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File:  "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L
LOG9809D"

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Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 00:34:53 CDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Stefanie D Slifer <cute6@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs

 Pat writes:

>
>I'll give second place honors to the use of "yous" "you's" or "youse"
>as the plural form of you.  I'm told this is a local error confined to
>the Midwest, and that it's an especially common mistake in Chicago.
>I don't know if that's the actual case--any comments from the rest of
>the world on this one?
>

LOL!  We went to Chicago on Choir Tour this past July, so I can confirm
this error.  Our director thought it was very funny, so he would speak
"Chicagoan" to us: "Okay, yous guys. . ."  "Yous guys need to be back in
the vans by. . .".

Of course, being from Texas and feeling a desire to represent *our* part
of the world, we used "ya'll" about ten times more than necessary! <g>

Most of you have touched on my writing pet peeves:  misuse of punctuation
(or the lack thereof), their/there/they're, your/you're (it really annoys
me when someone writes something like "We're so glad your here". . .you
cannot possess "here"!!), etc.

This is a fun thread, and I'm really learning a lot.  Now can anyone
explain the uses of "to" and "too"?

Hugs,
Stefanie =)   cute6@juno.com
He who laughs last didn't get the joke.
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:10:29 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Louise Kendall <jem@WEBONE.COM.AU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
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Yes, this is one of my pet peeves too.  If you think about the phrase - I
could care less - my response is 'really, then I'm not trying hard enough'.
:)

My other pet peeve is the word 'orientated'.  The word is either 'oriented'
or 'orientation'.

It's something that makes me grit my teeth like hearing nails on a
blackboard.

jem  :)

-----Original Message-----
From: Laurie Stroh <LStroh1856@AOL.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
<LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, 22 September 1998 6:37
Subject: Re: editing & adverbs

>I wasn't going to get on this bandwagon<g> but now I just can't resist.  My
>biggest pet peeve when either reading or listening to someone is the use of
>the phrase "I could care less."  That is NOT the correct phrase.  It is "I
>couldn't care less." Or for those of you who don't like contractions, "I
could
>not care less"<g>.
>
>My second biggest pet peeve is the use of "anyways."  I hear this a lot in
>conversation and it should not be plural.  The correct word is "anyway."
>
>Laurie - who is hardly an English major but knows when something sounds
>wrong<g>.
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:56:02 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs; typos and mispronounciations
In-Reply-To:  <9d986f9a.360556e9@aol.com>
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At 03:26 PM 20/09/98 EDT, someone wrote:
<snip>
>There's also the use of "hmmm", "nah", "mmm hmmm", ect.  They give my spell
>check a fit, but they also add character and life to stories... or at least
I
>think so.  I haven't received many complaints.

Hmmm <G>  "ect"?  ewww!  Sorry, but that's one of my bugbears too.  It was
probably just a typo here, but there are some people out there, who simply
don't know that "etc." is an abbreviation for "et cetera" which, I gather,
is Latin for "and so on."

Almost as bad are the people who (when speaking) use the word "ahksed"
(best phonetic spelling I could think of here) in place of "asked."  It
took me a while to get my mouth around that particular mis-pronounciation.
As in "I ahksed you to do something for me."  Then there's the people who
can't say "nuclear" (new-clear) and it ends up coming out as "nuke-u-lar".
Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms, though.
--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 21 Sep 1998 19:57:57 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Debby <debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: Nfic Lists
In-Reply-To:  <c07d2750.3606e8d8@aol.com>
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At 08:01 PM 9/21/1998 -0400, you wrote:
>I swear that I'm an adult and will not distribute!!  and my name is Jane.
If
>you could please add me to the list it'll be greatly appreciated!  Thanks
>
>jane
>
While I've taken care of jane here, remember to please write to me
privately...
I just might miss a request if it's via on this list.  Also, I like to help
readers retain some anonymity :)

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 06:55:35 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
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In a message dated 98-09-22 03:14:03 EDT, jem@WEBONE.COM.AU writes:

<< My other pet peeve is the word 'orientated'.  The word is either
'oriented'
 or 'orientation'.

 It's something that makes me grit my teeth like hearing nails on a
 blackboard. >>

Yes, me too!!! I'm so glad you mentioned this one!! I hate it so much that I
won't even think about it to mention it here <g>.

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 06:59:30 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs; typos and mispronounciations
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In a message dated 98-09-22 04:02:28 EDT, jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU writes:

<< Almost as bad are the people who (when speaking) use the word "ahksed"
 (best phonetic spelling I could think of here) in place of "asked."  It
 took me a while to get my mouth around that particular mis-pronounciation.
 As in "I ahksed you to do something for me."  Then there's the people who
 can't say "nuclear" (new-clear) and it ends up coming out as "nuke-u-lar".
 Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms, though. >>

Oh, and I thought this was from parts of New York...

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 07:36:13 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         "K.M. de Castro" <ChoirGirl2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (fun post)
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Crystal wrote:

<< Okay ... maybe I'm way off base here, but wouldn't this fall under the
 category of ebonies or another cultural language difference?  It may be
 appropriate, but only in conversation, when you are trying to convey a
 specific personality to a character.  I know that I often use "y'all" and
that
 is definitely a geographical/cultural idiosyncrasy.  Just a thought.

 Crystal (who just watched her spell-check pitch-a-fit over this post ;)
  >>

WhyYes! We'uns way down south here in Florida use y'all a whole lot, but not
like youse guys up there in the north, eh? In fact, I deeeew de clayah that
the whole grammar thing has gotten me so riled up with a fit of laughter
that
I am beginnin' ta get looks from my husband when I read this heah Email!
Eww!
I think I just split a stitch!

And, on a more serious note, I concur with Crystal about the character
dialogue being true to the character. I can see one of Jonathan's farmer
friends from the rural areas of Kansas using y'all, but I could not see (or
*hear*) any of Ellen's friends doing the same. Our conversation helps show
others who we are and what we are about. I am certainly no southern belle,
and
I do not have a southern accent as thick as some that I have heard around
here
(the Space Coast.) But I wouldn't hesitate in any writing that I do to make
the conversation appropriate to the character(s) I had created.

Sidebar: I was fascinated when I read Wendy Richards' work. She uses some
British English idioms in some of her work which I have had to look at twice
just to make sure that I was understanding what she had written. I don't
have
a problem with a non-American writing LNC; in fact, I thought that her
British
English phrasing was quite lovely and charming. It only made me as a reader
think a bit more and invest more time in what I was reading.

And then Stephanie wrote:

<This is a fun thread, and I'm really learning a lot.  Now can anyone
explain the uses of "to" and "too"?>

I went to the store to get two dozen eggs which were on sale and found that
bacon was on sale too.

Then Jenny chimed in with:
<Then there's the people who can't say "nuclear" (new-clear) and it ends up
coming out as "nuke-u-lar". Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms,
though.>

Not at all! I've been axed a lot! Especially by people who work in respected
positions like nucular plants and julery stores.
Back to Tara,
Marie
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 22:33:48 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <007501bde5d2$4bfce640$725ffdcd@peabody>
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At 07:40 PM 21/09/98 -0700, Pat wrote:
>
>I'll give second place honors to the use of "yous" "you's" or "youse"
>as the plural form of you.  I'm told this is a local error confined to
>the Midwest, and that it's an especially common mistake in Chicago.
>I don't know if that's the actual case--any comments from the rest of
>the world on this one?
>
>Pat
"Youse" is also common in some strata of Australian society too.  "Are
youse lot comin' or not?"  Then there's the horrible finishing of a
sentence with "but".  "I went to the movie; I didn't like it but."
Oh, and from my son (age 6) at school, I heard "It's Kewl - not kill as in
with a gun though"  (interesting interpretation of a pronounciation, I
thought)
--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 22:37:59 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <007301bde5f8$15b25220$1c2c08d2@Louise>
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There's another (I think) Americanism (apart from all the ones we've
already discussed, including "gotten") that appears on L&C which grates on
me:
In Ordinary People where Lois and Clark are discussing their prospective
parenting abilities, she says something like (and I'm sorry, I don't have
the wav handy to quote it directly):
"I'll just never be as good of a mother..."
as good of?  Surely it ought to have been just "I'll just never be as good
a mother as yours is"?
--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 08:56:10 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Crystal Wimmer <JCWimmer@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
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In a message dated 9/21/98 9:58:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
JCWimmer@AOL.COM
writes:

<< Okay ... maybe I'm way off base here, but wouldn't this fall under the
 category of ebonies or another cultural language difference?  It may be
 appropriate, but only in conversation, when you are trying to convey a
 specific personality to a character.  I know that I often use "y'all" and
that
 is definitely a geographical/cultural idiosyncrasy.  Just a thought. >>

Error correction... that should read *ebonics* not *ebonies*... don't you
just
hate it when the spell-check changes what you *wanted* to spell wrong??
Hazards of technology, I suppose.

Crystal
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:48:14 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <831bb801.36079e6a@aol.com>
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> In a message dated 9/21/98 9:58:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time, JCWimmer@A=
OL.COM
> writes:
> << Okay ... maybe I'm way off base here, but wouldn't this fall under =
the
>  category of ebonies or another cultural language difference?  It may =
be
>  appropriate, but only in conversation, when you are trying to convey =
a
>  specific personality to a character.  I know that I often use "y'all" =
and that
>  is definitely a geographical/cultural idiosyncrasy.  Just a thought. =
>>

and then corrects herself...
> Error correction... that should read *ebonics* not *ebonies*... don't =
you just
> hate it when the spell-check changes what you *wanted* to spell wrong??
> Hazards of technology, I suppose.

Well, ebonics or ebonies -- I still don't know what you meant here <g>
    ebony=3Dblack
    ebonic=3D??

Peace
who is having a great time
with this thread <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:20:26 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Wendy Richards <ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <MAPI.Id.0016.00656163653920203030303630303036@MAPI.to.RFC822>
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And, while I think of it, Jenny's comment on Americanisms reminds me
of another pet hate: the use of 'regular' as if it means 'normal' -
as in 'a regular guy', 'regular fries' etc.

Regular, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means
'systematic' 'acting uniformly or predictably'; such as 'keeping
regular hours,' which means that the person does the same thing at
virtually the same time each day. And 'a regular guy' *actually*
means a man whose excretory functions operate 'at predictable times'
as the OED puts it.

So there!  (no, this is not 'getting at Americans' day  <g> )

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 11:26:00 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Gary <gar8434@RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <5dff197e.36078227@aol.com>
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At 06:55 AM 09/22/1998 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 98-09-22 03:14:03 EDT, jem@WEBONE.COM.AU writes:
>
><< My other pet peeve is the word 'orientated'.  The word is either
'oriented'
> or 'orientation'.
>
> It's something that makes me grit my teeth like hearing nails on a
> blackboard. >>
>
>Yes, me too!!! I'm so glad you mentioned this one!! I hate it so much that
I
>won't even think about it to mention it here <g>.
>
>--Laurie
>

Sorry, but orientate is the intransitive verb form of the transitive verb
orient.

I'll let someone else explain intransitive/transitive.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu <http://www.rit.edu/~gar8434 >  |
| My personal FoLC/MATH website <http://members.tripod.com/~ardent73 >  |
| "What's done to children, they will do to society." - Karl Menninger  |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 11:36:57 -0400
Reply-To:     nightsky@erols.com
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Genevieve <nightsky@EROLS.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
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Wendy Richards wrote:
>
> And, while I think of it, Jenny's comment on Americanisms reminds me
> of another pet hate: the use of 'regular' as if it means 'normal' -
> as in 'a regular guy', 'regular fries' etc.
>
> Regular, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, means
> 'systematic' 'acting uniformly or predictably'; such as 'keeping
> regular hours,' which means that the person does the same thing at
> virtually the same time each day. And 'a regular guy' *actually*
> means a man whose excretory functions operate 'at predictable times'
> as the OED puts it.
>

LOL, Wendy.  My first thought was to look it up in the American Heritage
Dictionary (not as long as the OED, but still a hefty volume), but I'm
at home, and that's at work, so I looked it up in the little paperback
dictionary that lives by my computer.

REGULAR (adj.) 1) conforming to a rule, type etc. 2) confirming to a
fixed principle or procedure 3) customary or established 4) consistent
[a regular customer] 5) functioning in a normal way [a regular pulse],
6) properly qualified [a regular doctor] 7) designating or of the
standing army of a country 8) Colloq. thorough; complete [a regular
nuisance]

Actually, I would gather that "a regular guy" uses the OED second
meaning -- a guy who *acts* uniformly or predictably in all things.  In
other words, a normal guy.  My thesaurus actually shows "normal" and
"common" as synonyms for "regular."

OTOH, "regulate," which obviously comes from the same root, obviously
fits into Wendy's meaning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genevieve    (NightSky@erols.com) ; <http://www.erols.com/nightsky>

Who was doing so *well* staying out of this thread.
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:42:45 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <3607C419.888D2A2C@erols.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Genevieve wrote, in response to my commentary on 'regular':

> REGULAR (adj.) 1) conforming to a rule, type etc. 2) confirming to a
> fixed principle or procedure 3) customary or established 4) consistent
> [a regular customer] 5) functioning in a normal way [a regular pulse],
> 6) properly qualified [a regular doctor] 7) designating or of the
> standing army of a country 8) Colloq. thorough; complete [a regular
> nuisance]
>
> Actually, I would gather that "a regular guy" uses the OED second
> meaning -- a guy who *acts* uniformly or predictably in all things.  In
> other words, a normal guy.  My thesaurus actually shows "normal" and
> "common" as synonyms for "regular."

Is 'acting uniformly or predictably' 'regular'? That isn't my
understanding of what Americans mean when they refer to a 'regular
guy'. And the OED does not give 'normal' as a meaning or an
alternative to 'regular'.

Just another example of two countries divided by a common language...

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 11:51:22 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs; typos and mispronounciations
In-Reply-To:  <c5551bce.36078312@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>> As in "I ahksed you to do something for me."
>> Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms, though. >>
>
>Oh, and I thought this was from parts of New York...

Nope, we would get that in Detroit, too.  Another one I always got a kick
out of  was the word "battry" instead of "battery".  Or "libary" instead of
"library".

> Then there's the horrible finishing of a
>sentence with "but".  "I went to the movie; I didn't like it but."

LOL!!!  When I read the first sentence, I thought, "end with but? no way"
but then I read your sentence.  Yes, we do that here, too.  Nothing that
you would (well, nothing I would) put in a written document, but in very
casual conversation, yes, I could see that.  I'm sure I used that as a kid.
It sounds like a very kid thing to say.

>"I'll just never be as good of a mother..."
>as good of?  Surely it ought to have been just "I'll just never be as good
>a mother as yours is"?

LOL, another one .. yes, Jenny, yours is grammatically correct, but in
dialogue, I'm sure most Americans wouldn't think anything of Lois's
phrasing.

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:10:24 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Grammar discussion on 'the list'
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi everyone,

I got this email from Yvonne, and thought the rest of the list might be
interested in her comments.  I especially liked her 2nd paragraph -- I
definitely see similarities between writing and other art forms.  I can't
paint or sculpt or play an instrument, but when my writing is flowing and I
know it's coming out well ... I feel like I'm creating, just as much as if
I had a paintbrush.

Oh, and Yvonne isn't on the list, which is why she doesn't post this
herself. She goes to our list archive URL and reads the posts like a
newsgroup.  Neat idea.  Never occured to me. :)

Kathy

>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 15:41:54 +0000
>From: YConnell@unmf.com (Yvonne Connell)
>Subject: Grammar discussion on 'the list'
>To: kbrown@webmart.net
>Status:
>
>     Hi Kathy,
>
>     I'm not on the L&C list (because I use a PC at work and don't believe
>     in loading extraneous software on the company's equipment), but I've
>     been reading the absolutely fascinating discussions about grammar,
>     punctuation and writing styles, and wanted to throw in a few comments
>     of my own.  If you think they're of any interest to others, feel free
>     to post them up to the list, or conversely, if you wish I'd just shut
>     up and go away, that's fine too.
>
>     I think the key to writing compelling stories is to know the rules of
>     grammar and punctuation, but also to know when to break the rules: you
>     break the rules to achieve a particular effect.  The same is true in
>     music - I know how to write good harmony which adheres to the rules,
>     but a talented composer will break those rules to create the sound
>     world they seek to achieve.  For all I know, the same is true in other
>     fields of artistic endeavour.
>
>     Whoever brought up the point about sentences being joined together
>     with commas ('I went to the shops, I bought some bread') struck a
>     resounding chord with me.  I was beginning to think I was the only
>     person in the world who noticed and objected to this particular
>     construction.  Almost every other person I've raised this with, no
>     matter how eloquent and well-educated, seems blind to the error.
>
>     Loved the discussion on 'gotten' - I find myself using it quite a lot
>     (maybe too much) even though I'm British.  Whoever said you don't need
>     to use two dictionaries missed the point completely.  You don't want
>     the style you use in L&C-related documents to creep into your
>     work-related documents, so you keep one dictionary for Americanisms
>     and another for Britishisms (sorry, I just invented that word!)
>
>     Before I stop pontificating, let me just say that I know that I make
>     lots of mistakes in my own writing, but at least I try!
>
>     Thanks for 'listening'.
>
>     Best regards,
>     Yvonne Connell
>
>
>     PS I picked you to write to because you were one of the more frequent
>     contributors to the discussion.
>

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 13:25:31 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Then there's the people who
>can't say "nuclear" (new-clear) and it ends up coming out as "nuke-u-lar".
>Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms, though.

No, that's not just Australian!  And it bugs the heck out of me, too!
What's even worse, my husband does a tremendous amount of work with our
DOE/Lockheed site here in Idaho, including working on their nuclear reactor.
And HE even says "nuke-u-lar"!  It drives me batty!  You would think that
after all the times I get on his case about it, he would remember, but he
doesn't.  ;)

Also, I've noticed several other mispronunciations here in Idaho that are
common.  "Crick"  for "creek"  (ACK! :P), "we live *up to* Idaho" meaing "We
live in Idaho", and my personal favorite, "Illinois", because ppl here
actually SAY the ending "s" instead of keeping it silent.  ARGH! <g>

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."
                          ***
"You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
********************
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:32:03 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809221645.F@pc14.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 4:42 PM +0100 9/22/98, Wendy Richards wrote:
>Is 'acting uniformly or predictably' 'regular'? That isn't my
>understanding of what Americans mean when they refer to a 'regular
>guy'. And the OED does not give 'normal' as a meaning or an
>alternative to 'regular'.

In the Webster's Dictionary that I use, "normal" is the first definition.
I was really surprised that it isn't used this way in the UK.

Now "regular fries", which Wendy also mentioned -- that word could mean two
different things in the US.  1) regular fries versus, say, seasoned fries,
or 2) regular sized fries, as opposed to the large size.

In all of these cases, the word is used to mean "standard" or "normal".

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:32:11 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
In-Reply-To:  <008201bde65e$c7074a60$6517fea9@erin.ida.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 1:25 PM -0600 9/22/98, Erin Klingler wrote:
> and my personal favorite, "Illinois", because ppl here
>actually SAY the ending "s" instead of keeping it silent.  ARGH! <g>

We moved to Illinois (properly pronounced Ill-i-noy, for those non-USers
that might not know) this summer, and I was sure that I wouldn't hear that
anymore.  I mean, people would know how to pronouce their own state, right?

I was horrified to find that I hear the misprounciation *more* here than I
did in Michigan or Pennsylvania.   Now, that's on a volume basis, and
obviously in IL, you are going to say the word more often, but still!  ARGH
is right!

Heh heh, and let's not go into "Missouri" versus "Missoura", the way people
>from MO actually say it. This is one case where the residents don't seem to
get their way. The only people that I've ever heard say "Missoura" are
those who actually live in the state.   The rest of the country refuses to
say it that way. <g>

Kathy (posting a lot these last few days because we are having new gutters
installed and I have to stay in the house so nothing falls on my head. <g>)

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:29:00 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Laurie Stroh <LStroh1856@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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In a message dated 9/22/98 3:32:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
kbrown@WEBMART.NET writes:

<< We moved to Illinois (properly pronounced Ill-i-noy, for those non-USers
 that might not know) this summer, and I was sure that I wouldn't hear that
 anymore.  I mean, people would know how to pronouce their own state, right?
  >>

I know exactly what you mean Kathy.  As you know<g> I grew up in Michigan
and
lived in *Ill-i-noy* for a few years and hearing people pronounce the s at
the
end just drives me batty.  It makes otherwise knowledgeable people sound
downright dumb!

Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:37:38 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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In a message dated 98-09-22 11:34:29 EDT, ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes:

<< And 'a regular guy' *actually*
 means a man whose excretory functions operate 'at predictable times'
 as the OED puts it. >>

So is Clark a regular guy or not?
I've yet to read anything that's compared his body functions to humans...
--Laurie <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 06:55:08 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
In-Reply-To:  <008201bde65e$c7074a60$6517fea9@erin.ida.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 01:25 PM 22/09/98 -0600, Erin wrote:
<snip>
>live in Idaho", and my personal favorite, "Illinois", because ppl here
>actually SAY the ending "s" instead of keeping it silent.  ARGH! <g>
>
>
>Erin :)

There's a suburb of Melbourne called Reservoir.  The correct pronounciation
is as in a large body of water collected for use as drinking water
(rez-e-vwah), but there are a LOT of Melburnians who pronounce it
"rez-e-vor".  I HATE that!

--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 06:57:19 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
In-Reply-To:  <l03130306b22daa258ac6@[209.44.27.137]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 02:32 PM 22/09/98 -0500, Kathy wrote:
>At 1:25 PM -0600 9/22/98, Erin Klingler wrote:
>> and my personal favorite, "Illinois", because ppl here
>>actually SAY the ending "s" instead of keeping it silent.  ARGH! <g>
>
>
>We moved to Illinois (properly pronounced Ill-i-noy, for those non-USers
>that might not know) this summer, and I was sure that I wouldn't hear that
>anymore.  I mean, people would know how to pronouce their own state, right?
>
>I was horrified to find that I hear the misprounciation *more* here than I
>did in Michigan or Pennsylvania.   Now, that's on a volume basis, and
>obviously in IL, you are going to say the word more often, but still!  ARGH
>is right!
>
>
>Heh heh, and let's not go into "Missouri" versus "Missoura", the way people
>>from MO actually say it. This is one case where the residents don't seem
to
>get their way. The only people that I've ever heard say "Missoura" are
>those who actually live in the state.   The rest of the country refuses to
>say it that way. <g>
>
>Kathy (posting a lot these last few days because we are having new gutters
>installed and I have to stay in the house so nothing falls on my head. <g>)
>
Is that Ar-Kansas that Bill Clinton used to be from?  And there are lots of
Australians I've met (including, to my surprise, my own father) who don't
know that Washington State is on the other side of the country from
Washington DC  (both lovely places to visit btw).
--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:58:41 -0400
Reply-To:     lindah46@erols.com
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Linda C. Hoffman" <lindah46@EROLS.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs; typos and mispronounciations
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi FoLCs

    Since we're on a grammar thread I'll throw some fat on the fire.
    Maybe one of the English teacher could answer this one?
    In NB the line is:

    LL: There is you, there is I, there is no we.

    Shouldn't that be: There is you, there is me, there is no we.

  Linda C Hoffman

  lindah46@erols.com

  lindacl on IRC
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:33:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.1.32.19980923065719.007085e0@mail.ozramp.net.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 6:57 AM +1000 9/23/98, Jenny Stosser wrote:
>Is that Ar-Kansas that Bill Clinton used to be from?  And there are lots of
>Australians I've met (including, to my surprise, my own father) who don't
>know that Washington State is on the other side of the country from
>Washington DC  (both lovely places to visit btw).

Kansas and Arkansas don't sound anything alike, believe it or not.  It's
not Ar-kansas.  It's pronounced "Ar-kan-saw".

As for Washington and Washington State, I'm sure there are people here who
don't know that.  You are always reading in the papers how "X percent of
high school students thought that New Mexico was a part of Mexico and not
the US." <g> (Hi Debby!<bg>)

Oh, and as for "reservoir", in the US, it is pronounced "res-eh-vwar". We
do prounounce that last r.

Kathy (yeah, yeah, posting way too much ... thank goodness for unlimited
web access. I've had it on like all day long. <g>)

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:39:14 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Annette Ciotola <AMCiotola@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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In a message dated 9/22/98 5:34:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
kbrown@WEBMART.NET writes:

<< Kathy (yeah, yeah, posting way too much ... thank goodness for unlimited
 web access. I've had it on like all day long. <g>) >>

Hey, some post are more informative than others. Post all ya like Kathy!!

Anne :)

"You've been on line for 2351 mins, would you like to log off now?" - AOL

"Um, nah...." - me <G>
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:35:55 MDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         DEBRA GRAY <dlgray@USA.NET>
Subject:      [Re: editing & adverbs]
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<This is a fun thread, and I'm really learning a lot.  Now can anyone
explain the uses of "to" and "too"?>

I am also enjoying this thread, Stephanie and everyone else. As I understand
it, "too" is used where "also" could also be used. (...could be used, too?)
I.E.: "in addition to". "To" is a preposition, as in "Lois gave the story to
Jimmy." Am I warm, all you English profs out there?

Debra G

____________________________________________________________________
Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:20:45 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Crystal Wimmer <JCWimmer@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
Mime-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 9/22/98 7:51:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET writes:

<< Well, ebonics or ebonies -- I still don't know what you meant here <g>
     ebony=black
     ebonic=?? >>

Ebonics is a designated "language" in California (recognized in the same way
as Spanish or French or English).  It was an issue of great debate here, in
that children are not to be corrected for speaking in the manner they were
tought at home.  I suppose the "language" was taken from the urban areas
where
African Americans speak in a different manner, that was not found to be
acceptable by teachers within the school system.  The ruling by the supreme
court was designed to differentiate this from "street language" and allow
minorities to be treated with respect within the schools.  That is the most
politically correct definition I can think of.  I hope this is clear.

Crystal
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 18:29:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Elizabeth Eve Davis <eed2@RA.MSSTATE.EDU>
Organization: Mississippi State University
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Kathy Brown wrote:

> Kansas and Arkansas don't sound anything alike, believe it or not.  It's
> not Ar-kansas.  It's pronounced "Ar-kan-saw".
>
 Actually it's illegal in Arkansas to mispronounce the name.
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 18:27:36 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Martha Rasch <mrasch@IXC.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>Also, I've noticed several other mispronunciations here in Idaho that are
>common.  "Crick"  for "creek"  (ACK! :P), "we live *up to* Idaho" meaing
"We
>live in Idaho", and my personal favorite, "Illinois", because ppl here
>actually SAY the ending "s" instead of keeping it silent.  ARGH! <g>

LOL Erin, I live in St. Louis and get to hear all about "Illi-noise" all
the time.  People also love talking about "Mizzurah" or "Misery".  That
really annoys me.  It's Missouri! However, for all the trouble Missourians
have trouble with states, St. Louisans in perticular seem to have have
their own little way of morphing words.  I get to hear about "warshing"
your hands in the "zink" from my firends.  All day, everyday, they find
ways of adding "r"s where there aren't any.  As my best friend recites to
agrivate me, "Garsh" Marge, that's a "gargeous" (gourgeous) "arange"
(orange) "farmal" (formal).  I don't think I will ever get used to hearing
the "o" replaced by an "ar"  Especially when our major high way is
"farty-far" (44).
Okay, I've rambled on enough, I'm hardly an expert on the english language,
everyone on this list has baffled me with their knowlege the past week.
I'm learning so much more from you guys than from my teachers.  I look
forward to observing this  "conversation".
Your willing student,
Martha
(SupermaV)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:42:35 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Kathy (yeah, yeah, posting way too much ... thank goodness for unlimited
>web access. I've had it on like all day long. <g>)

LOL!  Hope your mom doesn't call the police like mine did when she can't get
a phone call through to your house! <vbg>

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."
                          ***
"You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
********************
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:51:38 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject:      Way off topic:  L&C fan fic web pages
Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

>> I would like to add a L&C fan fiction links web page on my site.  I
know that a lot of you put your web pages in your sig line but I would
appreciate it if you could send me your links PRIVATELY also.  <<

No problem! <g>  I'd be delighted if you added me to your page - and if
you give me your URL, I'll gladly return the favor.  Have fun :-)

Pam Jernigan's FOLC Obsession Page & Guide to L&C Fanfic:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html

PJ =

!^NavFont02F0178000FMGJHG9FMGA1HH7982D3

  E-mail from: Pam Jernigan
  jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC
~~~~~
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html
Find all the IRC roundrobin fanfic -- Featuring recommended fanfics
~~~~~
"That would be me.  Superman's girlfriend, Clark Kent's wife,
Kal-El's concubine.  Former girlscout, present reporter, future
mental patient.  Time traveller, dimension hopper, soul migrator..."
Lois reflects on her life, in _Always Something There to
Remind Me_ by Zoomway

Distribution:
  "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of S
INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:07:46 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Melissa Day Hall <mhall@SOUND.NET>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
In-Reply-To:  <l03130306b22daa258ac6@[209.44.27.137]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>Heh heh, and let's not go into "Missouri" versus "Missoura", the way people
>>from MO actually say it. This is one case where the residents don't seem
to
>get their way. The only people that I've ever heard say "Missoura" are
>those who actually live in the state.   The rest of the country refuses to
>say it that way. <g>

I'll say! Even here on the Kansas/Missouri border, you can tell which state
people live in just by the way they pronounce Missouri.

And Kansans aren't immune to mispronunciation either- the 'Ar-Kansas' river
only becomes the 'Ar-kan-saw' river when it reaches that state.

(Says the Smallville girl)
Misha (mhall@sound.net)
- - - - -
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank piece of paper
until drops of blood form on your forehead." -- Gene Fowler
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:24:45 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Pat <peabody@MCS.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs; typos and mispronounciations
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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Jenny wrote:
>Almost as bad are the people who (when speaking) use the word
"ahksed"
>(best phonetic spelling I could think of here) in place of "asked."
It
>took me a while to get my mouth around that particular
mis-pronounciation.
>As in "I ahksed you to do something for me."  Then there's the people
who
>can't say "nuclear" (new-clear) and it ends up coming out as
"nuke-u-lar".
>Perhaps these two are purely Australianisms, though.

If those are Australianisms, Jenny, there must be a *huge* Australian
community in Chicago <beg>

Pat

peabody@mcs.com
pattijean@aol.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 21:35:18 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Crystal Wimmer <JCWimmer@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Mispronunciations
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In a message dated 9/22/98 4:40:08 PM Pacific Daylight Time, erink@IDA.NET
writes:

<<
 LOL!  Hope your mom doesn't call the police like mine did when she can't
get
 a phone call through to your house! <vbg> >>

ROTFL!!  Thank God I'm not the only one!  I had to have a second line
installed after explaining to a nice Security Policeman that nothing was
wrong, the phone wasn't off the hook... I was just online for 3 days
straight
:/

Crystal
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 23:02:13 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Anne Carlson <ACdrift@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: [Re: editing & adverbs]
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In a message dated 98-09-22 18:36:23 EDT, you write:

<< I am also enjoying this thread, Stephanie and everyone else. As I
understand
 it, "too" is used where "also" could also be used. (...could be used, too?)
>>

I use this now to describe my age.  My husband is forty-two but I am forty,
also.  Humm, is it that I'm a bit sensitve about getting older?

It is fun reading about all of this grammer business.

Anne (ACdrift@aol.com)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1998 22:36:23 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Raymond, Melody" <Raymond@AAOS.ORG>
Subject:      LnC Nfic Search
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain

Hi everyone,

I need your help.  Several months ago I read a nfic story that was written
about the episode "Phemorone My Lovely" where in the story the 'what if' was
-- what if Clark was not able to withstand Lois' onslaught and he succombed
to her advances.  In the story Clark could not take it any longer and they
ended up in bed together.  I believe I got the story originally from Joyce
>from her archive list, but I did not save it and cannot remember the title,
because I want to request it to read again.  Does anyone remember this
story?  Please email me privately.  Thanks.

Melody
raymond@aaos.org
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 12:00:25 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <l03130305b22da7f807f4@[209.44.27.137]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

> At 4:42 PM +0100 9/22/98, Wendy Richards wrote:
> >Is 'acting uniformly or predictably' 'regular'? That isn't my
> >understanding of what Americans mean when they refer to a 'regular
> >guy'. And the OED does not give 'normal' as a meaning or an
> >alternative to 'regular'.
>
> In the Webster's Dictionary that I use, "normal" is the first definition.
> I was really surprised that it isn't used this way in the UK.
>
>
> Now "regular fries", which Wendy also mentioned -- that word could mean
two
> different things in the US.  1) regular fries versus, say, seasoned fries,
> or 2) regular sized fries, as opposed to the large size.
>
> In all of these cases, the word is used to mean "standard" or "normal".

...which was precisely my point, Kathy: the word, in its UK usage, is
not a synonym for either 'standard' or 'normal' - which is why I find
that usage a little annoying. Especially when McDonald's come over
here and try to persuade us that instead of 'medium' or 'standard'
chips, we want 'regular fries'  - YUCK!!!  <g>

Oh yeah.... 'fries' are chips over here; what you call chips are
crisps! And just to confuse you further, there are *real* chips
(lovely fat chipped potatoes sold in fish and chip shops) and skinny
McDonald's-style chips, which are a paltry excuse for the real thing
:-P

Wendy
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 13:13:00 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Atcliffe, Phillip" <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Another editing gripe and Aussie pronunciation
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809231225.B@pc14.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
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Last time I posted, I forgot to mention one other error=20
often seen in fanfic (and other writing),which all the=20
discussion of youse/yous/you's (?) brought to mind  --=20
"who's" vs. "whose". AFAIK, "whose" is the possessive form;=20
"who's" is an abbreviation of "who is", "who has", etc. --=20
just the same as "its" and "it's".=20

Somewhat OT, a question or two for Jenny: whereabouts in Oz=20
do you hear "nuke-u-lar"? Where I come from (Melbourne), it=20
was always "nuke-lee-ar". And we pronounced "ask" with a=20
long a -- as in "hard"; is this what you were referring=20
to, or was it something even more so?

Gee, all this reminds me of the Polish linguist who was=20
staying at my University hall of residence; every time she=20
heard about someone from another state staying there, she=20
would fall on them with a howl of glee and a tape recorder=20
and a list of words for them to read. She was a nice=20
person, but un-nerving if one wasn't warned in advance....

Phil, glad to be back on-line after server probl--=20
&*(^%=A3%&)!"$ <crackle>
------------------------------------------------------------
"Sic Transit Gloria Barramundi"=20
   (Or, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!)
   -- not Douglas Adams, but me: Phil Atcliffe=20
                         (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:33:24 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jenny Stosser <jenerate@OZRAMP.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: Another editing gripe and Aussie pronunciation
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809231300.G@muahost.uwe.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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At 01:13 PM 23/09/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Last time I posted, I forgot to mention one other error=20
>often seen in fanfic (and other writing),which all the=20
>discussion of youse/yous/you's (?) brought to mind  --=20
>"who's" vs. "whose". AFAIK, "whose" is the possessive form;=20
>"who's" is an abbreviation of "who is", "who has", etc. --=20
>just the same as "its" and "it's".=20
>
>Somewhat OT, a question or two for Jenny: whereabouts in Oz=20
>do you hear "nuke-u-lar"? Where I come from (Melbourne), it=20
>was always "nuke-lee-ar". And we pronounced "ask" with a=20
>long a -- as in "hard"; is this what you were referring=20
>to, or was it something even more so?
>
>Gee, all this reminds me of the Polish linguist who was=20
>staying at my University hall of residence; every time she=20
>heard about someone from another state staying there, she=20
>would fall on them with a howl of glee and a tape recorder=20
>and a list of words for them to read. She was a nice=20
>person, but un-nerving if one wasn't warned in advance....
>
>Phil, glad to be back on-line after server probl--=20
>&*(^%=A3%&)!"$ <crackle>

I was going to reply only to Phil on this, but I thought, what the heck,
I'll do it for everyone's benefit <G>

I'm in Melbourne, too; but I grew up in Perth, and studied teaching English
(more on that in a bit) and did teaching "pracs" in a few (dare I say it?)
lower class suburb gov't schools.  That may have been where I heard
"nuke-u-lar" instead of  "new-clear".  You've misunderstood my attempt at
phonetic typing for "ahksed".... the speakers transposed the "k" and the
"s" in the word.  It takes a physical effort for me to wrap my
speech-making-apparatus <G> around that word!

Oh, and about the teaching of English?  (My minor was Speech and Drama.)
In my third (in theory, final) year of the diploma (I took a 4th year to
make it a degree, and thus useful anywhere outside of WA), we were given an
option to study EITHER a series of Australian novels OR take a unit in
Grammar.  I was the ONLY student to opt for the Grammar unit; so guess what
I ended up studying?  I STILL have no idea about the names for the parts of
speech other than the (hopefully) obvious ones of noun, verb, adjective and
adverb.  Anything beyond that seems arcane and esoteric to me.  Sad, isn't=
 it?

(BTW, no, I don't actually teach English.  Hope that reassures someone out
there.)
--
Jenny Stosser -*- jenerate@ozramp.net.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn
 (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM & AOL -*- My ICQ# is
11477318=20
Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage:=20
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583  Please sign our guestbook!
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 15:48:52 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Linzy Hill <spjwlah@IOP.BPMF.AC.UK>
Subject:      OFF TOPIC - suicide notes and BBs
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi

I'm sorry for wasting bandwidth, but I need your help to track something
down.  And I apologise if you get this twice, I'm posting it to the main
list too.

Not so long ago, there was a report of a suicide note which was posted to a
bulletin board in the US.  Apparently a reader notified the US police, who
in turn contacted UK police, and they managed to get there in time to stop
the attempt.  Does anyone know any other details??  The reason I ask is
that a colleague of mine (we share an office) received a apparent suicide
note by e-mail on Monday.  If you have any information please e-mail me
PRIVATELY.

Many thanks

Linzy

l.hill@iop.bpmf.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 12:35:33 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809231225.B@pc14.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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> > Wendy Richards wrote:
> Oh yeah.... 'fries' are chips over here; what you call chips are
> crisps! And just to confuse you further, there are *real* chips
> (lovely fat chipped potatoes sold in fish and chip shops) and skinny
> McDonald's-style chips, which are a paltry excuse for the real thing
> :-P

Oh, we have those here -- the "lovely fat chipped potatoes" --
we call them potato wedges!

Do y'all get curly fries or waffle-cut fries there?

Peace
wondering how a discussion
of adverbs became a discussion
of potatoes -- wait! "Curly" is
an adjective -- does that count?
<g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 12:52:20 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.1.16.19980922112600.4a1fcb8a@vmspop.isc.rit.edu>
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> >In a message dated 98-09-22 03:14:03 EDT, jem@WEBONE.COM.AU writes:
> ><< My other pet peeve is the word 'orientated'.  The word is either =
'oriented'
> > or 'orientation'.>>

Laurie replied..
> >Yes, me too!!! I'm so glad you mentioned this one!! I hate it so much =
that I
> >won't even think about it to mention it here <g>.

and Gary set us straight:
> Sorry, but orientate is the intransitive verb form of the transitive =
verb
> orient.
>
> I'll let someone else explain intransitive/transitive.

Okay, I'll step up to the plate on this one -- after I get over reeling =
in
shock from discovering this is a word!

Transitive verbs require an object to complete the phrase.

"He threw the ball."

"Throw" is a transitive verb -- you can't just say "He threw."  There has
to be some indication of *what* he threw -- "He threw the ball",
"He threw a fit".

Intransitive verbs do not require an object to complete the phrase.

"She ran."

"Run" is an intransitive verb -- you *can* just say "She ran."  Of course
you can add an object -- "She ran a mile" -- but you don't have to.
(and I'll confess to being on somewhat shaky ground calling "a mile"
the object of the verb "run" -- Sheila?)

Bringing that back to the question of orient v. orientate -- I can see
where "orient" is transitive -- you have to have an object:

"He oriented himself towards the mountains and began walking."

where "himself" is the object and all the rest is just to make it interes=
ting <g>

I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:

"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."

Peace
who is starting
to feel just a tad
out of her depth <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 11:28:49 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan <super_susan@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Way off topic:  L&C fan fic web pages
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi there ChiefPam <eg>

How are you??? :)  Well all that is L&C on my web site *IS* a links
page to all the OTHER people's fabulous pages ;)  So don't know if you
would want to add me BUT here it is-

http://members.aol.com/casusan/lcsites.html
http://members.aol.com/casusan/homepage.html

First one is the L&C links page and second one is my official homepage
;)

Thanks for the link!!  I'll have to read all your work!

Susan

---Pam Jernigan <jernigan@COMPUSERVE.COM> wrote:
>
> >> I would like to add a L&C fan fiction links web page on my site.  I
> know that a lot of you put your web pages in your sig line but I would
> appreciate it if you could send me your links PRIVATELY also.  <<
>
> No problem! <g>  I'd be delighted if you added me to your page - and
if
> you give me your URL, I'll gladly return the favor.  Have fun :-)
>
> Pam Jernigan's FOLC Obsession Page & Guide to L&C Fanfic:
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html
>
> PJ
>
> !^NavFont02F0178000FMGJHG9FMGA1HH7982D3
>
>   E-mail from: Pam Jernigan
>   jernigan@compuserve.com / ChiefPam on the IRC
> ~~~~~
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html
> Find all the IRC roundrobin fanfic -- Featuring recommended fanfics
> ~~~~~
> "That would be me.  Superman's girlfriend, Clark Kent's wife,
> Kal-El's concubine.  Former girlscout, present reporter, future
> mental patient.  Time traveller, dimension hopper, soul migrator..."
> Lois reflects on her life, in _Always Something There to
> Remind Me_ by Zoomway
>
> Distribution:
>   "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of S
> INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
>

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 11:28:16 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan <super_susan@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Way off topic:  L&C fan fic web pages
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

OMG!  SO SORRY EVERYONE!  Did NOT mean to send that to the LIST!  EEK!

:::::running and hiding now:::::::

Susan
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 14:33:46 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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In a message dated 98-09-23 13:54:43 EDT, peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET writes:

<< And just to confuse you further, there are *real* chips
 > (lovely fat chipped potatoes sold in fish and chip shops) and skinny
 > McDonald's-style chips, which are a paltry excuse for the real thing
 > :-P

 Oh, we have those here -- the "lovely fat chipped potatoes" --
 we call them potato wedges!

 Do y'all get curly fries or waffle-cut fries there? >>

Well, at the Coney Island Aquarium (which isn't actually called that any
more)
in New York, you can get dolphin fries. Yup, fries cut sort of in dolphin
shapes.

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 13:54:11 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Sheila Harper <sharper@CNCC.CC.CO.US>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 12:52 PM 9/23/98 PDT, Peace Everett wrote:
>
>I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:
>
>"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."
>

Peace, my dictionary says "orientate" is both a transitive and intransitive
verb.  As a transitive verb, it means "to orient," so you could just replace
it in your "orient" sentence.  As an intransitive verb, you might say,
"Clark quickly orientated to the west and followed the feeling that drew him
and Lois to a particular mountaintop and a particular sunset to meet their
destiny."

Sheila
sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 20:47:03 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gary <gar8434@RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <360658ED000009C7@cncc.cncc.cc.co.us> (added by
              cncc.cncc.cc.co.us)
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

At 01:54 PM 09/23/1998 -0500, you wrote:
>At 12:52 PM 9/23/98 PDT, Peace Everett wrote:
>>
>>I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:
>>
>>"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."
>>
>
>Peace, my dictionary says "orientate" is both a transitive and intransitive
>verb.  As a transitive verb, it means "to orient," so you could just
replace
>it in your "orient" sentence.  As an intransitive verb, you might say,
>"Clark quickly orientated to the west and followed the feeling that drew
him
>and Lois to a particular mountaintop and a particular sunset to meet their
>destiny."
>
>Sheila
>sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
>

I think the phrases 'to the west' and 'towards the mountains' are not
needed for
orientated. e.g. He orientated and began walking.

The direction should be taken from the context and by default would be
East(the Orient)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| Gary A. Rudick mailto:gar8434@rit.edu <http://www.rit.edu/~gar8434 >  |
| My personal FoLC/MATH website <http://members.tripod.com/~ardent73 >  |
| "What's done to children, they will do to society." - Karl Menninger  |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 19:33:18 -0600
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From:         Debby <debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.1.32.19980922223759.006986a4@mail.ozramp.net.au>
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At 10:37 PM 9/22/1998 +1000, Jenny wrote:
>There's another (I think) Americanism (apart from all the ones we've
>already discussed, including "gotten") that appears on L&C which grates on
me:
>In Ordinary People where Lois and Clark are discussing their prospective
>parenting abilities, she says something like (and I'm sorry, I don't have
>the wav handy to quote it directly):
>"I'll just never be as good of a mother..."
>as good of?  Surely it ought to have been just "I'll just never be as good
>a mother as yours is"?

In the script it was "I'll never be as good a mom..." I don't recall how
Teri read the line in the episod though.

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
64 scripts available...
write for details :)
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Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 19:40:08 -0600
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From:         Debby <debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809231225.B@pc14.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
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At 12:00 PM 9/23/1998 +0100, Wendy Richards <ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>wrote:
>[re regular...]

>....the word, in its UK usage, is
>not a synonym for either 'standard' or 'normal' - which is why I find
>that usage a little annoying. Especially when McDonald's come over
>here and try to persuade us that instead of 'medium' or 'standard'
>chips, we want 'regular fries'  - YUCK!!!  <g>
>
>Oh yeah.... 'fries' are chips over here; what you call chips are
>crisps! And just to confuse you further, there are *real* chips
>(lovely fat chipped potatoes sold in fish and chip shops) and skinny
>McDonald's-style chips, which are a paltry excuse for the real thing
>:-P

Okay, now I expect someone British to write an L&C on assignment in London
wherein
(after some A plot is dealt with or relegated to the background, lurking),
Lois
expounds on how much better 'merican food is than this stuff she's served
in England
and what is this about bad teeth in this country, anyway? Why can't I get a
decent... etc..
Whether or not you have CK agree will impart some mystery to the story
we'll all
look forward to :)

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
who's doing it for Mexico
so it's another country's turn :)
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Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 19:47:40 -0600
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From:         Debby <debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: How does Supes fly?
In-Reply-To:  <b15586e5.36029525@aol.com>
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At 01:15 PM 9/18/1998 -0400, you wrote:
>I was talking to a friend of mine (he is writing a LnC fic), and he asked
the
>question: how does Superman fly?
>
>Well, I, not being of the scientific sort, had no answers.  But I offered
the
>next best thing... I told him that I would ask the list.  If anyone has any
>theories on how Supes can fly, I would appreciate it.
>
>Layney
>indiblue@aol.com

In the tradition of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, he throws himself
at the ground and misses.

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
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Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 21:14:44 -0500
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From:         Elizabeth Eve Davis <eed2@RA.MSSTATE.EDU>
Organization: Mississippi State University
Subject:      Re: How does Supes fly?
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Debby wrote:
>

> >question: how does Superman fly?
> >

>
> In the tradition of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, he throws himself
> at the ground and misses.
>
> Debby
> Debby@swcp.com

LOL!!  I always wondered how he did it and that is the best explanation
 so far!!
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:48:18 EDT
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From:         "Eileen F. Ray" <Eraygun@AOL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC ALERT: STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN
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Hi everyone <g>

The IRC round robin writers have been at it again and I have the pleasure of
posting our latest offering: Star-Spangled Superman.  In this story Lois and
Clark travel back in time to the Revolutionary war period to help of H.G.
Wells discover who or what has altered the course of American history and
with
it all of time.

We had fun writing it and we hope you enjoy reading it. Comments are
welcome.

Cheers,
Eileen
Eraygun@aol.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:50:39 EDT
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From:         "Eileen F. Ray" <Eraygun@AOL.COM>
Subject:      New Fanfic: STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN : Part 1 of 5
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TAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN:An IRC Round Robin by:
Misha (mhall@sound.net); carrielu (carrielu@mailexcite.com); zoomway
(zoomway@aol.com); Eraygun (Eraygun@aol.com);
ChrisM (mulders@mindspring.com); Mackteach (Mackteach@aol.com)
CrystalW (JCWimmer@aol.com)

<Misha>

"I was walking from my flat in St. James Court to lunch and talk at the
Reform
Club. Upon the wall at the corner of Marlborough House as it was then, I saw
a
large bill; it was an unusual place for an advertisement and I stopped to
read
it. It was a Royal Proclamation." --H.G. Wells, _An Experiment in
Autobiography_ (1934)

__________________________________________________________

London 1916

A set of church bells started to toll a quarter to the hour, soon joined by
a
chorus of other, more distant bells. A small man, suited and bespectacled,
stopped at the corner of Marlborough House to check his watch. Apparently
satisfied by the accuracy of his timepiece, he glanced up and around, and
his
attention was caught by a large piece of parchment attached to the wall.

He slowly replaced the watch in his pocket, his eyes scanning the Royal
Proclamation much faster than his hand was moving. He missed the pocket at
first, and glanced down to make sure his watch returned to its appointed
place.

The world rippled.

The bricks of the buildings around him dulled and darkened with soot. The
sky
overhead thickened and faded to a dusty, sickly tan. Passersby disappeared,
replaced by the new inhabitants of London, men and women in tattered clothes
who scurried from one shadow to another, glancing up at the sky with
trepidation.

When he returned his attention to the proclamation, his eyes widened in
horror. The nail holding it up slipped from the crumbling masonry. He knelt
slowly, picking it up gingerly. He glanced around frantically at the subtly
changed cityscape, and the church bells rang again. They mournfully tolled
the
quarter 'til, and then rang again, clanking to a sudden stillness in
mid-ring.

He took out his watch and instead of glancing at the frontispiece, opened it
>from the back. A small light glowed a sullen red, and H.G. Wells made an
abrupt about face and hurried homewards.  Behind him, the forgotten
proclamation drifted slowly to the begrimed stones.

* * *

Metropolis 1996

"Good work, kids." Perry tapped the headline of the morning edition. "That
was
a great expose of Colonel Cash and the kryptonite gas conspiracy." He was
leaning over the edge of the divider by Lois' desk, talking to his star
reporters.

"Yeah!" Jimmy piped up as he walked by, some now-forgotten errand in his
hand.
"It was totally cool how you found those documents from the Pentagon, CK."

Clark looked down at his fiancee. That night in the military data center had
been difficult in more ways than one.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard, Jimmy." Lois tilted her head upwards, exchanging a
glance with Clark. "Cash forgot to cover his tracks past the original
break-in
at STAR Labs."

"Only you would say that sneaking past half the army was a piece of cake,
Lois." Clark bent and kissed her forehead.

He felt something brush his shoulder briefly. He pulled back, looking into
Lois' half-closed eyes. Then he glanced up at Perry, who was clearing his
throat with that I-know-what-you've-been-through-but-you're-not-on-your-
honeymoon-yet look in his eyes.

The sudden rapid pop of gunfire punctuated the short silence. It was close,
very close. Perry and Jimmy froze, a hunted look appearing on both their
faces.

"Okay, this is it, people! Scatter!" Perry bellowed, fitting actions to
words
by sprinting towards his office.

Lois stood uncertainly. Perry, running?

Jimmy dropped to the ground behind Lois' desk, yanked open the bottom drawer
and pulled out an Uzi. At Clark's incredulous, open-mouthed stare, he
snapped,
"Well, don't just stand there! Run! I'll cover you!"

He grabbed them both by the arms and shoved them towards the stairs.  Lois
stumbled backwards into someone's arms and struggled for balance. Clark was
at
her side an instant later.

"There are gunmen in the stairs and the elevator. I don't know what's going
on."

The man who had caught Lois cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I have an idea,
Mr. Kent."

"Mr. Wells!" Lois found her balance and turned fully towards him. "What
now?!
If this has anything to do with our wedding..."

Wells caught Clark's arm before he could make a move toward either set of
gunmen. "We don't have time for you to fly off and save the day, Superman."
Wells' voice was hoarse, and harsh with urgency.

Clark stopped short. Wells looked tired, and his normally neat apparel was
rumpled and stained.

"My time machine is in the darkroom. I'll explain in a moment." He started
to
pull at them. "Your time has already changed. We need to go back to the
initial disruption. Hurry!"

They followed Wells into the darkroom, where, barely fitting in the small
closet, the time machine sat, humming happily. Wells all but bodily pushed
them into the seats, flipped a single switch and sat with a relieved sigh.

"What is this all about?" Clark asked, unnerved. He could no longer hear
anything outside the room. The intermittent pop of gunfire, the hushed,
urgent
whispers of Daily Planet staff and the invading gunmen were all gone. Not
even
a single heartbeat was audible, besides Lois' familiar rhythm, and the sound
of Wells' agitated heart.

Wells closed his eyes briefly, breathing deeply. When he looked up at them
again, he seemed calmer. He leaned forward and pulled two small pins from
the
fabric at their shoulders.

"I used these to pull you a microsecond out of sync with the present
timeline.
They have a very small charge, however, and I needed to get you into the
time
machine's temporal field before you became part of the altered time."

"Altered time? What's happened? Why is Jimmy pulling guns out of my desk?"
Lois half rose from her seat.

"My dear Miss Lane, please. Calm yourself." Wells pulled out his watch and
flipped open the back. "Someone has gone back to the late eighteenth century
and changed time." He tapped the glowing red light.

"If someone changed time already, then why were you in such a hurry to get
us
here?" Clark gestured at the time machine.

"Well, the nature of the anomaly was such that it did not alter the timeline
uniformly.  I was able to travel to an unaffected segment, and place you in
a
flux facilitator field before that segment also changed." He drew a deep
breath. "And I was almost too late."

He paused. "Once we return to the time of the disturbance, we should be out
of
the scope of further temporal distortions. I hope."

Lois looked at Clark. Clark looked at Lois. They looked at Wells. "So,
*when*
are we going?" Lois finally asked.

"The Colonial...ah, that is, your Revolutionary War."

* * *

<carrielu>

At that moment the time machine was engulfed in a bright white light,
blasting
them back into the past.  It materialized behind a small building.

"So let me get this straight. Someone went into the past and did ... what?
Killed someone?" Lois asked as she rose from Clark's lap.

"I don't know, my dear."  Wells looked at his watch and put it back into his
pocket. "Come along. We have a lot of work to do."

After hiding the machine, Lois, Clark, and Wells walked out into the street
that  ran past the building. A little boy ran out in front of them, turning
around for a moment to stare, then continued on his way.  Other people in
the
street were also staring.

"We need to find appropriate clothing first," Clark said.

They stepped into a shop, where they were greeted by the shopkeeper.

"How may I help you?" he said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ah... we need some clothes," Clark said with a grin.

<ChrisM>

The shopkeeper stared open-mouthed at his odd-looking customers and hastily
excused himself, exiting into a back room.  With his superhearing Clark
easily
picked up the low-voiced conversation that the store owner was having with
an
apprentice.

"Just do as I say, boy.  Hurry and get the constable here.  These people may
be spies.  I'll try to keep them occupied until you can return."

Clark returned his attention to Lois and Wells.  "I think we might want to
get
out of here.  Now."

Wells and Lois could tell by his tone of voice that this was not the time
for
lengthy discussions.  Without saying a word they turned towards the door
just
as the shopkeeper came back.

"I'm sorry to keep you folks waiting.  Now, what was it you wanted?"

"Huh ..." Clark began hesitantly.

Lois rolled her eyes.  She loved him, she really did, but when it came to
excuses, Clark was definitely in a class by himself.

"We're so sorry to have bothered you," she interjected.  "We've just
remembered that we left our money at home.  Don't worry, though," she added,
as she moved purposefully towards the door, "we'll be back."

"Ah, yes.  Quite so," Wells added helpfully.

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed.  "You sound as if you're fresh from England,
sir."

"No, no.  That is--"

"We have to go now," Lois interrupted unceremoniously, as she pushed Wells
towards the door.  "Bye!"

All three heard the shopkeeper calling after them, but they hurried away
without a backward glance.  Quickly they found their way back to the alley
where the time machine was hidden.  Apparently, things were going to be a
bit
more complicated than they'd first thought.

"It would appear," Wells said once they'd caught their breath, "that we need
to have a plan."

Continued in part 2
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:52:28 EDT
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Subject:      New Fanfic STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN: Part 2 of 5
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STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN Continued from part 1
__________________________________________

<CrystalW>

Lois nodded slightly, allowing her gaze to rest on her soon-to-be husband.
"You know, there are other ways to get clothes besides buying them..." Her
voice trailed off as Clark began to glare at her.

"Lois, you know better."  He shook his head as he crossed his arms across
his
chest in a decidedly "Superman" fashion.  Lois returned the glare as she
took
his maroon-striped tie in hand.  "You cannot go around in this time period
without some different clothing," she told him firmly.  "And neither can I."

Clark took a moment to take in Lois's short skirt and low cut blouse, and
decided that this was one more time when the rules would have to be bent. He
conceded defeat, and addressed both of his traveling companions.

"Okay, first the clothes, then we find out what's going on around here that
shouldn't be."

Wells nodded energetically before adding, "That sounds like the beginning of
a
plan."

*****

Lois struggled to get her feet into a pair of shoes that were at least a
size
too small.  She had been relieved that Clark hadn't argued any further about
a
search for clothes, and he had returned from his mission in record time.

She was now wearing a dress with a snug bodice, and buckled shoes that could
only be defined as tight.  Still, the dull colored outfit was far easier to
move around in than her flashier business suit, and while the skirt was
bothersome, it would not cause the townsfolk to stop and stare.

Just as Lois lost her battle with her footwear, she also lost her balance.
She felt herself begin to topple, and cursed her decision not to sit on the
ground to try forcing on the tight shoes.  She was about to hit the ground
when she felt firm hands grasp her waist and pull her into his body.

Looking over her right shoulder, she gazed into huge brown eyes and felt
herself begin to fall again. The one he had just saved her from could not
begin to compare.  His lips moved closer to hers, and she allowed her eyes
to
flutter shut.

Wells cleared his throat loudly, causing the couple to jump apart.

<Eraygun>

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two but I'm afraid in this particular situation
time is clearly of the essence. "

Lois and Clark sighed in unison and nodded in agreement. Lois spoke first.

"You said you traced the time anomaly to this period.  Do you have any idea
what took place?" How history was changed?"

"The answer to your question, my dear, is a qualified maybe," Wells said
sadly
as he pulled his watch out of his pocket.

"I don't understand," Clark interjected.

"You see, my boy, my watch isn't just a watch. I've enhanced it with items
>from the future so that it monitors the space-time continuum for
disruptions
just like this one.  Locked within it is the precise historical point when
the
disruption takes place, but ..."

"Let me guess," Lois said. "You can't access it without special equipment."

"Precisely, my dear."

"Oh boy," Clark muttered.

"Don't worry, Miss Lane.  Using parts from the time machine I can probably
create a device that will allow us to access it. But that will take time and
I'll need some sort of additional power source."

"But we don't even know how much time we have before the event takes
place!?"

"Or where it happens," Clark interrupted. "It could be anywhere-Paris or St.
Petersburg or ... Pago Pago, for that matter."

"On the contrary, my boy, that's the one thing I am certain of. I was able
to
track the time currents from the disruption to Metropolis in May of 1775."

"But until you get that monitoring device of yours to give us the
information,
we're still in the dark," Clark replied.

"So, I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way," Lois said. "I
thought I'd be arguing with the caterer right now. Instead I'm in a road
company version of '1776'. " She sighed. "It's always something."

<Mackteach>

Clark stepped forward and pulled Lois into his embrace.  Kissing the top of
her head, he spoke softly.  "Trust me, Lois.  Not even a time anomaly is
going
to stop us from getting married."

Lois relaxed into his arms and hugged him back.  "How can you be so sure?"

Clark pulled away from her slightly.  Bringing his hands to either side of
her
face, he leaned his head toward her, intent on meeting her lips with his.
"Don't you know, Lois?  It's our destiny to be together."

Lois stared briefly into his brown eyes before closing hers in anticipation
of
his kiss.  When his lips met hers, they were soft and gentle, bringing a
hint
of the passion and desire that Clark held in check.  She sighed once more,
opening her mouth in invitation.

She pulled away as an idea raced to the surface of her mind.  "Clark?"

Clark slowly opened his eyes and bit his lower lip as he reined in his
emotions.  She saw him take a deep breath and slowly release it.  She
released
her own held breath as well, knowing that if they were in Metropolis --
*their* Metropolis -- the kiss they had just shared would have flared into
more.

All the more reason for them to return things to the way they should be.

Seeing that Clark and Wells were watching her expectantly, she cleared her
throat.  "My American history is a bit shaky, but what are the chances of
there being a newspaper here in Metropolis?

Clark smiled, his eyes bright with respect and admiration.  "As in the Daily
Planet?"

Lois nodded, accepting his silent compliment with grace.  "Or a reasonable
facsimile of it."

Wells cleared his throat and offered his own ideas.  "Maybe it's time, if
you'll pardon the expression, to move ahead."

They smiled at their time-traveling companion.  Lois took Clark's hand in
hers
and they followed Wells onto the streets of Metropolis.

They headed in the general direction of the center of the town, knowing that
any businesses would be located there. The Metropolis of colonial times was
different from the Metropolis that Lois and Clark knew, yet in many ways it
was strangely familiar.

People still hurried about completing their errands and chores.  Children
still played in and among the townspeople, heedless of their parents'
admonishments.  Shopkeepers still dealt with their customers.

Lois and Clark looked about them in wonder, pointing out familiar buildings
with long-forgotten signs.  They chuckled at the sign above "The White Stag"
tavern, knowing that in a future incarnation it would be their favorite
espresso shop.

Wells continued to walk along with the couple, periodically inspecting his
watch and mentally making notes of the sights and sounds that he
encountered.

Finally, the three of them stopped in front of a building that faced onto a
triangular intersection of roads.  They stared at the sign, believing and
not
believing at the same time.  Luck was on their side.

" 'Our Planet'," Clark murmured.  "So this is where it all started."  He
turned to Lois as he felt her hand squeeze his.  As he reached for the latch
to enter, he felt Lois' hesitation.  "What is it?"

"Clark, we can't just walk in there."  She turned to Wells.  "Mr. Wells,
correct me if I'm wrong, but we can't introduce ourselves as Lois Lane and
Clark Kent, can we?"

Wells thought for a moment before answering.

<Misha>

"Ignoring the ramifications of an unmarried couple traveling together,
you're
quite correct, Miss Lane. Any mention of one of your names in a document
could
be passed off as pure coincidence, but if both of your names turned up
together, it would be hard to explain."  Wells glanced at his watch again.
"And it might be a few days before I can reconfigure the anomaly detector."

Lois wrinkled her nose. "Great. I forgot that we're back in the Stone Age of
women's rights. Fine."  She turned to Clark, who recognized the Lane
Steamroller Look.  "Clark - we're married. You're..." she searched her brain
for common colonial names. "...Jeremiah Clark. Mr. Wells, you're Clark's
uncle. Is that good enough?"

Wells cleared his throat. "I'm sure that will do admirably, Miss ...Mrs.
Clark. But please, call me Uncle Bertie." A rare smile flashed across Wells'
face.

Clark chuckled. "Well, since we're all family now, shall we proceed, Mrs.
Clark?" He offered his arm to Lois, and reached for the door latch with the
other.

The interior of Our Planet was completely unfamiliar, dark despite the sun
outside. The large building had a clear space up front, with two writing
desks, but there was little separation from the rear of the printing shop,
where a bevy of apprentices milled around the large frames of the printing
presses. The smell of dust and ink and scorched paper tickled their noses.
Wells sneezed.

"God bless you, sir!" One of the men by the presses turned and approached
them. "How may I help you gentlemen?"

Clark stepped forward, offering his hand. "I'm Jeremiah Clark, this is my
wife, ah ... Abigail ... and my uncle, Herbert. Are you the editor here?"

The man beamed. "Editor, owner, and master of all I survey! Well, at least
in
here." He shook Clark's hand heartily. "I'm Joshua Merriwether."

"We're new to Metropolis." At least of this era, Clark noted to himself.

Joshua's gaze narrowed a trifle, his expression freezing into its friendly
mien. "Oh? Where are you from?" His question was overly casual.

Continued in part 3
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:53:43 EDT
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Subject:      New Fanfic: STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN: Part 3 of 5
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STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN Continued from part 2
_____________________________________
<zoomway>

"Pennsylvania!" Lois blurted just as Clark said, "New York."

Wells faked a smile. "They're newlyweds."

Joshua laughed loudly. His whole body shook. "I can understand that. I
forgot
my own name on my honeymoon," he said with a wistful sigh. "So, how may I
serve you?"

Clark cleared his throat. "Actually, sir, I was hoping for a job ... a
position.  I have some printing experience."

Merriwether considered for a moment. "I could only take you on as
apprentice,
young man, but prove yourself a hard worker, and you may advance to the
position you held in New York," he grinned. "Or was it Pennsylvania?"

Clark offered his hand. "Thank you, sir. I am a hard worker," he said,
memories of interviewing for Perry White flashing through his mind.

"Excellent," Merriwether said, shaking his hand.  "I will see you on the
morrow then. You can stay on my word of credit at the New Troy Inn."  He
laughed. "We're one of the smaller settlements, though we're petitioning for
our own legislature. That's impossible, I fear."

Wells smiled. "We're a family that doesn't believe in 'impossible'."

*****

Clark finally managed to remove Lois' shoes. She fell back on the bed with a
groan.

"Can't I just wear my own shoes tomorrow?  I mean this dress is so long I
could be wearing Nike All-Pros and no one would ever guess."

Clark sat next to her on the thin, rather lumpy mattress.  He took her foot
in
his hand and began to massage it.

Lois closed her eyes. "Oh, Jeremiah, you have *great* hands."

Clark smiled mischievously. "Abby, my dear, if the redcoats ever caught a
glimpse of your long, beautiful legs, they'd join the other side, and we
could
avoid a war entirely."

Lois moved her foot farther up Clark's thigh.

Clark licked his lips. "I ...I was thinking I ought to x-ray the Planet
press
area ... I ... oh, Lois--" he moaned.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

"We're here for a ... noble cause."

<ChrisM>

"Oh ... is that what we're here for?" Lois murmured rather breathlessly.

Clark nodded, but halfheartedly.  It seemed like every time they were
getting
to the good part, something would--

There was a knock on the door.

Lois sighed. "Guess one of us should answer that."

"Guess so," Clark agreed, but he leaned forward for one more kiss before
walking towards the door.

He wasn't surprised to see their elderly traveling companion waiting on the
other side.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Wells, Lois --" Clark began, but stopped his mild
sarcasm when he took note of the other man's expression.

"Clark ... Jeremiah, I should say, I was just walking through the town, and
... that is, I happened to overhear ..."

By this time Lois had gotten off the bed and joined Clark in the doorway.
"What's the matter, Mr. Wells?  You're trembling."

Wells made a brave attempt to calm himself.  "I was out walking and heard a
town crier ... someone attempted to assassinate Colonel Washington earlier
today."

*****
Clark's first day on the staff of Our Planet was a hectic one. Reports of
the
attempted assassination were coming in from various sources and riders had
been sent out to try and discover the truth behind all the rumors.  Mr.
Merriwether was impressed by Jeremiah's quickness in setting type--they were
able to get out two extra sheets that day because of it.

Lois and Wells had not been idle, either.  They had discovered that the
newspapers of that day contained two or sometimes three columns of "Local"
news. This often included the comings and goings of the inhabitants, as well
as mention of any visitors to the town.  They scoured back issues hoping to
get a feel for what was normal, so that they would know "not normal" when
they
saw it.

At some point, something was going to happen.  They just didn't know what.

Also, Wells spent part of the day trying to get his device into working
order.

By the end of the day they were all tired but pleased with their progress.
Jeremiah was now perfectly placed with his new boss, Abigail had
familiarized
herself with old Metropolis, and Wells had made a start on his repairs.

They met in Lois and Clark's room to plan their strategy.

<Eraygun>

"I know we've made a good start today, but I'm still feeling a little
uneasy,"
Lois said, after they'd been planning for a hour or so.

"Why, honey?"

"Not knowing what's going to happen or when .... it's like playing chess
blindfolded."

"And with a foe such as Tempus, that is a dangerous position to be in,"
Wells
quickly added.

"You're sure it's Tempus?"

"Almost positive, my boy. Every individual leaves a different
electromagnetic
signature when they travel through time."

"Like a fingerprint," Clark suggested.

"Exactly. I've been able to glean enough information from my device to know
that it's Tempus who's the cause."

"But what would Tempus have to gain by this?"

"The one thing he always wants. Power."

*****

The next morning Lois and Wells again accompanied Clark to the offices of
Our
Planet.

As they turned the corner they spied Joshua Merriwether standing in the
doorway conversing with a tall dark-haired man.  He was more richly dressed
than the editor, and had a distinguished air.

Their eyes widened in amazement as they recognized him.

"It's him, it's Tempus!" Lois shouted, as Clark dashed ahead trying to move
at
something close to normal human speed.

Grabbing the man by the collar he hoisted him into the air.

"Unhand me, you cretin ..."

"Jeremiah, my boy, what are you doing?"

"This man is a criminal,"  Lois blurted out.

"You're insane ..." the man said in a slightly choked voice.

"Jeremiah, Abigail, you must be mistaken! This is Giles Templar. Among other
things, he's the local magistrate."

<Misha>

Clark stared into the man's eyes. They were cold and disdainful, but
completely unfamiliar. He lowered the man gently to the ground. Giles
Templar
dusted off his clothes, a sneer hovering on his expression.

"Are these your new employees, Joshua? I didn't know Our Planet was
struggling."

"Remarkable!" Wells straightened as Giles turned his sneer on him. "The
resemblance is uncanny."

"I'm sorry sir," Clark apologized. "It's just that you look very much like
the
man who is responsible for our presence here."

"Responsible!" Lois could contain herself no longer. "He drove us from our
home!" She warmed up to the subject. "The man's a Loyalist, a traitor to his
native soil! He's a villain of the..."

"Abigail!" Clark cut through her diatribe. She had been starting to quote
yesterday's editorial, as well as insulting the wrong man. "It's not him."

She quieted, but Clark could tell it wasn't over yet. He turned again to
Giles. "I do apologize, but you do look a lot like him."

"I hardly think that an apology is sufficient, Mr..."

"Giles." Joshua's tone was firm. "He apologized. Calling him out will solve
nothing." He smiled. "Besides, you have Colonel Washington visiting you
tomorrow, and George Read calling next week. You won't have time for a duel
until all the delegates for the Congress are gone, and that might not be
until
the end of summer."

"You're right, as always, Joshua." Giles sighed and shot Clark a side-long
glance with a curl of his lip. "I'll call on you again, perhaps with Colonel
Washington. He's expressed an interest in meeting you." He laid another
pointed glance on Clark, adjusted his gloves and walked off.

Merriwether and Wells took a deep breath together.

"That was close, Jeremiah. Templar is a dangerous man to insult. He's very
touchy about his position, and confusing him with a Loyalist is not much
better than calling him a criminal."

Joshua preceded them into the shop, leaving the trio to watch the retreating
back of Giles Templar.

>From a nearby alley, a man smoothed his fake mustache as he held back a
cackle
of delight.

*****

<zoomway>

Giles Templar took long strides up the street.  He would remember Mr. Clark,
and his harpy of a mate.  How dare a suggestion of Loyalist affiliation be
cast upon him!  He should have shot him like a cur dog, but demanding
satisfaction was the gentlemanly thing to do.

As he turned toward Kerth Avenue, a man of about his height stepped from the
shadows.

"Good morning, Squire Templar."

Templar squared his shoulders. "You have me at a disadvantage, sir. Have we
met?"

"No," the shadow said, and laughed. "You're a few hundred years before my
time."  The dark figure produced a pistol. "But let's get acquainted."

"If you intend to rob me, I should warn you you've picked the wrong man."

"Why," the shadow said as it advanced upon him. "Because you're a big frog
in
this backwater hole of liberty?  And here I just want to be your pal." The
figure pointed the pistol momentarily at a door and then leveled it again on
Templar. "Open it."

"And should I refuse to comply?"

Continued in part 4
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Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:55:14 EDT
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Subject:      New Fanfic:STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN: Part 4of 5
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STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN Continued from part 3
________________________________________
<zoomway>

The shadow laughed again. "Then I'll do a lead ball penetration test and see
if a quarter inch of lead can pass through one overstuffed magistrate and
into
a door lock."

"Very well. I've never had good truck with cowards," Templar said, trying to
keep as much dignity as possible. He opened the door.

The shadow bowed ever so slightly. "Age before beauty."

Templar sighed and preceded his antagonist through the door into what
appeared
to be a musty storage room.

"Have a seat, Squire," the shadow said, closing and locking the door.  He
trimmed a small lamp, and was at last clearly visible to Templar.

"Who are you?"

Tempus frowned. "That's so cliche, so let me save you the trouble of the
next
question, which undoubtedly would be 'And what do you want?' "

Templar's anger was rising at a rate faster than his fear should permit.
"You're a tonic to yourself, sir."

Tempus smiled, a bit admiringly. "That was a good one, but it will cost you
a
few petals on your courtesy flower. You see, Giles -" Tempus said, taking on
a
familiar tone, " - may I call you Giles?"

"You may not, sir," Templar said, his tone darkening.

"It's like this, Giles. I want to be a playmate to Washington, just like
you.
Trouble is, Georgie doesn't know me, so I thought I'd just *be* you and take
a
shortcut to undying friendship."  So saying, Tempus removed the large, phony
mustache.

Templar gasped. The madman could have been his twin.

<ChrisM>

"You ... you'll never get away with this," Templar asserted, with more
certainty than he felt.

His tormentor reached forward and pressed the fake mustache onto Templar's
chin with studied grace.  "You must be acquainted with my old friend, Herb.
He always utters cliches like that."

Tempus stood back and admired his handiwork.  "Yes, I like this look for
you."
Then his voice changed, becoming more menacing, "And ... sometimes he's been
right.  But not this time."  Suddenly he laughed, a disconcerting change
which
disturbed Giles Templar almost more than anything else he'd done.  "You see,
my good fool, there aren't any blue tights in sight."

"What ...?"

"Yes, I've finally figured out what I've been doing wrong.  If I can't rid
the
world of that caped chronic do-gooder, I can make a world that won't accept
him."

"You're mad!  The world will always strive for goodness."

Tempus ceased his grandstanding long enough to peer closely at his prisoner.
"You know, there *is* a slight family resemblance.  Wouldn't it be ironic if
you were related to Herb?  But then," he added with blase insolence, "that
would mean *I* was related to him, too, and that would be too much irony ...
even for me."

By now Templar was more angry than afraid.  "You will release me at once,
sir!"  He started to rise.

Tempus casually pointed the gun at his head.  "No, I don't think I will.  At
least not just yet."

*****

Back at Our Planet, Clark had ushered Lois and Wells into a back room.  They
were still discussing the uncanny resemblance of their recurrent enemy
Tempus
with the upstanding Templar. Somehow, they had a feeling that the
resemblance
was not a coincidence.

<Eraygun>

"I'm positive that Giles Templar is the key to all this," Wells announced,
but
before he could speculate further, the storeroom door opened and Joshua
Merriwether entered.

"Oh good, Jeremiah. I thought I might find you here and I hoped that Abigail
and your uncle would still be with you."

"Mr. Merriwether, I'd like to apologize again ...." Clark began.

"There's no need to apologize, Jeremiah. I was young and hot-headed myself
once. But you have to understand, if you're going to stay in the newspaper
business, that passion has to be directed, has to be controlled, or it makes
mistakes.  And that can be dangerous, particularly in times like these.
But,"
Merriwether said with an affable smile, "I didn't come here to lecture you."

"No?"

"No, actually there is someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?" Lois asked.

A portly bespectacled man entered the storeroom doorway.

"Benjamin Franklin!" Clark said in amazement.

<Mackteach>

Clark looked to Lois and saw the same stunned look on her face that was on
his.  He'd known that they would probably run into historical figures, but
to
actually meet one of them...

"Ben, this young man is my new printer, Jeremiah Clark."

"A splendid profession," Franklin said with a grin.

Clark started to extend his hand, then thought it better to bow.  "A
pleasure
to meet you, sir."

Benjamin Franklin inclined his head slightly with a smile.  "It seems that
my
reputation has preceded me, Joshua."

Merriwether chuckled and slapped Franklin's back.  "Now, Ben.  If your
reputation *had* preceded you ..."

Franklin's next words cut off the rest of Merriwether's statement. "And who
is
this lovely creature?"  Franklin turned toward Lois, a smile on his face and
a
definite twinkle in his eye.

He took Lois' hand in his and held it gently. Bending down, he kissed the
back
of her hand, lingering just a moment.

Lois suppressed the giggle that she felt rising and remembered to curtsy.
"My
name is Abigail, Mr. Franklin."

"Abigail.  A lovely name for a lovely woman."  Franklin winked and this
time,
Lois' giggle escaped her lips.  Keeping her hand within his, Franklin turned
to Wells.  "You must be her father.  May I have your permission to court
her?"

Before Wells could open his mouth in reply, Clark spoke up.  "She's spoken
for, sir."  The tone in his voice caught Franklin's attention.  He turned
and
looked at the young man whose eyes scowled so fiercely at him.

Clark explained in a low and husky voice.  "She's my fia ... er, wife."

Lois had heard that tone before, but usually only when they were alone and
in
the midst of driving each other crazy with desire.  Apparently, there were
other times and other situations where that particular voice was effective.

The effect of Clark's words was immediate.  Benjamin Franklin quickly
released
Lois' hand and took a step back.  His voice, initially light and flirtatious
with her, became formal and respectful.

He bowed to her, a courtly gesture that Lois was sure would be much
appreciated in France when he went there as a newly formed nation's
emissary.

"My apologies to you, dear lady."  He straightened and looked Clark directly
in the eye.  "And to you also, sir.  My weakness has always been beautiful
women.  I meant no offense."

Clark's scowl disappeared and a sheepish grin came over his handsome
features.
"My apologies as well, Mr. Franklin.  Abigail and I have only recently been
married."  He turned and looked into Lois' eyes.  "She has become my sole
reason for existence."

Their gazes locked and the three other gentleman shuffled uncomfortably.
The
love and passion between the two young people was almost tangible.  Lois
continued to look at Clark, her eyes growing moist, her smile brightening
her
entire face.  "As you have become mine, Jeremiah," she softly whispered.

Wells looked to the young couple and coughed lightly.  The sound was enough
to
break the growing silence in the storeroom.  Tearing his gaze from her face,
Clark turned once more to Merriwether and Franklin.  He released a long
breath.  "Again, sirs.  My apologies."

Franklin stepped up to Clark and put a friendly hand on his shoulder.  "No
apologies necessary, my boy.  Joshua and I were once newlyweds, eh, Josh?"

Joshua turned to Clark.  "About Templar ..."

<Misha>

Clark could feel Lois switching mental gears beside him. Her heartbeat sped
up
slightly, and she leaned forward just a tad.

"Colonel Washington just arrived in town, and I believe Templar wishes to
call
with him tomorrow. In the interests of peace and goodwill, would you mind
showing Mr. Franklin a few of the sights in Metropolis?"

Franklin chuckled. "Now, I know Templar's a hothead, but do you think he'd
challenge Mr. Clark here?"

Joshua sighed. "He's got it in his head that Jeremiah has insulted him. Just
keep away from the Planet for the day, please?" He looked from Franklin to
Clark, and grasped Clark's shoulder. "He's a damned good shot, and I'd hate
to
lose my best apprentice."

"Yes, sir."

"Come on, Jeremiah, let's start our tour with my lodgings, so that you can
find me in the morning."

Franklin clapped Clark on the other shoulder, and led/pushed him out the
door.
Clark exchanged one last glance with Lois before she and Wells were left
alone
in the storeroom.

Lois growled her frustration. "He'll be babysitting Franklin, and Tempus can
just waltz in and do...whatever!"

"Lo -- Abigail!" Wells hurried after her as she strode out of the storeroom.
"Where are you going?"

"To find Templar. He's the key to this whole thing!"

"Oh dear," Wells muttered under his breath as they headed off to find the
magistrate's house.

*****

It had only taken a few inquiries to locate the house, and Lois eyed the
pretentious elegance of the dwelling with a rather skeptical eye before she
knocked. The silent servant admitted them to the sitting room without
protest,
and disappeared with a similar lack of fanfare.

Lois took one glance at the surroundings, and proceeded to pace from one end
of the sitting room to the other.

Wells sat in one of the chairs, mopping his brow. He'd had much more energy
when he'd first started traveling through time seventeen years ago. And
sometimes, just watching Lois wore him out. He closed his eyes.

"Napping, Herb?"

Lois spun around. Wells opened his eyes and began to sit up.

A man resembling Giles Templar stood in the doorway, holding a pair of
cocked
pistols. His eyes held a familiar mocking gleam that Lois recognized
instantly.

"Tempus," she spat.

Continued in part 5
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:57:25 EDT
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Subject:      New Fanfic: STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN: Part 5 of 5
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STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN Continued from part 4
________________________________________

<zoomway>

"Well, house guests already," Tempus smiled. "Spunky Gal Reporter and Herbie
the Wonderless."

Wells stood. "What have you done with the magistrate Templar?"

"That's good, Herb, but it will never replace 'who put the bomp in the bomp
shoo bomp'."

"You plan to kill Washington," Lois said flatly.

"I can always count on you to cut to the chase, Lois," he said, and handed a
handkerchief to Wells. "Be so kind as to gag Miss Lane, because I know if
she's here, so is her hus... boyfriend with the good hearing."

"What's the point this time, Tempus?" Wells said, tying on the handkerchief.
"Liberty isn't just one man. If you kill Colonel Washington, the dream of
freedom won't die with him."

Tempus consulted the grandfather clock. "Herb, if you could just put your
patriotic mumbo-jumbo into a 200-word-or-less essay and slip it into a
Hallmark card, I'll read it later -- but for now, I have someone else to
meet
with, so kindly follow me to the pantry where I can stash you with the other
vegetables."

<Eraygun>

As they left the parlor and made their way to the rear of the house Tempus
leaned forward and stage whispered conspiratorially,  "Since I'm going to
dispose of you anyway, I'll let you in on a little secret, Herb. You're
right,
killing one man won't change all of history. But who says that my little
sojourns into the past will end here?"

Wells grimaced in disgust. "No doubt you intend to slaughter men and women
of
good will throughout history."

"Very good Herb. You're brighter than you look."

"But that's monstrous ..." Wells began.

"True, but it's also *fun*."

*****

<zoomway>

"Mr. Franklin, is it true you harnessed lightning, or is that just a fable?"
Clark asked as he led the older man through streets as unfamiliar to him as
they were to Franklin.

"No fable. Fact, young man."

Clark managed a polite grin. "If you say so, sir. I've always been taught to
respect my elders."

Clark hated goading Franklin, but Wells needed power. If there was one thing
Clark had learned during the Back to the Future marathon with Lois, other
than
how great she kissed during commercials, it was that lightning was the one
power source available in any era.

Franklin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Young man, saying you believe me
without really believing me is somewhat akin to calling me a stallion when
I've said I'm a gelding. I appreciate the comparison, but would much prefer
it
to be genuine."

Clark managed to appear properly chastened. He felt restless, distracted,
but
couldn't pin down the feeling exactly. "Maybe if you told me how you did it,
I
could better believe you."

<Misha>

Franklin appeared pleasantly surprised. "Not many will ask me how. They
either
believe or disbelieve at their whim. I actually haven't done much with
electricity since my recent sojourn to London, but if you take a glass jar
and..."

Just then, Clark's hearing tuned in. "...well, if you'll just untie me,
Templar, we might have a chance of getting out of here."

Clark glanced around, looking for a deserted alley.

"...the acid will..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Franklin, but...I .. ah...forgot something at the Planet.
I'll
be right back!" He dashed towards the alley.

"Jeremiah! What if Templar is..." Franklin trailed off. "Foolish boy."

*****

Tempus sat in the opulent sitting room, twirling the pistols. The ivory
handles smacked into his palms with a satisfying thunk.

Thunk. Right.

Thunk. Left.

Thunk. Right.

Thunk. Tempus slid to the ground, unconscious.

Behind him, Lois placed the wooden footstool back on the floor and dusted
off
her hands with satisfaction.

As the ornately carved legs touched the carpet, the front door crashed open.

"Lois?" Clark was at her side in the next instant. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She smiled up at him. "I guess I got to clobber the  villain
first
this time."

<Mackteach>

Clark smiled at Lois, concern still evident in his gaze.  He reached out and
cupped the side of her face, needing the physical contact between them to
confirm that she was all right.  He let out a shaky breath.

"You are the most impulsive, headstrong --"

Lois silenced him with a kiss.  "But you love me, don't you?" she murmured
against his lips.

Clark's voice turned low and husky.  "Yeah, I do."  His arms went around her
and he deepened the kiss for a moment.  As he heard Lois' breathless sigh,
he
broke off the kiss and looked at her.  "So what happened to Plan A?"

Lois smiled sheepishly.  "It was taking too long."  She shrugged her
shoulders.  "So I went to Plan C."

Clark cocked his eyebrow.  "Completely bypassing Plan B?"

Lois' smile turned soft as her hand reached up to caress his furrowed brow.
"And what exactly *was* Plan B?"

Clark was silent, trying to focus his thoughts, but Lois' touch was too
distracting.  He looked again into her eyes.  "I forget."

He pulled her once again into his arms, his head resting against hers, his
eyes closed in thankful appreciation that no harm had come to his little
tornado.

A moan of pain drew their attention to the figure at their feet.  Clark went
into super mode and quickly had Tempus bound and gagged.  A step behind him
drew his attention and he whirled, his senses on the alert.

Wells and Giles Templar stepped into the room.  Templar glared at Clark for
a
moment before dropping his eyes to his doppelganger trussed at Clark's and
Lois' feet.  His eyes raised once more to the face of the man he knew as
Jeremiah Clark.  This time the haughtiness and condescending look were gone,
replaced by respect and appreciation.

He held his hand out toward Clark.  "My thanks, sir.  I ... may have judged
you hastily."

Clark smiled and accepted Templar's hand.  "As you are the magistrate, sir,
I
give this man over to your capable hands."

The two men stared at each other, each taking the measure of the other's
worth.  Templar's gaze wavered first.  He turned and looked at Lois.

"My apologies and thanks to you as well, Mistress Abigail.  Your husband has
proved to be of sound character."

Lois nodded at Templar and turned her gaze to Clark.  "Yes.  Jeremiah is
unique among men."

A knock on the open doorway drew their attention.

"Excuse the interruption, but I have an appointment with Giles Templar.
Giles?  Is everything all right?"

Lois moved to stand closer to Clark.  Nudging him in the ribs, she
whispered.
"Clark!  That's ..."

"General Washington.  Yes, I know."

"Actually, my boy ..."  Clark turned to Wells as the elderly gentleman
stepped
forward.  "It's *Colonel* Washington.  His appointment to head the
Continental
Army hasn't happened yet."

Clark nodded his understanding.  He turned his attention back to George
Washington and Giles Templar.

Templar greeted Washington.  "Colonel.  A pleasure."  He gestured about the
room, his hand indicating Clark, Lois, and Wells.  "We had a bit of a
ruckus,
but with the aid of these three people, I've been able to foil a plot
against
your life, sir."

Lois' sharp intake of breath indicated that she wasn't at all happy with
Giles' version of what had happened.  She was about to speak when she felt
Clark's arm come about her waist and pull her up against his hard body.  She
molded herself to him, enjoying the feel of how they fit together, even when
they were standing side by side.  She sighed softly and pitched her voice so
only Clark could hear.

"Soon," she whispered, her voice low and shaky.

Clark let Lois' whispered word wash over him.  He looked down at her and
nodded, his gaze telling her that "soon" wasn't soon enough for him.  Nor
for
her.

She turned to Wells. "Mr. Wells?"

Wells was studying his watch intently.  Lois reached out and gently touched
his shoulder.  He looked up.  "Hmm?  Yes, what is it, m'dear?"

"Is everything all right?"

Wells looked back down at his watch, made a slight adjustment and smiled.
"Yes, I believe so."

Wells, Lois, and Clark watched as two men who had been summoned by Templar
led
Tempus out of the house.  Giles and Washington followed them and the
prisoner.

They walked down the stairs and met Benjamin Franklin just entering the
front
gate. The three colonials greeted each other and headed off down the street
in
the general direction of "The White Stag" Tavern.

<Eraygun>

Wells pocketed his watch.  "It's time."

Clark and Lois looked at each other and smiled.

"But wait!" Lois interrupted. "What about Tempus? We can't just leave him
here. He's bound to escape again."

"Perhaps, my dear," Wells replied. "But he won't get far."

"Why not?"  Clark asked.

Wells smiled and pulled a small rectangular box out of his pocket  "While
you
and Miss Lane were so handily dealing with our friend, I was able to find
and
confiscate his time travel device.

Clark grinned. "Tempus won't be able to leave this time without it."

Wells nodded. "Precisely my boy. And after I've taken the two of you home,
I'll return with the proper authorities and collect him."

*****
<Misha>

Metropolis 1996

"Good work kids." Perry tapped the headline of the morning edition. "That
was
a great expose of Colonel Cash and the kryptonite gas conspiracy." He was
leaning over the edge of the divider by Lois' desk, talking to his star
reporters.

"Yeah!" Jimmy piped up as he walked by, some now-forgotten errand in his
hand.
"It was totally cool how you found those documents from the Pentagon, CK."

Clark looked down at his fiancee. That night in the military data center had
been difficult in more ways than one.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard, Jimmy." Lois tilted her head upwards, exchanging a
glance with Clark. "Cash forgot to cover his tracks past the original
break-in
at STAR Labs."

"Only you would say that sneaking past half the army was a piece of cake,
Lois." Clark bent and kissed her forehead.

Perry cleared his throat, and Lois and Clark looked up at him. He had that
I-
know-what-you've-been-through-so-I-might-just-give-you-a-break look in his
eyes.

"Go on home, you two. I won't get anything more out of you today." He turned
and nearly ran into Jimmy, who ducked and continued on his errand before
Perry
could do more than glare at him.

Lois twirled around in her chair. Clark had the oddest look on his face.
"Hear
something?"

Clark shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing." He offered her a hand up from her
chair, and she rose gracefully, her lips meeting his.

Behind them, Wells looked at his watch and replaced it in his pocket with a
satisfied smile. He stepped back into the darkroom.

The End
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 23:07:18 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs (Regular)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.9809231225.B@pc14.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 12:00 PM +0100 9/23/98, Wendy Richards wrote:
>...which was precisely my point, Kathy: the word, in its UK usage, is
>not a synonym for either 'standard' or 'normal' - which is why I find
>that usage a little annoying.

I know we are arguing semantics here, but it's your use of "annoying" that
got me.  Since you said the usage annoyed you, I took that to mean you
consider it incorrect.  My point was only that in the US, it is not only
*one* correct use, it is, at least in some dictionaries, the *first*
definition, the most commonly used.

For example, in Australia, I understand the word "curb" is spelled "kerb".
Seeing this spelling in a L&C fanfic might surprise me, or confuse me, or
even distract me, but it wouldn't annoy me if I knew that was the proper
spelling in the country of the writer.

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 23 Sep 1998 23:08:58 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Sheila Harper <sharper@CNCC.CC.CO.US>
Subject:      Re: New Fanfic: STAR-SPANGLED SUPERMAN: Part 5 of 5
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Round Robin writers:  "Star-Spangled Superman" was an excellent story, one
of the best Wells & Tempus stories I've read.  A lot of nice historical
touches and a very coherent A-plot.  Half the time I forgot I was reading a
round robin!  I'm glad there are some folcs who not only enjoy
extemporaneous writing but also do a good job of it.  Keep those stories
coming!

Sheila
sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 19:47:39 +1000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Louise Kendall <jem@WEBONE.COM.AU>
Subject:      Re: editing & adverbs
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Do you guys know what this means?  I'm going to have to apologise to my
friend who uses 'orientated' all the time and I correct her on it.

BuggeryBum!

jem
(who doesn't care if it is a word - she still doesn't like it :)

-----Original Message-----
From: Sheila Harper <sharper@CNCC.CC.CO.US>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
<LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Date: Thursday, 24 September 1998 4:54
Subject: Re: editing & adverbs

>At 12:52 PM 9/23/98 PDT, Peace Everett wrote:
>>
>>I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:
>>
>>"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."
>>
>
>Peace, my dictionary says "orientate" is both a transitive and intransitive
>verb.  As a transitive verb, it means "to orient," so you could just
replace
>it in your "orient" sentence.  As an intransitive verb, you might say,
>"Clark quickly orientated to the west and followed the feeling that drew
him
>and Lois to a particular mountaintop and a particular sunset to meet their
>destiny."
>
>Sheila
>sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round
              Robin)

Hi, all.

      I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
(not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first story.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for doing such a
nice job. I would also like to thank a few others. Special thanks to
Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful "chaperone". Thank you to
all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and ideas (You know who you are
:o))! Also, thanks to those of you who helped with editing or volunteered
to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp, Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before
this turns into a huge thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story.
Thanks all! Enjoy. :o)

Cristin

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:49 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 2/3

Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
Part 2 of 3
Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
(Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
(Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)

<SUPERfan>
        "Oh, give me a break, Clark! Our mothers aren't here!" she
grinned. "That can be a very good thing... if you know what I mean."
        She started to move towards him. Clark caught her drift and a big
smile overcame his face. "I see."
        "What about that popcorn, honey?" he asked. "You seemed to really
want some, and I was looking forward to you burning it," he grinned.
        "Well, it doesn't have chocolate in the recipe." She put her arms
around him. "And I can think of some other fires I'd rather start."
        "Mmmm, let's just hope Jimmy doesn't come along with... a fire
extinguisher," he said.
        Lois pulled Clark even closer and began to kiss him. They were
starting to head towards the bedroom when Clark stopped her.
        "What? What do you hear?" she asked, groaning.
        "Nothing... I seem to be stuck in this spot."
        Lois shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" She
looked around. Everything *appeared* normal.
        He reached down and took off his shoe. "Yep, just as I expected,"
he said, showing her the bottom of his shoe.
        "Gum? You stopped kissing me because of gum on your shoe? You
better have a good explanation for this!" she teased him as she headed
back to the kitchen.

<carrie>
        Lois grabbed the popcorn off the counter.. and looked at the back
of the box.. "Hmmm.. 4 minutes on high?" she said to herself.
Clark was about to take the box out of her hand, but he heard a cry for
help. he gave Lois that “I gotta go” look.
        "Let me guess, someone needs superman." She said with a sigh.
        Clark nodded his head, "Uh.. Huh.." "Okay, but don't take to
long." Lois said before kissing him good bye. Clark smiled, removed his
glasses, and spun into his super suit.
        "Lois, could you please not try to cook anything else before I
get back? I would like to come home to a house and not a pile of ashes."
        “I’ll try my hardest,” she grinned.
        Clark nodded and flew off in a hurry.
        Lois then grabbed some aluminum foil and put it around the
popcorn. “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right?” she asked herself. She
stuffed it in the microwave and shrugged her shoulders. “Now what do I
do?” she wondered. She headed back into the bedroom. Meanwhile, the
popcorn had started to sizzle and pop...
        "Pop, pop, pop.." then an electric charge formed around the
microwave.  Sparks started to rise from the tin foil, and soon the
microwave started to smoke.
The smoke alarm started to go off. Then, the microwave was engulfed in
flames.
Lois rushed into the room wearing her favorite superman night gown.
        She saw the fire and immediately reached for a glass of water.
She then dumped it on the microwave. This, of course, started an
electrical fire that sets the coffee pot on fire..
        "Ahh.. Superman help!" She yelled.
        Superman soared into the room.  "Oh.. my.. gosh! Lois, I leave
you for one minute..." He breathed in a big puff of air and blew out the
fire.

<Bepp>
        Lois smiled sheepishly over the smoldering ruins of their kitchen
counter.
She waved towards the stack of cookbooks on the kitchen table. At the top
of the pile lay a bright yellow 'Cooking for Dummies' book subtitled '101
Things To Cook In a Microwave'.
        "Guess we won't be needing this one," she grinned.
        "Lois, how does this sound? I cook, you watch and  learn."
        Lois sighed. "Fine, but next time it's hands-on, buddy."
        "Hands on what?" he leered, cocking an eyebrow at her.
        She swatted at him. "Concentrate on cooking."
        "Fine. Turn around and close your eyes."
        "What? How am I supposed to watch and learn if I can't *watch*
you?" she demanded.
        "I'm making my mom's secret fudge recipe...I can't just give it
away."

<AlienDove>
        Clark turned her around to face the sink and flew into the living
room at super speed to retrieve his latest issue of “Modern Gourmet”.  He
returned in a whoosh, and flipped to the article on home-made fudge.
        Lois huffed impatiently.  "Well!?  Can I turn around yet!?"
        "Not yet!", Clark replied, speed-reading through the ingredients
and cooking instructions.  Once he committed it to memory, he tossed the
magazine into the trash bin and turned Lois around again.
        "Now you can watch an expert at work," he said with a grin.
        "Ha ha, funny boy.  What should I do to help?"
        "Grab me that Hershey’s syrup, would ya?"
        Lois, now happy to be involved in the cooking, rushed to get the
syrup.  Unfortunately, there was still egg yolk on the floor where she
had dropped the obligatory egg.
        Clark caught Lois as her feet flew out from under her.  However,
he couldn't save his face from the chocolatey mess she had accidentally
imposed upon it.
        They collapsed in a fit of laughter.  "Oh, oops....I'm
sorry....,"  Lois said.  "But actually...it's not a bad look for you!"
        "Oh, really?", said Clark.  "Well, lets just see how it looks on
you!"  With that he lunged forward and planted a wet one on her lips.
        Lois giggled.  "Mmm, not bad," she murmured, and closed in for
seconds.
        But then...."Ding Dong!"
        Lois and Clark reluctantly parted lips and sighed.  "Must be
Jimmy," they said in unison.

Continued in Part 3...

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:37 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      New Fanfic: Cooking with the Kents- Part 1/3

Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
Part 1 of 3
Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
(Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
(Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)

<SUPERfan>
        Clark walked into the kitchen expecting to make himself a
pop tart and be on his way. As he entered the room he saw cookbooks,
ingredients for every recipe imaginable, and, most suprisingly, Lois. 'Uh
oh... what am I walking into this time?' he thought.
        "Honey, *what* are you doing?" He hesitantly moved towards
her.
        "You mean what are *we* doing," she replied. "*And the
answer is*, we are cooking, Clark. Today is the day you teach me to
cook!" She smiled eagerly at him.
        "Lo-is! It's our day off! Are you sure this is how you
want to spend it? I mean... in the kitchen... cooking???"
        "Don't give me that look!"
        "What look?" he asked, the picture of innocence.
        "That look that says 'Lois is cooking and I have to help'!
It won't be that bad!" she insisted. "Now, let's get started!!" She
grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the stack of cookbooks.

<Beppo>
        "Can't I have breakfast first?" he whined.
        "No, Lunkhead, that's what we're mak-" she shut her mouth
suddenly as he blurred through the kitchen, leaving papers flapping in
his wake. She gazed at him, one hand on her hip as he flew around the
room searching through the cabinets. "Oh ye of little faith."
        Clark smiled around his mouthful of pop tart. "Don't worry, I
have a big appetite."
        "Well, as long as you're eating too..." Lois broke off a piece of
the pop tart and popped it in her mouth with a grin. She turned towards
the fridge. "Want some milk with that?"
        "No, I'm fine," he shrugged.
        Clark watched as she emerged from the fridge with a can of Diet
Coke. "Ugh, how can you drink soda with breakfast?"
        She shrugged and kicked the door shut. "There's nothing wrong
with soda for breakfast."
        Clark's eyes widened as he remembered how he had been juggling
soda cans just an hour before. "Lois, wait, don't open that!"
        She looked at him oddly. "Since when are you such a health food
fanatic an-"
        Clark shook his head as he watched his now soda soaked wife glare
at him over the still foaming can. "And you haven't even started
cooking..." He started laughing. "You know, Lois, that look on your face
is priceless," he quipped, dodging behind the counter. He ducked and a
spoon clattered off of the wall behind him. "Too bad I don't have a
camera." Clark was laughing so hard he had to grip the edge of the
counter to remain standing."Have you ever considered a career in
advertising? ‘Don't just drink Coke,’" he gasped between mirthful snorts,
"‘wear it too!’"
        "I'd juggle soda more often if I knew it would OOMPH" he
tripped over a chair and she sat on top of him "bring out this side in
you."

<em-bop>
        "Are you done laughing at me?"  She asked eager to start cooking.
        "Um.."  Clark considered her question. He was weighing all of his
options as she began to speak again.
        "Clark... help me learn how to cook please?” Standing in front of
him, she placed her arms around his middle.  Pulling him to her she
continued, “You don't want to eat KFC for the rest of your life do you?"
        "Well I always had a thing for chicken, *especially* a certain
beautiful woman dressed in a chicken suit."
        Lois turned pink as she felt his lips brush across hers.
        Clark laughingly pulled away. "All right.  What do you want to
learn today then?"
        "Well I thought something chocolatey would be good.."
        "Of course."  Clark rolled his eyes.  "But What about Pasta?
It's my favorite."  He grinned.  "Next to chicken."  He playfully added.
        "Aghh stop!"  She said.
        "Alright, Alright." You win, let’s get started."  Each chose an
apron Lois had ready  for them to wear.
        “See, Honey, I was prepared for everything.  She smiled up at him
as he tied his around his waist.
        Standing in the middle of the kitchen she looked around eager to
begin. "So what do we do now?"
        "Wait what is that smell?"  Clark asked sniffing the air in the
kitchen. Within seconds, black smoke began rushing out of the toaster.
"Uh oh."
        "What is it?"  Lois asked between coughs.
        "Someone left a pop tart in the toaster."  He grinned at her
holding the burnt pop tart in his hand.
        "It wasn't me!"

<MuffySlay>
        "Stop that!" she ordered.  "Give me that," she said, grabbing the
pop tart from his out stretched hand she tossed its remains in the trash.
        “Since neither of us are in the mood for ‘real’ breakfast food I
was thinking,” she paused to look over at him,"that we should start with
something we both like," Lois said.
        "Pasta, then?" Clark asked hopefully.
        "Well...I really would rather make something chocolatey," she
said.
        Then she added, jokingly, "Chocolate pasta sounds good to me!"
        Clark grimaced at the thought.
        "OK," Lois said, taking charge. “Let’s clear away what I’ve put
out and find what we need to make ‘Chocolate Pasta a la Kent’.” They
hurriedly put what they didn’t need back in place.
        "First we need...well, the pasta.  And then...chocolate.  Do you
think we should use chocolate syrup, or would chocolate milk powder
work?"
        The very idea was making Clark sick...and he *never* got sick!
        "Pasta, pasta..." Lois said, opening cupboards and drawers.
"Where do we keep the pasta, Honey?" she asked.
        Clark pointed to a cupboard.
        "Oh, good, you know where it is.  All right...and chocolate.  I
know where we keep the chocolate!" she said proudly. She rummaged through
the refrigerator and found a bottle of syrup.  "Will you get the pasta,
Clark?" she asked sweetly.
        Clark got out the pasta.  Then he filled a saucepan with water
and started the water boiling. Lois watched in fascination.
        "So *that's* how they get the pasta so soft.  They cook it in
water!" She went back to looking for more chocolately things.  "I always
wondered about that."
        While Clark was preparing the pasta, Lois had assembled her
portion of the ingredients: chocolate syrup, chocolate powder, milk,
sugar, and...because it seemed like the thing to have...an egg.
        "What's the egg for?" Clark asked.
        Lois looked at the egg.  "Well, I'm not exactly sure.  But I was
watching a cooking program on TV, and they always seem to have an egg.  I
figure it's for good luck or something..."
        Clark tried not to laugh.
        "Are you laughing at me?" she demanded.
        "No," said Clark quickly.
        “So, is that pasta ready yet? I want to put in the chocolate!”
        "No, it's going to take a few minutes."
        "Hmmm," Lois said absently, glancing at an open cupboard next to
Clark.  "Clark...look!"
        "What?" Clark said, turning to see where Lois was pointing.
        "We have popcorn!  I love popcorn.  How long has it been in that
cupboard?" Lois asked.
        Clark shrugged.
        "Well, we *have* to make some.  It's microwavable...I'm sure even
*I* can figure out how to cook *that*" she joked, snatching the popcorn.
        "What a great breakfast," said Clark.  "Chocolate pasta and
popcorn.  Our mothers would be so proud!"

Continued in Part 2....

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:25:24 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 3/3

Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
Part 3 of 3
Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
(Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
(Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)

<SUPERfan>
        Lois walked towards the door, opened it, and said, "Hi, Jimmy."
        "How'd you know it was me? I didn't call or anything! Lois, have
you been talking with Star again?" Jimmy asked.
        "Jimmy," Lois said impatiently, "I assume you came over for a
reason. It *is* mine and Clark's day off."
         Jimmy started to explain and got about halfway through a word
before he noticed the chocolate. "Lois, what is that stuff?"
        Lois licked her finger. "Chocolate, of course. What does it look
like?"
        "Hmmm, personally I liked your cucumber oil better than the smell
of chocolate..." Jimmy started.
        "Hey, Jimmy," interrupted Clark. He had obviously done some super
cleaning on himself seeing that all the chocolate had miraculously
disappeared from his face.
        Clark was carrying a glass of orange juice. "Here you go, honey.
It's freshly squeezed," he said, handing Lois the glass.
        "Now, Jimmy, what brings you here today?" Clark asked.
        "Well --"

<AlienDove>
        "OK, you're NEVER gonna believe this guys!"  Jimmy exclaimed
excitedly.
        "Try me," Lois said with a smirk.
        "Forty year old senator died about an hour ago in his bathtub-
ask me how."
        "OK, I'll bite," Clark said.  "How?"
        "He choked to death.  Evidently on some rotten tomatoes!  Even
the coroner doesn't know what to make of it yet, but the police suspect
fowl play."
        "Well, I'd say so!", Lois said.  "How many men eat rotten
tomatoes in a bathtub right before they die?"
        "Wow.  It IS all weird in Metropolis!" Clark exclaimed.
        "Well, I gotta go guys, Chief just beeped me.  Probably some
emergency, like a shortage of corned beef on rye," Jimmy said with a
smirk.  "See ya later."         "Bye Jimmy!" Lois and Clark replied in
unison as they closed the door.
        "Now, where were we?", asked Lois.
        "Well," said Clark, "I think we were just starting on, mmm,
desert...."
        "Oh yeah," said Lois.  "Now, that, I can handle..."
        They collapsed on the couch and were starting to enjoy
themselves, when the doorbell rang.  AGAIN.
        "Your turn to get it this time," Lois said with a disappointed
sigh.
        Clark hoisted himself off the couch and walked to the door.  He
opened it and was startled to see none other than.....

<Bep>
        Jimmy. Again.
        "Jimmy! Great to see you again. Any news?..." Clark inquired
unenthusiastically.
        Jimmy, as usual, was oblivious.
        “They found the senator’s wife!”
        "Oh, really? How'd she take the news?"
        "No, no, you don't get it; they found her dead too! And get
this...they killed her vampire-style, with a sharpened spatula tip
through the heart!"
        "Cooks these days," Clark muttered under his breath. "That's
going to make a really, uh, interesting story, Jimmy. Thanks for letting
us know about it!" Clark closed the door before Jimmy could think of
anything else to add.
Clark returned to the living room to find Lois busy on the phone. "Who is
it?" he asked quietly.
        She mouthed something to him.
        "Who?"
        "Perry... some superhearing you've got there, honey," she
grinned. "Yes, we'll be there, Chief," she said as she hung up the phone.

<SUPERfan>
        "Perry says we have to come in?" Clark asked.
        "Yes," Lois sighed. "Can you think of a way to get out of it? I
was enjoying my cooking lesson."
        "Well.... maybe I could --" Clark started.
        Riiiiinnnnnnnng riiiiiiinnnnnggggg!
        "Hello?"
        "Hi again Chief!" Clark said. "What? No.... you weren't
interrupting-" Lois grabbed the phone away.
        "Chief... you *were* interrupting... what?... Um, you were
interrupting, uh..."
        "LO-IS! Don't make him think --" Clark said.
        "Yeah, that's -- What?... We can stay home? You'll have someone
else handle it? Thanks, Chief!" Lois grinned as she hung up the phone.
"NOW that's how you get out of stuff!"
        "Lois! He thinks that --" Clark started.
        "Oh, who cares what he thinks? Let's get back to the kitchen
now!" Lois interrupted as she pulled Clark towards the kitchen.
        "Alright... teach me to use this stuff. What is this???"
        "*That* is an egg slicer! Wait... that was on the oven. Why isn't
it hot? Lois... the fudge won't cook if you don't turn on the oven!!!"
        "Oh, Clark! Don't cry over spilt milk! Wait - I didn't spill any
yet did I?" she grinned as she turned on the oven.

<AlienDove>
        "OK, Lois, now you can preheat the oven to 350.", Clark said.
        "Oven preheated.  Check."
        “Now get the tin foil out of that drawer over there..."
        “Over where?”
        "Over there.  Under the sink."
        "Oh, OK, got it."
        "Um, it said... I mean, Mom said to cover the fudge with tin foil
when it's done, so that'll come in handy later," Clark said.  "Just leave
there on the bread board."
        Lois pulled out an object from  drawer and fiddled around with
it.  It was one of those corkscrews that looked like a person... Lois
positioned the "arms" vertically and exclaimed "Look Clark, it's
SUPERMAN!", as she "flew" the corkscrew around the kitchen, waving it
over her head.
        Clark chuckled.  Had Lois had just a *bit* too much chocolate
syrup today?
"No," he said, "*I'm* Superman!"  And with that he spun into the red and
blue suit. He folded his arms across his chest and grinned.
        Lois giggled.  "You know, I never get tired of watching you do
that."

<Bep>
        Lois traced the S on his chest with a finger and smiled up at
him. Clark responded with a grin of his own and pulled her closer,
leaning down to kiss her gently.
        Her arms had circled his waist and she had opened her mouth to
him, deepening the kiss when she felt him tense and pull away slightly.
        The look on his face said it all. "Go," she said, waving him off
with attempted cheerfulness.
        Seeing him hesitate, she smiled a little and gave him a peck on
the cheek. "The sooner you take care of whatever it is, the sooner we can
get back to cooking...or whatever we were doing. So shoo!"
        "Bye. And *don't* touch anything." Clark warned. He flew off with
a whoosh, and Lois was left standing alone in the middle of the kitchen.
        The spice rack hanging by what was left of the microwave caught
her eye.
She wandered over and picked up a bottle at random, shaking a little of
it out onto her hand. She sniffed it hesitantly before tasting it. Not
too bad really...kind of herby, she thought, reaching for another one.
She wasn't so cautious with this one, and tasted some right away.
        "Whoa!" The bottle fell to the floor with a clatter. She ran over
to the sink, turned on the faucet and stuck her mouth under the
wonderfully cold stream of water.
        Lois eyed the spice rack warily from a distance, but "Curiosity
killed the cat," she sighed. "Just don't taste anything, girl." Stepping
over the mess of broken glass and red powder on the tile floor, she
reached for another bottle. 'Parsnips,' read the label. "What the hell is
a parsnip?" she wondered aloud.
        "It's a vegetable, from the carrot family, actually. It has large
pinnate leaves and yellow flowers, and is native to Europe."
        She glared at Clark over her shoulder, putting one hand over her
pounding heart. "What did you do as a child? Sit around a memorize the
dictionary? And you scared me half to death," she said testily.
        Clark looked from her flushed and still damp face to the mess on
the floor. "Had a run-in with the bottle of paprika, did we?" He grinned.
"So, Lois, wanna get back to that cooking lesson?" he smiled, turning
back towards the oven.
        She smiled wickedly, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms
around his neck. "I say there are better things we could do in the
kitchen besides cooking."

fade to black...

THE END

I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments are welcome! Also, if you see some
huge error, plot hole, or general mishap on my part, feel free to email
me (privately, please).

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 13:47:50 MDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         DEBRA GRAY <dlgray@USA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Teen Roundrobin Story
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi Cris and the others -

Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing! Loved
it,
and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to join
you!)

Debra G

____________________________________________________________________
Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 16:01:10 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      The scariest time <g> and the next Teen RR

Debra wrote:
>Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing!
Loved it,
>and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to
join you!)
>
>Debra G

Hey, all.
        I'm *very* glad you liked it, Debra! <breathing a sigh of relief>
Is it just me, or is the scariest experience in the world waiting for
someone to reply to a story? I always get SO paranoid! Thanks for
reassuring me, Deb!
        Also, I believe I originally said that only teens could write
and/or attend the Teen RR. However, we really don't mind having anyone
drop in and watch! Just ask Pam, our spectator (besides Mags - our
"chaperone") from that story. I am not sure when the next Teen RR will
be. I am *very* busy with school right now, and I imagine it is the same
for the rest of ya'll (meaning the teen writers here). To be honest, the
only reason I got around to sending this out is because I home sick from
school!
Thanks again,
Cristin
(whose computer is going wacko right now.... Sheesh, I need a nap!)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:36:46 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen
Round
              Robin)

Yay Cristin!  Let's here it for the editor everybody!  So Cris...when can
we do it again <beg>
-Jill aka AlienDove-
AlienDove@juno.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7 more days 'till Futuresport!
my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
On Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400 Cristin J Whitley
<ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM> writes:
>Hi, all.
>
>      I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
>robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
>(not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
>masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first
>story. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for
>doing such a nice job. I would also like to thank a few others.
>Special thanks to Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful
>"chaperone". Thank you to all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and
>ideas (You know who you are :o))! Also, thanks to those of you who
>helped with editing or volunteered to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp,
>Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before this turns into a huge
>thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story. Thanks all! Enjoy.
>:o)
>
>Cristin
>
>***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
>SUPERfan on IRC
>Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
>http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 09:21:34 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Next Teen RR

Jilly said:
>Yay Cristin!  Let's here it for the editor everybody!  So Cris...when
>can we do it again <beg>
>-Jill aka AlienDove-
>AlienDove@juno.com

Hey, all. :o)
        I have absolutely no clue when the next Teen RR will be. I think
I already said this in another message, but that's okay. School is very
hectic right now for me (and for other teen writers, I'd imagine). I am
trying to find a good day for the next story. If you are planning on
coming when we finally do it again (to write or to watch :o)), feel free
to email me (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com) with time suggestions. Story
suggestions are very welcome too! Thanks. :o)
Cristin

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:40:21 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jessica Sweeney <LL3692@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Next Teen RR
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Great job you guys!!! Hope to see another soon!

Jessie~
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 19:13:45 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Eileen F. Ray" <Eraygun@AOL.COM>
Subject:      L&C Fanfic Session September 26, 1998
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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Hi Everyone,

Well, skip week is over and we hope you'll be able to join us Saturday,
September  26, 1998, for our fanfic writing session.

In this week's story it's after the Lex Files and while Lex Luthor, Jr.,
gone
his financial empire lingers.  But the race to divide the spoils is
disrupted
by a mysterious elderly woman in black who claims to be Lex Luthor's *wife*
!
And as Lois and Clark check out her claims, they discover perhaps more than
they wanted to know about the man who was once the "King of Metropolis" and
his empire.

We would still like to hear from you if you have any story premises of your
own that you would like us to explore together.  You can either email them
to
me at:

        eraygun@aol.com

Or better still, just bring your ideas with you when you join us this
Saturday
or for our weekly "story bouncing" sessions on Tuesdays on #L&CFicOrg,
starting around 9:30 PM EDT.

We generally meet Saturdays starting at 3 PM EDT and try to start writing
fairly soon thereafter.  You can come and join the fun at any time, however.
We are
usually there for several hours since writing a story takes time.

Since #L&CFanfic is on occasion "invite only" please message if you want to
join us.  If an official "inviter" is designated, we will let you know.
Some
of us should be hanging out on #Loiscla.

A note on procedure here ;) : When people need to be caught up on the story
in
progress after being bounced off IRC or just joining the session late,
please
try and avoid pasting the story directly into the channel window.  Please do
that in a private message or dcc-chat window instead.

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers,

Eileen
Eraygun@aol.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 20:27:32 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Maggie <maggie13@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Halloween Fanfics?
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hi everyone :)

Do any of you know of a Halloween themed, fanfic?  I'm sure there must be
some, I just don't know where to look.

Thanks for any info you may have!
Maggie

maggie13@bellsouth.net  (aka supermag1 on IRC)
Lois (rolls her head and smiles) "What am I going to do with you?"
Clark (smugly) "You're going to love me for the rest of my life."
Pam Jernigan "Crazy For You"
Hmmm, "You bet your sweet chumpy I am" ;-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 23:00:03 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori McElhaney <LoriMcE@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Halloween Fanfics?
Mime-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 9/25/98 7:22:31 PM Central Daylight Time,
maggie13@BELLSOUTH.NET writes:

<< Hi everyone :)

 Do any of you know of a Halloween themed, fanfic?  I'm sure there must be
 some, I just don't know where to look.

 Thanks for any info you may have!
 Maggie >>

I can only think of two : "Halloween Madness"  by Carla.
It was sent out by as a Krypton Club fanfiction for Halloween in '96.  It
might be in he archive, I'm not sure.

Also, an nfic "TRICK OR TREAT"  You can probably request it from Joyce  -
assuming you're over 18.

Lori
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 23:28:47 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Hi... belated intro :)

HI everyone :)  Thought I'd step out of the corner and say hello :)  I've
been semi-lurking for about two weeks... which I actually rarely do <g>
Looking forward to becoming an active participant in the list.  Some of
you may know me from loiscla, or #loiscla <g>  {HI!}  Anywayz... like
Cristin mentioned...school's a pain in the posterior and it leaves us
poor teens with very little time to do things like check our mail ;)  But
hey, what're weekends for?  So...I can't wait to get to know all of you
writers, readers, and everyone in between.  Who knows, maybe some
greatness will rub off on me.<g>

Oh, and I have a question.  Suppose you write a fic.  Do you have to get
permission from the 'management' to post it or do you just go ahead and
do it?  Come to think of it, who *is* the management, just so I know? ;-)
 If there's anything you guys think I should know about being on this
list, lemme know, ok? (privately though)  Thanks for staying with me <bg>
-Jill aka AlienDove-  who actually scored a goal today in field hockey!
1st time ever!
AlienDove@juno.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6 more days 'till Futuresport!
my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 25 Sep 1998 23:10:31 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Mary Cudmore <bobcudmore@GLOBAL2000.NET>
Subject:      Re: Cooking with the Kents
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Really enjoyed the teen fanfic.  You all did a commendable job creating and
writing the story.  My test of a great story is if I am able to put myself
in the picture with the characters.  I was right there in the kitchen with
my two favorite characters.  Your description let me see the kitchen and
the action going on.  I could smell that pop tart cooking or rather
burning.  I also got lost in the story, that good kind of lost.  Being
completely in the moment kind of lost and completely involved in what was
happening.  Bravos to you all

Mary C.
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:11:30 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: Hi... belated intro :)
In-Reply-To:  <19980925.232927.13278.0.AlienDove@juno.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hi Jilly :)

Here's a belated welcome to the fanfic list <g>

>So...I can't wait to get to know all of you
>writers, readers, and everyone in between.  Who knows, maybe some
>greatness will rub off on me.<g>

Oh, you're in the right place for that -- we have *great* writers here, =
as
I'm sure you've already noticed.  Passionate, erudite, and occasionally
cantankerous would also apply here. <g>

>Oh, and I have a question.  Suppose you write a fic.  Do you have to get
>permission from the 'management' to post it or do you just go ahead and
>do it?

This list is for the posting of and discussion of fanfic, so no, you don'=
t need
permission to post a story.  I believe you do, however, need permission =
to
post something that is *way* off-topic.

>Come to think of it, who *is* the management, just so I know? ;-)

Well, the listmom is Farah, and I have her eddress around here...
somewhere...  aha!  /me pounces!  fchisham@indiana.edu  (pulled from
another list post, lest anyone think I'm giving away secrets or something=
...)

Peace
who woke up
in a really good
mood this morning <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:14:52 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "D. Baker" <dar-mn@WRITEME.COM>
Subject:      Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
Content-Type: text/plain
MIME-Version: 1.0
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 ---- you wrote:
> There are 8 messages totalling 614 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
>   1. editing & adverbs
>   2. NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
(2)
>   3. New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 2/3
>   4. New Fanfic: Cooking with the Kents- Part 1/3
>   5. New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 3/3
>   6. Teen Roundrobin Story
>   7. The scariest time <g> and the next Teen RR
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 19:47:39 +1000
> From:    Louise Kendall <jem@WEBONE.COM.AU>
> Subject: Re: editing & adverbs
>
> Do you guys know what this means?  I'm going to have to apologise to my
> friend who uses 'orientated' all the time and I correct her on it.
>
> BuggeryBum!
>
> jem
> (who doesn't care if it is a word - she still doesn't like it :)
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sheila Harper <sharper@CNCC.CC.CO.US>
> To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
> Date: Thursday, 24 September 1998 4:54
> Subject: Re: editing & adverbs
>
>
> >At 12:52 PM 9/23/98 PDT, Peace Everett wrote:
> >>
> >>I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:
> >>
> >>"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."
> >>
> >
> >Peace, my dictionary says "orientate" is both a transitive and
intransitive
> >verb.  As a transitive verb, it means "to orient," so you could just
> replace
> >it in your "orient" sentence.  As an intransitive verb, you might say,
> >"Clark quickly orientated to the west and followed the feeling that drew
> him
> >and Lois to a particular mountaintop and a particular sunset to meet
their
> >destiny."
> >
> >Sheila
> >sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400
> From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round
Robin)
>
> Hi, all.
>
>       I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
> robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
> (not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
> masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first story.
> I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for doing such a
> nice job. I would also like to thank a few others. Special thanks to
> Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful "chaperone". Thank you to
> all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and ideas (You know who you are
> :o))! Also, thanks to those of you who helped with editing or volunteered
> to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp, Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before
> this turns into a huge thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story.
> Thanks all! Enjoy. :o)
>
> Cristin
>
> ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> SUPERfan on IRC
> Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:49 -0400
> From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 2/3
>
> Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> Part 2 of 3
> Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
>
> <SUPERfan>
>         "Oh, give me a break, Clark! Our mothers aren't here!" she
> grinned. "That can be a very good thing... if you know what I mean."
>         She started to move towards him. Clark caught her drift and a big
> smile overcame his face. "I see."
>         "What about that popcorn, honey?" he asked. "You seemed to really
> want some, and I was looking forward to you burning it," he grinned.
>         "Well, it doesn't have chocolate in the recipe." She put her arms
> around him. "And I can think of some other fires I'd rather start."
>         "Mmmm, let's just hope Jimmy doesn't come along with... a fire
> extinguisher," he said.
>         Lois pulled Clark even closer and began to kiss him. They were
> starting to head towards the bedroom when Clark stopped her.
>         "What? What do you hear?" she asked, groaning.
>         "Nothing... I seem to be stuck in this spot."
>         Lois shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" She
> looked around. Everything *appeared* normal.
>         He reached down and took off his shoe. "Yep, just as I expected,"
> he said, showing her the bottom of his shoe.
>         "Gum? You stopped kissing me because of gum on your shoe? You
> better have a good explanation for this!" she teased him as she headed
> back to the kitchen.
>
> <carrie>
>         Lois grabbed the popcorn off the counter.. and looked at the back
> of the box.. "Hmmm.. 4 minutes on high?" she said to herself.
> Clark was about to take the box out of her hand, but he heard a cry for
> help. he gave Lois that “I gotta go” look.
>         "Let me guess, someone needs superman." She said with a sigh.
>         Clark nodded his head, "Uh.. Huh.." "Okay, but don't take to
> long." Lois said before kissing him good bye. Clark smiled, removed his
> glasses, and spun into his super suit.
>         "Lois, could you please not try to cook anything else before I
> get back? I would like to come home to a house and not a pile of ashes."
>         “I’ll try my hardest,” she grinned.
>         Clark nodded and flew off in a hurry.
>         Lois then grabbed some aluminum foil and put it around the
> popcorn. “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right?” she asked herself. She
> stuffed it in the microwave and shrugged her shoulders. “Now what do I
> do?” she wondered. She headed back into the bedroom. Meanwhile, the
> popcorn had started to sizzle and pop...
>         "Pop, pop, pop.." then an electric charge formed around the
> microwave.  Sparks started to rise from the tin foil, and soon the
> microwave started to smoke.
> The smoke alarm started to go off. Then, the microwave was engulfed in
> flames.
> Lois rushed into the room wearing her favorite superman night gown.
>         She saw the fire and immediately reached for a glass of water.
> She then dumped it on the microwave. This, of course, started an
> electrical fire that sets the coffee pot on fire..
>         "Ahh.. Superman help!" She yelled.
>         Superman soared into the room.  "Oh.. my.. gosh! Lois, I leave
> you for one minute..." He breathed in a big puff of air and blew out the
> fire.
>
> <Bepp>
>         Lois smiled sheepishly over the smoldering ruins of their kitchen
> counter.
> She waved towards the stack of cookbooks on the kitchen table. At the top
> of the pile lay a bright yellow 'Cooking for Dummies' book subtitled '101
> Things To Cook In a Microwave'.
>         "Guess we won't be needing this one," she grinned.
>         "Lois, how does this sound? I cook, you watch and  learn."
>         Lois sighed. "Fine, but next time it's hands-on, buddy."
>         "Hands on what?" he leered, cocking an eyebrow at her.
>         She swatted at him. "Concentrate on cooking."
>         "Fine. Turn around and close your eyes."
>         "What? How am I supposed to watch and learn if I can't *watch*
> you?" she demanded.
>         "I'm making my mom's secret fudge recipe...I can't just give it
> away."
>
> <AlienDove>
>         Clark turned her around to face the sink and flew into the living
> room at super speed to retrieve his latest issue of “Modern Gourmet”.  He
> returned in a whoosh, and flipped to the article on home-made fudge.
>         Lois huffed impatiently.  "Well!?  Can I turn around yet!?"
>         "Not yet!", Clark replied, speed-reading through the ingredients
> and cooking instructions.  Once he committed it to memory, he tossed the
> magazine into the trash bin and turned Lois around again.
>         "Now you can watch an expert at work," he said with a grin.
>         "Ha ha, funny boy.  What should I do to help?"
>         "Grab me that Hershey’s syrup, would ya?"
>         Lois, now happy to be involved in the cooking, rushed to get the
> syrup.  Unfortunately, there was still egg yolk on the floor where she
> had dropped the obligatory egg.
>         Clark caught Lois as her feet flew out from under her.  However,
> he couldn't save his face from the chocolatey mess she had accidentally
> imposed upon it.
>         They collapsed in a fit of laughter.  "Oh, oops....I'm
> sorry....,"  Lois said.  "But actually...it's not a bad look for you!"
>         "Oh, really?", said Clark.  "Well, lets just see how it looks on
> you!"  With that he lunged forward and planted a wet one on her lips.
>         Lois giggled.  "Mmm, not bad," she murmured, and closed in for
> seconds.
>         But then...."Ding Dong!"
>         Lois and Clark reluctantly parted lips and sighed.  "Must be
> Jimmy," they said in unison.
>
> Continued in Part 3...
>
> ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> SUPERfan on IRC
> Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:37 -0400
> From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking with the Kents- Part 1/3
>
> Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> Part 1 of 3
> Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
>
> <SUPERfan>
>         Clark walked into the kitchen expecting to make himself a
> pop tart and be on his way. As he entered the room he saw cookbooks,
> ingredients for every recipe imaginable, and, most suprisingly, Lois. 'Uh
> oh... what am I walking into this time?' he thought.
>         "Honey, *what* are you doing?" He hesitantly moved towards
> her.
>         "You mean what are *we* doing," she replied. "*And the
> answer is*, we are cooking, Clark. Today is the day you teach me to
> cook!" She smiled eagerly at him.
>         "Lo-is! It's our day off! Are you sure this is how you
> want to spend it? I mean... in the kitchen... cooking???"
>         "Don't give me that look!"
>         "What look?" he asked, the picture of innocence.
>         "That look that says 'Lois is cooking and I have to help'!
> It won't be that bad!" she insisted. "Now, let's get started!!" She
> grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the stack of cookbooks.
>
> <Beppo>
>         "Can't I have breakfast first?" he whined.
>         "No, Lunkhead, that's what we're mak-" she shut her mouth
> suddenly as he blurred through the kitchen, leaving papers flapping in
> his wake. She gazed at him, one hand on her hip as he flew around the
> room searching through the cabinets. "Oh ye of little faith."
>         Clark smiled around his mouthful of pop tart. "Don't worry, I
> have a big appetite."
>         "Well, as long as you're eating too..." Lois broke off a piece of
> the pop tart and popped it in her mouth with a grin. She turned towards
> the fridge. "Want some milk with that?"
>         "No, I'm fine," he shrugged.
>         Clark watched as she emerged from the fridge with a can of Diet
> Coke. "Ugh, how can you drink soda with breakfast?"
>         She shrugged and kicked the door shut. "There's nothing wrong
> with soda for breakfast."
>         Clark's eyes widened as he remembered how he had been juggling
> soda cans just an hour before. "Lois, wait, don't open that!"
>         She looked at him oddly. "Since when are you such a health food
> fanatic an-"
>         Clark shook his head as he watched his now soda soaked wife glare
> at him over the still foaming can. "And you haven't even started
> cooking..." He started laughing. "You know, Lois, that look on your face
> is priceless," he quipped, dodging behind the counter. He ducked and a
> spoon clattered off of the wall behind him. "Too bad I don't have a
> camera." Clark was laughing so hard he had to grip the edge of the
> counter to remain standing."Have you ever considered a career in
> advertising? ‘Don't just drink Coke,’" he gasped between mirthful snorts,
> "‘wear it too!’"
>         "I'd juggle soda more often if I knew it would OOMPH" he
> tripped over a chair and she sat on top of him "bring out this side in
> you."
>
> <em-bop>
>         "Are you done laughing at me?"  She asked eager to start cooking.
>         "Um.."  Clark considered her question. He was weighing all of his
> options as she began to speak again.
>         "Clark... help me learn how to cook please?” Standing in front of
> him, she placed her arms around his middle.  Pulling him to her she
> continued, “You don't want to eat KFC for the rest of your life do you?"
>         "Well I always had a thing for chicken, *especially* a certain
> beautiful woman dressed in a chicken suit."
>         Lois turned pink as she felt his lips brush across hers.
>         Clark laughingly pulled away. "All right.  What do you want to
> learn today then?"
>         "Well I thought something chocolatey would be good.."
>         "Of course."  Clark rolled his eyes.  "But What about Pasta?
> It's my favorite."  He grinned.  "Next to chicken."  He playfully added.
>         "Aghh stop!"  She said.
>         "Alright, Alright." You win, let’s get started."  Each chose an
> apron Lois had ready  for them to wear.
>         “See, Honey, I was prepared for everything.  She smiled up at him
> as he tied his around his waist.
>         Standing in the middle of the kitchen she looked around eager to
> begin. "So what do we do now?"
>         "Wait what is that smell?"  Clark asked sniffing the air in the
> kitchen. Within seconds, black smoke began rushing out of the toaster.
> "Uh oh."
>         "What is it?"  Lois asked between coughs.
>         "Someone left a pop tart in the toaster."  He grinned at her
> holding the burnt pop tart in his hand.
>         "It wasn't me!"
>
> <MuffySlay>
>         "Stop that!" she ordered.  "Give me that," she said, grabbing the
> pop tart from his out stretched hand she tossed its remains in the trash.
>         “Since neither of us are in the mood for ‘real’ breakfast food I
> was thinking,” she paused to look over at him,"that we should start with
> something we both like," Lois said.
>         "Pasta, then?" Clark asked hopefully.
>         "Well...I really would rather make something chocolatey," she
> said.
>         Then she added, jokingly, "Chocolate pasta sounds good to me!"
>         Clark grimaced at the thought.
>         "OK," Lois said, taking charge. “Let’s clear away what I’ve put
> out and find what we need to make ‘Chocolate Pasta a la Kent’.” They
> hurriedly put what they didn’t need back in place.
>         "First we need...well, the pasta.  And then...chocolate.  Do you
> think we should use chocolate syrup, or would chocolate milk powder
> work?"
>         The very idea was making Clark sick...and he *never* got sick!
>         "Pasta, pasta..." Lois said, opening cupboards and drawers.
> "Where do we keep the pasta, Honey?" she asked.
>         Clark pointed to a cupboard.
>         "Oh, good, you know where it is.  All right...and chocolate.  I
> know where we keep the chocolate!" she said proudly. She rummaged through
> the refrigerator and found a bottle of syrup.  "Will you get the pasta,
> Clark?" she asked sweetly.
>         Clark got out the pasta.  Then he filled a saucepan with water
> and started the water boiling. Lois watched in fascination.
>         "So *that's* how they get the pasta so soft.  They cook it in
> water!" She went back to looking for more chocolately things.  "I always
> wondered about that."
>         While Clark was preparing the pasta, Lois had assembled her
> portion of the ingredients: chocolate syrup, chocolate powder, milk,
> sugar, and...because it seemed like the thing to have...an egg.
>         "What's the egg for?" Clark asked.
>         Lois looked at the egg.  "Well, I'm not exactly sure.  But I was
> watching a cooking program on TV, and they always seem to have an egg.  I
> figure it's for good luck or something..."
>         Clark tried not to laugh.
>         "Are you laughing at me?" she demanded.
>         "No," said Clark quickly.
>         “So, is that pasta ready yet? I want to put in the chocolate!”
>         "No, it's going to take a few minutes."
>         "Hmmm," Lois said absently, glancing at an open cupboard next to
> Clark.  "Clark...look!"
>         "What?" Clark said, turning to see where Lois was pointing.
>         "We have popcorn!  I love popcorn.  How long has it been in that
> cupboard?" Lois asked.
>         Clark shrugged.
>         "Well, we *have* to make some.  It's microwavable...I'm sure even
> *I* can figure out how to cook *that*" she joked, snatching the popcorn.
>         "What a great breakfast," said Clark.  "Chocolate pasta and
> popcorn.  Our mothers would be so proud!"
>
> Continued in Part 2....
>
> ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> SUPERfan on IRC
> Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:25:24 -0400
> From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 3/3
>
> Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> Part 3 of 3
> Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
>
> <SUPERfan>
>         Lois walked towards the door, opened it, and said, "Hi, Jimmy."
>         "How'd you know it was me? I didn't call or anything! Lois, have
> you been talking with Star again?" Jimmy asked.
>         "Jimmy," Lois said impatiently, "I assume you came over for a
> reason. It *is* mine and Clark's day off."
>          Jimmy started to explain and got about halfway through a word
> before he noticed the chocolate. "Lois, what is that stuff?"
>         Lois licked her finger. "Chocolate, of course. What does it look
> like?"
>         "Hmmm, personally I liked your cucumber oil better than the smell
> of chocolate..." Jimmy started.
>         "Hey, Jimmy," interrupted Clark. He had obviously done some super
> cleaning on himself seeing that all the chocolate had miraculously
> disappeared from his face.
>         Clark was carrying a glass of orange juice. "Here you go, honey.
> It's freshly squeezed," he said, handing Lois the glass.
>         "Now, Jimmy, what brings you here today?" Clark asked.
>         "Well --"
>
> <AlienDove>
>         "OK, you're NEVER gonna believe this guys!"  Jimmy exclaimed
> excitedly.
>         "Try me," Lois said with a smirk.
>         "Forty year old senator died about an hour ago in his bathtub-
> ask me how."
>         "OK, I'll bite," Clark said.  "How?"
>         "He choked to death.  Evidently on some rotten tomatoes!  Even
> the coroner doesn't know what to make of it yet, but the police suspect
> fowl play."
>         "Well, I'd say so!", Lois said.  "How many men eat rotten
> tomatoes in a bathtub right before they die?"
>         "Wow.  It IS all weird in Metropolis!" Clark exclaimed.
>         "Well, I gotta go guys, Chief just beeped me.  Probably some
> emergency, like a shortage of corned beef on rye," Jimmy said with a
> smirk.  "See ya later."         "Bye Jimmy!" Lois and Clark replied in
> unison as they closed the door.
>         "Now, where were we?", asked Lois.
>         "Well," said Clark, "I think we were just starting on, mmm,
> desert...."
>         "Oh yeah," said Lois.  "Now, that, I can handle..."
>         They collapsed on the couch and were starting to enjoy
> themselves, when the doorbell rang.  AGAIN.
>         "Your turn to get it this time," Lois said with a disappointed
> sigh.
>         Clark hoisted himself off the couch and walked to the door.  He
> opened it and was startled to see none other than.....
>
> <Bep>
>         Jimmy. Again.
>         "Jimmy! Great to see you again. Any news?..." Clark inquired
> unenthusiastically.
>         Jimmy, as usual, was oblivious.
>         “They found the senator’s wife!”
>         "Oh, really? How'd she take the news?"
>         "No, no, you don't get it; they found her dead too! And get
> this...they killed her vampire-style, with a sharpened spatula tip
> through the heart!"
>         "Cooks these days," Clark muttered under his breath. "That's
> going to make a really, uh, interesting story, Jimmy. Thanks for letting
> us know about it!" Clark closed the door before Jimmy could think of
> anything else to add.
> Clark returned to the living room to find Lois busy on the phone. "Who is
> it?" he asked quietly.
>         She mouthed something to him.
>         "Who?"
>         "Perry... some superhearing you've got there, honey," she
> grinned. "Yes, we'll be there, Chief," she said as she hung up the phone.
>
> <SUPERfan>
>         "Perry says we have to come in?" Clark asked.
>         "Yes," Lois sighed. "Can you think of a way to get out of it? I
> was enjoying my cooking lesson."
>         "Well.... maybe I could --" Clark started.
>         Riiiiinnnnnnnng riiiiiiinnnnnggggg!
>         "Hello?"
>         "Hi again Chief!" Clark said. "What? No.... you weren't
> interrupting-" Lois grabbed the phone away.
>         "Chief... you *were* interrupting... what?... Um, you were
> interrupting, uh..."
>         "LO-IS! Don't make him think --" Clark said.
>         "Yeah, that's -- What?... We can stay home? You'll have someone
> else handle it? Thanks, Chief!" Lois grinned as she hung up the phone.
> "NOW that's how you get out of stuff!"
>         "Lois! He thinks that --" Clark started.
>         "Oh, who cares what he thinks? Let's get back to the kitchen
> now!" Lois interrupted as she pulled Clark towards the kitchen.
>         "Alright... teach me to use this stuff. What is this???"
>         "*That* is an egg slicer! Wait... that was on the oven. Why isn't
> it hot? Lois... the fudge won't cook if you don't turn on the oven!!!"
>         "Oh, Clark! Don't cry over spilt milk! Wait - I didn't spill any
> yet did I?" she grinned as she turned on the oven.
>
> <AlienDove>
>         "OK, Lois, now you can preheat the oven to 350.", Clark said.
>         "Oven preheated.  Check."
>         “Now get the tin foil out of that drawer over there..."
>         “Over where?”
>         "Over there.  Under the sink."
>         "Oh, OK, got it."
>         "Um, it said... I mean, Mom said to cover the fudge with tin foil
> when it's done, so that'll come in handy later," Clark said.  "Just leave
> there on the bread board."
>         Lois pulled out an object from  drawer and fiddled around with
> it.  It was one of those corkscrews that looked like a person... Lois
> positioned the "arms" vertically and exclaimed "Look Clark, it's
> SUPERMAN!", as she "flew" the corkscrew around the kitchen, waving it
> over her head.
>         Clark chuckled.  Had Lois had just a *bit* too much chocolate
> syrup today?
> "No," he said, "*I'm* Superman!"  And with that he spun into the red and
> blue suit. He folded his arms across his chest and grinned.
>         Lois giggled.  "You know, I never get tired of watching you do
> that."
>
> <Bep>
>         Lois traced the S on his chest with a finger and smiled up at
> him. Clark responded with a grin of his own and pulled her closer,
> leaning down to kiss her gently.
>         Her arms had circled his waist and she had opened her mouth to
> him, deepening the kiss when she felt him tense and pull away slightly.
>         The look on his face said it all. "Go," she said, waving him off
> with attempted cheerfulness.
>         Seeing him hesitate, she smiled a little and gave him a peck on
> the cheek. "The sooner you take care of whatever it is, the sooner we can
> get back to cooking...or whatever we were doing. So shoo!"
>         "Bye. And *don't* touch anything." Clark warned. He flew off with
> a whoosh, and Lois was left standing alone in the middle of the kitchen.
>         The spice rack hanging by what was left of the microwave caught
> her eye.
> She wandered over and picked up a bottle at random, shaking a little of
> it out onto her hand. She sniffed it hesitantly before tasting it. Not
> too bad really...kind of herby, she thought, reaching for another one.
> She wasn't so cautious with this one, and tasted some right away.
>         "Whoa!" The bottle fell to the floor with a clatter. She ran over
> to the sink, turned on the faucet and stuck her mouth under the
> wonderfully cold stream of water.
>         Lois eyed the spice rack warily from a distance, but "Curiosity
> killed the cat," she sighed. "Just don't taste anything, girl." Stepping
> over the mess of broken glass and red powder on the tile floor, she
> reached for another bottle. 'Parsnips,' read the label. "What the hell is
> a parsnip?" she wondered aloud.
>         "It's a vegetable, from the carrot family, actually. It has large
> pinnate leaves and yellow flowers, and is native to Europe."
>         She glared at Clark over her shoulder, putting one hand over her
> pounding heart. "What did you do as a child? Sit around a memorize the
> dictionary? And you scared me half to death," she said testily.
>         Clark looked from her flushed and still damp face to the mess on
> the floor. "Had a run-in with the bottle of paprika, did we?" He grinned.
> "So, Lois, wanna get back to that cooking lesson?" he smiled, turning
> back towards the oven.
>         She smiled wickedly, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms
> around his neck. "I say there are better things we could do in the
> kitchen besides cooking."
>
> fade to black...
>
> THE END
>
> I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments are welcome! Also, if you see some
> huge error, plot hole, or general mishap on my part, feel free to email
> me (privately, please).
>
> ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> SUPERfan on IRC
> Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 13:47:50 MDT
> From:    DEBRA GRAY <dlgray@USA.NET>
> Subject: Re: Teen Roundrobin Story
>
> Hi Cris and the others -
>
> Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing! Loved
it,
> and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to join
> you!)
>
> Debra G
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 16:01:10 -0400
> From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: The scariest time <g> and the next Teen RR
>
> Debra wrote:
> >Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing!
> Loved it,
> >and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to
> join you!)
> >
> >Debra G
>
> Hey, all.
>         I'm *very* glad you liked it, Debra! <breathing a sigh of relief>
> Is it just me, or is the scariest experience in the world waiting for
> someone to reply to a story? I always get SO paranoid! Thanks for
> reassuring me, Deb!
>         Also, I believe I originally said that only teens could write
> and/or attend the Teen RR. However, we really don't mind having anyone
> drop in and watch! Just ask Pam, our spectator (besides Mags - our
> "chaperone") from that story. I am not sure when the next Teen RR will
> be. I am *very* busy with school right now, and I imagine it is the same
> for the rest of ya'll (meaning the teen writers here). To be honest, the
> only reason I got around to sending this out is because I home sick from
> school!
> Thanks again,
> Cristin
> (whose computer is going wacko right now.... Sheesh, I need a nap!)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:36:46 -0400
> From:    Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round
>          Robin)
>
> Yay Cristin!  Let's here it for the editor everybody!  So Cris...when can
> we do it again <beg>
> -Jill aka AlienDove-
> AlienDove@juno.com
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 7 more days 'till Futuresport!
> my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
> On Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400 Cristin J Whitley
> <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM> writes:
> >Hi, all.
> >
> >      I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
> >robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
> >(not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
> >masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first
> >story. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for
> >doing such a nice job. I would also like to thank a few others.
> >Special thanks to Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful
> >"chaperone". Thank you to all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and
> >ideas (You know who you are :o))! Also, thanks to those of you who
> >helped with editing or volunteered to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp,
> >Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before this turns into a huge
> >thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story. Thanks all! Enjoy.
> >:o)
> >
> >Cristin
> >
> >***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> >SUPERfan on IRC
> >Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> >http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of LOISCLA-GENERAL-L Digest - 23 Sep 1998 to 24 Sep 1998
> ************************************************************
>

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Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:16:21 -0400
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Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:14:30 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
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For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought this =
thread brought up an interesting question that would apply to this =
fanfic list.

Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:

>Excellent point.  You are right; I had forgotten about that.  And what
>an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have been working with Intergang
>all along.

>Nigel gets more and more fascinating.  He's always been completely
>amoral, and appeared to be intrigued by Luthor's style more than =
devoted
>to him.  Nigel would certainly have had an eye of for Number One.  It
>may be that following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML, =
and
>watching Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around for
>another job.  Hmmm, something to think about.

>Has anyone ever written any fanfic about Nigel?

Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE OF =
the main characters?  It reminds me of a question someone recently =
asked, wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been written.  =
Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.  But it does reinforce my beliefs =
that there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its =
characters.  What was it Lois said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, =
just new angles." =20

So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those "new angles". =
<g>

Erin :)
aka ELK on IRC
erink@ida.net
=20
********************
"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."
                          ***=20
"You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
********************

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<DIV>For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought =
this thread=20
brought up an interesting question that would apply to this fanfic =
list.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:</DIV>
<DIV><BR>&gt;Excellent point.&nbsp; You are right; I had forgotten about =

that.&nbsp; And what<BR>&gt;an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have =
been=20
working with Intergang<BR>&gt;all along.<BR><BR>&gt;Nigel gets more and =
more=20
fascinating.&nbsp; He's always been completely<BR>&gt;amoral, and =
appeared to be=20
intrigued by Luthor's style more than devoted<BR>&gt;to him.&nbsp; Nigel =
would=20
certainly have had an eye of for Number One.&nbsp; It<BR>&gt;may be that =

following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML, =
and<BR>&gt;watching=20
Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around =
for<BR>&gt;another=20
job.&nbsp; Hmmm, something to think about.<BR><BR>&gt;Has anyone ever =
written=20
any fanfic about Nigel?<BR></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Good question.&nbsp; HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE =
or ONE=20
OF the main characters?&nbsp; It reminds me of a question someone =
recently=20
asked, wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been =
written.&nbsp;=20
Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.&nbsp; But it does reinforce my =
beliefs that=20
there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its =
characters.&nbsp;=20
What was it Lois said to Clark?&nbsp; &quot;There are no old stories, =
just new=20
angles.&quot;&nbsp; </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those &quot;new=20
angles&quot;. &lt;g&gt;</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Erin :)<BR>aka ELK on IRC<BR><A=20
href=3D"mailto:erink@ida.net">erink@ida.net</A><BR>&nbsp;<BR>************=
********<BR>&quot;The=20
truth is no one knows how long they've got.&nbsp; Anyway, it's not the =
years=20
that count, it's the moments...right now, as they=20
happen.&quot;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&n=
bsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
*** <BR>&quot;You bet your sweet chumpy I=20
am.&quot;<BR>********************</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0006_01BDE93E.D58BE040--
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:10:31 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Martha Rasch <mrasch@IXC.NET>
Subject:      Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
In-Reply-To:  <000901bde971$22e74500$0200a8c0@erin.ida.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"

How exactly would I subscribe to the "regular LNC list"?  I'd appricate
it if someone would email me and help me out with this.  Thank you,

Martha

At 11:14 AM 9/26/98 -0600, you wrote:

>>>>

<excerpt>For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought
this thread brought up an interesting question that would apply to this
fanfic list.

Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:

>Excellent point.  You are right; I had forgotten about that.  And what

>an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have been working with Intergang

>all along.

>Nigel gets more and more fascinating.  He's always been completely

>amoral, and appeared to be intrigued by Luthor's style more than
devoted

>to him.  Nigel would certainly have had an eye of for Number One.  It

>may be that following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML,
and

>watching Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around for

>another job.  Hmmm, something to think about.

>Has anyone ever written any fanfic about Nigel?

Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE OF
the main characters?  It reminds me of a question someone recently asked,
wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been written.
Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.  But it does reinforce my beliefs
that there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its
characters.  What was it Lois said to Clark?  "There are no old stories,
just new angles."

So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those "new angles".
<<g>

Erin :)

aka ELK on IRC

<<mailto:erink@ida.net>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."

                          ***

"You bet your sweet chumpy I am."

********************

</excerpt><<<<<<<<
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 10:45:01 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "K.C. Boyd" <miracles4me@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
Content-Type: text/plain

Sorry, but if I don't say this I's going to bother me all day.

>But it does reinforce my beliefs that there are still sooo many
>stories to be told about LNC and its characters.  What was it Lois
>said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, just new angles."

Just for the record Clark said it to Lois.

K.C. (who isn't as obsessive as she used to be... really)

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 13:29:04 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Sorry, but if I don't say this I's going to bother me all day.
>
>>But it does reinforce my beliefs that there are still sooo many
>>stories to be told about LNC and its characters.  What was it Lois
>>said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, just new angles."
>
>Just for the record Clark said it to Lois.

Actually, if you want to get technical, they both said it.  It was in
Strange Visitor, and Clark started the phrase, and they both finished it
together.  But anyway, that wasn't the point that I was trying to make in my
post.  <sg>   I hope that my shortcomings in making precise quotes didn't
make the point of my message get lost on everyone.

Erin  (who will make sure her quotes are exact before using them in a post
next time ;)

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."
                          ***
"You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
********************
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:23:24 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED

what was _that_ all about?
-Jill aka AlienDove-
AlienDove@juno.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6 more days 'till Futuresport!
my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:22:08 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Hi... belated intro :)

<<Oh, you're in the right place for that -- we have *great* writers here,
=
as
I'm sure you've already noticed.  Passionate, erudite, and occasionally
cantankerous would also apply here. <g>>>

Hey, great vocab words :)

<<
Peace
who woke up
in a really good
mood this morning <g>>>

I can tell! :)  Thanks for all your help :)

-Jill aka AlienDove-
AlienDove@juno.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6 more days 'till Futuresport!
my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:53:56 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Carrie Lu Sullivan <carrielu@MAILEXCITE.COM>
Organization: MailExcite  (http://www.mailexcite.com:80)
Subject:      new fanfic e-mail chain
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi,
I recently created a new way of writting RR fanfic.

"The folc fanfic RR chain"

This is a spawn off of the Round Robin fic at #l&cfanfic on IRC.

It's kind of like a chain letter.  But, everyone writes a page of fan fic
and passes it on to the next person on the list.

If you would like to join the list, or have questions
about the list.  Please contact me.

At deandream@mailexcite.com

Thank you.

Carrie Sullivan
"The organizer"

carrielu on IRC
Then the writer

------------------------------------------------
To subscribe to this list, please visit:
http://www.websitepostoffice.com
List Name: folcfanficrr
------------------------------------------------

Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere!
http://www.mailexcite.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 26 Sep 1998 21:32:29 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
In-Reply-To:  <000901bde971$22e74500$0200a8c0@erin.ida.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 11:14 AM -0600 9/26/98, Erin Klingler wrote:

>>Has anyone ever written  any fanfic about Nigel?
>   Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE
>OF the main characters? <<<

This is a good question, and no stories come to mind off the top of my
head.  However, Betsy and I did make Nigel the head of his own empire in
"Through the Looking Glass", the S5 episode set in the alternate universe.
Of course, Lex offed him right before the episode started <g> but only
after Nigel rose to power and raised a young Lex Luthor to be his right
hand man.

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 27 Sep 1998 20:50:05 -0400
Reply-To:     ruthlg@apk.net
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Ruth Link-Gelles <ruthlg@APK.NET>
Subject:      Futersport
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi
Just wondering what channel and day futuresport was on (In the US).  I
really want to see it.  Please e-mail me back as soon as possible!
Ruth
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 27 Sep 1998 21:42:05 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lansbury 1 <Lansbury1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Writer's Showcase
Comments: To: LOISCLA@VM.EGE.EDU.TR
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Hello,

There is a new Featured Writer at the L&C Writer's Showcase.  He is a
wonderful and talented fanfic writer.  I hope you stop by and check out his
interview.

The URL is....
http://www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/showcase.html

Annie Lansbury
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 27 Sep 1998 22:48:51 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
Comments: To: ruthlg@apk.net
In-Reply-To:  <360EDD3D.7049@apk.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 8:50 PM -0400 9/27/98, Ruth Link-Gelles wrote:
>Hi
>Just wondering what channel and day futuresport was on (In the US).  I
>really want to see it.  Please e-mail me back as soon as possible!
>Ruth

Futuresport is playing on ABC this Thursday, October 1, at 9 pm ET, 8pm CT.

Set those VCRs. :)

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 09:37:21 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Karen Ward u <ward8120@MACH1.WLU.CA>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
In-Reply-To:  <l03130300b234b7583238@[209.44.27.162]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

> >Just wondering what channel and day futuresport was on (In the US).  I
> >really want to see it.  Please e-mail me back as soon as possible!
> >Ruth
>
>
> Futuresport is playing on ABC this Thursday, October 1, at 9 pm ET, 8pm
CT.
>
> Set those VCRs. :)
>

This may be a silly question, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's
wondering, but what's 'Futuresport'?

Karen :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 09:43:05 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Mar Smith <MarBrian@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Futuresport is a movie with Dean Cain

Mar-
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 09:52:36 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Karen Ward u <ward8120@MACH1.WLU.CA>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
In-Reply-To:  <16691704.360f9269@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Mon, 28 Sep 1998, Mar Smith wrote:

> Futuresport is a movie with Dean Cain
>
> Mar-

Thanks, Mar!

Whew!  Am I ever glad I decided to ask that question!

Well, gotta go set the VCR now! ;)

Karen :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:01:16 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 9/28/98 1:54:11 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
ward8120@MACH1.WLU.CA
writes:

<<      Whew!  Am I ever glad I decided to ask that question!

Well, gotta go set the VCR now! ;)

Karen :)

Thanks for the reminder that the best laid plans, etc.  I expect to be in
that
evening but just in case I'm going to set the VCR now too.

Charlotte
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 16:22:54 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: Futuresport
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.3.89.9809280947.A16207-0100000@mach1.wlu.ca>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 9:37 AM -0400 9/28/98, Karen Ward u wrote:
>This may be a silly question, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's
>wondering, but what's 'Futuresport'?

Let's give a little more detail here, so you'll know what to expect.

Futuresport is a 2-hour made-for-TV movie, airing on ABC this Thursday,
October 1 (9 ET/8 CT).  It was orginally made as a pilot, and if it does
well this week, it could conceivably be made into a series (no guarantee
that Dean would star if it was picked up.)

The movie is an action thriller.  According to the writer, it is intended
to be a fun ride, a thrill a minute kind of thing, not a heavy drama.

Futuresport is the name of a game -- a game that is the most popular sport
on the planet 25 years in the future.  Dean plays "Tre Ramzey", the best
player in the world (think Michael Jorden if basketball was the only game
going).

The show was produced by Wesley Snipes, who also has a small role in the
movie as the guy who invented Futuresport as a way for gangs to settle
disputes.  When terrorists try to take over Hawaii (yes, Hawaii ... and
yes, it's hard to type that with a straight face <g>), Tre suggests they
play Futuresport for control of the world instead of going to war.

Vanessa Williams also stars as Tre's TV reporter girlfriend.

TV Guide says the movie is enjoyable but the plot is silly.  The writer
responded to a newsgroup post of the review by saying basically that's what
it was supposed to be -- just a fun ride kind of movie.

I caught a promo or two this weekend, and I did see shirtless Dean scenes.
So, if nothing else, we can look forward to those. <vbeg>  Also, if you
like the "scruffy Dean" look, you'll be happy. ;)

According to an interview Dean did recently, he did at least some of his
own stunts for the movie -- he rode a skateboard and they used a computer
to wipe out the wheels so it looks like he's on a futuristic hoverboard.
He sounded like doing the movie was fun, and he says he really enjoyed
working with both Snipes and Williams.

Hope this helps.  Sorry, I just assumed everyone knew about this.

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 16:28:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Dean interview - Futuresport
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi again,

Since there are obviously some people on this list who aren't on LOISCLA
(or else you would have heard about Futuresport from there), I'm posting
this interview to this list.

It is not fanfic related, but it is L&C related.  Delete now if you aren't
interested.

It's a great interview!  He sounds very happy, and says good things about
L&C and the FoLCs.

Kathy

___________________

>From the Ultimate TV website:

We recently caught up with Dean at his beachside home in Malibu to chat
about
his role in FUTURESPORT and life after LOIS & CLARK.

Q: Is this your dream come true, playing the biggest sports star in the
world?

A: It's funny. Every project I do I get that question. With Superman it was
"Is it your dream to play the most famous American icon of all time?" It's
certainly more along the lines of what I anticipated playing than Superman
was. I can identify with this character, because to me, he is Michael
Jordan,
basically. People get so crazy when they see Mike it's unbelievable. He's
certainly the king of all athletes at this point in time. That's pretty much
what this character is. It's a dream to play him, but I'd rather play him
than
be him.

Q: He's not a very nice guy at the beginning of the film, is he?

A: Yes, he's a little bit self-involved, a little selfish at the beginning,
and he certainly goes through a transition of realizing what's important and
who's important in his life. And it's not all about scoring as many goals as
possible or having the highest "popularity index."

Q: Did you have to go back in front of green screen or hang from any wires
for
your role in FUTURESPORT. Was there any Superman deja vu?

A: There was no green screen. I skateboard, so I was droppin' in the fifteen
foot "bowl" all by myself. It scared the hell out of me the first couple of
times I did it, but it was really a lot of fun. I enjoyed it. For the
finished
film, they just erased the wheels off the skateboard so it looks like I'm
floating.

Q: What sort of experience did you have working with Wesley Snipes and
Vanessa
Williams?

A: Wesley was wonderful to work with. I was so happy to be involved with him
in this project. I was so happy he allowed me to be involved. He was
generous.
He was professional, and you know, you see why he makes so much money making
movies. Vanessa's wonderful. A total trooper . . . she's beautiful, she's so
nice. I loved working with her.

Q: Do you think sports will ever be used as a tool to solve political
crises,
like they are in this movie?

A: [laughter] No, I don't think so, no. It's a sport that was created to
solve
gang disputes. That's the way it originlly existed and that's what happens
in
the film. They basically solve the biggest turf war in history. The thing
that's so great about doing that is that it promotes a real positive
message.
You know, it says that you don't have to fight . . . Find alternate ways to
solve your differences. I liken it to the Olympic spirit, you know. When we
get together for the Olympics, you get such a sense of national pride. We
have
this great feeling of the world and everyone coming together and competing.
We're not so different. That's the thing that I think technology is making
so
evident.

Q: It's been a year and a half or so since you finished work on LOIS &
CLARK.
What have you been doing besides making FUTURESPORT?

A: I made a TV movie called RAG AND BONE for Anne Rice. I produced that as
well. I have a deal at Sony, my own production company that will exist as of
this week, to write, produce, direct and act in television. I've been
directing a lot of music videos, and I've written for a couple of companies
and done some projects . . . one for Warner Bros.

Q: Are you enjoying the change in your lifestyle since leaving series
television . . . not having to work 13, 14, 15 hour days for months on end?

A: I'm extremely happy, extremely healthy and I feel like I'm on vacation
every day. I'm reading a lot of scripts, and when I film, it's for a short
time and then I'm done.

Q: Are you aware that there's a big fan following out there from your "Lois
&
Clark" days who are still devoted to the show? What's your reaction to that?

A: I love the fact that people care about the show that much. You know, it's
funny, I watched the show yesterday . . . caught it on TNT.

Q: What episode?

A: "The Rival." And you know, I thought "This is a good show. I like this
show." It's nice to be removed from it for a while and then watch it. It's a
good show, it's a fun show. It's a clean family show. I really enjoyed doing
it. I'm happy that it's finished, because I really enjoy my lifestyle. The
standard of living wasn't very high for me when I was shooting that. I
really
wasn't able to enjoy things or sleep enough or things of that nature . . .
which sounds trite, but the reality is, it's a very difficult lifestyle. And
I'm very happy to have changed my lifestyle. However, I can understand why
people would [still] love the show. There are shows that I loved that are
off
the air, and I can certainly understand why people would want to continue.

Q: Is there any talk of a "Lois & Clark" reunion?

A: Not that I'm aware of. No one's talked to me.

Q: Do you have a pair of Superman tights in your closet as a souvenir from
LOIS & CLARK?

A: That's all Warner Bros. stuff . . . I don't know. I have my ways, I might
have been able to scrounge something up. I might have . . . it's possible.
I'll have to search through my closet and see if I actually did. It's
possible, that's all I'll say.

Q: Who would win in a fight: Tre from FUTURESPORT, or Clark Kent?

A: Clark would beat the hell out of him! Tre's a street guy, but...

Q: He can skateboard well . . .

A: Yeah, but he'd get his a@# kicked!<Picture>

------------------------------

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 14:38:41 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Vicki Krell <Vicki.Krell@ASU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Dean interview - Futuresport
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"

Thanks for the great interview post! I signed off of LOISCLA when I was on
vacation 2 months ago, and never signed back on cause I got SO much e-mail
every day, I couldn't keep up. Anything else interesting on there?? LOL

How's the house? Are you all settled in? And your husband's new job is going
well? Things are crazy here, and how odd that we (in Phoenix) think that 90
degrees is "cooling down!"  It's funny to work for a university and yet
prefer the summers when the students aren't here!!

Take care!
Vicki
Vicki.Krell@ASU.Edu <mailto:Vicki.Krell@ASU.Edu>

                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Kathy Brown [mailto:kbrown@WEBMART.NET]
                Sent:   Monday, September 28, 1998 2:29 PM
                To:     LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
                Subject:        Dean interview - Futuresport

                Hi again,

                Since there are obviously some people on this list who
aren't on LOISCLA
                (or else you would have heard about Futuresport from there),
I'm posting
                this interview to this list.

                It is not fanfic related, but it is L&C related.  Delete now
if you aren't
                interested.

                It's a great interview!  He sounds very happy, and says good
things about
                L&C and the FoLCs.

                Kathy

                ___________________

                From the Ultimate TV website:

                We recently caught up with Dean at his beachside home in
Malibu to chat about
                his role in FUTURESPORT and life after LOIS & CLARK.

                Q: Is this your dream come true, playing the biggest sports
star in the world?

                A: It's funny. Every project I do I get that question. With
Superman it was
                "Is it your dream to play the most famous American icon of
all time?" It's
                certainly more along the lines of what I anticipated playing
than Superman
                was. I can identify with this character, because to me, he
is Michael Jordan,
                basically. People get so crazy when they see Mike it's
unbelievable. He's
                certainly the king of all athletes at this point in time.
That's pretty much
                what this character is. It's a dream to play him, but I'd
rather play him than
                be him.

                Q: He's not a very nice guy at the beginning of the film, is
he?

                A: Yes, he's a little bit self-involved, a little selfish at
the beginning,
                and he certainly goes through a transition of realizing
what's important and
                who's important in his life. And it's not all about scoring
as many goals as
                possible or having the highest "popularity index."

                Q: Did you have to go back in front of green screen or hang
>from any wires for
                your role in FUTURESPORT. Was there any Superman deja vu?

                A: There was no green screen. I skateboard, so I was
droppin' in the fifteen
                foot "bowl" all by myself. It scared the hell out of me the
first couple of
                times I did it, but it was really a lot of fun. I enjoyed
it. For the finished
                film, they just erased the wheels off the skateboard so it
looks like I'm
                floating.

                Q: What sort of experience did you have working with Wesley
Snipes and Vanessa
                Williams?

                A: Wesley was wonderful to work with. I was so happy to be
involved with him
                in this project. I was so happy he allowed me to be
involved. He was generous.
                He was professional, and you know, you see why he makes so
much money making
                movies. Vanessa's wonderful. A total trooper . . . she's
beautiful, she's so
                nice. I loved working with her.

                Q: Do you think sports will ever be used as a tool to solve
political crises,
                like they are in this movie?

                A: [laughter] No, I don't think so, no. It's a sport that
was created to solve
                gang disputes. That's the way it originlly existed and
that's what happens in
                the film. They basically solve the biggest turf war in
history. The thing
                that's so great about doing that is that it promotes a real
positive message.
                You know, it says that you don't have to fight . . . Find
alternate ways to
                solve your differences. I liken it to the Olympic spirit,
you know. When we
                get together for the Olympics, you get such a sense of
national pride. We have
                this great feeling of the world and everyone coming together
and competing.
                We're not so different. That's the thing that I think
technology is making so
                evident.

                Q: It's been a year and a half or so since you finished work
on LOIS & CLARK.
                What have you been doing besides making FUTURESPORT?

                A: I made a TV movie called RAG AND BONE for Anne Rice. I
produced that as
                well. I have a deal at Sony, my own production company that
will exist as of
                this week, to write, produce, direct and act in television.
I've been
                directing a lot of music videos, and I've written for a
couple of companies
                and done some projects . . . one for Warner Bros.

                Q: Are you enjoying the change in your lifestyle since
leaving series
                television . . . not having to work 13, 14, 15 hour days for
months on end?

                A: I'm extremely happy, extremely healthy and I feel like
I'm on vacation
                every day. I'm reading a lot of scripts, and when I film,
it's for a short
                time and then I'm done.

                Q: Are you aware that there's a big fan following out there
>from your "Lois &
                Clark" days who are still devoted to the show? What's your
reaction to that?

                A: I love the fact that people care about the show that
much. You know, it's
                funny, I watched the show yesterday . . . caught it on TNT.

                Q: What episode?

                A: "The Rival." And you know, I thought "This is a good
show. I like this
                show." It's nice to be removed from it for a while and then
watch it. It's a
                good show, it's a fun show. It's a clean family show. I
really enjoyed doing
                it. I'm happy that it's finished, because I really enjoy my
lifestyle. The
                standard of living wasn't very high for me when I was
shooting that. I really
                wasn't able to enjoy things or sleep enough or things of
that nature . . .
                which sounds trite, but the reality is, it's a very
difficult lifestyle. And
                I'm very happy to have changed my lifestyle. However, I can
understand why
                people would [still] love the show. There are shows that I
loved that are off
                the air, and I can certainly understand why people would
want to continue.

                Q: Is there any talk of a "Lois & Clark" reunion?

                A: Not that I'm aware of. No one's talked to me.

                Q: Do you have a pair of Superman tights in your closet as a
souvenir from
                LOIS & CLARK?

                A: That's all Warner Bros. stuff . . . I don't know. I have
my ways, I might
                have been able to scrounge something up. I might have . . .
it's possible.
                I'll have to search through my closet and see if I actually
did. It's
                possible, that's all I'll say.

                Q: Who would win in a fight: Tre from FUTURESPORT, or Clark
Kent?

                A: Clark would beat the hell out of him! Tre's a street guy,
but...

                Q: He can skateboard well . . .

                A: Yeah, but he'd get his a@# kicked!<Picture>

                ------------------------------

                ______________________
                Kathy Brown
                kbrown@webmart.net
                KathyB on IRC
                ______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 17:56:08 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Karen Ward <ward8120@MACH1.WLU.CA>
Subject:      Re: Dean interview - Futuresport
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Thanks for the info, Kathy!

Strangely enough, I hadn't heard of 'Futuresport' until it was mentioned on
this list a couple of days ago.   It sounds pretty good to me!

Karen :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:21:31 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "D. Baker" <dar-mn@WRITEME.COM>
Subject:      RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
Comments: To: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Content-Type: text/plain
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

 ---- you wrote:
> There are 11 messages totalling 1088 lines in this issue.
>
> Topics of the day:
>
>   1. Hi... belated intro :) (2)
>   2. Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED (3)
>   3. Luthor and Intergang (Nigel) (5)
>   4. new fanfic e-mail chain
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:11:30 PDT
> From:    Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
> Subject: Re: Hi... belated intro :)
>
> Hi Jilly :)
>
> Here's a belated welcome to the fanfic list <g>
>
> >So...I can't wait to get to know all of you
> >writers, readers, and everyone in between.  Who knows, maybe some
> >greatness will rub off on me.<g>
>
> Oh, you're in the right place for that -- we have *great* writers here, =
> as
> I'm sure you've already noticed.  Passionate, erudite, and occasionally
> cantankerous would also apply here. <g>
>
> >Oh, and I have a question.  Suppose you write a fic.  Do you have to get
> >permission from the 'management' to post it or do you just go ahead and
> >do it?
>
> This list is for the posting of and discussion of fanfic, so no, you don'=
> t need
> permission to post a story.  I believe you do, however, need permission =
> to
> post something that is *way* off-topic.
>
> >Come to think of it, who *is* the management, just so I know? ;-)
>
> Well, the listmom is Farah, and I have her eddress around here...
> somewhere...  aha!  /me pounces!  fchisham@indiana.edu  (pulled from
> another list post, lest anyone think I'm giving away secrets or something=
> ....)
>
> Peace
> who woke up
> in a really good
> mood this morning <g>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:14:52 -0400
> From:    "D. Baker" <dar-mn@WRITEME.COM>
> Subject: Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
>
>  ---- you wrote:
> > There are 8 messages totalling 614 lines in this issue.
> >
> > Topics of the day:
> >
> >   1. editing & adverbs
> >   2. NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round
Robin) (2)
> >   3. New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 2/3
> >   4. New Fanfic: Cooking with the Kents- Part 1/3
> >   5. New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 3/3
> >   6. Teen Roundrobin Story
> >   7. The scariest time <g> and the next Teen RR
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 19:47:39 +1000
> > From:    Louise Kendall <jem@WEBONE.COM.AU>
> > Subject: Re: editing & adverbs
> >
> > Do you guys know what this means?  I'm going to have to apologise to my
> > friend who uses 'orientated' all the time and I correct her on it.
> >
> > BuggeryBum!
> >
> > jem
> > (who doesn't care if it is a word - she still doesn't like it :)
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Sheila Harper <sharper@CNCC.CC.CO.US>
> > To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> > <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
> > Date: Thursday, 24 September 1998 4:54
> > Subject: Re: editing & adverbs
> >
> >
> > >At 12:52 PM 9/23/98 PDT, Peace Everett wrote:
> > >>
> > >>I'm not really sure how to use orientate in a sentence -- perhaps:
> > >>
> > >>"He orientated towards the mountains and began walking."
> > >>
> > >
> > >Peace, my dictionary says "orientate" is both a transitive and
intransitive
> > >verb.  As a transitive verb, it means "to orient," so you could just
> > replace
> > >it in your "orient" sentence.  As an intransitive verb, you might say,
> > >"Clark quickly orientated to the west and followed the feeling that
drew
> > him
> > >and Lois to a particular mountaintop and a particular sunset to meet
their
> > >destiny."
> > >
> > >Sheila
> > >sharper@cncc.cc.co.us
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400
> > From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen Round
Robin)
> >
> > Hi, all.
> >
> >       I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
> > robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
> > (not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
> > masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first story.
> > I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for doing such a
> > nice job. I would also like to thank a few others. Special thanks to
> > Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful "chaperone". Thank you
to
> > all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and ideas (You know who you are
> > :o))! Also, thanks to those of you who helped with editing or
volunteered
> > to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp, Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before
> > this turns into a huge thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story.
> > Thanks all! Enjoy. :o)
> >
> > Cristin
> >
> > ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> > SUPERfan on IRC
> > Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> > http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:49 -0400
> > From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 2/3
> >
> > Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> > Part 2 of 3
> > Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> > (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> > (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
> >
> > <SUPERfan>
> >         "Oh, give me a break, Clark! Our mothers aren't here!" she
> > grinned. "That can be a very good thing... if you know what I mean."
> >         She started to move towards him. Clark caught her drift and a
big
> > smile overcame his face. "I see."
> >         "What about that popcorn, honey?" he asked. "You seemed to
really
> > want some, and I was looking forward to you burning it," he grinned.
> >         "Well, it doesn't have chocolate in the recipe." She put her
arms
> > around him. "And I can think of some other fires I'd rather start."
> >         "Mmmm, let's just hope Jimmy doesn't come along with... a fire
> > extinguisher," he said.
> >         Lois pulled Clark even closer and began to kiss him. They were
> > starting to head towards the bedroom when Clark stopped her.
> >         "What? What do you hear?" she asked, groaning.
> >         "Nothing... I seem to be stuck in this spot."
> >         Lois shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" She
> > looked around. Everything *appeared* normal.
> >         He reached down and took off his shoe. "Yep, just as I
expected,"
> > he said, showing her the bottom of his shoe.
> >         "Gum? You stopped kissing me because of gum on your shoe? You
> > better have a good explanation for this!" she teased him as she headed
> > back to the kitchen.
> >
> > <carrie>
> >         Lois grabbed the popcorn off the counter.. and looked at the
back
> > of the box.. "Hmmm.. 4 minutes on high?" she said to herself.
> > Clark was about to take the box out of her hand, but he heard a cry for
> > help. he gave Lois that “I gotta go” look.
> >         "Let me guess, someone needs superman." She said with a sigh.
> >         Clark nodded his head, "Uh.. Huh.." "Okay, but don't take to
> > long." Lois said before kissing him good bye. Clark smiled, removed his
> > glasses, and spun into his super suit.
> >         "Lois, could you please not try to cook anything else before I
> > get back? I would like to come home to a house and not a pile of ashes."
> >         “I’ll try my hardest,” she grinned.
> >         Clark nodded and flew off in a hurry.
> >         Lois then grabbed some aluminum foil and put it around the
> > popcorn. “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right?” she asked herself. She
> > stuffed it in the microwave and shrugged her shoulders. “Now what do I
> > do?” she wondered. She headed back into the bedroom. Meanwhile, the
> > popcorn had started to sizzle and pop...
> >         "Pop, pop, pop.." then an electric charge formed around the
> > microwave.  Sparks started to rise from the tin foil, and soon the
> > microwave started to smoke.
> > The smoke alarm started to go off. Then, the microwave was engulfed in
> > flames.
> > Lois rushed into the room wearing her favorite superman night gown.
> >         She saw the fire and immediately reached for a glass of water.
> > She then dumped it on the microwave. This, of course, started an
> > electrical fire that sets the coffee pot on fire..
> >         "Ahh.. Superman help!" She yelled.
> >         Superman soared into the room.  "Oh.. my.. gosh! Lois, I leave
> > you for one minute..." He breathed in a big puff of air and blew out the
> > fire.
> >
> > <Bepp>
> >         Lois smiled sheepishly over the smoldering ruins of their
kitchen
> > counter.
> > She waved towards the stack of cookbooks on the kitchen table. At the
top
> > of the pile lay a bright yellow 'Cooking for Dummies' book subtitled
'101
> > Things To Cook In a Microwave'.
> >         "Guess we won't be needing this one," she grinned.
> >         "Lois, how does this sound? I cook, you watch and  learn."
> >         Lois sighed. "Fine, but next time it's hands-on, buddy."
> >         "Hands on what?" he leered, cocking an eyebrow at her.
> >         She swatted at him. "Concentrate on cooking."
> >         "Fine. Turn around and close your eyes."
> >         "What? How am I supposed to watch and learn if I can't *watch*
> > you?" she demanded.
> >         "I'm making my mom's secret fudge recipe...I can't just give it
> > away."
> >
> > <AlienDove>
> >         Clark turned her around to face the sink and flew into the
living
> > room at super speed to retrieve his latest issue of “Modern Gourmet”..
He
> > returned in a whoosh, and flipped to the article on home-made fudge.
> >         Lois huffed impatiently.  "Well!?  Can I turn around yet!?"
> >         "Not yet!", Clark replied, speed-reading through the ingredients
> > and cooking instructions.  Once he committed it to memory, he tossed the
> > magazine into the trash bin and turned Lois around again.
> >         "Now you can watch an expert at work," he said with a grin.
> >         "Ha ha, funny boy.  What should I do to help?"
> >         "Grab me that Hershey’s syrup, would ya?"
> >         Lois, now happy to be involved in the cooking, rushed to get the
> > syrup.  Unfortunately, there was still egg yolk on the floor where she
> > had dropped the obligatory egg.
> >         Clark caught Lois as her feet flew out from under her.  However,
> > he couldn't save his face from the chocolatey mess she had accidentally
> > imposed upon it.
> >         They collapsed in a fit of laughter.  "Oh, oops....I'm
> > sorry....,"  Lois said.  "But actually...it's not a bad look for you!"
> >         "Oh, really?", said Clark.  "Well, lets just see how it looks on
> > you!"  With that he lunged forward and planted a wet one on her lips.
> >         Lois giggled.  "Mmm, not bad," she murmured, and closed in for
> > seconds.
> >         But then...."Ding Dong!"
> >         Lois and Clark reluctantly parted lips and sighed.  "Must be
> > Jimmy," they said in unison.
> >
> > Continued in Part 3...
> >
> > ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> > SUPERfan on IRC
> > Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> > http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:37 -0400
> > From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking with the Kents- Part 1/3
> >
> > Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> > Part 1 of 3
> > Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> > (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> > (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
> >
> > <SUPERfan>
> >         Clark walked into the kitchen expecting to make himself a
> > pop tart and be on his way. As he entered the room he saw cookbooks,
> > ingredients for every recipe imaginable, and, most suprisingly, Lois.
'Uh
> > oh... what am I walking into this time?' he thought.
> >         "Honey, *what* are you doing?" He hesitantly moved towards
> > her.
> >         "You mean what are *we* doing," she replied. "*And the
> > answer is*, we are cooking, Clark. Today is the day you teach me to
> > cook!" She smiled eagerly at him.
> >         "Lo-is! It's our day off! Are you sure this is how you
> > want to spend it? I mean... in the kitchen... cooking???"
> >         "Don't give me that look!"
> >         "What look?" he asked, the picture of innocence.
> >         "That look that says 'Lois is cooking and I have to help'!
> > It won't be that bad!" she insisted. "Now, let's get started!!" She
> > grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the stack of cookbooks.
> >
> > <Beppo>
> >         "Can't I have breakfast first?" he whined.
> >         "No, Lunkhead, that's what we're mak-" she shut her mouth
> > suddenly as he blurred through the kitchen, leaving papers flapping in
> > his wake. She gazed at him, one hand on her hip as he flew around the
> > room searching through the cabinets. "Oh ye of little faith."
> >         Clark smiled around his mouthful of pop tart. "Don't worry, I
> > have a big appetite."
> >         "Well, as long as you're eating too..." Lois broke off a piece
of
> > the pop tart and popped it in her mouth with a grin. She turned towards
> > the fridge. "Want some milk with that?"
> >         "No, I'm fine," he shrugged.
> >         Clark watched as she emerged from the fridge with a can of Diet
> > Coke. "Ugh, how can you drink soda with breakfast?"
> >         She shrugged and kicked the door shut. "There's nothing wrong
> > with soda for breakfast."
> >         Clark's eyes widened as he remembered how he had been juggling
> > soda cans just an hour before. "Lois, wait, don't open that!"
> >         She looked at him oddly. "Since when are you such a health food
> > fanatic an-"
> >         Clark shook his head as he watched his now soda soaked wife
glare
> > at him over the still foaming can. "And you haven't even started
> > cooking..." He started laughing. "You know, Lois, that look on your face
> > is priceless," he quipped, dodging behind the counter. He ducked and a
> > spoon clattered off of the wall behind him. "Too bad I don't have a
> > camera." Clark was laughing so hard he had to grip the edge of the
> > counter to remain standing."Have you ever considered a career in
> > advertising? ‘Don't just drink Coke,’" he gasped between mirthful
snorts,
> > "‘wear it too!’"
> >         "I'd juggle soda more often if I knew it would OOMPH" he
> > tripped over a chair and she sat on top of him "bring out this side in
> > you."
> >
> > <em-bop>
> >         "Are you done laughing at me?"  She asked eager to start
cooking.
> >         "Um.."  Clark considered her question. He was weighing all of
his
> > options as she began to speak again.
> >         "Clark... help me learn how to cook please?” Standing in front
of
> > him, she placed her arms around his middle.  Pulling him to her she
> > continued, “You don't want to eat KFC for the rest of your life do you?"
> >         "Well I always had a thing for chicken, *especially* a certain
> > beautiful woman dressed in a chicken suit."
> >         Lois turned pink as she felt his lips brush across hers.
> >         Clark laughingly pulled away. "All right.  What do you want to
> > learn today then?"
> >         "Well I thought something chocolatey would be good.."
> >         "Of course."  Clark rolled his eyes.  "But What about Pasta?
> > It's my favorite."  He grinned.  "Next to chicken."  He playfully added.
> >         "Aghh stop!"  She said.
> >         "Alright, Alright." You win, let’s get started."  Each chose an
> > apron Lois had ready  for them to wear.
> >         “See, Honey, I was prepared for everything.  She smiled up at
him
> > as he tied his around his waist.
> >         Standing in the middle of the kitchen she looked around eager to
> > begin. "So what do we do now?"
> >         "Wait what is that smell?"  Clark asked sniffing the air in the
> > kitchen. Within seconds, black smoke began rushing out of the toaster.
> > "Uh oh."
> >         "What is it?"  Lois asked between coughs.
> >         "Someone left a pop tart in the toaster."  He grinned at her
> > holding the burnt pop tart in his hand.
> >         "It wasn't me!"
> >
> > <MuffySlay>
> >         "Stop that!" she ordered.  "Give me that," she said, grabbing
the
> > pop tart from his out stretched hand she tossed its remains in the
trash.
> >         “Since neither of us are in the mood for ‘real’ breakfast food I
> > was thinking,” she paused to look over at him,"that we should start with
> > something we both like," Lois said.
> >         "Pasta, then?" Clark asked hopefully.
> >         "Well...I really would rather make something chocolatey," she
> > said.
> >         Then she added, jokingly, "Chocolate pasta sounds good to me!"
> >         Clark grimaced at the thought.
> >         "OK," Lois said, taking charge. “Let’s clear away what I’ve put
> > out and find what we need to make ‘Chocolate Pasta a la Kent’.” They
> > hurriedly put what they didn’t need back in place.
> >         "First we need...well, the pasta.  And then...chocolate.  Do you
> > think we should use chocolate syrup, or would chocolate milk powder
> > work?"
> >         The very idea was making Clark sick...and he *never* got sick!
> >         "Pasta, pasta..." Lois said, opening cupboards and drawers.
> > "Where do we keep the pasta, Honey?" she asked.
> >         Clark pointed to a cupboard.
> >         "Oh, good, you know where it is.  All right...and chocolate.  I
> > know where we keep the chocolate!" she said proudly. She rummaged
through
> > the refrigerator and found a bottle of syrup.  "Will you get the pasta,
> > Clark?" she asked sweetly.
> >         Clark got out the pasta.  Then he filled a saucepan with water
> > and started the water boiling. Lois watched in fascination.
> >         "So *that's* how they get the pasta so soft.  They cook it in
> > water!" She went back to looking for more chocolately things.  "I always
> > wondered about that."
> >         While Clark was preparing the pasta, Lois had assembled her
> > portion of the ingredients: chocolate syrup, chocolate powder, milk,
> > sugar, and...because it seemed like the thing to have...an egg.
> >         "What's the egg for?" Clark asked.
> >         Lois looked at the egg.  "Well, I'm not exactly sure.  But I was
> > watching a cooking program on TV, and they always seem to have an egg.
I
> > figure it's for good luck or something..."
> >         Clark tried not to laugh.
> >         "Are you laughing at me?" she demanded.
> >         "No," said Clark quickly.
> >         “So, is that pasta ready yet? I want to put in the chocolate!”
> >         "No, it's going to take a few minutes."
> >         "Hmmm," Lois said absently, glancing at an open cupboard next to
> > Clark.  "Clark...look!"
> >         "What?" Clark said, turning to see where Lois was pointing.
> >         "We have popcorn!  I love popcorn.  How long has it been in that
> > cupboard?" Lois asked.
> >         Clark shrugged.
> >         "Well, we *have* to make some.  It's microwavable...I'm sure
even
> > *I* can figure out how to cook *that*" she joked, snatching the popcorn.
> >         "What a great breakfast," said Clark.  "Chocolate pasta and
> > popcorn.  Our mothers would be so proud!"
> >
> > Continued in Part 2....
> >
> > ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> > SUPERfan on IRC
> > Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> > http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:25:24 -0400
> > From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: New Fanfic: Cooking With the Kents- Part 3/3
> >
> > Cooking With the Kents (The first ever Teen Round Robin)
> > Part 3 of 3
> > Written by: SUPERfan (CKandLL4ever@Juno.com), Beppo
> > (Cyyi@musica.McGill.ca), Em-bop, MuffySlay, Carrie
> > (Carrielu@mailexcite.com???), and AlienDove (AlienDove@Juno.com)
> >
> > <SUPERfan>
> >         Lois walked towards the door, opened it, and said, "Hi, Jimmy."
> >         "How'd you know it was me? I didn't call or anything! Lois, have
> > you been talking with Star again?" Jimmy asked.
> >         "Jimmy," Lois said impatiently, "I assume you came over for a
> > reason. It *is* mine and Clark's day off."
> >          Jimmy started to explain and got about halfway through a word
> > before he noticed the chocolate. "Lois, what is that stuff?"
> >         Lois licked her finger. "Chocolate, of course. What does it look
> > like?"
> >         "Hmmm, personally I liked your cucumber oil better than the
smell
> > of chocolate..." Jimmy started.
> >         "Hey, Jimmy," interrupted Clark. He had obviously done some
super
> > cleaning on himself seeing that all the chocolate had miraculously
> > disappeared from his face.
> >         Clark was carrying a glass of orange juice. "Here you go, honey.
> > It's freshly squeezed," he said, handing Lois the glass.
> >         "Now, Jimmy, what brings you here today?" Clark asked.
> >         "Well --"
> >
> > <AlienDove>
> >         "OK, you're NEVER gonna believe this guys!"  Jimmy exclaimed
> > excitedly.
> >         "Try me," Lois said with a smirk.
> >         "Forty year old senator died about an hour ago in his bathtub-
> > ask me how."
> >         "OK, I'll bite," Clark said.  "How?"
> >         "He choked to death.  Evidently on some rotten tomatoes!  Even
> > the coroner doesn't know what to make of it yet, but the police suspect
> > fowl play."
> >         "Well, I'd say so!", Lois said.  "How many men eat rotten
> > tomatoes in a bathtub right before they die?"
> >         "Wow.  It IS all weird in Metropolis!" Clark exclaimed.
> >         "Well, I gotta go guys, Chief just beeped me.  Probably some
> > emergency, like a shortage of corned beef on rye," Jimmy said with a
> > smirk.  "See ya later."         "Bye Jimmy!" Lois and Clark replied in
> > unison as they closed the door.
> >         "Now, where were we?", asked Lois.
> >         "Well," said Clark, "I think we were just starting on, mmm,
> > desert...."
> >         "Oh yeah," said Lois.  "Now, that, I can handle..."
> >         They collapsed on the couch and were starting to enjoy
> > themselves, when the doorbell rang.  AGAIN.
> >         "Your turn to get it this time," Lois said with a disappointed
> > sigh.
> >         Clark hoisted himself off the couch and walked to the door.  He
> > opened it and was startled to see none other than.....
> >
> > <Bep>
> >         Jimmy. Again.
> >         "Jimmy! Great to see you again. Any news?..." Clark inquired
> > unenthusiastically.
> >         Jimmy, as usual, was oblivious.
> >         “They found the senator’s wife!”
> >         "Oh, really? How'd she take the news?"
> >         "No, no, you don't get it; they found her dead too! And get
> > this...they killed her vampire-style, with a sharpened spatula tip
> > through the heart!"
> >         "Cooks these days," Clark muttered under his breath. "That's
> > going to make a really, uh, interesting story, Jimmy. Thanks for letting
> > us know about it!" Clark closed the door before Jimmy could think of
> > anything else to add.
> > Clark returned to the living room to find Lois busy on the phone. "Who
is
> > it?" he asked quietly.
> >         She mouthed something to him.
> >         "Who?"
> >         "Perry... some superhearing you've got there, honey," she
> > grinned. "Yes, we'll be there, Chief," she said as she hung up the
phone.
> >
> > <SUPERfan>
> >         "Perry says we have to come in?" Clark asked.
> >         "Yes," Lois sighed. "Can you think of a way to get out of it? I
> > was enjoying my cooking lesson."
> >         "Well.... maybe I could --" Clark started.
> >         Riiiiinnnnnnnng riiiiiiinnnnnggggg!
> >         "Hello?"
> >         "Hi again Chief!" Clark said. "What? No.... you weren't
> > interrupting-" Lois grabbed the phone away.
> >         "Chief... you *were* interrupting... what?... Um, you were
> > interrupting, uh..."
> >         "LO-IS! Don't make him think --" Clark said.
> >         "Yeah, that's -- What?... We can stay home? You'll have someone
> > else handle it? Thanks, Chief!" Lois grinned as she hung up the phone.
> > "NOW that's how you get out of stuff!"
> >         "Lois! He thinks that --" Clark started.
> >         "Oh, who cares what he thinks? Let's get back to the kitchen
> > now!" Lois interrupted as she pulled Clark towards the kitchen.
> >         "Alright... teach me to use this stuff. What is this???"
> >         "*That* is an egg slicer! Wait... that was on the oven. Why
isn't
> > it hot? Lois... the fudge won't cook if you don't turn on the oven!!!"
> >         "Oh, Clark! Don't cry over spilt milk! Wait - I didn't spill any
> > yet did I?" she grinned as she turned on the oven.
> >
> > <AlienDove>
> >         "OK, Lois, now you can preheat the oven to 350.", Clark said.
> >         "Oven preheated.  Check."
> >         “Now get the tin foil out of that drawer over there..."
> >         “Over where?”
> >         "Over there.  Under the sink."
> >         "Oh, OK, got it."
> >         "Um, it said... I mean, Mom said to cover the fudge with tin
foil
> > when it's done, so that'll come in handy later," Clark said.  "Just
leave
> > there on the bread board."
> >         Lois pulled out an object from  drawer and fiddled around with
> > it.  It was one of those corkscrews that looked like a person... Lois
> > positioned the "arms" vertically and exclaimed "Look Clark, it's
> > SUPERMAN!", as she "flew" the corkscrew around the kitchen, waving it
> > over her head.
> >         Clark chuckled.  Had Lois had just a *bit* too much chocolate
> > syrup today?
> > "No," he said, "*I'm* Superman!"  And with that he spun into the red and
> > blue suit. He folded his arms across his chest and grinned.
> >         Lois giggled.  "You know, I never get tired of watching you do
> > that."
> >
> > <Bep>
> >         Lois traced the S on his chest with a finger and smiled up at
> > him. Clark responded with a grin of his own and pulled her closer,
> > leaning down to kiss her gently.
> >         Her arms had circled his waist and she had opened her mouth to
> > him, deepening the kiss when she felt him tense and pull away slightly.
> >         The look on his face said it all. "Go," she said, waving him off
> > with attempted cheerfulness.
> >         Seeing him hesitate, she smiled a little and gave him a peck on
> > the cheek. "The sooner you take care of whatever it is, the sooner we
can
> > get back to cooking...or whatever we were doing. So shoo!"
> >         "Bye. And *don't* touch anything." Clark warned. He flew off
with
> > a whoosh, and Lois was left standing alone in the middle of the kitchen.
> >         The spice rack hanging by what was left of the microwave caught
> > her eye.
> > She wandered over and picked up a bottle at random, shaking a little of
> > it out onto her hand. She sniffed it hesitantly before tasting it. Not
> > too bad really...kind of herby, she thought, reaching for another one.
> > She wasn't so cautious with this one, and tasted some right away.
> >         "Whoa!" The bottle fell to the floor with a clatter. She ran
over
> > to the sink, turned on the faucet and stuck her mouth under the
> > wonderfully cold stream of water.
> >         Lois eyed the spice rack warily from a distance, but "Curiosity
> > killed the cat," she sighed. "Just don't taste anything, girl." Stepping
> > over the mess of broken glass and red powder on the tile floor, she
> > reached for another bottle. 'Parsnips,' read the label. "What the hell
is
> > a parsnip?" she wondered aloud.
> >         "It's a vegetable, from the carrot family, actually. It has
large
> > pinnate leaves and yellow flowers, and is native to Europe."
> >         She glared at Clark over her shoulder, putting one hand over her
> > pounding heart. "What did you do as a child? Sit around a memorize the
> > dictionary? And you scared me half to death," she said testily.
> >         Clark looked from her flushed and still damp face to the mess on
> > the floor. "Had a run-in with the bottle of paprika, did we?" He
grinned.
> > "So, Lois, wanna get back to that cooking lesson?" he smiled, turning
> > back towards the oven.
> >         She smiled wickedly, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms
> > around his neck. "I say there are better things we could do in the
> > kitchen besides cooking."
> >
> > fade to black...
> >
> > THE END
> >
> > I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments are welcome! Also, if you see some
> > huge error, plot hole, or general mishap on my part, feel free to email
> > me (privately, please).
> >
> > ***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> > SUPERfan on IRC
> > Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> > http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 13:47:50 MDT
> > From:    DEBRA GRAY <dlgray@USA.NET>
> > Subject: Re: Teen Roundrobin Story
> >
> > Hi Cris and the others -
> >
> > Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing!
Loved it,
> > and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to
join
> > you!)
> >
> > Debra G
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________________
> > Get free e-mail and a permanent address at
http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 16:01:10 -0400
> > From:    Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: The scariest time <g> and the next Teen RR
> >
> > Debra wrote:
> > >Just finished reading "Cooking With The Kents". 'Bout died laughing!
> > Loved it,
> > >and wanted to tell you to keep it up. (And am mad that I'm too old to
> > join you!)
> > >
> > >Debra G
> >
> > Hey, all.
> >         I'm *very* glad you liked it, Debra! <breathing a sigh of
relief>
> > Is it just me, or is the scariest experience in the world waiting for
> > someone to reply to a story? I always get SO paranoid! Thanks for
> > reassuring me, Deb!
> >         Also, I believe I originally said that only teens could write
> > and/or attend the Teen RR. However, we really don't mind having anyone
> > drop in and watch! Just ask Pam, our spectator (besides Mags - our
> > "chaperone") from that story. I am not sure when the next Teen RR will
> > be. I am *very* busy with school right now, and I imagine it is the same
> > for the rest of ya'll (meaning the teen writers here). To be honest, the
> > only reason I got around to sending this out is because I home sick from
> > school!
> > Thanks again,
> > Cristin
> > (whose computer is going wacko right now.... Sheesh, I need a nap!)
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:36:46 -0400
> > From:    Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
> > Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC: Cooking With The Kents (The first ever Teen
Round
> >          Robin)
> >
> > Yay Cristin!  Let's here it for the editor everybody!  So Cris...when
can
> > we do it again <beg>
> > -Jill aka AlienDove-
> > AlienDove@juno.com
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > 7 more days 'till Futuresport!
> > my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
> > On Thu, 24 Sep 1998 15:23:27 -0400 Cristin J Whitley
> > <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM> writes:
> > >Hi, all.
> > >
> > >      I am delighted to present to you the first ever teens only round
> > >robin, "Cooking With the Kents". This story was written by a talented
> > >(not to mention patient) group of teenage FoLCs. This may not be a
> > >masterpiece, but I think it turned out quite nicely for our first
> > >story. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the writers for
> > >doing such a nice job. I would also like to thank a few others.
> > >Special thanks to Maggie for being my co-planner and our cheerful
> > >"chaperone". Thank you to all the FoLCs who provided encouragement and
> > >ideas (You know who you are :o))! Also, thanks to those of you who
> > >helped with editing or volunteered to help (Annie, Dana, Bepp,
> > >Maggie... I'm sure there are more!). Before this turns into a huge
> > >thank you card, I'll go ahead and send the story. Thanks all! Enjoy.
> > >:o)
> > >
> > >Cristin
> > >
> > >***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
> > >SUPERfan on IRC
> > >Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
> > >http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > End of LOISCLA-GENERAL-L Digest - 23 Sep 1998 to 24 Sep 1998
> > ************************************************************
> >
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Get free personalized email at http://four11.iname.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:16:21 -0400
> From:    "D. Baker" <dar-mn@WRITEME.COM>
> Subject: Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Get free personalized email at http://four11.iname.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:14:30 -0600
> From:    Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
> Subject: Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01BDE93E.D58BE040
> Content-Type: text/plain;
>         charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought this =
> thread brought up an interesting question that would apply to this =
> fanfic list.
>
> Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:
>
> >Excellent point.  You are right; I had forgotten about that.  And what
> >an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have been working with Intergang
> >all along.
>
> >Nigel gets more and more fascinating.  He's always been completely
> >amoral, and appeared to be intrigued by Luthor's style more than =
> devoted
> >to him.  Nigel would certainly have had an eye of for Number One.  It
> >may be that following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML, =
> and
> >watching Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around for
> >another job.  Hmmm, something to think about.
>
> >Has anyone ever written any fanfic about Nigel?
>
>
> Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE OF =
> the main characters?  It reminds me of a question someone recently =
> asked, wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been written.  =
> Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.  But it does reinforce my beliefs =
> that there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its =
> characters.  What was it Lois said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, =
> just new angles." =20
>
> So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those "new angles". =
> <g>
>
> Erin :)
> aka ELK on IRC
> erink@ida.net
> =20
> ********************
> "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."
>                           ***=20
> "You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
> ********************
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01BDE93E.D58BE040
> Content-Type: text/html;
>         charset="iso-8859-1"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
> <HTML>
> <HEAD>
>
> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 =
> http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=3DGENERATOR>
> </HEAD>
> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
> <DIV>For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought =
> this thread=20
> brought up an interesting question that would apply to this fanfic =
> list.</DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV>Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:</DIV>
> <DIV><BR>>Excellent point.  You are right; I had forgotten about =
>
> that.  And what<BR>>an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have =
> been=20
> working with Intergang<BR>>all along.<BR><BR>>Nigel gets more and =
> more=20
> fascinating.  He's always been completely<BR>>amoral, and =
> appeared to be=20
> intrigued by Luthor's style more than devoted<BR>>to him.  Nigel =
> would=20
> certainly have had an eye of for Number One.  It<BR>>may be that =
>
> following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML, =
> and<BR>>watching=20
> Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around =
> for<BR>>another=20
> job.  Hmmm, something to think about.<BR><BR>>Has anyone ever =
> written=20
> any fanfic about Nigel?<BR></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV>Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE =
> or ONE=20
> OF the main characters?  It reminds me of a question someone =
> recently=20
> asked, wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been =
> written. =20
> Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.  But it does reinforce my =
> beliefs that=20
> there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its =
> characters. =20
> What was it Lois said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, =
> just new=20
> angles."  </DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV>So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those "new=20
> angles". <g></DIV>
> <DIV> </DIV>
> <DIV><FONT color=3D#000000>Erin :)<BR>aka ELK on IRC<BR><A=20
> href=3D"mailto:erink@ida.net">erink@ida.net</A><BR> <BR>************=
> ********<BR>"The=20
> truth is no one knows how long they've got.  Anyway, it's not the =
> years=20
> that count, it's the moments...right now, as they=20
> happen."<BR>         &n=
> bsp;           &nb=
> sp;   =20
> *** <BR>"You bet your sweet chumpy I=20
> am."<BR>********************</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01BDE93E.D58BE040--
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 12:10:31 -0500
> From:    Martha Rasch <mrasch@IXC.NET>
> Subject: Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
>
> How exactly would I subscribe to the "regular LNC list"?  I'd appricate
> it if someone would email me and help me out with this.  Thank you,
>
> Martha
>
>
> At 11:14 AM 9/26/98 -0600, you wrote:
>
> >>>>
>
> <excerpt>For those of you who are not on the regular LNC list, I thought
> this thread brought up an interesting question that would apply to this
> fanfic list.
>
>
>
> Snipping and clipping here, Erin V. and Genevieve wrote:
>
>
> >Excellent point.  You are right; I had forgotten about that.  And what
>
> >an interesting idea -- that Nigel may have been working with Intergang
>
> >all along.
>
>
> >Nigel gets more and more fascinating.  He's always been completely
>
> >amoral, and appeared to be intrigued by Luthor's style more than
> devoted
>
> >to him.  Nigel would certainly have had an eye of for Number One.  It
>
> >may be that following Luthor's declaration of love for Lois in P,ML,
> and
>
> >watching Lex's obsession begin to grow, Nigel began looking around for
>
> >another job.  Hmmm, something to think about.
>
>
> >Has anyone ever written any fanfic about Nigel?
>
>
>
> Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE OF
> the main characters?  It reminds me of a question someone recently asked,
> wondering if all the fanfics about LNC had already been written.
> Granted, Nigel is not Lois or Clark.  But it does reinforce my beliefs
> that there are still sooo many stories to be told about LNC and its
> characters.  What was it Lois said to Clark?  "There are no old stories,
> just new angles."
>
>
>
> So, on that note, I suggest we all keep exploring those "new angles".
> <<g>
>
>
>
> Erin :)
>
> aka ELK on IRC
>
> <<mailto:erink@ida.net>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."
>
>                           ***
>
> "You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
>
> ********************
>
>
> </excerpt><<<<<<<<
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 10:45:01 PDT
> From:    "K.C. Boyd" <miracles4me@HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
>
> Sorry, but if I don't say this I's going to bother me all day.
>
> >But it does reinforce my beliefs that there are still sooo many
> >stories to be told about LNC and its characters.  What was it Lois
> >said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, just new angles."
>
> Just for the record Clark said it to Lois.
>
> K.C. (who isn't as obsessive as she used to be... really)
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 13:29:04 -0600
> From:    Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
> Subject: Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
>
> >Sorry, but if I don't say this I's going to bother me all day.
> >
> >>But it does reinforce my beliefs that there are still sooo many
> >>stories to be told about LNC and its characters.  What was it Lois
> >>said to Clark?  "There are no old stories, just new angles."
> >
> >Just for the record Clark said it to Lois.
>
>
> Actually, if you want to get technical, they both said it.  It was in
> Strange Visitor, and Clark started the phrase, and they both finished it
> together.  But anyway, that wasn't the point that I was trying to make in
my
> post.  <sg>   I hope that my shortcomings in making precise quotes didn't
> make the point of my message get lost on everyone.
>
> Erin  (who will make sure her quotes are exact before using them in a post
> next time ;)
>
> 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."
>                           ***
> "You bet your sweet chumpy I am."
> ********************
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:23:24 -0400
> From:    Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: Re: Fwd: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
>
> what was _that_ all about?
> -Jill aka AlienDove-
> AlienDove@juno.com
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 6 more days 'till Futuresport!
> my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:22:08 -0400
> From:    Gillian B Tanz <aliendove@JUNO.COM>
> Subject: Re: Hi... belated intro :)
>
> <<Oh, you're in the right place for that -- we have *great* writers here,
> =
> as
> I'm sure you've already noticed.  Passionate, erudite, and occasionally
> cantankerous would also apply here. <g>>>
>
> Hey, great vocab words :)
>
> <<
> Peace
> who woke up
> in a really good
> mood this morning <g>>>
>
> I can tell! :)  Thanks for all your help :)
>
> -Jill aka AlienDove-
> AlienDove@juno.com
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 6 more days 'till Futuresport!
> my webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~AlienDove/index.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:53:56 -0700
> From:    Carrie Lu Sullivan <carrielu@MAILEXCITE.COM>
> Subject: new fanfic e-mail chain
>
> Hi,
> I recently created a new way of writting RR fanfic.
>
> "The folc fanfic RR chain"
>
> This is a spawn off of the Round Robin fic at #l&cfanfic on IRC.
>
> It's kind of like a chain letter.  But, everyone writes a page of fan fic
and passes it on to the next person on the list.
>
> If you would like to join the list, or have questions
> about the list.  Please contact me.
>
> At deandream@mailexcite.com
>
> Thank you.
>
> Carrie Sullivan
> "The organizer"
>
> carrielu on IRC
> Then the writer
>
> ------------------------------------------------
> To subscribe to this list, please visit:
> http://www.websitepostoffice.com
> List Name: folcfanficrr
> ------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere!
> http://www.mailexcite.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 26 Sep 1998 21:32:29 -0500
> From:    Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
> Subject: Re: Luthor and Intergang (Nigel)
>
> At 11:14 AM -0600 9/26/98, Erin Klingler wrote:
>
> >>Has anyone ever written  any fanfic about Nigel?
> >   Good question.  HAS anyone ever written one with Nigel as THE or ONE
> >OF the main characters? <<<
>
>
> This is a good question, and no stories come to mind off the top of my
> head.  However, Betsy and I did make Nigel the head of his own empire in
> "Through the Looking Glass", the S5 episode set in the alternate universe.
> Of course, Lex offed him right before the episode started <g> but only
> after Nigel rose to power and raised a young Lex Luthor to be his right
> hand man.
>
> Kathy
>
> ______________________
> Kathy Brown
> kbrown@webmart.net
> KathyB on IRC
> ______________________
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of LOISCLA-GENERAL-L Digest - 25 Sep 1998 to 26 Sep 1998
> ************************************************************
>

------------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://four11.iname.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:22:57 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "D. Baker" <dar-mn@WRITEME.COM>
Subject:      RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
Comments: To: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Content-Type: text/plain
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Re: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L Digest - 26 Sep 1998 to 27 Sep 1998

------------------------------------------------------
Get free personalized email at http://four11.iname.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:57:00 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC!
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Okay, this is sort of a test to see if my email to the list is working now,
but I didn't want to spam the list.  So I decided to include a really short
little story.  If you're reading it, it means that there's a much longer one
headed your way.

This story is set right after "The Phoenix."  I borrowed some characters
from
WB and ABC, threw 'em into a blender, along with a funny plot, and this is
what came out.  I hope you enjoy this little short story!

LATE NIGHT IN THE GROCERY STORE
by Susan VanCott (Kirshnera@aol.com, Kirshnera on IRC)

It was three o'clock in the morning.  The moon was new, and did not
illuminate
the city of Metropolis.  Fortunately, the people of that busy city did not
have to depend on the moon for lights.  There were street lights,
headlights,
and the lights from buildings.  Only during a blackout could one even see
the
moon and stars.

It was pitch black in Lois Lane's bedroom.  She wasn't sure whether her eyes
were open or closed; it made no difference in the amount of light reaching
them.  But she was awake.  Although her body was tired, she could not fall
into even a troubled sleep.  Her mind was far too upset to even consider
taking a break from her problem.

She had just had her first almost-date with Clark.  It couldn't exactly be
called a date, as it wasn't quite quality time they'd spent together.  They
had been on a story, in a houseboat.  What earned it the "almost-date"
status
were the emotions that it had provoked.  They had dwindled to mostly
confusion
by this ungodly hour, but she could remember clearly everything that she had
felt.

The nausea, yes, she remembered that, but that was the only feeling that
hadn't had anything to do with Clark.  In fact, if she hadn't had that to
distract her, the other emotions could have taken over and changed her
entire
evening.  She remembered the nervousness at the beginning of the evening,
when
she and Clark had decided to make this their "almost-first-date."  She had
felt kind of silly about the whole thing, and slightly apprehensive.

When that bulb had blown out, and she and Clark had taken an inadvertent
tumble to the sofa, she had been startled and awed.  She remembered the
delicious amazement she had felt, lying on top of Clark, touching him with
her
entire body.  And she had spilled champagne on his shirt.  The wet fabric
had
plastered itself to a powerful, slightly rounded pectoral.  She hadn't been
able to stop herself from touching his chest, stroking it just a little.  He
had looked a bit surprised and slightly apprehensive, like he couldn't
believe
she was touching him.  It had been a tense situation.  All Lois wanted to do
was to kiss him, to melt into him, but she stopped herself, and the moment
was
gone.  She had pulled back, embarrassed.  And Clark had appeared to be
feeling
everything she had, from to surprise to desire to embarrassment.

Then there was the feelings brought on by changing clothes.  When she'd
gotten
a glimpse of Clark's masculine silhouette through the frosted glass door,
stripping off clothes that had hidden his muscular form, there could be no
mistaking what she'd been thinking.  So close after having contact with that
body, the sight brought back the poorly-quelled desire she had felt for him,
and more champagne had suffered.

Later, she had felt badly due to some nasty Chinese food from Ralph's
Pagoda.
It was too bad she couldn't sue them for food poisoning.  That wasn't what
had
made her sick-- Clark had eaten the same things and he was fine.  It must
have
just disagreed violently with her stomach.  Clark, being Clark, could
consume
just about anything without suffering adverse affects.

She had been laying on the couch, overcome by the churning pain.  Clark had
come over to gently rub her stomach.  It made her feel better than any
medicine would have been able to.  It also made her wish she wasn't feeling
so
bad, because then she could enjoy it in a different way.  And then, he had
picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.  She remembered feeling small
and vulnerable, leaning her head into his neck, feeling his warm skin,
cuddling with him while they traveled that short distance.

When he had put her down in the bedroom doorway, she had reached out one
hand
to rest on his firm stomach.  She had just needed to touch him for a little
longer.  She had wanted him to take her in his arms and just hold her, safe
and warm, if not quite comfortable.  But she had also wanted to go into the
room, lie down, and try to sleep.  In the end, the latter choice won out, as
Clark backed off.  She closed the door, wondering about the incredible
electricity that had made itself known that night, but too tired and sick to
ponder it for long.

And now it was the time to think about those things, all the emotions she
had
felt, all the emotions that she had seen Clark feel, all the events that had
happened.  Was she in love with Clark?  She had thought so once, after
almost
marrying Lex Luthor.  Later she hadn't been so sure.  But now...

She couldn't deny what had happened during the almost first date.  And then
there were her private fantasies, which always were clear windows into her
mind, as they were for herself alone, and she never censored them.  It had
gotten to the point where sexual fantasies almost unwaveringly involved
Clark.
Not Superman.  Rather, there were more "Clark" fantasies than there were
"Superman" fantasies.

But Clark had told her that he didn't love her.  That he would have said
anything to keep her from marrying Luthor.  What about that?

She had to think a moment to come up with an answer to this.  He *had* said
that he loved her before.  Obviously, one of the times he was lying.  Was it
when he said he loved her, or when he said he didn't?  She thought back to
different incidents, evidence of Clark's feelings.

Exhibit A.  Mr. Makeup.  When Lois had witnessed a murder committed by Mr.
Makeup, Clark had tried to protect her from the man.  He had attempted to
stay
at her apartment, but she had shot that thought down like the Red Baron of
Suspicious Motives.  And then he had stayed outside her apartment all night.
He had been truly concerned about her.

Exhibit B.  That kiss in the honeymoon suite of the Lexor Hotel.  It had
been
to distract the maid from their surveillance equipment, Lois knew.  But it
had
also been more than that.  Lois knew the difference between acting and
reality, and that was reality.  She could tell that he'd felt something.
And
the look in his eyes when he had pulled away had left her breathless.  It
had
clearly said that he didn't want to stop, but he felt he had to.

Exhibit C.  When Lois was under the influence of a pheromone compound.  She
remembered going to his house, intending on doing the dance of the seven
veils
for him, certain that it would finally make him crack.  As she was going in,
Clark had said to her, "You don't know how many times I've thought about
this.
Dreamt about this!  Well, something like this."  He had wanted her.  She
knew
that.  But he felt that he couldn't take advantage of her when she wasn't in
her right mind.  That indicated love.

Exhibit D.  The look on his face when he said he loved her.  There could be
no
mistaking that he was telling the truth then.  Lois occasionally had a sort
of
a sixth sense about that sort of thing, and she knew he was being totally
honest with her.

And that was it.  He loved her, there was no doubt about it.  Now it was
back
to the first question.  Did she love him?  It seemed that she did.
Everything
that she knew, from the tender way she thought about him, to the way she
felt
better when he was around, to the way his touch made her feel, pointed to
that
fact.

So now there was a new question.  What was she going to do about it?

"I'm not going to do anything just yet," Lois replied to herself.  "I need
something to help me think."  She went into her kitchen and opened the
freezer.  Nothing.  The release that she sought in choco chocolate monster
chip ice cream would not be found.  She frowned.  Shopping time!

***************************

At the same time that Lois' thoughts completed their course, ending with ice
cream, Clark was also pondering.  He wasn't lying in bed awake, though.  He
was floating in the cloudy area of Earth's atmosphere, that silent, lonely
place between the Earth and the stars.

His thoughts were only about one thing.  Or rather, one person.  Lois.  Did
she love him?  He had never seen her act the way she did on their
almost-first
date.  Or had he?  The way she had been nervous around him, seemingly amazed
by his presence, reminded him of the way she had acted around Superman when
she first met him.

It wasn't quite the same.  With Superman, she had been truly awed and almost
groupie-like.  She wasn't like that around Clark, thank God.  But she had
been
nervous, there was no doubt about it.  And the way she had suddenly gone all
quiet and her heart rate more than doubled when she had fallen on top of
him,
well, that proved something!  She had apparently sacrificed being
comfortable
with him for a stunning sexual tension.  He could sense her admiration, her
wanting to be with him, to touch him, just the way he had sensed it as
Superman.

Unbelievable.  He needed to get something to help him think.  Choco
chocolate
monster chip ice cream.  Yeah, that's the stuff.  On the way to the grocery
store, he reflected that he seemed to be not only in love with Lois, but
also
turning *into* Lois.  Apparently her chocolate ice cream habit had rubbed
off
on him.

He got into the store, walking in as Clark, so as not to startle the
graveyard
shift cashiers, and moved purposefully toward the ice cream freezer.  There
was one carton of choco chocolate monster chip ice cream left.  He opened
the
freezer door and reached for it...

***********************

Lois pulled into the grocery store parking lot a second after Clark had
landed.  She walked hurriedly into the store and toward the freezer.  The
last
tub of choco chocolate monster chip ice cream sat there, beckoning her.  It
was right on the line between the two doors, and she opened the door on the
left to get at it.  So intent was she on getting the ice cream that she
didn't
notice who was opening the door on the right.

She didn't notice him, that was, until she realized that she couldn't
retrieve
the ice cream.  She looked up to find that the reason it seemed to be stuck
was that another hand was pulling it the opposite way.  She looked at the
owner of the hand just as he met her eyes.

"Clark?"

"Lois?"

Neither could believe their eyes.  "What are you doing here at three-fifteen
in the morning?"

"I just... wanted some ice cream," he explained.  "What's your excuse?"

"The same thing!  Wow, this is really strange."

Clark glanced at the ice cream, which they were both still holding.  It must
be a sign that tonight was the night to talk.  "Lois, um, do you want to
come
over to my place... for some ice cream?  I think we need to talk."

"Sure.  I think we need to talk, too."

They walked to the cashier, and Clark purchased the ice cream.  Then, they
left the store and got into Lois' Jeep.  They drove back to his apartment,
silent.  Both were still rather in shock in finding each other in the same
place at the same odd time for the same unusual reason.  They were both
nervous about what to say to each other.

In only fifteen minutes, they were sitting at Clark's kitchen table across
>from each other, sharing the tub of ice cream.  The kitchen light was the
only
one on.  It was dimmed so that the scene was rather dark.  The night sounds
penetrated the windows, and the blackness surrounded them, creating the
illusion of intimacy.

"So," Lois said, her voice quiet, "what do you want to talk about?"  She
spoke
slowly, unsure of what he was going to say.

"Lois, I have a... confession to make.  Do you remember that day when I told
you I loved you?"

"How could I forget?" she whispered.  Her mind reeled with hope.

"I was telling the truth.  I didn't mean it when I took it back."  He said
the
words quickly, immediately digging his spoon into the ice cream.  He didn't
dare meet her eyes.

Lois closed her eyes for a second.  She had been right!  He did love her!
"Clark, I knew.  Not right away, but I was thinking about it.  Just a half-
hour ago, in fact, and I realized that you hadn't been lying to get me away
>from Lex."
"Really?" he asked, amazed.

She smiled a little.  "Really."  She took a spoonful of the ice cream.
"I've
been up all night, thinking, trying to decide if you loved me or not, and...
if I loved you."

Clark looked at her, apprehensive.

"And both answers turned out to be the same.  Yes."  She dropped her spoon
onto the table and took Clark's hand.

He looked at her, stunned.  "Do you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it," she said softly.  "I love you."  They leaned in close
to each other for a chocolate-flavored kiss across the table.

After only a second, however, Clark broke away.  Lois was confused for three
seconds, then hurt for another two, but then realized what was happening.
Clark stood up and drew her into his arms.  A sweet kiss across the table
was
nice, but nothing beat a full-body embrace.

Lois sighed as Clark held her the way she'd wanted him to.  His tongue
gently
probed all the areas of her mouth, and his hands pulled her ever closer.
She
clung to him, returning his kiss with the passion that had been building up
ever since they hadn't kissed on that houseboat couch.  Clark's lips left
hers
and traveled down her jawline and neck.  She let her hands move a little
bit,
discovering hard, smooth muscles.  She pressed her body into his, as if they
were melting together, never again to be separated.

They were both feeling the same thing-- an intense desire to be touched,
just
to embrace so closely that it almost hurt.  Lois had needed to feel Clark up
against her, his strong arms binding him to her.  Clark had needed to hold
Lois, to be able to finally know that she loved him, that she was his.  And
now, both of those needs were fulfilled.

But something was still bothering Clark.  He hadn't totally been honest with
Lois.  He needed to be.  He pulled back a little bit.

"Clark?  What's wrong?"

"There's something else I need to tell you."

"Something bad?"  The look on his face scared her.  She didn't think that
she
could handle something driving them apart now.

"I think you'll see it as something good eventually, but I'm afraid hearing
won't be too pleasant.  That's my fault.  I should have told you this a long
time ago, but I could never get up the courage.  It's something I've never
shared with a soul, and I've been so used to keeping it hidden, it's hard to
let it out."

"What is it?"  She was starting to panic.

"I... I'm... I have this... other job," he began.

"Other job?" Lois asked.  All sorts of horrible things ran through her head.
Whatever it was, it was apparently not something too great.

"Yeah, it's sort of a... vigilante thing."

She relaxed a little.  "Vigilante?  What do you mean by that?"

"I, well... maybe this will help."  He reached up and took off his glasses
and
smoothed back his hair.

Lois' eyes widened.  "This is a job?" she asked, breathlessly.

"That's how I've always seen it," he replied.

"Oh.  Oh, Clark.  This is... incredible.  I almost can't believe it, but it
makes perfect sense.  Why didn't I see it before?"

"Well, I..."

"I'd always thought you were similar, and you did always kiss nearly the
same
way, but you act a lot differently..."

"Superman is more formal.  I try to change my voice to be more intimidating,
to match the persona.  And the body language is different, I guess, although
that was more born of being embarrassed about wearing the suit.  It was kind
of defensive, but it comes across as tough."

Lois smiled a little at that, but the gears in her mind were still whirring.
In just a couple of seconds, one of her good friends had disappeared, and
she'd just gotten a whole new perspective on her best friend.  This man, the
guy who rolled his eyes and listened to her babble, who went to football
games
and cheered for the Bills even though she *knew* the 49ers were going to
win,
who sat up with her late nights working on a story, who let himself be
pushed
around by his friends, was actually Superman.  It seemed that the man of
steel
wasn't quite what everyone thought he was.

Everyone but her.  She was the one he had chosen to share this with.  She
suddenly realized just what getting Clark entailed.  He had just given her
all
of him, one hundred percent.  At first, she felt overwhelmed, but it sank in
in only a few seconds.  She loved him, and no matter what he did in his
spare
time, she still would.

Not to mention the fact that she still had retained a purely sexual interest
in Superman.  Who wouldn't?  And the thought that she didn't have to give
that
up to have what she wanted more pleased her immensely.  It was like having
to
choose between chocolate and fudge swirl ice cream.  She'd readily give up
fudge swirl for chocolate, but she'd miss not having it.  And then, after
she
thought she'd never taste fudge swirl again, somebody told her she could
have
it and chocolate!   So she could have Clark, who she loved, *and* she could
fulfill her Superman fantasies!

She threw her arms around Clark, who had been watching her uncertainly, and
pulled him close again.  "Oh, Clark, this is incredible!"

He hugged her back.  "I'm glad you think so."

"Am I the only one who knows?"

"My parents know, obviously.  Other than that, you're the only one.  You're
not mad?"

"Mad?  Why would I be mad?  Here I was thinking that I'd have to give up
lusting after Superman because I had fallen in love and lust with Clark, and
now I find that you're both the same, and I don't need Superman, because
Clark's got everything he's got, combined with everything Clark's got,
and...
I'm babbling, aren't I?"

Clark laughed.  "Yes.  Don't ever stop!"  He pulled her crushingly to his
body, making her sigh with pleasure.  She kissed his shoulder and neck, then
all the way up to his lips for another passionate encounter with his mouth.

Their entwined bodies rose off the kitchen floor and floated toward the
bedroom.  Lois gasped in surprise at the motion.  It was the final factor
that
combined Clark and Superman in her head.

"Clark, this is it, isn't it?" she mumbled, then suddenly pulled away just
far
enough to look into his eyes while retaining the death grip on his body.
"I've fantasized about this since I met you... both of you."

"Lois, me too.  Are you ready?"

"Yes.  I love you."

"I love you."

THE END
As always, comments are more than welcome.  Please visit my website at
http://www.angelfire.com/loisclark/index.html
for my fanfic and some other stuff.
Peace, Love, and Superman,
~~>Susan<~~
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:40:45 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      New Fanfic!! (again<g>)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Well, I've written a monster. :)  It's called "Disquiet Nights (Like
Dreamers
Do)."  I apologize for the number of parts I had to divide it up into, and
if
anybody doesn't feel like cutting and pasting to get the whole,
uninterrupted
story, feel free to email me, and I'd be happy to send you a downloadable
copy.  Also, if you want to see the picture I made but don't feel like going
to the website, I'll email it to you.  The picture is kind of a rip off of
another L&C picture that I downloaded, but I changed it pixel by pixel to
fit
my own warped purpose.  But I will warn you: looking at the picture before
it
says to in the story is a MAJOR spoiler.

Another thing that I feel I must mention is that the story does contain some
real people.  The cats all were real, and all the DECA students were real.
Everything that they did to Lois and Clark (almost) they actually did to
other
people.  I know, because I was one of them.  Sadly, the people in the room
next to us were not as friendly as Lois and Clark were.  We still had fun.
I
can't wait to the state competition again this year, now that I'm a big,
powerful junior!!  (yes, I'm only 16.  I hope that doesn't prevent you from
giving this story a try.)

I especially want to thank Jill and Sharon for reading my story many times
and
tolerating my ideas again and again and again.  I'd like to thank the
tornado
that, although it hit Central New York really hard and knocked my power out
for almost 5 days, it did not create a data-erasing power surge.  I'd like
to
thank my mom for letting me keep a laptop in my room.  I'd like to thank the
people on the list who actually get to the end of the story.  I'd like to
thank my English teacher for making me read "Great Expectations," (but I
still
hate that book!)  I'd like to thank Virgil because he said a lot of quotes
that I liked and included, even though they were in Latin.  I'd like to
thank
a lot of other people, but I'm not going to, because you're probably bored
out
of your skulls by now with these credits.

Well, that said, I hope that you enjoy this story.  It is something of a
downer, but it gets better.

Any comments and/or advice would be gladly accepted.

Bon appetite!
Peace, Love, and Superman,
~~>Susan<~~
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:41:35 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 4/24
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continued from part 3

Lois and Clark lay cuddled up on the bed, exhausted and sweaty.  Clark
nuzzled
Lois' neck.  "I love you, Lois," he murmured.  "I have loved you ever since
I
met you."  He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  "I must be the
happiest man in the world."

Lois smiled back at him, but she didn't feel like smiling.  In fact, she
felt
close to sick inside.  He... he *loved* her?  This couldn't be happening.
That meant that he thought this was out of love.  He thought that she loved
him.  All she had wanted was a sort of one-night thing that didn't mean very
much.  It had been a spur-of-the-moment thing.  She thought he'd understood
that and felt the same, but she had been wrong.

She looked at him.  He was asleep now, handsome and happy.  "What have I
done?" she asked herself.  "How could I have misread him so badly?"  More
importantly, "What am I going to do?"  She didn't love him.  No matter what
happened now, she'd hurt him.  Unless she played along, pretended to love
him... no, that would hurt worse when he found out that she was pretending.
She couldn't fake a relationship with Clark.  But then, that only left...
telling him now how she felt.

"I can't do that.  I can't face him.  Not like this."  She couldn't wake up
naked next to him and say that she didn't love him.  No way in hell.  She
just
couldn't face this situation.  She had to escape, and she had to do it now.

Slowly, she moved away from him.  He moaned in protest, and she froze,
afraid
that he'd wake up, but he remained asleep.  She got out of bed, hating
herself
the whole time, and dressed quickly.  She left the apartment and got into
her
car.

It was two o'clock in the morning, and the darkness outside seemed to accuse
her.  It pressed around the car, trying to get in.  Lois tried her hardest
to
ignore it as she drove to her apartment.  She let herself in, her hands
shaking so badly she could hardly fit the key into its keyhole.  She shut
the
door behind her, and leaned against it.

She didn't want to sleep.  She didn't think she could.  Just to have
something
to do, she pulled out her tax files and began to sort through them.  Math
would keep her from thinking about Clark, now wouldn't it?  It was the kind
of
thing that wouldn't allow your mind to wander, right?  Wrong.  No matter
what
she did, her mind kept drifting back to what had happened such a short time
ago.

Maybe she shouldn't have run away.  Maybe he would have understood.  Somehow
she doubted that he would have felt anything but hurt at the unfair way she
had treated him.  And he deserved to feel hurt.  She would have felt hurt if
the same thing had happened to her.  She had in the past.  Claude.  A name
she'd rather forget.  Was that how she'd be to Clark in the future:  Lois,
the
woman who had hurt him so badly, scaring him away from all other
relationships?  She remembered the feeling she'd had when she'd woken up
without Claude beside her.  And now, because of her, Clark would experience
that.

There was no way for her to act that was fair to him.  No way for her to
cushion the blow.  And the end result was that she'd lost her best friend,
probably forever.  So why had she run?  She was scared of a relationship
with
Clark?  Why was she so scared of that?  Lois wasn't sure, but it was too
late
to have one now, wasn't it?  She'd made her move, and there was no taking it
back.

*************************

At 6:30 in the morning, Clark's alarm clock went off, waking him out of a
deep
sleep.  He shut it off and turned to face Lois.  He reached for her with his
eyes shut, but opened them when his hands didn't touch her.  She wasn't
there.
His blood suddenly turned ice-cold.  He used his x-ray vision to make a
sweep
of the apartment.  "Please, no..." he whispered, but his worst nightmare had
come true.  She wasn't there.  She had left while he was asleep.  He
clenched
his fists tightly.  "Lois, why?" he asked the empty air.  "Why?"

He had to get out of there.  He felt sick.  He flew out of his apartment and
up, up, higher and faster than normal.  His anger fueled him, spurring him
on
to fly faster than he had ever gone before, flying into the sun.  He gave no
thought to the danger of this.  If he suffocated or burned up, he wouldn't
have to face Lois when he went to work.  If he was blinded by the glare, he
wouldn't have to see her.

But nothing like that happened, and he flew on, stopping on Mercury, as the
churning, searing hot planet matched his mood.  He screamed, causing a large
disruption on the planet's surface, avalanches that disfigured previously
untouched cliffs.  Then, he flew back to Earth, knowing he had to go to
work.
He hadn't died, hadn't run out of oxygen.  It was almost too bad.

He landed in his apartment, after taking a detour to the most desolate
places
on Earth and deciding that he like Mercury better even if he couldn't stay
there for very long due to the hostile atmosphere.  He dressed for work and
was there at 7:30, only an hour after his world had been turned into a
living
hell.

The elevator doors opened onto a battlefield as he entered the newsroom.  It
was deceptively calm, and would remain so, as the fight would be mental.  It
would be a nonphysical struggle for sanity, one which both combatants were
slated to lose as the day wore on.

Clark glanced around, almost fearfully, until he saw her.  The one woman who
had ever really meant anything to him.  The only one that he loved.  The
woman
he hated most in the entire world.  Ironic, that these two emotions, most
extreme and most opposite of all, should be merged to create his feeling for
her.  Ironic, and a heavy psychological burden to place on a man, even a
superman.

She hadn't looked up, hadn't seen him yet.  Once she did, this tentative
peace
would be over.  He didn't want to move, didn't want to draw her attention
away
>from her computer screen.  He didn't want to leave the relative safety of
the
area around the elevators.  Here was the high ground, where he was in
control
because he was above the situation and could see any approaching threats.
But, he had to enter the low area, where dangerous things awaited.

Lois knew he was there, could sense his presence as soon as the elevator
doors
opened.  She didn't dare look up.  What he must think of her!  She couldn't
face him.  In a way, it would be worse than it would have been to talk in
his
bed with no armor on.  Here, they had to maintain a pretense of civility.
They had to get their job done.

Finally, Clark forced himself to walk down that ramp into the sea of
reporters
and desks.  He carefully circumnavigated Lois' desk, giving it a wide berth.
He sat at his own desk, wishing it weren't so near hers.  There was only
silence and tension now.  No "Clark, do you want any coffee?"  No talk about
a
story.  Nothing.

Nothing, that was, until Jimmy came up to Clark's desk.  "Hey, CK!  The
Chief
wants to see you and Lois."

"Both of us?"

"Yeah, of course.  You're a *team,* remember?"

A team.  Right.  Great team, just like gasoline and matches, nitroglycerin
and
an earthquake, a nuclear bomb and Hiroshima, Sigourney Weaver and extra-
terrestrials.  In any situation, key ingredients for disaster.  "Fine.
Jimmy,
would you tell Lois?"

"Can't you just..." he trailed off as he caught the full force of Clark's
expression.  "Okay," he said meekly.  He turned around, wondering when Clark
had learned to communicate telepathically.  "Lois?  Perry wants you in his
office."  He didn't mention Clark.  Judging from *his* reaction, hers would
not be pretty.

"Fine," she replied.  She got up and walked into the editor-in-chief's
office.
Her body tensed as her eyes involuntarily focused on Clark.  She wrenched
her
gaze away as Perry began telling them about a story he wanted them on.

He was speaking slowly, Clark realized.  It was a sure sign that he knew
something had happened, but had no idea in Graceland what it was.  He
finished
his instructions and looked at the pair.  It was a difficult feat, as they
were not next to each other as normal, but as far apart as they could
justify
being.  "Okay?" he asked them.

"Okay."

"Fine."

"Good.  Now scram."  Perry sat down at his desk, terrified.  Lois and Clark,
it seemed, had had some sort of a fight.  Not a normal fight, but something
had happened.  Something bad.  Had it been a fight, they would both have
been
irate, with Clark controlling it a good deal better than Lois.  But, Clark
had
been the only one to seem even minimally angry.  He also looked extremely
hurt.  Lois was apparently afraid to have any sort of contact with her
partner, like she was ashamed.  Both seemed truly afraid of the other.  What
horror had befallen his two top reporters?  Perry didn't know, but he swore
to
resolve it before it ruined him.

Lois and Clark walked to the elevator.  They spoke not a word, by mutual
consent.  Both were praying that someone would get in the elevator with
them.
Thankfully, someone did.  It was Cat.  She only rode down to the lobby, not
the parking lot, though.  Lois and Clark had to spend the last ten seconds
of
the elevator ride painfully alone together.  It seemed like ten hours.
Finally the doors opened, and they sprinted out, eager for a breath of fresh
air, eager to escape the claustrophobic area.

But now they faced a new problem:  Lois' car.  They would have to both be in
it at the same time.  It couldn't be helped.  Lois got in on the driver's
side, and Clark on the passenger side.  She stared stonily out the
windshield,
and he out the window, which he opened as soon as the car was started.  He
didn't want to breathe the car air, scented lightly by Lois' perfume.

They made it to the interview without killing each other or themselves.
They
spoke not one word to each other, just to the interviewee, who assumed that
they thought alike so much that there was no need for verbal communication
between the reporters.  They let her think that, not wanting to get into the
real reason.

After they returned to the Planet, they had to deal with the difficult part:
writing the story.  They'd need to ask each other's opinions, and write it
together.  They didn't feel like doing anything as a team.  They managed the
task, by Lois writing and Clark agreeing to just about everything.  When he
did point something out, she did not argue with him.  Lois LAN'd the story
to
Perry.

The Chief read the story, and was appalled.  It was good work, but one of
the
worst stories he had ever seen with the byline "Lane & Kent."  Jimmy could
almost have written it.  He was going to have to do something.  But not yet.
Everything might be better by tomorrow.

**************************

continued in part 5
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:41:58 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 6/24
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continued from part 5

TWO WEEKS LATER

Lois was finishing her dinner with Lex in his penthouse in the sky.  She sat
back and sipped her champagne as she talked with Lex.

"Lois," he said, "you have no idea how much you mean to me, your being here
with me.  I feel like the luckiest man on Earth.  Ever since I made my
fortune, I've felt... alone, somehow.  Thousands of people know me, but no
one
bothers to *really* know me.  No one, that is, except you."

"Well, Lex, I..."

"Wait.  Let me speak.  You are the most important thing in my world, and
that's why I want to say, 'Omnia vincit amor, et nos credamus amori.'  Love
overcomes all things, let us, too, yield to love."  He pulled out a small
box
and proffered it to her.  "Will you marry me?"

"Oh!  Oh, Lex, I don't know what to say."

"Well, there's only a few things you could say.  Yes?  No?  Maybe?"

"Maybe... I need time to think about this.  I mean, it's a really big
decision, and..."

"Take your time, darling.  You have all the time in the world.  But in the
meanwhile, shall we dance?"  He swirled her up into his arms and they swayed
to soft classical music.

********************

That night, Lois lay in bed, confused.  She didn't really know what to do
about this.  Lex wanted her to marry him.  Lex Luthor wanted *her* to marry
him!  She should be thrilled, she should say yes immediately!  Why was she
stopping?  Well, there were three reasons:  Superman, Clark, and herself.

She wasn't sure if *she* wanted a lifetime commitment to anyone.  Lex's
offer
was attractive, sure enough, but it was a little overwhelming.  To spend the
rest of her life with Lex... was that what she wanted?  She'd have power,
prestige, money, not to mention a really good way to get valuable
information
for her job.  What people wouldn't do for Lois Lane, they certainly would do
for Mrs. Lex Luthor.  The very name had power.

But then there was Clark.  If she married Lex, she couldn't do so with a
clean
conscience-- she would be effectively burning the bridge he had wanted her
to
fireproof.  Clark loved her, and if she married Lex, he would be terribly
hurt.  Hadn't she hurt him enough already?  He would be especially hurt
since
he offered her the same thing that Lex offered:  a lifetime commitment and
love.  Why accept Lex's offer rather than Clark's?  Did she love Lex?  She
might.  She wasn't sure.

And then there was Superman.  She loved Superman; she knew that.  But did he
return her feelings?  She wasn't going to wait around forever for a ship
that
might never come in.  She had to find out.  If he loved her, then she would
refuse Lex's proposal.  If he said that he did not return her feelings,
she'd
say yes to Lex.

She told Clark the next day that she needed to speak to Superman.  He could
always find the super hero for some reason.  She didn't tell Clark about
Lex's
proposal.  She just couldn't do it.  Maybe she'd ask Superman's advice on
how
to break it to him.  He was a guy, and apparently as close to Clark as a
brother-- he'd probably know.

That night, she sat in her living room, looking at a magazine.  She wasn't
exactly reading it.  Well, she was reading it, but she had no idea what it
said.  She had read the same page three times, and still hadn't actually
seen
any of the sentences, only jumbled words.

Suddenly, there was a familiar sound at the window.  The man in blue
appeared,
pushing open the panes of glass that were always unlocked.  "Lois?" he
asked.
"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes.  Yes, I did.  I have something really important to say.  Last night, I
was having dinner with Lex, and he said, well, he asked me to marry him."

Superman's face betrayed his shock.  "What did you say?" he asked, almost
fearfully.

"I told him I didn't know, that I had to think about it."  He looked
relieved.
"Superman, I actually want to ask you two things.  First, I don't really
know
how to tell Clark.  I'm afraid he'll be... upset by the news."

"I wouldn't blame him."

"Yeah, neither would I.  You're his friend, do you know how I should go
about
telling him?"

"I don't think there is a best way to tell him, just do it soon.  Don't
wait."

"That's what I figured you'd say.  But this other thing...  I just need to
know how you feel.  Because I guess it's no secret that I love you.  And
this
kind of forced my hand.  So, I just really need to know."

Superman looked down, his stomach churning.  He'd never felt this sick in
his
whole life.  Kryptonite would almost have been better.  "Lois, you don't
know
enough about me to understand what you're asking."

"I want to know."  She said the words softly, begging him to be hers.

He nodded grimly.  "All right.  I wasn't raised on Krypton like everyone
thinks.  I was born there, but sent to Earth as a baby.  So, although I
didn't
become Superman until just recently, I've been here almost my whole life.  I
was raised as a human."

"Are you saying that you have some sort of other life?  A... a secret
identity?"

"Sort of.  I'm saying that *this* is a disguise to protect my real life.  My
normal, human life.  'Superman' isn't real, it's a job.  A job can't love.
I
can't ever give you Superman's love-- it's not mine to give.  Superman
belongs
to all of Metropolis."

"But what about you?  The real person?"

"The real person.  The real person had never been in love, never even been
with a woman before you.  You are the only one that I could ever love.  I
told
you that I'd always love you, that I was yours forever, and you wouldn't
have
me."

"Oh, my..."  Her voice caught in her throat.  "Clark?" she whispered
hoarsely.

"Superman, Clark, Kal-El... they're all me," he said.  "Oh, Lois.  If you
only
had loved me, the real me, I could have given you everything, shown you the
world like you've never seen it before.  We could've had it all."  His voice
was full of pain.  "Why, Lois?  Why Superman?"

"Oh, Clark, I..."  She hung her head in defeat.

"So now we both know the whole story.  You can't have Superman and won't
have
Clark.  That leaves me pretty well out of the picture.  I wish things were
different, Lois, but they aren't, and here we are in the middle of them,
like
it or not.  I suppose I can't give you any reason not to marry Lex.  None
that
you'd accept, anyway.  I can just ask you please, don't.  You don't know Lex
like I do.  He's not a good man.  But, I can't control your life, and even
if
I could, I'd rather see you married to Lex and happy than single and
miserable, but if you think that... that there's any chance for... oh, I
don't
know how to say this.  I don't want you to burn any bridges, but if that's
what you need to do..."  He didn't finish.  "Goodbye, Lois.  I'll see you at
the Planet tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Clark.  I'm sorry," she whispered.

He smiled ruefully at her.  "It's okay.  You do what you need to be happy.
It'll be best for both of us in the long run."  With that, he flew out her
window.

Lois stared into space long after she could no longer see him.  Then she put
on her pajamas and brushed her teeth.  Her mind functioned best when she was
in bed late at night, and she had a lot of thinking to do.  She got under
the
covers and let her brain try to sort out what she was feeling.

Clark didn't want her to act out of pity toward him; if she didn't love him,
then she should marry Lex.  Superman wasn't in the picture any more-- he
didn't exist.  It felt foolish to have fallen in love with someone who
wasn't
real.  And Clark-- she had hurt him more than she had ever imagined.  Having
to see her be enraptured by Superman while ignoring Clark must've been so
difficult, since he knew that Clark was the only real person.

And after she'd caused him all this pain, he was expecting what?  Nothing
other than more of the same heartbreak.  Even if she did love him, she
wouldn't deserve him.  Who was she, Estella?  Giving nothing but pain to the
one who loved her more than anything?

Lois did not like the comparison.  It was too close to the truth.  Estella
had
been cold, heartless, cruel.  Lois was not like that; she at least had
feelings.  Or was she more similar to the character than she thought?  That
Charles Dickens was a menace, Lois decided, and left it at that.

This whole thing, Clark, Superman... it just was too much.  She *didn't*
love
Clark, *couldn't* love Superman, and Lex... well, that was a tough one.  She
wasn't sure about Lex.  She might love him.  She *could* love him.  Ah, that
was the key.  There were possibilities with Lex, promise.  And what did Lois
Lane want?  Clark, who would provide safety, security, and unconditional
love?
Lex, who would provide a challenge, mystery, power, and the possibility of
mutual love?

She knew, ultimately, who she would choose.  Lois Lane never accepted a
passive, no frills life.  She needed the danger, the excitement.  Strange
that
she didn't think of Superman as exciting and dangerous, but he had revealed
himself to be Clark, plain old mild-mannered Clark.  Not that he wouldn't
probably have a few tricks up his blue spandex sleeves, but Superman was an
acting job; Clark wasn't really like that.  He was the safe side.  And Lois
felt that she belonged in the fast lane.

She thought she had made her decision, but one thought still plagued her.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"  Clark's words to her just before they
had made love.  Her answer was less sure this time.

Ah, Estella!

*****************************

continued in part 7
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:41:46 EDT
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 5/24
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continued from part 4

That night, Lois went home exhausted.  The difficulty of keeping away from
Clark had totally drained her.  That, combined with the zero sleep she had
gotten last night, caused her to collapse on her bed without even having
anything for dinner or getting undressed.

One of the downsides to going to bed so early is that one always wakes
before
one wants to, and has far too much time on one's hands.  Lois was put in
this
position the next morning.  She got up with cotton mouth and a stiff neck.
She took off her dress suit and set it aside to be dry-cleaned.  She removed
underwear and pantyhose, and walked into the bathroom for a shower.

In passing, she caught a glimpse of her own naked body in the mirror.  She
shuddered, disgusted at the sight of the traitorous piece of flesh that had
caused all this to happen.  Why had she given in to the sexual temptation?
Had she but known the consequences....  She stepped into the bathroom and
then
into the shower, trying to prepare herself for another day like yesterday.

**************************

Clark, also, was exhausted, and that was a rare thing for him to feel.  His
other main emotion, which was perhaps not quite as rare, was anger.  Anger
at
himself for not understanding what Lois had obviously intended.  Anger at
Lois
for knowing his feelings and taking advantage of that.  She had *known!*
She
had understood how he felt about her, and she had led him on.  She had let
him
feel how it could be, how he had dreamed that it could be, given him a taste
of ambrosia, and then denied him a hope of ever having it again.

She was like cocaine to him.  Every time he saw her, touched her, talked to
her, it went right to the pleasure centers of his brain.  But now she was
gone, and he was suffering withdrawal as no one but an ex-addict could even
imagine.  The stimulant was gone, and his brain was no longer able to be
happy
without her.  He had forgotten how.

And what he wouldn't give for just one more fix.

But that was it, exactly.  He still wanted her.  He still needed her.  He
*couldn't* hate her.  He could only hate himself for not being strong enough
to live without her, not being strong enough to drop her the way she had
dropped him.  And there was sadness.  Lots of sadness, lots of regret.  Sunt
lacrimae rerum.  Indeed, there were many tears for things, as Virgil had
once
said.  Tears for things that he couldn't change and, in a way, didn't want
to.
He didn't want to give up his memories of Lois.

***************************

When Lois and Clark walked in, separately, Perry knew that they had not
resolved the problem by themselves.  Most likely, they badly needed to talk
to
each other, and they were too upset to let that happen.  Neither wanted to
be
the one to start the conversation.  Perry could easily remedy that situation
by being the one to start it.  "LOIS!!! CLARK!!!" he bellowed.  "In my
office,
on the double!!"

The reporters rushed in.  Everyone at the Planet knew better than to go at
less than top speed into the Chief's office when he used that tone and
volume
of voice.  Perry led the reporters into the conference room, where no one
could hear what they were saying.

"Now," he said, "I know you two have been having some major troubles,
personally,"

"Chief..." Lois protested, but trailed off at his glare.

"And I have given you time to work it out alone, but I can see that you
aren't
going to do that without a little push.  Do you want to talk to me about
it?"

Lois and Clark looked away.

"Okay.  Then talk to each other."

"Now?" Lois asked.

"Yes, now.  This little feud is ruining my newsroom and my best reporting
team.  Not to mention two of the people I care most about in the world.  I
want you to discuss whatever it is, and when you're done, you can come out.
But until then..."  Perry left, locking the door behind him.

"He locked us in!" Lois exclaimed indignantly.

"He wants us to talk.  No distractions."

"Fine," she sighed.  "I think we need to talk, anyway."

"So do I."  Clark ran a hand through his hair and paced a little, sure signs
that he was frustrated.  "Lois, I just have to know.  What was it?  What
happened that made you... leave?"

"Clark--"

"Lois, please.  Tell me.  I think I deserve to know.  Was it that bad?" he
asked, only half-joking.

"Clark, no.  It was... incredible."

"But?" he prompted.

"I got scared, I ran.  I'm sorry."

"Lois, you don't have to be scared of this.  I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's not that.  I was scared because I didn't know what to do, what to say
to
you.  That night... I don't know what I was thinking.  But whatever it was,
I
was wrong.  We can't ever have a... a sexual relationship, Clark.  That's
not
right for us."  She hated doing this to him.  His face, his eyes... she
could
see his heart breaking in them.  But she had to do this.  "We're friends,
you
know?  We're friends, Clark, and that's all we were destined to be.  I'm
sorry.  I'm so sorry.  It was wrong of me to... to take advantage of your
feelings when all I wanted was...."  She sighed.

"Lois, are you trying to tell me that you didn't feel anything?  Nothing at
all?"  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  He had felt something
incredible, something so *right.*

"Clark, I felt a lot of things.  But they were all physical.  And I just..."
She broke off and paused for a minute.  "It shouldn't have happened.  None
of
it should have happened.  I want us to be friends.  If I could take back
that
night, I would, but I can't.  I just wish we could go back to the way it
was.
If we could just forget that night..."  Lois trailed off, knowing how
terrible
that sounded, how much she was asking him for.

"Do *you* think you could ever forget it?" Clark asked quietly.

Lois looked down.  "No."

"And neither will I.  But, if that's what you really want, for us to put it
behind us, I'll try to give you that.  But if you ever change your mind, you
know how I feel.  That will never change.  I'm not locking any doors, not
burning any bridges, and you shouldn't, either.  If you ever want to go
back... just say the word."

"Clark..."

"I know.  I know.  But please, remember that.  I'll always be yours, Lois.
I'm not going to say it again, after we leave this room.  I'll keep my
promise
to put all this behind me."  He put a gentle hand to her cheek.  "But for
now,
while we're being honest about our feelings, let me say it just one more
time."  He looked deep, deep into her teary eyes, and she could see the pain
in his own.  "I love you, Lois, and I always will."  He bent to kiss her, a
short kiss that was their final taste of each other.  As it ended, so ended
the affair that had wreaked havoc on their lives.

Clark straightened up, took his hand from her face, and backed away.  He
handed Lois a tissue to wipe her tears with.  Then, he walked over to the
door
and knocked to get Jimmy's attention.  Jimmy got Perry, who unlocked the
door.
Lois and Clark went silently back to their desks.

Lois sat down, thinking about what had just happened.  Clark had given her
more than she could have possibly hoped for, and been more understanding
than
anyone else in the world would have been in the same situation.  Still, it
hurt so much to be the cause of such terrible pain to her best friend.  And
it
hurt not to be able to love him the way he deserved her to love him.
Whoever
said love is hell was a smart man.

"Come on, Lois," said Clark's voice from behind her.  "We've got a story to
do."

She turned to face him, seeing right through his attempt at a pleasant
business-like smile.  "I'm right behind you," she replied.

************************

continued in part 6
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:42:11 EDT
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 7/24
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continued from part 6

EIGHT DAYS LATER

Lois sat on her couch, looking at the rock on her hand.  She sighed.  Her
choice had been made, and now she would just have to wait to see if it had
been the right one or not.  Clark had been so sad when she'd told him.  He'd
known it was going to happen-- he'd realized it before she had-- but, it
still
came as a shock, to actually see the ring on her finger.  Maybe he had
secretly hoped that she'd change her mind, come running up to him, saying
that
she loved him...  Maybe she should have.  Could she have learned to love
Clark?

"No!" she reprimanded herself.  She couldn't allow herself to think like
this!
It was too close to the way the little voices had convinced her it was okay
to
sleep with Clark.  She had already committed to a course of action, and she
couldn't back down now.  But still, the look on Clark's face would have been
enough to make Godzilla stop and ponder the consequences of his actions.

He'd been rather cold to her today.  In fact, he'd been cold since she'd
told
him of her engagement.  It wasn't an icy, stony, angry feeling, but a
distantness that came from not wanting to be around her.  If she hadn't lost
her best friend already, she'd done it now.  Maybe he did have a bit of
anger
towards her.  She deserved it.  Lord knew she deserved it!

She turned her thoughts to her upcoming wedding.  They had decided on a
short
engagement.  Practically an elopement.  It gave the media less time to
spread
rumors, to find out what was happening.  It was only three weeks long, and
the
first week was already over.  But, there were so many people working on the
wedding that everything could have been done by today if they had wanted
that.
She was glad the wedding was so soon.  As long as she was unmarried, she
kept
wanting to change her mind.  It was wrong of her to think that way, but she
knew the daydreams and fantasies wouldn't go away until she was married.
Then
there was no way to turn back, even if she convinced herself that she
should.

The wedding itself was horribly expensive, not unlike the ring she wore on
her
left hand.  They had rented the use of a huge ornate cathedral, specially
selected for its long aisle.  Her gown was fantastic, all white silk and
lace,
with white and rose pearls dancing across it.  She almost didn't want to
touch
it, for fear that she would degrade it somehow.

Lois knew almost nothing about the reception.  It had been planned to suit
whatever Lex had in mind.  She had not chosen the bridesmaids' dresses,
although she *was* permitted to choose the bridesmaids.  What an honor, she
thought sarcastically.  She didn't pick the chef to make the wedding cake,
or
what it would look like.  The gown hadn't even been her choice.  The whole
time it was being designed, it was "Oh, Lois, this will look fabulous," and,
"No, we wouldn't want to do that," and, "I think we should put some more
pearls *here*."  Nobody let her say that she wanted it to be simpler.  ("If
you wanted a simple wedding, you should've married a simple man!")  Nobody
let
her have any say in the details of anything.  ("Now, you leave that to me,
dearie.  I'm a professional!")  So Lois for once allowed herself to be
pushed
out of the way.  Maybe she'd be lucky and there would be some party crashers
to liven things up.  Now there was a funny thought.  Lex would be horrified,
of course.

Overall, she hated this.  It was like she was losing control, and had been
since she'd agreed to marry Lex.  He'd seen her answer as some sort of
submission, allowing him to do what he wanted because he *knew* she'd agree
with it if he asked her.  So, why even bother asking her?  But maybe he
would
change once they were married.

Maybe he wouldn't.  Maybe she should break off the engagement and run to
Clark.  Maybe no one would even miss her-- she didn't have much to do with
the
wedding anyway.  She hated doubting her own decision just as much as she
hated
not being involved in her wedding.  She'd chosen the path that made the most
sense, right?  Why did she keep leaning toward the other way?  What was
wrong
with her?  This must be those pre-wedding jitters you always hear so much
about.

There was good reason to be afraid.  She was shutting all the doors, locking
herself in a cage, abandoning her freedom.  Why was she doing this?
Suddenly,
she felt like a caged bird, panicking and desperate to fly away.  She tried
to
shake off the frightening feeling.  She couldn't bolt, not now.

But adrenaline had her blood pumping, and she just had to *do* something.
She
left her apartment and drove until she came to the high school.  She parked
the car and jogged over to the deserted track.  She could see enough by
street
lights and moonlight that she could run.  She needed to be here instead of
on
the streets, here where she could run blindly and safely.  She forced
herself
to stretch, and then took off.

Wind tugged at her hair and at her clothes.  She was going as fast as she
could, but still wanted to be going faster.  She wished that she could fly,
the way Clark could.  How many times had he vented his frustration by flying
somewhere?  Would the entire world be enough of a track for him?

She pushed herself harder and harder, her feet pounding away the miles.
Finally the lactic acid building up in her muscles forced her to stop, and
she
immediately dropped to the ground with a cry of frustration.  She took a few
deep, ragged breaths, and managed to stand shakily.  How far had she run?
How
many miles?  Her legs felt like jelly, and she could barely walk.  She
managed
to get back to her car, but she didn't immediately drive away.

If this was the kind of feeling that being engaged to Lex brought, then
should
she go through with the wedding?  She didn't know if she should, but she
knew
that she would.  It was the old Lane determination.  Once she started
something, she would finish it.  Or was it the old Lane stupidity?

She drove home and immediately went to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as
her head hit the pillow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lois woke, and was surprised to realize that it had all been a dream.  At
first, she wasn't sure, but then she looked at her hand.  No ring.  It was
gone!  No, it had never been there.  She was slightly disoriented, but a
drink
of water soon cleared her thoughts.  Clark had just flown away.  Lex was
still
waiting for an answer.

She glanced at the clock.  The number 2:34 glowed back at her.  She had made
her decision, but somehow, in the early morning hours, her brain was clearer
and she began to re-think it.  She was troubled by her dream of what an
engagement with Lex would be like.  She wanted to tell herself that it was
just a dream, that it wouldn't really be like that, but she knew better.
That
was exactly the way it would be.

She had thought that she could learn to love Lex.  Could she really?  If she
could, why couldn't she learn to love Clark?  He loved her, she knew that.
Both men loved her, but Clark's love was so much more pleasant than Lex's.
Lex was controlling and dominant.  He wanted her with a possessiveness that
scared her.  She was afraid of losing herself to him.  Once she was Lex's,
she
feared that she couldn't be her own.

But Clark was different.  His love was open.  He did not pick up the reins
as
Lex would, but let her have her head.  She could go where she wanted, do
what
she chose, and all his love meant was that his arms would always be open to
her.  Instead of taking her, he gave himself.

And she *did* love Clark.  Try as she might to fool herself into thinking
otherwise, she loved him.  His gentle touch, his tender words, the way he
treated her.  He was much more than she deserved, so why would she refuse
that
for something she *did* deserve?  A love like that, like every woman dreams
of, and she was considering refusing it?  Temporary insanity.  It could have
been nothing else.

Then she thought of Clark, who was probably not sleeping very well.  With
her
and Lex, it was always she who was powerless, she who wondered if she was in
over her head.  But with Clark, she was behind the steering wheel.  He had
given her that, and she had driven him directly into hell for it.  Now, the
road had suddenly forked, and she wasn't going to wait any longer to take
the
path she should have been on all along.

She dressed quickly, but was still frustrated at how long it took.  She ran
out to her car and drove to Clark's apartment.  Even with the minimal
traffic
that is on the road at 2:45 in the morning, it was a small miracle that she
didn't kill herself, driving as she did.

After what seemed like forever, but was really about five minutes, she was
at
his doorstep, knocking frantically on the piece of wood that barred her from
what she was here to do.  "Come on, Clark, answer your damn door!" she
muttered.

Clark, startled by the knocking that woke him out of a troubled sleep, took
a
second to put on his glasses and get to the door.  Ten seconds after the
knocking started, he opened it.  It was a pretty good speed, considering
that
it *was* almost three in the morning, but it seemed like an hour to the
person
on the other side of the door.

Lois watched, her heart pounding in her throat as he opened the door.  And
there he was, in boxers and glasses, in all his masculine three a.m. glory.
She flew into his arms, the strong arms that were ready and willing to hold
her.  She clung to him like she would never let go.  "Oh, Clark, Clark, I
was
such an idiot," she cried, tears streaming down the sides of her face.  "Can
you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, Lois," he murmured, holding her tightly, almost overwhelmed.
Lois
had made her decision, and she had chosen him!  He had expected her to go
with
Lex, but here she was, in his arms at three in the morning.  He stroked her
hair, not quite believing that she was there.

Lois buried her face in his muscular shoulder.  "I love you, Clark.  I love
you so much."  How had she ever thought otherwise?  How had she ever wanted
to
be anywhere but here, with anyone but Clark?

He pulled back slightly, to look into her eyes.  "Do you mean that, Lois?
Are
you sure?"

"Yes!  Yes, this time I'm absolutely sure.  *This* is what I want.  Real,
solid love."  She pushed forward slightly, meeting his lips with her own.
He
tasted so good, even better than she remembered.  She'd never felt so
absolutely euphoric.  She leaned heavily into him, devouring him, taking the
kiss deeper every second.  She almost didn't notice that they were floating,
drifting toward the bedroom until they were there.

They tumbled onto the bed, and for the second time in their lives, they made
love.  This time, there were no illusions, no questioning of motives.  Both
were in love, and there were no longer any doubts or fears.

continued in part 8
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:42:22 EDT
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continued from part 7

A long time later, Lois lay next to Clark, exhausted, but happier than she
could ever remember being.  She no longer had to deal with her decision, or
with wondering if she had made the right one.  She *knew* with a fierce
certainty that this was right.  This was what she was meant to do.  She
sighed, and snuggled close to her lover.  In a few warm and fuzzy minutes,
she
was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lois awoke, something was terribly wrong.  She reached out to touch
Clark, but he was gone.  The other side of the bed was empty.  And, it was
not
Clark's bed; it was hers.  She was in her apartment, wearing the
nightclothes
she had put on after her late night run.  This had not been a dream, but
last
night with Clark had been.  She knew that now, and the reality hit her like
a
falling safe in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

She was engaged to Lex.

They were still going to have the wedding in two weeks.  And Clark was not
speaking to her, much less spending the night with her.  That part had all
been a dream.  It had seemed so *real* to her, but it wasn't.

Where had the dream come from?  Now that was the real question.  She
supposed
it was her nervousness about the wedding combined with sexual desire for
Clark
and how she missed her partner.  Maybe part of it was born of wondering if
she
had made the right decision.

Right now it was all too much to deal with.  Lois needed to take a shower
and
then to go to work.  She was still exhausted (from the running, not from
being
with Clark, she reminded herself), but that was no cause to neglect her duty
as a reporter.

She wasn't even sure that she wanted to see Clark right now.  Last night's
dream had been all too vivid, resurrecting memories of a night that was not
a
dream, memories that could only make her unhappy in her new life.  She knew
she'd eventually start comparing Clark to Lex, which would most likely lead
to
a dissatisfaction with Lex.  That brought up the question again:  if she
would
be satisfied with Clark, and unsatisfied with Lex, then why was she marrying
Lex?

"Because I don't love Clark!" she exclaimed aloud to herself, hoping that
hearing a voice saying it would make it so.  She did not love Clark, and
changing her mind now would only result in confusion and probably
humiliation.

A little while later, she was walking in the doors to the Planet newsroom.
It
was the place she loved, yet it had somehow changed.  It was the tension
that
now existed between her and Clark.  It was getting to the point where it was
almost unbearable.  She knew he was there, and spotted him in a second.  He
wasn't looking at her, but at his computer screen.  He looked so handsome.
Those eyes, those lips, that body...

She was going insane.  She was going insane, and she knew it.  Maybe she
should consider what Lex had advised, and take a break from the Daily
Planet,
just for the two remaining weeks of their engagement and then a while longer
for the honeymoon.  It's not like she and Clark were getting much work done
together anyway, she reasoned.  She deserved a vacation.

That wasn't true.  Well, it was true, but those weren't her reasons for
wanting a vacation.  She just wanted to get away from Clark, and she knew
it.
What better way to quash wedding jitters than by removing the source?

She went to talk to Perry.  He was surprised, to say the least, but he
agreed
to give her the time.  Clark was downright shocked, and upset.  Even though
he
could hardly stand the sight of her, after everything she'd done, he still
loved her.  And after she was gone, both Clark Kent and Superman seemed a
little more downtrodden than usual to the people they interacted with.

That night, Lois went home, feeling defeated and small.  She knew the
decision
she had made had been right, but it still hurt to leave the Planet, to leave
Clark.  At least her wedding would be soon.  Although then she'd have to
wait
until the honeymoon was over before she could *finally* go back.  And she
didn't think Lex would cut the honeymoon time short so she could go back to
work.  It was just something that is not done.  Of course, most people would
prefer to be on their honeymoon than at work.

"Oh, what am I thinking?" Lois said to herself.  This was simply downgrading
her honeymoon.  She was sure she'd have a great time.  She was just confused
right now, and she needed sleep.  She closed her eyes and deadened her mind
to
the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She awoke in the position she had expected to be in yesterday morning.  She
was in Clark's bed, snuggled up next to him while he slept.  She sat up
abruptly, shocked.  But this was a dream!  Or had it been?  Was the
engagement
to Lex a dream?  A recurring dream?  It certainly seemed like it from here.

"Lois?"  Clark was awake, and confused by the look on her face.  "What's the
matter?"

She looked at her hand.  Her ring!  It was gone!  "I just..." she began,
"had
the strangest dream..."

"What was it about?  You're as white as a ghost!  Are you okay?"

"I was engaged to Lex, and I fell asleep and realized it was a dream, that I
wasn't engaged and you had just flown out of my window.  Then I came here
and
fell asleep--"

"Not right away," Clark interjected.

Lois grinned a little at that.  "No, not right away," she agreed.  "But I
woke
up back in my apartment, thinking that last night was a dream, and I was
really engaged to Lex.  But now, I'm here, and... it seems like my
engagement
was a dream.  Am I dreaming now?"

"No way," said Clark.  He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the bare
shoulder.  "This is no dream."

Lois shuddered as he ran his hands over her naked skin.  "Mmmmmm...
definitely
not a dream..." she murmured as she leaned into an open-mouthed passionate
kiss.

***************************

Clark cradled Lois easily in his arms.  She sighed, resting against him.
She
was happy now, but she could still remember the hopelessness of her dream.
And the worst part had been waking up and thinking that having Clark was a
dream.

Having Clark.  The words sent a delicious shiver down her spine.  He noticed
her happy smile and murmured into her ear, "What'cha grinning about?"

His low, throaty voice widened her smile.  "About... taking," she said,
deliberating salaciously over that word, "the hottest, most gorgeous,
most...
talented guy in the world."

"Mmmmm..."  He nuzzled her neck, brushing it with her lips.  She tilted her
head to the side, allowing him better access.

"Oh, Clark, I love you," she sighed.  "I don't want this to ever end."

"What do you want to do today?"

"Um.  This is nice...  Let's go out for breakfast.  We've never actually had
a
date, and maybe we should."

"Breakfast?  Too late for breakfast.  How about brunch?  We can have our
first
date over brunch."

"Having a first date after the second night with someone seems out of
order."

"Nahhh.  Hey, there aren't any rules."  He nipped the skin under her ear.

"All's fair in love and war," Lois replied, pushing back against him.

***************************

continued in part 9
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:41:24 EDT
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continued from part 2

It was the next day, at the Daily Planet.  The smell of coffee lingered in
the
air, and the sounds of people busy working filled the reporters' ears.  Lois
walked in slightly late, and Clark looked up as she passed his desk.
"Morning, Lois.  How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess, considering."

"Good.  I told you not to drink so much."

"Sorry.  I should've listened.  Maybe I should listen to you more often."

"What?  Lois?  Are you sure you're feeling better?"

"Can it, Kent."

"A little cranky, are we?"

"Better stop now, before I kill you.  I'm not in the mood for this."

"Oh?  What are you in the mood for?"  He batted his eyelashes dramatically
at
her.

Lois rolled her eyes.  She had left herself wide open for that one.  She had
no good remark, so she just shot back a threat.  "Clark, if you don't shut
up,
I'm going to have to throttle you."

"No, I know you wouldn't hurt me."  His voice dropped to a stage whisper.
"Not after last night."  Clark was well aware that there were many people
who
had begun to listen in on their conversation, and that was why he was
enjoying
it so much.

"Clark, you idiot, I was drunk!"  Reflecting upon her words after they had
left her mouth, she realized that that was probably an interesting comment
for
their audience to hear.

"Oh, I remember."  He winked conspiratorially.

Lois decided to surrender.  Even if she won, it would definitely be a
phyrric
victory-- hardly worth it.  "Clark, let's get to work."

"Fine," he agreed, and they did.

Lois went to her desk and flipped on her computer.  She was rather
distracted
by memories, however.  She had quite shamelessly pursued Clark, hadn't she?
And he had resisted all her plays.  She didn't remember exactly what she had
said to him, but little scenes were coming back to her.  It was actually
kind
of funny, everything that had happened.  Clark was quite a gentleman,
despite
his teasing this morning.

That was as far as his un-gentlemanly behavior went, in fact.  Teasing.
Other
than that, he always treated everyone with respect.  Even her.  Lord knew
she
didn't deserve it after the way she'd treated him!  It had taken quite a
while
for her to acknowledge the fact that Clark Kent was not, in fact, dirt, but
a
living, breathing person.  A living, breathing person with manners!

She only had a short time to think about the events of the night before,
because a story was brought to their attention almost immediately.  They
left
the Planet and went down to the New Troy Bank to write about the robbery
that
had just occurred.  It seemed that nobody in the bank could remember any
details during or immediately before the robbery, but that might just have
been Lois' take on it.  They did eventually get all the information that
they
could, but it took a lot of patient questioning, mostly done by Clark, as
Lois
was not the patient kind.

After that, there was a murder on Carlon Ave., a suicide on Benedict St.,
and
an arson on Lyndale Dr.  Lois and Clark were extremely busy, running around
the entire day.  By the time they got to go home, they were both beat.  Lois
was especially worn out, because she had not been feeling all that well this
morning.

Lois and Clark were driving down the road in Lois' jeep.  Lois, for once,
was
in the passenger seat, being especially tired after all the events of today.
Clark looked over at her and sighed.  She looked so exhausted, and like she
needed quite a bit of special care to make her feel better.  So he said to
her, "Come on, Lois.  You look like you need some pampering.  Let's go over
to
my place, watch a movie or two, and just let me take care of you.  Okay?"

"Well..."  Lois wasn't sure what to say.  The idea of having Clark
"pampering"
her *was* pretty appealing, and she bet he could make her feel really good,
but there was a nagging voice in her head telling her that she should be
doing
this with Lex.  She opted to ignore it.  "Okay."  She smiled a little,
trying
not to hear the guilty little voices, the one telling her it was not nice to
Lex to feel so good being with Clark and the other telling her it was not
nice
to Clark to like him so much but stay with Lex.  She was just going to have
a
nice evening.

When they got to Clark's house, Clark parked the jeep and they both got out.
Clark would have opened Lois' door for her, but she was too quick and was on
the curb before he even shut his door.  He did, however, get to open his
apartment door for her, although he stopped short of carrying her in and
putting her on the couch, which he wanted to do, but felt she wouldn't
appreciate.  Little did he know that Lois would have appreciated it enough,
she just would've felt the little voices increase their volume.

"Sit down, take off your shoes, get comfortable," Clark invited.  "I'll cook
something for us.  Any preferences?"

"Mmm.  Surprise me."  A smile tugged at her lips at the thought of Clark
cooking for her.  Of course, it wouldn't be a surprise, as she fully
intended
to go into the kitchen and watch him cook.

"Okay.  But first, I'm going to change.  You're welcome to borrow anything
in
my closet or dresser, if you want to change, too."

"Yeah, thanks."

Clark went into his bedroom and quickly changed into a t-shirt and jeans,
not
at super-speed, but quickly.  He came back into the living room, where Lois
was sitting on the couch.  "Go ahead.  I'll be in the kitchen, deciding what
to make."

Lois walked into Clark's bedroom with a little grin on her face.  She opened
the closet, but found nothing but suits and ties there.  Nothing she could
change into to be more comfortable.  She walked over to his dresser and
pulled
the top drawer open.  There were some t-shirts and sweatshirts there.  She
grabbed a dark blue sweatshirt that said "Arizona Jean Co." on it and shut
the
drawer.  The second drawer had more sweatshirts and t-shirts.  The third had
jeans, sweatpants, and shorts.  She grabbed a pair of black shorts that had
elastic at the top and would probably fit her.  It was a good thing that
Clark
had a pretty lean waist.  What size would he wear in women's clothing?  Ten?
Fourteen?  Twelve?  Lois giggled a little at the bizarre thought.

She took off her dress suit and stockings and put on the shorts and
sweatshirt.  Then, she folded her outfit carefully so that it didn't
wrinkle.
She looked at herself in Clark's full length mirror and smiled.  The clothes
were a little baggy, and she looked kind of childish and cute, if she did
say
so herself.  She was comfortable, anyway, in Clark's clothes.

She wandered barefoot into the kitchen, creeping up behind Clark, putting
her
hands on his arms and her chin on his shoulder.  "What're we cooking?" she
asked softly into his ear.

Clark smiled at the feeling.  "Nothing yet.  And anyway, you aren't cooking.
I am.  So you can watch or go watch TV or whatever."

"I wanna watch," Lois said.  She jumped up onto the counter and crossed her
legs, smiling sweetly at Clark.

Clark grinned back.  She looked so cute, sitting there in his clothes, on
his
kitchen counter...  He was glad he'd suggested it.  He started to get the
stuff out he'd need for a simple pasta dish, and then realized that the pot
he
normally used to boil the water was in the cabinet above Lois' head.  He
walked over to her and leaned forward.

Lois was surprised by his actions, and was confused.  She suffered a moment
of
panic, not knowing what he was doing, and not knowing what she was supposed
to
do.  Clark rescued her unknowingly by asking her to move forward a little so
that he didn't hit her on the head with the cupboard door.  Relieved, she
did
as he asked.  Clark reached over and up, moving other pans out of the way to
get the one he wanted.  This action placed their faces very close together.

Lois could feel his hot breath on her lips, and the heat of his body seemed
to
surround her.  It felt... cozy, but with a certain amount of tension, just
enough to be thrilling.  All too soon, Clark pulled away with the dish he'd
wanted.  Lois bit her lip in embarrassment at what she'd been feeling.
Okay,
so he was really sexy and really sweet, and really close to her.  Was that
any
reason to get all hot?  Well... maybe.  And she had to admit, she *was*
sexually attracted to Clark.  There was no denying that.  Who wouldn't be?

As she was thinking these things, she was watching Clark measure water into
the pan he had just gotten.  The way his muscles rippled under the tight t-
shirt gave her goosebumps.  At first, she tried to stop herself from
thinking
this way, but then she just let it go.  He had to know she was attracted to
him, and she was almost positive he felt the same way.  And since they were
best friends, why not... indulge each other by being the object of and maybe
satisfying a little bit of lust?  It was one of the perks of having a best
friend of the opposite sex.  She was tired of fighting her attraction to
him.
She knew she'd eventually give in sometime, and now was as good as any.

Clark put the pot of water on to boil and moved over to Lois.  "Now we've
got
a few minutes," he said.  He walked pretty close to her, and she put her
hands
on his shoulders.  "What do you want to do?"

Lois gulped, suddenly feeling the full effect of the extremely suggestive
position they were in.  She was sitting on the counter, arms on Clark's
shoulders.  He was leaning against the counter between her legs, hands on
her
waist.  If she moved forward just a couple of inches....  It would be so
easy.
She wondered if Clark could hear her heart racing.

Clark felt the sudden urge to blush furiously at how close he had placed
himself to Lois.  He backed up, looking at the floor.  He'd had no business
doing that, moving up to her like that or putting his hands on her waist.
Of
course, she *had* put her hands on his shoulders and uncrossed her legs to
allow him to move closer.  It had certainly seemed like an invitation.  Had
it
been one?

Lois felt embarrassed because she had obviously embarrassed Clark.  She
jumped
off of the counter, which placed her, once again, close to Clark, their
bodies
almost touching.  Clark quickly stepped backward, startled.  He wasn't sure
what she was thinking, but *his* thoughts were entirely too clear.

"Let's, ah, start a movie," Lois suggested.

"Sure," said Clark.  They walked into the living room.  "What do you want to
see?"

"Something light."

"How about 'The Breakfast Club'?"

"Great."  Lois allowed herself a delighted grin as she watched Clark move
over
to the videos and bend to look for the one he wanted.  'Damn,' she thought,
'I'm gonna like this!'  She smothered her countenance back to a friendly
smile
as Clark turned around, the lustful gleam in her eyes diminishing enough to
be
undetectable.  Well, almost undetectable.  It didn't matter, because Clark
would figure it out soon enough.

Clark sat on the couch after putting the movie in the VCR and turning it on.
It was rewound from the last time he had watched it.  Lois had figured him
for
that type of person.  His apartment was incredibly neat for a bachelor pad--
it only seemed natural that all his videos would be rewound.

Lois moved closer to Clark, resting her head on his shoulder.  She shifted a
couple of times to get comfortable.  Clark put his arm around her and she
smiled, leaning into him contentedly.  Despite nagging doubts about Lex,
Lois
was enjoying herself.  She'd never promised Lex that she'd date only him, or
that she would stay away from other men.

Clark felt confused.  Lois seemed like she liked him... really *liked* him,
all of a sudden.  She was snuggling up against him, and then there was that
incident in the kitchen.  The more he thought about it, the more he realized
that stuff like that didn't just accidentally happen.  *Had* it been an
invitation?  What was she trying to do here?  Whatever it was, it was great.
He felt almost overwhelmed by her, but thrilled at the same time.  Maybe
after
all this time of one-sided love, she was finally coming to love him.

Glancing at him sideways, Lois realized that Clark wasn't paying much
attention to the movie.  She grinned, attempting to guess what he was
thinking.  She cuddled up a bit closer to him, placing her hand on his
thigh.
Pretty comfortable.

They sat that way for a little while.  Then, Clark excused himself to go
check
to see if the water was boiling.  He didn't really need to check; he knew it
was boiling.  He just had to put the pasta in.  Lois followed him into the
kitchen, watching as he poured spiral macaroni into the boiling water and
put
another pot on the stove.  He didn't put anything in it yet, and did not
turn
on the flame under it.  He went to the refrigerator and took out a plastic
container of homemade sauce.  He poured it into the other pot.  He added
some
frozen stir-fry vegetables to it and turned on the flame underneath.

As he stirred the macaroni and the sauce, Lois went behind him and leaned
against his back.  She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on
the back of his neck.  In a low voice, she asked, "Did you make the sauce
yourself?"

"Yeah," he replied, slightly distracted from her words by her voice.  "My
mom
showed me how a while ago."

"That's nice."  Clark could feel Lois' words vibrate in her chest and
throat.
Lois closed her eyes and just leaned against him comfortably.  Clark
continued
to stir the contents of the two pots, his thoughts whirring around wildly in
his head much as the macaroni beginning to float swirled around in its
confined space as he stirred it.

Behind his head, Lois smiled as she sensed his confused thoughts.  She
wasn't
the only one who was fighting desire here.  Clark wasn't going to be
difficult, she knew that.  It was strange.  He wasn't an easy person,
typically.  She'd seen other women go after him, women who really knew how
to
play the game, and he'd always resisted.  But with *her*....  Had it always
been like this and she was just seeing it now?  Or had something just
snapped
with both of them?

All too soon, the cooking was done, and it was time to eat.  He reluctantly
broke from Lois' embrace, and got two bowls from the cabinet.  He set them
on
the table while he drained the pasta.  He filled the dishes, pouring the
sauce
and vegetables over the pasta, and got drinks for them both.  They went back
into the living room to finish the movie while they ate.

Leaning forward to set her empty bowl on the table, Lois groaned at a pain
in
her back.  "I must've hurt it doing something," she said.

"Here," said Clark, "let me help."

"Oh, that's okay..." she began.

"Come on, Lois."

"Well... okay."  She smiled.

"Lie down, face down, on the couch."

Lois did as he directed, and shuddered deliciously as his hands touched her
back, massaging all the tension and pain out of them.  She moaned as his
fingers hit upon a particularly tender spot.

Clark leaned down, his mouth next to her ear.  "Good?" he asked.

"Mmmmmm..." she replied, as his hands set her skin on fire.  Who knew that
Clark could spark so much desire in her?  This was ten times as intense as
what she'd felt during that kiss in the honeymoon suite of the Lexor hotel.
She wanted him so badly she almost couldn't take it anymore.  She turned
around, pushing his hands off, and kissed him, throwing her arms around his
neck and bringing him down on top of her.

Clark was surprised, but not unpleasantly.  He returned her kiss
enthusiastically, encouraging her to take it deeper.  She groaned when his
lips moved to her neck.  "Oh, Clark... please... I want you..."

Responding to her plea, Clark lifted her off the couch and carried her into
the bedroom.  Just before he laid her down on the bed, he looked into her
eyes.  "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes.  Oh, yes."

*********************

continued in part 4
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:42:44 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 10/24
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continued from part 9

The next morning, Lex was called away on urgent business.  He had been angry
with the people who had caused this on the first day of his marriage, and
Lois
had been afraid of him, really afraid, for the first time.  He swore to her
that he would be back before night, and she had been kind and understanding,
although disappointed that he would be gone on the first day of their
honeymoon.

But, when he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief, and walked to the
phone.
She had a call she needed to make.  She dialed the numbers that would bring
her to the person she needed to talk to right now.  The phone rang once,
twice, three times.  Lois was gripped by a fear that the person wouldn't be
home.  But, on the fifth ring, the phone was picked up.

"Hello?" asked a female voice.

"Hey, Luce," Lois said rather despondently.

"Lois?  What's wrong?"  Lucy was immediately worried about her big sister.
"It's the morning after your wedding night!  You're supposed to be thrilled
out of your mind!"  She thought a little humor might help.

"No, Lucy, that's the problem."

Lucy knew Lois better than to make a funny remark now.  She just let Lois
continue.

"I mean, I know I *should* be happy, but I'm not.  I'm married to Lex now,
but
all I can think about is Clark."

"Oh," said Lucy sympathetically.  "Do you love him?"

"I don't know.  I think so.  But then, there's Lex...  I'm not sure of
anything any more."

"Well, let's find out.  All we need to do is compare Lex and Clark.  When
you
hear it out loud, you'll figure out who you love."

"Compare them?  How do you mean?"

"Well, how about this?  I'll ask you a question, and you answer it about
Lex,
then about Clark.  Okay?"

"Okay."

"Would you feel comfortable going to a bar with him and getting ripped,
unable
to control your own actions?"

That one she didn't even need to think about.  She had just made that
decision
a short time ago.  "Lex, no.  Clark, yes."

"Okay, that's one for Clark, O for Lex.  I'm keeping score.  Okay, now.  How
about crashing on a sofa in your sweats, watching movies?"

"Well, Lex, maybe.  Clark, definitely."

"Lex, 1/2, Clark, 2.  How do they compare physically?"

"Lucy!"  Already she felt better.  Only her sister could be so...
comfortingly
juvenile.

"Well?"

"Okay, fine, I can't believe I'm doing this.  Lex is really handsome.  He
has
nice, thick hair, he's pretty muscular, lean, great eyes."

"And Clark?" Lucy prompted.

"Clark is... gorgeous.  His hair is really sexy, the way it sometimes falls
over onto his forehead, and his eyes are adorable.  His body is, well,
absolutely amazing.  He's just as... well-defined as Superman."

"Oh, really?" Lucy asked, interested.

"Yeah..." Lois replied wistfully.

"Wow.  Well, how about sexually?  How do they compare there?  Because
sometimes it's not what you've got but how you use it that counts, if you
know
what I mean."

"Um.  Lex is great, but then why wouldn't he be?  He's been with, like, five
hundred women.  He never lacked... practice.  Clark, on the other hand,
didn't
have anywhere near that number.  In fact, he lost his virginity only very
recently."

"You're kidding!  A babe like that?"

"It's true.  He lost it last month.  With me."

"He did?  I thought..."

"No, I just learned a few weeks ago that it had been his first time."

"Oh, that is so... wow.  Was he good?" she asked, already guessing the
answer
by the smug satisfaction in Lois' voice.  This was a new perspective of Lois
and Clark's night together.  When Lois had told her about it earlier, she
had
stressed the confusion and the problems that had resulted, not the actual
night.

"Oh, Luce, you have *no* idea!  I thought I was going to die of pleasure,
and
it would have been worth it if I had.  I can't even *imagine* how he'd be if
he had practice.  My feeble human brain can't bear the speculation."

"Wow.  The perfect lover?"

"Yes."

"Wow," she said again.  It seemed to be the vocabulary word for the night.
"No wonder you're thinking about him on your honeymoon..."  Then she got
back
on track.  "Okay, so far Clark has four, and Lex has got 1/2 a point for
maybe
watching movies in ratty old clothes.  I want you to think back before you
got
engaged to Lex, and before you slept with Clark.  Had you ever given them an
opportunity to take advantage of you and they didn't?"

"Well, not really with Lex.  I always watched myself around him.  Of course,
I've spent a lot less time with him than with Clark."

"And what about with Clark?"

"Hmmm.  There was the time we were staying in the honeymoon suite of the
Lexor
hotel for a couple of days.  We were undercover on a story.  And he didn't
take advantage of the situation.  Then, there was the time I was hit by this
pheromone compound that made me madly desire Clark for about forty-eight
hours.  Even after *two days* of seduction attempts, he didn't crack,
because
he knew my feelings weren't real."

"Two days?"

"He's got incredible self-control.  If the situation had been reversed and
*I*
was the one affected, I'd probably have been in his bed in an hour or so.
Anyway, then there was this time somebody was trying to kill me, so I asked
him if I could spend the night at his place.  Then there was the time Perry
locked us in the supply closet until we were 'ready to be civil to the new
photographer' even though the new photographer was a total... never mind.
But
we were in this teeny tiny closet for two hours.  *Then* there was the time
we
went to my friend's party and I got ripped and started making not-too-subtle
passes at him.  The incredible self-control made a cameo again.  And then
there was the time I stayed at his house for a night, after someone had
attempted to rape me."

"What?!"  Lucy was shocked.  "You never told me about that!"

"I never told anyone.  Clark was the only one who knew.  I remember going to
his house, and taking a really hot shower.  I just crumbled up on his
bathroom
floor, and eventually he came in.  He was so worried about me..."

Lois hadn't wanted to go home alone, so she had accepted with gratitude
Clark's offer to come to his place.  She felt so dirty from what had almost
happened, from that guy... touching her.  It had been mortifying.  She
needed
to rinse the memory of it from her.  "Clark, do you mind if I use your
shower?" she asked in a small voice.

"Go ahead, Lois."  He didn't quite understand what she was feeling-- he
expected that no one could unless they went through the same thing, but he
had
a pretty good idea.  And that hurt him, too.  He felt so much pain, so much
embarrassment for her.

Lois walked into Clark's bathroom and shut the door.  She stripped off her
clothes, leaving them on the floor.  She turned on the hot water and stepped
in.  The scalding, cleansing flow beat down on her, burning away the
terrible
sensations she had felt that night.  She scrubbed her body, which was
already
tender from the hot water, mercilessly, trying desperately to rid herself of
all the memories.

Soon, she realized that if she didn't turn off the hot water, she was going
to
burn herself.  So she did, and stepped out of the shower.  She grabbed a
towel
that Clark had given her and wrapped herself in it.  She sat down on the
bath
mat and leaned her head against the shower.  The towel draped around her
shoulders and her new perspective of the room gave her a feeling of
smallness.
She felt so tiny, so unimportant, so miserable.  A tear trickled down her
cheek.

Fifteen minutes passed as she sat there, crying, trembling.  Then it was
twenty.  There was a knock on the bathroom door.  "Lois?  Are you okay?"  It
was Clark.  She wanted to answer, she really did, but she couldn't find her
voice.

Clark, disturbed by her lack of response, opened the door slowly, so that
she
would have time to react if she wasn't decent.  "Lois?" he asked again,
finally sticking his head in the steam-filled bathroom.  What he saw almost
made him cry.  Lois was crumbled up on the floor, a towel around her
shoulders, and her knees up to her chest.  She was crying.

"Oh, Lois," he said.  He sat down next to her and took her into his arms, an
embrace which she welcomed.  She snuggled up to him, clutching him as though
he were a life preserver and she was in a stormy sea.

"Clark, it was so awful," she whispered.

"I know, I know.  I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said.  She laid her head against his strong
chest.
"You saved me."

"I'd never do any less."  He longed to tell her that he loved her, but now
was
not the time.  It could startle her, frighten her, and then she would be
denied the support she was taking from him.  Above all else, he did not want
to do that.  She needed him there to keep her steady.

Lois pushed close to him, needing to feel the strength, the power in him.
She
felt safe with him, in his embrace.  When Clark held her, the world was
unable
to harm her.  Even when she was almost naked, as she was now, she felt no
threat from him.  She'd never let herself do this with Lex.

"Come on, Lois, why don't you get dressed..."

"No," she replied.  "I... I can't.  My clothes are... dirty."  It was a
feeble
attempt at explanation, but Clark quickly picked up what she meant.

"It's okay.  You can borrow some of my stuff."  He stood up and offered his
hands to her.  She took only one, the other keeping the towel mostly in
place.
It wasn't quite the same, and he undoubtedly saw parts of her body that he
shouldn't have, but she didn't care.  She didn't feel self-conscious with
him.
After what had happened, she wasn't ready to deal with little niceties such
as
modesty.

Clark put an arm around her shoulder and led her into his bedroom.  He took
a
t-shirt out of a drawer and a pair of boxers out of the other.  "Is this
okay?" he asked Lois.

She nodded and took the clothes from him.  Clark turned away when she
dropped
the towel and started to get dressed.  In a few seconds, she was decent.
She
walked up to Clark and hugged him.  "Thank you," she said.

He hugged her back.  Then he looked at her.  Her eyelids were droopy and she
was yawning.  "Tired?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

"I'll assume you're staying here tonight."  He sat her down on his bed,
pulled
the covers back, and helped her ease under them.  He had started to leave
but
she grabbed his hand.

"Clark, please stay," she asked in a soft voice.  She moved over so that he
could get in.  Never one to refuse a lady, especially Lois, when she was in
need, he got in bed next to her, taking her in his arms.  She sighed and
rested her head on his strong chest.  She was soon asleep, feeling safe and
warm.

"Lois?  Lois?  Are you still there?"  It was Lucy's voice, calling her back
to
the present.

continued in part 11
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:42:33 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 9/24
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continued from part 8

They didn't spend that night together.  Clark had a crisis on his hands,
well,
Superman's hands, and had to go off to Brazil.  But that fact did little to
dampen Lois' state of mind.  She was practically floating, the way she had
been all day.

But as she climbed into bed, a sort of fear overtook her.  The last time she
had fallen asleep, her dream had been of an engagement to Lex, and she'd had
the same dream the night before that.  Would it recur tonight as well?  Why
was this plaguing her?

The thoughts threatened to keep her awake, despite her exhaustion.  She lay
in
bed, trying to banish them from her mind, but didn't succeed.  It was almost
two hours before she finally slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She awoke to the sound of her sister's voice.  Lucy?  What was she doing
here?

"Lois!  Lois!  You have to get up, or you'll be late for the wedding!"

The wedding?  Oh, the wedding!  Right!  Today was her wedding day to Lex.
But
then, Clark was...?  A dream, her consciousness told her.

Wait a minute.  She remembered thinking that *this* was a dream.  It was all
so confusing.  And she knew that a person who was dreaming always thought
they
were awake.  "So am I awake or asleep?" she asked herself.  Typically,
dreamers didn't ask if they were dreaming, so she must be awake.  But, she
had
asked if she was dreaming in the... dream?  It had seemed just as real as
this!

It was like every time she fell asleep, she crossed over into a different
world.  She kept switching back and forth between them, unable to figure out
where she belonged.  "Oh, this is ridiculous!" she told herself.  A couple
of
disturbing dreams was nothing to be concerned about.  Today was her *wedding
day*, and she had more important things to do.  Like get ready and get to
the
church!  Yikes!  She was going to be late!

*******************

It seemed like no time had passed at all and she was standing at the end of
the long aisle.  She wore the gaudy white gown, her hair and nails were
perfectly done, and her smile shone like, well, not quite like the sun, but
at
least like the moon on steroids.

The music began, the grandiose organ sounding those famous notes, and she
stepped forward once, then again.  She walked slowly, feeling almost
frustrated by the drawn-out feeling of it all.  She distracted herself by
looking around to see the guests.  Her relatives, friends, people she didn't
know but Lex did, so many people...

A movement by the side wall of the church caught her eye.  She gasped.  *He*
was here!  Her throat, heart, and stomach decided to play ring-around-the-
rosy, and she considered turning and running to the ladies' room.  Her
wedding
jitters had returned full-force.  His presence had brought them all back.
Amazingly, despite her scattered thoughts and displaced internal organs, she
kept walking, maintaining the pace, if not the smile.  She couldn't take her
eyes off Clark.  He looked directly at her with an unwavering gaze.  If she
hadn't been able to keep moving, she'd have sworn he was burning her through
with his heat vision.

"Goodbye, Lois," he mouthed.

Lois was at the end of her journey, and she forced herself to look up at
Lex.
He was wearing his charming Cheshire cat smile and a handsome tuxedo.  The
room was quiet but for the usual crowd noises; sneezing, sniffles, rustling,
and for the clicking of cameras.  There were many members of the press at
this
notable event.

But for all Lois cared, there could have been a thousand seven-year-olds
practicing newly acquired brass instruments, all attempting to play louder
than the rest.  As she heard the words of the Archbishop, something inside
her
that was already strained to the breaking point began to tear.  She had to
concentrate to keep from falling.

And then she was not hearing precisely what the words of the vows were.
They
were somehow skewed in the translation.  When the Archbishop asked her if
she
would love, honor, and cherish Clark Kent, she automatically answered, "I
do."
She turned to smile at Clark; he would be so happy.

He wasn't there.  The smile belonged to Lex, not Clark.  She froze for a
second, confused, but soon came back into herself.  She was marrying Lex.
Not
Clark.  Lex.

"What am I doing?  I can't do this!" she thought, but the time for protests
was gone.  It was too late.  The organ had started up, obscenely loud, and
they were walking down the aisle, man and wife.

They walked down the steps, pelted by rice.  It seemed to Lois that every
single person there was happier than she was.  She couldn't love Lex.  She
knew that now.  "Fine time for that realization!" she thought angrily.  It
seemed like she was destined to do stupid things for the rest of her life.
If
she only could have made the realization even ten minutes earlier, she could
have stopped herself.

Could she have, really?  Didn't she always go through with things, even when
she knew they were wrong?  Hadn't she always known that she didn't love Lex?
Sitting in a limousine, looking out the windows at the well-wishers, she
realized that the answer to the last question was yes.  She had known.  She
had just been fooling herself.  She was so gullible, even to her own stupid
tricks.

***********************

That night was her wedding night.  She stood in the large bathroom of Lex's
penthouse, looking into a mirror.  She wore a red lace teddy.  It went well
with her hair, and was really very beautiful.  It made her want to puke.
She
was choking, hardly able to breathe, hardly able to walk.  Once she stepped
out of this room, she was Lex's.  And she couldn't stay in here for much
longer.

She took a deep breath, summoning all her courage, and walked out the door.
Lex was waiting for her, with a bottle of champagne.  He sipped the
champagne,
watching her, waiting.  He offered her a glass, but she brushed it aside,
knowing it wouldn't stay down.  Gravity had nothing on the gag impulse.

He took her hand and kissed it.  "You look absolutely incredible, my
darling.
But why so nervous?  There's nothing to be nervous about."  He pulled her
toward him, kissing her, his hands moving over her body.

If that night, he was surprised at her passiveness or her silence in bed, he
did not let her know.  It wasn't so much the sex that he had been after with
her than it had been just possessing her.  He could have great sex with
whoever he wanted, but they weren't important to him.  It was Lois that
mattered, and now she was his.

Although it had been a long day for Lois, it seemed like a longer night.  It
felt like there would never be an end to the dark hours she faced.  When she
finally could fall asleep, she did not dream.  She wasn't even relieved by
the
dreams of Clark that would have eased her mind.

**************************

continued in part 10
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:43:10 EDT
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 11/24
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continued from part 10

"Oh, yeah, sorry.  I was just... thinking.  Oh, Luce.  I *do* love Clark.  I
love him so much," she whispered.  "And he loved me.  Lex was charming,
sure.
Lex could charm the country's population into voting for a tax on neon
paint.
He charmed me into falling in love with him.  But it was never true.  I
*don't* love him.  It was never real, and Clark... Clark was real.  I'm such
an idiot.  I ruined my own life."

"Lois, everything will be okay.  Trust me.  Didn't Clark tell you that he'd
always be yours?"

"That was before.  I don't think he can ever forgive me for marrying Lex.  I
wouldn't, if I was in his position.  I can't ever go back now."

"You have to try.  It's your only hope."

***************************

Lex was back shortly after midnight.  He'd had an exhausting day, and was
rather tired.  Of course, that didn't stop him from wanting to sleep with
Lois, but at least he fell asleep relatively quickly instead of occupying
her
until the morning.

Lois lay awake in the pitch black room.  The moon was blocked by a heavy
curtain covering the window.  The person next to her turned in his sleep.
Lois frowned in his general direction.  She didn't want to be here.  Not at
all.  She had to get up, and she had to get up now.

She sat up and got out of bed, the cold night air hitting her naked body and
making her shiver.  But she walked away from Lex's warmth despite the cold.
She felt so dirty, so uncleansably filthy.  She walked into the huge
bathroom
and turned on the shower.  She stepped in and let scalding water pour over
her
skin, trying to burn away the sickening feeling, trying to scrub it away
with
soap.  Finally, she turned off the water.  Her skin was a bright red from
the
heat, but she didn't let it bother her.  She dried off quickly, frustrated
that the feeling of guilt was not gone and feeling quite miserable.

She went back into her and Lex's bedroom, trying to be as quiet as she could
so as not to wake her husband.  Her husband.  The words set her teeth on
edge.
She drew back the curtain that kept the moonlight out and the sinister
darkness in.  Lex liked to sleep with the window closed.  Lois' window had
always been open.  Her door may have been locked, but there was always a
path
for the moonlight to take to visit her.  The opening of this window
comforted
her now, made her feel that maybe everything wasn't quite so dim.

She smiled at her old friend, the one whose steady silver light had
comforted
her through her parents' problems, had reassured her of things she'd prayed
for.  The moon was her only ally now, her only friend.

Lois pulled open a drawer and grabbed some underwear and a t-shirt.  She put
the underwear on and glanced at the t-shirt.  It was oversized, just like
she
wanted.  She pulled it on, not wanting to be naked near Lex.  It went
halfway
down to her knees, and she suddenly realized what shirt it was.  It was
Clark's.  Or rather, it had been Clark's.  It must have ended up at her
apartment and been packed along with her stuff.  She smiled sadly.  She
picked
up a small bear that she had put in her underwear drawer and hugged it close
to her.

She moved to the open window.  It was large, reaching from the floor almost
to
the ceiling, and it was inset just a bit.  She sat on the carpeted floor,
leaning against the wall, and gazed outside, over the rooftops of
Metropolis.

It brought back memories of another night, in somebody else's window.
Clark's.  She sighed, remembering the way the soft moonlight had bathed
them.
Clark's window had been open the whole night.  It had been open ever since
she
knew him.  Clark had never covered that one large window.

But now she sat in Lex's window, holding the bear.  It was the bear Clark
had
won for her in Smallville.  It seemed like everything was destined to remind
her of Clark tonight.

Sitting there in the moonlight, she felt so small, so afraid.  The world had
decided that she wasn't worth pleasing after what she had done, and so she
was
miserable.  Now, all she could think about was how she had thrown away what
could have made her the happiest woman on Earth.  Thrown it away because she
had been scared, scared to be more than friends.  She could have had Clark's
love.  Instead, she only had her love for Clark, a sad, hopeless longing.
And
her hatred of herself, for doing what she'd done.

He could never love her now, not in a million years.  She wouldn't love
Claude
if he came back to her now.  And she had hurt Clark just as deeply, if not
more deeply.  She had been so stupid...

"Oh, Clark," she whispered into the night.  "I love you."  She shut her eyes
tightly, but that didn't stop a solitary tear from escaping.  Drawing
herself
into a curled-up position, she hugged the bear a little tighter.  "I love
you."  The words were almost inaudible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lois opened her eyes.  The nightmare was back, and even worse than it had
been
before.   She had actually *married* Lex!  She shuddered as the details
washed
over her, emerging from her obviously troubled psyche to annoy her.  She
turned, and realized that Clark was there.  He must have returned from
Brazil
sometime during the night.

Her movement woke him, and he looked sleepily up at her.  "Morning, Lois."

"Morning, Clark.  You have no idea what a relief it is to find you here,
after
last night."

"What?"

"I had that dream again, about Lex.  Every time I have it, it's farther
along.
This time, it was my wedding and the day after."  She closed her eyes.  "It
was so terrible."

"What happened?  Tell me about it."

"Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Of course.  Do you think I just want to share the good things in your life?
I love you, and I want to help you."

She touched his face tenderly.  "I love you, too, Clark.  And I know this is
going to upset you."

"Tell me anyway.  It's already upsetting you, and maybe I can help with
that."

She sighed, and moved close to him, resting her head on his chest.  With
that,
she told him almost every detail of her dreams to date, leaving out only the
details that would unnecessarily pain him.

He held her tight as she poured out the story.  It was hard for him to
listen
to, and he knew it was hard for her to tell, but they had to do this.  He
winced as he heard the sorrow in her voice when she described realizing that
she was in love with him, but knowing that they had no chance anymore.  He
stroked her back soothingly as she struggled with the words.

"Oh, Lois," he said when she was done, "I'm so sorry.  I had no idea..."

"It's okay, Clark."  She sniffed a little.  "Thanks for listening.  I feel
so
much better now."  She kissed him gently.  "We should probably get to work
now."

"Okay.  We can talk more later."

She smiled in reply.

**************************

As they entered the Daily Planet, hand in hand, they were aware of a myriad
of
eyes focused on them.  The last time any of these people had seen the
reporting team, they were very uncomfortable together, and were civil to
each
other.  Everyone knew them well enough to know that this attitude was more
serious than shouts and slammed doors.  Therefore, they were shocked to see
them together and obviously happy about being that way.

"Lois?  CK?" Jimmy asked, making his way up to them.  "You look like
somebody
just told you you'd won the lotto jackpot!  Care to share the good news with
an old pal?"

Lois and Clark grinned at each other.  "Jimmy," Lois explained, "we're in
love."  They beamed.

"*Ohhh*!  No wonder I couldn't get ahold of you last night, CK!"  He winked
conspiratorially.  "Well, congratulations.  It was about time!"  He gave
them
both a hug at the same time.  "I'm glad you finally worked out whatever was
bugging you.  That musta been some night!"

Lois had the decency to turn slightly pink at that, but she didn't have the
decency to refrain from saying, "Oh, it was, Jimmy.  It was."

"Well, I'd better get my rear in gear if I wanna keep my job.  See you
around.
And, hey, I get to take pictures at the wedding!" he exclaimed, then left.

Later that day, as Lois and Clark were driving away from the Planet, Lois
brought up the subject of her dreams again.  "Clark, I don't know what to do
about these dreams.  Every time I go to sleep, Lex is waiting for me.  It's
getting so that I'm afraid to go to bed, like a little kid terrified of the
monsters in the closet."

"Much as I'd like to keep you awake all night-- to prevent the dreams, of
course--"

"Of course," Lois interrupted, grinning.

"I doubt that's the solution," Clark finished.  He paused for a minute to
think.  "You said that every time you have the dream, it's farther along."

"Yeah?"

"Well, what if you resolve whatever's bothering you?  If you fix the
problem,
it won't come back to haunt you."

"The problem is that I married Lex but loved you.  So I'd have to find some
way to reverse that."

"There you go.  It'll be easy."

"No.  No, I'm afraid it won't.  Leaving Lex will.  That won't be too much of
a
problem, even if he puts up a resistance.  He can't really stop me.  But
after
all I've done to you, you're not going to accept me back."

"Lois, I..." Clark began to defend himself.

"Oh, Clark, don't.  I understand.  You'd have every right never to speak to
me
again.  Loving somebody is one thing, but liking them is another.  You might
still have feelings for me, but they would be overcome by shame and hatred.
Am I hitting close to home?"

"Yeah," Clark reluctantly answered.  "I guess even I have to lose my
patience
and temper sometime.  I really can't say I'd handle that situation all too
gracefully."

"I know exactly what you mean.  I never wondered about how I'd feel if
Claude
came back into my life.  I *knew*.  I still had those old feelings, but I
hated him more than anything.  Then I realized that I never had loved him,
not
really.  All that was left was the hate, the humiliation."  She paused.  "I
can't believe that I caused that to happen to someone else," she added
quietly.  "Not after knowing what it felt like."

"Oh, Lois, it's okay.  Everything's better now.  It happened, but it's a
part
of our past.  We moved on.  We recovered."

"But it's still there.  It'll always be a part of us.  Our first night, the
first time you said you loved me....  It should have been the most special
time of our lives, but it will always be associated with that pain."

"Lois, I know you feel guilty about it, but please, don't.  Everybody's
entitled to make mistakes.  We're only people.  And think about it this
way--
after something like that, we're entitled to a long, smooth run of bliss.
Think about that."

Lois smiled a little.  "Bliss, huh?  I guess I'll buy that."

"Good.  Because I intend to give it to you.  And get some in return."

"Sounds great.  Let's start tonight."

"I know this great little island in the Atlantic.  Totally uninhabited
tropical paradise.  We can fly down onto the beach, with the warm breeze
kissing the trees, the water lapping gently on the sand.  Out in the open,
with the setting sun reflecting off our naked entwined bodies..."  He had
been
leaning closer and closer to her as he spoke, and was now only inches away.

She closed her eyes at the mental imagery and sighed.  "Oh....  It sounds
incredible...."

Clark chose that moment to grab the steering wheel.  "Eyes on the road,
Lois,"
he reminded with a grin.

Her eyes shot open and she shoved his hand off the wheel.  "Bastard."  She
wrinkled her nose at him.

He just grinned back.

***************************

continued in part 12
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Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:43:44 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 14/24
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continued from part 13

Lex was in his office, doing work.  Lois wished he would leave the building.
With this, she was always worried that he would pop in on her, and disturb
her.  And she didn't want him observing her meditations.  Mostly, they were
about Clark.  She sighed, wandering the halls of the gaudy penthouse in the
sky.  She stepped carelessly on the white fluffy carpet that lined the
sitting
room.  She looked up and saw a grand piano sitting in the corner.  Only the
best, of course, for Lex Luthor.

It had been a while since she'd had a chance to play.  Not long enough that
she'd forgotten, but long enough that she missed it.  There was no music by
the piano.  Lois didn't know where it was, or if Lex even had any.  It was
possible that he'd bought the piano as a sort of decoration.

She was suddenly filled with the impulse to do a bit of songwriting.  Not
even
nervousness at being found out by her husband would quash the urge.  She
went
into the bedroom to grab a piece of paper and a pen.  With that, she went
back
into the sitting room and sat at the terribly expensive piano.  She played a
short piece that she knew by heart to see if the piano was tuned.  It was;
Lex
would never tolerate the deterioration of anything in his home.  The piano
keys seemed stiff, and the music stand was too far away from the keyboard to
be convenient, but those were problems with all grand pianos.  It was still
a
piano.

Lois flexed her fingers a few times and played a basic backup tune.  The
words
were typically the hardest part for her to create, but today they flowed
like
water from her brain onto the paper.  Or, as John Lennon would say, like
endless rain into a paper cup.  She decided not to stick to a basic melody
line, but to create an improvised effect.  That was basically because she
hated writing the actual notes.  This way, she could have the words, but
play
and sing it to an improvised tune.  It sounded nice, and it was a good deal
of
fun.

Her source of inspiration was the only thing that had been on her mind since
she'd spent the night with Clark.  The blank piece of paper was soon filled
with words and cross-outs.  Once she was finished, she copied the lines she
was keeping onto a different sheet of paper.  She placed this on the music
stand and poised her fingers over the keys.  She did a small introduction
and
then began to sing.

It was very late at night
But the moon hung over the city
Illuminating you and I
I didn't know how far you were willing
to take this with me
But I just had to try

Oh for such a long time
I battled with my inner mind
Deliberating what I should do
I knew distinctly right from wrong
But I could not convince myself
Because I wanted you

I was the one who was out of control
I was the one who pushed toward my goal
I was the one who took advantage of you
Now I am the one who doesn't know what to do
Because I've lost my best friend
Somewhere between the sheets

Based on a misconception
I had my night of glory with you
As you touched me intimately
Whispered 'I love you's in my ear
I let you go on thinking that my feelings were real
as you made love to me

I was such a fool such a short time ago
Baby, I've been sorry since then
To hit you with such a coup
And I've realized now
That despite my word and deeds back then,
I'm honestly in love with you

Lois paused for a second, as her feelings welled up inside her throat,
choking
her.  Her hands left the keys and she took a few deep breaths before
continuing with the lyrics that she had written.

I was the one who was out of control
I was the one who pushed toward my goal
I was the one who took advantage of you
Now I am the one who doesn't know what to do
Because I've lost my best friend
Somewhere between the sheets

I hurt you deeply, darling
A hurt so deep it's unforgivable
I can't talk to you
All I have left in my memory
is the love I feel and the pain I caused
Experiencing the taboo

I've lost my best friend
And the man who holds my heart
There's an unhappy end
A lonely life apart

Since I lost my best friend
Somewhere between the sheets
Oh, I lost you my darling
Somewhere between the sheets

The closing melody was a sad, slow echo of the last line.  She sighed.  It
had
hurt to sing that, but it had been a kind of a release.  Her feelings were
so
plain, once they had been put on paper.

*******************************

The sky was pitch black, except for the occasional interruptions of
electricity jolting through the ominous clouds.  The wind violently abused
treetops and any flimsy structures.  The torrential rain was bound and
determined to soak any soul who ventured out into the storm.  Lex,
fortunately, had been elsewhere when the rain began, and was disinclined to
be
one of those unfortunate souls.  So he remained elsewhere, and intended to
continue to do so until after the rain ceased.

This provided the perfect opportunity for Clark.  The weather conditions
weren't ideal-- without the help of x-ray vision, he would have been blinded
by the rain-- but, he could only take what he was given.  He couldn't wait
for
a better day, as one might never come.

Although no one would be looking up, and, even if they did, they would be
unable to see him, Clark wore the Superman suit.  It was a habit, and a
precaution, just in case someone else in the Luthor tower saw him.  He took
off, and soared, almost underwater, through the blackness.

Lois was standing on her balcony, captivated by the storm's power.  Even as
a
little girl, she had loved thunderstorms.  There was something so wonderful
about being brave and facing up to that electrical show.  It made her feel
strong not to yield to the power.  Now, as she was soaked to the bone, she
felt defiant.  She could handle anything.

And then Clark appeared, in the Suit, on her balcony.

"Lois," he said to her, "there's something I have to say."

She didn't know what she expected him to say, but it certainly wasn't what
he
said.

"I forgive you, Lois.  For everything.  And I'm sorry for losing my temper a
couple nights ago in my apartment.  I want us to be friends again."

The wind whipped around her so loudly that she almost thought that she was
hearing things, that he hadn't said what she thought he said.  But he had.
"Clark," she asked, "really?"

"Yes, really.  I can't stand this block between us.  I miss you."

"I miss you, too.  Oh..." she said, and hugged him.  The tempest whirled
around their embrace, but that was not what caused the slight awkwardness.
A
tentative friendship may have been restored, but the physical aspect that
had
always been a part of their relationship was understandably slightly
strained.
The sexual attraction that had begun this whole disaster still remained, and
both knew it.  But it felt oh, so good to touch each other again, after the
tense separation they had endured.

Their friendship *was* different.  There was nothing hidden, nothing
blurred.
They both knew exactly where they stood with each other.  At least, they
thought they did.  Lois knew that, even after forgiving her, Clark could
never
accept that she loved him.  But at least they had their friendship.  The
pain
that had been caused was in the past.

The electricity in the air crackled around them and condensed.  Perhaps it
was
bad luck for it to land on that one spot, perhaps it was good.  It hit
Clark's
back, as he was bending slightly to hug Lois.  He felt the jolt that was
lightning, and tried to quickly pull away from Lois, so that his body
wouldn't
conduct enough electricity to fry her.  But it was too late.

"Lois!" he screamed as she slumped in his arms.  He put his hand on her
wrist,
feeling desperately for a pulse.  There was one, but so faint that had he
not
had superpowers, he would not have felt it.  She was not breathing.

There was no time to waste.  Clark practically tore his cape off, and
wrapped
her in it.  It would protect her while he flew.  She needed to be protected,
as he was going to fly fast.  Faster than he had ever needed to go before.
He
could only think of one thing that could save her, and he hoped he wouldn't
be
too late.

He soared across the sky with his red bundle in his arms.  He flew north.
Faster, faster, faster.  He was well beyond the speed of sound, and catching
up with light.  In mere seconds, he was at the North Pole.  He dashed inside
a
huge ice building.  The Fortress of Solitude.

Frantically, he tore her clothing off her body.  "Sorry, Lois," he thought,
"but it's an emergency."  He placed her lifeless form inside of a small
chamber.  He shut the door.

The Kryptonian Regeneration Matrix turned on by itself.  The cloudy
glass-like
walls were suddenly infused with a red light.  This was his only hope.  He
stood and watched.  And waited.

*******************

continued in part 15
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Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:44:05 EDT
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continued from part 15

Lois looked at herself in the mirror.  She was dressed nicely, though not
overly sexy.  This promised to be quite an evening; Lex was not the kind of
man who was easy to break up with.  Of course, no one was.  But Lex had
always
been unpredictable, to say the least.

About forty-five minutes later, she was sitting at a dinner table with Lex.
There was soft music playing in the background.  Lois was not eating very
much.  Lex noticed, and decided it would be a good time for a distraction.
"Would you like to dance, my dear?" he asked her.

Lois looked up at him.  "Sure," she agreed.  She wasn't very hungry.  She
rose
>from her seat and moved to where Lex was standing.  He took her into his
arms
and they danced around the floor.

"Lois, is there something bothering you?" Lex finally asked.

"What?  No.  Well....  That is...."  She was startled, and had no idea what
to
say to him.

"You've come to a decision?  Is that it?"

"Yeah," she said, softly.

He smiled gently, and guided her to a chair.  He bade her sit down, and sat
on
a chair near her.  He reached into his jacket and removed a ring box.  He
opened it, and proffered it to her.  "What's it to be, Lois?  Will you marry
me?"

"Oh, Lex, I'm sorry.  I can't."

"What?"

Lois took a deep, calming breath.  "You've been really great to me, and I
like
you a lot, but there's just....  It's just that I don't *love* you, and
there's... someone else... someone I do love..."

Lex stood up and was backed away from her.  "I... see."  Of course, he
didn't.
He didn't know what had happened, unless....  "It's Superman, isn't it."  It
was not a question.

"Actually, no," she said.  "It's a normal person."  She dared not invoke
Clark's name, knowing Lex's enmity toward the man.

Lex couldn't totally conceal his dismay at her statement.  Lois had chosen a
normal man over him, Lex Luthor?  The only comfort was that she had chosen
this man over Superman as well.  "Well, then," he said, trying to control
his
voice, "I guess that leaves nothing here for us now, does it?"

"Lex, I'm sorry..." Lois began.

"No, it's all right.  I understand," he said.

There was silence for a moment.  Then, Lois whispered, "Thank you," and left
the room.  As she was walking down the hall, she heard the sound of wood
splintering from the room she had just vacated, as if Lex had smashed a
chair
against the wall.  She quickened her pace and was soon driving to Clark's
apartment to tell him what happened.

Lex stood still in the middle of the room, ignoring the pieces of wood on
the
ground.  He had thrown a chair in a surge of anger and jealousy.  She had
another man, did she?  He didn't fool himself by wondering who it was.
There
could be no doubt that it was Clark Kent, her partner.  So many times, he
had
wondered if she felt anything for the reporter.  He had never been able to
figure it out.

When his sources had reported that something terrible had apparently
happened
between Lois and Clark and they were barely even friends anymore, he had
been
enthralled.  He had figured that it was the perfect time to propose to Lois.
So he had.  But now....

"Sir?" came a voice from the doorway, "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, Nigel.  I will be taking a trip."

"Where to, sir?"

"I don't know yet.  Somewhere I can do a little hunting.  Pack my things."

"Very good, sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was six in the morning when Lois returned to her home.  She glanced into
the building with her newly acquired x-ray vision to determine that Lex was,
indeed, home.  She couldn't use the window.  She went in the door and up the
elevator to her and Lex's private quarters.  When she walked in the door,
Lex
exploded at her.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

"Out."

"Out *where*?"

"Walking... as if it's any of your business."

"Of course it's my business!  I'm your husband!"

"Not my master.  Get over it."  Her confidence in herself had been doubled
after this session with Clark on the island.  Now she truly could handle
anything.  She had nothing to fear from Lex.

For his part, Lex was learning that he could not control her.  Part of what
had attracted him to her was the challenge, it was true.  The challenge of
two
strong-willed people each going their own way.  The challenge he was certain
he could win.  But now, his victory was slipping out from under him.  Lex
Luthor did not like to be undermined.

"Where did you walk?" he asked her.

"China," she replied.

Lex grumbled.  "Some honeymoon this is turning out to be."

"Honeymoon?  What honeymoon?  I don't remember us ever going on a
honeymoon."

"Lois, is that what this is all about?  You know I have important things to
do
here," he said soothingly.  She was just sore because their honeymoon had
been
delayed.

"No, that has nothing to do with anything.  It was just an observation.  In
fact, I don't *want* to go anywhere on a honeymoon.  I wish you would work
all
day!  Then, I'd only have to see you at night.  God knows that's enough
torture."

"Lois!  I know and you know that you don't mean those words."

"Maybe you know that, but I know that I *do* mean them.  Marrying you has
been
the biggest mistake of my life."

"How dare you say that!" he exclaimed, shocked.

"What do you want me to do, simper and lie through my teeth?  If you want
that, you should have married Mrs. Cox.  Or Miranda, remember her?  Not me.
I
don't love you, Lex.  I never have and I never will.  I feel nothing for
you.
'Nec cupias, nec metuas.'  Neither desire, nor fear.  I want a divorce."

"No."

"Give me one good reason to stay married to you."

"You'll come around eventually.  And when you do, you'll regret this
conversation.  We don't need a divorce.  And we won't get one.  Now, not
another word."  He attempted to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, pulling away.

He slapped her in the face.  She didn't even bother to pretend that it hurt,
although she probably should have.  "You'll break, Lois.  Someday you'll
break, and you'll be irrevocably mine."

"Yeah, well, until then, I'm sleeping on the couch," she replied flippantly.

Furious, Lex stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door.  Sinking down on
the couch, Lois felt gloriously elated, yet hopelessly depressed.  Elated
that
she had finally had a good fight with Lex-- that bear incident had been
nice,
but she hadn't gotten to say as many good things.  Depressed because he was
apparently going to stay married to her no matter what.  He was going to
punish her for not submitting to him, not letting him win.  And, in this
way,
he would win.

She couldn't let him win.  Not now.  Maybe they could be on the balcony, and
he could "accidentally" fall....  Nahh.  Much as she hated Lex, she couldn't
actually murder anybody, even him.  That wasn't the answer.  Maybe she
should
just contemplate it and eventually come up with something.  Maybe she should
be such a bitch that Lex would *want* to divorce her.

********************

continued in part 17
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:41:09 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 2/24
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continued from part 1

Then the song was over, and Lois found herself very close to Clark, dancing
cheek to cheek with him.  She pulled back a little, embarrassed.  It was too
bad, though.  She really loved the feel of his body against hers.  She
really
loved... no, she didn't.  She did *not*.  No way.  Impossible.  What was she
thinking?

"Clark, excuse me for a minute," she said, then ran off to the ladies' room.
It was empty, except for one woman who was washing her hands and would be
gone
in ten seconds.  Lois went over and sat down in a folding chair that was in
the room.  She put her head in her hands, thinking to herself.  "Oh, what am
I
doing?  What's going on?  I probably shouldn't have come here, not with
Clark."  She stood up and went over to the mirror, looking at herself in it.
She looked kind of pale, and she supposed it was from being surprised.

Looking at her face, she set her expression to a determined smile.  She
didn't
feel anything for Clark.  He was just her friend.  The attraction was just
the
magic of the slow dance combined with the fact that Clark really was quite
handsome.  No more slow dances, and everything would be fine, right?  Right.
Now, she'd better get back out there before he wondered if something was
wrong.

Clark sat on a stool at the bar, wondering what had happened.  Lois had
seemed
to be so nice and all soft and melty in his arms.  It was so sweet.  But
then
after the dance was over, she had looked like a startled doe and had run
off.
What was that all about?  She had actually looked quite scared.  What could
she be scared of?

But, his thoughts were cut off by her arrival.  She sat on the stool next to
him and ordered a drink.  They sat and talked and drank, and drank and
talked,
and talked and drank, for at least two hours, even though Clark warned her
not
to drink so much.  By then, Clark's figure seemed to be a bit blurred to
Lois'
eyes, even though she wasn't squinting.

Lois blinked a couple of times at her partner.  He really *was* very, very
attractive.  "Hey, Clark, let's dance again," she suggested.

"Okay, Lois," he replied.  "You've had a little too much to drink already."
They hopped off the stools and went back onto the dance floor.  Once they
were
there, he realized just how close Lois was to him.  Not as close as she had
been during that slow dance, but still... close.  And she seemed to be
enjoying it.  Well, great!  Except, she looked a little hazy.  He frowned
slightly.  That must be it; she was just a tad smashed.

Lois, for her part, was having a great time.  She inched forward to Clark
every opportunity she got.  He was a good dancer, she reflected.  She put
one
hand on his shoulder and smiled up at him.  Much to her excitement, he
smiled
back, with that 100-watt zinger she knew so well.  Oooh, that always made
her
feel warm all over.

This was a wonderful evening.  The only thing that would make it better
would
be...  "Clark?  Are you almost ready to leave?"

"What?  Oh, yeah, if you want to," he answered, raising his voice to compete
with the level of the music.

"I do.  Let's get another drink and then leave."

"Okay, but I think you've had quite a bit already."

Lois shrugged her shoulders loosely.  "It's a party, Clark.  Party a little.
There are at least ten different drinks I haven't tried yet..."

"Lois!"

"Kidding!  Come on."  She had this silly grin stuck on her face.  "Loosen
*up*, babe."  She giggled a little bit and led him over to the bar for
another
round of drinks.

"I'm really glad I'm driving," said Clark.

"What?"

"I said I'm really glad I'm driving instead of you.  You'd get us both
killed."

"Paranoid," she told him.

Clark rolled his eyes.  "Yeah, right."

In a few minutes, they were ready to leave.  Lois said a rather slurred
goodbye to all of her friends and they went out the door.  The sky was black
and a chilly breeze was blowing.  Lois' hair whipped around her head,
getting
in her mouth.  She spit it out and shivered.  "It's so cold!" she exclaimed.
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than it began to rain.  It was
sprinkling at first, for all of about seven seconds.  Then it began to
really
come down.  Lois and Clark ran for the car and got in quickly.  They pulled
out of the parking lot and were soon out on the street.

Lois had flipped on the radio and cranked up the volume.  She was singing
along, albeit rather off-key, to the words she apparently didn't know as
well
as she seemed to think she did.  The rain beat heavily on the windshield,
and
it was all the windshield wipers could do to keep the view clear enough to
see
through.  The headlights illuminated thousands of drops of rain as well as
the
road ahead of them.  The gentle swish-swish of the windshield wipers could
not
be heard over the music.  Neither could the raindrops hitting the car.

"Come on, Lois," Clark shouted over the radio.  "Maybe we should turn the
music down, just a little?"

"It's more fun this way!" Lois exclaimed in return.  But then she thought
better about it.  Maybe Clark was right.  He had an annoying habit of doing
that sometimes.  She reached out and switched the radio to a station that
was
playing classical music and turned the volume down low.  The change in
background noise totally altered the atmosphere of the car.  Now it was
close
and romantic.  Lois moved over next to Clark and snuggled up to him.  "How's
this?" she murmured, running her hand up and down his deliciously muscular
thigh.

"Lois, please."  Clark took her hand and moved it away, although he *really*
didn't want to.  "I don't envy you the hangover you're going to have
tomorrow.

She put one arm around him, and the other hand on his chest, mumbling
something about drinks.

"Too much.  Way over your limit," Clark responded.

She let her hand slowly wander down to his stomach, but then, as she tried
to
move further downward, Clark took her hand, once again foiling her plans.
So
she just let her fingers trace abstract designs on Clark's thigh.  He let
that
go.  He had more important things to worry about.  Like driving.  "Lois?
Why
don't you give it a rest?" he suggested.  "You're ripped."

"I know, but it's kinda nice," she giggled.  Clark sighed.  "Besides, the
whole point of getting drunk is to say and do things you wouldn't."

"Lois, there are *reasons* people don't do things when they don't do them."

"Don't be silly."  It was useless to try to reason with her.  She was too
smashed to understand anything but her own strange logic.

Clark tried to, anyway.  "Why don't you take a nap or something?  There's
still a half hour before we get you home."

"Oh-kay."  She put her head down on Clark's lap.

"Fine, Lois.  Go to sleep."  Then he stiffened suddenly.   "No, no, not
fine.
Get up.  Stop."  He pulled her back to a sitting position.  This was going
to
be a loooong drive.

"Make up your mind, Clark.  Up or down or up or down..." she said, a giggly
grin on her face.

"I *said* go to *sleep,* *not*..."  he broke off with a sigh.

"Not what?"  She asked innocently.

Clark just shook his head.  "Please, go to sleep."

"Kay."  Her head once more headed for his lap, but this time he intercepted
it.

"No, no, *no*!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

"I was just going to take a nap, like you *told* me," she said as if it were
the most obvious thing in the world.  "Sheesh.  Who can fathom the male
mind?"
Clark rolled his eyes as she put her head in his lap.

"I know a lot about you," she said, a few minutes later.

"Yes, you do."

"I don't know some important things, though."

"Oh?  Like what?"

"How come you're never drunk?  Or high?"

"I'm not into drugs, and I don't drink as much as some people in this car."

"Liar.  You drank just as much as me."

"Fine.  I hold my alcohol better."

"Okay.  What's up those stairs at your house?"

"An attic."

"What's in the attic?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Books.  Old articles I've written.  Souvenirs from around the world."

"Oh.  I want to go see it some time."

"Okay.  I'll take you up there if I remember."

"Okay.  Can you speak Japanese?  You look sorta Japanese."

"Yes."

"Do you like sushi?"

"Yes."

"*I* like sushi, too.  See?  That's important."

"Very important," he agreed.  If agreeing with her worked, who cared what he
said?  All he had to do was get her home, and so he needed to play along for
a
while.

"Have you ever had a car?"

"No, but I had a motorcycle in college."

"Boxers or briefs?"

"Let's go back to the motorcycle."

"Fine," she sighed.  "What made you get rid of it?"

"I didn't use it much any more.  I might get another one, someday just for
fun."

"You should.  You'd look really hot on a motorcycle.  *I* want a
motorcycle."

"Uh huh."

"No, really.  It'd be fun."

"Do you know how to drive one?"

"Sure.  Anybody can.  Would you pose on it for me?"

"Of course I would."

"Thanks.  That's a good thing."

"Yeah.  I guess."

Lois yawned a little.  "Finally!" thought Clark.

"Goodnight, Clark."

"'Night, Lois."

"Goodnight, Clark."

"Goodnight, Lois."

"Goodnight, Clark."

"Good*night*, Lois!"

She giggled softly, then went to sleep.  Twenty-five minutes later, Clark
parked Lois' car and woke her up to get her out.

"Are we home?" she asked.

"Yup.  Can you walk inside, or do you need me to carry you?"

"Carry me?  Please?"

"Okay."  He scooped her up into his arms.  She snuggled up to him, nuzzling
his neck.  He carried her up the stairs to the third floor, grateful that
the
rain had stopped.  He used his key to open the door to 501.  He carried her
into the bedroom and set her down on the bed.  "Think you can handle it from
here?"

She nodded and he turned to leave.

"Clark?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Lois."

"Wanna stay?"

"No, I have to go home."

"Come on, have a little fun.  Want a drink?"

"No, and neither do you.  Go to bed."

"I'll go to bed with *you,*" she offered.

"Uh-uh.  I'm leaving."

"You don't *have* to leave.  You could stay for a coupla hours."

"Not really."  No way could he stay there with her like this.  Despite his
knowledge of her drunken state, she could be very... persuasive.  And he
most
definitely did not want to be persuaded.  "Goodbye, Lois."

"Bye."  Her voice sounded small and defeated.

He turned to leave again, but she called him back.  "No goodnight kiss?"

Clark sighed.  "Fine."  He came over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
She
attempted to pull him onto the bed with her but he backed off.

"Damn boy scout," she complained.

"You'll thank me in the morning," he laughed.  "Goodnight, Lois."

"*I* can make it a *better* night."

So he tried again.  "Good*bye,* Lois."

"Fine, just leave me like this."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" he asked, and immediately regretted the
question.

"I want you to strip, strip *me,* and then..."

"Nevermind, forget I asked," Clark interrupted.  "Goodbye."  And this time,
when he turned to leave, he left.

*******************************

continued in part 3
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:43:32 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 13/24
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continued from part 12

Lois didn't go home that day.  She knew Lex expected her to give up and come
back soon, and that was exactly why she didn't.  After searching
unproductively for the bear, she found herself walking toward the Daily
Planet.  She didn't realize where she was headed until she was almost there.

She needed to go in there, to remind herself that there really were things
going on other than her marriage to Lex.  Most of all she needed to see her
friends.  She needed to see Clark.  More than anything else, she needed to
see
him.

She pushed her way through the rotating doors that were so familiar.  It
seemed as though she had been away from her job for centuries.  A few weeks
had never seemed so long.  She rode up the elevator and got off on the
newsroom floor.  She stood there for a minute, breathing it in.  It felt
really great to be there.

But there was something wrong...

"Lois!" Perry exclaimed.  "What are you doing here?  Aren't you supposed to
be
on your honeymoon?"

"Perry, please!"

"Ah.  Have a fight?"

"Sort of.  Where's Clark?"

"He's out on an interview."  Perry watched as Lois' face fell.  "I can beep
him for you if it's important."

"No thanks.  He probably wouldn't talk to me anyway."

Perry understood why she thought that.  She was undoubtedly right.  Clark
had
been heartbroken when Lois married Lex.  Perry had never seen such hurt on a
man's face before.  For the first time in his life, he'd been mad at Lois.
Lois, his star reporter, his pseudo-daughter.  But it seemed that Lois was
sorry now.  He just hoped it wasn't too late.

Perry left to go back to his office, and Jimmy came up to Lois.  "Hi,
Jimmy,"
she said to the cub reporter.

"Hi, Lois," he replied, with a poorly hidden emotion seething under the
surface of his words.

"What's wrong?"

"Can we talk somewhere?" he responded.

"Sure," she replied guardedly.  They walked into the conference room, which
was currently unoccupied.  When they were alone there, Lois once again asked
Jimmy what was bothering him.

Jimmy sighed, apparently troubled.  "Lois, Clark told me what happened."

"Oh."

"And I can't believe that you would come back here looking for him.  You
unfeeling bitch!  How do you sleep at night?"

Lois cringed from the uncharacteristic remark, which stung even more because
she knew that she deserved it.

"After all you've done to him, you have the gall to come back here and
attempt
to see him again?  Do you have any idea how he felt after you left him?  Any
idea at all?  I've seen people contemplating suicide who were happier than
Clark.  Yet he recovered.  It was almost a miracle.  That's the kind of
thing
that scars people for life.  And *right away* you married Luthor.  You
slapped
Clark right in the face with that one, Lois.

"That's what broke him.  That's right," he said to the look on her face,
"he's
*broken.*  How does it feel to have ruined one of the nicest, most wonderful
people alive?  Does it feel real good?  Are you real proud of yourself?  You
should be!  It was top-rate job!  I have never seen someone whose soul had
been so completely and utterly trampled, whose heart had been cut with such
precision, whose most sacred feelings were desecrated with such style.

"I've seen him, Lois.  Every day he's been getting worse and worse.  I try
to
talk to him, but he doesn't hear me.  Nothing can get through to him.  All
he
ever does is his work.  Just like a machine.  No emotions, just work.  His
pain is so evident, to anyone who looks at him.  It's like watching a man
die
slowly, tortured to death by an expert.  Every day, he suffers from another
hideous wound, but somehow he stays alive and conscious to suffer every
excruciating second, all the while wishing that he could die and be rid of
it.

"You've always been like a sister to me, Lois, but Clark is my best friend.
And right now, I'm ashamed to know you."  With that final cutting statement,
Jimmy left the conference room.  He knew that his words had been harsh and
painful, but he had meant every one.  Clark didn't deserve the pain Lois had
put him through.

Lois sat down at the table, stunned.  Jimmy had just voiced what Clark must
be
feeling, she realized.  And if what he said about Clark were true...  "He's
never going to take me back," she whispered.

Even if he did, she wouldn't deserve it.  He deserved to have that pain
gone,
to finally get what he wanted, but she surely didn't.  But the only way she
would experience the suffering she deserved was by causing more for him.
And
she couldn't do that.

She had to find him.  She had to let him know where he stood.  Even if his
pride refused to allow him to take her back, it might help him to know that
she was pining after him.  If she begged him to take her, it might make him
feel better.

But finding him came first.  He was on an interview.  So he'd be gone for a
long time.  She didn't want to speak to him during work hours, anyway.  They
needed someplace private, where they weren't rushed.  Then, Lois had an
idea.

*************************

Clark walked home from work.  He didn't fly, didn't take a cab.  He walked.
He didn't really care how long it took him to go home.  He had nothing to do
there.  So he might as well take his time.  When he reached his door, he was
surprised to find it unlocked.  Had his apartment been robbed?  Did it
matter?

He pushed open the door.  There, sitting on his sofa, was the person who had
been in his thoughts all day.  He almost flew out of the room.  With truly
Supermanly control, he overruled the portion of his brain that commanded him
to fight or flee.  He could handle this; he knew it.

But she looked so gorgeous that he had to want her.  And she was Lois, so he
had to love her.  Only she could confuse his feelings this much.  How could
he
feel such a thrill at her presence and yet wish to high heaven that she
would
disappear?

Lois paused, waiting.  Clark hadn't jumped, hadn't run or flown away, hadn't
screamed at her to get out.  Apparently, he was waiting for her to make her
move.  She swallowed hard.  This was it; this was her chance to right a
small
part of the wrongs she had perpetrated.  She took a deep breath and prayed
that she wouldn't blow it.

"Clark," she began, "I know how you must feel, seeing me here.  At least,
I'm
pretty sure I do.  And I'm sorry that it had to be this way.  But I *have*
to
say this, just as much as you need to hear it."

"Lois, nothing you could say could possibly--"

"Please," she cut him off, "for anything you've ever felt for me, listen
now."

He was silent.  Of all the things for her to invoke the name of...

"Thank you.  Clark, there have been a lot of crazy things in my life
recently.
Being married to Lex is nothing like I'd ever expected or hoped it would be.
And, to be honest, I'm miserable.  Because I can't get you out of my mind.
I
know it's too little, too late, but....  Oh, Clark," she sighed.  "I love
you."

Clark's lovely face was turned downward, and Lois could not see the
expression
that lie thereon.  Slowly, he lifted his head and, despite Lois' entreaties
to
any nearby deities, there was a chilling look on his face.  It was a
combination of pain and barely controlled anger.  "Lois," he hissed in a low
voice, "get out of here."

"But--"

"Damn it, Lois!  Leave!"  Then, he added in a choked voice, "Please."

"Clark, I love--"

He refused to let her finish.  "Don't say it.  Don't *ever* say it again.  I
can never believe it, not after everything.  I will work with you, I will
save
your life if you need it, but stop lying to me.  Give me that.  No more
lies.
You don't have any cause to torture me like that."

Now it was Lois' turn to examine the floor.  "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Clark didn't respond, so she bade him farewell and removed herself from his
presence.

Once she was gone, Clark collapsed on the sofa.  The very spot she had been
sitting when he had returned home.  It was still warm with her body heat.
He
sighed deeply.  What had she been trying to do?  Had she actually expected
him
to fall for that?  To believe her?

But those whispered words, "I'm sorry," echoed in his memory.  They had been
more sincere than he had ever heard her be before, even including their
discussion in the conference room so long ago.  She was truly sorry to have
hurt him.

She missed him.

She missed him!

And he had thrown her out.  He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.  "What have I
done?" he asked the air around him.  There was no answer.  He didn't need
one.
He knew he had been too harsh on her.  And hadn't he been angry long enough?
Grudges were ugly things, all too willing to ruin anyone's life who was
blind
enough to carry them.  He couldn't stay mad at her.  She had made the first
move, she had apologized.  And now it was his turn.  All he had to do was to
accept the apology, to forgive her.

Was it so hard to forgive her?  He loved her, and his love moved him to rush
to her window and tell her immediately that he forgave her.  He could tell
that she hated herself for past actions.  He no longer wanted his own hate
to
add to the pile.

It would just take the magic words to repair their relationship.
Undoubtedly,
it could never be restored to its original form, but if he said this, it
might
recover some of its beauty.  And, truth to be told, he missed his best
friend
something awful.  Even if there could be nothing else, he needed her as a
friend.

But he wasn't ready to say anything yet.  Lois wasn't ready to hear it, so
near to this episode.  He had thrown a few metaphorical stones at her, and
she
needed recovery time.  Tomorrow would be a better day for this.

But then there was a new problem.  Lex Luthor.  It *was* his and Lois'
penthouse, now.  How could he talk to Lois while avoiding Lex?  It was their
honeymoon.  He couldn't exactly burst in at any time.

Of course, Lois had come here today, so they must be spending some time
apart.
Perhaps the honeymoon wasn't as sweetly uninterrupted as it could have been.
He had to count on that, and watch carefully so that he could find the right
time to talk to her.

****************************

continued in part 14
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:44:58 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 20/24
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continued from part 19

"Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot!" the man with the gun exclaimed.  His
voice was high and panicked as he addressed the policemen.  "I'll kill them!
I will!"  His eye twitched away from the window of the convenience store and
toward the four hostages.  A cashier, a stock clerk, and two customers.
They
were huddled in a corner, cowed by the gun.

The police ceased their forward movement.  They didn't want to do anything
that could get those people killed.  "What do you want?" came the voice over
the megaphone.  "What are your demands?"

He heard their question, but didn't answer, as he saw a blue streak rocket
down by the policemen.  Superman.  The Man of Steel himself had come to help
the police.  Frank felt a surge of almost pride that it took Superman to
deal
with him.  But then he realized that this would truly complicate things.
Superman could dart in here and snatch the hostages away.  Then, he would
have
no leverage and would certainly go to jail after Superman disarmed him.

Thinking fast, he grabbed a hostage and pushed the gun to her head.  "Please
don't kill me," she begged.  "Don't shoot!  I'm just the cashier!"

"Shut up," he told her.  She did, terrified.  That was brilliant, Frank told
himself.  Now, Superman couldn't get all the hostages before this one was
killed.

Superman and the policemen turned to consult about this new development.
Frank saw his chance.  "If you make a sound or drag your feet, I'll kill
you,"
he whispered to the hostage.  "Say nothing and try nothing, you'll live to
see
tomorrow.  Understand?"

She nodded mutely.  Gun and hostage in hand, Frank silently crept away from
the store, out the back entrance that he forced the girl to show him.

Lois saw what was happening.  None of the police could see into the store
far
enough to know that he was gone, and Superman's back was turned.  "Clark,
he's
getting away!" she thought.  She wanted to scream it, but it would reveal
her
presence.

Miraculously, Clark turned and x-rayed the store.  Seeing what was going on,
he flew silently over the store until he could see Frank and his hostage
creeping away.  With a well-aimed burst of super-breath (not cold, as he
didn't want to freeze the people), he knocked the gun out of Frank's hand.
He
flew down, and in less than a second, had apprehended the man.

Frank was released into the custody of the police, and Superman flew upward
to
meet his feminine counterpart.  "Good job," she congratulated him.

"I couldn't have done it without you.  Thanks for that warning."

"What warning?"

"You told me he was getting away."

"I never said that.  I just thought it, wishing I could say it out loud,
and... oh, my... Clark, does this mean what I think it means?"

"I don't know," he replied cautiously.  "If it is..."

"Try it.  Try to say something telepathically to me."

"Okay," he said.  Then he concentrated.  He tried to project a thought to
Lois.  "Did you hear it?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

He frowned.  "Too bad.  That could have been interesting."

"Try it again."

^Lois, do you hear me?^

"I heard it!" she exclaimed.  "It worked!  How did you do it?"

^I just formed the words in my head and pictured you hearing them.  It's
really easy once you start.^

There was a pause, as Lois attempted it a few times, then Clark "heard" her
reply.  ^You're right.  It is easy.  I wonder what kind of range it has.  Do
we have to be near each other?^

^I don't know.  Hang on a sec.^  Clark flew away.  About ten seconds passed.
^Can you hear me?^

^Perfectly.  Where are you?^

^Canada.^  Another twenty seconds ticked by.  ^How about now?^

^Clear as a bell.  Where are you now?^

^Tokyo.  Just two more things, okay?^  He flew out into the very edges of
Earth's atmosphere.  ^Can you hear me now?^

^Barely,^ came Lois' faint voice.

^How about now?^ Clark asked from outer space.  He waited.  ^Lois?^  No
answer.  ^LOIS!^ he mentally shouted.  No answer.  He flew back into the
atmosphere.  ^Lois?^

^Yeah?^

^It didn't work from outside Earth's atmosphere.  I wonder... if we were
both
in space, would it work?  Fly out into space and see if you can hear me.^

^Okay.^  There was a pause of a couple seconds.  ^Can you hear me?^ she
asked
>from outer space.

^Yes!^ he exclaimed triumphantly.  ^So we can communicate as long as we're
both either in the atmosphere or out of it.  This is incredible!^

^Clark?  Can we go back to Kansas now?^

^Sure.  Race you!^

Lois got back to the barn first, as she was above the same continent as it
and
Clark was halfway around the world, but it didn't matter.  They were both
elated.

"Oh, this is so incredible!" Clark exclaimed.  "Do you realize just how much
easier this will make everything?  And it's really, really cool!"

Lois laughed.  She had to agree with that!  She scratched Mooky's chin as
she
asked Clark if he thought they could not only send thoughts, but read minds.

"I don't know.  Go ahead and try."

Lois sat for a minute, concentrating on what was in Clark's brain.  She was
certain that she could do this, she just had to find out how.  And then, all
of a sudden, she was in.  There was no other way to describe it-- she was in
Clark's brain.  Billions of thought were flooding her mind-- Clark's
thoughts.
There were so many of them, she couldn't identify any.  They seemed to be
coming at her, overflowing... it was too much.  She shut her eyes, trying to
get away from them.  It was too busy-- she couldn't get out!  So many
thoughts...

Her breathing was shallow, and her fists were clenched.  Her face was
twisted
into a grimace as if she were in physical pain.  Finally, with a terrified
scream, she broke free.

"Lois?  Lois?  Are you okay?"

"Clark?"

"Are you okay?"

"It was too much... too many thoughts.  I couldn't stop!  I'll never try
that
again!  The brain is just too complicated."

"Okay.  I'll take your word for it.  Are you better now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  So we can go back to the superhero lessons."

"Sure you don't want to call it a night?"

"Nahh.  I don't need as much sleep anymore, and we need to make the most out
of this time as we can."

"Okay."

*********************

They had been practicing rescues for hours on end.  The sun was just
beginning
to rise, not yet high enough to peek through the trees.  Lois and Clark were
sitting on the roof of the farmhouse to watch the sun rise and to take a
breather.

"Wow, this is so different from the last time I was here," Lois sighed.

"I know."

"I had a good time then, believe it or not."  She took his hand and inched a
little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulders.

"So did I.  What I remember most is that when I won that strength thing,
with
my super powers gone, no less, you picked a teddy bear instead of a Superman
doll.  I was so amazed."

"I loved that teddy bear."  Her voice dropped lower and seemed sad.  "I
don't
have it any more."

"Why?  What happened to it?"

"It was the second night of my marriage to Lex, and I was sitting awake by
the
window, holding it.  I guess I fell asleep, because Lex woke me up.  I got
up
to put the bear in my drawer, and he gave me the third degree about it.  He
found out it was from you, and he didn't like that very much.  He threw it
out
the window onto the street.  I went to look for it, but I couldn't find it.
I
was so furious with him for doing that..."

"Lois, you're never going to believe this.  I was walking by your penthouse
that day, and I saw a bear.  I thought it was just coincidence that it
looked
so familiar, but... I picked it up and brought it home with me."

"You're kidding!"

"No!  It's a little the worse for wear, but I cleaned it up and kept it."

"That's amazing."  There was silence for a while, as they just watched the
twilight change into dawn, in one of nature's most magnificent displays.
"It's so beautiful," Lois sighed.

"When we get a chance, let's go to up north to see the aurora borealis.
You'd
like that.  Mother Nature's own pyrotechnics show.  I've always wanted to
take
you to see it, but you'd have been so cold you wouldn't have appreciated
it."

"Sounds great."  Listening to his voice, she realized just how much it meant
to him to have another person he could share these things with.  They had
always been his duties, his abilities, his retreats from life... his lonely
places.   And now, it *was* like he suddenly had a playmate who could keep
up
with him.  He didn't have to hide, didn't have to pretend, didn't have to
consciously hold himself back to keep to her level.

As the sun rose on the Kansas farm, Lois' only regret was that they couldn't
share themselves fully as long as she was married to Lex.  And yet, this
level
of intimacy that she had with Clark right here, right now, was deeper than
any
physical contact could have been, more complete, and ultimately more
satisfying.  Still, it could become so much more if only she could find a
way
to rid herself of her commitment to Lex.

**********************

continued in part 21
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:44:18 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 17/24
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continued from part 16

A WEEK LATER:

Lois and Lex were still not on pleasant terms.  It only bothered Lex, so
Lois
didn't bother to be amiable about a reconciliation.  She was pleased to hear
about a new story, one which would involve an overnight stakeout with Clark.
Three good things combined into one:  time with Clark, time without Lex, and
an interesting story.  What luck!  Okay, maybe the lead wasn't too likely to
pan out, but two out of three good things wasn't bad.

There was some kind of illegal drugs action going down, or supposedly going
down, in an office-for-rent building.  What drug-pushers would be doing
renting an office, Lois didn't know, but it was good story material.  Lois
and
Clark were to go to the hotel that was across the street from the building.
They reserved a room on the fifteenth floor because from the window, they
could look slightly down, but almost directly across to the office that the
dealers had rented.

Now, they had to go home and pack before heading over to the hotel and
beginning their surveillance.  Clark went to his apartment and grabbed an
overnight bag, packing all the essentials.  He had plenty of time to spin
into
the super suit and make his rounds.  Nothing much was happening that night;
he
probably wouldn't have to leave Lois.  It was so nice to see her, to talk to
her again.  He was really looking forward to this stakeout.

Soon, Lois came by to pick him up.  He loaded his bag and one carrying
surveillance equipment into the back seat of her car, and climbed into the
front seat.  They arrived at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in about twenty
minutes.  They carried their bags into the classy lobby and went to the
front
desk to get their keys.  Their reservations were for the fifteenth floor,
room
1540.  They took a huge escalator to the first floor and then an elevator up
thirteen floors to the fifteenth floor.  They walked down the hall to their
room, and went in.  It was pretty small, but clean.  There were two double
beds, an armchair, a table and a few chairs, and two dressers with a
television on one of them.  The bathroom was pretty large, considering the
size of the room.

The first thing they did was to unpack their bags into the dressers directly
across from the beds.  That took up a whole ten minutes.  After that, they
set
up the equipment to tape the goings-on across the street.  Then, they were
at
a loss for something to do.

"What do you want to do?" asked Lois.

"I don't know.  What do you want to do?"

"I don't know.  Is there anything good on TV?"

Clark flipped on the TV and surfed through the channels.  Nothing captured
either of their interests.

"Why don't we take a walk, look around the hotel, you know," suggested Lois

"Fine."

Lois turned the TV off and grabbed her room key off the table it had been
resting on.  She and Clark walked out the door, making sure it was locked
behind them.  They turned right, and went down the hall to the elevators.
They had to wait for quite a long time to actually catch one; it appeared
that
there was some sort of competition going on in the convention center that
was
attached to the hotel, and there were a lot of high-school kids there.
Finally, they managed to squeeze into an elevator with a bunch of kids
wearing
matching blazers emblazoned with the logo of an organization called DECA.
Clark asked one of the students what DECA was, and he replied proudly that
it
stood for "Distributive Education Clubs of America," and was an "Association
of Marketing Students."  This was the site of state level competition.  The
entire hotel was full of high-schoolers.

They got off on the second floor and looked into a room that was full of
exercise equipment.  Beyond that, behind a glass door, was a pool.  It was,
of
course, outdoors.  The weather being typical for early March, it was also
empty.  The cold wouldn't have bothered them if they wanted to go swimming,
but the other guests might find it strange, so they opted not to.

They left the exercise room and continued their walk around the hotel.
There
wasn't much else of interest besides the huge chandelier that graced the
ceiling above the escalator and a passage from the hotel to the convention
center.  They soon started to go back to their room.

This time, they bypassed the elevators in favor of the stairs.  They had to
go
up twelve flights of stairs, but it was worth it to avoid the crowded
elevators.

Neither tired of the walking up stairs, as both were endowed with powers
beyond those of mortal men, but it did take time, and they couldn't risk
flying up, as someone else might be using the stairs.  After what seemed
like
forever, Lois and Clark reached the fifteenth floor.  The staircase exit was
near the elevators, and they walked down the hall to their room.  At least,
they attempted to.  Four high-school kids were running down the hall,
pillows
in hand, bashing each other.  They were followed by five others, also
wielding
feather weapons.  Lois and Clark were almost trampled by the
pillow-fighters,
two of whom attempted an in-flight apology.

The reporters watched as the kids knocked on the door to 1517.  It was
opened
by a young Italian man of about twenty-two or twenty-three, who immediately
yelled at the kids for pillow fighting in the halls.  Subdued, the nine
walked
back to a room which was across from where Lois and Clark were.  They could
be
heard mumbling about student teachers who suddenly turn on you.

Lois giggled a little.  "At least they were polite.  It looks like they're
staying in the room across from us, and the one next to us.  This promises
to
be a fun evening."

"I bet.  Ah, youth!"

She walked across the room to the equipment they had set up.  It was nine
o'clock, and nothing was happening yet.  She picked up the remote and
flipped
the TV on.  "Anything good on now?" she asked Clark, when he sat down on the
bed across from the one she was sitting on.  He replied that he didn't know,
so she channel surfed until she came to HBO, where the image of a familiar
actor, Michael Keaton, stopped her.  The movie was "Multiplicity," and they
decided to watch what was left of it.  It had started a half-hour before,
but
they knew enough of the simple plot to understand the movie.

Lois opened her bag and pulled out a package of Twizzlers.  She opened it
and
offered it to Clark.  "Want some?"

"Sure," said Clark, and moved over to the bed Lois was sitting on.  She
smiled
at his nearness.

Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from the hall.  They got up to
investigate.
Clark stuck his head out of the door only to be hit by a small stream of
water.  Behind him, Lois laughed.

The young blond girl whose water gun had fired the offending shot clapped
her
hand over her mouth.  "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, mortified.  Her friends
were laughing hysterically at her.

"It's okay," said Clark.  The girl's eyes were wide with surprise and
admiration.  She might be only sixteen or so, but that was one impressive-
looking guy!

One of the guys came up and took the water gun out of her hand.  "I'm afraid
I'll have to confiscate this gat," he said in a mock-serious tone of voice.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized again to Clark.

"It's okay," he said, and ducked back into the room, slightly damp, but none
the worse for wear.  "At least somebody's having fun," he said to Lois, who
was still laughing.

"The look on that poor girl's face!" Lois exclaimed.  "She looked like she'd
just shot Brad Pitt!"

Clark wrinkled his nose distastefully.  "Come on, let's watch this movie."
They sat together on the bed, not really paying too much attention, both
absorbed in their own thoughts.  Soon, the movie was over.  Lois, bored, got
up and started walking around the room, poking into things.

She saw a little bucket that was obviously for ice.  "Hey, Clark, is there
an
ice machine here?"

"Probably.  At least, there should be.  Wanna go look?" he asked.

"Yeah."  They got up and went out the door and down the hall.  They found it
obstructed by the same nine students they kept running into.  A few were
playing cards, a few were still carrying water guns, and a few were
gossiping
to the card players.  Lois and Clark carefully stepped over the card
players,
who apologized for being in their way.

As they left, they could hear the topic of conversation change to them.

"We really have to stop bugging them," said one girl.

"I know," replied a guy.  "They're only going to put up with it for so
long."

"But they've been really nice about it so far.  *I* probably wouldn't be as
nice as they are," said another girl.

Lois grinned at Clark.  "Nice kids," she commented.

"Mature.  Well, in a way," Clark amended, recalling the pillow and water gun
fights.

"Oh, come on.  Wouldn't you do stuff like that in high school if you were
away
>from your parents?  It's like a big party."

"I guess."  They went into a little room beside the elevators.  It contained
a
soda machine, an ice machine, and a snack vendor.  Clark filled the ice
bucket
with ice, and the two made their way back to the room.  It was about eleven
o'clock, so they both decided to turn in.

Lois changed clothes in the bathroom, and Clark changed in the main room.
Clark availed himself of the ever-popular spin change, but Lois, being as of
yet unused to the trick, did not.

When Lois came out of the bathroom, Clark was lying on the bed, reading a
book.  He looked up and smiled at her as she walked into the room.  She got
into the bed nearest her and laid back.  A few minutes later, after brushing
his teeth, Clark got back into the other bed.

Lois turned over and tried to go to sleep.  It was difficult, because her
problems with Lex were still plaguing her, along with the fact that she did
love Clark, and he didn't believe her.

She must have succeeded, because at about two-thirty in the morning, she was
woken up by voices in the next room.

"I know that's not what it's supposed to look like!  Coffee is dark brown,
not
light tan!"

"Well, do you want any or not?  It's this stupid coffee machine's fault.  I
can't work it!"

"It might be better as iced coffee.  Do we have any ice left?"

"I don't know."  There was a pause.  "It melted."

"I'm going to get the soda from the guys' room."

"Isn't anybody going to drink this?"

Clark, who had been woken up as well, said to Lois, "Should we call them?"

"And do what?" Lois replied.

Clark turned on one of the lights.  "Grab the other phone," he told Lois.
She
moved over to the table and picked up the phone, putting it to her ear.
Clark
dialed the room-to-room number and then punched in 1538.

"Hello?" said a young girl's voice.

"Is this room 1538?" Clark asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm Clark, from 1540."

He paused, as he and Lois heard a rustling, and a muffled, "It's that
gorgeous
guy from the other room!" and "Shhhhh!"  The other phone was picked up.

As Lois tried to stifle her laughter about the girl's remark, Clark
continued.
"Would you like to know how to work the coffee machine?"

Lois couldn't contain her giggles any longer, but she kept the phone.  "Oh!"
exclaimed the girl who had picked up the phone.  "Did we wake you up?  We're
so sorry!"

"No, that's okay, we didn't really want to sleep anyway.  This is Lois, also
in 1540."

"Hi," said Lois.

"Hi," said the girls.

Clark told them how to work the coffee machine, and they thanked him, both
for
the information and for putting up with them.  "We'll try to be quieter, we
promise," said one of the girls.

"Oh, it's okay.  We were in high school once, too," said Lois.  They soon
hung
up.  Lois, smiling, turned to Clark, who was grinning back at her.

They both lay awake, trying to sleep, listening minimally to the voices
coming
>from the next room.  Lois thought she was going nuts.  Just to be able to
say
something to Clark, she said, "Clark, it's 4:30 a.m.!  Don't these kids ever
go to sleep?"

"They will," he said.  "I hope."

*****************************

continued in part 18
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:45:09 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 21/24
Mime-Version: 1.0
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continued from part 20

The next day, the two superpeople flew back to Metropolis.  Superwoman was
fully ready to face whatever challenges the day would hold, be they rescues,
criminals, or her husband.  When she reached her home, she changed back into
Lois and entered through the door.  Mrs. Cox raised an eyebrow at her, but
said nothing.

Lois went up the elevator and got off on the top floor.  She went into the
private rooms.  She unpacked her bag, then collapsed into a chair.  The
little
vacation had been emotionally exhausting.  It was like she was a whole new
person.

Her suits were not here.  They were hanging in Clark's closet along with
his.
She couldn't risk Lex seeing them.  Having them at Clark's was slightly
inconvenient, but the best plan at the moment.  She always had one suit with
her, ready to change into at all times.  Clark had shown her how to keep the
suit there with her, but not actually there.  It was all very confusing,
really, and was like a complex magic trick.  It was really interesting, and
bordering on mind-boggling, but it went with the territory.

Suddenly, her superhearing kicked in.  There was a fire at a school, and
some
kids were trapped.  ^Clark!^ she projected, ^Did you hear that?^

^I heard it,^ he replied from his house.  ^Let's go.^  It was time for
Superwoman's debut.

The two brightly-cloaked heroes appeared on the scene.  The crowd of mostly
teachers and children gasped at the sight.  Without wasting any time, they
both flew up to the classroom and started taking kids, two at a time,
through
the window and down to the street below.

"Superman, I hear some coughing from another room.  I'm going to go check it
out," Superwoman said, and dashed into the girls' room.  Sure enough, there
were three very scared seventh-graders there.  "Come on, ladies," she said.
She took two of them, telling the other she'd be right back.  She flew down,
setting the two girls on the street and then dashed up again to get the
third
girl.  She picked her up and brought her to safety.

"Did you see anyone else?" she asked her partner.

"No.  We've got them all.  Let's put out the fire."  With both of them using
their super-breath to quell the flames, the job was done in no time at all.
The school was safe, and so were all the kids.

A teacher rushed over to them.  "Thank you so much, Superman, and...?"

"Superwoman," Superman said with a smile.

"Thank you, Superwoman," the teacher finished.

Lois smiled at her.  "I'm glad to help.  We both are."  Then, she noticed
the
three girls she had flown out of the bathroom.  They were still coughing a
little, and looked very shaken.  She walked over to them.  "Are you three
okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine.  Thank you so much."

"Who are you?" asked one girl.  "I've never seen you before."

"I'm Superwoman.  Are you sure you're okay?"  The question was directed at
the
third girl, the one who had been in the smoke the longest.

"I'm..."  She was interrupted by a coughing fit.  "I just got a lot of
smoke... that's all."

"Maybe I should ask Superman to x-ray your lungs.  I'd do it, but I'm not
sure
what to look for.  Superman!"

Clark excused himself from the people he was talking with to go over to
Lois.
"Yes, Superwoman?"

"I think she inhaled a lot of smoke, but I'm not sure.  Could you check to
see
if she's okay?"

Clark listened to her breathing for a second, then x-rayed her lungs.
"She's
fine."  He then turned to Lois.  "The news teams are going to be here any
second.  Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied.  "Let's go introduce the world to
the
Metropolis Duo."

^Look out, Earth.  Now there's two of us!^ Clark added mentally.  She
grinned
at him.

In a minute, reporters for TV and newspapers were on the scene.  ^Damn, I
wish
we could cover this,^ Lois projected wistfully.

^I know,^ Clark began, but was cut off by the appearance of a familiar face.
^Hey, it's Jimmy!^

^Let's go give him some good pictures.^

"Superman!" a reporter cried.  "Who is this?"

"This is Superwoman," he said to the crowd.

Lois mimicked Clark's cross-armed position in order to be in a good pose for
pictures.

"Where are you from?"

"How did you come here?"

"Are you any relation to Superman?"

Lois held up a hand to stop the questions.  "Please, all your questions will
be answered later.  Right now, I'm just going to say that I'm here to help.
Metropolis is a big city, and Earth is a big world.  Superman can't do
everything by himself.  Even both of us can't do *everything.*  But
together,
we can do a lot more than him alone.  So, to the criminal element in
general,
look out, here come the Metropolis Marvels!"

"Superman!" Jimmy called.

"Yes, Jimmy?" Clark replied.

"Can I get a picture of you two for the front page of the Planet?"

"Sure."  Superman and Superwoman walked over to the photographer/cub
reporter.
"Jimmy, this is Superwoman.  Superwoman, this is Jimmy Olsen, of the Daily
Planet."

"Pleased to meet you," said Lois, shaking his hand.

"Oh, it's an honor to meet you!" Jimmy replied with a stunned look on his
face.

Superman moved over to a portion of the front of the school that was
uncluttered by people.  He stood sideways, with his arms crossed.
Superwoman
came over, crossed her arms and stood back-to-back with him.  Both looked at
the camera and Jimmy let the shutter fly.  "Thanks a lot," he said.
"Perry's
gonna be thrilled."

"Perry?" Superwoman asked.

"The editor of the Planet," explained Superman, "Perry White."

"Right.  Well, now that everything's okay, we'll be leaving.  Goodbye,
Jimmy."

"Bye."

"Bye, Jimmy," said Superman.

"Bye."

With that, Superman and Superwoman took off into the sky.  "Well," said Lois
as they flew, "that went pretty well."

"It went great!  We got all those kids out without one of them inhaling too
much smoke.  I couldn't have done that alone.  I'd have gotten them all out
alive, but some of them would have to avail themselves of oxygen tanks for a
few minutes."

"I wonder if Lex is home yet.  He's going to be upset with me for the Kansas
trip."

"I know.  But hey, you can handle him.  Especially now."

"True."

"And by the way, I liked the 'Metropolis Marvels' thing."

"Oh, thank you.  I figured they'd tag me with some of those nicknames like
they've got for you, so I figured 'why not?'."

"Yeah, at least most of the names they use on me are okay.  I'm not overly
fond of 'Man of Tomorrow,' but what can you do?  It's too bad 'The Dynamic
Duo' is taken already, though.  I like that a lot."

"Yeah, me too.  Anyway, we'd better be getting our spandex butts to the
Planet
so we can write up this story."

"It's easier when you can make up your own quotes."

"I bet."  She grinned.

They spun into their reporter alter-egos in an alley, and walked into the
Daily Planet.  The newsroom was abuzz with the astonishing story.  "Lois!
Clark!" Perry exclaimed upon seeing them.  "Have you heard about this
Superwoman?"

"Yes Chief," Lois said.  "And we're writing the story for you now.  We've
got
some exclusive stuff."

"Great!  Get to work!  I want it in the afternoon edition!"

"Let's get cracking," Clark said.  They went over to Clark's computer and
began the story.  It was easy to write, since they had only to tell about
the
fire that they had witnessed and to make up stuff about Superwoman.  They
didn't write too much, as it would indicate that Lois and
Clark had known her before her debut.  Besides, the public would ask more
questions no matter how much information they received, so it would be best
to
leave some answerable questions to still be asked.

The story was done in a short time and they sent it to Perry.  Jimmy was
busy
developing the photos he had taken.  The one of the heroes back-to-back he
proudly showed to Lois and Clark.  It was a good picture, and would look
great
with their article.

[note: to see the picture that Jimmy took, go to
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/loisclark/images/superw.jpg]

After they had LAN'd the story, Lois said she was going to go home and face
the music.  ^Contact me this way if you need to change something and need my
opinion, okay?^

"Okay.  Bye, Lois."

"Bye."  Then, she added telepathically, ^Kal.^

"What?  What did you just call me?"

"Well, I remembered you saying it was your name, and I figured it was
probably
your," her voice dropped to a whisper, "Kryptonian name."

"It is.  Kal-El."  The name was so quietly said that no one without
superhearing could hear it.

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that.  It just took me by surprise.  I haven't heard that name
since
I saw the message from my father.  I've never heard it from a live person.
I
do like it, a lot.  It's special to me-- the name I was given at birth."  He
smiled.  "It feels good to hear you say it."

She patted him on the shoulder.  "Well, good.  I like saying it.  But I'd
better be going. See you around."

"Oh, and hey, if you have a marital spat," he added, grinning, "my door's
always open."

*************************

continued in part 22
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:43:21 EDT
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 12/24
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continued from part 11

The sun had long since sunk beneath the line that was the horizon.  A myriad
of stars, few of which were visible from the city hung quietly in the sky,
displaying their twinkling silver beauty for any who cared to gaze upon
them.
The sound of the sea was mixed with the call of birds that were using the
dim
light to hunt prey and with rustling of tree leaves.

Lois shivered a little as a cool breeze ruffled her hair.  She cuddled
closer
to Clark, who was sleeping peacefully on the fine sand.  His arm
automatically
went around her, and the slight chill that characterized the night on this
island was banished by his touch.  She looked at his handsome features,
bathed
in the soft glow of moonbeams, and was once again amazed that he, this
magnificent creature, could love her.  She would never deserve his love, not
even if she worked for a thousand years at it.  And yet it was hers for the
taking.

Suddenly, the chill was back.  But this was an inner chill, leaving her
exposed skin untouched, but disturbing her inside.  She had almost thrown
this
away.  What kind of life would hers have been if he wasn't in it?  Would it
be
like her dream?  Perhaps.  For the first few months, anyway.  An almost
physically painful severance of an emotion that she hadn't yet discovered.

But after that, what would happen?  Day after day, week after week, month
after month, year after year....  Would she soon become dull to the pain, or
would it get worse with time?  Would the old wound heal, or would it be
constantly worried, constantly reopened?  Surely the latter.  How much time
would pass before it hurt too much to go on?

In an instant, Lois knew that she wouldn't have lived very long a life.  She
wouldn't have allowed herself to remain on the planet.  That which appeared
to
be a choice between two paths in her life was in actuality a choice between
life and death.  Her life and death.

Clark had saved her life so many times as Superman, and even some times as
Clark, but she resolved that she would never tell him of this more long-
reaching rescue.  It would hurt him to learn that she would even consider
suicide, much less be positive that she would carry it out.  She was the
only
one who would know of the reaches that her self-hatred would have taken her,
had he not interfered.

She sighed at the morbid line of thought that had plagued her.  It seemed
she
wasn't to be rid of these disturbing ideas.  The guilt of marring her and
Clark's first night, the guilt of hurting the man she loved, the pain of
almost losing him, and those damn dreams.  If, as Clark had suggested, she
needed to resolve her dream problem to be rid of those demons forever, she
would have to fall asleep.

And yet she was frightened of doing so.  Every time she dropped into the
nightmare, there was more pain for her to deal with, more guilt and self-
hatred.  She supposed what really frightened her was the thought that these
emotions would overcome her before she could overcome them, and she would be
trapped.  If she failed to do this, she knew that she would be haunted
forever.

"Just once," she thought, "just once, I'd like to lie here, next to Clark,
and
not be worried about falling asleep.  Just to snuggle up and succumb to the
warm glow he seems to give off.  That would be worth this all."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She woke up in the window of Lex's... no, her and Lex's penthouse.  She had
woken up because Lex was gently shaking her shoulder.  She jumped and pulled
away from his touch.

"It's okay, darling.  It's me," Lex said.

Yeah, that's the problem, Lois wanted to say.  She didn't want him to touch
her while she wore this shirt.  It might have been unreasonable, but there
it
was.  She forced a smile.  "Morning, Lex."

"What are you doing all the way over here?"

"I... couldn't sleep, and I came to look out the window.  I guess I must
have
just dozed off right here."  She looked down at the teddy bear in her arms.
She stood and moved to replace the bear in her underwear drawer.

The motion reminded Lex of the bear's presence.  "What's this?" he asked.

"It's just a bear," she replied.  "Liar!" she thought to herself.

"Why do you keep it?"

"No reason."

"There must be some reason."

What was with this?  Why did Lex care about the bear?  "A friend gave it to
me."

"What friend?"

"Why?"

"Lois.  Tell me.  Who gave you the bear?"

"Why are you being so strange, Lex?  It's just a bear!" she protested.

"Who gave you the bear?" he repeated.

She sighed.  There was no help for it.  "Clark did."

Lex frowned.  "Why do you still have it?"

"It's just a sentimental thing, okay?  This bear brings back some good
memories."

"Of Clark?"

"Yes, of Clark."

"It shouldn't."

"Why not?  I'm allowed to have memories.  What is going on with you?"

"Lois, darling, we're going to make new memories.  Better than any old ones.
Why don't you throw the bear out as a tribute to our new life together?"
The
words were cool, casual, flowing, but they scared Lois.  The bear was one of
her most prized possessions, especially now that she had realized she loved
Clark.

"No," she said.

"What?"  Lex couldn't believe that she would refuse him anything he asked.

"You heard me.  I want to keep it."

Lex's eyes glinted coldly.  "Give it to me and *I'll* throw it out."

"No!  Will you forget about the stupid bear?"

Lex was seized by a powerful urge to rid himself of the bear.  It
represented
a challenge.  As long as Lois held on to it, she obviously still cared about
her old life, about Clark.  He had seen the way she slept with the bear in
her
arms, holding on to it as if it were the last thing in the world that she
cared for.  *He* was supposed to be the most important thing in the world to
her.

He was still for a few seconds, and then, all of a sudden, he seemed to
pounce.  He ripped the bear from Lois' grasp.  She cried out, but before she
could stop him, he raced to the window and threw it into the street below.

"No!" she screamed, racing to the window.  She watched as the poor bear
plummeted to its death, falling from the top of the highest building in
Metropolis.  Lex glided up next to her.

"You'll thank me later, my dear."

"Never!  Lex, how could you?" she cried.

"Lois, the bear doesn't matter," he told her, putting an arm around her
shoulder.

She shrugged the arm off violently.  "Don't touch me," she hissed.  She
stormed to her dresser, pulled out jeans and a t-shirt, and promptly locked
herself in the bathroom.  In a few minutes, she emerged, fully dressed.  She
grabbed her purse and headed for the door.  "Don't wait up," she told her
husband, and left.  The door slammed behind her.

*************************

Clark was walking along the street to get to an interview.  He hadn't felt
like hailing a cab.  He passed the Luthor residence and looked up, glaring
at
the place in general even though he was unable to see the man he hated.  As
his eyes were turned upward, he did not notice where his feet were heading.
So, it came as a surprise to him when he kicked something.

He looked down.  Sitting in a mud puddle and looking pathetically sad was a
small teddy bear.  It looked familiar.  He picked it up and tried to get
some
of the mud off of it.  It looked like it had been run over as well as
dropped.
He couldn't quite place the feeling of familiarity that it was causing him.
Then he realized what the bear looked like.  It was almost identical to the
bear he had won for Lois at the Smallville Corn Festival.

Lois.

He wondered if she still had that bear.  Ironic that he'd find this one so
close to her new home.  He sighed, remembering what a great time they'd had
in
Smallville.  Unconsciously, he cradled the bear gently in his arms.  A small
smile played across his lips.  Maybe he'd take a detour on the way to the
interview so that he could bring the bear home.

***********************

Lois walked out the door and stopped.  Her gaze roamed the streets,
searching
for a small object.  The cars rushing by obscured her view, but she did her
best to locate the momento.  It wasn't in the road.  That, at least, was a
relief.  Maybe it would come out of this unscathed.

She then searched the sidewalks, the small areas of grass, the alleys
between
nearby buildings. She looked up into the few trees to see if it had possibly
been caught in one of the mayor's attempts to beautify Metropolis.  It
hadn't.
It wasn't anywhere.  She searched the small area that it could have traveled
in for over half an hour, but nothing turned up.  A tear trickled down her
cheek, leaving a glossy streak on her skin.

The bear was gone.

***********************

continued in part 13
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:44:46 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 19/24
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continued from part 18

As they traveled, Lois told Clark about the ideas she'd had.

"Superwoman," he said.  "I like it.  A lot."

She smiled.  "Me too."

"Now, about this costume.  It sounds great, but what about your face?"

"My face?"

"Yeah, you know, the thing on the front of your head.  People *will*
recognize
you.  At least the Planet people."

"I never even thought of that!  Geez, it's a good thing you're here.  I
don't
know what I could do.  A cape and cowl, like Batman?"

"Lois, that works great for the 'striking terror into the hearts of
evildoers'
thing, but it's not quite a 'Super' image."

"Odd makeup?  A hood that shades my face?"

"Maybe a mask.  Just a little one, over the eyes.  Blue, I think.  And if
you
slick your hair back, it'll look black.  And you should try to change your
voice a little, if you can."

"Like how Superman's voice is kinda deeper and more intimidating than Clark
Kent's?"

"Yeah."

"How do you think Superwoman should sound?  High and bubbly?  Low and
dusky?"
She changed her voice to match the proposed adjectives.

'Low and dusky' certainly made an impression on Clark.  That was definitely
the one to use.  He told her as much.

"Oh, he likes the deep, sexy one, does he?  Okay, it's settled."

He smiled at her and shrugged.  "What can I say?  Anyway, there's a few
other
ways to add to the disguise.  Posture, although that automatically changes
when you're in a spandex suit, at least it does for me, not laughing or
making
many jokes, getting used to referring to yourself in the third person, the
list goes on and on."

"Wow.  I never realized just how much trouble you go to for that secret
identity thing you've got going.  I hope I can manage all that."

"Well, I'll teach you some things while we're on the farm.  And I can help
cover for you while we're together.  You're going to have to be really
careful.  It'll be specially hard to hide it from... ah... Lex."  Clark was
uncomfortable even saying the man's name.

"No, Lex is a busy man.  Besides, he's already getting used to the fact that
I
come and go as I please.  I mean, just now, I wrote him a note saying I was
going to Kansas and I'd probably be back in a couple of days or so.  That's
all it said.  I'm breaking him in to the idea that he's married to someone
who's just as headstrong as he is."

"Well... you'll forgive me if I hope he never gets used to the idea."

"Yeah.  There's always the hope that I'll be too much for him to handle."

"And, knowing you, that's quite possible."

Lois grinned and gave him a playful shove.  It knocked him a few feet away
>from the path he was flying on, much the way a human man would've been
pushed
by another human.  This only served to increase her grin.  She was on a par
with Superman.  She was Superwoman!

Soon, they were in Smallville, in the front yard of a white farmhouse.  They
walked up to the door and knocked.  In a flash, Martha was at the door.  She
hugged first her son, then Lois.  Jonathan took a second longer to make an
appearance, and he hugged both of them, too.

Lois and Clark were escorted to the sitting room, where they proceeded to
tell
the whole strange story.  Then they explained that Lois needed a costume.

"Oh!" exclaimed Martha, "I'd be happy to make one for you, dear!  Any ideas
on
how it should look?  You should've seen the costumes I made for Clark before
he found one he liked..."

********************

In the master bedroom, Lois stood still in the center of piles of fabric
while
Martha took her measurements.  As they went through the motions of
tailoring,
they talked as if they were old friends.  Indeed, it seemed as though they
were, even though they hadn't known each other for very long.  It was an
instant bond.

"...I just didn't know what was going on.  I mean, I was standing there at
the
altar, and I could have sworn that it was Clark there with me... even then,
I
knew I loved him and not Lex... and I said 'I do,' but I realized it was
Lex,
and I felt so terrible, so sick inside.  It was too late.  I should have
backed out before then, but I had been trying to convince myself that it
*was*
right, but it wasn't.  I could have killed myself when I realized what I had
done.  And I missed Clark so much because I *love* him.  But I knew he'd
never
even *like* me again, after everything.  But somehow, a miracle happened,
and
he still loves me.  And I'm certain it's not too late.  I'm trying to get a
divorce.  Already, Lex is getting annoyed with me.  This unplanned,
unannounced except for a little note, trip will be another major battle with
him.  Thing is, I prefer fighting with him to the alternative."  She
shuddered, cutting off her own babbling.

She was silent for a minute.  When she spoke again, her voice was lower and
sadder.  "Oh, Martha, what am I saying?  It *is* too late.  I was an idiot,
and I ruined my life and Clark's, too."  She sniffed a little.

Martha took Lois into her arms.  "Oh, honey, everything *will* be all right.
Trust me.  From what I've heard of Lex Luthor, you'll have a good cause to
divorce him soon enough.  As if not loving him was a *bad* reason for
divorce... sheesh.  Now, let's get to work on this costume."

Lois was happy enough to accept Martha's assurances and her fussing.  The
older woman pulled out huge amounts of different fabrics for Lois to look at
and pick out the ones she'd need.  Then, the actual designing began.

They started with a red sleeveless bodysuit.  Over that, they intended to
put
a short, loose skirt.  Lois wasn't sure at first whether she wanted to have
a
blue skirt, red tights, and blue boots, or a blue skirt, no tights, and blue
boots, or a blue skirt, no tights, and red boots.  She knew she didn't want
a
red skirt.  That would not look as good as a blue one would.

Martha helped by drawing sketches of the way each proposed outfit would
look.
With the help of these, Lois realized that no tights and red boots would
probably look the best.

The final ensemble consisted of a blue mask that covered a large area around
her eyes, a dark blue cape that was slightly shorter than Clark's, diamond-
shaped symbols on her shoulders, the right bearing an 'S' and the left
bearing
a 'W', both blue letters on a yellow background, a red v-necked, sleeveless
bodysuit, a yellow belt that came to a 'v' in the front, and from which hung
a
very short skirt that was loose, pleated, and made of the same heavy
material
as the cape, no tights, and medium-heeled red boots that came up to
mid-calf.

"Well," said Martha when everything was finished, "let's see how it looks."

Martha went out into the hallway while Lois put on the unfamiliar outfit.
First the bodysuit, then the skirt, then the boots, then cape, and finally,
the mask.  She glanced in the mirror and smiled.  "Martha!" she called.

Martha walked into the room.  "It looks gorgeous!  Let me go get Jonathan
and
Clark."  She walked back out and called downstairs to the men, "Jonathan!
Clark!  We're done!"

Lois was already on her way out to meet them.  She stopped at the top of the
stairs.  "What do you think?" she asked, a little nervously.

"Beautiful!" exclaimed Clark.

"It looks wonderful, Lois," said Jonathan.  "Martha, you did a great job."

"Clark," said Martha, "put on your suit so we can see what you look like
together."

Clark obligingly spin-changed into Superman and went to stand by Lois.

His parents smiled.  "Perfect," said Jonathan.  "A true crime-fighting
team."

Martha just nodded.

Clark looked at his partner.  "Well, let's get started on what you need to
know.  Grab your regular clothes and meet me out back."

She went back up to the room.  "Starting with the spin-change?" Martha
asked.

"It's one of the most useful things in the business," Clark replied, then
excused himself to fly off toward the field in back of the farmhouse.

"Chalk up another success for the Kent Superhero Farm," said Jonathan.

********************

"Okay, Clark, I think I'm going to get it right this time," said Lois.  She
spun into a red, yellow, and blue blur.  When she stopped, Superwoman was
standing there, with her eyes shut.  "Did I get everything?"

"You look like you're all there," Clark replied cautiously.  "Turn around."
She did so, and he declared it a perfect spin-change.  "Okay, go back to
Lois
now."

She grinned and crossed her fingers before spinning again.  She glanced
down,
to find that she was fully 'Lois' again.  "I did it!"

"All right!" Clark said, giving her a high-five.  "Now you have to learn the
variations."

"Variations?" she asked warily.

"Yeah, changing while flying straight, while wearing different clothes, that
sort of thing."

"Oh."

They did about an hour more of spin-change practice, during which Lois
changed
in and out of her clothes hundreds of times, and also in and out of
different
pieces of clothing, such as a blouse, Clark's jacket and tie, Martha's
skirt,
a sundress she had brought, and each time got it perfect.  Well, not quite
each time.  But by the end of the session, she could change almost as well
as
Clark.

Then, they began doing simulations of crimes so that Lois would know what to
do.  Throughout this whole training time, Clark encouraged Lois to use her
'Superwoman' voice.

"Okay, Lois, turn around for a second."  He was off and back in a second.
"Okay, now I'm a criminal.  *This*," he said, indicating a scarecrow he had
swiped, "is my hostage."  He pulled out a tree branch and pointed it at the
cranium of the poor scarecrow he held.  "Hold it right there, Superwoman,"
he
sneered.  "One more step, and the kid gets it."  He jabbed the "gun" toward
the "kid's" head to emphasize his point.

Lois had seen how he had dealt with this before.  She used her heat vision
to
heat up the "gun."  "Ow!" Clark exclaimed, dropping the gun, which had a
little flame on the end.  Superwoman blew it out, not wanting to start a
fire.
"Tricky!  But I've got a backup plan!"  He pulled a rock out of his pocket.
"This remote triggers five different bombs.  All of them are under large
buildings.  We wouldn't want to be responsible for all those deaths, now
would
we, Superwoman?"

Lois pondered this for a half a second, then, with a quick spurt of
superbreath, knocked the remote out of Clark's hand, flew over and pinned
his
hands behind his back.  "Gotcha," she whispered, then let go of him.

"Ha ha!  You think you're so smart, Superwoman, but when the remote hit the
ground, the button was depressed, and all five bombs went off!"

She frowned.  "Really?"

"Probably not, but before you do that, you should check to see if the button
sticks out and could be pressed accidentally.  Most remotes wouldn't be that
way, but you never know."

"I think I've got a lot of learning to do."

"Don't worry.  It'll come fast."

The training session went on for hours and hours.  It was pitch black when
they re-entered the farmhouse.  There was a note on the kitchen table.
Martha
and Jonathan had gotten tired and gone to bed, but they had left dinner for
Lois and Clark.  It was in the refrigerator and needed only to be heated up.

"Let's take this stuff out to the barn," Clark said.  "We can warm it up
with
heat vision, and we can talk there without worrying about waking anybody up.
The mortals have to sleep so they can get up early," he said with a grin.

Lois grinned back.  "Okay.  Besides, this would be a good thing to learn.
It
might help my cooking skills."

Clark winced.  "Don't overrate it!"  He took the food out to the barn and
Lois
came with him.

"Hey, Clark," Lois said once they were there, "I know Martha's a good cook,
so
what's with the cat food?"

"It's just some cat treats," he said.  He set down all the food, holding the
small can of treats.  He started to shake it, calling to unseen entities,
"Bobby!  Gabriel!  Mooky!  Kabudul!"

Instantly, four cats materialized.  One was grey on top, with a white chin,
neck, belly, and paws.  The second was grey striped.  The third was
tortoise-
shell.  The fourth was also tortoise-shell, but slightly darker colored.
"Hey, guys!" said Clark, dishing out the treats to the purring felines.
"How's it been?"

Lois sat down beside Clark and picked up the white and grey cat once he was
done eating.  Clark told her that that cat was Bobby, and liked to be
scratched on the side of the face and on the neck.  Lois obliged, and
instantly had a friend for life.  Clark introduced the other three.  Mooky
was
the lighter cat, and Kabudul was darker.  Gabriel was grey striped.  They
all
competed for the attention of the two humans.

"Sorry," said Clark.  "This is going to make it tough to eat."

"Oh, that's okay," said Lois.  "We can always float away from them."

He grinned.  "I almost forgot.  It's so weird, having another person who can
do everything I can do.  It's like you're the playmate I never got as a
kid."

"Playmate, huh?"  For some reason the term appealed to her.

"Yeah.  Hey, it's important to have a playmate, even when you're an adult."

She smiled at him.  "I guess so."  She paused for a second.  "Well, let's
eat."  She floated up into a cross-legged position three feet above the barn
floor.  Clark followed suit.

After showing Lois how to use her heat vision to heat food, they ate.  "So,"
Clark said, "how are you enjoying your superheroing?"

"It's great.  I can't wait until I can do some real rescues."  She paused
for
a second, hearing something in the distance.  "Maybe I'll get my chance."

"It's a hostage situation, Lois.  Those are tough, even for me sometimes.
Why
don't you watch from above and I'll take this one?  Besides, we're not
really
ready to introduce Superwoman yet.  She can't be seen in public."

"Okay, okay," Lois said.  I'll hover high above your head and use x-ray
vision
and superhearing to spy on you."

"Okay."

"But you're not keeping me out of the action for long."

"I don't intend to.  Let's go."  In seconds, they were off.

******************

continued in part 20
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:44:31 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 18/24
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continued from part 17

It was 5:45, and Clark heard only silence coming from room 1538.  Fifteen
minutes ago, the five girls had just... stopped talking.  He assumed they
had
just crashed.  He had heard them talking about getting up at 6:30 for a
breakfast function; maybe they wanted to get in a little sleep.

But then, a sound made its way to Clark's ultra-sensitive ear.  It was Lois,
who had been asleep for nearly an hour.  She was tossing, turning, and
groaning as if in distress  It was undoubtedly a nightmare, maybe brought on
by being away from her husband.  She'd be fine.  But even Clark's dark
thoughts couldn't keep him from worrying.  He got up and walked one step
over
to her bed, perching on the end of it.  After all, she *was* asleep-- it's
not
like she'd notice, he reasoned.

He reached out a slightly hesitant hand and rubbed her back in slow, steady
circles.  It felt so good to touch her.  He hadn't allowed himself to freely
do so in a very long time.  Not since their hug on Lex's balcony.  He had
been
almost afraid of where it would lead.  His other hand joined the first, and
for a second he flashed back to a similar situation in his apartment what
seemed like ages ago.

Lois immediately calmed.  Whatever dream had been troubling her was not
doing
so now.  She moved a little, sighing in response to his touch.  "Mmmmmmm..."
she moaned.  "Oh, Clark, that feels so good..."

Clark paused as he realized she was awake, or half-awake.  But before he did
anything, Lois suddenly tensed under his hands.  Her eyes snapped open.
"Lex!
I mean Lex!  Oh, Lex, I'm so sor--"  But she broke off as she turned and saw
Clark's surprised face instead of the shocked and upset visage of Lex.  Lex
would have reacted furiously to the situation.  There were only so many
times
a man could tolerate being called "Clark," and Lois was way over the limit
already.  However, Clark's reaction was mostly surprise.

"Clark?"  Lois asked, "why are you... how is this possible?"  The mixture of
sleep, pleasure, and wonder then faded off her face as she remembered why
Clark was there.  "Oh yeah..." she mumbled and turned her face away.

"Lois?"  Clark's voice filled her with tentative hope.

"Yes?"

"Did you think that you had just called Lex by my name?" he asked
incredulously.

"Um... yes."

"Does that mean you... Were you... Do you...?"  He was stunned.

"Clark," she said with a smile, "I *love* you."  She lifted her hand to rest
at the base of his neck.  "I said it before, but you didn't-- couldn't--
believe me.  And it was my fault that you couldn't.  But believe me now, I
really do love you."

Clark leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers.  She returned the
kiss
passionately, hungrily, opening her mouth to devour him.  He ran his hands
over the sides of her body and down to her waist.  "Oh, Clark," she sighed.
"I've wanted you, needed you for so long..."  As his fingers slid under the
waistband of her shorts, her face and body tensed with expectancy.

But when his knuckles were at her waist, he paused and did not go any
further
down.  Confused, Lois opened her eyes and looked at him.  "Clark?"  The word
was both a question and an entreaty.

Clark retrieved his hand from its potentially dangerous position.  Keeping
his
face turned away from Lois', he said, "I'm sorry, Lois.  I just... can't.
It
wouldn't be right."

"It's because I'm married."

"Yes.  I do love you, but this isn't...  You and me together isn't an option
any more."

Lois had to bite her lip to keep a tight rein on her emotions.  "I
understand," she whispered, almost on the verge of tears.  "It's all my
fault.
I ruined our chances."

Clark drew her once again into his arms.  "Shhhh.  It's okay, Lois.  We've
both done some pretty stupid things, but what's done is done, and we can't
take back our actions."

She clung to him, needing to feel his body against hers, even if they
couldn't
be together.  "I'm so sorry, Clark..."

"I'm sorry, too, Lois," he said softly, stroking her hair.  "I love you."

"I love you, too, Clark, so much.  I've been trying to get a divorce from
Lex."

"He'd never let you do that."

"No, he isn't letting me but I have to keep trying.  But it's going to be so
hard."

"I know.  I know."  He hugged her a little tighter.  "You know what Virgil
said?  'Forsam et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.' Perhaps someday we shall
like
to remember even these things."

Virgil.  Lex had quoted Virgil to Lois once.  When he asked her to marry
him.
It was strange that both of the men in her life could be so different and
yet
so alike as to choose the same ancient Roman poet to quote.  "I hope so.  I
hope we're happy enough in the future to look back on our lives without
pain."

"We will be.  I know it."

She drifted off into a warm, untroubled sleep in Clark's arms.  Clark slept,
too, holding her tight the way he'd wanted to for so long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clark awoke to the sound of his telephone loudly insisting that he answer
it.
His mind slightly dulled by sleep, he automatically reached over to press
the
'snooze' button on his alarm clock.  When that didn't work, he picked up the
phone.  "Hello?"

"Clark, the best things are happening in my dream!  You believed me when I
said that I love you!  Lex and I are in the middle of a major fight!  And
some
of the dream was really funny."  She went on to relay astounding tales of
DECA
students, water guns, pillow fights, and coffee machines.

"Wow, sounds like you may have this dream thing licked soon!" Clark
exclaimed.

"Not quite.  Lex is refusing to let me have a divorce.  I think it's because
he wants to punish me for not loving him, or something like that.  But I
doubt
he really loves me, anyway.  Maybe he thought he did, and is just now
realizing that he doesn't.  I know he didn't expect me to act the way I did
toward him, insisting on getting my own way, blah, blah, blah..."

Clark just smiled sleepily as he listened to the voice of the woman he
loved.
He glanced at the clock to discover that it was time to get up to get ready
for work, anyway.  The conversation drifted for a while, and soon Lois
excused
herself.  "Some of us can get all ready for work in ten seconds, but *I* am
not that lucky," she offered as means of an explanation.

"Okay.  'Bye, Lois."

"'Bye."  She almost replaced the phone in its cradle, but was stopped by
Clark.

"Hey..." came his still sleepy voice.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She smiled.  "I love you, too, Clark.  See you in a bit."  This time she did
hang up, and did so with a rather goofy grin on her face.  It would be a
good
day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lois had just walked with Clark home from the Planet, and was sitting with
him
in his apartment, drinking coffee.  This had become their daily ritual.  She
would park the car at his place in the morning, and they'd walk down
together.
Sometimes, but not today, if they thought they'd need the car, they'd drive.
Despite the fact that she could have any car she pleased, she still drove
her
vanity-plated Jeep Cherokee.  One reason was that she didn't want to get
things from Lex.  She didn't like to be dependent on him.  Everything she
bought, she bought with her own money, not Lex's.  She was thrilled to be
back
on the job again after that hell that was supposed to be a honeymoon.  It
had
been cut short due to a few untimely incidents, beginning with the bear
episode.  That suited Lois just fine.  This way, she could enjoy her life
somewhat.

As they walked, Lois decided to speak to Clark about something that had been
on her mind for a while.  "Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"Now that I've got full use of my powers, do you think that maybe I could...
I
mean... you know... help?"

"Lois, I'm sure you've got what it takes, but do you realize what goes with
the job?  Do you know what you're asking?  What kind of life you'd be
living?"

"I know that.  I've seen you deal with the job.  But I can't sit around and
do
nothing, any more than you could.  Besides, you have to miss cries for help;
*I* could answer them."  She gently put her hand on the side of Clark's
face.
They stopped walking.  "You have an impossible job, and I know how
frustrating
that can be.  But I can shoulder some of that."

Clark's face melted into a gentle smile.  "Lois, you've been my partner at
my
normal job for a year now, and we've made a great team.  There's nothing I'd
like more than to have you be my partner in my other job.  Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure."  She dropped her hand from his face and into his hand.
"Partners?"

"Partners," he agreed, as he shook her hand.  "Now, you need a costume.  How
long can you spare to come to Smallville?"

"Smallville?"

"Yeah, my mom'll design you a great costume.  She did mine."

"Oh, of course!  How long would it take?"

"Well, we could do a rush job in a day, but a few days would be optimal."

"That'll be fine.  Lex is at work, so I'll just go pack, leave him a note,
and
we can be on our way."

"Great!  I'll call mom and tell her we're coming, and tell Perry he'll have
to
do without us for a few days."

"Okay.  Bye!"  She leaned forward as if to kiss him goodbye.  She stopped
stiffened, and pulled back when she realized what she had been doing.
"Um...
bye," she repeated.

"Bye," he echoed ruefully.

She flew off with a sonic boom that Clark was used to creating instead of
hearing.

Lois was home in a manner of seconds.  This time, there was nobody in the
private quarters, so she felt free to enter via the window.  She went over
to
her drawers and pulled out a couple pairs of jeans, some t-shirts, and all
the
other necessities for four days.  She figured that was the maximum amount of
time she'd be spending there.  She threw everything into a large duffel bag
and zipped it shut.

She then went to a desk drawer and removed a piece of Lex's stationery and a
pen, to write a note to Lex.

        Lex--

        I'm going to Kansas for a little while.  I'll
        probably be back in a couple of days.  See
        you then!
                     Lois

While taping the note to her pillow, she couldn't help but smile as she
imagined his face as he read it.  She loved the fact that he hated the fact
that he was losing control of her.  And, she loved the fact that she was
going
to Kansas to become a superhero.  Now there was a strange thought.  Right up
with all those ambitious classmates:

"I'm going to LA to become an actress."

"Yeah, well *I'm* going to learn history in New Jersey!"

"*I'm* going to Nashville to become a country singer!"

And Lois' response would be, "I'm going to Kansas to become a superhero!"
You'd think hero training would be in New York City or somewhere, but nope.
A
tiny town in Kansas.

Picking up her bag, she flew away, toward 344 Clinton.  As she flew, she
thought about the as-of-yet unborn superhero who would soon debut.  What
kind
of name did she want?  Superwoman, to match Clark?  Maybe.  What about the
costume?  She didn't want to clash with Clark's outfit, but with his colors,
that would be hard to manage.  Earthtones?  Yeah, there's a great
superhero--
the Brown Girl.  Besides, it would look weird next to Mr. Primary Colors.

Maybe she could go with the complements of Clark's colors... no way.  That
would leave her with an orange suit and a green cape.  She could always
match
Clark's costume, but feminize it.  A red skirt, maybe, instead of the briefs
and tights.  With red underwear to match, since people would be looking up.

Or maybe she should be the inverse of Clark.  Blue cape, red suit, blue
boots.
Yeah, that would look good.  And a blue skirt to break the harshness of the
red.  A short skirt, like a skating outfit, with red tights under it.

She landed on Clark's balcony, where he stood, waiting for her.  "Everything
all set?" he asked.

"Yup," she replied.

"Let's go."  With that, they flew off.

continued in part 19
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:43:54 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 15/24
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continued from part 14

Hours later, Clark was still concentrating intensely on the dim red glow
that
was repairing Lois' body.  As he watched, it grew fainter and fainter.  In
another half hour, it was completely gone.

Clark could see movement from inside.  He practically threw open the
entrance
to the chamber.  "Lois?"  He almost didn't dare to say the word.

"Clark?" came her weak voice.  She stumbled out of the chamber, now clothed
in
the traditional Kryptonian bodysuit.  It was several sizes too big because
it
had been meant, as the chamber had been, for Clark's use.  "I... what
happened?"

"The lightning.  It hit us, and you were... almost killed.  I brought you
here, and put you in the... matrix thing there.  Are you okay?"

"Yeah..."

He hugged her tightly.  "Oh, Lois, I thought I'd lost you!"

"Never," she said softly.  "Where are we?"

"Um... the Fortress of Solitude."

"Fortress?"

"Yeah, it's where I keep stuff.  Kryptonian stuff, mostly.  And science.
Are
you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine.  I feel better every second.  What on Earth am I wearing?"

"Actually, it's a Kryptonian suit.  Looks like it's in my size."

"Yeah.  Where are my normal clothes?"

"Over here," Clark replied, and picked them up off the floor.  They were
neatly folded.  He had done so while waiting.  He turned around while she
changed out of the suit.

"Okay," she said when she was done changing.  "How long have we been gone?"

"I don't know.  I lost track of the time.  I was so worried!"

She smiled at him.  "You saved my life.  Again."

"Always," he promised.  "Up for the trip back?  It's probably almost
morning."

"Okay."

Clark picked her up in his arms, and they made the long journey back to
Metropolis.  Even though the dash to the North Pole had been shorter, it had
seemed so much longer than this.  In no time at all, they were back at the
Luthor penthouse in the sky.  He set Lois down on the balcony.  Scanning the
suite quickly, Clark discovered that Lex was still not there.  It was 4:15
in
the morning.

"Lois, I have to go now.  Lex could be back any second.  I don't want him
finding me here."

"Can you come back later?"

"I'm not welcome in this window.  You know that.  Besides, you'll be
starting
work again soon."

She looked a little disappointed.  She held onto his arm as they walked
toward
the edge of the balcony.  But Clark didn't leave.  And he had a strange,
confused expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Let go of my arm," he told her.  She did, and he flew up a little way.
Then
he came back.  "Lois, something very strange is happening here.  I
*couldn't*
fly off."

"What do you mean, you couldn't?"

"You were holding on to me.  As soon as you let go, I could fly away.  But
it
would have taken force to break away from you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not really sure, but I think something happened, something strange.
Try
pushing me over the balcony."

"Clark!"

"Lois!  You know I can't fall.  Just try, to see if you can."  He stood by
the
railing.

She moved over to him.  With all her strength, she gave a mighty shove, and
sent the Man of Steel tumbling into the black night.  He popped back up in a
second.  Neither of the two knew what to say.  Clark said something first.
"Lois, I was *trying* not to let you knock me over.  I'm not sure what just
happened here, but..."

"I've got superpowers, too?"

"It appears that way."

"This is incredible.  How is it possible?"

"I bet it has something to do with the Kryptonian Regeneration Matrix.  It's
meant to restore me if I'm ever mortally injured or something like that.  It
obviously thought you were me, and must've 'replaced' the lost powers.
Wow...
I, uh, I think you'd better learn to understand these powers, to control
them.
Otherwise, they can be very dangerous.  Can you come with me now and leave a
message for Lex that you went somewhere?"

"I guess."  She went inside, and spoke to Mrs. Cox.  She told her that she
was
going walking, and if Lex wanted to know, that was where she was.

"At this time of the morning?" Mrs. Cox asked, doubtfully.

"Yes, at this time of the morning.  I *like* mornings."

Clark met her at the front door.  He picked her up, and in a few minutes,
they
were on an island in the Atlantic.  It was tropically warm.  It was also
devoid of people.  It had been one of Clark's hideouts for a long time, and
he
had always dreamed of taking Lois there.  Not for this, though.  Today, the
island just served as a good backdrop.  They couldn't hurt anybody or
destroy
property.  Clark had learned the hard way how much destruction someone who
was
new to a superpower could cause.  And he had only gotten one at a time.  Of
course, Lois was a mature adult, and that evened things out.

"Okay, Lois, let's talk about this.  We should deal with the most...
destructive powers first.  Strength, we saw a little of.  But you have to
learn to hold it back.  It's not hard; you do it all the time, like when you
crack an egg, or hold a baby.  But now, it's like you can push harder.  You
can always push harder when you're doing something."

"I get it.  So it's like I have all the levels of force that I use on normal
things, but then I can just keep going up?"

"Yeah.  The easiest way to control it is, when you're doing something big,
keep increasing the force until it's enough.  Eventually, you'll be able to
judge how much force to use, but it's good to start this way.  Push this
tree
halfway to the ground," he told her.

Instead of giving the tree a good shove, she started with a feather-light
touch and pushed harder and harder against it.  It moved until it was at a
forty-five degree angle with the ground.

"Perfect!" Clark praised.  "Try pulling it back upright."  She did this,
also.

"Piece of cake," she boasted.

He smiled.  "Let's work on heat vision."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she awoke, she was on the very same island.  Clark was already awake,
and
watching her.  When he saw her open her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her
lightly.  "Good morning," he said.

"Morning, Clark."  It was so wonderful to wake up next to him.

"Did you have the dream again?"

"Yes, but it's getting better now!"  She described the latest portion of her
dream, ending with the superpower-practice on this very island.

Clark listened to all of it, and was thrilled to hear that they had made up
and were friends again.  But he was upset that he hadn't believed her when
she
said she loved him.  "I'm sorry, Lois," he said to her.

"It's okay.  *You* didn't do it.  It came out of *my* psyche, remember?
Besides, things are getting so much better.  It's so wonderful!"

Clark stood up and picked up the bundle of his clothes.  He handed Lois' to
her.  "We'd better get going.  We have to get to work."

"Oh, no!  Are we going to be late?"

"Naah.  The time difference gives us a lot of leeway.  But we've used most
of
it up, so get dressed, and I'll fly us back to Metropolis."

Lois had a big day today.  She had to tell Lex that she didn't want to marry
him.  She had conveniently forgotten for the last few days, but he wouldn't
let her ignore him any longer, she knew.  It was time to face the music.

She did not even have to come to him.  He invited her for dinner that night.
She accepted, nervously.  Only Clark's presence kept her sane during work
hours.  Then, she had to go home and get ready to meet Lex for dinner.

************************

continued in part 16
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:45:31 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      Disquiet Nights 23/24
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continued from part 22

Lois walked into the penthouse that evening with no idea what was about to
happen.  If she had known, she would have availed herself of Clark's open
door.  As soon as she set foot on that plush carpeting, her husband was
there
to greet her, along with a friend of his.  The friend was small, silver, and
not too friendly-looking.

Lex gestured with the gun, indicating that she walk with him to the bedroom.
"Why darling, you're just in time," he cooed in that silky voice of his.
"Please, have a seat."  He pushed her into a chair by their bed.  "Ah, ah,
ah," he reprimanded as she tried to move, "stay still."

He took some rope and tied it securely around her.  Each of her wrists was
bound to the arm of the chair, each of her ankles to the legs.  There were
also coils of rope around her waist and torso and the back of the chair.
"There now.  Comfortable, darling?  Wonderful.  I suppose you're wondering
what's going on.  I don't blame you.  I know how much you love to be in on
things, so I'll be your informant today.

"I have in my pocket something that's going to be very, very useful in a few
minutes.  You see, there's only one substance on Earth that can kill
Superman.
A little green, glowing rock."

"Kryptonite," Lois said, her eyes wide.

"Yes, Kryptonite.  And I just happen to have some right here!"  He moved his
hand into his pocket and removed a rock the size of a baseball.

Lois gasped, waiting for the searing pain Clark had told her about, the
agony
of Kryptonite.  But it never came.  The rock was only a few feet away from
her, yet she felt nothing from it.  Just to be certain, she tested her x-ray
vision.  It worked.  Either that wasn't real Kryptonite, or... she was
immune.
Why would she be immune to Kryptonite?

The answer came to her quickly.  Clark had powers because he was Kryptonian.
He had lived on Krypton, therefore he was vulnerable to a piece of Krypton.
But Lois had never been on the planet.  She hadn't gotten her powers through
exposure to a yellow sun after being used to a red one.  Kryptonite was
nothing to her.  It was merely a piece of a distant planet, something she'd
had no contact with.

Lex's voice snapped her back to reality.  He was still talking of Superman's
impending demise.  "Watch this video camera, Lois.  It's trained on this
lovely alley in which I will wait for Superman.  When he hears Mrs. Cox's
screams for help and comes to save the poor damsel in distress, I'll have
him."

"Lex, why are you doing this?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, Lois?  Do you think I'm blind?  I know you've been
flying off with Superman when I'm not around.   You can't expect me to
believe
that you spent all that time in *Kansas* with friends!  And I have eyes all
over.  They saw you flying off with Superman last night."

"That was business," she protested.

"I'm sure," he replied dryly.  "But, business or not, he's dead.  He's had
this coming for a very long time."

Lois was quick to point out the potential flaw in his plan.  "What if
Super*woman* comes instead of Super*man*?"

"I'll simply threaten to kill her with the Kryptonite unless he shows.  I've
thought of everything.  You know how well I plan for things.  And then, with
Superman out of the way, we can go on with our lives.  No distractions.
You'll learn to love me, Lois."

"Never!" she spat.

"Be that as it may, I have a hero to kill!"  With that, he raced out the
door,
leaving Lois alone, tied to a chair in front of a television set, with a
picture of an alley on it.

^Clark!^ she mentally shouted.

^What?^

^Lex thinks that I'm having an affair with Superman.  He brought me in here
at
gunpoint and tied me to a chair.  He's going to have Mrs. Cox yell for help,
and when you come, he'll nail you with Kryptonite!^

^Kryptonite?^

^Yes, he has it!  I saw it!  And, Clark, I think I'm immune to it.  There
was
no pain at all when he whipped it out a foot in front of me.  I didn't lose
my
powers, either!^

^That's incredible!^

^I know!  I'm going to break out now, and I'll meet you above the alley when
Mrs. Cox calls for help, okay?  It should only be a minute or so.^

^Okay.  We'll decide what to do from there.^

Lois snapped her bonds without a second thought and spun-changed into her
alter-ego.  She made a mental note to disguise her voice well.  It wouldn't
do
at all for Lex to recognize her.  Not at all.  She dashed out the window
into
the cold night air.

The wind tugged at her cape as she hovered over Metropolis.  She hated
waiting.  She really did.  She liked to be the one to act, not to react.
Acting put one in control; reacting turned the control over to someone else.
And Lois Lane was never one to give up control.  That was why she hated
being
forced into situations such as this one.

This was the final showdown.  It was her and Clark versus Lex.  And the odds
were not looking too good for Metropolis' richest former bachelor.
Especially
now that Superman had a secret weapon:  the Kryptonite-immune Mrs. Luthor!

Suddenly, out of the black night, she heard the distinct voice of Mrs. Cox.
"Help, Superman!  Help!  He's got a gun!"

Lois oriented on the direction of the cry and moved to its location.  Five
thousand feet above its location.  Here, she intercepted Superman.  "Okay,
Clark, what are we going to do?"

"I think the best thing is for me to show up, alone.  When he takes out the
Kryptonite, you come in and take it from him.  Throw it into orbit.  Okay?
Then we can cart him off to jail, where he belongs, for attempted murder."

"Got it.  I'm right behind you.  Well, above you."

He grinned.  "Good.  Don't waste any time with the Kryptonite, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm going in."

Superman flew down to where Lex Luthor was holding Mrs. Cox at gunpoint.
"Let
her go," he demanded.

"Why, Superman.  What a pleasure it is to see you.  Of course I'll let her
go."  He released his grip on Mrs. Cox, who ran off into the darkness.  She
got into the driver's seat of a black car and started the engine, ready to
race away as soon as Lex joined her.

After watching Mrs. Cox leave the alley, Lex turned back to his
arch-nemesis.
"Superman I have to say it's been nice knowing you.  You've been a wonderful
challenge for me.  Almost, but not quite unbeatable.  It's been a thrilling
fight, but I'm sad to say it's about to end."  With that, Lex pulled out the
piece of Kryptonite.  "Goodbye, Superman."  He walked toward the Man of
Steel,
hand outstretched.

Clark's face contorted in pain, and he crumpled to the ground.  ^Now,
Lois...^
he managed to project to his partner.

In a red, yellow, and blue streak, the Kryptonite was snatched from Lex's
open
palm.  Shocked, he looked around him to see what had happened.  There was no
one there.

Lois looked distastefully at the green rock that had caused Clark so much
trouble in the past.  She hurled it as far as she could.  Hopefully, it
would
keep going until it was drawn into the orbit of another plant.  Pluto,
preferably.  After the deed was done, she returned to the alley, expecting
to
see Lex tied up and ready for delivery to Metropolis State Penitentiary.

She wasn't prepared for what she did see.  Lex had actually pulled a gun on
Superman!  What kind of crazy stunt was this?  And why wasn't Clark moving?
She didn't bother to think-- she just came up behind Lex and grabbed his
shoulders, ready to bring him to the police.  But as she touched him, the
gun
discharged, sending a lone green bullet whipping through the air, toward
Clark.

Lois knew instinctively what it was.  A Kryptonite bullet.  Dropping Lex,
she
was in front of Clark in a blur.  But she had been too late in recognizing
the
situation for what it was.  He had been shot.  "No..."  She choked on the
word. She crumpled to the ground with him, holding his body close to her.
"Oh, no... Kal..." she sobbed, using the name only she had ever called him.

With a smile on his face and a song in his heart, Lex turned and ran down
the
street toward the car containing Mrs. Cox.  As he got in, he said only two
words.  "It's done."

Lois took two deep breaths.  He was unconscious, not dead, she told herself.
Lex had missed because she had grabbed his shoulder.  She forced herself to
pull away from him, to examine where the bullet had hit.  "Lois...?" he
groaned.

"Clark?  Clark, I'm right here."

"There was Kryptonite in that bullet."

"I know.  I have to get you to a hospital."

"It won't help... they can't do anything... you have to..."

"I have to what?"

"Take the bullet out.  Now."

"Clark, I don't know if I can."

"You have to."

She swallowed.  Hard.  The bullet had lodged in his right shoulder.  She had
to use x-ray vision to see it beyond all the blood.  She nerved herself for
the action, and then plunged her fingers into his shoulder.  He groaned with
the intense pain of someone worrying a terrible wound, and Lois almost
couldn't stand the thought that she was the one causing that pain.

Her fingers pushed aside blood and muscle, digging down deeper into his
shoulder, causing more pain with every second.  "Why can't I get ahold of
the
bullet?" she asked herself.  Finally, after what seemed like forever, she
touched the hot metal.  She grabbed it and pulled it out, careful not to
tear
any muscle that was still intact.  Her entire hand was coated with thick red
blood.  More blood covered her body where she had held him close.  She had
to
stifle the urge to puke.  She was soaked in the lifeblood of the man she
loved.  She threw the Kryptonite bullet after the other rock, and
immediately
turned her attention back to Clark.

"Clark?  Are you okay?"  There was nothing but silence.  "Damn it, answer
me!
Please," she begged.

She was rewarded by a weak moan.  "Lois..."

"Are you okay?"

"I... will be..."  His voice was getting stronger by the second.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

"You had to... to get the bullet out..."

As Lois watched, the gaping tear in his shoulder slowly healed.  Clark drew
a
shuddering breath as the last of his skin and muscle knitted together.
Cautiously, he sat up.

"Is everything okay?" Lois asked him anxiously.

"Yeah.  I'm a little shaky, but whole.  Where's Lex?"

"He and Mrs. Cox got away.  I'm sorry."

"Don't be.  You only let them get away because you were busy saving my
life!"

She smiled at him.  "Are you up for a flight home?"

"Yeah.  I really need a shower.  And I think this suit is totally shot."

"I want to go see if Lex returned to the penthouse.  I have a feeling he
will.
He did leave me there, after all."

"Hurry.  If he sees you're gone, he'll think you went to the police and
he'll
be gone."

"I know.  Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes.  Go!"

concluded in part 24
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:40:59 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 1/24
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First of all, let me say that my author's note is a novelette in itself, but
I
would appreciate if you read my ramblings.  But, if you don't want to hear
about the story ideas, MAJOR plot clues, and stuff like that, just read the
last paragraph and you'll be fine.

This story is my second attempt at a really long story.  (The first one was
"Purple Haze.") It was inspired mostly by "Great Expectations"-- the book,
not
the movie, and by songs on Fiona Apple's CD "Tidal."  As you can probably
guess from my sources of inspiration, it's not quite a cheerful romp with
Lois
and Clark.  I had just finished reading GE in my English class, and I was
supposed to write a parody of it for a project.  Naturally, I wanted to do
L&C, but I eventually decided not to, since a) if I did it for English
class,
I would have to watch my grammar, my language, and the length of the story,
as
well as.... shall we say subject material, and b) a parody is supposed to be
funny.  So I wrote a funny little parody, but my L&C ideas just wouldn't
quit.
For those of you familiar with the book (and you all should be-- it's a
classic!  And it's really good too!  yeah, right<g>) Clark is cast as Pip,
but
quite a bit less clueless, less stupid, and obviously he's not trying to
marry
up a class or two.  Lois is Estella, but only in the way she treats "Pip"
and
then not quite like that.  Lex Luthor is Bentley Drummle.  (Yes, "the
spider"
<g>)  I guess Jimmy would be Herbert, but he doesn't play much of a role in
the story.
Pet peeves that forced me to write this were as follows: Lois being a bitch
and Clark just taking it and taking it.  Clark being nice forever and ever,
although he has a perfect right to be furious.  Cotton candy fluff fic in
which Lois and Clark go from "friends" to "in love" for no apparent reason.
All of these things have their places, and I will even admit to having
written
such things myself, but they do not work in full length dramas.

The Fiona Apple song that inspired me was "Shadow Boxer," especially the
lyrics "So darling I just want to say/just in case I don't come through/I
was
on to every play/I just wanted you" and "Oh you creep up like the clouds/and
you set my soul at ease/then you let your love abound/and you bring me to my
knees"

You'll probably (probably?!!) be happy to know that I rejected the idea of
ending the story by having Lois suicide, or have Lex's baby, or have Clark's
baby and die in childbirth, or live the rest of her life in misery.  I
considered all of those as possible endings, but I realized that I could not
end the story with Clark happy if Lois was not with him.  So, although by
the
middle of the story, Lois DEFINITELY does not deserve happiness, she will
earn
it in the end.  Clark will also be happy.  Everybody will be happy.  Except
for Lex and Mrs. Cox, who will definitely not be happy, which makes
everybody
else even happier.  There you have my promise of a happy ending.  I just
hope
that un-scares whoever was scared away from reading my story.

All of the songs were written by yours truly for the sole purpose of
enriching
my fanfic.  If you must sing, go ahead and sing 'em to whatever tune you
want.
:)  Clark's cats are reincarnations of old pets of mine, my parents', and my
mom's while she was growing up.  (Not included are our new kittens, Merlin
and
Clarkie, who encouraged me to use feline cast members.  Guess which kitten
is
mine and which is my mom's! <g>)  Super thanks to my sisters, Rachel(the
Beatle-freak) and Laura(Monkee-maniac and aka WaFFle!), especially Rachel,
both of whom helped me with plot lines.  The time frame is late first
season.
Enjoy!

DISQUIET NIGHTS (LIKE DREAMERS DO)
by Susan VanCott (Kirshnera@aol.com  Kirshnera on the IRC)

"Oh, come on, Clark.  I need somebody to go with me."

"Why don't you just ask Lex?" he said, a little bit testily.  Lois had been
getting quite tight with Lex recently, and it was really starting to worry
him.

"I don't think Lex would make a real great drinking buddy, Clark.  He
doesn't
go in much for *party* parties.  He's more of a black tie gala affair guy."

"Oh, and I'm the kind who hangs out in bars?"

"No, I didn't say that, it's just, you're... more flexible.  Please?"

Clark sighed.  This was what he hated.  She was going out with Lex, but she
was going out with *him* as a friend.  She had no idea how hard it was to go
out with her just to be her pal.  No idea at all.  Yet he knew he'd agree.
Despite the pain, he had to get close to her.  "I guess, Lois."

She smiled.  "Great!  I'll pick you up at 7, okay?"

"Sure."  He even managed to smile while saying it.

"Okay, I'm going home now, but I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay.  Goodbye, Lois."

"Bye!"  She picked her coat up off the rack and put it on.  She stacked all
her papers up and clicked the light off on her desk.  The computer was
already
off.  With a wave of her hand, she left the building.

Clark sighed again.  How could she not know how he felt about her?  And all
she could see was Lex, not him, not what Lex had done, really not very much
at
all.  And there was nothing he could do about it.  Well, almost nothing.  He
supposed he could always go the route of coming to her as Superman.  She'd
forget about Lex then.  But if he did that, she'd forget about Clark, too,
and
he *was* Clark.

Drinking buddy.  Great.  Her drinking buddy, her pal, her best friend, her
confidant.  That was a lot, especially from Lois.  She didn't let people get
close to her, and this was pretty close.  He supposed that Lex was close to
her in a different way.  He probably didn't know her very well, and she
didn't
know him very well.  Sometimes it seemed like that was as well as Lois
wanted
to know the man she was dating.  Why?  Was she afraid that if she got to
know
him too deeply she wouldn't like him any more?  It was true, but did she
subconsciously realize it?

He shook his head to clear it of depressing thoughts, and turned his mind
instead to the party in front of them.  One of Lois' friends from college
was
having a big party celebrating an acting job she had gotten.  The party was
over in Tyra's Pub, a smoky, sleazy bar that was usually filled with drunks.
It occasionally got dangerous, when some smashed guy would start trying to
show his superior strength by beating up on the rest of the people there.
There were usually some sort of illegal drugs there, and if there weren't,
there were drug pushers.  It was a big place, very popular.  Not somewhere
either of the two would normally go, but oh, well.  They'd probably have a
good time.

**********************

Clark opened the door to Lois, who was in a t-shirt and jeans, like him.
"You
ready?" she asked.

"Yup," he replied.  "Let's go."

They got into Lois' car and drove off, toward the bar.  As Lois drove, she
was
thinking about a lot of things.  Clark, mostly.  It had occurred to her that
she didn't want to go to this party with Lex.  It wasn't really that he
didn't
like this kind of thing, that he would be out of place, although he surely
would, there was something else.  She didn't really want Lex to come with
her,
to be with her when she was drunk, if she got drunk.  She didn't really
trust
him all that much.  It was fine if she was in control of her actions, but
there was no way she was going to go somewhere with him where there was a
chance that she would not be.  Besides, she really didn't want Lex to see
her
like that.  It was just a bad idea.

But with Clark, it was different.  He could be trusted, completely.  Getting
smashed with him would be nothing to be afraid of.  They were close enough
that she wouldn't be embarrassed if she totally lost control and acted
stupid.
Lord knew she'd done that enough times that he was used to it by now.  And
she
didn't have to worry about him getting drunk; the man seemed to have an
immense capacity to drink safely.  All the times they'd gone undercover
together at bars, or gone drinking with a person they wanted to interview,
all
those times, she had never once seen him go over his limit, although she had
seen him drink quite a bit.  She had asked him about it once.

"Clark?  How do you do that?"

"Do what?" he had responded.

"*That*!" she had replied, pointing at the shotglass.  "You can drink more
than anyone I've ever met, and you're never drunk!"

"Oh, I don't know.  Alcohol just... never seems to affect me."

It was strange, she'd admitted to herself at the time, and it was still
strange now, but it was a good thing.  So by going to the bar with Clark,
she
had someone who would keep her from making a fool of herself, get her safely
home, and not... take advantage of her or anything.  Besides, she would have
a
better time with Clark than she would with Lex.  He was so... stuffy
sometimes.  Such a high-society snob.  Even with her creative imagination,
she
couldn't picture him partying in a bar.  He'd sit there with the most
expensive drink he could find and look down his nose at all the
beer-chugging
people dancing their hearts out, talking loudly, and having fun.  No, there
was no way she could bring him to a party like this.

And she couldn't say she was disappointed to have Clark instead.  Clark was
a
lot of fun, he'd blend right in, he wouldn't embarrass her by being weird,
and, well, she had to admit he *was* pretty gorgeous.

She glanced surreptitiously at Clark now.  The t-shirt he was wearing
stretched across his broad shoulders, straining to cover his muscular form.
He certainly was well-defined!

Just then, Tyra's came into sight.  It was more like a nightclub than a bar,
but it had started as a bar and retained that name and reputation.  Lois
parked in the parking lot, which was pretty full, even for a Friday night.
They got out of the car and walked into the bar.  They were immediately
greeted by pulsing lights, loud music, almost as loud voices, and the sickly
sweet aroma of cigarette smoke.

A woman who was dancing not too far away spotted them as they walked in.
"Lois!" She mouthed, and ran over to her.  Actually, she had probably
screamed
the name, but the noise level was too high to hear.  They could hear her
when
she came over to them.  She ran up and hugged Lois tightly.

"Angie!"  Lois exclaimed.  "It's so great to see you!  How have you been?"

"Oh, just fine, Lolo."  She pulled back and looked at Clark for the first
time.  "Whoa!  I guess you've been doing pretty good for yourself!  *Who* is
*this*?"

Lois smiled a little.  "This is Clark Kent.  We work together at the Daily
Planet."

"Well, well, well.  Aren't you the lucky one!  But don't bring him over to
the
old marrieds over there," she said pointing to a group of couples.  "It'll
start fights."  She laughed and spotted another old friend, this one a good-
looking guy.  "Excuse me," she said.  "Destiny awaits!"  She ran off to talk
to the guy.

"Lolo?" Clark asked.

"Old nickname," Lois responded.  "Come on, I want to find Jenny."

"The actress?"

"Yeah.  If I know her, she's over by the bar.  Let's go."

Clark allowed himself to be dragged by the arm over to the bar, where Lois
found her old college buddy, Jenny.  "Hey, Jenny!" Lois exclaimed.

"Hey, girl!  It's so great to see you!  I heard you were going with Lex
Luthor!"

"Yeah..." Lois said.

"But, hey, who's this?" she said, gesturing to Clark.  "He's not Lex."

"No, this is my friend Clark.  Lex... doesn't do well with this type of
crowd."

"You want my advice, honey?"  Jenny took Lois aside and whispered.  "Stick
with Clark.  Lex is... nice, I'm sure, but this guy is... whoa."

Lois grinned as they rejoined Clark.  "Thanks, Jenny."

"No problemo, Lolo.  What are friends for?"

The bartender came up to them.  "What'll you guys have?" he asked.  They all
ordered drinks and sat by the bar, talking for about half an hour.  Then
Jenny
wandered off to say hi to some of her other invitees, leaving Lois and Clark
to their own devices.

"You wanna dance?" Clark asked.

"Um, sure."  She hopped off the stool she was sitting on and went with Clark
onto the dance floor.  They made an adorable couple, and both of them were
good dancers, so quite a few of the people around them were unobtrusively
watching them.  By the end of the second song, there was actually a
semblance
of a circle forming around the two.  The third song was a slow ballad, and
Lois moved silently into Clark's arms for it.

He pulled her close, his hands gently stroking her back, wishing that he
could
hold her like this all the time, wishing that she was enjoying it as much as
he was.  Lois snuggled close in Clark's embrace, comfortable and secure.
She
listened to the words of the song only minimally, but Clark heard them
painfully clearly.

If I could only tell you
I could only find the words
To express what's inside of me
Like fire it burns

When I see you every morning
And I long to pull you near
And tell you everything I know
My dreams, my hopes, my fears.

My pleasant little daydreams
of things we never said
Things we've never done before
Only in my head
And I'd whisper that I love you
And I know you'd understand
But until then,
I'll just be your friend.

It's so hard sometimes to know you
But to stay arm's length away
Makes it harder still to love you
But I know there is a way

Someday I know I'll tell you
Like I'm always wishing to
And then, on that fine day
It'll be just me and you.

Like my pleasant little daydreams
of things we never said
Things we've never done before
Only in my head
And I'd whisper that I love you
And I know you'd understand
But until then,
I'll just be your friend.

Until that day
'Til there's a way
To say the words
I'm longing to
I'll keep my dreams
My plans and schemes
Keep holding on
There to protect me are

My pleasant little daydreams
of things we never said
Things we've never done before
Only in my head
And I'd whisper that I love you
And I know you'd understand
But until then,
I'll just be your friend.

Until then,
I'll just be your friend.

continued in part 2
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:46:24 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights CONCLUSION!!
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continued from part 23

Lois flew off into the night sky.  She approached her penthouse to find Lex
just walking into the bedroom to look for Lois.  Instead of her, he found
Superwoman, intimidating, angry, and covered in dry blood.  He swallowed his
revulsion at the sight.

"Lex Luthor," her artificially low voice said, "you're under arrest."

He pulled the silver gun out, the same one he had trained on Lois not that
long ago.  "I don't think so, Superwoman.  I still have another Kryptonite
bullet.  You try anything, and it won't just be Superman's blood you're
covered in."

"Go ahead.  Shoot.  Makes no difference to me."

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Lex pulled the trigger.  The
green
bullet bounced harmlessly off of Superwoman's chest.  Lex's jaw dropped.
"That can't be!" he exclaimed.

"Yes it can, and it is."  Lois grabbed the gun from his hand, picked up some
of the rope he had used on her, and tied him up.  She dashed out into the
outer offices and snagged Mrs. Cox, who she tied in the same way.  She then
picked up the phone and dialed 911.

In a short time, the police came and arrested Luthor and his partner in
crime
for the attempted murders of Superman and Superwoman.  The judge was sure to
take the heroes' advice and not allow parole.  As for evidence, Lex himself
had provided that by taping the whole scene for Lois to watch.

After Lex and Mrs. Cox were gone, Superwoman snuck into Clark's apartment to
grab a spare suit.  He didn't notice-- he was still in the shower, washing
the
blood off.  She went back to Lex's penthouse, showered at super-speed,
changed
into the new suit and took a special trip to Europe.

*************************

Clark stepped out of the shower feeling good.  There's never quite such a
wonderful feeling as when a great amount of pain is completely gone.  He was
clean, Lex was undoubtedly in jail by now, and he was feeling great.  He
wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into his bedroom to change into
night clothes.

He stopped in the bedroom doorway and could go no farther.  There, lying in
his bed, apparently wearing nothing under the thin sheets, was the woman of
his dreams.  "Lois," he tried to say, but the word was inaudible, even to
her
super-hearing.  He tried again.  "Lois..."

Lois held out one hand to him.  In it there was a piece of paper.  Somehow,
he
managed to move forward and take the paper from her.  He stared at it for a
minute before understanding.  "You... you..."

"The pope did Superwoman a favor.  He's really a great guy."

"You got an *annulment*?"

"I preferred it to divorce.  This way, the marriage 'never happened.'
Besides, we were married by the archbishop, so I figured I'd go the Catholic
way."

"That means you're..."

"Free.  Single."  Her eyes traveled over his masculine body, the moonlight
glimmering off of his wet muscles.  No scars, no imperfections.  Just beauty
as far as the eye could see.  "And I'm yours.  Finally."  She drew back the
sheets, exposing her naked body.  Clark gasped.  It was only the second time
he'd seen her like this, and the sight threatened to blow his mind.

He dropped the towel to the ground.  He neither wanted nor needed it; it
would
just get in the way.  Now it was Lois' turn to gasp.  He set the paper on
the
night stand and slowly eased into bed next to her.  He bent and kissed her
gently, tenderly, as if for the first time.

And in a way, it was the first time.  There were no secrets, no illusions,
no
barriers.  For now, for ever, they were one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, Clark!" Lois exclaimed.  "Everything's right!  Lex and my marriage was
annulled, and you and I are together at last....  Everything's just so..."
She blinked.  "Everything's..." she tried again, but there was no one to
hear
her.

Everything's disappearing!

It's a dream, Lois!  It's all in your mind!

No, the dream was of Lex and Superwoman and...

No, *this* was the dream!  You don't need it anymore!

And suddenly, she fell off the face of the Earth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she woke up, she was cradled against Clark's chest.  "What a strange
dream," she thought.  She glanced at the night stand to reassure herself of
the annulment.  The paper was still there, where Clark had left it.
Clark....
She smiled at the thought.  She rubbed her hand across his powerful chest
and
snuggled up closer.

The movement woke him.  "Good morning, *Miss* Lane," he said, grinning.

"It's only four o'clock, but it's *definitely* good," she replied, nibbling
a
little kiss onto his lips.

He reacted instantly, rolling her over and pressing her into the mattress.
He
trailed little kisses across her jawline and down her neck.  She giggled and
ran her hands over his body as his lips caressed her shoulder.  "Oh, Clark,"
she sighed.  She just wanted to touch him forever.  And now she could.

There would be no more disquiet nights.

(finally) THE END!!!!!

It's 2:07 a.m. on August 14, 1998, and I am damn proud of myself.
Thank you, thank you very much.
Please visit my website at
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/loisclark/index.html
Email me with any comments you have on my latest baby!  Kirshnera@aol.com
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and Superman,
~~>Susan<~~

Well, I hope you've enjoyed it!!  Comments are extremely welcome, as I want
to
get this piece into its best form before submitting it to the archive.

Peace, Love, and Superman,
~~>Susan<~~
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:45:20 EDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Disquiet Nights 22/24
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continued from part 21

"Where the hell have you been?" Lex demanded.

"Kansas," Lois replied.

"Kansas?!  What were you doing there?"

"Visiting friends."

"Who?"

"Why should I tell you?  It's none of your business?"

Lex was about to say something, but then his irate expression dropped off
his
face.  "What's happening to us, Lois?" he asked hoarsely.  "Everything was
so
right, and since we've been married, everything's changed."  He had been
worried about this for some time.  Lois didn't seem to be the same woman he
had courted centuries ago.

"Lex, nothing was right about our relationship before we were married.
Nothing was real.  That wasn't me.  You never knew me.  The only times we
ever
really saw each other were at fancy restaurants, balls, private jets over
Europe...  I wasn't myself.  It was just some fantasy I was living.  It was
such a romantic idea, but that's all it was.  It won't work in real life.  I
want reality.  Can't you see that we're not right for each other?"

"No.  Lois, we are right for each other.  I know that, above all else.  I
love
you, and that is what makes it right."  That statement was a load of BS and
Lex knew it.  He wasn't sure that they *were* right for each other at all.
And did he really love her?  Hadn't that love began when he was sprayed by
the
pheromone compound of Miranda's making?  Was it love at all?  But he had put
so much into this relationship that he could not back out now.  It would be
crazy.  It would be shameful.  It would be a failure.  "With love, we can
get
past our differences."

"Haven't you listened to me at all?  I don't love you.  I never did.  Don't
my
feelings matter in this relationship?  This life, this situation... it isn't
something that I can live.  It's not me!  We can't make this work-- it's
impossible!  It never can work.  And that's why we shouldn't try.  I don't
want to do this."

"Lois, my darling, you'll come around."

He was back to the "patient seduction" routine.  It was almost sickening.
In
fact, it *was* sickening.  "Lex, don't say it.  You've said it before, and
it's not true.  You know it's not true.  We *can't* work it out.  We have no
future together.  Can't you understand that?"

"Lois..." Lex began, then sighed.  It was no use arguing with her now.  One
of
the traits that he had fallen in love with her for, her bullheadedness, was
now definitely not lovable.  "I have to go out again tonight.  I'll see you
later."  With that, he left the room.

As the door shut behind her husband, Lois smiled just a little.  It was
getting to him.  He couldn't handle the real her, and it was wearing him
down.
Perhaps she'd get her divorce after all.

****************

Lex Luthor, the proud richest man in Metropolis, was wandering the streets,
wondering what had happened.  Lois, his Lois, wasn't his Lois any more.  She
had changed, undergone a severe metamorphosis.  Who was this woman he was
living with?

She claimed that she had never been the woman he fell in love with.  Was
that
true?  Had it all been some kind of act?  Why would she do that?

"It was just some fantasy I was living," Lex echoed out loud.  He supposed
that he could see that.  Lois was a reporter, no illusions of grandeur
there.
But with him, she was rich, powerful, famous.  The eyes of the world were on
her.  Was that all it had been?  That she had been attracted to "the good
life" as moths are attracted to bright light, as bees are attracted to
flowers, as octopi are attracted to shiny things?

"I don't love you.  I never did."  A voice from his mind taunted him.  That,
ultimately, was why it would never work between him and Lois.  She did not
love him, and he, well, he just wasn't sure anymore.

If he really loved her, would he feel so much anger and hatred toward her?

She had said it was just a romantic idea.  Certainly it was romantic.  The
stuff of cheap paperbacks.  A hard, tough, working woman with nothing but
work
ahead of her is surprised to have Prince Charming fall in love with her and
whisk her away to his castle where she'll be treasured and loved and live a
life of ease.  Isn't that what every girl dreams of?

And that's just what it was.  A dream.  Lois didn't understand that this was
one dream that she *could* make come true.  She was so obsessed with reality
that she didn't know that sometimes fairy tales are true.  She *could* have
that life in the castle in the clouds.

But wasn't her point that she didn't want to live a fairy tale?  Could she
actually prefer a normal, mundane life over wealth and power?  Of all the
women Lex Luthor had known, this was the one who confused him the most.  It
was that mystery which had partially attracted him to her.  Now it was just
serving to annoy him.

He had always been able to weave an almost magical spell over any woman.
His
charm had gotten him this far with Lois.  Perhaps the problem was that it is
impossible to build a real relationship on a foundation of seductive charm.

But the bottom line was that he had thought there was love between them, and
now he was not so sure that there was even friendship on either side.

It was a momentous occasion.  Lex Luthor, for what was probably the first
time
in his life, admitted that he had been wrong about something big, albeit
only
to himself.

Unfortunately for Lois, however, he dealt with his large mistake in the same
way that he dealt with small ones.  He hid it.  No one would ever see Lex
Luthor get divorced!  He had made his decision, and he would stick by it.

*************************

Lois sat on the bed, a little bored.  She'd had a great couple of days with
Clark, a good time as Metropolis' newest superhero, and a wonderful fight
with
Lex.  Now she was suffering from a letdown, like most kids feel a couple of
days after Christmas, when the novelty of their presents has worn off.

^Hey, Lois,^ came Clark's voice.

^Hi!^

^You alone?^

^Yeah.^

^Where's Luthor?^

^Wandering the streets of Metropolis, if I'm not mistaken.  He was pretty
upset.  He's starting to realize that our marriage would never work.^

^Great!  Well, I have a presentation to go to.  They're opening a new
orphan's
home in place of that old cathouse down on Erickson Drive...^

^Good for them,^ Lois interrupted.

^Anyway, I'm doing the ribbon cutting, and I thought you might want to
come.^

^Sure, that'd be great.  Are you still at the Planet?^

^Yeah.^

^Would you mind grabbing the folder that's on my desk?  It's stuff I don't
need at work, but I want to keep.^

^Sure.  I'll have it there in a jiffy.^

^Thanks.  See you in a minute.^

^Seven seconds,^ he amended.

Lois walked to the window and opened it, all the while counting under her
breath.  "Five, four, three, two, one!"  Clark was there, in the suit.
"Good.
You're right on time."

"Shall we go?" he asked, grinning.

"Sure."  She took the folder, set it on the bed, and linked arms with him.
They both jumped out the window.  With a single SWOOSH, they disappeared.

Mrs. Cox's eyebrows raised.  She had watched the whole scene from the other
room.  She had been going in to find Lex, but instead had seen Lois
apparently
meditating.  She had gotten up, walked to the window, thrown it open... and
in
flew Superman.  They had left together.  Lex would not be pleased.  Not at
all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lois was frustrated.  She hadn't spent last night with Clark, and she hadn't
been alone with him for even a minute today.  It was a situation that she
hoped soon to rectify.  She strode purposefully into the storage closet,
leaving the door slightly open.  Anyone who bothered to look would see her
straining to reach the inconveniently-placed staplers on the top of the
shelf.
Apparently annoyed with her slightly-too-short reach, she stuck her head out
of the closet.  "Clark, could you help me here?  Somebody swiped the step
again."  Nobody had.  The little tan stool was right where it usually was.

"Sure, Lois," he replied.  He got up and walked into the supply closet.

"Shut the door," whispered Lois as he moved into the confined space.  Clark
did as he was told.  Lois threw herself at him, and he responded with equal
eagerness.  She wrapped her arms around him, her tongue forcing its way into
his mouth.  "Remind me," she gasped, "why we didn't spend last night
together..."

"I... mmmm... think we were working late and were tired..."

"I've been... paying for it today..."

"Me too..."  He pushed her back, ignoring the rattle as their entwined
bodies
hit the shelves.  Her hands moved between them, untucking his shirt.
Startled
at the motion, he pulled back slightly.  "Lois, we can't... not here," he
whispered huskily.

She squeezed her eyes shut.  "I know."  Her voice was strained.  "I just
*need* you so much..."

"I need you, too... believe me, I do, and there's nothing I'd like more than
to take you, right here, right now, but we just *can't*!"  He kept his voice
low to avoid prying ears that might pick up conversations held in the
storage
closet, but its tense quality revealed his emotions as surely as his body
and
words did.

"You're right.  You're always right," she sighed, backing away from him.
She
moved over to sit on the windowsill.  "But watch out tonight," she warned,
her
smile reappearing.  "Come on," she said, standing up.  "We might as well go
before we're missed."

"Ah, Lois, I need a minute here."

"Oh."  She grinned.  "Okay."  Actually, she could do with a little cool-down
time herself.  "So, you wanna hear about what's been happening in that
recurring dream of mine?"

"Talk away."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lex was furious when he heard the story from his personal assistant.  Lois
was
undoubtedly having an affair with Superman!  No wonder she wanted a divorce!
It would free her to be openly with the freak in primary colors!  That was
it.
Superman had ruined his plans, threatened him, annoyed him, but this time he
had gone too far.  He had taken Lois.

In another way, Lex was glad that it had happened.  It gave him the excuse
he'd been looking for.  Now was the perfect time to make use of a beautiful
little rock he'd discovered.  Time to give Superman a blast from the past.
A
little souvenir from home.

The plan was to be put into action tonight, when Lois returned home from the
Planet.

***************************

continued in part 23
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:56:27 -0400
Reply-To:     lindah46@erols.com
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Linda C. Hoffman" <lindah46@EROLS.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Fanfic!! (again<g>)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Susan VanCott wrote:
>
> Well, I've written a monster. :)  It's called "Disquiet Nights (Like
Dreamers
> Do)."  I apologize for the number of parts I had to divide it up into, and
if
> anybody doesn't feel like cutting and pasting to get the whole,
uninterrupted
> story, feel free to email me, and I'd be happy to send you a downloadable
> copy.

  Susan,
   I didn't receive 'part 1 of 24' and 'part 24 of 24'.  Could you
please

 e-mail them to me at lindah46@erols.com ?

    Thank you in advance.

 Linda C Hoffman
 lindah46@erols.com
 lindacl on IRC
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 20:46:27 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      Re: RETURN TO SENDER ---- REFUSED
In-Reply-To:  <199809282222.SAA12346@web02.iname.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I have emailed the person who has been doing this, instructing them how to
signoff from the listserv.  Hopefully this will take care of their apparent
misguided attempt to be removed by spamming the rest of us.

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 21:18:42 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kbrown@WEBMART.NET>
Subject:      One more grammatical error ... (re: Late Night ...)
In-Reply-To:  <9c4cdc8e.3610143c@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Susan,

Cute story.  :)

>Later, she had felt badly due to some nasty Chinese food from Ralph's
Pagoda.
>It was too bad she couldn't sue them for food poisoning.  That wasn't what
had
>made her sick-- Clark had eaten the same things and he was fine.  It must
have
>just disagreed violently with her stomach.  Clark, being Clark, could
consume
>just about anything without suffering adverse affects.

One typo that I had to point out.  I normally would do this via private
email, but since we were just having the thread about typos and grammatical
mistakes, I thought others would benefit as well.

>Later, she had felt badly

This should be, "later, she felt bad".  Using "badly" in this sentence
means that she was "doing a poor job at feeling", like if her hands were
numb.  "Bad" in this context means she was feeling sick.

This is not an uncommon mistake, so hopefull having it pointed out on the
list will help people avoid it in the future.

Thanks. :)

Kathy (who will wait until Susan submits her multi-part story to the
Archive to read it .. those jumbled parts look like a lot of work to
reassemble. <g>)

______________________
Kathy Brown
kbrown@webmart.net
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 22:14:49 -0400
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Cristin J Whitley <ckandll4ever@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW FANFIC!

On Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:57:00 EDT Susan VanCott <Kirshnera@AOL.COM>
writes:
>Okay, this is sort of a test to see if my email to the list is working
now,
>but I didn't want to spam the list.  So I decided to include a really
short
>little story.  If you're reading it, it means that there's a much longer
one
>headed your way.

WOW! If only those annoying tests on TV (Ya know.... this is a test, it
is only a test... had there been a real emergency... yada yada) were as
great as this! I really enjoyed your short story (especially the ice
cream part <g>), and I can't wait to read the looooong one! Keep it up,
Susan!

Cristin

PS - I'm sixteen too. Believe me, your story shows you have talent beyond
your years (though, IMHO, talent isn't necessarily gained by years...).
Again, I am anxious to read the long one. :o)

***Cristin Whitley :o)***CKandLL4ever@Juno.com***
SUPERfan on IRC
Join my Dean Cain mailing list at:
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/deancainfans
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 23:30:30 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Elizabeth Eve Davis <eed2@RA.MSSTATE.EDU>
Organization: Mississippi State University
Subject:      Re: Disquiet Nights CONCLUSION!!
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

WOW!! That was great!!  It kept me guessing until the very end!!
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 28 Sep 1998 23:45:03 PDT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace Everett <peace9@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: New Fanfic!! (again<g>)
In-Reply-To:  <b16dfd28.36102c8d@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Susan wrote:
>  Also, if you want to see the picture I made but don't feel like going
> to the website, I'll email it to you.

I don't have a problem going to the website -- what's the URL?

> The picture is kind of a rip off of
> another L&C picture that I downloaded, but I changed it pixel by pixel =
to fit
> my own warped purpose.  But I will warn you: looking at the picture bef=
ore it
> says to in the story is a MAJOR spoiler.

Thanks for the warning <g> -- another good reason to get the URL rather =

than receiving the picture in the mail -- I would never be able to have =
a
picture in my possession and not look at it <g>

Peace