada!" he ended, indignantly. Clark blinked behind the Superman facade. "You called for my help, because you couldn't get a ... a beverage out of a vending machine?" "*Well!*... I don't see how the nature of my distress should matter one way or the other!" he replied, huffily. "For two years, I've been patronizing this poor excuse for a convenience with minimal satisfaction. I cannot tolerate its inconsistent performance *any* longer." Clark blinked again and leaned forward to examine the machine himself. "Okay.... *Well,* the address and phone number of the company that owns it is displayed right here on the front." "Ah-h, that's a crock of bull, Superman!" someone from the gathering crowd yelled out. "Yeah! The guy'll be lucky to get a sympathy kiss-off, let alone a refund," a second person offered. "Be a nice Superman, and shake the machine for the gentleman," an old lady suggested. The last comment caught the Super Hero's attention. He looked over into the woman's unwavering, clear blue eyes. Although he had no reason to doubt the little man's veracity -- and it certainly was a minor enough sin if the guy was lying -- still, knocking a soda can out of a machine by brute force wasn't exactly something he wanted to encourage. And yet.... "You said you were here on Earth to help," a bystander reminded him. "*Yes*, Superman -- exactly. I just need your help getting what I paid for from this infernal machine. I'm only asking for what I deserve," the marmoset-like man added, as he touched the Super Hero's arm, entreating him. Clark shook his head, trying to sweep away a strange fog that seemed to be overcoming him. He looked again at the older woman's steady gaze, and at the encouraging crowd surrounding them. Frowning, Clark suddenly felt a strong desire to have a ... to have a beverage. Yes. He wanted a soda, too, and that was that. No longer hesitant, Clark moved forward, reached out, and tilted the huge metal box towards him. Jiggling it, as only a Superman can, clunks and rattles were heard, causing not one but dozens of cans to shoot out into the chrome gully of the machine, hopping madly to the pavement below. Immediately, a cheer burst from the crowd in happy celebration of the little guy's triumph -- not only literally but figuratively -- over a big, faceless conglomerate represented by the mechanistic stonewaller in front of them. Carried away by exuberance and with no concern for the difference in their size, the smaller man grabbed Superman in as much of an embrace as he could manage. As he did so, his hand opened fully, and out from his palm fell a sprinkling of red dust. Ruby specks nestled among the folds of the Super Hero's cape, clinging to his body. The joyful man compounded the effect by rubbing his hand vigorously over Superman's back, embedding more of the powder. Once again, Clark felt a sudden surge of want, of need ... of pure and unmitigated avarice hit him. "Thank you, Superman," the marmoset said as he turned around and passed out cans of soda to the widening crowd. Superman flashed a wide grin. Pleased by everyone's eager acquisitiveness, he began assessing the other vending machines, thinking that maybe they should have a snack as well. He walked over to one of them, shaking it just as thoroughly. Out popped Twinkies and Sno-balls and Ding Dongs. The crowd sent up a cheer in response, immediately beginning to help themselves. Superman, not wanting to be left in the lurch, shook a third machine, quickly picking up as much of the booty for himself as he possibly could. "Gee, thanks Superman!" a young boy exclaimed. "No problem," he happily answered with a nod of his head. His arms far too full, Superman was unable to wave as he walked off. The little man's eyes, mirroring his delight, followed Clark's alter ego carefully, smirking at the unexpected outcome he had induced in him. "Superman! Wait!" the boy yelled, racing after the Hero at a good clip. "Superman, before you go, can I have your autograph?" he asked. "Sure," Superman replied. Carefully placing his loot behind him on the sidewalk, he took the pen and paper the kid produced from a bulging backpack and signed his famous name with a flourish. "Let's see," Superman said, holding the paper in front of him. He took in the boy's fresh, freckled, Norman Rockwellian face. "Hmm. That'll be...." The Super Hero smiled, gently. Considering the matter for a moment, a slight twinge of generosity pricked him. "For *you*, let's just call it a buck fifty." ******* Surveying the city room's elevator traffic for the tenth time in the last twenty minutes, Lois wondered what Clark could be up to. She had seen nothing on the wires about any kind of a Superman-type crisis and had received no messages from Clark of any sort. 'He couldn't possibly have wandered over to the Foundation ... could he?' she asked herself, before instantly dismissing the thought. She couldn't imagine him ditching an appointment involving their baby's birth to see Marigold Smythe. If it was possible, Clark seemed more keen on every last detail of her pregnancy than she was. "Hey, Lois, how was lunch?" she heard a voice say in passing. "Jimmy! Just the man I've been looking for." "Oh." "Yes ... um. I want you to do something for me," she said, drawing him in with a tone that suggested confidentiality. Jimmy looked over his shoulder at Clark's vacant desk. Almost reluctantly, he sat down on the chair next to hers. "Why do I feel as if this isn't something I'm going to like." "Nonsense! You're *not* going to like being a integral part of an important story? An investigative story?" "What? You mean like that investigative story we did on pregnancy test kits?" he facetiously offered. "Well ... if you don't want to help...." Lois pointedly glanced over to the newly-hired, and ever-so-eager, sweet young thing who was not so sweetly riding Jimmy's heels. "No, no," he quickly answered, "after all, what other function do I have here?" Lois grinned. "That's the old spirit!" She leaned in, conspiratorially. "I want you to get me everything you can on Marigold Smythe." "Marigold Smythe!" he loudly chimed back. "Shhh! Yes ... Smith," Lois repeated. She picked up that day's Daily Planet from her desk and sarcastically spelled out the name. "That's S-M-*Y*-T-H-*E* ... Smith. *And*," she continued, pausing for dramatic effect, "anything you can dig up on Burnston-Hughes Securities." He shook his head, taking the paper from her. "But, I don't understand. Isn't Marigold Smythe an old friend of CK's? Doesn't *he* know everything about her already?" "That's what we're going to check out. And, Jimmy...." As her voice became even lower, he thought he would have to learn to read lips. However, as soon as Lois uttered the words, he realized he could have picked up her next thoughts by telepathy. "I don't have to tell you not to let Clark know about this," she said. "You don't," he replied, getting up to leave. "*Well* ... I guess I'm on my way to Research." On that note, Lois' phone began to ring, bringing her thoughts full-circle to her husband's absence. "Jimmy," she called again, as he headed towards the elevators. "Thanks," she mouthed, before turning away. Lifting the receiver, she expectantly looked forward to her husband's very good explanation. ***** "Hello." "Lex Luthor -- master crime boss! You're a rat!" "Ah-h-h ... Mrs. Church," he answered, smiling broadly, "what a pleasure to hear from you. *And,* I do mean pleasure." At her breathy groan, he continued. "So, how is Metropolis' most famous felon's better half today?" "I wouldn't know, Luthor. How is *your wife*?" He laughed. "Touche!... Now, to what do I owe this call? Are you missing me?" "I'm missing something, and I *don't* particularly like it." "Oh?" "Yes. *You* went shopping at one of my Costmarts last night -- the corporate headquarters as a matter of fact -- and *you* left without paying. That's *not* store policy," she ended in an accusatory pout. "I hardly think I'd do that," Lex smoothly replied, almost before she could finish. "With all due respect, Mrs. Church, Costmart doesn't exactly carry my vintage of wine." "No? Not even the *red* variety?" Although she obviously couldn't see it, he smiled again, enjoying their verbal joust only a little less fully than he had once enjoyed her. "Luthor ... *you* bribed someone to steal the kryptonite that my men found in *Costmart's* underground offices, and I'm going to get it back -- *without* a refund." "Mrs. Church -- really -- I don't know what you're talking about. I could never pay your men in quite the ... well, quite the *unique* and thorough way you do.... Hmm, now, there's a kind of a thought," Lex concluded with a chuckle. "Perhaps one of your men took the kryptonite in a lovesick attempt to gain your attentions." "You mean, like the lovesick attempts you've made in the past towards Clark Kent's wife?" Mindy asked, shooting back a strategic dart. ***** "Lois! Why didn't you let me know?" Another voice of recrimination flashed across Metropolis' phone lines, seeking a target. "Mother?... Let you know what?" Lois asked. Uninvited, a vision of her husband decked out in a skin tight leotard and a flowing red cape popped into Lois' mind. She quickly shook it off. No matter how rusty *her* mother's intuitive powers might be, Lois wasn't about to tempt them by offering any mental assistance. "You *know* what," Ellen answered. "No.... No, I don't," her daughter quickly countered, desperately trying to think of an elephant -- a big fat elephant. Unfortunately, the whimsical pachyderm kept insisting upon wearing that darn, red cape! "The baby shower, Lois." "Oh!" "Yes, oh!... I had no idea you wanted to have one. You were always so contrary. Even as a child, I--" "Mother, I *am* at work. Is there a point?" Lois interrupted. "Why did you ever agree to allow Martha Kent to organize a shower? She's in Kansas for pete's sake! That wasn't very thoughtful. She's not a young woman--" "Really! And, I suppose we just celebrated *your* 39th." "Lois--" "I take it Martha phoned you this morning," Lois quickly inserted before another monologue ensued. "Yes. At least *she* had the good sense to know I could be of help. As a matter of fact, since I'm right here in Metropolis, I told her that I would take care of everything. I've just phoned the Lexor, and they have a lovely room that I think would be ideal. Now, I do want to check with you on the invitations. The Mayor is available on the Saturday after...." With each word that passed through her mother's lips, Lois sat ever straighter, every muscle in her body stiffening. "The Lexor! The Mayor! Where are the 300 white doves? Hatching eggs? Mother, a baby shower is something that happens in somebody's *living room*, not in the ballroom of a luxury hotel with representatives from the city government!" "Who said anything about the ballroom?" Ellen asked in dismay. "The Lexor has perfectly wonderful rooms for private parties. And, we wouldn't be inviting the Mayor as a mayor, but as a woman. You *do* know her." "Oh God," Lois said with a sigh, noticing a backache she hadn't had a few seconds ago. "And, who do you propose pay for this extravaganza -- as if I have to ask?" "Well, as you may recall, your father *didn't* have to pay for the wedding I worked so hard to plan. It's only fair he should end up paying for *something* after all the years of neglect and indifference he has to atone--" "Ugh!" Lois closed her eyes, realizing that her parents' reconciliation meant nothing when it came to her mother's tireless routine. She just slipped it on like an old shoe, more comfortable and durable than any of the latest models. "Can we talk about this later, Mother?" "All right," Ellen readily agreed, now having better activities to occupy her time than arguing with a stubborn daughter. "Goodbye, darling. I'm off with Beverly to see Chef Antoine." "Chef Who?! What?!.. Mother?" A click halted all further protests, and Lois frowned into the dial tone in frustration. Hanging up, she looked down at her stomach with a wry expression. "If I were you, I would *never* come out," she muttered. ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:24:55 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME "Episode 19" by Sandy McDermin edited by Laurie {{text within brackets denotes super hearing}} THUD! The newspaper hit the front door and bounced to the stoop of the fashionable, old town house at 348 Hyperion Avenue, still in shadow and slightly chilled from the previous night's gentle cooling. The delivery boy had already cycled halfway down the block before the force of the impact unravelled the paper's folds.... NEW CEO NAMED TO HEAD SUPERMAN FOUNDATION The words jumped from the lead, left-hand column of the Daily Planet, pushing aside all other news by virtue of position if not topic. by Clark Kent Daily Planet Staff Writer METROPOLIS, June 10 -- At a press conference held late today, the Board of Directors of the Superman Foundation announced that Marigold Smythe, formerly of New York's Burnston-Hughes Securities, has been tapped to head the Metropolis-based philanthropic organization's daily operations. The Superman Foundation, a charity established by the Super Hero to distribute donations as well as the proceeds of sales of Superman merchandise, benefits worthy projects and causes with grants and contributions amounting to $4.2 million, in fiscal year 1997.... ****** "So, Lois, what do you think?" Clark asked his wife. Cereal bowl in hand, he leaned over her shoulder and briefly glanced at the article she was perusing before sitting down beside her. "Slow news day?" she answered, picking up her morning juice. She stared down at the vitamins arrayed before her on their kitchen table, thinking that, until "junior" was born, she was going to be the healthiest woman alive. After that, watch out world! "Loi-s-s." She took up the paper again, glancing below the fold while spreading it out across the tabletop. "Oh! Now, here's some news.... 'economists estimate that it takes over $1.2 million to raise a child in today's dollars'," Lois read. "I thought it took a village to raise a child," Clark quipped between spoonfuls of cereal. "Actually ... it takes their collective bank accounts," she bandied back. Clark reached across and pointed to the lead story at the top of the page. "This, Lois. What about *this* story?" "We-l-l, Clark, when *Superman* set up this Foundation, we promised ourselves we would stay out of it. Remember? What possible interest could Lois Lane and Clark Kent have in its management? *Unless*.... Ah, Clark ... Superman's not planning on bilking the public now, is he? If so, I want first dibs on the story." Clark cocked an eyebrow at his wife, as she dug into her breakfast with a self-satisfied smirk. "Nice change of subject," he observed, "however, I'm still detecting a little hesitancy *and* a little censure. You're not happy with the Board's selection nor *my* involvement in it, are you?" "How could I find fault with it?" Lois asked, peering down at the color photograph accompanying the article. Beaming proudly, Superman was shaking hands with an attractive woman, fashionably attired in a tailored business suit. "Marigold Smythe is a Wall Street Wizard, a smart money manager, and a rising star at one of the top trading firms in New York.... She's also a tall, leggy, curvaceous, redhead with a tiny, *tiny* waist." Clark tried to hold back a smile at the obvious comparison between his wife's words and the expanding bulge she had neatly tucked in a maternity pantsuit. "But," he prompted. Lois glanced up in question. "I heard a 'but' there." "But nothing!" she insisted, a spoon sweeping the air in emphasis. "It's just that... I don't know.... Don't you find it *odd* that the high-flying Marigold Smythe should suddenly be willing and eager to take the reins of a much less dynamic organization than she's used to?" "No, I don't -- frankly. Lois, she explained her reasons to the Board. Marigold wanted to get away from the rat-race -- from money-making for its own sake. Start doing something more worthwhile with her talents. I admire her for wanting to give something back. Besides, she said she'd been looking for an opportunity to settle in Metropolis for quite some time. That's why she looked me up and asked if I would speak to Superman." "And, why would *that* be? Why does she want to be *here* all of a sudden? I thought she was born and raised in New York!" "Ah-h-h, so that's it," Clark answered, thinking he had finally stumbled upon what was really bothering his wife. "Honey ... Marigold and I were college friends. That's all. When she won a scholarship to Midwest State, she was like a fish out of water, a street-smart kid in the middle of nowheresville," he said, remembering Marigold's long-ago words and how much they now reminded him of another woman who had come into his life.... "Anyway, I kind of identified with her not fitting in," Clark added with a shrug. "So, Clark Kent -- serial do-gooder -- took her under his wing." "I wouldn't put it that way." "I would. I've seen the pictures, Clark. When your mother and father thought they might sell the farm, Martha began clearing out the attic. Last Christmas, she showed me *all* the photo albums she dug out." Clark rolled his eyes in response. "Lois, Marigold was a big girl then, and she's a big girl now. Smart too. Beyond introductions, she doesn't need anyone's help. I don't think I did a disservice to Superman *or to the Board* in suggesting that they consider Marigold for the job. I think she's going to be an asset." Lois gave a slight snort. Although she knew Clark had been faithful to her even before he was aware that there was a her, she also was pretty sure that he had had some romantic experiences before she came along, and she couldn't help but feel that this woman was one of them. "We were just friends," Clark repeated, as if he could read her mind. "I know what friends are, Clark. I've had a few," she quickly replied, a little annoyed that he had picked up on her insecurities so readily. "Yes, I know. I've met *your* friends," he teased, smiling at her to underscore his playful meaning. She wasn't going to be so easily assuaged, however. "I don't think I like how you put that," Lois retorted. She swiftly laid down the newspaper in challenge. "What about my high school reunion?! Those people were normal ... at least, the ones that *weren't* trying to shrink the rest of us into living, breathing Barbie dol--" The phone rang, daring to interrupt where Clark would not. 'Saved by the bell!' a relieved Lois thought, waving her husband back to his seat. She was so happy to be out of her no-win debate, she forgot to make her usual comment about early morning phone calls being unwelcome irritants. "*Hel*lo," Lois managed to chirp in a singsong voice. "Oh, hi!" Lois mouthed the words "your mom" to Clark before returning her attention to her mother-in-law. "Fine, fine. We're fine. All three of us," she answered, patting her tummy. "If you want to speak to Clark, he's right he- Oh. Okay...." Silence followed Lois' assurances. Clark looked over curiously, wondering if everything was all right with his parents and whether he dared tempt "the Lois wrath" by allowing his super hearing to just-so happen to kick-in a little. "Baby shower!? Nope. No one.... No, not at work. I haven't heard a thing. I--" Another silence followed as if Lois' last statement called for a moment of intense listening. "Oh!... Martha, I can't let you do that! But, from Kansas! I don't think that you need-- Well, no, I wouldn't *mind*.... No, I'd love-- All right. That's ... that's great ... just great." As she hung up the phone, Clark's eyes were riveted to his wife. If she hadn't have indicated otherwise, he would've sworn that Lois had just finished speaking to her own mother rather than to his. The choppy responses and pained facial expressions had always tipped him off in the past to one of Ellen Lane's phone calls. "What's the matter?" he asked, trying to sound casual. Lois' lower lip trembled at his question. Her eyes growing misty, she walked slowly towards him. "Honey? What's the matter? What did my mother say?" he asked again, a little more anxiously. Her mood hadn't changed this swiftly since her run-in with an estrogen-enhanced, mind-bending drug. "You're right," she answered softly, reassuring Clark that his wife *wasn't* suffering from any anger-laden mood swings artificially induced by crazed maniacs or mad scientists. "Whew! My mom called to say *that*?! Talk about a mother's intuition!" Clark reached out for his wife, pulling her down onto his lap in an embrace which encompassed his family. "This is definitely *not* a slow news day," he whispered into her ear. "Imagine, Lois Lane admitting her husband is right about something.... Stop the presses." Despite the promise of a good wallow in a deep funk, Lois gave a reluctant smile. "I don't have any friends," she said at last, "at least none who aren't back stabbing harpies or insane or--" "Whatta ya talking about? Is *that* what I'm suppose to be right about? Lois, I was joking!" Clark said as he began to count on his fingers, praying he'd get passed one hand. "There's Perry," he said, with a jiggle of his knee. "There's Jimmy.... *There's me*." "None of you are women." "That's very true, although Jimmy in a burgundy dress might be considered fetching by some...." Lois grimaced. The memory of their young co-worker foolishly attired in her finely-knit frock still pained her. 'Neither of us will ever be in quite the same shape,' she thought, rubbing her abdomen and thinking regretfully of one of her favorite outfits -- a dress she could never quite get herself to wear again. "Your mother wanted to know if any of 'my friends' were throwing a baby shower for me. When I said no, *she* offered to plan one," Lois finally explained with a deep sigh. "That's it? Is *that* all? Well, that's wonderful, isn't it?" "Clark! She's in Kansas! Do you know what that means?" He thought for a moment, wondering if there was a correct answer. "No?" "*It means* that there is no woman, east of the Mississippi, who likes your wife well enough to throw her a baby shower," Lois answered, almost accusedly, as if her popularity, or lack thereof, was somehow *his* fault. "That's ridiculous! Sweetheart! What about *your* mother? She loves you, and she's right here in Metropolis." Abruptly, his chair swiveled with the full force of Lois' body pushing away from his. 'Uh oh,' Clark thought, 'I have a feeling that wasn't the correct answer.' ****** "I've done it!" the woman exclaimed, twirling in her high-back, cushioned executive chair and canvassing her new office with a gleeful eye. It wasn't quite up to her previous standards. In fact, the movers had had quite a hard time getting the beautiful, antique, oak desk she had brought with her through the office door. 'But, what the hell!' she thought. 'It's better than an 8' by 10' cell!' With a THWACK, the spinning suddenly stopped. "You mean the boss has done it," a low masculine voice sounded. The body connected to it leaned in, each of his hands holding the arm rests steady. There was no escaping his stare which fastened her to her seat like a straight pin. In fact, she felt a little bit like one of those insects boys collected and mounted: mercifully, the ones off of which they *didn't* pull the wings. "Yeah, I know. I know. But, my contribution wasn't exactly insignificant," Marigold replied with her own steely coldness. She got up, forcing him backward. "If I hadn't been such an old friend of Clark Kent's--" "That was the easy part," he interrupted, although she doubted that he believed it. He lit up a cigarette and gazed intently at the red-headed woman through a veil of blue-gray smoke. "Now comes the part where you *really* earn your nickel.... There's a project the boss has had his eye on - the renovation of the warehouse district down by Hobbs Bay." "Yes ... the Kingston Venture," she responded, remembering the plans, the spreadsheets, the delivery schedules, the timetables -- all laid out for her careful inspection. "That's one of the Foundation's top priorities. Before I was offered the position, Superman took me on the grand tour. He seemed particularly proud of the work they were doing on the new community center and day care facilities. His Foundation is really committed to seeing the Hobbs Bay/Kingston neighborhood improve." "That's right. Well, he's not the only one who's been ... interested in it. In fact, *we* believe we can supply the Kingston project with whatever material it needs at a *much* lower cost than it's currently running," he said. "Really.... Aren't you a little late to be lobbying for business? The contracts have already been signed, subcontractors have been hired, the work has started. The day care center, itself, is well on its way to being completed." She looked up at him with a sardonic lift to her brow, but it was lost to him. All she could see were his dark good looks in profile, staring out of the large windows which wrapped the corner office, lost in the multifarious mix of sights and muted sounds that was Metropolis. "Why am I questioning this?" she muttered. She squared her shoulders. "So, what do I have to do?" "Simple. You're to accept the supplies that are currently in the pipeline and resell them. *We'll* provide whatever additional material is needed." She frowned, not immediately seeing how anyone could benefit from such an elaborate shell game. He looked disappointed. Perhaps he was wondering whether an MBA was nothing more than a designer suit with a fancy salary. "You understand?" he said, in emphasis. "We'll provide all the building materials needed, but *at the original estimate.*" "Ah-h-h. And, I assume the difference between the actual cost to ... your boss and the quotes originally received by the Superman Foundation shall be pocketed at a substantial profit," she said, wanting to prove that her recent fall from grace hadn't quite dulled *all* her wits. "Yes. Plus, whatever monies we make on the resale of the material the project's already received." "But, what about the foremen on the site?... Somebody there is bound to catch on." "We've taken care of them." "You have? Well, if that's the case, why do you need me?" "We're no longer interested in just being a nuisance factor, Ms. Smythe. The boss wants control. You'll give us control -- not only of the Kingston Venture, but of the Superman Foundation, itself. It's not high finance, but it's not chopped liver either." She nodded her head slowly, before looking up to catch his eyes wandering over her curves. Clearing her throat, Marigold drew his attention back to the fact that she was more than just a well-endowed body in an Armani suit. "The boss ... hmmm. Harry -- may I call you Harry?" At the lack of an objection, she continued. "You're not holding back on me, are you? *You're* not this mysterious boss?" He gave a half smile. "No, I'm not the person who saved you from three years in a country club prison." Her own smile faded just as swiftly as she had pasted it on. The recent memory of her confrontation with the Board at Burnston-Hughes Securities played across her mind -- the threat of charges being pressed, the promise of professional disgrace, the demands for reimbursement. She swallowed the lump settling in her throat. Bucking herself up into the strong woman she had long since become, she asked the one question left which still rang alarm bells. "What about Superman?" "What about him?" "He went into great depth with me regarding the Kingston project. I think he's going to be very hands-on," she said, not finding the thought to be particularly unpleasant. And then, her mind drifted. She wondered if the Superman Foundation held "company" picnics and executive retreats, perhaps up in the remote mountains of New Troy. 'All very hands-on.... Nice, strong hands with long fingers. And, *those eyes*! With those eyes, you never really noticed the form-fitting, muscle-accentuating, tush molding tights caressed by the flowing cape. No. Never. Not at all. Rather, it was his eyes which grabbed your attention. They were so friendly and warm, so ... familiar somehow.' "You needn't concern yourself with him," Harry's voice intruded. "He should be otherwise occupied." "Occupied? You're not going to hurt him, are you?" He laughed. "Hurt Superman! How could we do that? In actual fact, Ms. Smythe, no one has any idea how our plans will effect him. That's what makes this whole thing interesting. It's literally a crapshoot -- in more ways than one." "Hmm." Marigold hadn't a clue to what he was referring, but she wasn't going to admit ignorance again. "A crapshoot, huh," she said, relaxing behind her desk. "Well, just as long as I don't get sprayed in the cross fire." ****** "Alice and Penny!" he blurted out. "What?" Lois shook herself out of her daydream and glanced quickly around the Daily Planet elevator.... Nope, they were still riding it alone. "Clark, most people usually don't get on elevators *between* floors." "No," he said in mild exasperation. "Alice and Penny are your friends. I'm sure they're planning something." "Oh ... the baby shower. I'm over that Clark," Lois said. She sounded anything but. In fact, she had been grouchy from the moment they had left the house, taking her temper out on whichever unsuspecting motorist happened to be in their path. Clark briefly closed his eyes in remembered pain. The vision of Lois' jeep almost rear-ending another car flashed before him. 'How could she not see it?' he asked himself. 'It clearly had the words, "Metropolis PD," stenciled across the trunk, not to mention a big red light sitting on the hood.' He sighed, reliving the argument which had led to him taking the wheel *after* the police officer had so kindly issued the griping, peevish, pregnant lady a ticket. "Well, I *could* ask Alice if--" "Clark ... no! You'll sound like a mother begging the other kids to play with her poor, unpopular offspring." "Okay. Okay." The doors sprung open at the sound of the ding, revealing an awakening giant -- the city room of The Planet. It rolled over from night shift to day, stretching and grumbling. "Lois! Clark! Staff meeting at 9:00," Jimmy yelled out to them. "Lois," Claudia groused, as she passed them by and hauled herself onto the now vacant elevator, "pour your decaf into someone else's fern today, will ya! You're killin' mine." "Yo, Kent! Marigold Smythe called," Ralph said, bouncing up the ramp with a wink and a leer. "Just confirming lunch," he read aloud before the pink, "while-you-were-out" slip was unceremoniously jerked from his hand. "Now, don't get any ideas.... I'm not making a habit of picking up your phone messages." "That's good to know," Clark deadpanned. "Lunch?" He heard his wife ask, her tone tinged with innocence. "*Lois,* we're just going to do a little catching up." Quickly looking from one Kent to the other, Ralph let out a low whistle and began to slink backward. "*Clark,* haven't you been rehashing enough old memories over the past two weeks, besides--" "Honey." Clark quickly checked around them to ensure that "their colleague" had, indeed, crawled back under his rock and that no one else with normal hearing had come by to take his place. "That was time spent with Superman," he whispered, "not me." "Well, you -- *not Superman* -- and I -- *not Marigold Smythe* - have to go over to the hospital and get all the information for the next round of childbirth classes." "During lunch?" "Ah-h ... *yes,* that's what we decided," Lois answered, raising her eyebrows in emphasis. Clark frowned, clearly remembering "the plan" differently, but he wasn't about to argue the matter. "I tell you what. Why don't *you* come to lunch with Marigold and me, and then, afterwards, we'll go and choose which classes we want to take." For the first time that day, Lois looked like the cat who had swallowed the canary. "All right, if that's what you want," she purred. Clark tried to hold back his own half smile, knowing that no matter how he felt about it, attending this lunch with him was definitely what *she* wanted. In any case, it certainly didn't bother him, and, if it reassured Lois and put her in a happier frame of mind, he was more than willing to include her. He had only thought that reminisces about life at Midwest State might be a bore for-- "Lois! Clark! Are you planning on joining us today, or are you just sightseeing!?" "We're coming, Chief!" Clark called back. He took Lois' hand, already reaching out for his. Frankly, he wished they *were* sightseeing, perhaps on a tropical island where he could forget this whole cockeyed morning. ****** Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 18:20:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sandy, Great story! I laughed, I cried, aah it was almost like watching it on TV. Oh and I really enjoyed the reporter named Michael Landes! Keep up the great work! Michelle "You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life." ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 21:32:39 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Regina Gilchrist Ash Subject: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) Hi, FoLC, I'm so far behind in reading fanfic I can't even begin to say....all I know is I have much reading to do when school is finally out for summer - and I am *so* looking forward to it! Anyway, this is just something I was thinking about the other night just before I fell asleep. Anyone who might be interested, I would love for you to take the idea(s) and run with it. I've never read any fanfic anything like this, and it really fits the Elseworlds (which are some of my fave comics, anyway) category...What if Clark had come to Metropolis about a year after he did in our storyline, and Lois had already married Lex. I think it would be interesting to explore Lois' growing suspicions of Lex and his business, and of course, being our heroine, she never would've stopped working at the Daily Planet, even being married to the third-richest man in the world...and what would happen when CK comes to town and winds up as her partner. Of course, in my mind's eye, I can already picture something dastardly happening to Lex just around the time LL & CK start getting close, feeling guilty about getting close, etc., and my little imagination doesn't want even a hint of blame put on our 2 main characters...when Lex does, um, bite the dust...so they can pursue this newfound relationship. Now, before anyone says anything about me writing up this little fic I have in mind, I can't write! I can do math and teach math, but literary gifts are not in my makeup... If anyone knows of any stories even close to these lines, please LMK...I'd love to add it to my very long list of reading for the summer :) If not, someone who *can* write...please... Thanks, Regina -- Regina Ash (rash@dnet.net) General Editor-Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive http://www.ixpres.com/chrispat/lcfanfic ************************************************ "Science, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke *********************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 22:13:55 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) In-Reply-To: <01BD715A.D9126A60@max-swain27.dnet.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable What an absolutely fascinating idea -- hmmm.... Well, the stack of what I'm already working on is already too tall, so I'm not going to say "Dibs!" on this one, but if it's still floating around, say, a month from now.... ;) Otherwise, I'll enjoy reading what someone else does with it ;) Peace ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 09:42:44 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) In-Reply-To: <01BD715A.D9126A60@max-swain27.dnet.net> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:32 PM 4/26/98 -0400, you wrote: >world...and what would happen when CK comes to town and winds up as her >partner. Of course, in my mind's eye, I can already picture something >dastardly happening to Lex just around the time LL & CK start getting > Like Lois dropping her hair dryer in his bathtub? And since he's the owner of Luthor Light&Power he was able to get around the safety laws requiring ground fault interrupter(GFI) outlets in kitchens and bathrooms... "Superman & Mrs. Luthor" hmmm... sounds like a good title.... >close, feeling guilty about getting close, etc., and my little imagination >doesn't want even a hint of blame put on our 2 main characters...when Lex >does, um, bite the dust...so they can pursue this newfound relationship. > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 10:23:55 -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 Subject: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Regina suggested: >> What if Clark had come to Metropolis about a year after he did in our storyline, and Lois had already married Lex. << I think this has intriguing possibilities, Regina! I don't have the time= to write it myself, and I'm not enamoured enough of Lex to do a whole sto= ry with him in it but an opening paragraph for this has presented itself= to me, and that made me think.... round robin! What'd'ya say, IRC RR regulars? Would this be an interesting project for= one of these Saturday afternoons? I know we don't usually deviate from show continuity, but an occasional elseworld should be allowable, I think= =2E And anyone else who wants to do this (i.e., Peace ) should also follow= it up when they have time, too - it's fun to see how different authors treat the same premise. PJ !^NavFont02F02910015MGHHGXMGZHG70MG72HI929B91 E-mail from: Pam Jernigan, 27-Apr-1998 jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC ~~~~~ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html ~~~~~ "Are you under the care of a qualified psychiatrist, Constable?" = -- "The Ladies' Man", Due South "Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs = should relax and get used to the idea." -- Robert A. Heinlein ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 12:30:43 -0400 Reply-To: Kassia@concentric.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: EmmyRose Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam wrote: <<.... round robin! What'd'ya say, IRC RR regulars? Would this be an interesting project for one of these Saturday afternoons?>> My piece: I don't think I'd count myself as one of the written-in-stone regulars of the Saturday ritual (but I like to mind the store for Doris :P) but I'd love to get in on this project, whether it be by RR or teaming-up with another writer. PG and Nfic versions, of course. ;) Tanya "EmmyRose" ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 13:38:29 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: IndiBlue Subject: S5:Charity Begins At Home Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Warning: Possible Spoilers ***CO-ME-DY!!!*** Wonderfully amusing. Clever. This FoLC gives it four stars **** This fic had me laughing and smiling the whole way through. The descriptive writing was wonderful and I loved the part about "shaking down Sara Lee". I also liked the use of Michael Landes. You've got to keep Jimmy in the mix, no matter what name you use. I would also like to say as a junkfood enthusiast, I am glad that twinkies have a medicinal use. I always suspected they did. Layney indiblue@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:44:51 -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 Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Tanya (EmmyRose) wrote: >> I don't think I'd count myself as one of the written-in-stone regulars= of the Saturday ritual << Tanya, I think if you participate more than once you're marked for life <= g> >> I'd love to get in on this project, whether it be by RR or teaming-up with another writer. << That's two of us then... anyone else? PJ !^NavFont02F0116001EMG_HG66MG68HGA6MGA8HGF1MGF3HH_0CC9 E-mail from: Pam Jernigan, 27-Apr-1998 jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC ~~~~~ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html ~~~~~ "Are you under the care of a qualified psychiatrist, Constable?" = -- "The Ladies' Man", Due South "Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs = should relax and get used to the idea." -- Robert A. Heinlein ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:02:29 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Hall, Melissa" Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > That's two of us then... anyone else? Count me in! I have yet to actually screw up my courage to write anything, although I've lurked a couple of times. This sounds like a fun idea- I like Elseworlds and I could use a (relatively) quiet afternoon at home writing. Misha mhall05@sprintspectrum.com/mhall@sound.net > ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 16:59:32 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: Re: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) In-Reply-To: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 06:20 PM 4/26/98 -0400, you wrote: >Sandy, >Great story! I laughed, I cried, aah it was almost like watching it on >TV. Oh and I really enjoyed the reporter named Michael Landes! > >Keep up the great work! >Michelle > I want to agree with Michelle and ask why if Clark needed extra money why he doesn't become a stripper himself? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 17:22:50 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Budmayes Subject: Need a cowriter Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I have an idea for a Soulmate Chronicle story. I would like to get a cowriter to help me put it together. Anyone interested? budmayes@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 00:08:09 -0400 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: Email Round Robins (was: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;)) In-Reply-To: <199804271545_MC2-3B2B-F460@compuserve.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Just in case those interested haven't thought of it, remember that there are different kinds of Round Robins. The kind most people seem to think of these days is the IRC version, probably since that group has been very prolific and has released such wonderful stories. But there is a different kind of Round Robin Fanfic, and you don't need IRC to participate. You can do an email Round Robin. In an email Round Robin, a group of authors gets together to write a story, with each one writing a part of the story, then passing it on to the next person in line to continue the story. It goes slower than an IRC Round Robin, but you get more time to think and plan what you want to write. I suggest setting up your ground rules ahead of time once you get your list of writers together, but here are some suggestions to get you started. 1) Set an order of your authors. Can be alphabetical or any other method. You may also want to give thought to how many writers you invite to be on the project. The more writers, the fewer turns everyone gets and the longer time in between your turns. 3-5 writers might be a good starting point, depending on the story idea. 2) Decide how much each person should write in each turn. This might be anywhere from a couple paragraphs to a few pages or more. Realize there will probably be differences among writers, too. A newer writer might only feel comfortable writing 1/2 page during his/her turn, while someone who gets a brainstorm might write 2-3 pages or more, depending on your limit. Keep in mind, though, that the shorter the page limit, the more turns everyone gets. You don't want one person taking over and writing most of the story unless you've agreed ahead of time that everyone is OK with that. 3) Set a time limit for how long each person should keep the story. This is going to be your sticky wicket. We all get bogged down with life -- and writer's block -- but you need to be commited to keeping the story moving. Agree up front how long each person's turn should be and decide what you want to do if that person isn't done by that time. You might choose to keep things loose and give extensions if the person requests it, or you might say that a writer must automatically PASS if they haven't written anything by deadline. 4) Decide if you want to map the story out ahead of time, or just see where it takes you. 5) When a writer finishes their turn, they should send the entire story onto the next person in line to write, and CC the rest of the team as well. This way everyone can keep up with the story and see where it's going, who has it, etc. Obviously, your Round Robin writers group will want to add rules of their own and/or modify these as necessary, but hopefully this list will help you get started. This stories can be a lot of fun, and a great educational experience. Enjoy and good luck! Kathy :) ______________________ Kathy Brown kbrown@toolcity.net KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 19:19:59 -1000 Reply-To: shore@maui.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: [Fwd: Tufs episode for this week?] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------6452E4911C7F7247D116B174" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------6452E4911C7F7247D116B174 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm fowarding this message I already sent, because I think I had the email address wrong. I'm still trying to understand this listserver stuff. Hope I'm doing this right and not causing a mess! I still hope someone can reply! Thankyou! --------------6452E4911C7F7247D116B174 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-ID: <35455AB6.6C43BFF6@maui.net> Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 18:27:34 -1000 From: Jamee Jones Reply-To: shore@maui.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.0 [en] (Win95; U) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic Subject: Tufs episode for this week? X-Priority: 3 (Normal) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, I was wondering where this weeks Tufs episode is?. Does it not always come out on the date specified? Do we also get that through our fanfic news group? I'm reading too many different LC stories that I'm getting confused! But it's a good kind of confused! Anyways I was just kind of anxious to continue that story line since its the one I started first! THANX Impatiently waiting-- j-me ;-) --------------6452E4911C7F7247D116B174-- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 16:42:27 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jenny Stosser Subject: Re: Idea for fanfic (or nfic ;) In-Reply-To: <01BD715A.D9126A60@max-swain27.dnet.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:32 PM 26/04/98 -0400, you wrote: >Hi, FoLC, >I'm so far behind in reading fanfic I can't even begin to say....all I know >is I have much reading to do when school is finally out for summer - and I >am *so* looking forward to it! > >Anyway, this is just something I was thinking about the other night just >before I fell asleep. Anyone who might be interested, I would love for you >to take the idea(s) and run with it. I've never read any fanfic anything >like this, and it really fits the Elseworlds (which are some of my fave >comics, anyway) >category...What if Clark had come to Metropolis about a year after he did >in our storyline, and Lois had already married Lex. I think it would be >interesting to explore Lois' growing suspicions of Lex and his business, >and of course, being our heroine, she never would've stopped working at the >Daily Planet, even being married to the third-richest man in the >world...and what would happen when CK comes to town and winds up as her >partner. OK, on March 20, Joe and I went to see Billy Joel and Elton John in concert together. When Sir Elton sang Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I was struck by inspiration, and over the next few days came up with the following story opening: >"When are you gonna come down? When are you going to land?" I demanded of the tall, dark & handsome man, who >had stopped in the entrance to my boudoir. I was absolutely furious with him, with the fact that he wouldn't >see sense. I was right, I had to be! I had worked this way for years, learning from my late husband's >example, and Clark was the first man who had EVER turned me down. >I couldn't believe it when he responded, "I should have stayed on the farm. I should have listened to my old >man." I discussed the ideas I had with some folcs on IRC, and attach edited logs here, to give you an idea of what I was planning to do. ok, the idea i had was something along the lines of this... remembering it's an alt-universe. Superman arrives quite a bit later in Metropolis - like maybe a year later? Lois has already had her interview with Lex, and their affair and nothing stopped her from marrying him (she didn't have clark to remember at her wedding etc) Lois has already had her interview with Lex, and their affair and nothing stopped her from marrying him (she didn't have clark to remember at her wedding etc) and nothing has stopped her from being taken up with/by his lifestyle. in fact she's become more and more like lex and become involved in his schemes. not sure whether clark is gonna arrive before lex dies (maybe lois has him done away with a la mindy getting rid of bill church snr)? or maybe just after. but anyway, Lois comes across Clark who isn't Superman per se, but is still doing super stuff in Metropolis. she's in charge here and she tries to get Clark to work for her initially, but with the long term view of seducing him the song is basically his response... he can't stand her attitude, and though he was interested at first (soulmates and stuff) but he can't get over her attitude, so he's "going back to my plough" Jenerator> not sure yet, but it'll definitely have the title of the song for the whole story. clark arrives in metropolis a year, maybe 2 after he does in the series he's not superman, though he hangs around doing super stuff (no reason to be superman) lois is married (widowed?) to lex, and is now in charge of lexcorp (loiscorp?) and is interested in clark, wants to employ him with the long term plan of seducing him see lois as a type of mindy church person maybe well, she had the interview with lex, and the romance and married lex and didn't have clark memories to stop her from marrying him i see the first two lines as lois talking to clark - metaphorically speaking to him as in "this is the reality fella! i'm in charge here" then clark responds "I should have stayed on the farm, i should have listened to my old man!" the Yellow Brick Road in this case is Metropolis Is Lex going to be sent to jail or killed? at first i thought killed, maybe by lois, but i don't know if lois could do that, even evil lois in my story so maybe she'll just send him up the river and run lex corp herself. she will definitely be Lois Luthor though and probably no sign of perry or jimmy or the rest of the dp crew Will she still work at the dp? no! she's too busy running lexcorp (loiscorp?) And Clark will try to work at lois or lexcorp no, not sure about that, but i still see him as a journo Yeah, maybe lex or loiscorp owns the dp and she's essentially his boss through that? After all Lex did own the dp for a while nope, i see clark leaving lois at the end... despite the pull he feels to be with her (soulmates etc) he can't be with her if she's got that attitude i could make it that he decides to try to change her back, but if he didn't know her before she met lex, how would he know she was different? i don't know if they'd still be around. if she owns the DP now and is running it by lex's rules, why would they hang around? Maybe they work for a rival paper The Metropolis Star the longterm aim of seducing him (her response to the soulmate bond thingie) but he knows what she's become is not good when she tries to make him see reality, "when are you gonna come down? when are you going to land?" he responds "i should have stayed on the farm, i should have listened to my old man" what if i had an epilogue where lois thought about what clark was getting at, and turned lexcorp to the good side? This is as far as I've gone with the story so far... I'm not sure when I'll have more time to write, but I hope you've enjoyed this post so far! -- Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*- (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- My ICQ# is 11477318 -*- This message is umop ap!sdn -*- Photos of David (5) and Megan (2) on the Stosser Family HomePage: http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583 Please sign our guestbook! ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 06:27:25 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LoriMcE Subject: Re: [Fwd: Tufs episode for this week?] Comments: To: shore@maui.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit >>>Hi, I was wondering where this weeks Tufs episode is?. Does it not always come out on the date specified? Do we also get that through our fanfic news group? <<< TUFS has their own mail list via the Krypton Club I got my episode on the 26th - "Then Came You" by Jeff Brogden I'll forward it along to you - I think they probably have suscription info at their website. http://members.aol.com/thenando/tufs.htm Fair warning, though, it's a "to be continued!" Lori ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 21:23:07 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jenny Stosser Subject: Attention Melbourne FoLCs! IMPORTANT Comments: To: LOISCLA@vm.ege.edu.tr Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" First of all, I'm going to apologise to those of you who are getting this twice... I wanted to get it to as many FoLCS as I could. Secondly, I'm going to ask that if you reply, do so to ME PRIVATELY, not to the list! Now to the message... Some of you may know that I've been corresponding with K Callan, helping her to make decisions about a planned trip to Australia. I have become, by default, I guess, the organiser for a Melbourne FoLC dinner with K. At this stage I don't know exactly when she will be here in Melbourne, but I expect to have a better idea of details sometime within the next fortnight, and it looks like the trip will be SOON! If you are in Melbourne (or its surrounds), and you would like to have the opportunity to meet K, I'm planning a dinner where you'll get your chance. I'm looking at a restaurant called Lamzinis in Carlisle Street in Balaclava (right near Balaclava station) for two main reasons: 1) The food is wonderful (I've been there before) and 2) it's Kosher, so I can eat there. I don't think it's a terribly expensive restaurant, and it has a bit more class than the local Maccas or Pizza Hut. They mainly have a Chinese sort of menu, but they also have vegetarian meals available. IF you are interested in attending this dinner, please EMAIL me PRIVATELY and I'll add you to a list of Melbourne FoLCs who will receive updates on the visit as I get them myself. Please put K's VISIT in the subject! Thanks to one and all! Jenny Stosser -- Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*- (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- My ICQ# is 11477318 -*- This message is umop ap!sdn -*- Photos of David (5) and Megan (2) on the Stosser Family HomePage: http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583 Please sign our guestbook! ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 09:59:42 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jeff Brogden Subject: Fanfic Today: Special Report MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Tufs episode for this week? RM: Hello, I'm Rob Moen... KT: And I'm Karrie Tart, welcome to Fanfic Today. The big question today is "Where's the TUFS Episode for this week?" RM: That's right Karrie. We decided to go straight to the source for answers on this one. Tonight's guest is Jeff Brogden, writer of the episode in question. KT: Also, as a special treat, Jeff will give us a behind-the- scene peek at what's in store for his episode titled "Then Came You." RM: First, a word from our sponsors. Stay tuned, we will be right back. [Swelling music. Flashy commercials. Flashy 3D logo.] KT: Welcome back. As we said, tonights special guest is Jeff Brogden, author of the TUFS episode "Then Came You." Hello, Jeff. JB: Hello Karrie. KT: So, what's the answer to the question: Where is the TUFS Episode? JB: I honestly have no idea. As far as I know, the story went out on the Krypton Club's mailing list as usual. The web page is just a bit behind right now. I suspect the web maintainer is getting a big dose of what we in the industry call "Real Life." RM: "Real Life?" Sounds a bit frightening. Can you explain what exactly it is? JB: Oh, "Real Life" can be extreamly frightening at times. I, personally, have had several brushes with "Real Life" in the past few months. It was nearly the death of my story for S5: "Oh Give Me A Home." A bit of "Real Life" even played into this story. It was close there for a while. KT: And here you are, you lived to tell us about it. Amazing. JB: I feel fortunate. "Real Life" is nothing to joke about. You can be going along just fine -- and then BAM! -- It gets you. KT: Your episode, "Then Came You," is about the Alternate Dimension, isn't it? JB: Yes. In seasons 3 and 4 of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" we were introduced to an alternate version of our world. The Clark Kent of that world was the classic tragic hero. He was made keenly aware of his soulmate connection with Lois Lane, even though his world had no Lois Lane. He was seemed destined to live his life alone. RM: Sounds a bit like that "Real Life" you mentioned earlier. Terribly frightening and sad. JB: Well, that's the thing about "Real Life," Rob. It's payoffs are just as strong as its pitfalls. KT: We mentioned earlier that you might be able to provide us with some behind-the-scenes takes on your episode. Are you still willing to do that? JB: I think so. I don't want to give away too much. The story is a lot better if you go in with an open mind. As H.G. Wells said, "...Nothing is impossible..." RM: We'll be right back with some enticing tidbits from "Then Came You." [More Swelling music. More Flashy commercials. More Flashy 3D logo.] RM: All right, now for some insider information. The promo you aired last week wasn't the original promo you wrote, was it? JB: Correct. My original promo was full of little bits of dialog that were designed to create lots of questions; to generate a sense of curiosity. I wanted people to think, "Wow. I've got to see that!" KT: But it backfired? JB: Yes. Several of the other writers on the TUFS staff were concerned that people would get the wrong idea about the episode and be turned off all together. A test audience was sampled, and the reviews were not good. So, I toned it down a bunch, and came out with the second promo. In hindsight, if you know nothing of the plot behind the episode, the promo can be a bit of a surprise. I was hesitant to reveil too much about the plot, so we changed the promo. RM: Can we see the original promo? Did you bring it? JB: I broght it, but I warn people to not read too much into it. The episode is full of surprises, it's best to enjoy them as they happen. KT: I'm just dying to see this, can we roll the tape? ==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo== Then Came You Announcer: Clark Kent is in love... Rachel Harris: "It's obvious to me... you're in love." Clark: "I can't be!" Rachel Harris: "Why not? Happens to the best of us." Announcer: But not only with Lois Lane... Clark Kent: "I can't be in love with two women at the same time. Somehow, she got to me. Snuck up on me when I wasn't paying attention." Rachel Harris: "Oh come on! Don't make this out to be her fault..." Clark Kent: "What do I do? I still love Lois..." Announcer: Who is this woman that could break the bond of steel? Clark Kent: "Do you feel this *thing* between us as strongly as I do?" Woman: "Yes. What does it mean?" Clark Kent: "It means I love you, Amanda Hart." Announcer: What kind of hold does she have over our hero? Woman: "Looks like the two of you must have had a wild ride." Amanda Hart: "Oh! You have no idea. It was... fabulous. I knew when he picked me up in his arms what he had in mind." Clark Kent: "Thanks, Amanda." Amanda Hart: "For what?" Clark Kent: "Just because." Announcer: Tune in Sunday for all the answers. Lois Lane: "I sometimes feel like this is some B-rated romance movie and any moment I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone." ==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo==promo== KT: Wow! I can see why people might have been turned off. I know how I would feel about another 3rd party coming between my favorite couple. It doesn't sound like our faithful Clark, or our Lois at all. JB: That's just the point. It isn't our Clark and our Lois. This is the alternate dimension we are talking about here. RM: But, still. It has been established that Clark Kent of that world still had a strong attraction to Lois Lane. JB: Correct. And I explore this thoughly in the episode. KT: You're leaving us with more questions than answers, Jeff. Can't you tell us something that would help me, and others, get a better grasp on what's in this episode? JB: Hmmmm. In "our" dimension, Clark came to Metropolis and fell in love with Lois almost immediately. Lois wasn't looking for a relationship with a "normal" guy, no matter how good looking he was. Superman however, represented something more. Clark was stuck. He wanted Lois to love him for himself, not his alter-ego. However, his alter-ego offered him the chance to be with Lois in the way he desired. RM: The classic love triangle for two people that the show was based on. KT: Right. It's one of the things we loved about it. JB: Exactly. Now, Alt-Clark is even more determined to find Alt-Lois after seeing our Lois again. Especially after what Mr. Wells says to him. He doesn't want a "normal" woman, he wants Lois Lane. RM: And does he find her? JB: He finds a love triangle. KT: And? JB: You will have to read the story. :-) RM: Oh, you're a meanie. We heard a rumor that this is a "To be continued..." story. Is that true? JB: Yes. A lot has to happen here. We're trying to compress something that took nearly three full seasons in our dimension, down to one episode. The TUFS staff felt it was better to use two episodes to do this. Even still, it's a long story. I think I could have written a whole season with this storyline. KT: Now that we're so intrigued by this episode, how can we get it? JB: I'd continue checking the web site: http://members.aol.com/thenando/tufs.htm I'm sure it will turn up soon. If it hasn't by Wed. afternoon, I will post it to the fanfic list. I had intended to post it anyways, I'll just do it sooner than I planned. RM: Great! Thanks for joining us Jeff. It's been great. JB: Thanks, Rob; Karrie. KT: For Rob Moen, I'm Karrie Tart. Goodbye everyone. [Lots of loud music. Lots of wild camera angles. Rolling credits that go so fast no one can read them. Fade to black.] ================================================================= Jeff Brogden jwbrogden@bigfoot.com http://www.bigfoot.com/~jwbrogden/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 10:50:54 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: A fanfic writers' listserve MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I've just joined a newly organized fanfic writers' listserve (I'll be forwarding information on it in just a moment, in case others on this list are interested) and wanted to share a quote in the .sig of the first message that I got: "Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk." Henry Jenkins Director of media studies at MIT I like this! Peace A FoLC Named Peace Come visit me, and read my Lois & Clark fanfic http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/7137 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 13:22:46 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kat5107 Subject: Re: Fanfic Today: Special Report Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit LOL, Jeff! That was hilarious! I just wanted to encourage you all to read Jeff's story, "Then Came You" and its continuation, "Two Become One" (hmm, Jeff, nice title, ho'wd you come up with it? ) It is a very touching story, full of WAFFs and wow, it even has a bit of A- plot! I edited this story myself and got a sneaky peek, and that's why I know ;) Oh and FYI: If you would like to subscribe to TUFS, send an e-mail to kryptntufs@yahoo.com, with the word "subscribe" in the subject field and your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail. I think the subscription list is updated weekly. Anyhow, if you have further questions, just e-mail CraigByrne@aol.com. Kat Kat5107@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 11:37:29 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Fw: Fanfic Writers Mailing List Comments: To: L&C Listserve In-Reply-To: <81593bbb.3544c988@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Crossposting to both lists, with apologies to those who get duplicates. This was forwarded to me by my friend Nancy in Seattle. I subscribed and within the hour got a dozen messages -- that's just to warn you this is an active list! However, it looks like it will be a very good one for fanfic writers. ---------- > Date: Monday, April 27, 1998 11:08:07 > From: Nancy > To: Peace > Subject: Fanfic Writers Mailing List > > 4/27/98 > > I don't know if you look at the > alt.startrek.creative list, but this was on it. Even if you're not int= erested > in joining long-term, you might want to pop in and see what's shakin'. = NN > > Subject: [ANNOUNCE] Fanfic Writers Mailing List > From: lizard@mrlizard.com (Lizard) > Date: Sat, Apr 25, 1998 11:35 PM EDT > Message-id: <6hua29$gfg$1@camel20.mindspring.com> > > > Greetings, all. I would like to announce the formation of > fanfic_writers-l, a mailing list devoted to discussing the art of > writing fanfic qua fanfic -- that is, fanfic itself, as a subgenre, > and not focussed exclusively on any one genre or kind. Fanfic writing > poses unique challenges not found in other forms of writing, and my > desire is for the list to become a 'multidenominational' one. > > To subscribe to the list, send a message to majordomo@lists.io.com, > with no subject, and with the body containing, on a single line, > > "subscribe fanfic_writers-l myemail@mydomain" > > (Do not include the quotes, and, of course, substitute your email > address where appropriate) > > You can also get info on the list by sending a message to > majordomo@lists.io.com, with no subject, and with the body > "info fanfic_writers-l" > > Once you have subscribed, send messages to the list by mailing to > fanfic_writers-l@lists.io.com. > > In order to avoid charges of spamming, I will post this to other > creative groups in small clumps over the next few days. I will repost > about once a month so that new writers are kept aware of it. > > If anyone runs a fanfic web site, please place info on the list there. > > The info file for the list is appended below. > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > > >>>> info fanfic_writers-l > [Last updated on: Mon Apr 20 15:49:29 1998] > The Fanfic-Writers List > > Purpose:This list exists to discuss writing fanfic, as a unique sub- > genre of many other genres. The primary focus will be on the issues > which arise in fanfic which do not generally arise in other types of = > fiction, the problems of playing in someone elses sandbox, issues of > canonality (and ignoring same), slash, what do creators think, > crossovers, etc. Also on-topic will be general issues of writing, the = > usual complexities of plot, character, and even basics of grammar if = > it comes to that. I'd prefer the focus to be on specifically fanfic- > related issues, but if the topic remains even marginally close to > writing, I'll be happy. Literary, film, TV, comic book, and other > fanfic are all 'on topic'. > > What's NOT on topic? Meta-issues related to the source material not > linked to fanfic in some way. In other words, discussing what's going = > to happen on Voyager next season is not on topic, unless you somehow = > relate it to fanfic writing -- i.e, "What happens when my brilliant > 500 page novel is rendered meaningless by one stupid episode?" > > Posting fanfic:Since I want this to be a cross-media group, it really = > won't function well as a simple forum for posting fanfic for the > reading pleasure of the others alone. That is, don't post a story if = > you just want to entertain us -- give us a pointer to the web page or = > newsgroup. Posting complete or partial stories IS permitted, however, = > if the purpose is either a)to illustrate a point ("This is how I > handled the problem of two conflicting origins for the > Constructicons") or b)to ask for criticism/comment. Remember in the > latter case, a lot of the readership won't know your universe, so > it's a good test of how well your story works AS A STORY. > > Adult, "slash", hentai/ecchi/lemon, NC-17,etc fiction *is* > appropriate for discussion and posting, however, in the interests of = > keeping the list as broad based as possible, I ask that anything > which might be considered 'adult' be tagged as such in the subject > header, so that people of Delicate Sensibilities need not expose > themselves to it. If you absolutely can't abide the thought of such > discussion occuring -- don't subscribe. > > The same applies to material which is exceptionally violent or > disturbing (esp. things like rape, torture, mutilation, etc, > described in pages of loving(?) detail). You ought to know if your > stuff is 'beyond the pale'. Post it, ask for comments, open a > discussion on it -- but let people know what they might be in for. > > If a thread has drifted off-topic but is still of apparent interest > to a number of people, tag it '[Off Topic]'. Ditto to questions of > only marginal relevance to the list but for which the list is a good > resource. (i.e, "I need to know when the great Pyramids were built > for a story I'm writing" is off topic, but acceptably so if you mark = > it that way.) > > Moderation:I will moderate as I see fit. Generally, I will not > moderate except for: > a)advertising/spam, which sometimes sneaks onto mailing lists. > b)abusive, insulting, or inflammatory behavior. Here's some examples: > a)"That story was poorly written, here's why" is on-topic and > acceptable. "That story sucks, loser!", is not. > b)"I had trouble believing in a romantic relationship between Mulder = > and the Cigarette Smoking Man. It didn't seem to work from their > characters on the show" is acceptable. "You pervert! I hate slash!" > is not. > c)Any attacks on the person, rather than the ideas, in general, is > unacceptable. > d)Vulgarity above and beyond the call of duty in unacceptable. The > occasional use of colorful anglo-saxonisms to make a point is not an = > issue. An entire incoherent post of nothing but, is. > > And, lastly, as moderator, I reserve the right to basically bar any > person for any reason. Point blank -- it's my list, thus my property. = > I do not plan on making a habit of arbitrary and random dismissals, > but I feel I must reserve the right to do should the need arise. I > hope it never does. > END > >>>> > > ------------------------------------------------------------- > Evolution doesn't take prisoners:Lizard > Make deals, not war:Swindle > Compassion is no virtue, cruelty no vice:Skorponok ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 12:45:08 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Hall, Melissa" Subject: Re: A fanfic writers' listserve MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > "Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage > done in a system where contemporary myths are owned > by corporations instead of owned by the folk." > Henry Jenkins > Director of media studies at MIT > I have *got* to meet this guy! I got interested in Lois and Clark because it was a neat show, but I stayed interested in it because of the telling (by the producers) and re-telling (by the fans) of a contemporary myth. Misha (the mythologist) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 12:51:41 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Subject: Re: A fanfic writers' listserve In-Reply-To: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Peace Everett wrote: > > "Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage > done in a system where contemporary myths are owned > by corporations instead of owned by the folk." > Henry Jenkins > Director of media studies at MIT If you haven't read Jenkins's book "Textual Poachers: Media Fans and Participatory Culture", you *need* to. I finally got a copy a few weeks ago and it's terrific. Jenkins is a media fan himself, as is his wife, so he admits to some bias and a tendency to "go native" during his research into fandom, but it's a fascinating book. Read the chapter on Beauty and the Beast and tell me it isn't the story of L&C fandom almost to a T. Shameless plug: you can order this book through my Amazon.com bookstore; it's door number 3 at http://www.tempus.simplenet.com . == Alyssa in St. Paul == (agmondelli@stthomas.edu) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/ Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zero? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 14:05:24 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gary Subject: There's ONLY ONE (was Re: A fanfic writers' listserve) In-Reply-To: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 12:51 PM 4/28/98 -0600, you wrote: >On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Peace Everett wrote: >> >> "Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage >> done in a system where contemporary myths are owned >> by corporations instead of owned by the folk." >> Henry Jenkins >> Director of media studies at MIT > >If you haven't read Jenkins's book "Textual Poachers: Media Fans and >Participatory Culture", you *need* to. I finally got a copy a few weeks >ago and it's terrific. Jenkins is a media fan himself, as is his wife, so >he admits to some bias and a tendency to "go native" during his research >into fandom, but it's a fascinating book. Read the chapter on Beauty and >the Beast and tell me it isn't the story of L&C fandom almost to a T. > Rice Krispies Treat! ;-) j/k As Lois and Clark said "There are no new stories, just new angles." I'll take that a step further and say that there is only ONE story. 1. Boy meets Girl... 2. Boy and Girl fall in love... 3. Boy and Girl live happiliy ever after... All stories are this, a subset or a superset of this. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu | | "You decide what you feel heaven is worth" - Deborah Gibson, TWYH | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 14:15:56 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: demona Subject: Re: A fanfic writers' listserve In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:50 AM 4/28/1998 PDT, you wrote: > "Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage > done in a system where contemporary myths are owned > by corporations instead of owned by the folk." > Henry Jenkins > Director of media studies at MIT That's a wonderful quote. I wonder if he'd mind if we put it up on the L&C Fanfiction Archive.. I think it would be most appropriate :) ~Demi ____________________________________________________ Demi (a.k.a) Demona or http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy/demona.htm --- L&C Site http://fantasia.simplenet.com/lcfantasy --- As a director, one is responsible for weaving together the genius of others into comprehensive expression. ______________________________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 18:50:48 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandra McDermin Subject: Re: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >>Sandy, Great story! I laughed, I cried, aah it was almost like watching it on TV. Oh and I really enjoyed the reporter named Michael Landes! << You're very kind. It's messages like this that make all the time and effort worth it. >>Keep up the great work! Michelle<< I'll always do my best. (Sounds like the girl scout pledge.) Thanks, Michelle -- you're check's in the mail. >>"You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you got to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find somebody wants to be a part of your life."<< Very inspiring. I'll work on it. ; ) >> ***CO-ME-DY!!!*** Wonderfully amusing. Clever. This FoLC gives it four stars **** This fic had me laughing and smiling the whole way through. The descriptive writing was wonderful and I loved the part about "shaking down Sara Lee".<< Wonderfully insightful. Discerning. This folc gives *you* four stars. >>I also liked the use of Michael Landes. You've got to keep Jimmy in the mix, no matter what name you use.<< Michael Landes, again.... Are you sure you're not Michelle? I'm *not* sending two checks to one person. >>I would also like to say as a junkfood enthusiast, I am glad that twinkies have a medicinal use. I always suspected they did. Layney indiblue@aol.com<< Yes, I'm glad about Dr. Klein's recent discovery too as Twinkies aren't much of a food product. (See the next issue of "Science".) If I were Superman, I'd want Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey to be "the magic bullet," then my medical insurance would pay for my grocery bill. >Sandy, >Great story! I laughed, I cried, aah it was almost like watching it on >TV. Oh and I really enjoyed the reporter named Michael Landes! > >Keep up the great work! >Michelle > >>>I want to agree with Michelle and ask why if Clark needed extra money why he doesn't become a stripper himself? Gary A. Rudick<<< Michelle! I said only one check.... Jeez. As for your question ... um ... Gary, he did! Clark stripped out of his civvies, down to his Superman suit. and made a few bucks -- as Superman. Do you think the average Metropolian would give Clark Kent thousands of dollars to fly them to Africa without benefit of his Superman suit?! Of course not; they'd fall out of the sky! They're not dummies. Sandy (just a poor girl entering the information age with more age than information.) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 19:23:35 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michelle Glenn Subject: Re: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) In-Reply-To: <852565F4.007921D1.00@smtpmta.nas.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Sandra McDermin wrote: > >>"You've got to let your love shine through your eyes, your smile...you > got > to let somebody know how you feel inside...your heart...you'll find > somebody wants to be a part of your life."<< > > Very inspiring. I'll work on it. ; ) I think so. Of course, I can't take the credit, Reba McEntire sang it, I just re-typed it. It kinda has a small attachment to the whole Clark/Superman thingy though, hmm, you know Clark wears glasses over his eyes to hide the truth of his being Superman, but when he's Superman he's unable to hide his love for Lois...Okay, I'll admit it, I'm reaching! Michelle :> ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 20:42:55 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Subject: Re: There's ONLY ONE (was Re: A fanfic writers' listserve) In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.16.19980428140524.0aff9088@vmspop.isc.rit.edu> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 28 Apr 1998, Gary wrote: > > I'll take that a step further and say that there is only ONE story. > > 1. Boy meets Girl... > 2. Boy and Girl fall in love... > 3. Boy and Girl live happiliy ever after... > > All stories are this, a subset or a superset of this. Ah yes, but what I meant was the fandom itself. The parallels between B&B fans and L&C fans, especially when it comes to fan vs. producer visions for the characters, were almost eerie. == Alyssa in St. Paul == (agmondelli@stthomas.edu) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/ Home of the Fortress of Insanity and Lois & Clark Season 5 "What's less than square one? Minus zero? Negative bupkes?" --Capt. Don Cragen, _Law & Order_ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 20:05:39 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Cristin J Whitley Subject: Re: Need a cowriter I'd love to help! ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com*** I love Superman!!!!! "You hear everything. You see everything. It's like being married to St. Nick!" LL On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 17:22:50 EDT Budmayes writes: >I have an idea for a Soulmate Chronicle story. I would like to get a >cowriter >to help me put it together. Anyone interested? > >budmayes@aol.com > _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 21:51:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: JCWimmer Subject: New Website Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hello Fellow FoLCs: Well...I finally did it! I officially have a web page. It's not much, but it's a start. You can now find my fanfic there. For those that have requested Full Circle, it is there too, although the final "archive" edition is not up yet. I will replace it when *I* get the final draft . A special thank-you to Carol for her immeasurable assistance (she built the page) and to Anne and Annie for their support and encouragement. I hope you all enjoy it. Crystal Wimmer JCWimmer@aol.com http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/3187/ Ps. There is an nfic site as well. You may e-mail me (not the list) privately with a statement that you are over 18 and promise not to distribute it to others, and I will send you it's url. One Last Thing: Does anyone know how to do a signature block in AOL? If you do, please e-mail me privately (not the list) and tell me how to do it. If I keep typing this website, I know I will mess it up eventually, and I don't want to confuse anyone. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 19:22:40 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Connie Subject: Re: New Website Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Ps. There is an nfic site as well. You may e-mail me (not the list) >privately with a statement that you are over 18 and promise not to distribute >it to others, and I will send you it's url. I am over 18. I will be graduating highschool in 29 school days! *grin* Sorry, I sure you don't care but I had to get it out! I loved your story "Full Circle." I can't wait to read more of your stories! Connie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 22:30:56 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Larus2407 Subject: Re: S5: "Charity Begins At Home" (part 1 of 11) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-04-28 19:39:07 EDT, you write: << Yes, I'm glad about Dr. Klein's recent discovery too as Twinkies aren't much of a food product. (See the next issue of "Science".) If I were Superman, I'd want Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey to be "the magic bullet," then my medical insurance would pay for my grocery bill. >> speaking of the importance of Twinkies, someone gave me some printouts of a site: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~gouge/index.html It's about the Twinkies project! I don't know if it's still up but it was in mid-February. Sorry, Sandy, I should have told you about this BEFORE the ep was aired, but I'd forgotten and just came across the papers yesterday. It's all the useless experiments you can do with Twinkies. Know a kid looking for science project ideas? It's a laugh. --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 22:33:18 -0400 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: Re: New Website In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 7:22 PM -0700 4/28/98, Connie wrote: >>Ps. There is an nfic site as well. You may e-mail me (not the list) >>privately with a statement that you are over 18 and promise not to distribute >>it to others, and I will send you it's url. > > I am over 18. Careful, people ... watch that "To" field. I'm sure Crystal meant to email her privately for this info. Wouldn't want Crystal to post the URL to the whole list, now would we? (Heh heh, retorical question. ) Kathy ______________________ Kathy Brown kbrown@toolcity.net KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 21:51:33 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Fw: Crossovers... In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19980428140636.00f04e20@dnai.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable We're discussing crossovers on the Fanfic Writers' list, and one particul= arly interesting combination was just mentioned -- I thought I would pass it = along: ---------- > Date: Tuesday, April 28, 1998 14:06:36 > From: Lizard > To: Fanfic Writers Listserve > Subject: Re: Crossovers... > > The key is good storytelling. If you can get people swept up in Superma= n on > the Millennium Falcon[1] or Fox Mulder confronting Kolchak the Night > Stalker, then it doesn't matter HOW they met. Fanfic readers tend to = be a > forgiving lot. In a way, crossover fanfic is sort of a hearkening back = to > childhood, when you'd have He-Man fighting the Transformers aided by = Luke > Skywalker, because those were the toys you had. > > > [1]A short, but chilling, print fanfic I have shows the short and unhap= py > fate of the crew of a Star Destroyer which had the misfortune to be > assigned to annex a peaceful, technologically advanced planet on the > fringes of the Empire. No weapons at all, high population, orbiting a = red > sun... > Fascinating concept -- I would love to read this! Peace A FoLC Named Peace Come visit me, and read my Lois & Clark fanfic http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/7137 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 22:02:39 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: found a story MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I don't know if it's been mentioned here on the list, but I just found, by way of the Fanfic Writers' list, that there is an L&C/Dr. Who story being written by Paul Gadzikowski (Paul, are you on this list?) The first three chapters of the story are at his site: http://members.iglou.com/scarfman/ The story is entitled One Child Born and picks up from the Season 4 cliffhanger. Peace always delighted to bring new writers to the attention of the list. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 21:35:39 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Leanne Shawler Subject: Delayed Ep 19 on S5 webpage Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" For those that are asking ... we too are having technical difficulties getting Episode 19: Charity Begins at Home online. There must be something wacky in the internet. A Tarses virus perhaps? Leanne Leanne Shawler aka Volterra on IRC (volterra@sd.znet.com) Web Design: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/design/webdesign.html Home Page: http://www.znet.com/~volterra/leanne.html Lois and Clark Season 5 Fanfic: http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season5/ Midnight Dreaming: The Original Anthony Warlow Home Page: http://www.zweb.com/volterra/anthony.html