From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9812C" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 00:51:20 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: L&C Fanfic Archive Editing Staff on Winter Break Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hello everyone, Just to let you know, the L&C Fanfic Archive editing staff is taking their winter break over the next few weeks, effective immediately. The Archive will still continue to post new stories for the next three weeks, but there will be no new submissions assigned to the editing staff until the second week of January. Feel free to submit your fanfic -- just know that it will sit in my in-box until next year. :) If you currently have a story being editing, it will most likely be uploaded in the next few weeks *if the editor returns it to me by this weekend*. Any stories returned to me after Saturday will not be uploaded until mid January. If you have any questions, please let me know. And remember to keep visiting the Archive over your holiday break. The editing staff may be taking a short break, but we have many great new stories that will be uploaded between now and January! Kathy _________________________________ Kathy Brown Editor-In-Chief Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive kathyb@fgi.net KathyB on IRC _________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 08:35:17 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Annette Ciotola 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 The Writer's Showcase has been changed!!! Please be sure to stop by and check this weeks author!!!! www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/showcase.html Thanks!! Anne (on behalf of Annie) :) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:56:01 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC ALERT! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everyone! I finally finished this monstrosity of a fanfic , and I thought I'd post it to the list. Any comments can be emailed to me. As always, comments are greatly appreciated! Hope it doesn't bore you to death.... Erin :) _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:56:21 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 1/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit This story has been on my hard drive unfinished for ages, and when I was doing some hard drive "housekeeping", I stumbled across it and read through what I had. From that moment on, it wouldn't let me sleep at night or work on anything else until I gave it the attention it demanded. So, unable to resist it calling to me any longer, I finally sat down and gave it my full attention. (I even found myself calling my three-year-old son 'Clark' on more than one occasion, which should tell you how focused I was on writing this. If I'm not careful, I'm going to give him a complex! ) I need to send out a *huge* thank you to my good friend Kathy Brown, for spending many late nights on IRC brainstorming this story with me. I couldn't have done this without her, especially since we seem to share a brain. Without her ideas, enthusiasm and support, I would've been completely lost. Thanks, Kathy! :) Just to let everyone know, chronologically this story takes place and branches off from the original LNC storyline somewhere near the end of second season, sometime after WWW but before ATAI. It has both WHAMs and WAFFs, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments, criticisms and/or sarcastic remarks are always welcome. ********** What It Means to Love You by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net "Lois!" Perry bellowed from his office. "Where's that story you and Clark have been working on?" Lois leaned back in her desk chair so she could see Perry from where she was sitting. "On its way, Chief! I just sent it to you." Perry grumbled something about getting stories at the last possible minute before deadline, and Lois couldn't help but smile. She was used to Perry's "nothing is ever good enough" attitude. But even though he grumbled and complained about things during the day, Lois knew that inwardly he loved the challenge of putting together a world-class newspaper, deadlines and all. With a relieved sigh, Lois leaned forward and turned off her monitor. Now that the story had been delivered to Perry, she could finally call it a day. She and Clark had been at the Planet since very early that morning trying to wrap up their latest story on the crime ring that had infiltrated Metropolis about six months ago. But thanks to some good old-fashioned hard work, they'd been able to track down some leads, had gotten information from their sources, and were finally able to uncover the inner workings of the crime ring. Several indictments had already been made, and there were surely more to come. The story was definitely page one material. Perry was going to be pleased. Lois leaned over in her chair and was reaching for her purse in the bottom desk drawer when a voice behind her made her jump. "All done?" Lois turned quickly in her chair and saw Clark smiling down at her. Unable to resist the charming smile that reached all the way into his chocolate-brown eyes, she smiled back. "Yes, but no thanks to you," she accused teasingly. "Where've you been?" Clark's smile faded for an instant. "I, uh, I had a...source...to talk to," he explained, fiddling with his glasses. "I tried to hurry back to help you finish up, but I see I'm a bit late for that." "Yup, you are." Lois finished retrieving her purse from the drawer and then gave Clark a sidelong glance. "If I didn't know you better," she went on, trying to sound serious. "I'd think you purposely ditched me so you wouldn't have to do the work." Clark's eyes grew wide. "Lois, you know I'd never-" Lois laughed and stood up next to him, their bodies inches apart. "Clark, I'm just kidding," she assured him with a mischievous smile. She placed her hand lightly on his chest, tracing a slow, torturous path up to the knot of his tie. She glanced up into his face, noting the muscle tensing in his jaw and the aroused look in his eyes. Thoroughly enjoying the reaction she'd gotten from teasing him, she giggled, breaking the tension she'd just created. She tugged at the knot of his tie. "Clark, you always take me too seriously. You really need to loosen up." The muscles in his face visually relaxed and he grinned at her. To prove she wasn't mad, Lois stood on tiptoe and kissed him invitingly. He moaned softly, both surprised and thrilled by her public show of affection. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, returning her kiss hungrily. "Hey, hey, hey! Enough of that!" A deep, throaty voice echoed in their ears, causing them to pull apart. They turned to see Perry coming toward them, several papers clenched in his hand. "Oh, uh, hey Chief," Clark stuttered, stepping back slightly from Lois, but keeping a possessive arm around her slender waist. "I was just, uh..." "Thanking Lois for finishing up the story by herself?" Perry said gravely, causing Clark to squirm guiltily under his scrutiny. Perry cast a quick glance at Lois, and she saw the twinkle in his eyes that meant he was only teasing. She smiled to herself. Clark never *had* been able to tell when Perry was serious or when he was joking. "Lois, you did a first rate job with this story," he told her gruffly, but the pride in his voice was clearly evident. He gave her a quick smile, then gestured with his head in Clark's direction. "Even if you *didn't* have the help of your partner, here." "Chief," Clark began, shifting his feet anxiously. "I'm sorry, I-" Perry guffawed and held his hands up to stop Clark. "Just funnin' with you, son. I'm sure there's a perfectly good excuse why you had to spend the afternoon doing..." he paused thoughtfully. "Say, what exactly *was* it you were doing, Clark?" Clark looked from Perry to Lois, and then back, surprised to see that they were both staring at him, waiting for his explanation. He hated these awkward moments. "Uh, there was a source I had to meet with, to discuss something I've been looking into..." As Clark continued to try to explain, in what was obviously the vaguest way possible, Lois couldn't help smiling to herself. She always got a strange kick out of watching Clark stutter and stumble over his words whenever somebody asked him where he'd been. For as long as she'd known Clark, he'd been like this. And the better she'd gotten to know him, the more predictable it was. As soon as somebody would ask him where he'd gone, Clark would immediately start fidgeting with his tie or glasses, and then shoot off some explanation. And those excuses he came up with! Some of them were positively off the wall. His strange excuses were almost as predictable as his obvious anxiety when explaining himself. She'd come to accept his strange behavior as just one of his odd little idiosyncrasies, but that still didn't erase her curiosity. Why *did* he act that way? It was almost as if he was nervous. Or had something to hide. But what was the big deal? It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to leave the Planet to run errands or anything. Why did he always act like some kid who'd just been caught stealing cookies out of a cookie jar? So his strange behavior never made any sense to her since he'd always been a very straightforward kind of guy. That straightforwardness was probably the thing she liked the most about Clark. As Maizey had said about Clark that afternoon when they were in Smallville, 'What you see is what you get'. And it was true. Clark was a genuinely nice person, who was careful about the feelings of those around him, and stuck by his old-world values. So his constant "disappearing act" and the uncomfortable explanations afterward seemed strangely out of character for him. If he really was what he seemed, what could he possibly have to hide? But, even though it continued to baffle Lois, she really didn't see that it was worth attacking. She loved him, and something seemingly so insignificant was just as easily overlooked. "Well, it sounds like you've both had a long day," Perry responded when Clark finished "explaining". He didn't really looked convinced that Clark was telling him the truth about where he'd been, but he seemed willing to let it drop. "Good work on this story, you two. Now get. You definitely deserve the night off." "Thanks, Chief," Lois smiled, threading her arm through Clark's and steering him toward the elevators before Perry could change his mind. "See you in the morning." When Lois and Clark were alone in the elevator, Lois let out a long, tired sigh. "Man, it's been a long day." "I'm sorry I made you do so much without me," Clark apologized sincerely. He moved back a half step so he could put his hands on her shoulders and massage them gently. "I really didn't plan on being gone that long." Lois leaned back into Clark's hands. "I know. It's okay, really." She turned to smile at Clark over her shoulder. "But you owe me one." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah." Clark stilled his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. Lois could tell by his thoughtful expression that he was already thinking about how to repay her. After a moment of deliberation, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. His eyes met hers as he spoke. "How about we stop by the grocery store," he pulled her closer, moving his mouth so that it was only inches from hers, "and pick up some things for me to make us an amazingly wonderful dinner." He touched his lips lightly to hers. "Then we'll go to my place," his lips lingered on his a bit longer, "we'll put on some soft music," his kiss deepened, "and we'll have a nice, quiet, romantic candlelight dinner." He finished with a deep, intoxicating kiss that made Lois tingle clear down to her toes. "Mmmm," Lois mumbled dreamily when they finally pulled apart. "You really know how to talk a girl into something." He laughed, giving her one last quick kiss as the elevator door opened. She felt heady and happy as Clark guided her out of the elevator, his arm still wrapped securely around her waist. The drive to the grocery store and then to Clark's apartment was fun, with lots of kidding around and light-heartedness. Then later, as Lois sat on the couch watching Clark make dinner-at his insistence-she found herself reflecting on how much her life had changed since Clark had come into her life. He was the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person she'd ever known, and every minute she spent with him made her love him even more. He was always going out of his way to do something nice for her. Like just the other morning, he'd surprised her by picking her up some bagels and coffee since he'd known she had to be at the Planet early, and couldn't meet him for breakfast. She loved that he was always thinking about her, about what she might need or how she was feeling. He was always there for her, and that sense of warmth and security she got whenever they were together made her feel like she was right where she was supposed to be. Being with a man like Clark was a gift she'd never thought she'd have. She'd almost convinced herself over the years that finding that 'special man' was something that would never happen to her, that something as fairy tale as finding the man of her dreams and falling head over heels in love was only something that happened to other people, or to fictional characters in the movies. But then Clark had come into her life. It hadn't taken her long before she found herself trusting him, then being best friends with him, and finally, falling head over heels in love with him. He'd turned out to be her proverbial knight in shining armor. 'Not that he's perfect,' she amended silently. 'He has his faults like any other person does.' But when she tried to make a mental list of them, she found that she really couldn't. But when she started making a list of his qualities, the list seemed to go on and on. The first thing anyone noticed was his boy-next-door, handsome good looks. And his build...she sighed, a smile crossing her face. Well, that was another story. But after you put his physical attributes aside and looked deeper, there were things about him that were even more attractive than his outward appearance. It was inner strengths that made her keep falling in love with him all over again. He was kind and gentle, and, most impressive of all, he had an almost overabundance of patience. When others steered clear of her whenever she was in one of her infamous bad moods, he simply waited patiently for a tantrum to pass, occasionally even arguing back, proving that he wasn't in the least bit intimidated by her. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that Clark actually enjoyed the challenge of standing up to her. And when he did, it made her respect him even more. Most guys would-and had-run as far away as they could, thinking she was too much to handle or too dominant. But not Clark. And she loved him for it. He knew how to handle her, and did it with precise, almost calculated care. They were perfect for each other. She was fiery and stubborn, he was patient and solid. Lois sighed happily. Clark was really something. "Ready to eat?" Lois looked up to see Clark standing at the edge of the kitchen with a plate of steaming food in each hand. She smiled and stood up, walking quickly over to him. "Clark, this looks and smells incredible!" she gushed, taking the plate he held out to her. She sat down at the table and pushed the saucy pasta around on her plate with her fork, allowing the steam to rise up from the bottom. The delicious smells of garlic, mushrooms and meaty sauce wafted up, filling her nostrils with its tantalizing smell. She shook a cautious bite, careful not to burn her tongue, and then closed her eyes in sheer ecstasy. When she opened her eyes, she was startled to see that Clark was watching her, his eyebrows raised and a smile of amusement on his face. "What?" she demanded, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Clark laughed. It was a deep, rich sound that she'd always loved. "Nothing," he answered quickly. "I'm just glad to see that you're enjoying it so much." She relaxed. Spearing a meatball and then twisting her fork around several more strands of pasta, she shook her head at Clark. "You never cease to amaze me," she told him, putting the forkful in her mouth. "Oh, yeah?" he asked, putting a mouthful of spaghetti into his mouth. "Why's that?" Lois finished chewing her mouthful and swirled her fork above the mound of pasta on her plate. "This!" she told him after she'd swallowed. "Who knew that spaghetti and meatballs could taste this good! I'm sure that if *I'd* tried to make this, it wouldn't even resemble pasta." Clark laughed again, nearly choking on his food. He quickly took a sip of his water. "I'm sorry," he began, seeing the 'laugh and I'll kill you' look appear on Lois' face. "But you're the one who said it, not me." "That doesn't mean to have to laugh at it," she scolded him teasingly. "I know, I know." Clark leaned over to give her a soft kiss. Lois closed her eyes, savoring the sensations of Clark's lips on hers. When their lips parted, Lois giggled. "You taste like spaghetti." "You do, too," Clark grinned. "I like it." The easy atmosphere followed them clear through dinner and into the evening hours as they lounged on the couch talking. Lois was completely at peace as she leaned into Clark's side, her feet propped up along the length of the couch and his arm draped around her shoulders. She'd come to enjoy these laid-back evenings. It was nice to simply be with someone she loved, and not have to worry about doing or saying something wrong. She knew Clark loved her for who she was, and that was a great feeling. Feeling a rush of love for this man who had captured her heart, she reached up to grasp Clark's hand as he fingered the ends of her silky hair. Pulling his hand down to her lips, she kissed the back of his hand gently. Then she tipped her head back so she could look into his face. "I love you, Clark," Lois said warmly. A few months ago, that would've been all but impossible for her to say. But now, it felt as natural as breathing. Clark smiled softly and lifted his free hand to stroke her cheek with his fingertips. "I love you, too, Lois." Thinking back, Clark remembered the first time they'd said 'I love you' to each other. It had been the night she'd come over to his apartment, telling him that she and Dan Scardino weren't going to be seeing each other any more. She'd obviously come over, set on putting her fears aside and getting things out in the open. The fact that she cared enough about him and was serious enough about their relationship to want to make things work was enough to warm his heart. He'd listened carefully as she voiced her concerns about what had been going on between them, and she'd even suggested that they'd been hiding their feelings from each other because they were scared. Clark knew she was right. The idea of their relationship going bad scared him, and because of that, he'd held back. He'd been afraid of losing so many things: their friendship, their partnership, but most of all, he'd been afraid of losing *her*. Yet he knew that if things were going to progress, they needed to put their fears aside and commit to making their relationship work. Then Lois had kissed him deeply, telling him without words how much she cared about him. But then she'd pulled back and looked seriously into his eyes. "Clark, if you're going to run away from this, tell me now," she'd said, the fear of the last few months of him dashing off still evident in her soft, vulnerable gaze. Matching her intensity, he'd looked directly back into her eyes and assured her that he wasn't going to run, that he was ready to take the next step if she was. Then they'd kissed again. It was a kiss full of love, hope and promise, sealing the deal to take the next step towards a monogamous relationship. Afterwards, they'd cuddled on the couch, talking about what they'd been feeling for each other, their frustrations, their hopes for their relationship, where they wanted to go, and what they expected from each other. It had been liberating to talk so freely and openly. A short time later, Clark had gotten a phone call from his parents, who'd gone out for Chinese before Lois arrived. When they'd heard she was there, they told Clark they'd just go back to their hotel and see him tomorrow, leaving them alone for the night. So Clark returned to the couch, content to spend some quiet, uninterrupted time snuggling and talking on the couch with the woman he loved. Sometime near dawn, when they'd finally talked themselves out, they just sat, content to simply hold each other. Clark remembered staring down at Lois as she laid across his lap and rested her head in the crook of his arm. Never had he felt such love and warmth for anybody, and he knew he couldn't keep it to himself. Lifting a hand to tuck a dark strand of silky hair behind her ear, he smiled into her sleep-filled, yet content eyes. "I love you, Lois," he'd said quietly, trying to put the force of his feelings behind his words. Lois, staring back up at him, had positively glowed. She'd returned his soft smile and whispered, "I love you, too, Clark." Those words instantly seemed to open up a whole new world for them. Their relationship flourished as it moved to a whole new level, and their friendship became even stronger. Since that night several weeks ago, they met often for breakfasts and lunches, and spent nearly every evening together. It was wonderful, Clark decided, to be in a committed relationship. He loved not having to wonder what she was thinking or feeling, and wondering if she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. That night had changed his life. He'd known for a long time that he loved Lois, but to say it out loud to her, and to hear her say it back, it was simply amazing. Coming back to the present, Clark glanced down at his watch and realized it was nearly eleven. He squeezed Lois' shoulder. "It's getting late. I'd better get you home." As he slid out from behind her, she moaned in protest. "Oh, and I was so comfortable!" Clark grinned. "Sorry, but I'm sure Perry needs us at work first thing tomorrow to do the follow-ups on our story." He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. "Come on. I'll make sure you get home okay." "Clark, I'll be okay," she told him, getting her coat. "I have my car, remember?" "I know you do. But what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't see that you got safely home?" Lois smiled at him as he helped her on with her coat. "Well, far be it from me to turn down a chance to spend more time with you. But how will *you* get home?" "I'll do what I always do. I'll walk," he said simply. Because of the lateness of the hour, there was very little traffic to slow them down, and they arrived at Lois' building in record time, much to Lois' disappointment. They took their time walking up the stairs, neither wanting the evening to end. When they finally reached her door, Lois turned to Clark and smiled softly. "Well," she began. "Well," he echoed. He closed the distance between them, taking her hands in his, and rubbing the backs of her hands with his thumbs. "Thanks for tonight." Lois laughed. "What, are you kidding? You can cook for me absolutely anytime you'd like." She brought her hands up to his chest and tilted her face up invitingly. Never one to pass on a chance to kiss the love of his life, Clark lowered his head and kissed her softly. Lois sighed happily. Kissing Clark was incredible. The touch of his lips always sent her reeling. When their lips parted, Lois was breathless. She opened her eyes to look at Clark, and their eyes met. Leaning down to kiss her again, their lips met with slightly more intensity this time. Lois was immediately caught up in the passion of their kiss. Almost as if they had a mind of their own, her hands began to roam over the tautness of his chest. It always amazed her that she could feel his muscle definition even through the fabric of his shirt. She fingered one of the buttons on his shirtfront, tracing its smooth, round surface. She'd always been tempted to give in to her desire to unbutton his shirt, and enjoy the sensation of her hands on his bare skin. But she'd never actually been brave enough to take such a bold step. Although she felt ready to take the next step in their increasingly intimate relationship, Clark didn't seem to be ready, so she didn't want to push him. Clark, his kisses becoming more intense, lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in her hair, then let his hands slide down to cup her face in his hands. Lois leaned further into his kiss, causing Clark to lose his balance slightly and bump against the doorjamb. Lois giggled. "Sorry," she mumbled against his lips. He laughed softly. "Mmm, that's okay." His mouth continuing to roam over hers as his hands slid down to caress her shoulders and then drifted lower, settling on either side of her tiny waist. He rubbed his thumbs in slow, torturous circles, making Lois' heart race crazily. Clark, affected just as deeply as Lois by their kisses and caresses, knew that the time had come for him to take control of the situation. If he didn't, he seriously doubted his ability to stop things if they went any further. And he didn't want that to happen. Not yet. While he still had the willpower to do so, Clark pulled back, making Lois groan in disappointment. She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly. She noticed that he, too, was having a tough time catching his breath, and that his cheeks were flushed. "I think I'd better say goodnight before things get out of hand," he told her with an sheepish grin. "Besides, we have an early day tomorrow. And *you*," he cupped her face in his hands. "need to get some sleep." He leaned in to kiss her again, though more casually this time. "What about you?" she asked. "Don't *you* need to get some sleep, too?" His face froze momentarily. "Oh, uh, yeah. That's what I meant." He cursed himself silently for making the slip. He rushed on, hoping to cover himself before Lois noticed his anxiety. "I meant that we *both* need to get some sleep." Lois looked at him strangely for a minute. She was an investigative reporter. She prided herself on being able to tell when someone was trying to cover something up. And this time, it was obvious. But before she could think about it any further, Clark's dazzling smile returned and he pulled her against him for one more long, earth-shattering kiss. It made her forget everything except the feel of his lips on hers, the lingering taste of spaghetti when their tongues entwined, and the floating feeling she always got when they kissed so deeply and passionately. When the kiss finally ended, Clark gave her hand a gentle squeeze and took a step backwards. "Goodnight, Lois." "'Night, Clark," she smiled wistfully at him as he stepped out into the hall. "See you tomorrow." After he was gone, she went about getting ready for bed, practically floating on air. Being in love was a wonderful feeling. As she was rummaging through her bottom dresser drawer looking for her favorite red satin nightie, she suddenly remembered Clark's reaction to her simple question about sleeping. "Shoot! How could I have forgotten to ask him about that?" she groaned, mentally kicking herself for being so easily distracted. She found the short, red nightgown and pulled it roughly from the drawer. "One kiss, and all my investigative journalism instincts fly right out the window." But then when she remembered his kiss, a broad smile spread across her face. Who *wouldn't* be distracted by a kiss like that? But as she climbed into bed, she couldn't stop wondering what it was he might've been hiding. 'Come on, Lois,' she scolded herself. 'What could he possibly have to hide? You know Clark better than anyone you've ever known.' Still thinking, she climbed into bed and turned off her light. She stared up at the ceiling for a long time, unable to stop the scene from replaying itself in her mind. His reaction had been strange enough that she wasn't able to simply dismiss it as one of his nervous explanations. After all, it was one thing for him to act strangely when he disappeared out of the blue. But what did that have to do with sleeping? After going over and over it in her mind and reaching no conclusions, she finally gave up and did her best to force it from her mind. She rolled over in bed and let her mind wander contentedly back to her perfect evening with Clark. She loved being with him, and the way he made her feel. Every minute they were apart, she found herself thinking about him, wondering what he was doing or where he was. When she really thought about it, It was actually pretty pathetic. Suddenly, after doing all this thinking about Clark, she knew she had to hear his voice. 'He was just here an hour ago,' the little voice inside her argued. 'I know that,' she argued back. 'But I miss him already.' So, Ignoring the quarrelsome voice in her head, she reached over to turn on the bedside light and then picked up the phone, dialing the number she knew by heart. As she did, she smiled and shook her head, muttering to herself, "You really *are* pathetic." But that didn't stop her from smiling in anticipation at the thought of hearing his voice again. **************** Clark landed on his apartment's balcony after flying around Metropolis for a solid hour. Usually, flying helped him to clear his head, but this time it didn't work. He hated lying to Lois. He went into his apartment and flopped down on the couch with a weary sigh. 'I hate keeping this from her!' he thought angrily. 'It's not fair to her, and it's not fair to me. Besides, she deserves to know.' He remembered how innocent it had seemed to lie to her about his other identity when they'd first met. It had been no big deal to rattle off some excuse about where he was going or where he'd been. But when they'd started growing closer, each lie that came out of his mouth ate at him. And now that they were practically engaged...well, lying to her filled his entire soul with guilt. What was worse, he realized, was that he'd gotten too good at rationalizing it. At first, it was necessary. She was a great reporter on a hot story: Superman. Telling her was simply out of the question. Then he found himself falling for her, but he didn't want to jeopardize the trust he was slowly earning by admitting that he'd been lying to her. And up until recently, he hadn't wanted to tell her before he was certain that she loved him for who he was, and not for what he could do. Now that he knew she did, the time had come. He had to tell her. His frown quickly evolved into a smile, though, when he thought of their evening together. Just merely thinking about her made his heart swell. She was everything he'd ever wanted and more. The realization that he'd finally found his soulmate filled him with such joy that it was all he could do to keep from taking off and soaring into the sky. On the other hand, knowing that he'd found the love of his life also brought new challenges. Once the barriers were down between them and they grew more comfortable with each other, it wasn't long before their interludes of kissing began to intensify. It took all of his strength and willpower to force himself to stop before things went too far. She was so beautiful, so perfect for him, that he wanted more than anything to take their relationship to the next level by being completely intimate with her. But he knew he couldn't do that until he'd told her everything about himself. The phone rang suddenly, and he jumped. Laughing at himself, he stood up and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" "Hi, Clark." "Lois!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Is everything okay? Is something wrong?" "Oh, no, no, no, Clark, everything's fine," she quickly explained. "I know you were here just a little while ago, but..." her voice trailed off as she suddenly felt foolish. "I guess I...just wanted to talk to you once more before I went to sleep. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Clark's mouth curved into a pleased grin. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who had separation anxieties. When he spoke, she could hear the smile in his voice. "No, I wasn't asleep. I'm glad to called." Lois laid back on her pillow, content to hear Clark's voice. "So what are you doing?" Clark tucked the cordless phone between his shoulder and ear and wandered into the kitchen. "Oh, nothing really. Just unwinding before I go to bed. How about you?" "Well, after you left, I got dressed for bed and turned in. But I've just been lying here in bed since then. I can't seem to go to sleep." Clark froze. The thought of her in sleepwear and lying in bed was almost enough to send him bolting for a cold shower. "Oh," was all he could think of to say. There was a long, comfortable silence where neither of them felt pressed to say anything. Finally Lois spoke. "I really enjoyed tonight, Clark. Thanks for saving me from eating something I might've had to cook." Clark starting laughing. "I never thought about it that way. So I guess you could say that my cooking dinner for you could be considered a mission of mercy." Lois laughed, too. "I guess so." She paused. "Well, I should let you get some sleep." "Yeah, it is getting pretty late. But how do you feel about us meeting for breakfast tomorrow?" Lois couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "I'd love that. Jenny's Café?" she asked, bringing up the name of their favorite breakfast meeting place. "Of course," he agreed. He knew he should say goodbye and hang up, but he just couldn't seem to bring himself to. Just then he heard her yawn. "I heard that," he said with a grin. "I'll let you go." "Sorry," she mumbled through the last half of her yawn. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought. So I'll see you tomorrow morning?" "You bet." He paused, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "And Lois...?" There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments. "Yes, Clark?" she prompted. When he finally continued, his voice was low and husky. "I'm glad you called," he told her for the second time. Lois felt the glow start at her heart and spread throughout the rest of her body. "Me, too. Goodnight, Clark." Clark smiled softly. "Goodnight, Lois." It wasn't until he heard the 'click' on the other end of the line that he set the phone down in its cradle. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "What would I ever do without her?" He shut off the lights in his apartment and went into his bedroom, crossing over to his dresser. Opening the top drawer of his dresser, he moved aside several pairs of socks and carefully removed a tiny black, velvet-covered box. Slowly, almost reverently, he opened the lid. The sparkle of the brilliant solitaire diamond ring nestled within caught the light from the room and reflected it back, sparkling and gleaming as Clark tilted the box slowly one way and then the other. He smiled. Lois was going to love it. He'd had it for a week now, but so far he hadn't been brave enough to actually propose. He wanted everything to be perfect: the night, their surroundings, the circumstances under which he proposed, the way he knew her eyes would tear up after he'd said those magical five words, 'Lois, will you marry me?' He wanted it to be the most incredible and memorable event in their lives. At least, of their lives so far. Closing the ring box and tucking it back into its hiding place, he closed the drawer and got undressed for bed. 'I'd better hurry and figure out how to propose,' he thought as he finished stripping down to his boxers and climbing into bed, 'because I don't want to keep this secret from her any longer.' ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:56:46 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 2/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 2/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** "Lois! Clark! I need to see you in my office, pronto!" Perry yelled as soon as they stepped off the elevator the next morning. Lois glanced at Clark, who was walking behind her, and smiled at him. "After that big breakfast, I was kind of hoping to ease into the workday." Clark laughed. "Yeah, I know." He put his hand gently on the small of her back and guided her across the newsroom. As soon as they put their stuff at their desks, they headed for Perry's office. Perry was sitting at his desk, a red pencil in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. He looked up at them the second they walked in, and Lois recognized the look. He always got that look when something big had happened. "I've got something for you two," Perry said, gesturing at the couch across from his desk. "Have a seat." They sat down, then looked at Perry curiously. "What's up, Chief?" "I just got a call from one of my buddies who's a warden at Metropolis State Prison," he began. "Apparently, there was a riot last night, and when all was said and done, two prisoners were missing." Lois leaned forward eagerly. "Did he say who they were?" Perry nodded. "It was Everett Price and his cell mate." "What?!" "You've got to be kidding me!" Lois and Clark blurted out simultaneously. "No, I'm very serious," Perry told them. "The guards discovered they were missing last night when they did their bed checks. He called to let me know this morning, and I thought you two should know, since you were the ones who put Price away." Lois caught Clark's eye. "Yeah, he wasn't very happy when Clark and I got that tip about his gun smuggling ring and started poking around. And then, with some help from Superman, we were able to track down enough evidence on him to put him away." She paused. "Well, until now." "Who was his cell mate, Perry?" Clark asked. "Do you know?" Perry retrieved a piece of paper from underneath the larger stack. "Yeah, his name is Karl Hendricks. He was in for two counts of armed robbery." Clark turned to Lois, but she shook her head and shrugged. "Doesn't ring a bell." "To me, either," he admitted. "Well, okay then! It sounds like you have some digging to do," Perry said, handing them the piece of paper. "I want you two on this like flies on a T-bone. Don't come back in here until you've got something for me. Got it?" They nodded in unison. "Got it, Chief." Clark followed Lois over to her desk, where she sat down and pulled out a notepad. "I think the first thing we need to do is find out who this Hendricks is," she told him. "Maybe that'll get us started." ********** "Okay. Here's what I dug up," Lois announced when Clark came over to her desk a little while later. "Price was in prison a year before Hendricks became his cell mate. And from what I've been able to find out, I don't think they knew each other before then." "Okay," Clark nodded. "What else did you find out?" "Well, Hendricks was caught a week after he'd stolen some specialized equipment from Star Labs. Apparently, he was able to bypass their building security and tap into their computer system. They never did find out how he did it. As far as anyone can tell, he probably had some inside help." "What did he want the equipment for?" "He didn't. He'd been contracted to break in and steal the stuff for someone else." Lois shrugged. "It seems to me that he's basically just a contracted thief who knows how to get in and out of high-security buildings. Only this time he got caught." "Hmmm. Well, that explains how they were able to break out of prison," Clark mused. "But the more important question is, what are they planning?" Lois sat back in her chair and looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you think they're up to something?" Clark shrugged. "Well, they *did* break out of prison. And I doubt it was only because they hated the food." Lois smiled. "Right." She thought for a minute, then went on. "Well, this is just speculation," she said. "But do you think he could be planning on getting back at Superman? He was the one who found Price's secret vault, which contained all the paperwork needed to incriminate him. Because of that, Price blamed Superman for his arrest and was very public with his hatred of him. He even threatened that when he got out, he'd make him pay for putting him in prison. So do you think he could be plotting some kind of revenge against him?" Clark let out a deep breath. "The thought had crossed my mind, yeah." Lois stood up abruptly from her chair and reached for her coat. "We've got to warn Superman." "Lois, where are you going?" he asked quickly. "To warn him!" Clark laughed. "Come on, Lois, think about it. Where, exactly, are you going to go to warn him?" Lois paused in her attempt to put on her overcoat. "Oh. Yeah, I guess I didn't think about that." "Lois Lane, again jumping into the pool without checking the water level first," he teased, a wicked gleam in his eye. She glared at him. "Ha, ha," she responded dryly. "Excuse me for wanting to warn a friend that he may be in danger." Clark smiled apologetically. "Lois, I'm not making fun of you. I'm just pointing out that we shouldn't be rushing into something we know nothing about yet. All we have is the news of two prisoners' escape and some speculation. Besides," he said, putting his hands on her arms and rubbing them lightly. "I'm sure Superman has nothing to worry about. Even if Price were to find him, what would he do to him? He's invulnerable, remember?" "Yeah, I guess you're right," Lois admitted half-heartedly. Clark sat down on the corner of her desk. "I think we also need to consider the possibility that Price might be planning on coming after us instead of Superman." Lois looked at him curiously. "What makes you say that?" "Well, like I said, Price can't do anything to Superman, and I'm sure he knows it. So where does that leave him?" Lois saw where Clark was going with this. "He'll be looking for somebody else to take it out on, so who better than the two reporters who helped put him away?" Clark nodded. "That's what I was thinking." "Well, then we'll just have to figure out what he's planning, and find him before he does anything." Lois pushed her chair back from her desk and reached for her coat again. "Now where are you going?" Clark asked, this time helping her on with her coat. "*We*," she emphasized. "Are going to go have a talk with Bobby Bigmouth. Maybe he can give us some information about Price and Hendricks." Clark flashed her a grin. "Now you're thinking!" He watched her as she grabbed a notebook and pen from her desk and quickly stuffed them into her bag. Her eyes danced with excitement and her cheeks with flushed with enthusiasm. "Have I told you how beautiful you are when you're excited about a story?" Lois paused in mid-stuff and looked up at him in surprise. He was looking back at her tenderly, and she could see from the look in his eyes that he meant what he said. Her lips curved into a smile. "You want something, don't you?" Clark laughed loudly. "Lois, I was just paying you an nice, honest compliment. Leave it to you to turn it into something twisted." She laughed, too. "I'm just kidding," she assured him, standing on her tiptoes to give him a lingering kiss. "I guess I'm just not used to getting compliments like that. You're really very sweet to say something so wonderful." Then she threaded her arm through his and started to lead him away from her desk. "Now let's get going!" Shaking his head, Clark allowed himself to be pulled toward the elevators. He knew that he'd gladly follow her wherever she wanted to take him, even if it was to the ends of the earth. ********** "So, other than the little pieces of information we got from Bobby, we have nothing to go on," Lois complained as she slipped her key into the lock and pushed open the door to her apartment. She walked in and dropped her keys and folders onto the table. "I can't believe we spent the entire day on this and came up empty handed! What a waste." "It wasn't a waste," Clark argued lightly. "We just learned that our regular sources don't know anything about what Price is planning. We'll just have to talk to other sources." Not sharing Clark's enthusiasm, Lois flopped onto the couch in frustration. "Clark, you're an incurable optimist. I admire that, I really do. But the bottom line is, we have *nothing*." Clark shook his head and smiled, turning to get their Chinese take-out from the large paper bag on the table. He'd learned better than to argue with Lois when she was like this. She simply hated when things didn't go her way with a story, and no amount of consoling would make her feel better. He just had to let her frustration run its course. "What would you rather have?" he asked Lois, holding up two containers. "The sweet and sour chicken or the chow mien?" Lois lifted her head from the arm of the couch to look at the two boxes Clark was holding. "The chow mien, I guess." She stood up and walked over to the table, plunking herself down in a chair. Clark couldn't help laughing. "Don't sound so enthused, Lois," he teased, placing a plate in front of her and spooning the chow mien onto it. "I'm sorry," she told Clark as he sat in the chair next to her and spooned the rest of the container's contents onto his own plate. "Don't mind me. I'm just in a bad mood. I *hate* it when we run into dead ends!" "Lois, Price and Hendricks just broke out of prison yesterday," Clark pointed out. "Give yourself some credit. If there's information to be found, you'll find it. It just may take a few days. Now, if you're done sulking, you can eat your dinner." His tone was very much like that of a parent who was patiently putting up with the tantrum of a small child. It made Lois smile in spite of herself. Looking at Clark, she realized how lucky she was to have somebody who understood her drive to be the best, and who willingly put up with her dramatic mood swings. "You're so good for me," she told him sincerely. "Nobody else would put up with me like you do." "I know," he answered, giving her a disarming smile. He immediately laughed and ducked away as she slapped him lightly on his arm. "Don't you dare act so high and mighty, Mr. Kent," she retaliated teasingly. "It's not just *you* who puts up with *me*, you know. You're not so easy to put up with, either, Mr. Goody Two Shoes!" Clark laughed at that, and she went on. "You'd rather miss a story than bend a few rules to get the scoop." "You don't have to bend the rules to get a story, Lois," he insisted, enjoying their standing argument. "There's always a way to get what you want by following the rules, whether you believe that or not." Lois' demeanor softened, and her lips curved into a warm smile. "That's what I think I love about you the most, Clark," she told him seriously. "You've proven to me that there are people out there who have ethics, and will stick by them at all costs. I've learned that I can trust you, and I love the fact that we don't have to keep secrets from each other. It's what made me fall in love with you." Clark winced. Her words made him feel like somebody had just driven a stake through his heart. He forced the smile to remain on his face, afraid that if he stopped smiling, Lois would know something was wrong. And that deceit in itself made him feel even worse. The rest of dinner went by in a blur for Clark, and he hoped that the small talk he made was enough to mask his bottled up feelings of guilt. He'd been feeling guilty enough having to keep this from Lois. But then to hear that she looked up to him for his ethics and honestly, well, that hurt. He had to tell her before things got any further out of hand. And after the conversation they'd just had, he was afraid of what she might do or say. But he knew he had to do it. And he had to do it tonight. After they finished eating, Clark offered to help Lois with the dishes. He scolded himself for being so chicken, and for putting off telling her about himself right then and there. But he rationalized it by telling himself it would be easier if he could tell her after the dishes were put away, so she wouldn't have anything to throw at him. Lois started telling him about some ideas she had for follow-ups on their crime ring story, but Clark found himself only half-listening. He was too distracted to do more than add an 'uh-huh' or 'I like that idea' in what he hoped were the appropriate places. When the last of the dishes had been dried and put away, Clark made himself take a deep breath. But before he could say anything, Lois slipped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. "You're not leaving yet, are you?" she asked, running her hands along the muscles of the small of his back. He shook his head, forcing himself to return her smile. "No, I wasn't planning on it." Her smile faded a bit. "Clark, are you okay? You seem...I don't know, distracted or something." "Yeah, I'm okay, it's just...well," he turned to glance at her living room. "Can we sit for a while? I wanted to talk to you about something." Lois looked at him strangely, but she nodded. "Sure." Clark took a long, slow breath and then let it out again. It was now or never. He sat on the couch beside her, and she immediately snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder contentedly. She moved her head slightly so she could look up at him. "What did you want to talk about, Clark?" Clark stared down at her, and instantly he felt his determination waver. She loved and trusted him in a way that she never had with anyone else in her life. It showed in her countenance, and in the way she looked at him. How could he possibly do what he was about to do? But then he gave himself a mental shake and forced himself to be strong. But before he could speak, Lois suddenly leapt to her feet, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. "Clark!" she practically yelled. "We forgot to talk to Joe down at the mission! Since we started talking to him about six months ago when he got out of prison, he's always been able to tell us things that nobody else knows! And didn't he finish his time in Met State Prison?" Clark blinked. She was right! Temporarily putting his admission aside, he nodded, caught up in her enthusiasm. "Yeah, he was!" he agreed, standing up beside her. "Maybe he knew-" "Price and Hendricks!" Lois finished, nearly bursting with excitement. "Why didn't we think of that?!" "Lois, you're amazing!" Clark exclaimed in amazement. He grabbed Lois in a big bear hug and twirled her around in a circle, causing Lois to squeal with delight. When he finally set her down, her cheeks were flushed with pleasure and her smile lit up her face. "See?" he told her, his eyes sparkling. "I told you you'd think of something!" "Oh, Clark! I'm just so excited we're not at a dead end!" she gushed. Then she looked thoughtful as she continued. "So the first thing we need to do tomorrow morning is put in a call to Joe. We can ask him if he knew Price and Hendricks, and if they'd ever talked about escaping or if they were planning on getting revenge on anyone..." Clark shook his head and smiled to himself as she rambled on. It never ceased to amaze him. Lois always found a way to get the leads that led to big stories. It's what made her the best. Lois' ramblings trailed off when she noticed that he was staring at her, a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. "What are you staring at?" she asked self consciously. "You." "What about me?" Clark took a step closer. "I just love seeing you so excited about things," he told her. "Your cheeks get flushed, your eyes light up, and you seem to glow all over. It makes me want to do this." He cupped her face in his hands and leaned down to give her a deep, passionate kiss that made her tingle all over. Clark pulled back and smiled at her tenderly. Lois returned his smile, then launched herself at him unsuspectingly, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him intensely. The force of her weight caused him to stumble backwards and bump into the arm of the couch. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly against him, and at the same time reached for something to steady himself on. He made a grab for the end table, succeeding in knocking a couple of objects off the table. His first thought was to pick them back up, but instead he simply dismissed the objects with a wave of his hand, and refocused his attention on kissing Lois. He tangled his fingers in her hair as he cradled her head in his hands, then moved his hands back to her shoulders. He doubted he could ever get enough of her, of touching her, of feeling her touching him. He knew he should stop this and get on with saying what he had to say, but her kiss rendered him virtually powerless. The feel of her lips on his, and the way she stroked her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck made him forget about everything except the woman in his arms. Lois' lips left his, and kissed their way to the sensitive spot behind his ear. Clark closed his eyes, shivering at the sensations of her lips against his skin. Then she began kissing her way down his neck, and he titled his head in order to give her better access. "Mmmm," he murmured blissfully, as her kisses continued to send jolts of sheer pleasure throughout his body. Lois smiled against his skin, pleased that she could have such an effect on him. She felt his hands slide down to her lower back and then proceed to move lower. Feeling completely caught up in the moment, Lois ran her hands up the front of his shirt, her fingers pausing at his buttons. Maybe it was the glass of wine she'd had with dinner, or maybe it was just the fact that she was feeling more and more comfortable with him, but whatever the reason, she found herself fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Clark would stop her, or if he would object to what she was doing, but he gave her no indication that he wanted her to stop, so Lois persisted. When she'd undone three of his buttons, she pushed aside the fabric of his shirt and slid her hands underneath the thin material. As soon as her hands found his chest, Clark moaned into her mouth, immensely enjoying the feel of her hands caressing his chest. She continued to let her hands explore, enjoying the sensation of her hands against his warm skin. She slowly traced a finger down his sternum, sending a fiery trail of ecstasy burning through Clark. He moaned again, capturing her hands for a moment, then releasing them in order to do a little exploration of his own. Kissing her again, his tongue entwined with hers, taking great care to explore every crevice in her mouth. Slowly, he moved his hands from her hips and edged them up her sides until they were resting on her ribcage. Lois felt as if her body temperature shot up about twenty degrees at his touch, her skin instantly feeling hot and clammy. She pulled back from their kiss to look deeply into Clark's eyes, and saw that they were clouded with arousal, probably much the same as hers were. Completely breathless, Clark stared back at Lois, taking in her tousled hair and kiss-reddened lips, and something deep inside him told him that he wanted to be with her right now. Tonight. He didn't want to wait any longer to be with the woman that he loved. Moving forward to capture her mouth again, he crushed her against him, urged on by the little noises of pleasure she made at his aggressiveness. Lois encouraged him further by wrapping her arms around his waist, and slipping her fingers under the waistband of his slacks at his lower back. "Hey, Lois!" A loud voice and a sudden pounding on the door startled them, and they jumped apart from each other. Then the voice came again. "Lois? It's Jimmy! Are you in there?" Lois moaned and turned back to Clark, rolling her eyes slightly. "That boy has great timing." Clark laughed, though it sounded forced to his own ears. "Yeah, he sure does." Jimmy knocked again. "Lois?" "Um, I'm coming, Jimmy!" she called out. "Just a minute." She hurried over to the mirror near her door and hastily checked her appearance. She quickly combed her fingers through her tousled hair, then proceeded to tuck in the front of her blouse. She turned back to Clark. "Do I look okay?" she stage whispered. He nodded, and she quickly made her way to the door. She had her hand on the doorknob when she noticed his unbuttoned shirt. She did some quick miming, and when he realized what she meant, he muttered a quiet, "Oh!" and then hurried to redo his buttons. Watching his nervous movements, Lois couldn't help smiling. She loved it when he looked so anxious and vulnerable. Then, taking a deep breath and doing her best to make herself act casual, she opened the door. "Hi, Jimmy," she greeted. "What's up?" Jimmy took a couple of steps into her apartment. "I've got some information for you on Price and his cell mate." Then he noticed Clark standing over by the couch, straightening the end table's lampshade. "Hi, Clark," he said, smiling. "I should've known you were here." Clark grinned. "Well, I just can't seem to stay away." Lois met his gaze and, fighting to keep from blushing, she smiled back. It amazed her how Clark could act so calm when she, herself, felt like she'd just been on a wild roller coaster ride, leaving her heart pounding and the adrenaline rushing through her veins. "I was able to dig up some more information for you," Jimmy told them, completely oblivious to the fact that he'd interrupted something. "I was on my way home, so I thought I'd just drop it by. I've been trying to call you, but your line's been busy." Lois gave Clark a confused look, but he just raised his eyebrows and shrugged imperceptibly. She glanced over at the end table and was surprised to see that the phone wasn't there. Following the cord with her eyes, she suddenly realized that Clark must've knocked it off the table when they'd been concentrating on each other, because it lay half-buried in a basket of folded laundry next to the end table. She glanced up at Clark, who had just spotted the phone and was looking rather guilty. Lois had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Anyway, here's that information," Jimmy was saying, holding a file folder out to her. "I have to hurry and get home. I've got a date." Lois grinned conspiratorially at him as she took the folder from him. "Well, good luck, Jimmy. I hope this girl of yours knows how lucky she is." That brought a sheepish grin to Jimmy's face. "I'll tell you guys all about it in the morning," he promised. "You'd better!" After Jimmy was gone, Lois locked the door behind him and then went over to sit by Clark on the couch. "Well, that was nice of him," she commented, thumbing briefly through the papers in the folder. "Yeah, it was." An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Lois started to feel anxious. Finally, Clark broke the silence. "I think that's the closest we've ever come to...well, you know..." he said, still trying to come to terms with what had happened. Lois studied his face carefully, trying to read into the serious expression on his face. Reaching out, she put her hand on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It sounds like that bothers you." "No, it doesn't *bother* me," Clark told her truthfully. "It's just that I wanted to talk about a few things before we got to that point." She nodded and smiled supportively. "I think that's a good idea. What would you like to talk about?" Clark opened his mouth to speak, but just then he heard that all too familiar cry for help. "Umm," he stammered, standing up abruptly. He gestured with his hands toward the door feebly. "I just remembered that I, uh..." he searched his mind frantically for an excuse. Any excuse. But his mind was a total blank. "Well, I've got to go and get...something. Can we talk about this later?" Then, without waiting for an answer, he hurried to the door, mumbling something that resembled an apology, and then he was gone, leaving Lois staring after him in bewilderment. ********** As Clark spun into the suit in a dark alley near Lois' building and then rocketed into the sky, he was furious with himself. 'What on earth were you thinking?' he scolded himself angrily. 'You promised you weren't going to get intimate with Lois until you told her the truth, and yet you let things go as far as they did tonight. You know how she makes you feel. You should've been more prepared, and not let yourself get distracted.' Clark heard the cry for help again, and he flew in that direction, trying to set aside his thoughts and self-directed anger. He could finish giving himself a stern talking to later. Right now, he had a job to do. ********** A few run-of-the-mill rescues and a couple hours later, Clark soared up into the night sky. Once again, he was able to be alone with his thoughts. But now that he was, he realized he no longer wanted to be. He needed to talk. He didn't want to go back to Lois', though. She was sure to be angry with him for running off just as they were about to have a serious talk. And an argument wasn't what he wanted right now. He needed to go someplace where he could talk to somebody without worrying about letting things slip. Suddenly, it occurred to him where he should go. Changing directions, he headed for the one place where he could always be himself. Smallville. ********** "Clark, if I'd known you were coming by, I would've saved some dinner for you." Clark laughed as his Mom continued to fuss over him, pulling leftovers out of the fridge and piling things on a plate. "Mom, you really don't have to feed me. That's not why I came. Besides, I just ate a couple of hours ago." He turned to his dad. "Can't you do something to make her stop?" His dad laughed deeply as he sat down at the table with him. "I wish I could. You know how she is, Clark. Once she gets her mind set on something, there's no stopping her." Clark laughed, too. "That sounds like someone else I know." Martha smiled as she pulled the plate out of the microwave and set it on the table in front of Clark. "Speaking of Lois, how *are* things between the two of you?" "Great," he told them enthusiastically as he took a bite of his food. "Actually, things are going better than I ever could've hoped for." His parents studied him closely as he took a drink of milk. "And?" He smiled. Nothing ever got past his parents. "And," he continued. "Tomorrow night I'm planning on asking her to marry me." His announcement was met with a stunned silence. But then the meaning behind his words sunk in, and Martha gave a shriek of delight at the same time his dad broke into a huge grin and leaned over to clap him on the shoulder. "Oh, Clark, I can't believe it!" Martha exclaimed excitedly, giving him a big hug. "That's just wonderful!" "Congratulations, son," Jonathan told him as soon as Martha had released him. "Well, she hasn't said 'yes' yet, Dad," he pointed out. "Oh, but she will, Clark," his mom assured him, sitting in the chair next to him. "I know how much you two love each other. You belong together." Clark smiled, though less enthusiastically this time. "Yeah, I know that. But I can't help worrying about a few things." Jonathan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Like what, son?" "Well, I've been thinking a lot about how and when to ask her, where I should take her...and how I should tell her that I'm Superman..." He let his voice trail off. "Ahhh," his dad said understandingly. "You're afraid of what she's going to say when you tell her." "Wait a minute," Martha began, clearly confused. "I thought you were going to tell her *weeks* ago." Clark took a drink of his milk and shook his head. "I was. But every time I started to bring it up, I guess I just...kind of, well, chickened out." "Clark, you can't keep Lois in the dark about this," his mom insisted, reaching out to cover his hand with hers. "She loves you. And she deserves to know the truth about you so that she can love you for all that you are, and not just for the parts of you that you choose to let her. That's not what love's all about." Clark sighed. "I know, Mom." "And Lois is a smart woman," his dad chimed in. "Sooner or later, she's going to figure it out. And then where will you be? You'll be worse off than if you'd told her yourself." "I know," Clark said again. "I keep telling myself that. But I keep thinking about how she's going to react when I *do* tell her." He shook his head. "One thing I *do* know is, she's *not* going to be happy." "Probably not," Jonathan agreed. "But what choice do you have?" Clark looked from his mom to his dad. "You're right," he nodded. "As usual, you're right." He gave them a quick smile, then looked down at his plate thoughtfully and slowly pushed his food around on it. "Is something else bothering you, Clark?" his mom prompted, putting her hand on his arm. Clark set his fork down and, with a sigh, looked up at his parents. "I guess it's just really been bothering me lately that I've spent so many years lying to Lois about this. I mean, at first, I had to. But then when we got to be partners, and then best friends, lying to her made me feel more and more guilty. And now that we're in a serious relationship..." he shook his head dejectedly. "I practically hate myself." "Oh, Clark, you shouldn't hate yourself," his mom told him firmly. "You had a darn good reason for keeping things a secret. And when Lois gets over being mad," she smiled at Clark. "She'll realize that, and understand why you did what you did." "I guess I know that," Clark admitted. "I think I just needed to hear you say it." He gave his mom and dad a grateful smile. "Thanks, Mom and Dad. I knew you'd make me feel better. I'm glad I came." Martha laughed and hugged him tightly. "We're glad you came, too. You know that we're always here for you, right?" When he nodded, she went on. "Good! Now make sure you call and tell us what Lois says when you propose tomorrow night! But remember, we'll be at the Johnson's." Clark's expression was blank. "The Johnsons?" Then it clicked. "Oh! That's right. You were planning on visiting them for a few days. I forgot about that." She nodded. "Yes, and they're only forty-five minutes from Metropolis. So if you want us to come into the city to do something with you and Lois, just call us. We'd love it." Clark smiled. "That'd be great. I definitely will." It was late when Clark finally said goodbye to his parents and flew back to Metropolis. When he climbed into bed, he hoped that he would fall right asleep so the night would pass quickly since he was feeling both nervous and excited about tomorrow's big event. Whether he'd realized it at the time or not, he'd been waiting for this moment since the first day he'd first met Lois, and finally it was here. Unable to shut off his thoughts, though, he tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. Finally, he realized it was useless. With a frustrated sigh, he climbed out of bed, spun into the suit and flew out into the night sky. It was going to be a long night. ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:57:13 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 3/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit What it Means to Love You part 3/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** As Clark stepped off the elevator the next morning, he found himself feeling apprehensive about seeing Lois. He never knew how she was going to react after one of his bouts of running off as he did last night. In his hand, he clutched a white baker's bag that contained a couple of chocolate eclairs that he hoped would be viewed as a peace offering. Scanning the newsroom, he saw that Lois was already at her desk, engrossed in something she was typing on her computer. He went over to her desk and leaned down to give her cheek a quick kiss. "'Morning, Lois. What are you working on?" She glanced up at him and gave him a brief smile, then sat back in her chair and pointed to something on her monitor. "A lot of these notes that Jimmy dug up are interesting. I've been adding them to what we have so far on Price and Hendricks." "Ah. Just diving right in, as usual, huh?" he grinned. She smiled back. "You know me." "I sure do." Then, suddenly remembering the bag, he set it down on her desk ceremoniously. Lois stared at it in confusion, then back up at Clark. "What's this?" "I figured you were going to be here early working, so I stopped by the bakery on my way here." A smile appeared and then spread slowly across her face. "Let me guess. Chocolate eclairs?" His face registered surprise. "How did you know that? Can you smell chocolate from a mile away or something?" he asked with a teasing smile. Lois shook her head. "No, but I do remember a certain somebody who ran off on me last night just when we were about to have an important discussion." She picked up the bag. "You always think you can smooth things over with chocolate." Clark laughed. "Am I that predictable?" "Yes." Clark walked over to his desk to set his stuff down, shaking his head in amazement. "I guess I need to rethink my 'making amends' strategy, if it's that predictable." When he looked up, he saw that Lois was coming toward him. She stopped next to him, her expression serious. "Clark, I think we need to talk about what happened last night." "About my leaving?" "Well, yeah, that, too," Lois told him. Then her voice dropped to a quiet whisper, making it apparent that what she was about to say was meant for his ears only. "But what I meant was, things were getting pretty serious last night between us, if you know what I mean." Clark's cheeks reddened, and Lois knew he *did* know what she meant. She forged on, her voice still soft and her tone relaying her vulnerability. "Clark, it bothers me to think that, at the first chance you got to get out of there, you bailed. Do you know how that makes me feel, considering my past history with men? I thought that maybe you were afraid of getting intimate..." Clark quickly jumped in, cutting her off. "Lois, I didn't bail, and I'm not afraid of getting intimate with you." He reached up to stroke her cheek gently. "In fact, there's nothing I'd love more than to be *intimate* with you." Lois grinned, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "But there are a few things I thought we should talk about before we take that step," Clark told her. An uncertain look crossed Lois' face. "What things?" "Well, one thing, actually," Clark admitted, squirming uncomfortably. Lois stared at him for a long minute, confused. When she saw that he remained serious, she started to grow nervous. "Clark, you're worrying me." "Oh, no, no, no..." Clark said hurriedly, trying to erase any fears she might be having. "It's nothing to worry about," he assured her. "It's just...well, it's something I've been needing to tell you for a while, and I haven't exactly found the right way to tell you." "Well, if it's nothing to worry about, just tell me now." Clark glanced pointedly at the people around them. "Lois, this isn't exactly the place where I want to tell you something like this. Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could go someplace where we could be alone, and not be interrupted every two seconds." "Lois, Clark!" Perry bellowed from his office doorway. "How's that story coming? I need to know what you've got!" Clark laughed and gestured in Perry's direction. "See what I mean?" Lois laughed, too. Looking looked toward Perry, she yelled out, "We'll be right there, Chief!" Then she turned back to Clark. "Okay, you've made your point. So where do you suggest we go?" "I was thinking that maybe we could talk about it after dinner." He smiled broadly. "I just happened to be able to get us reservations tonight at Chez Pierre." "The new French place??" Lois asked, looking impressed. "How'd you manage that? I heard they were booked for two months solid." Clark stood tall and straightened the knot of his tie, trying to look important. "It all comes down to who you know," he grinned. "So how about it?" Lois grinned. "You've got yourself a date." ********** When Clark knocked on Lois' door that evening to pick her up, he couldn't help feeling nervous. So much was riding on this night and how things played out. He heard her footsteps approaching, and then the door opened. What he saw took his breath away. She was wearing a beautiful wine-colored strapless evening gown with a plunging neckline and a short hemline, which showed off her long, shapely legs. His approval must've shown on his face because Lois flashed him a confident smile. "It looks like I chose the right dress." "Lois, you look absolutely stunning," he told her, unable to take his eyes off of her. A pleased smile crossed her face. "Thank you," she answered, at the same time taking in his appearance which included a light gray suit, white shirt, and a flashy yellow tie. "You look pretty incredible yourself." Clark gave himself a mental shake, trying to force himself out of his daze. "Not nearly as terrific as you. Are you ready to go?" She nodded. "Just let me grab my coat." Dinner was even more perfect than Clark could have imagined. In fact, he didn't think there was any way it could have possibly turned out any better. Lois was beautiful and enchanting, and he found himself absolutely mesmerized by her. The combination of their beautiful surroundings and the beautiful woman across the table from him was enough to take his breath away. When they'd finally finished their dinners, they ordered dessert and ate slowly, savoring every minute of their perfect evening. They spent a great deal of time talking, or simply gazing into each other's eyes over the flickering candlelight. Then afterward, Clark suggested they take a walk through the restaurant's beautifully landscaped grounds. Eagerly, Lois accepted. 'Anything to keep this night from ending,' she thought. They wandered hand in hand down the flagstone path that led through an iron gate and into the gardens that were surrounded by four-feet-high, well manicured hedges that formed a solid wall of green. When they stepped inside, Lois was surprised at how secluded the gardens felt. Raised beds of colorful, fragrant flowers surrounded a beautiful gurgling fountain, and strategically placed up lights cast a mysterious glow throughout the branches of the nearby trees. Caught up in the beauty of their surroundings, they strolled along for a short distance without speaking. Finally, Clark broke the silence. "It looks like you're enjoying yourself." Lois sighed happily. "I can't ever remember enjoying an evening more." Clark gave her hand a squeeze, feeling a rush of pleasure at her words. A moment later, he gestured to a beautifully carved wooden swing just off the stone path. "Feel like sitting?" Lois nodded, and they settled into the swing. Clark stretched his arm along the back of the seat, his arm brushing against her neck. Lois let her head fall onto his shoulder, and Clark pushed at the ground with the toe of his shoe, setting the swing into a gentle, rocking motion. For several minutes they were quiet, enjoying their beautiful surroundings and the stillness of the evening. Finally, Clark broke the comfortable silence. "Are you cold?" Lois smiled softly and shook her head. "No," she answered quietly, as if speaking above a whisper might disrupt the mood. "I'm perfect, the evening's perfect...I can't possibly imagine things being any better. You couldn't top this evening even if you tried." Clark knew he'd just been given the perfect opportunity. He slipped his arm >from around her and moved back a little. "Well, that sounds like a dare, if I've heard one," he told her with a shy smile. "Let's see what I can do about that." Lois watched him curiously as he slid from the swing and dropped down onto one knee in front of her. Then, in shock and disbelief, she watched him pull out a tiny, velvety box from his coat pocket and then lift the lid. She gasped when she saw the sparkling diamond within, and immediately her eyes filled her tears. She put a shaking hand to her mouth and looked up into Clark's eyes. "Lois," he began, his voice rich and deep. "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Finally finding her voice past the lump in her throat, she nodded. "Yes!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking with emotion. In a rush, Clark let out the breath he hadn't even known he was holding. Overjoyed, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, telling her without words how happy he was and how special she was to him. When he finally released her, they were both breathless and deliriously happy. Tearing his eyes away from Lois', he glanced down at the ring box still clutched in his hand. Carefully, he removed the ring and dropped the now empty box back into his coat pocket. Then he looked back up at Lois, their eyes meeting for a moment before he reached for her hand. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure as he took her delicate fingers in his strong ones and slipped the ring ceremoniously onto her finger. She stared down at the ring on her hand, admiring the way it glimmered in the subdued lighting of the gardens. "I can't believe you did this!" she exclaimed, looking back up into Clark's eyes. "How long have you been planning this?" He returned her brilliant smile with one of his own. "For a few weeks now. I've had the ring for a while, but I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about asking you." "Oh, Clark," she breathed, lifting her hand and placing it gently on his cheek. "You shouldn't have been nervous. There's no way I would've turned you down." She looked down at the ground and continued haltingly. "Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to meet that one special man who would take me by surprise and sweep me off my feet. But then I had all those disastrous relationships, and I ended up completely writing off men." She laughed a little. But then she looked back up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Then you came into my life, and proved to me that such a man could really exist, one who could love me as much as I love him." Clark felt a lump rise in his throat. "And he does," he insisted. "He...*I* love you more than you could ever know." A single tear spilled down Lois' cheek. "I love you, too, Clark," she said, her voice filled with emotion. Clark reached out to cup her cheek in his hand, tenderly wiping the tear away with his thumb. Then he leaned toward her, sharing a kiss that was tender, loving, and passionate, and held promises of wonderful things yet to come. When they finally made their way out of the gardens and went back to the car, Clark helped Lois into the passenger side, then hurried around and climbed behind the steering wheel. He glanced over at Lois, and noticed with a smile that she was holding her hand up to better see the ring adorning her finger. She caught his eye and grinned. "I would have never pictured you as the romantic type. But I can tell there are still things about you that I need to learn." She leaned over to kiss him tenderly. Clark kissed her back, but the earlier excitement he'd felt had somewhat dissipated. Yes, he'd proposed and she'd accepted. But the big test was yet to come. When they got her back to her apartment, he was going to tell her the truth. ********** Lois unlocked the door to her apartment, turning to smile at Clark as she pushed open the door and went through. Clark did his best to calm the butterflies in his stomach as the door closed behind him. Lois slipped her coat off and draped it over the back of the sofa. Then she returned to Clark's side. "Are you going to stay for a while?" she asked, slipping her arms around his waist. She smiled playfully and took one of his lapels in each hand. "I can make it worth your while." To prove what she meant, she stood on tiptoes and pressed several light, flirtatious kisses against his jawline. Clark closed his eyes, fighting the waves of pleasure that threatened to overcome him. *Be strong,* he told himself. *You can't let yourself get distracted.* But his determination was quickly waning with the mind-numbing kisses of his fiancee. *Fiancee.* Clark's eyes flew open, and the realization of what he'd done and what he had to do, struck him. He couldn't let another day go by without telling her about himself, especially now that they were engaged, and he knew she loved him for who he really was. He moved his hands from Lois' waist and slid them to her shoulders, pushing her away gently. "Lois, we need to talk about something." "Of course we have things to talk about!" she exclaimed. "We're getting married! There are a ton of things to talk about." She gave him another quick kiss before turning and going into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" "Yeah, sure," he sighed as he came the rest of the way into the living room and dropped onto the sofa. This wasn't going to be easy. With all the excitement of the evening, Lois had obviously forgotten about their earlier conversation at the Planet. Lois returned a minute later with two sodas. "Sorry, but this is all I have," she apologized as she handed one of them to Clark. "I haven't gotten to my grocery shopping yet." Clark grinned. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lois rolled her eyes as she dropped onto his lap. Then she held her can of soda up and asked, "Do you think we'd jinx things if we toast our engagement with cream soda?" Clark's smile softened. "No way," he insisted. "Everything's going to be perfect." "Then, here's to us," she toasted. "To us." They clinked their soda cans together, laughing as they did. Lois noticed, though, that Clark's smile seemed a bit strained. But as quickly as the thought came, she pushed it away, writing it off as pre-wedding jitters. Her eyes automatically wandered over to the answering machine on the table next to the sofa, and the blinking red light caught her eye. Carefully, she leaned across Clark and pressed the 'play' button. An unfamiliar, raspy male voice came through the speakers. "Word's out on the street that you're looking for information about Everett Price. If you want to know what I know, come to the old warehouse on ninth and Oxford at eleven o'clock." There was a loud click and the answering machine was silent. Lois sat in stunned silence for a moment, then she quickly glanced down at her watch. "Hey, that's still a half hour from now! We can make it if we hurry!" Feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline, she hastily set her soda on the end table, sloshing some of the drink over the edge. Then she jumped up from Clark's lap and hurried towards her bedroom. "Let me just change my clothes, and I'll be ready to go." Clark stared at Lois' retreating figure, his mouth open in disbelief. "Lois, you're not seriously considering going, are you? It could be a trap!" The sound of drawers opening and shutting came from the bedroom, and a minute later Lois came hobbling out of her bedroom in sweats and a T-shirt, trying unsuccessfully to put on a sneaker as she half-walked, half-ran into the front room. The familiar unsettling feeling that he always got whenever Lois went rushing blindly into a story came over him. He wasn't sure if it was his intuition, or if it was just the realization that this was now his fiancé who was taking the risk, but he didn't like this one bit. "Why don't *I* just go?" Clark suggested as Lois dropped into a nearby chair and fumbled with her shoelaces. "I can check out this tip while you stay here." Lois looked up from her shoe and gave him an indignant look. "Excuse me? We're partners, remember? That means *we* do the investigating *together*." Then, with a smile, she held up her left hand for him to see. "Besides, we'll soon be partners in other areas, too, so you may as well get used to it." He had to laugh in spite of himself. He stood up and walked over to her. Sitting on the arm of her chair, he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the ring on her hand tenderly. "There's nothing I'd love more." **************** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:57:26 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 4/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 4/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net **************** In spite of his better judgment, Clark let Lois accompany him to the old, deserted warehouse. When they pulled up in front of the crumbling building, Clark tried one more time to convince Lois to let him go in alone. "Not on your life," she argued firmly, stepping out of the car. "I want to find out as badly as you do what Price is up to, and so far this is our only lead." Clark sighed as he got out of the car and caught up to Lois halfway across the street. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder before she could enter the building. "At least let me go first," Clark whispered in frustration. "Let me see if there's anything suspicious inside." Lois stepped back from the door. "Fine. You go first." Clark gave her a stern look. "You wait here." When she saw that he was waiting for her to respond, she raised her eyebrows and shrugged again. "Yes! Okay! I get it," she answered, obviously miffed at being told what to do. Clark creaked open the door, and, with a quick glance to make sure Lois wasn't watching, he lowered his glasses and hastily scanned the building. His face creased into a frown. Half of the building's inner walls were covered with peeling lead-paint, making it virtually impossible for him to check it out as thoroughly as he wanted to. Suddenly, something bumped up against him, making him jump. Hastily pushing his glasses back up on his nose, he turned quickly and saw that Lois had come through the door and was now standing next to him. He rolled his eyes in annoyment. "Lois, you never listen!" he scolded in a stage whisper. "I told you to wait outside!" "This is my story, too!" Lois shot back. "I'm not going to stand outside waiting all night while you..." "Well, well, well, isn't this cozy," a voice leered, interrupting their argument. Their heads jerked in the direction of the voice, and Lois gasped when she saw the large, burly man step out of the shadows with a revolver trained on them. Recognizing the man from his mug shot, Clark automatically took a step in front of Lois, putting his body between hers and the man. "Karl Hendricks, I presume?" The man nodded. "You presume right. Now, if you'll both please step over here, I believe we have some business to discuss." Lois and Clark exchanged a nervous glance, then reluctantly moved in the direction Hendricks indicated. Clark made sure that he kept himself between Lois and Hendricks, not wanting to risk the possibility of her getting shot. They were ushered toward the back of the warehouse and into a large, dimly lit room about the size of a basketball court that was littered with old machinery. Then, with his gun still leveled at them, Hendricks picked up a length of rope and roughly began tying them to separate support beams about ten feet apart. Clark, unwilling to do something that would reveal himself as Superman to their captor, and knowing he could still get to Lois in a heartbeat if he needed to, went ahead and played helpless as his wrists were tied behind him and around the steel column. "That should hold ya," Hendricks muttered in satisfaction as he stepped away from them. "Now don't you two try anything funny before the boss gets here." As he walked across the room to fumble through a large green duffel bag, Lois looked anxiously at Clark. "The boss?" she whispered. Clark shrugged, feeling a bit anxious himself. "Any bet he means Price?" Lois sighed, then began to work her hands against her restraints. "Maybe if I can slip out of these ropes..." "Lois, what are you doing?" he whispered fiercely. He gestured with his head in Hendricks' direction. "He's got a gun!" She glared at him. "So that means I should just stand here and wait for him to shoot us? I don't think so. Besides," she went on. "Superman will save us. He always does." "Now *that's* something we need to talk about," Clark muttered sarcastically. Lois leveled a hard stare at him. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" "Well, it's just something I've needed to tell you for a while now..." A new, yet familiar voice reached their ears. "Well, what have we here?" Lois and Clark immediately stopped talking and turned to see Everett Price entering into the room. His smile showed that he was obviously very pleased with himself. "Everett Price," Lois said in disdain, her lip curling in disgust. "What do you think you're doing? What do you want from us?" He smiled smugly, making a clicking noise with his tongue. "So many questions, Lois Lane, star reporter." His smile turned into an angry frown. "Because of your annoying questions, you and this partner of yours sent me to prison, a place I vowed I would never go." "You sent yourself to prison, Price," Clark snapped, successfully drawing the man's attention to him and stopping his advance toward Lois. "Oh, is that the way you see it, Mr. Kent?" he glowered. "Well, the way I see it, if you and Ms. Lane hadn't stuck your nose in where it didn't belong, I'd still be a free man." He turned to look at Hendricks, who was now standing behind him. "Isn't that right, Karl?" Karl nodded gruffly. "That's right." Price turned his attention back to his captives. Directing a leering smile at Lois, he said, "But don't worry you're pretty little head, Ms. Lane. It's not you or your partner I'm after. You're both just a convenient way to lure that stupid superhero to me. He was the one who saw to it that there was enough evidence to convict me. He's the one I have the bone to pick with." He turned to Hendricks. "Let me know when our boy has arrived." Then, with one last infuriating smirk at Lois and Clark, he left the room. It was quiet for a long minute as the three stared at each other. With a quick surveying glance, Lois noticed that Hendricks had tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans. As inconspicuously as possible, she twisted her hands in the ropes, trying to create enough slack for her to be able to work herself loose. Lois decided a distraction was in order if she were to successfully distract the man while she fidgeted with her ropes. "So, when Superman *does* get here," she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm, "what are you going to do? Shoot him?" "Lois," Clark cautioned quietly, giving her a stern warning glance that she knew meant 'don't provoke him'. Choosing to ignore it, she looked back at Hendricks, who laughed cynically. "We don't *need* to shoot him, Ms. Lane," he scoffed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small metallic box. "We have this." He started to open the lid, and immediately Clark felt a wave of pain sweep over him. Not noticing Clark's discomfort, Hendricks continued, looking at its contents proudly. "It's our little ace in the hole for our plans to destroy Superman." Lois eyes grew wide as she recognized the familiar green glow emanating from the rock inside the box. Instantly, a feeling of panic set in as she realized the gravity of their situation. 'If Superman *does* try to rescue us, he could be killed!' she thought anxiously. A sudden movement to her left caused her to look over in Clark's direction, and what she saw made her heart leap into her throat. Clark, his face pinched with pain, had somehow managed to work himself free from the ropes that held him, and, as Lois watched helplessly, he doubled over in pain and dropped to his knees. "Clark!" she cried out, fighting unsuccessfully against her own restraints. "Clark, what's the matter?!" In a surge of panic, she turned to Hendricks, who was looking as confused as she was. "Can't you see that something's wrong?" she yelled, frightened tears gathering in her eyes. "Please help him!" Unnerved at the prospect of being blamed for something happening to his partner's hostages while they were under his surveillance, he took a hasty step forward. Almost immediately, Clark cried out in agony and rolled over onto his side. With her heart in her throat, she watched in shock and confusion as Clark writhed in pain on the hard cement floor, his agony only seeming to increase with each advancing step of their captor. Her mind worked furiously, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with Clark. Other than being tied up, nobody had done so much as to lay a hand on him since they'd arrived, so that couldn't be the problem. But it was apparent that he was in serious pain from his clenched teeth and agonizing cries. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of losing her partner, best friend, and, as of tonight, her *fiance*. She struggled once again to get free from her ropes as the tears started spilling down her cheeks. "Hendricks, what are you doing?" she yelled at her captor. "Something's wrong! Go get some help!" Hendricks stopped his advancement, looking nervous. Without taking his eyes >from Clark's writhing body, he took a step backward, obviously trying to decide if he should go for help. When he did, Lois noticed Clark's constricted muscles relax slightly. Confused, she looked from Clark to the glowing rock in Hendricks' hand, then back again. Then her eyes grew wide with sudden realization and she gasped as things began to fall into place. Clark was Superman! The room started to spin crazily, and the blood drained from her face. Instantly, everything began to make sense. All those times Clark had made a hasty retreat whenever some crime or disaster was taking place, all those ridiculous excuses, and most of all, why she'd never seen the two men together. But before she had time to sort out the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, a loud shout brought things around her back into focus. She saw that once again Hendricks was moving toward Clark, causing Clark's tormented cries to fill the air. "Stop!" Lois shouted frantically, finally understanding what was happening. "Get away from him! You're killing him!" Hendricks' face reflected his utter confusion about Clark's behavior, but at least Lois' shouts caused him to stop his advance towards Clark's crumpled form. Lois knew that it wasn't going to be enough, though. From her past experiences dealing with Superman and Kryptonite, she knew she had to get the Kryptonite as far away from Clark as possible. She twisted and turned her hands frantically within her ropes, and then with one last painful yank, she freed herself and bolted forward. Before Hendricks knew what was happening, she had lunged for the glowing rock in his hands, succeeding in knocking it to the ground. Lois bent over to make a quick grab for it, but was immediately tackled and forced roughly to the ground. In the next instant, Hendricks was on top of her, pinning her against the cold cement floor. Knowing that Clark's life depended on her ability to get rid of the Kryptonite, she fought her captor for all she was worth, struggling to get free. She yanked and pulled to try to free her hands from his grasp, but her struggles were no match for the brute strength of the large, burly man. Then suddenly Lois' Tai Chi training took over and she brought one knee up swiftly, kneeing the man in the groin. With a strangled cry, Hendricks released her hands and rolled off of her and fell to the ground, moaning in anguish. Lois leapt to her feet and grabbed the Kryptonite that now lay unnoticed on the floor a few feet away from her moaning and writhing captor. Once she had it in her hand, she quickly turned and scanned the room, trying to decide where and how to get rid of the lethal rock. Just then Everett Price rushed in, clearly trying to determine what the commotion was all about. His eyes went from Lois, who was still standing in the middle of the room, to his accomplice, who was still laying on the floor gasping for breath. "What's going on here?!" Price hollered. Finally, Hendricks was able to pull himself up on one knee and gestured in Lois' direction. "She's got the Kryptonite!" Price's eyes grew wide. "Well, don't just sit there! Do something!" Lois glanced quickly at Clark, noticing that he'd recovered at least enough to push himself up off the ground slightly with his arms. He was watching her with a pained, yet extremely worried expression. Suddenly his stare shifted over to the guard, and his eyes grew wide with shock. Lois followed his gaze, turning back just in time to see Hendricks reach for his gun. "Lois, run!" Clark shouted frantically, trying unsuccessfully to get to his feet. Almost as if in slow motion, he watched Lois turn to run just as Hendricks lifted his gun and leveled it at her retreating figure. Clark watched in horrible realization as he saw the man's finger tighten on the trigger. "Noooooo!" Clark yelled helplessly, knowing he was still far too weak from the Kryptonite exposure to prevent the inevitable from happening. Fear gripped his heart as he saw Hendricks pull the trigger, and the sound of the bullet being fired from the barrel of the gun made him physically sick to his stomach. Unable to do anything but watch in sickening terror, he saw the bullet rocket toward Lois. Lois heard Clark's anguished cries at the same moment she heard the shot fired. Almost instantaneously she felt the bullet slam into her back, followed by a searing, burning pain in her right side. An overwhelming dizziness encompassed her, and her legs gave out, causing her to fall forward and collapse onto the hard cement floor. "Lois!" Clark yelled in agony as he stared through tear-filled eyes at her motionless form. Once again, Clark tried to get to his feet, but after only one awkward, lurching step, he found himself falling back to the ground. A shout from Price caused Clark to turn toward him, and he saw that Price was starting to run toward Lois. With a quick glance in her direction, he saw what the man was after. The Kryptonite had been jarred from Lois' hand and had rolled a couple of feet away from her. And now Price was going after it. By sheer willpower alone, Clark made a diving lunge for Price's feet, succeeding in sending the man sprawling. Price took a swing at Clark, but missed him as Clark barely managed to avoid the man's fist. As the two men continued their scuffle, Lois opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her blurred vision. The sound of the shot was still resonating in her ears as she tried to lift her cheek off the cold cement floor, but the bullet's stabbing pain made her rethink her efforts. She heard Clark's yell from behind her, but all she could think about was the pain radiating from her back where the bullet had ripped into her. Forcing her eyes to focus, she noticed in a haze that the Kryptonite was lying a couple of feet in front of her, and that it was only inches away >from a large, metal sewage grate. It wasn't until she heard the footsteps running toward her, though, that she forced herself to block out the pain and raise herself up off the ground. Ignoring the screaming pains in her muscles, she lurched forward, bringing herself almost within arm's reach of the Kryptonite. Then, knowing she was almost out of time, she mustered every ounce of strength she had left and made a final, desperate lunge for the glowing rock. Feeling a sudden rush of relief when she felt her fingers touch the smooth surface of the rock, she quickly grabbed it and inched it toward the large slatted openings in the grate. With a little bit of effort, she was able to force it through the slats and then heaved an inward sigh of relief when it fell through, dropping the dozen or so feet into the sewer system below. Completely spent and in excruciating pain, Lois collapsed back onto the cement floor, only vaguely aware of the arrival of her captors. They dropped to the ground next to the grate, ignoring her completely as they peered through the metal slats. "The Kryptonite! It's gone! I can't believe this!" Price shouted in anger and dismay. Just then the sound of approaching sirens filled the building. "The police!" one of them exclaimed. "Let's go!" Price made a dash for the back door of the warehouse, but Hendricks, not thinking clearly, ran out the front. His escape was immediately cut off by several police cars. Clark heard a series of shots fired, and suspected that Hendricks had panicked and decided to fight rather than surrender. Turning his attention back to Lois, Clark weakly pushed himself up on unsteady legs and half-walked, half-stumbled his way over to where she lay. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he dropped to his knees beside her. "Lois!" he managed to choke out. He reached out to touch her shoulder with a shaking hand, his heart in his throat. He quickly looked her over to determine how badly she was hurt, and almost immediately noticed the large, dark spot of blood forming on her T-shirt where the bullet had hit. Clark, nearly overcome by waves of guilt, wished desperately that he could pick her up and fly her to the hospital, but he knew he was still too weak to do that. Instead, he silently willed the ambulance to hurry. "Lois," he repeated, grabbing her hand in both of his and holding it to his chest. "Can you hear me?" A wave of relief flooded through him when he saw her eyelids flicker and then open at the sound of his voice. "Clark," she responded softly, her voice sounding tiny and strained. She opened her mouth to say more, but she grimaced with sudden pain. "Sssh, Lois. Don't try to talk," Clark told her softly. "I'm here. I'm right here." She shook her head slightly and swallowed noisily. Opening her mouth, she tried again. "Clark," she whispered hoarsely, a single tear escaping and sliding down her cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?" Clark felt as if a hand was clutching at his throat, and he could barely get the words out. "I guess I was afraid, Lois," he admitted in a choked voice. "I was afraid I might lose you if I told you the truth." But then the shock of his own words struck him. 'You might lose her now, anyway,' a small, scared voice inside of him thought. Lois felt Clark's hand gripping hers, and she tried to focus on that instead of the overwhelming pain that threatened to drag her into the looming darkness. The sound of an approaching ambulance siren gave her hope, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. But she knew she wasn't going to be able to stay conscious for much longer. Clark felt her grip on his hand weaken, and in desperation he scooted even closer to her, talking constantly to try to keep her awake. "Come on Lois, stay with me. The paramedics are on their way. You've got to stay awake." She heard him talking, but his voice sounding increasingly far away, as if it was coming from the end of a long, dark tunnel. Finally, she gave in to the darkness and let it overtake her. A knot formed in Clark's stomach when he saw Lois' eyes start to glaze over, and her eyelids began to droop. "Lois!" he yelled desperately. "Lois, don't you leave me!" He clung to her, hoping beyond hope that he could transfer some of his life force to her, anything that he could do to keep her alive. But even as he held her, her body went limp in his arms. "Lois, no!" Seconds later, Clark felt his hands pushed roughly aside by the arriving paramedics and he was forced away from her as they moved in to go to work on her. Tears streamed unashamedly down his face as he sat outside the circle of the EMT's, feeling as if his world was crumbling down around him. He barely noticed when a paramedic dropped to the ground beside him, asking him questions and trying to assess his condition. Too occupied with watching what was happening with Lois, Clark pushed him away, insisting that he was okay. A blanket was thrown around his shoulders, and he was allowed to stay where he was, sitting back and watching helplessly as the paramedics slipped an oxygen mask over Lois' nose and mouth and applied pressure to her wounds to try to stop the bleeding. An I.V. was hooked up to her, and it seemed like an eternity before she was finally lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled quickly toward the waiting ambulance. Clark was helped to his feet and he stumbled along after the paramedics, waiting for them to load her stretcher into the ambulance before scrambling up into the vehicle after them. As they sped off toward the hospital, Clark felt lost and alone as he watched the paramedics continue to work on Lois, his face tired and drawn as he hunched over beneath the thin blanket, as if protecting himself from the cold. Minutes later, the ambulance screeched to a halt in front of the hospital, and the back doors were thrown open. There was a scramble of people as they jumped out of the vehicle and brought Lois out on her stretcher, calling out instructions as they rushed her into the emergency room. It was all Clark to do in his weakened condition to keep up with them, and he found himself panting from exertion when they stopped in the hall for the ER doctors to assess Lois' condition. Before Clark could completely catch his breath, she was whisked down the hall into the ER where several doctors and nurses jumped into action. Clark tried to follow them through the double doors of the room, but one of the doctors put a hand on his chest. "Sir, you can't come in here," the doctor said quickly, preventing him from entering. "But she's my fiancee," Clark explained, quickly losing his grip on his emotions. "I need to stay with her..." The doctor hastily interrupted him. "Sir, we can't help her if you don't let us do our job. Please, if you'd just wait down the hall in the waiting room, we'll let you know how she is as soon as we can." Then, before Clark could respond, the room's windowed doors swung shut in front of him, separating him from Lois. It was as if a door had just been slammed shut on his life. Through the windows, he helplessly watched the medical crew working on Lois for a few minutes. But then his emotions overtook him, and he knew he needed to get some help. Staggering away from the doors, he managed to reach the pay phone at the end of the hall. With shaking fingers, he thumbed through the pages in the attached phone book until he found the number he was looking for. Then he fumbled for some change in his pocket, inserted a few coins into the slot and dialed. A sleepy voice answered on the third ring. "Hullo?" Clark tried to speak, but only a choked sound emerged. He cleared his throat hoarsely and tried again. "Can I speak to Martha or Jonathan Kent, please?" he managed weakly. "It's an emergency." Several moments passed before he heard his mother's anxious voice. "Hello?" "Mom?" "Clark?" Her voice thick was with concern. "What is it? What's wrong?" Clark felt the tears come once again. "Mom, can you and Dad come down to Metropolis General Hospital right away?" he asked, his voice strained and barely above a whisper. "I need you to come..." Martha's voice rose, and Clark could tell she was becoming frantic. "Clark, are you sick? What's the matter?" "No, it's not me," he explained, trying to keep his voice from breaking. "It's Lois. She's been shot-" He heard his mom gasp. "Clark, no! Is she okay?" Before he answered, he heard his mom relay his words to his father. He swallowed, then went on, "Mom, I-I don't know..." Then he heard his dad's voice come over the line, interrupting him. "Clark, you just stay where you're at, son. We're on our way." Then his dad hung up. Not trusting his legs for one more second, he replaced the phone and then slumped onto the cushioned bench next to it. His head fell back against the wall and he closed his eyes, wishing with all his heart that when he opened them, he would find out that this had all been just a horrible, terrible dream. He stayed that way for several minutes, searching inwardly for strength to get him through this. But then a commotion down the hall made his head snap back up and he saw that the doctors were wheeling Lois out of the room and into the elevator across the hall. He scrambled to his feet and hurried toward them, but the elevator doors had shut before he could reach them. He must've looked pretty panicked because the doctor he'd talked to a short time ago came over to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Did you say you were her fiance?" he asked calmly. Clark nodded. "Where are they taking her? Is she okay?" "We don't know yet," the doctor told him truthfully. "There was no exit wound, so we know the bullet's still inside of her. It's caused some internal bleeding, so she's heading to O.R. right now for surgery. There the surgeons will be able to remove the bullet and determine if it hit anything vital. Other than that, I don't have a lot of answers for you, I'm sorry to say. The best thing I can tell you to do is stay positive and wait." The doctor patted his shoulder sympathetically and then went back to work, leaving Clark alone with his fears. With a shuddering sigh, Clark decided to head up to the O.R. and wait there. A half-hour later, a very harried Martha and Jonathan rushed off the elevator and over to the O.R. nurses' station. "Excuse me," Martha spoke anxiously to the nurse behind the desk. "I'm trying to find Clark Kent. We were told downstairs that his fiancee is in surgery..." Jonathan interrupted her with a hand on her arm, and she looked up to see Clark coming toward them. With a huge sigh and a quick 'thank you' to the nurse, she hurried over to her son and threw her arms around him in a supportive hug. When she pulled back, she took a good look at Clark, taking in his pale skin, drawn features, and lifeless, red-rimmed eyes and immediately began to fuss over him. "Oh, Clark, honey, let's get you to a chair. You look like you're about to fall over any second." Jonathan helped her guide him to the nearest chair and lowered him into it. Then they sat on either side of him and put their arms around him comfortingly. "So how is she?" Martha asked finally. Clark shrugged almost imperceptibly. "I don't know. They rushed her into surgery soon after she got here. They said she had some internal bleeding and that they needed to remove the bullet, but other than that, nobody's told me anything." There was a long pause as Clark tried to compose himself. But then the floodgates opened, and they watched as he visibly began to fall apart before their eyes. "Mom, Dad, I just... I can't go on living without Lois. I don't know how I'd go on...." he broke off, dissolving into uncontrollable sobs. Martha drew him to her, tucking his head under her chin and holding him tightly as he sobbed. Jonathan put his arms around him, too, and together they did their best to comfort him and let him know that they were there for him. When his tears finally dissolved into shuddering sighs a while later, they released him. "Now, before any of us jump to conclusions," Martha stated, taking control of the situation. "We should go and find out how Lois is doing." "I'll go," Jonathan spoke up. "I'll be back in a minute." He rose to his feet and hurried over to the nurses' station across the hall. Barely noticing his dad get up, Clark leaned over and put his elbows on his knees, then buried his face in his hands. Martha reached over to rub his back gently. "Clark, can you tell me more about what happened?" she asked quietly. "Can you tell me how Lois got shot?" Clark started to tell her the story haltingly, including how he'd been exposed to the Kryptonite, which led to Lois finding out about his other identity. Martha cringed at this, but remained silent as continued. When he got to the part about how Lois had been shot, his voice became hushed, and she had to strain to hear him. "Mom, I keep seeing her there, lying so still on the cement floor. And then when I got to her, I saw the blood all over her..." Clark's voice trailed off and he choked back a sob. Then in a strangled whisper, he finished, "I just can't get it out of my head." His mom reached out to place her hand on his cheek. "I know, Clark," she told him quietly. "It must've been horrible." Clark was quiet for a long minute before he spoke again. When he did, he couldn't bring himself to look into his mom's eyes. "You know what's even worse? I keep going over and over it in my head, trying to think of what I could've done differently, how I could have prevented her from getting shot. I feel like this is all my fault." "Clark, don't you dare think like that!" Martha responded immediately, forcing him to look at her. "This is *not* your fault, and I won't let you blame yourself for it! Yes, it's a horrible thing to have happen, but you can't keep blaming yourself every time somebody gets hurt. Do you understand me?" Surprised at the forcefulness in her tone, Clark nodded. "Good," Martha said, her voice softer this time. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Have you tried to call Lois' parents?" "I tried, but all I got was the answering machine," he explained. "And this wasn't exactly the kind of message I wanted to leave, so I'll just try them again later." Just then Jonathan returned. "The nurse checked for us, and Lois is still in surgery. But her surgeon said to tell us it looked as though she was going to be okay." Clark nearly wilted with relief. Just knowing that Lois was going to pull through was enough to make the rest of the wait bearable. Some two hours later, a doctor, still wearing his scrubs, approached them. Clark stood up anxiously, immediately asking to know what Lois' condition was. "Everything went well," the doctor told them. "Fortunately, the bullet went in cleanly and because of that, it didn't do as much damage as it could have. As it is, it caused some internal bleeding, but it wasn't so bad that it caused any irreparable damage. So, other than some stitches and bruising, she should be back to normal before you know it." Clark closed his eyes against the tears of relief and muttered a silent 'thank you' in the direction of the heavens to Whomever might be listening >from above. Jonathan spoke up. "Can we see her?" The doctor hesitated. "Well, she's just been wheeled into recovery. I'd like to monitor her for a little while longer, and then we'll move her into a private room where you can see her. Okay?" They all nodded, relieved to know that everything was going to be okay. They stayed in the waiting room for what seemed like forever before they were finally approached by one of the nurses. "Are you here for Ms. Lane?" Clark nodded. "Yes. I'm her fiance, Clark Kent, and these are my parents. Is Lois okay? Can we see her?" The nurse smiled patiently at him. "Her doctor has okayed some visiting time, but only for a brief duration. She's just coming out of the anesthetic, and she'll probably be tired and groggy, and will need to get some sleep very shortly." Promising to keep their visit short, the nurse told them what room number she was in and pointed them down a long hallway. When they reached Lois' room, Clark slowly opened the heavy door and they slipped inside. Lois was lying motionlessly in the bed, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Clark took a couple of silent steps toward her. "Is she awake?" his mom asked in a whisper. Clark shook his head. "I don't know." He walked to her side and lowered himself into the chair beside her. Taking her hand in his, he called her name softly. "Lois?" He felt her hand twitch, but her eyes remained shut, her breathing unchanged. He turned slightly to his parents who remained a step behind him. "She's still asleep," Clark whispered. Deciding not to wake her up, he sat by her quietly, holding her hand tenderly. He looked down at the white tape on the back of her hand that held her IV needle in place and ran his thumb over it lightly. Seeing her lying there in the hospital bed sent a fresh wave of guilt sweeping through him. The familiar, gut-wrenching feeling that filled him whenever he couldn't get to somebody when they were in trouble was now intensified almost to the point of being physically painful when he realized that, this time, it had been *Lois* who had gotten hurt. In his mind, he replayed the horrible scene over and over again until he'd exhausted himself mentally. He hated living with the "Maybe I could've..." or "What if I had..." thoughts that encompassed him. But the self-inflicted torment seemed so useless. The bottom line was, he couldn't go back and change things, even if he wanted to. With a troubled sigh, he reached up and brushed a lock of dark hair from Lois' forehead, letting his fingertips trail gently down her cheek, and finally come to a rest on the creamy skin of her throat. He could feel the warmth of her skin and the steady pulse under his hand, making him feel thankful that she was alive. Suddenly, his other concerns flooded to the forefront of his mind. Lois knew that he was Superman. Yes, he'd wanted her to know, but this hadn't been the way he'd wanted her to find out. He couldn't help feeling angry with himself that he'd allowed something like this to happen. 'If only I'd told her weeks ago when I was going to,' he berated himself. 'Things might have been easier.' It made him wonder how things were going to be between them now that she'd found out the hard way. Knowing Lois the way he did, he was sure he was in for a rocky couple of days. The silence in the room was interrupted when the door swung open. Clark looked up to see a policeman standing in the doorway. "Is one of you Clark Kent?" he asked quietly. Clark nodded at him. "I am." The policeman gestured toward the hallway. "Can I ask you a few questions about what happened at the warehouse?" Clark nodded again, rising to his feet. Carefully, he placed Lois' hand back on the bed and then turned to his parents. His mom read his question before he even asked it. "You go ahead. We'll stay here with Lois. If she wakes up, we'll let you know." ********** Shapes and colors floating, weightlessly drifting past; dim lights shining somewhere in the distance; smatterings of colors; the low, distant rumblings of undetermined sounds; an awareness of her body that wasn't there before; the memory of an unpleasant situation. The shapes, sights and sounds began to draw themselves together as if being pulled by a gravitational force, slowly forming a dim picture around her: someone yelling, luminescent greens, a loud rocket. Desperate to grasp onto something to pull her from the blackness, she set the images in motion. The darkness formed a shadowy silhouette, writhing in pain. With each step that the robed beast of the darkness took, the shape on the floor faded until, finally, it was gone altogether. In a silent, victorious gesture, the robed figure stood triumphantly over the puddled blur, holding the glowing item above his head, shouting his conquering cries into the gusting wind. The gusts became a rushing, roaring wind that drowned out the beast's words. Pieces of the vision began to rip away, and she suddenly felt herself being hurtled through the maze of darkness. Awareness began to come, and the beginnings of dawn lurked ahead. She fought her way toward the ever-increasing light, following the sounds that lie in wait. The low rumblings became clearer and more distinct as she drew closer. One by one, she found herself being able to pick them out: subdued beeping, faint murmurings, low voices... her name. "Lois? Lois, can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered open and she turned toward the sound of the voice. Confused and dazed, she saw two familiar figures hovering over her. "Martha? Jonathan?" she whispered questioningly, her voice sounding gravely and unused. Her gaze moved to take in her surroundings. "What happened? Where am I?" "You're in the hospital, Lois. How are you feeling?" "Tired," she admitted groggily. "It's probably the medication," Martha reassured her, rubbing her arm lightly. "You've been through a lot, but you're going to be fine." Lois laid in the bed quietly for a while, waiting for her head to clear. When she finally began to feel stronger, her eyes begin to roam around the room, and questions began to form in her mind. Something had happened to her. She remembered that much. But what? She searched her mind, but she couldn't seem to get through the grogginess that encompassed her. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember. The darkness behind her eyelids brought the events of her dream rushing to the forefront of her mind. Suddenly the shapes and objects became recognizable. The luminescent object became a glowing chunk of Kryptonite, the shadowy silhouette morphed into Clark's writhing body, and the robed beast's face turned out to be that of Hendricks' as he advanced on Clark. Lois' eyes flew open, and instantly fear gripped her heart. *Clark! The Kryptonite!* She struggled to recall the outcome of the events affecting her dreams as well as her reality, but her muddled mind wouldn't produce any answers. In desperation, she turned to see that Clark's parents were still beside her, but when she scanned the rest of the room, she saw that Clark wasn't with them. 'If Clark's parents are here, but he's not, that must mean....' The thought sent her spiraling into a panic. "Clark?!" she cried out frantically, struggling unsuccessfully to right herself in bed. "Where's Clark? What happened? Where is he?" Martha laid a comforting hand on Lois' arm, trying her best to calm her. Lois' color had drained again, and Martha was worried that she was going to overexert herself. "It's okay, sweetie, just relax. Everything's going to be fine." "No, you don't understand!" Lois insisted hoarsely, tears prickling at the backs of her eyes. "Clark was exposed to the Kryptonite! I tried to help him, but I must not have gotten rid of it in time..." Martha glanced at Jonathan, feeling helpless to stop Lois' rising hysterics. Jonathan decided to try. He leaned forward, his hand joining Martha's on Lois' arm. "Lois, Clark is fine," he tried to explain. "He's here, he just stepped out for a second to talk to someone." Lois shook her head disbelievingly and rushed on. "No, Clark's gone...I didn't help him in time..." her voice trailed off and she started to sob weakly. Just then the door opened, and Martha heaved a huge sigh of relief when Clark appeared in the doorway. "Lois!" Lois' head jerked up, and her sobs turned into tears of relief when she saw Clark coming toward her. "Clark! Oh, Clark...you're okay..." Unable to stand seeing her so incoherently desperate, he rushed over to her and, as gently as he could, leaned over her and slid his arms around her shoulders, gathering her into his embrace. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes, thankful that he'd been given another chance to hold her in his arms. Lois did her best to wrap her weary arms around his neck and then pulled him tightly to her, wetting his neck with her tears. "Oh, Clark, I thought you were dead," she muttered into his shoulder. "When I woke up and saw your parents here, but not you..." "Sssh, sssh. Lois, I'm fine. I'm just fine," he soothed, stroking his hand through her hair. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." A couple minutes later, Lois went limp in his arms, completely spent and exhausted. Being careful not to hurt her, he lowered her gently back onto the bed. He took in her red, puffy eyes, her pale complexion, and the groggy look in her eyes still left over from the anesthesia, and again an enormous wave of guilt washed over him. Forcing himself to push his guilt aside, he smiled gently and lifted a hand to smooth her hair back from her forehead. He watched as she visibly relaxed at his touch. "Everything's going to be okay, Lois," he soothed. She struggled to keep her eyes open, fighting the urge to slip back into her drugged sleep. "What happened?" Clark gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You just came out of surgery." "I was in surgery?" A concerned look crossed Clark's face. "Lois, don't you remember? You were shot, and the ambulance brought you here. The doctors said you were bleeding internally, and they had to repair the damage. But everything went fine, and you're going to be as good as new." "How about you, Clark?" she asked weakly. "Are you okay?" Clark nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm not one hundred percent yet, but I'll be fine in a day or so." He stroked her cheek lightly, noticing that her eyelids were starting to droop. "Lois, don't fight it," he told her quietly, lifting a hand to run his fingertips lightly across her forehead. "You've been through a lot. Just close your eyes and get some sleep. We'll talk some more in the morning." Lois nodded, then gave in to the drowsiness and drifted off to sleep. ********** Lois woke the next morning to sunshine spilling across her bed. Blinking in the brightness, she tried to make her eyes adjust. She felt disoriented and confused, but a quick look around at her surroundings brought everything rushing back. Clark. Superman. Clark was Superman. Now that her mind had cleared, she remembered everything. She let out a troubled sigh. 'What now?' she asked herself, staring up at the colorless ceiling. What was she supposed to do, now that she knew? She hadn't the slightest idea. Should she just pretend the whole thing never happened? No, the thought was even ridiculous to think about. There was no way she could pretend that nothing had changed. A sick feeling filled her stomach. In one instant, her whole life had changed, and she suspected that things were going to *continue* to change dramatically. Things started to come back to her, memories, events. Her mind was flooded with instances when Clark had zipped off, mumbling excuses, and quite often leaving her in the middle of important conversations. And lying to her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Obviously, he'd been lying to her about this since they'd first met. She could understand him keeping this from her when he first started working at the Planet. After all, they really didn't know each other. But when they'd gotten to be partners, then best friends... 'He even asked me to marry him!' she fumed silently, balling the edges of the sheets up in her hands angrily. 'He'd go so far as to propose, but he didn't feel like he could trust me with this? And if he's lied to me about this, what else has he lied to me about?' Just the idea that he'd been lying to her and betraying her trust made her wonder if she really knew him at all. She'd fallen in love with him because she felt he was different. Moral. Trustworthy. But in that second in the warehouse when she'd finally discovered the truth about him, her perspective on things had changed. The way she viewed him had changed. Now she wasn't sure if he was really who she thought he was at all. Images of that painful morning years ago came rushing back, and she remembered how hurt and betrayed she'd felt when she'd woken up and realized that Claude had used her and fled. That was nothing compared to the way she felt now. Suddenly she wasn't sure that Clark was any better than Claude. It had taken her years to learn to trust anyone again, and when she finally let her defenses down and trusted Clark, even fell in love with him, she found out that she'd been lied to, tricked, and even used. She remembered all those times when Clark, as Superman, had flown through her window to talk, had taken her flying, or had treated her like she was someone special. Lois shook her head angrily. Clark must've gotten quite a laugh out of watching her swoon over him as Superman. By the time the nurse came in to check on her, she was fuming. She checked Lois' monitors, then had her roll over slightly so she could change the bandages on her back. Then she took a needle from her tray. "I need to give you your pain medication," she told her, moving Lois' hospital gown out of the way so she could inject the needle into her hip. Lois jumped slightly when she felt the sharp prick, but then it was over. The nurse dabbed some antiseptic on the area and then helped Lois get comfortable. "The dosage I gave you should make you sleepy," she told her. "I'll be back in in a while to check on you." Then she was gone, leaving Lois alone again with her thoughts. It wasn't long before Lois felt the medication start to take effect, and, unable to concentrate on being angry any longer, she let herself fall back to sleep. ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:57:54 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 5/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 5/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** When the medication started to wear off, Lois found herself slowly coming out of her sleep. The easy, drifting feeling was comforting, and she felt content to hang onto it for a while longer. But the noises she heard in the room caused her to open her eyes sleepily. She looked up and saw that a tall, middle-aged man with a stethoscope around his neck was standing at the foot of her bed flipping through some notes in a folder. He gave her a friendly smile. "Hi, Lois. My name is Dr. Silverman. How are you feeling this morning?" "Okay, I think." He kept up a steady stream of small talk as he went about taking her blood pressure. Then, after asking her a couple of questions about how she was feeling, he sat down in the chair next to her bed. "Well, it looks like you're recovery nicely," he assured her. "Has anyone told you what we did during your surgery last night?" "I was told that I had some internal bleeding," she answered. "But that's pretty much all I know." "Then it sounds like you know the highlights," he agreed with a light smile. "When you arrived yesterday, we discovered that the bullet had lodged itself near your shoulder. Luckily, it didn't cause as much damage as it could have. Once we were able to remove the bullet, it didn't take us long to stitch things up. We also had to stitch you up after surgery, so the back of your shoulder is heavily bandaged to keep your sutures protected." Lois listened carefully. Hearing what her surgery had entailed, she was a little surprised that she hadn't felt any pain. She asked the doctor about it. "You've been kept heavily medicated since the operation," he explained patiently. "That way we didn't have to worry about you becoming uncomfortable and moving around, causing you to possibly rip out your stitches. The best advice I can give you is just to relax and not do anything for the next day or two that might rip those stitches. Okay?" Lois nodded. "So when can I go home?" Dr. Silverman laughed. "I figured you'd say something like that. It's kind of how I pictured you would be." When Lois looked at him in confusion, he smiled. "Sure, I know who you are. Lois Lane...Daily Planet. I've enjoyed reading your articles." "Thanks," Lois said, both surprised and flattered that he knew who she was. "Your welcome." He stood up and jotted down a few notes in her folder. "Yes, you do good work with that partner of yours, Clark Kent. But anyway, back to your question. I figure you'll be out of here within a week. And when you're ready to go home, we'll talk about how long it'll be before you can handle going back to work." "A week!" Lois exclaimed. "Can't I get out of here earlier than that?" "If you're already this anxious to get out of here, you *must* be feeling better!" Dr. Silverman laughed. "But, seriously, just think of this as a paid vacation from work. It's not going to kill you to spend a few days here. " A new voice entered the conversation. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Lois' head jerked up and she looked over to see that Clark was standing in the doorway, a dazzling smile lighting up his face. Lois' stomach did a little flip as it always did whenever she was on the receiving end of that smile. But then she forced herself to remember what he'd done. She wasn't about to let his boy-next-door charms extinguish her anger that easily. Dr. Silverman tucked the folder under his arm and gave a smile that included them both. "Well, I've got to get on with my rounds. You take it easy, Lois." As soon as the door closed behind Dr. Silverman, Clark turned to Lois. "So how are you feeling?" "Fine," she answered, her tone cool and indifferent. She carefully started to push herself into a more upright position, but Clark hurried to her side. "Wait, don't move," he told her, reaching for a button on the side of her bed. "I'll raise your bed up." Lois lay still as the mechanical bed lifted her torso into a sitting position. When Clark released the button, he smiled at her. "There. Is that better?" "Thanks." Confused by the coolness in her voice, Clark studied her carefully, watching for any signs that could tell him what she was feeling. As he watched, he saw a myriad of emotions playing across her features. Now that she was no longer under anesthesia, it was as if the floodgates had opened, and he knew that her anger lurked somewhere within. But as much as he wanted to talk things out, he decided to keep peace for as long as he could so she could regain her strength. "It sounds like you're improving steadily," he began, figuring her recovery was a safe topic. "You'll be home before you know it." When she didn't respond, he moved on to another topic. "I tried to call your parents last night, but all I got was their answering machine." "They're in Jamaica," she told him simply. Clark tried again. "Do you want me to try to get hold of them?" "No, that's okay. Dr. Silverman says I'm going to be fine, so I don't want them to come rushing home in a panic, thinking I'm dying or something." She paused. "Did the police catch Price and Hendricks?" Clark shook his head. "The police shot and killed Hendricks, but there's no sign of Price." Another awkward silence filled the room. He reached for her hand again, and she turned to look at him. He thought he saw a flicker of her old, fighting spirit in her eyes for a moment, but then it disappeared as she turned away. "Lois?" he began cautiously. "What is it? What's wrong?" She turned to him, anger burning in her eyes. "Why, Clark? Why didn't you tell me yourself, instead of letting me find out about you because of some stupid rock?!" Clark heard the warning bells go off in his head. 'Alright, here we go,' he said to himself. "I was going to tell you, Lois," he began, his voice low and soft. "I was planning on telling you last night after I proposed..." "Last night?!" she demanded, her voice gaining strength. "What ever happened to two years ago when I met you? Or a year ago when we started dating? Or even when I was making such a fool out of myself by falling all over Superman! Why didn't you stop me from acting like that right from the beginning?" Clark's voice rose a level as he argued back. "Well, you can't blame all of this on me, Lois! You were the one who wasn't able to see what was right in front of you! Besides, it's not like I run around telling everyone about this as soon as I meet them! There are just some things you need to understand about my being...well, you know..." Clark's voice trailed off. Lois felt her anger boil to the surface. "No, Clark. I *don't* know! One minute you're Clark Kent, my partner, my best friend, and not to mention, my *fiance*! And then the next minute I find out you're...you're..." she stopped, surprisingly at a loss for words. "Superman?" Clark finished for her. "I know what I was going to say!" Lois raged. "Don't finish my sentences for me, Clark! You know I hate that!" Clark backed down. "Sorry, Lois. I..." But Lois recovered quickly and went on. "I guess what hurts the most is that I thought you loved me, Clark," she told him. "I mean, *really* loved me." Clark's eyes grew wide and he looked at her in shock. "Of course I love you, Lois! I love you more than anything in this world!" "Oh, really?" she spouted, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Well, you sure have a horrible way of showing it! I've always thought that loving somebody meant sharing *everything* with them, trusting them with things you don't trust anyone else with. Sharing bits of your life with them, knowing that they're there for you, no matter what. But you didn't even trust me enough to tell me this! What did you think, that I would spread it all over the world? That I would write a front page article about how Clark Kent was Superman?" Clark tried to speak again, but Lois rushed on. "You know, I pulled that Kryptonite bullet out of your shoulder when you were shot by Arianna Luther, and even though it was extremely newsworthy, I didn't tell a soul about it. You trusted me enough not to tell the world about it then, but you didn't think you could trust me with this now?" Clark found his own anger boiling to the surface, and he found himself arguing back. "Lois, it wasn't that I didn't trust you! I trusted you then, and I always will. But you have to understand, I had my reasons for keeping this a secret! Not just from you, but from anyone who might want to use this information to get at me, to use it to hurt the people I love. Yes, I admit that I should've told you myself a long time ago, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you or trust you!" "Well, if you trusted me, then why *didn't* you tell me sooner?" Lois demanded. Clark's anger began to dissipate, and he looked away. Finally, he admitted, "I guess I was...afraid." That stopped Lois' tirade. "Afraid? Afraid of what?" Clark took a deep breath before going on. "Afraid of losing you, I guess," he said haltingly. "I didn't want you to hate me because of this. I know I've lied to you, and I'm not saying that it wasn't a horrible thing to do. But I'm asking you to understand *why* I did it. And I want you to know how hard it's been for me to keep this from you for so long, even though I've wanted to share this with you more than anything. I was just afraid that you'd leave me when you found out about all of this." When he finally stopped talking, his eyes searched Lois' face, trying to determine from her expression what she was thinking. "Lois, talk to me," he said in exasperation. "It's killing me to sit here and not know what you're thinking and feeling. I want to know. I *need* to know." Lois looked at Clark for a long time, feeling as if she was being torn in two directions. Her heart was telling her to trust Clark, to forgive him, but her head was telling her something entirely different. All the times that she'd trusted somebody and then had gotten hurt because of it flashed through her mind. In the end, her head won the battle. "Clark, I'm sorry," she said coolly. "But I don't know what to say. The fact that you kept this from me for as long as you did tells me that there's a whole other side to you that I don't know about. And what it boils down to is this. You lied to me, betrayed me, and made me think that you were somebody you're not. That's not the kind of relationship I want to have. I had enough of that when I was growing up." "So, what exactly are you saying, Lois?" Clark asked, his breathing scared and shallow. Lois felt tears stinging her eyes, but she forced them back and made herself go on in spite of her aching heart. "I'm guess what I'm saying is...maybe we should just rethink this whole engagement thing. I don't see how I could marry somebody who treats me like this." Clark went pale. When he finally found his voice, he said in a shocked whisper, "Lois, you can't mean that." The silence in the room was heavy as Clark waited for Lois to respond. But when she continued to stare down at her hands in stony silence, he leaned forward in his chair and grasped her hand with his shaking one. "Lois, please..." he pleaded, his voice choked by the tears threatening to come. "Please tell me you didn't mean what you just said." She sniffled and gave a little shrug. "I don't know, Clark. Maybe I do." Clark continued to stare at her, utterly speechless, when the door to the room opened, and the kindly nurse from earlier came in. "I'm afraid Ms. Lane has had enough for one visit, Mr. Kent," she said, her cheerfulness sounding completely out of place in the room considering what had just been said. Clark heard her, but he was too shocked by Lois' words to move from his seat. It wasn't until the nurse repeated her words that Clark forced himself to move. He stood up from his chair, almost in a state of shock, and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess if that's how you feel, Lois..." Then, before he totally lost control of his emotions, he hurried from the room, letting the door shut behind him just as the tears began to fall. ********** Lois continued to lie in bed long after Clark left, the tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. 'Did I really tell him I wanted to call off our engagement?' she asked herself incredulously. 'How could I possibly do that to him? To *us*? Yes, he lied to me and led me to believe that he was two different people, but is that really something we can't work through? Don't I love him enough to think our relationship is worth fighting for?' The questions continued to churn in her mind until she was so emotionally exhausted that she could no longer think clearly. She felt the medication that the nurse had given her a few minutes ago begin to kick in, and an almost overwhelming tiredness reached out for her. She fought it for as long as she could, wanting to stay awake in order to think things through, and decide what to do about the way she was feeling. But minutes later, she gave in and felt herself drifting off to sleep. ********** "Clark? Are you here?" Martha called out as she and Jonathan walked into Clark's apartment later that evening. They breathed a sigh of relief when they spotted him sitting on the couch with his face in his hands. "Clark, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Martha told him as they walked down the steps to the front room. "We thought you'd be at the hospital with Lois, but we didn't see you there, so we've been looking everywhere." "I've been flying around all day thinking," he told them quietly. "Well, why aren't you with Lois? I know she'd feel better if..." She let her sentence trail off when she noticed his tear-streaked cheeks. "Clark, what on earth's the matter?" She and Jonathan hurried over and sat on either side of him. Clark was silent for a long minute before responding. "It's over, Mom." Martha waited for more of an explanation to come, but when it didn't, she leaned back slightly and cast a questioning glance at her husband from behind her distraught son's bowed head. Just as confused as she was, Jonathon shook his head and shrugged. Martha turned her attention back to Clark and slipped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm afraid we don't understand, Clark. What's over?" He straightened and looked up, meeting their confused gazes. "Didn't you talk to Lois at the hospital?" Martha shook her head. "She was asleep. Why?" Clark turned back to stare at his hands desolately. When he spoke, his parents had to strain to hear him. "She wants to call off our engagement." Martha and Jonathan simply stared at him in disbelief. "Clark, you're not serious," his mom said, voicing it more as a statement than a question. "Yes, I am." Martha was speechless. Thankfully, Jonathan recovered quickly. "Now son, surely you must've misunderstood. What exactly did she say?" Clark fought back a fresh round of tears as he gave them a recap on what had happened in Lois' room. He finished with, "And when I asked her if she really meant it, she said, 'Maybe I do.'" Martha and Jonathan sat, as stunned as Clark, for several moments. Finally his mom spoke. "Well, I have to admit that it doesn't sound great," she conceded. "But then she didn't come right out and tell you she wants to call it off, either." Clark stood up, frustrated. "She may as well have, Mom. You weren't there. You didn't see the way she looked when she said it. You know, I've never loved anyone so much in my entire life, and to hear her say that..." He stopped as a couple more tears slid down his cheeks, and he shrugged helplessly. Martha instinctively reached out for him, enveloping him in her arms. Unable to stop himself, he let his head fall forward onto her shoulder and began to weep openly. When Clark's tears finally subsided, he accepted the handkerchief his father handed him. "I just can't believe it's over," he stated, sounding complete ly devastated. "What am I going to do without her?" Martha shook her head. "Clark, if there's anything I've learned in all the years your father and I have been married, it's that people say things they don't mean when they're angry," she told him. "I'm sure if you talk to her after she's cooled off, she'll be thinking more clearly." "Maybe," Clark agreed, though he didn't sound convinced. "Clark, the best thing for you to do is be there for her," his dad said, "and prove to her that you're determined to work things out." "I agree," his mom chimed in. "And on that note, let's get going. We need to go see how she is." Clark shook his head. "I can't, Mom. I can't see her and know that things might be over between us. It would be too hard." Martha stood her ground. "I know, Clark. But Lois is hurt, and she needs all the love and support we can give her. So whether or not your relationship is rocky, she needs to know that you're there for her." Knowing his parents were right, he reluctantly agreed. Just as they were walking out the door, though, Clark's superhearing picked up a cry for help. "What is it, son?" his dad asked, recognizing the look on his face. "Someone's in trouble." He listened for another second, then turned back to his parents. "I'm going to take care of this, and then I'll meet you at the hospital afterwards." His parents nodded, and after a quick change, he rocketed into the sky. Martha and Jonathan smiled cryptically at each other, then went to hail a cab. When they reached the hospital and took the elevator to Lois' floor, Martha turned to her husband. "Why don't you let me talk to her for a while alone?" she suggested. "Maybe what Lois needs is a mother figure to talk to." He put his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the hall. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll watch for Clark and let him know you're talking to her." Martha smiled. That was another great thing both she *and* Jonathan had learned from so many years of marriage. They knew how to work together. She nodded at him, then went into Lois' room. ********** Lois was flipping through the channels on the TV when she heard the door open. Looking up, she was surprised to see Martha coming into the room. "Hi, Martha," she greeted, sitting up straighter in bed. Martha came over and sat in the chair next to her. "How are you feeling?" "Pretty out of it, actually," she admitted. She was sure that a lot of her light-headedness was due to the crying she'd done, and the scratchiness in her throat was probably from the same thing. She wanted to say more, but she wasn't sure how much Clark had told his mom about what had happened between them. Martha smiled understandingly. "I'm glad you're going to be okay. Jonathan and I were scared when we found out what happened. Have you talked to the doctor today?" "Yeah, Dr. Silverman came by twice today to check on me. He says I'm recovering quickly." "That's a relief. Have you been in any pain?" Lois shook her head. "Not yet. They've been keeping me pretty drugged. But that also makes me worry about how I'll feel when they stop giving me the medication." Martha gave her hand a squeeze. "Well, we'll be here for you if you need us, so don't worry about that." Lois gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Martha." It was quiet in the room for a minute as Martha tried to find the best way to talk to Lois about what had happened between her and her son. Finally, she said quietly, "Lois, Clark told me what happened." Before she could say anything further, Lois felt the tears gather in her eyes. "Martha..." she began, but that was as far as she got. The tears started to spill down her face, and the brave front she'd put on started to crumble. Without a word, Martha moved to the edge of the bed so she could take Lois into her arms the same way she had done with Clark just a short time ago. She felt such love for this young woman who had captured her son's heart, and knew that she would do all she could to help them work through this seemingly insurmountable obstacle in their relationship. Martha held Lois tightly for several minutes, resorting to the age-old comfort of rocking. "Martha, I don't know what to do," Lois cried softly. "I just feel like things are spiraling out of control." "I know, sweetie. I know." When Lois' tears were finally gone, she helped her lean back against her pillows. "So are you going to tell me your side of the story?" she asked with a gentle smile. "Or do I have to drag it out of you?" Lois laughed through her tears, accepting the tissue that Martha held out to her. "I should've realized that you already knew." Martha nodded. "Clark told me. He also told me about the fight you two had this morning. To be honest, I was stunned by what he had to say. Would you like to talk about it?" Knowing she had a sympathetic ear, Lois poured out the whole story, including how she had found out about Clark's other identity, how she'd been shot, and then about their fight earlier that day. "I don't know what to do," Lois finished, feeling more worn out than she had been in ages. "I don't want to lose Clark, but now I feel like everything has changed. He's not the person that I thought I knew...or loved." "I can understand how hard this must be on you, and how betrayed you must feel," Martha sympathized. "But let me tell you something that might make you feel better. For a couple of years now, Clark has been worrying and fretting over the decision of how and when to tell you about himself. It's always been in the back of his mind that he might lose you over this, and that's what's been keeping him from telling you. I know that might not be much consolation to you, but I think it's important you know that." "But if I mean so much to him, why would he just walk out of here the minute I talked about calling things off?" Lois asked dejectedly. "Maybe he doesn't think what we have is worth fighting for." Martha shook her head vehemently. "Lois, that is absolutely not true, and I think you know that. Clark would never just walk out on something this important to him when the going gets tough. That's not how he is." Lois sighed. "Yeah, I guess I *do* know that. Everything just seems so unclear to me right now. I don't know *what* to think or feel." "Doing what we're doing-talking-is always a good place to start," Martha reminded her. "I'm sure you know as well as I do that the lack of communication in a relationship can be disastrous. It would really be a shame to see things end this way after all that you two have been through together and meant to each other. Don't you agree?" Lois nodded tearfully. "Yeah, I do." Martha gave her a motherly smile. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm sure somebody else would be glad to hear that, too." "You mean Clark?" Martha nodded. "Jonathan and I found him at his apartment a little while ago crying his eyes out because you wanted to call off your engagement." Lois' heart skipped a beat. "He was really crying?" she asked quietly, shocked that she would have such a profound effect on him. "He was devastated at the thought of losing you. And just to let you know, he was a complete wreck while you were in surgery. It took both Jonathan and me to keep him from falling apart until the doctor came out of surgery and told us you were going to be okay." Lois stared down at the blanket covering her for a long time as she digested that piece of information. "Lois, for whatever it's worth," Martha continued when Lois remained silent. "Clark loves you. *Really* loves you. He cares about what you're feeling, and he wants to be here for you. But he can't do that if you won't let him. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Lois nodded. "I think so." "Good." Martha smiled softly. "Thanks, Martha," Lois said with a tired smile. "I really appreciate you talking to me." "Anytime, sweetie." She rubbed Lois' arm gently. "Do you feel like talking to Clark? I could go get him," she offered, gesturing at the door. But Lois shook her head wearily. "I'm just too tired right now, Martha. But maybe you could tell him..." Lois thought long and hard about what she wanted to tell Clark, but her mind was just a jumble of incoherent thoughts. She sighed deeply. "I don't know what to have you tell him, Martha," she finally admitted. "Maybe you could just tell him that I want to talk to him, but I'm not feeling up to it right now. I don't know if it's the medication, or if it's just all that's happened in the last couple of days, but I just can't seem to think clearly right now. Maybe I'll see him tomorrow." Martha smiled understandingly. "Sure, dear. He'll understand. Now you just get some rest." She gave Lois' hand one last pat before standing up and walking to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." "Okay," Lois whispered. "Thanks again." Martha smiled, then stood up to leave. As she stepped out into the hall, Lois suddenly caught a glimpse of Jonathan standing outside, peering in. Then her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Clark step out from behind Jonathan, his hands shoved deeply into his jeans pockets and his shoulders were slumped. She could also tell from the bright light of the hallway that he had indeed been crying. She saw him take a step toward the still partially open door, but Martha reached out a hand to stop him from going into the room. He turned to look at her questioningly, and Lois saw Martha whisper something to him and shake her head. Then, in the instant before the door closed, she saw Clark turn back, peering longingly and sadly into the room. Then the door shut with a quiet thump, and Lois was alone. The sight of Clark looking so lost and forlorn was almost too much for her to bear. In spite of everything, she knew she still loved him. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and she wondered if Dr. Silverman had anything to treat a broken heart. ********** The door to Lois' room pushed open first thing the next morning, and a cheerful nurse came in. "How are you feeling today, Ms. Lane?" Lois tried to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, clearly not happy about being woken up so abruptly. "Alright, I think," she answered. "Still a little bit light-headed." "That's a pretty normal reaction to the medication you've been given." The nurse bustled over to the window and threw open the curtains, letting the morning sunlight pour in. Lois groaned. "Do you have to just throw those open like that?" she grumbled, shielding her eyes from the abrupt change in light. "Now, now," the nurse said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Statistics have proven that sunlight makes people feel better, and the better you feel, the sooner you can go home." Lois rolled her eyes in protest, but the nurse just smiled patiently and went about taking Lois' blood pressure and vital statistics, jotting down the information on her chart. When she finished, she glanced at the bedside table and smiled. "Your flowers are beautiful. Are they from your boyfriend?" Lois, confused, turned to see what she was talking about. Her eyes widened when she saw the large vase brimming with red roses and baby's breath. "I....I don't know who they're from," she admitted. "They weren't here last night when I went to sleep." The nurse smiled. "They must've been delivered this morning then. Oh, here's a card. Maybe this will clue you in." She handed her the card and then left the room so Lois could read its contents alone. Lois sat for a long time, just staring at the simple small, white envelope. Finally she opened it and slid the note out. She immediately recognized Clark's firm scrawl. The note was simple, but it brought tears to her eyes just the same. *Lois*, it read. *I love you, and I always will. Please don't shut me out. Clark.* Lois stared at the card for a long time, amazed at how much the few, simple words touched her. "Oh, Clark," she sighed. "What am I going to do?" ********** Shortly after breakfast, a soft knock on her door startled her. Before she could say 'come in', the door opened and Clark poked his head in hesitantly. Seeing she was awake, he pushed the door open the rest of the way, but remained standing in the doorway. "Lois, can I come in?" he asked apprehensively. Lois sighed. "Yeah, come on in." He let the door shut behind him and came over to sit beside her. There was an awkward silence as they looked at each other nervously. "I see you got the flowers," Clark said, spotting the opened note on the bedside table. The trace of a smile flitted across her face. "Yes, thanks. They're beautiful." More silence. Finally Clark let out his breath in a rush. "Lois, we need to talk." When she didn't object, he rushed on. "I didn't sleep a wink last night. No matter what I try, I just can't stop thinking about our fight yesterday." "Me, neither," Lois admitted sadly. "I've been pacing around my apartment all night long, not knowing when to come see you today, or how I should act once I got here. I didn't know for sure where things had been left after yesterday, and it was driving me crazy. Finally, I decided that knowing was better than not knowing." He paused, his eyes meeting hers. Warily, he continued. "Lois, did you really mean what you said yesterday about wanting to break off our engagement?" Lois' mouth drew into a hard line. "I don't know," she said finally. "I thought I did yesterday, but after I had time to think about it, I realized that I didn't." Clark closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that, Lois." He watched her carefully, and noticed that her cool expression still remained. "But you're still angry." She nodded. Clark waited for her to explain, but when she didn't, he rolled his eyes impatiently. "Come on, Lois! We can't work this out if you don't talk to me." "If *I* don't talk to *you*?'" Lois spat out. "You hypocrite! Don't accuse me of not talking to you, when there as so many things you obviously didn't talk to *me* about!" She started to sit up, but stopped immediately when a surge of pain shot through her. She closed her eyes against the pain, trying to stem it, then breathed easier a moment later when it went away. When she opened her eyes again, Clark was watching her with a worried expression. "Look, Clark," she began, more quietly this time. "I hate the fact that you lied to me and chose not to trust me with this. I finally opened up and learned to trust you, and you repaid me by destroying that trust. I'd like to say that this doesn't change the way I feel about you, Clark, but it does. Suddenly I'm learning that there's a whole other side to you that I know nothing about." She paused to catch her breath and then continued, her voice hushed. "But then when I start to think about life without you, I realize that I can't stand the thought of not being with you, not talking to you every day and sharing everything with you. So where does that leave us? Where am I supposed to go from here?" Clark sighed as he looked down at his hands, and then back up into her eyes. "I don't know." "You know, you honestly can't blame me for being angry," Lois told him. "Here I thought I knew you, but all that is different now. You're not the person I thought you were." "Lois, I am still *exactly* who you thought I was," Clark insisted adamantly. "Yes, it's true that I'm that guy who flies around the world saving people from collapsing bridges and erupting volcanoes. But I am *still* Clark Kent, that guy you're partnered with to uncover the scandals and corruption in Metropolis. I'm also that guy you hang out with in your spare time, and who you turn to when you're feeling down and discouraged, or who you run to when something great happens to you." He paused, letting his words sink in. "But most of all, I'm that guy who loves you with all his heart, and wants to spend the rest of his life with you." Lois was quiet for a long time, and Clark had to look away, for fear that if he looked into her eyes he'd see that she didn't feel the same way. But when he finally did look up at her, he was surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks. He sat up a little straighter, suddenly worried that something was wrong. "Lois, are you okay? Are you in pain?" Lois shook her head and used the back of her hand to wipe at her cheeks. "No, I'm okay," she said between sniffles. "Then what is it?" he prompted gently. "Clark," she asked softly. "Is it true? Do you really mean that?" Clark's face broke into a grin and he laughed a little. "Which part?" "The part about loving me." Clark nodded, raising his hand to brush back the stray hairs on her forehead tenderly. "Lois, you don't even need to ask that. You know I do. That hasn't changed. I love you more than anything in this world, and I always will." For an instant, their eyes locked and Lois felt that everything was going to be okay. But then her head took over, sending warning signals to her brain and confusing her all over again. She was flooded by the memories of all the times Clark had talked to her as Superman, deceiving her so openly for so long. It made her angry all over again. Clark, sensing that her mood had changed, studied her carefully. "Lois, what is it?" Lois sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, Clark. I'm just so confused about everything. My heart is telling me to forgive you and move on, but my head is saying something completely different." Clark took her hand in his. "I know," he whispered. He studied their joined hands for several moments. Finally he looked up and met her gaze. "So what can I do to help?" "You can't help me with this, Clark," she told him truthfully. "I'm going to have to work through the issues that I have on my own." She looked down at her lap, unable to look into his eyes when spoke again. "Clark, I know you're not going to understand this, but I need some time to think. Maybe some time apart would help me to sort things out and see things more clearly." Clark's heart leapt into his throat. "But Lois, I want to be here for you," he told her emphatically. "I want to be with you, to help you get better." "I know, Clark. And I appreciate that. But everything's just happening too fast. There are so many things going around in my head right now that I can't figure out how to think or feel about all this." Clark started to say something, but Lois interrupted him. "Clark, please," she said in a quiet, defeated voice. "I'm too tired. I just can't deal with all this right now." Hearing the weariness in her voice, he took a good look at her, a really good look, and what he saw made him feel even worse. He hadn't noticed until then how completely exhausted she looked. Her face was tired and drawn, and she looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It made him feel extremely guilty. As if the surgery hadn't been tough enough, he was heaping all of this on her, too. *What am I doing?* Clark asked, suddenly feeling very angry with himself. *She's just been through a horrible ordeal, and I'm only making things worse by upsetting her emotionally.* He straightened in his chair guiltily. "You're right, Lois. You need your rest. But please," he said quietly. "Please don't ask me to stay away. Let me prove to you that you're the most important thing in my life, and that I'm committed to making this relationship work. We don't have to talk about these things if you don't want to, and I promise I won't pressure you into anything or make you commit to anything you're not ready to commit to." Lois thought about that for a long time. Finally, she nodded wearily. "Okay," she whispered, her voice barely audible, even to him. Clark got up and walked slowly to the door. He turned and looked at her once more before leaving her room. She looked so tiny and pale, lying in the hospital bed between the crisp, white sheets. It made his heart ache more than it ever had in his entire life. It was all he could do not to rush over to her side, gather her up in his arms, and fly her away to a place where nothing could hurt her ever again. The protectiveness he felt toward her was almost overwhelming. "I'll see you in a while," he told her, then turned and left the room, the door shutting silently behind him. As soon as he was gone, Lois felt more confused than ever. She knew that she was totally and completely in love with Clark. But was that enough? In her opinion, love was the most important factor in a relationship. But there were other factors involved, too. Like trust and honesty. With a confused sigh, she settled back on her pillow. There was suddenly a whole new side to him that she didn't know or understand. Was he really the same old Clark Kent, her partner and best friend, that he always was? Or was that now going to change? Thinking of all the possible changes really scared her. What if he started acting differently toward her now that she knew his secret? And would she find herself acting differently toward him, too? Clark had said earlier that he was afraid. Well, she was afraid, too. Afraid that nothing in her life would ever be the same again. ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:58:20 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 6/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 6/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** For the next few hours, Lois laid in bed dozing, channel surfing and thinking. Nothing on the TV interested her, but she decided that was just as well. It gave an opportunity to let her mind work. She kept thinking about her talk with Clark, and how he'd insisted that he was the same guy she'd always known. Was it possible? Could he really be the same person she'd come to know and love? She couldn't make up her mind. On the one hand, she could see that his Kryptonian heritage would've helped make him who he was. And she knew that Superman's innate goodness and unshakable ethics also had to be a part of Clark, since you couldn't have one man without the other. But when you put them together-the stern, uncompromising, otherworldly superhero and the boyish, straight-laced, Kansas-raised farmboy-who did they become? Finally she came to the conclusion that there was much, much more to Clark that she was going to have to learn about. It was a lot like starting from scratch. But at least he'd agreed to give her the time and space she needed to adjust to the situation, and had promised not to pressure her. It would give her the chance to get to know him for the entire, complex man that he was. But he would also have to follow up on his promise to prove to her that he really *was* serious about wanting to make things work, as he'd said. By the time lunch was brought in to her, she was feeling better about things. She knew she loved Clark, and that she still wanted him in her life. So her best course of action was to simply take things one step at a time, and see where that took her. She was halfway through her jello salad when Martha and Jonathan walked in. "Martha, Jonathan," she exclaimed, happy to see them. Jonathan dropped into the chair beside her and Martha perched on the edge of her bed. "You look like you're feeling much better today," Martha observed with a warm smile. "Yeah, I do, actually," she responded. "The nurse was in here a while ago, and she said that the doctor was even going to be cutting back on the amount of pain medication I'm getting because I was recovering so quickly." "That's great, Lois," Martha agreed. She peered at the food on the tray across Lois' lap and tried to suppress a grimace. "What exactly is it that they have you eating?" Lois laughed. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I'm only eating the jello and mashed potatoes because I can tell that's what they are. I'm not even going to touch the rest of the stuff." "I don't blame you," Jonathan chuckled. Lois gestured to the familiar looking travel bag that Jonathan had carried in. "What's with the bag?" "Oh, I almost forgot," Martha explained. "I thought you'd feel more comfortable if you had some of your things from home. I packed you your robe, some pajamas, a couple of T-shirts and some sweats, your toothbrush and makeup...things like that. Clark used his key to let me into your apartment." She looked at Lois uncertainly. "I hope that was okay." Lois smiled reassuringly. "That's just fine. Thanks for going to all that trouble. I have to admit it'll be nice to wear something besides this drafty hospital gown." Just then Clark walked in, and she found herself returning his warm smile. 'So much for staying angry with him,' she thought. He walked over to them, and his mom scooted over on the bed to make room for him to sit down next to Lois. He automatically leaned over to kiss her, but then stopped himself, suddenly unsure of where they stood in their relationship, and how he should act toward her. Finally, he ended up kind of kissing the corner of her mouth. Martha and Jonathan exchanged a look. "How are you feeling?" he asked, studying her closely. "Your color looks better." She nodded. "I got some rest, and that really helped." Clark didn't say anything for a minute, but when their eyes met, Lois saw the unasked questions about their relationship in his eyes. Knowing she didn't have any answers, she finally looked down at her food, away from his probing eyes. There was still too much she hadn't yet decided. His gaze followed hers down to her mostly uneaten, coagulating food on her lunch tray. Picking up her spoon and scooping up some of her uneaten mystery meat, he stared at it as if it were some high school science experiment gone bad. "What is this you're eating?" "*Not* eating, you mean?" Lois asked with a smile, noticing that she was warming up a lot faster to him than she would've liked. "I have no idea what it is. That's why I'm not eating it." "Maybe it's the hospital's way of keeping patients around longer and charging them for their extra stay." "You mean after they pump their stomachs? I can see that," she laughed. Then her expression became wistful. "I would kill for some good Chinese food right about now." Martha and Jonathan laughed, too, and it wasn't long before Lois realized her mood was improving. Everyone was in good spirits as they continued to laugh and joke around, and Lois couldn't help noticing that it felt like old times. The door opened in the midst of their visit, and they looked up to see Dr. Silverman coming in. "It sounds like you're all having way too much fun," he observed with a smile. He turned to Lois. "I can tell you're feeling better." "I am," she agreed, still smiling. "Well, you know what they say," he said as he walked over to her. "Laughter is the best medicine. I need to check your blood pressure, Lois, and then I want to see how your incision looks." He slipped the black velcro strap around her upper arm and started pumping. A few moments later, Dr. Silverman nodded his approval and undid the strap. "Your blood pressure is good." Then he reached over, pulled her blankets down a little and gently pressed on her ribcage and stomach. Lois winced despite his gentleness. "Is that still tender?" he asked. She nodded, noticing that the pain still lingering even after he'd stopped probing. Instantly, Clark was on alert. "Is something wrong?" Dr. Silverman shook his head. "No, the swelling and soreness is to be expected. She'll probably be tender for a few weeks." He turned back to Lois. "Do you think you could sit up so I can check your incision and sutures?" "I think so," Lois answered, though she wasn't sure at all. His probing had started a slight steady pain in her abdomen, and she was afraid that using her stomach muscles to pull herself up would only make it worse. Clark seemed to read her mind. "Here, Lois, let me help." He picked up her lunch tray and passed it over to his dad, then took her gently by the arm and carefully helped her into a sitting position. She grimaced a bit. "Sitting up didn't used to feel this bad," she muttered, wondering if something might be wrong. But Dr. Silverman hurried to reassure her. "It's nothing to worry about, Lois. You're feeling a bit more discomfort this afternoon because I've told the nurses to start cutting back on your pain medication. You were healing so quickly that I thought it would be best to start weaning you off your medication so we wouldn't have to risk the addictive effects of the drug." That made her feel better. If that was the reason she was feeling things a bit more than earlier, than she could deal with that. She could handle some discomfort if it meant she could get out of the hospital sooner. "Now let me just undo the back of your gown so I can check those stitches," he began. "Should we leave?" Martha asked, not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable. Dr. Silverman shook his head. "No, I don't want to chase everyone out. This will just take a second." Clark watched as Dr. Silverman pulled at the adhesive tape that held her white cotton bandages, peeling back the old bandage and exposing her stitches. Clark was glad he couldn't see from where he was sitting, since he knew that seeing the damage that the bullet had done would only set his guilt in motion again. Dr. Silverman studied her back carefully, then nodded. "This looks good. Everything appears to be healing nicely. Let me clean your incision a bit, and then I'll put a new bandage on." Clark let his hands slip down Lois' arms until he reached her hands, clasping them gently. He watched her close her eyes for a brief moment as the doctor dabbed over her incision with the cold antiseptic. Obviously, she was still very tender. He squeezed her hands supportively, hoping to convey to her that he was there for her. A minute later, a new bandage was in place and Dr. Silverman stepped back. "Well, Lois, everything looks good," he told her. "At the rate you're healing, you'll probably even be out of here sooner than we discussed. Oh, and I'm going to have the nurse come in and disconnect your I.V. in a minute. So if you feel like it, go ahead and get up and walk around a bit. Just don't overdo it." Then, with a smile at everyone, he said goodbye and left the room. "He seems nice," Martha observed. Lois nodded. "He really is." She turned to Clark. "As a matter of fact, he told me this morning that he was a fan of our work, Clark." "That's a switch," Clark smiled wryly. "Usually the only people we hear >from are the ones are articles expose, and they lean more toward the 'wanting to kill us' end of the spectrum." Everyone laughed at that. A minute later, one of the afternoon nurses came in with several items on a tray. "Good news, Ms. Lane," she announced as she came over to her. "Dr. Silverman wants me to take you off your IV, so you're about to be a free woman." Lois grinned at that. "You mean I'm not going to be chained to this thing anymore?" she asked, indicating the long tube running from her arm. "Nope. And if you feel up to it, get up and walk around a little bit for the next couple of days. Some activity will help you to heal faster." She undid the tape across the back of Lois' hand and removed the needle, quickly applying pressure to her hand with a cotton ball to stop the bleeding. Then she secured the cotton in place with a band-aid and stepped back. "There. All done. Now just be sure not to overdo things if you do decide to get up." "I won't," Lois assured her. She gave everyone a smile, then left to attend to other patients. As soon as the door shut, Martha stood up. "Since everyone else is leaving, I think we will, too." She turned to Jonathan. "I'm starving. Should we go grab a late lunch?" "Sounds good to me," he agreed. Then, with a promise to Lois that they'd be back to check on her later, they left, too. "Wow, talk about everyone leaving at once," Lois joked when she and Clark were alone in the room. It surprised her, but she realized she suddenly felt shy to be alone with him. So much had happened between the two of them in the last couple of days that she wasn't really sure how to act around him when they were alone. Clark sensed her uneasiness and sighed. 'I hate this,' he thought in frustration. 'I've got to hurry and make things right between us so we can go back to the way things were.' Then, after a few more moments of awkward silence, he spoke up. "How about giving that new-found freedom a try?" he smiled, doing his best to put her at ease. "Do you feel like taking a walk?" She smiled at him. "Actually, it does sound nice to get out of this bed," she admitted. But suddenly she realized that the floor seemed like a long ways away, and getting up didn't sound quite so easy. "Umm," she began hesitantly, hating to ask for help doing all the little things she had taken for granted just a few days before. But she knew she wasn't going to be able to do it without Clark's help. Giving in, she continued. "I think I'm going to need some help getting up." "No problem. That's why I'm here," he grinned at her supportively. As he worked at lowering the side of the bed, Lois groaned inwardly. She hated feeling helpless and dependent. It wasn't in her nature to ask for help, and it was frustrating now because she knew she couldn't do the simple, everyday things without his help. Clark finally found the latch that enabled him to lower the bedside railing, and then he helped her swing her feet over the side of the bed. She sat there for a minute, letting her feet dangle over the edge. Clark watched her uncertainly, not sure whether or not to ask her if she needed help. He didn't want to make her feel helpless, but he didn't want her to hurt herself, either, by having her try to do something she wasn't able to do yet. After several moments of debate, he offered her his hand, breathing an inward sigh of relief when she took it without argument. When their hands touched, Lois felt a jolt of electricity surge between them and she smiled to herself. 'At least the chemistry between us hasn't changed,' she thought. When she was finally standing beside Clark, she made a grab for the back of her gown. "Clark, could you get the robe out of my bag for me, please? Things are suddenly feeling a bit drafty." Clark laughed. "No problem." He rummaged around in her bag for a moment, then found it and pulled it out. "Do you need some help putting it on?" She started to shake her head, but then realized that putting the robe on by herself presented her with a whole new problem. "Well, on second thought," she said. "Maybe you'd better help me. If I try to put it on myself, I'll have to let go of the back of this gown, and that might show you more than you were wanting to see." She grinned wryly at him. He opened his mouth to say that that was okay with him; he wouldn't mind seeing more of her, but he quickly stopped himself. 'That's not exactly something I should say, considering the fact that our relationship isn't where it was a few days ago,' he decided. So he just smiled at her instead and helped her on with her robe. When she finished tying the belt around her waist, he held his arm out for her, and after a moment's hesitation, she slipped her arm through his. Once they were out in the hall, Lois felt her mind beginning to clear. 'Maybe getting out for a few minutes is exactly what I needed,' she surmised hopefully. The walk down the hall to the small, furnished waiting area at the end seemed to take forever, and Lois gratefully sank onto one of the couches when they finally reached it. "Well, I'm that wore me out," she said, attempting to keep her tone light since she knew that Clark tended to worry about her way too much. "Then let's just rest for a while," he suggested, sitting down beside her. He watched her adjust the robe around her a bit more snugly. He couldn't help noticing the pallor to her cheeks. "Are you sure you're okay, Lois?" She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." She turned to him and smiled. "Thanks for taking a walk with me." "You're welcome, Lois. But you don't have to thank me. I told you before, I want to be here for you." He paused, wondering if he should say what was on his mind. Finally, he decided to forge ahead. "I want to make sure I give you every opportunity to see that I'm still the same person that I was before you found out about me being...well, you know." Lois immediately felt her defenses start to go back up and she gave him a disapproving look. "Clark, you agreed that you were going to give me my space on this. I don't want to get into this with you right now..." Clark threw his hands up in the air innocently. "Lois, I'm not pressuring you," he insisted, quickly jumping to his own defense. "Have I asked you anything about what you were thinking or feeling about 'us'? No. I was just stating a fact." "Is this what it's going to come down to? Technicalities?" she bristled. Clark opened his mouth to argue back, but then thought better of it. She was tired enough without having to waste her energy arguing with him. "Okay, Lois, I'm sorry. I told you I wouldn't talk about this, and I won't. All right?" Her expression softened. "All right. I'm sorry, Clark. I don't know why I attacked you like that." She looked down at her lap. "I guess I'm just scared that things are going to change between us, you know?" Clark looked at her in surprise, suddenly realizing that inside that cool exterior she was keeping, there was a frightened young woman who was confused and looking for answers she didn't have. Answers that neither of them had. He moved closer to her and reached for her hand. "I know, Lois," he said quietly. "I'm scared, too. But can I say one thing that I think might help? Without you yelling at me?" Lois smiled a little. "Okay, I promise I won't yell at you." He hesitated. "Lois, all these things you're thinking about, all the things you're feeling...well, I'm feeling them, too. I know there's suddenly a lot to work through, but I think that if we work through things together, we'll get through this. So, I want you to know...when you want to talk, I'll be here to listen." Lois felt her defenses start to soften. "Thanks, Clark. It helps to know that. And I appreciate you sticking by me." He smiled tenderly. "Where else would I go? I'm here with the woman I love, at that's exactly where I want to be." Touched at his words, she leaned toward him, giving him a light, tender kiss. Clark could tell from her kiss that she still loved him, and he knew that was all that mattered. Everything else could be worked out over time. When they pulled apart, they smiled warmly into each other's eyes. Then, tiredly, Lois let her head fall onto Clark's shoulder, letting herself enjoy his closeness for the first time in days. After several minutes, Clark gave her hand a gentle squeeze, arousing her >from her contented state. "I think it's time we get you back to bed," he told her. "You need some rest." Agreeing with him, Lois lifted her head from his shoulder and started to get up, but she stopped suddenly when she felt another twinge similar to the one she'd had earlier when Dr. Silverman had had her sit up. Clark noticed. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice reflecting his concern. Lois nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just think that my medication's starting to wear off." Clark helped her to her feet. "Let's get you back to your room and we'll see if the nurse can give you some more. "Do you want me to carry you?" "No, I'm okay," Lois insisted stubbornly, shaking her head. "As long as we take it slow, I'll be fine." But a few steps later, he could tell she was really hurting. So, ignoring her protests, he scooped her up and started carrying her the rest of the way. "Lois, don't be so stubborn," he told her firmly. "I'm here to help, so let me help you." When they reached her room, he carefully set her on her feet beside the bed and helped her slip her robe off. Then he lifted her gently onto the bed and pulled the blankets up over her. He watched her close her eyes, obviously trying to stem the pain she was feeling. Reaching over her, he pushed the nurse call button on the wall. "Just relax, Lois. The nurse will be here in soon." True to his word, the nurse came in a minute later. "Somebody need me?" Clark looked at her and nodded. "Her pain medication is wearing off and she's starting to hurt." The nurse picked up Lois' patient notes and scanned the information. Then she checked her watch. "It looks like Dr. Silverman's been cutting back on your medication, and there's still about a half hour until you're due for another shot. Do you think you can last until then?" Lois thought about it for a moment, then nodded wordlessly. The nurse gave her a supportive smile. "Just hang in there, and I'll be back in half an hour." Lois closed her eyes, fighting to convince herself that she could make it a half-hour. 'A half hour is nothing,' she told herself. 'I can do this. Just keep remembering that it's one step closer to being able to go home.' The feel of Clark's fingers on her cheek caused her to open her eyes and look up at him. He was leaning over the railing of the bed, stroking her face lightly. "Are you sure you're okay for a half hour?" he asked seriously, the concern for her apparent in his eyes. "If you don't think you can, no one's going to think any less of you. You've been through an awful lot." She shook her head, but stopped quickly when she realized any movement seemed to make her hurt even more. "No, I can do it," she whispered, though inwardly she wasn't sure she could at all. She reached for his hand and held it tightly. "Will you stay here with me, though? Maybe if you talk to me, the time will go faster." Clark gave her a gentle smile. "Of course I will. I'm not going anywhere." For the next half-hour, Clark did his best to keep her occupied by telling her everything that was going on at the Planet. He'd been there for a short time that morning to check in with Perry, and he went into great detail about everything he'd heard while he was there. He knew that the little details probably didn't matter to her, but he figured anything he could tell her would help keep her mind off of her increasing pain. True to her word, the nurse reappeared a half-hour later, and Clark saw Lois breathe a shaky sigh of relief. The nurse gave her the shot and then left them alone, and Clark went about making sure Lois was comfortable by adjusting her pillow and tucking her blankets more securely around her. Almost immediately, Lois felt the medication start to work. She closed her eyes in relief, letting the drug's numbing effect take over. She opened her eyes a minute later to see Clark staring down at her. "What?" she asked softly. Clark smiled, reaching out to tuck her dark hair behind her ear. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're feeling better." "Thanks for staying and talking to me. It really helped." He noticed that already her lids were already getting heavy, so he decided it was a good time to leave. "Lois, I'm going to go so you can get some sleep. Besides, Perry wanted me to check in on a couple of things before he put the paper to bed tonight. I'll be back around dinnertime to check on you, though, okay?" She nodded, struggling to keep her eyes open. He stood up and turned to leave, but she quickly grabbed his hand. He turned back to look at her. "Thanks for everything." He smiled tenderly at her. "You're welcome, Lois." "Clark?" "Yeah?" She hesitated. "I...I love you." Clark felt tears spring to his eyes. He knew how hard it must've been for her to say that after everything that had happened over the last couple of days. Leaning over her, he touched his lips to hers lightly. "I love you, too, Lois," he whispered. He touched her cheek, then smiled warmly. "I'll see you tonight." Then he slipped his hand out of Lois' and left the room. A few steps down the hall, he turned back and pulled his glasses down on his nose. A quick peek into Lois' room showed him that she was already fast asleep. He smiled. 'Finally!' he though, continuing on down the hall and heading for the elevators. 'Things are starting to look up between us.' ********** Dinnertime found Lois again picking through her food. 'I can't believe they actually serve this stuff,' she complained silently. 'Clark and I should do a story on this, maybe try to uncover the reason behind their trying to save money by serving food this bad.' Then it hit her. *Clark and I.* She smiled. The prospect of them being back together-or almost back together, she corrected herself-was enough to make her mood lift in spite of the bland food on the plate in front of her. True, she'd had her doubts earlier about whether or not her knowing about his secret identity would make him act differently toward her. But, as his kindness had proven earlier that day, he was prepared to stay with her through thick and thin, and obviously cared about her and loved her very much. That made her feel great. She'd always been a huge believer in the saying 'actions speak louder than words'. Well, his actions earlier that day had proven as much. As she sat there, contemplating whether or not she was really hungry enough to eat what was in front of her, Clark appeared from around the corner of her propped open door, wearing a simple white T-shirt, faded jeans, and his Metropolis Lions football stadium jacket. He looked incredible. "Hey, Clark!" she greeted him happily. He grinned at her, but quickly raised a finger to his lips, silencing her. She watched in confusion as he turned back to glance out into the hallway, then, confident that nobody was watching, he reached out to pull her door shut. As he did, she could see that his arm was supporting a large bulge under his jacket. Curiously, she tried to discern what he was hiding, but after a moment decided there was no way to know. So she watched him as he took one last glance into the hallway just before the door shut, then he turned back to her and ceremoniously pulled out the large, brown paper sack he'd been concealing. "Your knight in shining armor is saving you from certain death," he announced dramatically as he removed her dinner tray and placed the bag on her lap. She was surprised to feel the warmth emanating from the bottom of the bag. "What is this?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Opening the bag, she saw several cartons of Chinese food inside. And when she looked even closer, she noticed that the containers even had authentic Chinese writing on them. She gasped in surprised delight and looked back up at Clark. "You didn't!" He grinned proudly. "I did." She lowered her voice. "You flew all the way to China to get this?" He nodded. "You're incredible!" she exclaimed, leaning over to show her appreciation by giving him a long kiss. Then she pulled away and eagerly grabbed one of the plastic forks, pulling out the first carton she could reach. Clark laughed. "Don't you even want to know what's in that carton before you dig in?" Lois shook her head, unable to wipe the smile off her face. "No way. It could be anything at all, and it would still be better than what I had." She opened the container and, seeing that it was fried rice, hungrily scooped a forkful of it into her mouth. "Hey, save some for me!" Clark exclaimed, laughing. He got the other fork >from the bag and leaned over her, scooping some of the rice from the container that was clutched fiercely in her hand. He shook his head and grinned. "You'd think you haven't eaten in a week." "I haven't," she mumbled through a mouthful of fried rice. "An IV doesn't really count since you can't swallow it, and this stuff I've been served can't honestly be called food." She peered into the bag. "What else did you get?" He started to tell her, but suddenly stopped. "Wait...I think I hear someone coming." She giggled, having entirely too much fun breaking the rules. Quickly she elbowed him. "Well, check and see if the coast is clear!" Clark turned to her, flashing her a conspiratorial grin. Then he turned back to the door and lowered his glasses. After a few seconds, he pushed his glasses back up on his nose and grinned at her. "Nope, nothing to worry about. It's just a nurse passing by with a dinner cart." "Those poor patients," she said, shaking her head and giggling. She gestured to his eyes. "I can see that you're going to be handy to have around." "Oh, that's nothing," Clark assured her with a broad smile. "You should see me make the bed." Lois cracked up. "I'm not going to touch that one with a ten foot pole." For the next hour or so, it felt like old times to Lois as they laughed and teased and joked around. She was quickly learning that Clark was the same as he always was, just with a few added 'bonuses'. She grinned. 'I can't believe I was worried about this,' she thought, as she reached into the bag for another egg roll. 'This is actually fun.' When Lois knew she wasn't going to be able to eat another bite, she sat back in bed and groaned. "Oh, man. I'm so full I'll never be able to eat breakfast in the morning." Clark scraped the last of the chow mien from its carton and grinned at her. "And that's a bad thing?" Lois laughed, then grabbed her stomach. "Oooh, don't make me laugh! I just might throw up." "And waste all of that perfectly good food? Don't you dare!" he threatened playfully. It was several minutes before they were finally able to stop laughing. When they got themselves back under control, Lois reached up and grabbed at the sleeve of Clark's T-shirt, getting a fistful of fabric in her hand. "Clark," she said seriously, though she found it nearly impossible to keep the smile off her face. "You can fly to China for food anytime. This was fun." "Hey, you're going to wrinkle me," he protested jokingly, swatting her hand away. The fork was still in his hand, though, and some of the chow mien flipped onto the wall behind her, causing them to burst into a fresh bout of laughter. "Sssh!" Clark threatened through his own laughter. "Someone's going to hear us!" "I know! Then we'd really be in for it," Lois answered, regaining control and reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Seriously, Clark, I haven't had this much fun in ages." The laughter wrinkles around his eyes started to smooth out as he met her gaze. "I had fun, too." Then, without hesitation, he leaned over and kissed her, tenderly and passionately. Moments later, Clark grudgingly pulled away. "As much as I hate to, I've got to go," he explained. "Superman is supposed to make a guest appearance at the Metropolis Charities organization meeting tonight." Lois felt the disappointment set in. "Oh, that's right. I guess that *is* you, isn't it?" she said sadly. "Mmm-hmm," Clark answered. Lois sighed and looked down at her lap. "I guess I didn't think about you having responsibilities like that." Clark put his hand under her chin and titled her face up to his, forcing her to look at him. "I don't want to leave, either, Lois. But I promise I'll be back to see you in the morning. Okay?" She nodded, forcing a smile. "Okay." Just then the door to her room opened and a nurse walked in. "I'm here to collect you're dinner tray," she announced brightly. But when she got closer, she saw all the empty food containers on the bed. This time Lois' smile was genuine. "Oops. Busted," she mouthed at Clark, who was trying not to laugh as the nurse started to scold them. Clark grinned at Lois, then quickly took matters into his own hands as he stood up and quickly put everything back into the bag. Then he bent over her to give her a quick kiss. "I'll see you later," he whispered. "And don't worry...I'll take care of your nurse." Lois couldn't help grinning as she watched Clark slip his arm around the middle-aged nurse's shoulders as guided her out into the hall. "Gosh, all those dinner trays must be really heavy. Why don't you let me help you with them..." Then, before he disappeared down the hall, he turned and give her a conspiring wink. Lois shook her head and laughed. Obviously, even a crotchety nurse wasn't immune from Clark's old-world charms and dazzling smile. She doubted she'd have to worry anymore about the nurse ratting on them to Dr. Silverman. She adjusted her bed so she could lie down a bit more, thankful for the chance to lay quietly for a few minutes. As much fun as she'd had with Clark, it had really worn her out. Luckily, she'd had her pain medication just before Clark had arrived or she might not have made it through their fun evening. Pushing the buttons on her bed rail, she flipped on the TV and channel surfed mindlessly for a while, content to relax and do nothing. But then a familiar red and blue suit caught her eye, and her finger paused on the remote. A smile spread across her face. *Clark.* Apparently, part of the charity meeting was being broadcast. She watched for a while, listening to Clark-as Superman-speak into the microphone about how important it was to contribute to the various organizations in Metropolis, and how they funded so many worthwhile causes. When his speech drew to a close a short time later, the audience responded with wide, thunderous applause. He smiled, and Lois immediately recognized it as the same smile he'd had earlier. He was enjoying himself. As she continued to watch him, she found herself studying him intently. 'How could I have overlooked something so obvious?' she asked herself as she watched him accept the praise from the charity meeting's host. Now that she knew he was Superman, she wondered how she could have ever been fooled by the glasses to begin with. They did nothing to hide the features that were so obviously Superman's...so obviously Clark's. Sitting there in bed, she realized that the pride she'd felt at watching him do his Superman thing slowly started to wear off when a whole new series of concerns began to surface. Clark was a busy man, what with working at the Planet with her, and then also filling his role as Superman. In addition to the countless rescues he made and disasters he averted, there were all sorts of events and functions that Superman attended. She knew, because she'd followed his every appearance for the last couple years. All her questions and fears began to return to her mind. How do I know if Clark's going to be there when I need him? And what if he starts to think that his job is more important to him than me? She thought back to her childhood, when she'd had it proved to her time and again that this was the case with her dad. Or what if he fell out of love with her after they'd been married for years, as her dad had done to her mom? Suddenly feeling scared about their future, Lois turned off the TV and laid back on her pillow in the dark. Unable to stop the questions from swarming around in her head, she sighed. She had the feeling she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. ********** Lois was exhausted when she woke up the next morning. Not only had her thoughts kept her awake a large part of the night, but the amount of time between her medication dosages had kept getting longer and longer, and she'd woken up several times in pain. She'd watched entirely too many old reruns and late night infomercials as she tried to fight her way to the times when she could get her next pain killer. So, by the time Clark arrived soon after breakfast, she was tired and cranky. He dropped into the chair next to her and smiled. "I was just at the Planet, and Jimmy and Perry were asking about you. They said to say hi." She smiled tiredly. "That was sweet." "So how are you today?" he asked, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "You don't look like you slept very well last night." "I didn't." She explained about her pain medication dosages, and his brow furrowed. "I wish you would've called me," he told her. "I would've come and helped you through it." She shook her head. "What good would that have done? Then two of us would've been tired." "Lois, I don't need sleep like you do, remember?" he reminded her. "Oh, yeah, I forgot," Lois muttered. "Of course you don't need sleep, you're Superman. It's like you're like a bat or something." She tried to make it sound like a joke, but she was afraid Clark could hear the touch of sarcasm in her voice. And judging by his expression, he had. "Lois, what's wrong? It sounds like there's more to this than just a sleepless night." She was quiet for a minute, then she began hesitantly. "Clark, remember when you said that if I needed to talk about what's been bothering, you were willing to listen?" Clark leaned forward intently. "Yes?" "Well, it's just that I've been going over some things in my mind...some concerns, really. And I thought that, maybe... you know, if I could voice some of my concerns, maybe we could talk about them. So, I guess what I'm asking is...is your offer still open?" Clark's heart leapt. "You bet," he told her, thrilled that she was finally wanting to open up. He took her hand in his. "Yeah, I think if we can talk about the things that are bothering you, we'll be a step closer to working them out." "Yeah, that's what I thought, too." Lois averted her gaze. It was hard for her to talk about these issues that had been bothering her for so long. She realized last night as she'd been awake thinking that these concerns had actually been in the back of her mind even before she'd met Clark, and that they'd just recently resurfaced when she'd learned of his other identity. She doubted these were fears that could be dispelled with only a talk or two, but at least talking openly with Clark about them was a step in the right direction. Before she went on, though, she made sure to think carefully about how she wanted to phrase things. She was afraid that if things came out wrong, it might sound to him like she didn't trust him, or that she didn't have any faith in him or in their love for each other. That's not what she wanted him to think at all. Finally, she took a deep breath and began. "Okay, here's what I've been thinking about lately," she began hesitantly, still unable to look Clark directly in the eye. "Last night I spent a long time thinking about us, and..." A sudden movement from Clark caused her to look up at him. He had a strange look on his face. "What's wrong?" He shifted anxiously in his seat. "Umm, nothing," he told her, looking back at her. "I'm sorry. 'Last night you were thinking...'" he prompted. Lois looked at him strangely, but then continued. "Yeah, I saw you on TV last night at that charity meeting, and it got me thinking..." Before she could say anything more, Clark leaped to his feet. "Uh, Lois, I'm really sorry. Can we talk about this in a little while?" He touched his ear to indicate that something had caught his super hearing. "It sounds like something big is going down." Lois stared at him in shock. 'He's got to be kidding!' her mind screamed. 'I'm about to talk to him about what's been bothering me about our relationship, and he's more interested in what's going on in the city?' Clark took an impatient step toward the door, but he was clearly waiting for her to give her permission before he went. Lois' mouth stretched into a firm line. "Fine," she said at last, barely disguising her anger. "Go. Go be Superman and do whatever it is that you have to do." "Lois," he began. "If you don't want me to go..." But Lois shook her head. Without Clark even saying a word, the biggest of her questions had just been answered. "No," she told him, fuming inwardly. "Go ahead and go." Seemingly oblivious as to how he'd just hurt her, Clark smiled his thanks and then turned and rushed out of the room. Lois settled back on her bed. 'Well, that answered *that* question,' she thought angrily. 'I guess we don't have anything else to talk about then.' A single tear escaped her eyelid and slid down her cheek. 'So is this the way our relationship was going to be?' she wondered dismally. 'Every time I had something important to say, he'd go rushing off?' She knew it would be selfish to refuse to let him do what he was born to do. But in a sense, she realized, she'd essentially have to share him with the world. And she couldn't dispute the fact that his being Superman, and using his powers to help people was important. But did that mean that *she* wasn't important? That she had to sacrifice *her* feelings? What it all boiled down to, in *her* opinion, anyway, was that it was a matter of priorities. Just like it was with her dad. Her dad had chosen his work. And so, apparently, had Clark. Rolling over in bed, she let the tears come. ********** Clark swung by his apartment after the robbery and hostage situation he'd just averted, feeling pleased with himself that he'd been able to prevent a potentially deadly situation. There was a note stuck to his fridge from his parents saying that they were back visiting with their friends outside of Metropolis, and that they'd be back later that evening to see him and Lois. Clark smiled. He appreciated them sacrificing their vacation to be there with him when he needed them, and to keep Lois' spirits up. Suddenly, his smile faded and his face went pale. 'Oh, no!' he gasped. 'Lois was about to tell me something, and I blew her off!' He hit his forehead with the heal of his hand. 'How could I be so stupid!' Furious with himself, he quickly changed out of the suit and rushed to the hospital. Opening the door to Lois' room, he noticed that she was sleeping. But he didn't feel that his apology could wait, so he walked over and sat down lightly on the edge of her bed. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Lois? Wake up. I need to talk to you." She stirred, and when she opened her eyes, Clark saw that they were red-rimmed and bloodshot from crying. He also noticed that her expression was cold and distant. It reminded him exactly of how she'd looked two days ago when she'd threatened to break off their engagement. "Lois, I am *so* sorry," he began, hoping to convince her of how badly he felt. "I know you were trying to tell me something important, and that I just rushed off. I honestly didn't realize I was doing that until after I stopped the robbery. Please, Lois, you have to believe me when I say that I know it was a stupid and thoughtless thing to do, and I really feel horrible about it. Really, I am so, *so* sorry." Lois' voice was cool and aloof when she responded. "It's okay, Clark. I understand." "No, Lois, I don't think you do..." "Yes, Clark, I do. I understand that you, as Superman, have responsibilities that need to be taken care of that just can't wait. So it's fine. Really." "But Lois, I have a responsibility to *you*, too," Clark insisted, feeling even worse when he saw that she was obviously not interested in hearing his apology. "*You're* the most important thing to me, and there's no excuse for what I did. Please believe me when I tell you that." Lois sighed and shook her head. "I wish I could, Clark, but under the circumstances, I don't think I can." He tried again. "Lois, please-" "Would you mind shutting the door on your way out?" she asked pointedly, cutting him off. "I need to get some sleep." And with that, she rolled over onto her side, promptly ending the conversation. Clark opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. It was useless. He knew she wasn't going to listen to him when she was like this. 'Best to let her be for now,' he thought to himself as he stood up and left the room. 'I'll just have to try again when she's not so angry.' But things didn't get any better. For the rest of that day and then all of the next, Lois succeeded in completely shutting him out, and he knew, sadly, that he wasn't going to be able to break through her defenses. He didn't stop trying, though. He refused to be driven away by her cold shoulder treatment, and he did his best to get through to her. He brought her flowers and even tried to get her to look over some of the notes he'd started to assemble for the follow up stories on the crime ring. He'd been keeping a light schedule at work, due to Perry's insistence, and thought that maybe he could break through the shield she'd put up around herself if he could get her excited about work. But nothing worked. Clark's parents had heard about what happened and had seen how Lois was acting around Clark, but they decided it was best if they didn't interfere. As Jonathan had said, 'As much as we'd like to help, this is their problem, and they have to deal with it.' And Martha had agreed. So, Lois continued to remain polite and aloof whenever she was around Clark, and, after two days of being given the cold shoulder, Clark found that his patience was wearing thin. He was sick of walking on eggshells around her, and he was sick to death of her false politeness. He missed her vibrancy, her spirit, her stubbornness. By the evening of that second day, Clark decided he wasn't going to take it anymore. It was time to take drastic measures. ********** "Dr. Silverman?" The doctor looked up from the stack of patient notes he was reviewing at his desk and spotted Clark in the doorway. "Oh, Mr. Kent! What can I do for you?" Clark came the rest of the way into the room and sat down in the chair that Dr. Silverman gestured to. "I have a question for you." "Shoot." "When were you planning on releasing Lois?" Dr. Silverman leaned back in his chair a bit. "Well, if she continues to recover as she has, I was thinking of sending her home on Sunday. Why? Is there a problem?" Clark shook his head. "No, no problem," he answered. He tried to decide how to begin. "Did you know that Lois and I engaged?" The doctor smiled. "I kind of figured as much. When I saw that beautiful ring on her finger and saw that you two were together all the time, it wasn't hard to put two and two together." Clark laughed. "Well, what I was wondering was, if I agreed to take full charge of Lois' care at home, would it be possible for you to release her a couple days early? I think she'd recover even more quickly if she was in familiar surroundings and had access to familiar things." Dr. Silverman listened carefully, and thought for a minute after Clark finished. Mentally crossing his fingers, Clark hoped that the doctor didn't pick up on the real reason he wanted to get Lois released in his charge. If he could convince Dr. Silverman to agree to it, he planned on moving Lois into his apartment with him for a few days while she finished recovering. And once there, they would be together practically 24-7, and she would be forced to deal with *him* on *his* turf. Maybe then he'd finally be able to get through to her. Finally, Dr. Silverman nodded. "I think I could agree to that," he answered. "But I'd need to give you some information on what things she should or shouldn't be allowed to do, and what kind of medical care and supervision she might still need." Clark nodded eagerly. "That would be great! And I can assure you that I'll take good care of her at home." Dr. Silverman laughed at that. "I have no doubt. I'll let her know when I check on her in the morning." "I'll be sure to be here then," Clark grinned. Then, to himself he thought, 'Believe me, I wouldn't want to miss this for the world.' Leaving Dr. Silverman's office, he shut the door behind him just as a triumphant smile flashed across his face. "Let's see you ignore me now, Lois," he taunted silently as he walked toward the elevators. He'd never been one to give up without a fight, and he sure wasn't about to start now. ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:58:48 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 7/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 7/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** Lois sat on the edge of her bed, her blue and white hospital gown tied loosely in back, as Dr. Silverman finished checking her incision and stitches. Then he gently probed her midsection, feeling for any signs that she wasn't healing properly. Lois grimaced. Even though it had been days since her surgery, she was still tender. "Well, everything looks good," Dr. Silverman announced, helping Lois settle back against the raised portion of her bed. "In a few more days, those stitches should be able to come out." Just then the door to the room opened and Clark poked his head in. Dr. Silverman smiled and waved him in. "How's she doing?" Clark asked as he walked over to them. He couldn't help smiling when he saw Lois purposely avoid making eye contact with him. "Well, her incision is healing nicely, and her 'engine work' seems to be holding," Dr. Silverman flashed a joking smile. "Her x-rays look good, so I'm going to go ahead and approve her early release as we discussed." Lois looked up at Dr. Silverman. "Early release? What are you talking about?" 'Oh, here it comes," Clark thought wickedly. Dr. Silverman jotted down a couple notes in her folder, then looked up at her. "Well, your fiance has talked me into letting you go home a couple days early, since he's promised to keep you under his constant supervision and care. Personally, I think it's a great idea. You get to get out of this hospital you hate so much, and you can spend an uninterrupted week with your fiance." He stopped to grin at her. "It's a no-lose situation, if you ask me." Lois felt the anger boiling up inside of her. "Oh, yeah, it's *great*," she said, trying to come across sounding positive. And to Dr. Silverman, she probably did sound positive. But to Clark, her tone came across entirely differently. Because he knew her so well, he could tell from her tone and her body language, not to mention the Kryptonite glare that she flashed in his direction, that inwardly she was seething. But he didn't care. He couldn't seem to stop himself from grinning. Never before had he enjoyed getting back at someone this much. As Dr. Silverman finished including his notes in her folder, Lois smoldered inside. 'How dare Clark take charge of my life like this!' her mind screamed. 'I can't believe he would do something this low and underhanded! But what am I supposed to do? He knows I want to get out of this place, so I'm pretty much stuck.' "So how do you feel about getting out of here this afternoon, Lois?" Dr. Silverman asked, bringing her attention back to him. "Maybe about two o'clock?" He turned to Clark to verify that that would be okay. Clark nodded. "Two o'clock is just fine. Isn't it, Lois?" Lois shot him a look that would've killed any other man dead on the spot. She answered through gritted teeth, but forced a smile for Dr. Silverman's sake. "Yes, that'll be fine." The doctor snapped the folder closed. "Great! Two o'clock it is. I'll be back before then to give you some last minute instructions on what she'll need, Clark. Okay?" Clark grinned, obviously very pleased with himself. "I'll be here." When Dr. Silverman went to leave, Clark decided the wisest thing he could do was leave with him. He definitely didn't want to be alone with Lois right now. True, he'd been found to be invulnerable. But with Lois' anger reaching a boiling point, he wasn't taking any chances. Yet he couldn't resist a parting shot, knowing that he'd won the battle. He went through the door with Dr. Silverman, but before the door closed all the way, he stuck his head back in a smiled at her sweetly. "See you at two, Lois," he sang cheerfully, shutting the door only an instant before the hardback book she'd been reading sailed after him, thumping resoundingly against the closing door. Clark laughed to himself when the door shut the rest of the way. Victory *definitely* tasted sweet. ********** When Clark let his mom know that Lois was being released early in his care and would be staying at his apartment, she looked at him doubtfully. "Are you sure you're doing the right thing by bringing her here while she's still so angry?" his mom asked with concern. "It might be wiser to let her cool off a bit before you're together this much." Jonathan jumped in. "Martha, Clark's a smart boy. I'm sure he knows what he's getting himself into." Martha shook her head, but she followed her husband's lead and left it alone. "What about you two?" Clark asked. "I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you out of here because Lois is coming. I can get you a hotel room, or something." "Thanks, son, but we'd already planned to spend another day or two with the Johnsons," his dad explained. "How are you guys getting home?" "We were able to change the dates on our plane tickets, so we're going to stick with our plans to fly home." "I could fly you," Clark offered. Martha smiled at him. "I know you could, Clark. But our tickets have already been bought and paid for months ago when we planned this trip to see you and the Johnsons. Besides, you need to stay with Lois and look after her." "Well, if you're sure..." His mom patted his cheek. "We're sure. Now, do you want me to go to Lois' apartment and gather up the stuff she's going to need while she's staying with you?" "That'd be great, Mom," he agreed. "I think I would feel a little funny about going through her things. Besides, what *she* will need and what *I* would actually get would most likely be two totally different things." Martha laughed, then went on her way with Clark's key to Lois' apartment. ********** At two o'clock, Lois was standing next to her hospital bed, throwing things haphazardly into her travel bag, too angry to worry things getting wrinkled. 'I can't believe Clark concocted this whole absurd arrangement, and then convinced Dr. Silverman to go along with it!' she raged. Storming into the tiny bathroom adjoining her room, she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste, along with her various other belongings, and then returned to her bed and threw them into her bag. 'And what was with Clark's snide comments and smug attitude?!' she continued to rant silently. 'It's almost as if he thinks he's won or something, but I've got news for him! Two can play at this game!' She grabbed her robe and yanked it from the back of the chair next to her, nearly causing it to topple from the force. A smug voice snapped her out of her silent tantrum. "Need some help, Lois?" Lois immediately recognized Clark's voice. She whirled around, ready to give him an earful, but then she remembered she wasn't speaking to him. She took a deep breath to try to remain polite. "No thank you, Clark. I'm doing fine on my own." He grinned irritatingly. "Whatever you say, Lois." He walked into the room and sat down in the chair furthest away from her, not wanting to risk being in her line of fire. Lois took one look at the smug expression on his face, and it was all she could do not to throw something at him. But she reminded herself to stay cool, and then turned back to her packing. Dr. Silverman walked in just as she had finished and was shutting her travel bag. "Looks like you're all ready to go," he commented. Lois nodded, then went over to sit in the chair next to the bed as Dr. Silverman turned to talk to Clark, handing him a paper with some scribbled notes. "Here's a few things I wrote down to remind you about Lois' medication dosages, bandage changings, things like that. Now, you have to remember, that bullet tore through a lot of muscle and tissue, so her back and midsection are going to be very tender and sore for a while. Keep her off her feet as much as possible, and make sure she gets lots of sleep. But most importantly, Lois," he turned to Lois to make sure she was listening. "You are to do absolutely *no* work. No Daily Planet, no housework...nothing." He turned back to Clark before he continued. "Also, make sure her bandages get changed twice a day. They've already been changed this morning, so they'll need changed tonight. We'll need to see her at my office in about a week to see if those stitches are ready to come out." "Got it." Clark nodded to show that he understood. "The bottom line is, Lois is going to need someone to baby her through the next few days, and I'm sure that will undoubtedly be very tough on her." Dr. Silverman gave her a teasing smile. Lois rolled her eyes at Dr. Silverman's back when he turned around to write something else down on the paper he'd handed Clark. 'Why do people always think that I can't relax for any period of time?' she thought angrily. 'It's not like I don't have a life and know when to quit or something.' Finally, Dr. Silverman slid his pen into his shirt pocket and smiled at them. "Well, that about covers it. You two are free to go. Lois, I'll see you in about a week." Then he turned and went out of the room, leaving Lois and Clark alone. Clark slapped his hands on his knees and stood up. "Well, should we go?" Lois glared at him once again to prove that she was not one bit happy about this arrangement. Then she stood up and reached for her bag. Clark hurried over. "Lois, let me get that." She was about to object, but then decided not to. It was pretty heavy, and she *was* feeling pretty worn out from the simple task of packing. So she relinquished her grip on the bag's handle and shrugged indifferently. "Whatever." Clark watched her turn and head for the door, not so much as giving him a backward glance. He smiled and shook her head. 'One thing's for sure,' he thought as he picked up her bag and followed her out of the room. 'She's definitely stubborn.' The short drive to Clark's apartment was strained, since Lois stared silently out the passenger window the entire ride, refusing to speak to Clark. When Clark finally pulled her Jeep over to the curb in front of his apartment, he got out and hurried around to Lois' side to help her out of the car. Not unexpectedly, Lois refused his offered hand and slid out of the car on her own. Then, without even waiting for him, she walked up the stairs and into his unlocked apartment where Martha and Jonathan were waiting. "Hi, Lois," Jonathan exclaimed, getting up from the recliner where he was sitting reading the newspaper. "Do you need any help carrying anything in >from the car?" Martha heard them and came into the room. "Hey, sweetie." She hurried over to Lois and gave her a motherly hug. "You look tired. How are you feeling?" When Lois felt Martha's arms around her, she nearly lost it. She'd been feeling so lost and alone for the last couple of days that the sympathy from Martha felt like a lifeline in the middle of a dark, stormy ocean. She struggled to stay in control of her emotions, though, and by the time Martha released her, she was able to smile a little without bursting into tears. "I'm okay, Martha," she answered. "But you're right. I *am* tired." Just then Clark came in with her travel bag and walked past her on the way to taking it into the bedroom. Overhearing her response, he told her, "If you're tired, Lois, you really should lie down and get some sleep." Lois glared at him. "Don't tell me what to do, Clark." Martha looked over at Jonathan, and they exchanged a meaningful look. "Um, Jonathan? Can you come out on the balcony for a minute?" she asked pointedly. "I need to talk to you about something." Understanding her silent message, Jonathan nodded and followed her into the other room. Clark continued on into the bedroom, telling himself not to let Lois' attitude get to him. But he had to admit, her act was getting pretty old. He set Lois' bag down on his bed, then returned to the living room. He noticed his parents had managed to conveniently disappear, so he strode over to Lois, who was still standing in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed in front of her defiantly. "Lois, I'm getting a little tired of your attitude," he said brusquely, stopping a couple feet from her. "You're going to be here for a few days, so you might as well get used to the idea." "What if I don't *want* to get used to the idea?" she snapped back. "No one *asked* you to bring me here!" That did it. Clark had had enough. "Well, you left me no choice!" he shouted angrily. "What else was I supposed to do? I was sick to death of getting the cold shoulder treatment from you! This was the only way I could think of to get you to spend an extended period of time with me, to force you to talk to me!" "So you just waltzed into Dr. Silverman's office and convinced him to release me in your care?! How dare you!" Lois raged, not even caring that Martha and Jonathan were most likely overhearing their fight. "How dare you try to take control of my life! What, suddenly you know what's best for me? Did you think you could just waltz into my life and start ordering me around, telling me where to go and what to do? Well, I've got news for you, Clark! You *can't*!!" "I'm not trying to run your life, Lois!" "Oh, really?" Lois shot back, folding her arms in front of her petulantly. "Then what do *you* call it?" "Lois, all I wanted to do was to get you to talk to me! I couldn't stand the thought that you were shutting me out, that you giving up on us! Don't you think our relationship is worth fighting for?" "Of course I do! But there are a lot of things I'm trying to deal with right now, and I'm a little preoccupied by trying to come to terms with them in my mind!" "Well, I offered to talk with you about them!" Clark pointed out resentfully. "Yeah, and then you practically flew out of the room as soon when I started to!" she answered, her voice laced with sarcasm. "So much for wanting to listen!" "Lois, I said I was sorry about that!" he snapped. "What else do you want me to say?" Lois felt angry tears gathering in her eyes. "It doesn't matter that you apologized, Clark! I needed to talk to you about something that was really important, and what did you do? You practically flew out of the room to go and help somebody else! What I had to say may not have been important to you, but it was important to me!" She choked back a sob. "It proved to me exactly what was most important to you. And it wasn't me." Clark stood, stunned, as he listened to how his one, completely thoughtless act had affected her. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Lois brushed at the tears spilling down her cheeks, angry at herself for letting it show how much what he had done hurt her. "Clark, the fact of the matter is, I'll never be able to compete with your "work", will I? How do I know that you're not going to be like my father, deciding that work is more important than me?" "Your *father*?" Clark asked incredulously. "Is that what this is all about? You feel like I'm choosing my work over you like your father did? Lois, that's ridiculous! You know me better than that." "Do I, Clark? Do I really?" Lois asked. "Suddenly, I'm not so sure. Up until a week ago, I thought I knew everything there was to know about you. But then I find out there's a whole other side to you that I never even knew about! And that really confuses me. I mean, are you that guy who flies around in tights saving people, or are you the man I've come to know over the years and have fallen in love with? Or are you someone in the middle? I don't know what to think." Clark took a step closer, his voice softer when he spoke. "Lois, like I told you, I'm still the same person you thought I was, just with a few added...bonuses." He grinned a little. But his attempt at a joke didn't sit well with Lois. "You think that's funny?" she scowled at him. "Sure, go ahead and joke about this. It all may seem laughable to you. You've known about your abilities all your life. But I just barely found out, so excuse me if I don't feel like laughing." "Come on, Lois, lighten up." He rolled his eyes. "You're making way too big a deal out of this. I'm the same person I always was, and if you'd just calm down and give things a chance, you'd see that." "Calm down? You want me to calm down?" Lois ranted, infuriated by the way he was taking things so lightly. "You think that I'm overreacting? That I shouldn't be this angry? Well, let me spell things out for you, and you can decide if I have enough reasons to be angry." She started ticking things off on her fingers, moving at light-speed into classic Lois babble mode. "First, you ask me to marry you, and then I find out that you didn't even bother to tell me there was a whole other side to you that I didn't know about! Then that leads me to deal with the fact that you blatantly lied to me about it for the past two years. But just when I'm finally getting over that, and I need to open up and talk to you about what's bothering me, you make like my father and vanish 'faster than a speeding bullet'! So now I'm dealing with the fact that you lied to me, chose your work over me, and then decided to con my doctor into letting you take me home so you can continue to run my life!" She stopped, putting her hands on her hips and shooting him a seething stare. "So, tell me. What exactly is it that I'm making too big a deal out of?" Clark could tell that her anger was bordering on hysteria, and he decided he'd better settle her down before she made herself sick. All this yelling couldn't be good for her. "Lois," he told her, trying to sound calm and reasonable. "Why don't you just sit down, and we can talk about this calmly. You're going to make yourself sick with all this yelling." "I don't want to sit down!" she yelled at Clark. "And I'll yell if I want to!" She turned and stalked to the kitchen, then turned and stalked back. "So, Clark, answer my question! What is it that I'm making too big a deal out of?" "Lois, calm down," Clark pleaded. "You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing." "*Over nothing*!" Lois hollered, finally losing whatever self-control she had left. "You call this *nothing*? I can't believe you! How would *you* feel if the tables were turned? I don't think you would be very happy, either!" Clark nodded. "You're right, Lois. I wouldn't be. But if you'd just let me explain..." Clark began desperately. But Lois was too angry to listen. "You know what, Clark? I don't care what you have to say right now! I am just too mad about this whole thing!" Hot tears began to slide down her cheeks, and she angrily wiped at them. "I just can't get past the fact that instead of bothering to ask me how I felt about it, you took charge of my life and made the decision to have me move in here with you all on your own. For some strange reason that escapes me, you seem to think you have to watch out for me constantly. But this time you're practically smothering me by being so overprotective!" "Lois, I am *not* being overprotective!" Clark shouted, getting angry all over again. Just because I wanted to take care of you here with me, and have some time to iron things out, it doesn't mean I'm taking charge of you life!" "Then why didn't you just *ask* me if I wanted to stay with you for a few days while you took care of me?!" she asked, gesturing wildly with her arms. "Would that have been so impossible to do?" "Yeah, Lois it would have been! You weren't talking to me, remember?!" His voice rose another decibel. "Your giving me the silent treatment was what started this in the first place!" "Clark, this isn't about who started what! This is about you trying to control my life! Well, I, for one, refuse to let you push me around! I am not a child. I can take care of myself!" Clark had finally reached his boiling point. "Oh, really?" he yelled furiously. "You can take care of yourself, huh? Is that what you were doing a week ago when you were shot?" The second the words were out of his mouth, Clark instantly regretted them. A sickening silence filled the room, and Lois' face paled. Tears stung at her eyes, and her face began to crumble. Quickly, she turned away. Clark closed his eyes, silently cursing himself for even thinking, let alone *saying* something so horrible. He reached out for Lois' shaking shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Lois, I am *so* sorry," he began, overcome with guilt at his words. "I swear to you, I didn't mean that. It was a *horrible* thing to say, and I have no idea why I said it." He pulled her against him, enveloping her in his arms and holding her tightly against him. He felt her shoulders start to shudder beneath his arms as her tears turned into sobs. "Lois, I'm sorry...I'm *so* sorry," he murmured over and over again into her hair, hating himself for saying those hurtful words. A minute later, Lois pulled roughly out of his embrace. "Just leave me alone!" she managed to choke out before whirling around and running for the door. Before Clark could move, she'd bounded up the stairs, flung the door open and ran out, slamming it loudly behind her. He was about to go after her when her heard a door shut behind him, and he turned to see his mom and dad coming in off the balcony. He could tell from their expressions that they'd heard everything. Clark felt guilty tears stinging his eyes. "I can't believe I said something heartless!" he said in disgust. "How could I have done such a thing?" He shook his head. "I've got to go after her." He started for the front door, but his dad's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Best to let her be for now," he told Clark matter-of-factly. "She's understandably upset, and she's going to need to blow off some steam." "I didn't mean to say that," Clark insisted, feeling very close to tears himself. "I have no idea what came over me..." His voice trailed off. Martha jumped in, her tone showing her disappointment in him. "Yes, it was a thoughtless thing to say, Clark, and truthfully, I'd thought we'd raised you better than that." Clark sighed heavily. "I know, Mom. I'm sorry." She shook her head firmly. "It's not *me* you have to apologize to, Clark, it's Lois. As soon as she's had time to cool off, I expect you to go out there and tell her." Her voice softened. "Lois is having a tough time with everything right now, and she needs your help, not your anger. Be gentle with her. Show her that you love her." Clark nodded slowly. "I know, Mom. I plan to. Things just got totally out of hand." ********** In the meantime, Lois stormed outside and then went down a few steps before stopping to catch her breath. Even though she'd only gone a couple dozen yards, she felt like she'd just run six miles. Wearily, she leaned against the wall and slid slowly to the ground. Once sitting, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Then she buried her face in her knees and cried. She must've cried for quite some time, because when there were finally no more tears left to cry, she felt completely worn out and exhausted. Even then, she continued to sit on the hard, cement steps, not wanting to go back in to face Clark, but not wanting to stay where she was. Then she heard a quiet voice call her name. "Lois." She turned her head slightly to see that Clark had come outside and was standing at the top of the steps just a few feet away. She noticed that he looked as miserable as she felt. She wiped at her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand and then looked away from Clark, focusing on a small hole in the concrete step in front of her. "What?" she asked irritably. "Can we talk?" Lois shrugged indifferently. Clark took her not dismissing him immediately to be a good sign and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor next to her. "Lois, I need to tell you again how truly sorry I am about what I said. It was incredibly cruel and stupid, and I didn't mean it." Lois continued to stare at the ground long after he'd finished speaking. She wrapped her arms back around her knees and rested her chin on them, not sure how to respond to Clark's admission. When she continued to be silent, Clark reached out and started to rub her back gently. "Lois, can't we talk about this? It's killing me to know that I've hurt you this badly. I'll do anything I can to make things right." When Lois heard those words, she started to cry softly again. "Clark, if you didn't mean it, why did you say it? Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" She reached out to take the tissue her handed her. "I know, Lois. I can't tell you how sorry I am," he said yet again. Lois started to fiddle with the tissue. Focused all her attention on it, she straightened it, then folded and unfolded it nervously. Clark could tell from her fidgeting that there was something else she wanted to say, so he sat quietly, rubbing her back lightly and waiting for her to continue. When she finally did, her voice was quiet and she spoke haltingly. "You know, I never told you how scared I was in that warehouse, knowing that there was the possibility that something could happen to me when I took off with that Kryptonite. Then I heard the sound of that bullet being fired..." her voice trailed off. Clark could tell she was struggling to stay composed. He moved his hand to the back of her neck and gently massaged the tense muscles there. "Lois, if this is too hard for you to talk about, you don't have to tell me," he told her quietly. But she shook her head and sniffled loudly as she looked up from the toe of her shoe. "No, it's okay," she assured him, trying to stay in control of her emotions. "It'll probably help to talk about it." She looked down at her tissue and unfolded it again, avoiding his eyes as she spoke. "I remember hearing the shot, but I don't remember the bullet actually hitting me. All I can remember is that burning pain, then feeling my legs give out. I remember how scared I felt, lying there on the ground, thinking I was going to die..." A sob caught in her throat, and she stopped, unable to continue. Hearing her tell how terrifying the experience had been for her caused the lump in Clark's throat to grow and his guilt to come flooding back. Doing his best to put his own feelings aside, though, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. He rested his chin on the top of her head and lifted his hand to stroke her hair soothingly. "Lois, knowing that you had to go through everything that you did just tears me apart," he told her quietly. "You don't know how many times since it happened that I've wished it could've been me who was hurt instead of you. " "I know, Clark." He continued to hold her for several more minutes before finally releasing her. "Are we okay, Lois?" She sighed. "I guess so. But we still have a lot to work through, and I'm not sure how easy it's going to be." Clark leaned over to bump his shoulder against hers gently. "Come on, Lois, it won't be so bad. It may be a little rough at first, but we'll get through it." He was quiet for a minute, but then a smile spread rapidly across his face, reaching all the way into his eyes. "Besides, just think of all the perks this brings. You can go flying anytime you want, and you have to admit, I'm going to be awfully handy around the house." Lois had to laugh at that. She leaned into him, bumping her shoulder against his in return. "You've got a point there." Clark continued. "I guess the bottom line is, we've gotten through everything else together, and we'll get through *this* together." Lois nodded in agreement. "Together." Clark pulled her into his arms again, and Lois automatically rested her hand on his chest, finding herself soothed by his enveloping hug and the steady beating of his heart underneath her hand. They sat that way for several minutes before Clark kissed the top of her head and leaned back a little so he could look down into her face. "You look exhausted. What do you say we go back inside and let you can get some sleep?" Lois breathed out deeply. "You don't know how good that sounds." Clark stood up and then put his hands out to help her up. She took them, but grimaced in pain as she stood up. Sitting on the ground for so long had stiffened up her muscles, and suddenly the door to Clark's apartment seemed miles away. As if reading her thoughts, Clark scooped her off her feet and started carrying her up the steps. She was about to protest, but decided she was too tired to do even that. So, as Clark carried her into the apartment, she let her head fall against Clark's shoulder wearily. They hadn't gone ten steps when Lois felt her eyelids weighing down heavily. She was pretty drowsy and nearly asleep by the time Clark carried her into the bedroom. Very carefully, he set down on his bed and reached for the folded quilt on the foot of his bed. He shook it open and covered her up. The motion brought her part way out of her sleepy state. "Clark?" she whispered. He finished tucking the quilt around her, then sat down on the bed next to her. "Yeah?" he answered softly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before. I didn't mean to fly off the handle like that." Clark smiled. "I know you didn't. I've gotten pretty used to your ranting and raving. Your fiery temper is one of the things I love about you the most." Lois could only mumble a sleepy, incoherent response, and Clark took that as his cue to leave. Leaning over, he pressed a feather-light kiss against her forehead. "Sleep well, Lois." ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:59:07 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 8/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 8/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** While Lois slept, Clark and his parents lounged around the apartment, talking quietly and overall feeling more relaxed since it looked like the storm had blown over. "I'm glad you and Lois are back on speaking terms," Martha told Clark a few hours later as the three of them worked in the kitchen to prepare dinner. "I have to admit, I was pretty worried about how things were going to turn out this time." Clark nodded in agreement. "You and me, both." He was concentrating on the chicken he was frying on the stove when a sudden movement caught his eye. He looked up to see Lois coming into the kitchen. His mom and dad looked up and spotted her, too. "Well, there she is," Jonathan exclaimed jovially. "We thought you were going to sleep all day." Lois walked the rest of the way into the kitchen, not feeling completely awake yet. "Why?" she asked, her voice gravely. "How long was I asleep? "Almost four hours," Clark told her, smiling at her as she walked over to him. "How are you feeling?" "Better," she told him. She leaned against his arm, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. "Something smells good. What are you making?" "My mom's best fried chicken recipe. You'll love it," he assured her. It wasn't long before they had the chicken fried, the salad tossed, the rolls buttered, and were all sitting down at the table to eat. Now that the air had been cleared, Lois found herself enjoying the time they were all spending together. But as soon as dinner was done and dishes had been washed and put away, Martha and Jonathan announced that it was getting late, and told them they were going to head out. Lois immediately protested. "I don't want you guys to leave on account of me!" Martha smiled sweetly and patted her arm. "Don't worry about it, Lois. We're going to visit some more with the Johnsons before we need to fly back to Smallville the day after tomorrow. Besides, you guys need some time to be alone. You don't need two old fogies hanging around here." So, within a half-hour, they'd finished packing their stuff and Clark helped them out to their rental car with their suitcases. When he came back in, he locked the door and bounded down the steps into the living room where Lois was relaxing on the couch. "Well, my parents are off. I guess that means we have the place to ourselves." Lois smiled back. "I guess it does." Clark lifted her legs, which were stretched out along the couch, and slid underneath them. Then he placed her feet in his lap. "So what do you want to do tonight?" "You've got to be kidding me," Lois said, shaking her head and smiling tiredly. "All I plan on doing is lying here doing nothing." "Still tired?" "More worn out than tired, I think," she admitted. "It's been a long day." He smiled softly. "It has." There was a long, comfortable silence. Finally, Clark moved her legs off of his lap and stood up. "Don't move. I'll be right back." He supersped out of the room, and Lois smiled and shook her head. 'It's going to take a while to get used to that,' she admitted to herself. When Clark returned a few moments later, he had the pillow and quilt from the bed. He laid the blanket over her, tucking it snugly around her legs. Then he helped her sit up a bit so he could slide underneath her torso. Finally, he put the pillow across his lap and helped her lay down on it. "Better?" "Mmm, much." She opened her eyes and stared up into the face above hers. "Thanks, Clark." He smiled into her eyes. "Anytime." He reached for the remote. "Do you mind if we watch some TV?" Lois shook her head. "It's fine with me." For the next hour or so, Lois relaxed with her head on the pillow as they watched TV and talked. It seemed like ages ago when she'd last been in the comforting circle of his arms. She entwined her fingers with Clark's as he rested his hand lightly across her stomach and closed her eyes as he used his other hand to comb his fingers soothingly through her hair. She always loved having her hair played with, and it wasn't long before the soothing motion began to put her to sleep. She was drifting in and out of sleep when Clark shifted beneath her, arousing her from her drowsy state. "Lois, wake up," Clark whispered, his hand touching her shoulder gently. "Mmmm," Lois mumbled sleepily. "How come?" "I've got to change your bandages," he told her. "I almost forgot. Are you awake enough to make it into the bedroom? I'll change them in there, and then you can sleep on my bed." "I guess I can make it," she responded drowsily. She let him help her to her feet. "But where are you going to sleep?" He led her by the hand into the bedroom and guided her onto the bed. "Don't worry about me. I'll just sleep on the couch." Then, before she could protest further, he hurried into the bathroom for the stuff he needed. He returned a moment later with a handful of stuff, then laughed when he saw that Lois had fallen sideways onto the bed sleepily. "Lois, wake up!" She smiled sleepily at him. "I'm awake, I'm awake." "Sure you are." He grinned as he helped her sit back up. Then he sat down on the bed behind her and reached for the bottom of her T-shirt. But suddenly he stopped. Awkwardly, he realized that he was going to have to lift the back of her shirt clear up her back to get at her shoulder, which would reveal a large expanse of her bare skin. Noticing his hesitation, Lois turned and looked at him over her shoulder. "Clark, if this makes you uncomfortable, I can do it myself." Clark laughed. "Yeah, right, Lois. Think about this. How are you going to change your bandages all by yourself?" "Well..." "See?" He smiled at her. "Now turn around so I can do this." Forcing himself to sound casual despite the sudden rush of adrenaline, he decided the best way to do this was to treat it as if there was nothing unusual about seeing large pieces of her unclothed. He lifted up her shirt and had her hold the corner of it up over her right shoulder so he could get at her bandages. Then he carefully pulled back the white adhesive tape and removed the cotton bandage. When he did, he nearly gasped out loud. As he stared at her shoulder, he realized that he'd been unprepared for what he was seeing in front of him. He'd seen bullet wounds and other severe injuries before, but seeing it on Lois...it was a whole different thing entirely. The long, harsh-looking surgical incision was held together by a dozen or so purplish stitches, and the skin around it was almost the same purple color due to the large extent of bruising that had spread across her right shoulder blade. Looking at it, Clark suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes a moment, stilling the onslaught of emotions and taking a deep, silent breath, willing himself to stay in control. He then forced himself to go about the task of cleaning the area around her incision with peroxide, doing his best to say cheerful and positive things to Lois. When he finally finished applying the new dressing, he sat back, silently congratulating himself for not losing it. "Voila! All done." He announced cheerfully. "See? It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be, was it?" He took the stuff back into the bathroom, then returned to help Lois climb between the sheets on his bed. Swallowing the lump that still remained in his throat, he told her, "If you need anything tonight, Lois, just let me know. I'll be right out in the living room." She smiled at him through drooping lids. "I will, Clark. G'night." "Night, Lois." He turned and switched off the light, then left the room. The nauseous, unsettled feeling stayed with Clark even long after he, himself, went to bed. He tried to sleep, but instead found himself tossing and turning on the couch, unable to get the sight of Lois' incision, stitches and bruising out of his mind. The overwhelming feelings of guilt filled his soul, knowing that he'd been the cause of Lois getting hurt. That continued to eat at him, now more than ever since he'd just seen the damage it had caused to the woman he loved. Finally he gave up, knowing he wasn't going to be able to sleep. He threw off his blankets and stood up. Maybe some fresh air would help him clear his head. Careful not to wake Lois, he crossed the apartment and opened the door to the balcony, then stepped out into the cool night air. He wandered over to the edge of the balcony and rested his arms on the bordering wall, looking up into the velvety, star-filled night sky. He breathed deeply. There was always something calming to him about the night. He was seriously contemplating taking a quick flight over the city when a noise behind him startled him, causing his head to jerk around. Lois was standing in the doorway wearing a mid-thigh length T-shirt, her hair mussed and eyes still droopy. "Clark?" she asked, her voice sounding sleepy. "What are you doing out here?" He sighed. "Everything's okay, Lois. I just couldn't sleep." Lois walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. She closed her eyes and relaxed against him. "So how come you couldn't sleep?" she murmured sleepily. The memory of her incision, stitches and bruising rushed to the forefront of his mind, and he unconsciously stiffened. Lois immediately felt the muscles in his back tense up, and she lifted her cheek from his back. "Clark? What is it? What's wrong?" When she moved around to stand beside him, she saw that he had tears on his cheeks. She was both stunned and confused. "Clark?" she asked again. Ashamed and embarrassed, he brushed roughly at the wetness on his cheeks. Then, without a word, he turned and walked over to the lounge chair in the corner and dropping into it dejectedly. She followed him and lowered herself into his lap. Automatically, Clark's hands wrapped around her waist and he pulled her close. Lois responded by slipping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his warmth. Clark was silent for a long time as the night's breeze ruffled his hair, making him looked rumpled and incredibly vulnerable. Whatever he was feeling, it was obviously eating him up inside. Lois decided to just wait patiently. He would tell her when he was ready. It was several minutes later when he finally spoke, his voice quiet and filled with remorse. "Lois, do you have *any* idea how horrible I feel, knowing that you got hurt because of me? Because you were trying to help me? And that I wasn't able to protect you from getting hurt?" Lois' heart went out to him. "Oh, Clark, this wasn't your fault," she insisted, lifting her head from his shoulder so she could look into his eyes. "You can't blame yourself every time someone gets hurt." "*Someone* didn't get hurt," he told her firmly. "*You* got hurt. And I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. All these powers I have, all the things I can do...if I can't use them to keep the people I love from getting hurt, what good are they?" "Clark, you can't save everybody," Lois told him matter-of-factly. "I know you didn't want me to get hurt, and that you would've helped me if you could. But sometimes we just have to accept the fact that things happen. We can't change them, no matter how badly we might want to. We just have to learn from them and deal with them the best we can. And most importantly, I will *not* let you blame yourself for this." She emphasized her words by tapping her knuckles gently against his chest. "I know, Lois," he told her softly. "But I just keep seeing you lying there on that warehouse floor, and think about how close I came to losing you..." his voice broke. "But I'm here, Clark," Lois reminded him softly but firmly. "So let's quit dwelling on the past and concentrate on the future, instead." Her eyes met his, and she smiled gently. Fresh tears of love and gratitude shone in his eyes as he pulled her more tightly against him. "Lois, you are too good for me. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you. The best day of my life was the day I met you." Lois felt tears in her eyes, as well. "Mine, too. I love you, Clark." "I love *you*, Lois," he whispered fiercely Their lips met in a light, loving kiss, but it quickly became more deep and passionate. Tongues explored and hands began to roam. Clark's hands found their way beneath the hem of her nightshirt, and he moved his hands up her legs, kneading her thighs gently. As the tension continued to grow between them, his hands worked their way up even further. Lois' sudden intake of breath caused him to stop quickly, and he pulled back from their kiss. Staring into her face, he noticed the hot flush on her cheeks and the aroused look in her eyes. "Lois? What's the matter? Don't you like that?" Lois struggled to control her breathing as she sat up a bit. Finally, she found her voice. "It isn't that I don't like it," she told him, trying to slow the rapid beating of her heart. "The problem is that I like it *too* much." A pleased smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "And that's a problem because...?" She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I just got the impression that you wanted to wait before we...you know." Clark brushed her hair back from her face. "Lois, the main reason I wanted to wait was because I hadn't told you yet about my being Superman. I didn't want to take that next step in our relationship until you knew everything. But now that you know..." His voice trailed off and he studied her face intently. She seemed uncertain, even apprehensive. "But, Lois, if you don't feel like you're ready for this yet, I would completely understand. I don't want to rush you into something you're not ready for." A sudden breeze ruffled her hair, blowing several strands across her face. She looked down, away from his gaze, and started absently picking at a loose string on the hem of his sleeve. "Lois?" Clark asked, nudging her gently. "What are you thinking about?" Lois sighed. "There's nothing I'd like more for us to get closer...more intimate with each other. But I just feel there's so much about you that I still don't know." He rubbed her arm lightly. "Like what?" "Well, mostly I want to know how the parts of you...*both* of you...fit together." Realizing that what she'd just said didn't make much sense, she rushed on. "I mean, I know about all the things you've done as Superman, but I don't know anything about that part of you. Like, how it felt to grow up with superpowers, how you deal with *having* those powers, yet not being able to share them with people. I mean, how does all of that affect you?" She stopped to catch her breath. "And then there are all those questions about your every day living," she continued. "For instance, do you float in your sleep? Do you even need to eat or shower? Do you use your super powers to do everything, or do you just use them when you're in the Superman costume?" Clark couldn't help laughing. "Leave it to you, Lois Lane, the greatest investigative reporter of her time, to come up with all these questions." She grinned back good-naturedly at his teasing. "I know. But I just haven't been able to stop thinking about all these things since I found out about you. When I think about it, I'm not sure I really know you as well as I thought I did." Clark nodded. "Come on," he said, moving her off his lap and helping her stand up with him. "I can tell you're not ready for this yet. Why don't we go into the kitchen and I'll make us some tea. Then we can talk." Lois smiled gratefully. "Thanks for understanding, Clark." He cupped her face in his hands, then leaned down to give her a long, sweet kiss. "You're welcome, Lois." ********** When Lois woke up the next morning, the sun was streaming in through the window and spilling across the bed. She squinted her eyes in its brightness. Wanting to savor the warm, content feeling that she'd woken up with for a few more minutes, she rolled over and pulled the blanket up over her head to shield her eyes from the sun. As she thought back to the night before, a warm smile spread across her face. After they'd come in from the balcony, she and Clark had sat down at the table with tea and talked late into the night. Clark had been very patient with her as she asked question after question, doing his best to answer all of them. When they'd finally called it a night, Lois went to bed feeling like she'd learned more about him-the real him-in those few hours than she had in the entire time they'd been dating. Feeling better than she had in days, she threw back the covers and slid out of bed. Then she threw on her robe and padded out into the quiet living room. As silently as she could, she tiptoed over to the couch and, peering over the back of it, saw that Clark was still sound asleep. A tender feeling came over her at the sight of him lying there, looking so boyish and innocent, with the blanket hanging halfway off of him and his dark hair rumpled from sleep. She resisted the urge to reach out and straighten it as she stood there staring at him. He was so beautiful, so perfect. And inside, she knew he had a beautiful soul to match. Giving him one last lingering look, she turned and tiptoed toward the bathroom for a quick shower. ********** Lois had just climbed out of the shower when she heard a quiet knock on the door. She quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her wet hair. "Just a sec," she called out. "No, Lois, don't hurry," Clark called back. "I just wanted to let you know I'm about to cook some breakfast. How do you feel about some eggs?" Lois smiled. Clark was as thoughtful first thing in the morning as he was the rest of the day. "Eggs sound great, Clark. Thanks. I'll be right out." She quickly grabbed her robe and slipped it on, fumbling with the belt to get it tied before she opened the door and went out. When she got to the kitchen, she saw that Clark was standing in front of the stove cooking the eggs. He looked up when he saw her and greeted her cheerfully. "'Morning, Lois." He looked thoughtful for a minute, then a smile spread across his face, reaching al the way into his eyes. "Hmmm. I kind of like the way that sounds." Lois laughed. "I do, too." When she reached him, she stood on tiptoe to give him a lingering kiss. "Good morning." "So how'd you sleep?" he asked when their kiss ended and he turned back to the eggs. "Great," she admitted. "How about you? Could you even get comfortable on the couch?" She reached up to get two plates from the cupboard. Clark began spooning the eggs onto the plates she was holding out for him. "Lois, it doesn't matter how or where I sleep, remember?" "Oh, yeah," Lois grinned sheepishly. "I guess I forgot." She carried the plates over to the table, then she went back to grab utensils, napkins, and glasses for the orange juice. By the time Clark joined her at the table, everything was ready. "It looks great," she commented. "I'm starving." They were about to dig in when the phone rang. Clark pushed his chair back >from the table and went to go answer it. "Hello?" "Clark? It's Perry," the deep, gravelly voice on the other end of the line responded. "Oh, hi, Chief," he said, noticing that Lois' head suddenly jerked up and she was staring at him intently. Her eggs were instantly forgotten. "What's up?" "I know you're taking a few days off to be with Lois, but I thought you'd like to know there's been some developments with the arraignments that came about from yours and Lois' crime ring story." Lois watched Clark intently as he reached for a pen and notepad on the counter and started writing down some information. 'Something must be up for Perry to call Clark on a day off,' she mused. A minute later, Clark hung up the phone and turned to her hastily. "I'm sorry, Lois, but I've gotta go." He picked up his orange juice and took a quick drink, then supersped into the bedroom, reappearing a few seconds later completely dressed in a suit and tie. Lois pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. "Clark, wait a minute! What's going on? What did Perry say?" "He said there's been some new developments with the arraignments on our crime ring story. Apparently, some of the physical evidence that the police uncovered is suddenly missing." "What?!" He nodded. "Some of the other reporters have caught wind of it, and there's going to be a press conference downtown at the courthouse in a half hour. Perry thought we might want to know about it since we were the ones to break the story." Lois felt the familiar rush of adrenaline surge through her at the possibility of landing a story as big as a possible cover-up. She took a couple quick steps toward the bedroom. "Just let me change into something presentable, and then I'll be ready to go, too." "Lois, no!" Surprised at the firmness in his voice, she turned back, confused. Seeing him standing in his 'Superman' stance with arms crossed in front of him, she knew that convincing him to let her go wasn't going to be easy. "No?" she asked, crossing her own arms and strolling back over to where he stood. "What do you mean, 'no'?" He shook his head firmly. "Lois, you can't go. You're supposed to be resting and healing, remember? I convinced your doctor to let you out of the hospital a few days early by insisting that I would make sure you followed his orders. He told you not to do *any* work, remember? Dr. Silverman would have my hide if he found out you were traipsing around the city working! " "But I worked on this story as long and as hard as you did!" she argued vehemently. "If you were to go out and look into this, it would be like you were trying to steal my story!" "It's *our* story, remember?" he corrected her gently but firmly. "And no, it wouldn't be like that. It would be Clark Kent covering for his partner who had just gotten out of the hospital yesterday." Lois let her arms fall to her side and she stepped closer to him. "Clark, I'm feeling fine! It's been almost a week since the incident, and I'm sick of sitting around doing nothing. I'm ready to get back in the game!" But no amount of pleading on Lois' part was going to change Clark's mind. "Lois, I said no, and that's all there is to it." He reached for her hands. "It's not that I don't want you to check this out with me. I do. But you were *shot*, Lois. A week ago. With a real bullet and everything." He smiled, trying to keep the situation light. "You need to give your body some time to heal." "But Clark, we're partners!" Lois cried, giving it one last try. "That's supposed to mean we cover the stories together!" "Lois!" he moaned in frustration. "It doesn't this time. But I promise I will tell you absolutely everything that happens, okay?" When all he got was a dejected pout, he shook his head and smiled. Somehow he'd known she was going to be stubborn about this. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "Now, Lois, *please* go lie down and get some rest. I'll be back as soon as I can." Then, before waiting for a response from her, he bounded up the steps to the door and was gone. Lois watched the front door shut, and she stood there for a long time, trying to control the anger she felt at being left behind. Then a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You bet I'll hear all about it," she said, grinning insolently. "But not >from you, Clark. I'm going to go on my own, and you can't stop me." Feeling rebellious, she hurried into the bedroom and pulled the only business suit she had there out of the closet. In a matter of minutes, she dressed, threw on some makeup, ran a brush through her hair, then grabbed a pen and notepad, and was out the door. On the short cab ride to the courthouse, Lois kept thinking about how furious Clark would be when he found out that she'd blatantly disobeyed him by attending the press conference. But she kept justifying her actions by telling herself that her going was really *his* fault. 'He should've known better than to tell me I couldn't do something!' she muttered to herself. 'Besides, he doesn't know everything about my condition and how I'm feeling. He thinks he knows what's best for me, but he's wrong. I feel fine. And doctors are always overly cautions. If Dr. Silverman didn't think it was safe for me to go home, he wouldn't have signed my release form.' Another motivation behind her rebellion, though, was that she wanted to prove to him-as well as to herself-that she could do this. By the time the cab dropped her off at the courthouse, the press conference was getting ready to start. Lois joined the masses of reporters filing into the courthouse for the briefing, all the while keeping an eye out for Clark. She didn't want him to spot her before things got started because she knew he'd personally see to it that she went straight back home. When she reached the briefing room, she decided it would be best if she sat in the very back. That way, she figured, she would know that Clark was sitting ahead of her somewhere, where he couldn't see her. So, with the press conference about to start, she wearily dropped into the nearest chair in the back row. She cautiously sat back in the chair, careful not to lean up against the hard metal frame in fear that it would hurt her bandaged shoulder blade. Though she didn't want to admit it, the cab ride over and having to fight the crowds into the courthouse had really worn her out. She began to wonder if Clark had been right. Maybe she *should* have stayed home. Her shoulder and ribs were beginning to ache, and she was starting to feel a bit light-headed. 'I should've finished my breakfast this morning,' she scolded herself, shaking her head. But just then the Chief of Police stood up and started to address the issues, so Lois did her best to focus her attention on him. She tried to take some notes, but her hand kept shaking and little beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. A few minutes later, the Chief of Police finished his statement and asked for questions. Lois was still concentrating on her notes when Clark's voice near the front of the room caused her to jerk her head up, which she immediately regretted. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop the room from spinning. The dizziness dissipated a few moments later, but before she could refocus on Clark's question, the person on her left leaned over to her and whispered, "Hey, Lois, are you okay?" She turned to see that Jennifer Sadler, a reporter from the Metropolis Star and an acquaintances of hers, was sitting next to her. They'd shared information on occasion, and Lois had always liked her. Jennifer went on before Lois could answer. "I heard about the shooting, and I was glad to hear you were okay," she whispered. "But you look as white as a sheet. Are you sure you're feeling well enough to be here and getting back to work already?" Lois took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Jennifer looked at her doubtfully, but she smiled back and nodded, then refocused her attention on the briefing. Lois tried to do the same, but the increasing pain in her shoulders and ribs prevented her from concentrating completely on anything else. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she reached into her purse and pulled out her bottle of pain medication. She was thankful now that she'd put the extra bottle into her purse when she and Clark had stopped by the hospital pharmacy for her prescriptions on their way home. Quietly, she popped open the lid and shook out two of the capsules into her hand. Then, with another quick glance around, she put them into her mouth and swallowed them. It was a bit harder without having water to wash them down, but after a few swallows, they were gone. It wasn't long before they started to kick in, and Lois breathed a sigh of relief. Finally she could stop thinking about how tired and sore she felt and concentrate on the questions that were being asked, and the answers that were given. But just when she was feeling pretty proud of herself for proving to herself that she could indeed do this, she suddenly started to feel hot and cold at the same time, and she started feeling sick to her stomach. Trying to figure out what was making her feel so sick all of a sudden, she traced her actions back through the morning. Then it came to her. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and she'd been warned not to take the powerful painkillers on an empty stomach. Feeling the waves of nausea start, she did her best to force them down. She struggled to get through the rest of the meeting, but when the Chief of Police continued to call on reporters to answer their questions, she doubted she could last much longer. Finally she decided there was no way she was going to make it even a minute longer. She had to get out of there now. She stood up hastily just as the Chief of Police finished answering one of the questions and called for another. He mistook her sudden movement for her wanting to ask a question, and he directed his attention to her. "Yes, Ms. Lane?" Startled, she looked up at him and realized, in a panic, that everyone's eyes were suddenly on her. Her mouth opened in surprised silence. She glanced over in Clark's direction and saw that he had half-risen from his seat, a stern and angry look on his face. Quickly looking away, Lois glanced back up at the Chief of Police. "Umm, I don't have a question. I just, uh....need to get some fresh air." Then, with a tight lipped, embarrassed smile, she turned and made a hasty move for the door. She rushed out into the hall, letting the heavy door swing shut behind her. Dizzy and already tired from her escape, she heaved a sigh of relief and leaned up against the door. 'Clark is going to be livid,' she thought. 'My best bet is to get out of here before he catches up to me.' She pushed off from the door and was halfway down the hall when she heard the doors open behind her and people started to pour out of the conference room. Apparently, the press conference had just finished. Walking quickly in order to stay ahead of the crowd, Lois made it out to the front of the building and sank wearily onto a stone bench in front of the courthouse. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes, trying to stem the nauseous feeling that was now even worse since she'd practically just run out of the building. Hating to admit that Clark was right, she stood up on trembling legs and walked over to a cab waiting at the curb, then hastily opened the door and climbed in. She was just pulling her door shut after her when she heard a familiar voice calling her. "Lois!" She turned to see that Clark had just come out of the courthouse and was walking angrily in her direction. Not wanting to face his anger, and also not wanting to potentially throw up in front of him and then hear the 'I told you so' speech, she quickly pulled the cab door shut and turned to the driver. "344 Clinton Street. And step on it!" As they sped away from the curb, Lois got a glimpse of Clark standing on the courthouse steps, his hands on his hips and a furious expression on his face. If she weren't feeling so sick to her stomach and light-headed, she would've been more afraid of what was in store for her when he got home. The cab arrived at Clark's apartment in record time, and Lois had never been more glad to see anything in her life. Swallowing hard, she quickly pulled a bill from her purse and practically flung it into the front seat. Mumbling something that she hoped sounded like 'keep the change', she darted >from the cab and ran up the apartment steps. She fumbled frantically with the key and finally flung the door open and made a mad dash for the bathroom. She barely made it before her stomach lurched, and she dropped onto the cool tile in front of the toilet. As she heaved into toilet bowl over and over again, she felt the perspiration drip off of her, and tears began to slide down her cheeks. Her ribs ached from her stomach wrenching over and over again, and, although she hated to say it, she wished she'd listened to Clark. He'd been right. She'd overdone it, and now she was paying for it. A few minutes later, she heard the front door to the apartment bang open loudly, then slam shut. Clark's loud, angry voice followed. "Lois, are you here?!" Lois cringed. Boy, was she going to get it. Trying to keep her voice steady, she called out weakly, "Yeah." Never feeling so angry as when Lois was threatened or intentionally put herself in danger, Clark knew that this time she'd pushed him too far. He stormed into the apartment. "Lois, I can't believe you blatantly ignored me and went to that press conference!" he raged as he crossed the living room. "We talked about it before I left, and I thought you understood why I told you you couldn't go!" She heard his footsteps go into the bedroom, and then stop. Then his footsteps changed directions and came toward the bathroom, still yelling. "I told you to stay home and rest, but as usual, you didn't bother to listen!" A moment later, he angrily pushed the half-closed bathroom door the rest of the way open. But the instant he saw her kneeling on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet, her hands clutching its rim tightly, his angry expression melted into one of concern. He rushed in and was instantly beside her, putting a hand on her back. He noticed how damp the back of her shirt felt, and his heart leaped into his throat. "Lois, are you okay? What's the matter? She couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. "Clark, I'm sorry," she told him, her voice sounding weak and strained. She moved away >from the toilet and Clark helped her sit with her back against the wall. "I thought you were overreacting this morning when you said I wasn't well enough to go to the press conference, so I decided to go anyway. But then I was so worn out by the time I got there, and my ribs and shoulder started to hurt, so I took my pain medication. But I hadn't eaten any breakfast, so I started feeling so sick...." "You took your pain medication on an empty stomach?" Clark asked incredulously. "Lois, you know better than that! The doctor even warned you..." "Okay, Clark, you were right!" she told him, feeling miserable as well as embarrassed. "You were right about everything! I should have listened to you when you told me not to go. Is that what you want to hear?" Clark took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "No, Lois, that's not what I wanted to hear," he began, more gently this time. "This isn't about who's right and who's wrong. It's about you taking care of yourself." Lois felt the nauseousness return and she knew she was going to throw up again, and this time in front of Clark. On shaking legs, she lurched forward, pushing Clark out of the way and lunging for the toilet. Embarrassed, she continued to heave into the bowl until she felt like her ribs couldn't take it any more. Clark remained beside her, rubbing her back soothingly as her stomach continued to try unsuccessfully to rid itself of any last remnants of its contents. He couldn't help noticing that her skin felt cold and clammy beneath his hand, and that her body was shaking uncontrollably. When there was nothing left to throw up, Lois sat back, leaning against Clark's strong arm. "Clark, I know you're mad, and you have every right to be," she told him weakly. "But can we save the lecture for later? I feel miserable." "Sssh," Clark said soothingly as he gathered her into his arms. "Enough lecturing. I'm sorry that I yelled. Let's just get you feeling better." He stood up slowly. "Come on. Let's get you out of these clothes and into something dry." Feeling completely drained, she let her head slump against his shoulder and held him loosely around his neck as he carried her into the bedroom and set her down gently on the bed. She closed her eyes wearily as she felt the softness of the mattress beneath her. Clark went over to the dresser and opened drawer he'd cleaned out for Lois to use. He fumbled around in it, then pulled out one of her nightshirts and returned to her side. "Here you go, Lois. Why don't you put this on and I'll go get some herbal tea going for you." Lois mumbled something unintelligible, and he grinned. "Lois, I have no idea what you just said. Even *I* couldn't hear that." She tried again. "I said I'm fine. I just want to lie here for a while." "Uh-uh," Clark answered, moving back to her side. "If we leave you in those damp clothes, you'll catch a cold." He helped her sit up. "Come on. I'll help you." She nodded wearily. "Okay." Lois began to fumble tiredly with her buttons, and Clark watched her for a minute, feeling bad for her. It was obvious that even the simple task of undressing herself was far too difficult for her in the state she was in. Smiling, he pushed her hands aside and took over. "At the rate you're going," he told her. "You'll be asleep before you've managed to undo your buttons." She smiled tiredly, gratefully allowing him to help. He quickly unbuttoned the first few buttons on her shirt, but then he realized something. He hadn't anticipated what would happen when he finally *did* get the rest of her shirt unbuttoned. He'd never seen Lois without her clothes. True, he'd seen large pieces of her bared skin just the night before when he'd had to change her bandages. But this...this was a whole different story. "Come on, Clark! Grow up!" he scolded himself. "You're just helping your fiancee get changed. She's sick, and she needs your help. After all, this is what you promised the doctor you would do for her." Clark closed his eyes momentarily, commanding his faculties to listen and obey. Then, with renewed determination, he undid the last button and forced himself not to stare as he helped her pull her arms from the sleeves. He gave himself a mental shake as he saw her sitting before him in her lacy bra, and he quickly looked away as he felt his hormones threaten to take over. Not bothering to undo the clasp on her bra for fear that he wouldn't be able to remain in control of himself, he made a hasty grab for the nightshirt lying beside him and helped her slip it over her head and push her arms into the sleeves. "Okay. Now can you stand up?" he asked with forced objectivity. She held her arms up tiredly, and he helped her to her feet. She wobbled slightly, and he held onto her for a minute while she balanced. "Are you okay?" She nodded, her lids half closed. Wondering if she was even still awake, or if she was going through all these motions in her sleep, he gave her arms a squeeze. "Hold onto me while I get your skirt off, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he lifted the hem of her nightshirt and fumbled unseeingly with her belt and then the button, and then finally slipping the skirt down over her hips and to where it appeared below the hem of the nightshirt. He carefully helped her step out of it, congratulating himself for taking her skirt off without seeing too much. Then he reached over to pull back the covers on the bed and helped her to crawl between the sheets. Pulling the comforter up around her chin, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her temple. "You get some sleep, now, Lois, and I'll be in to check on you in a while." He chuckled when Lois once again mumbled something he couldn't understand. "Sweet dreams, Lois," he said, then left her alone. Glancing back at her sleeping form, he smiled. No matter what disheveled condition or however sick she felt, she always looked beautiful to him. Then he remembered the brief glimpse he'd gotten of her unclothed form, and he headed for the bathroom to take a cold shower. ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:59:56 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 10/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit What it Means to Love You part 10/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** Lois' check up with Dr. Silverman went even better than she'd hoped. He agreed with Clark's observation that she was healing quickly, and told her that her stitches were ready to come out and then removed them as she sat on the paper-covered examination table. Then things got even better when he told her she could start working part-days at the Planet as long as she promised to work no later than two o'clock so she could go home and rest for the next couple of weeks. She was so excited that she knew she'd practically agree to anything if it meant getting back to the Planet. As soon as she was done, she was so excited that, instead of going back to Clark's apartment to call him on the phone, she decided to drive straight over to the Planet to tell him in person. When she stepped off the elevator and hurried down the ramp, she scanned the newsroom for Clark. He wasn't at his desk, so she headed for Perry's office, thinking he might be there. Through the large windows, she could see that Perry sitting in his chair at his desk, and he was talking to Clark, who was sitting on the couch across from him. Perry looked up suddenly and caught Lois' eye, his face breaking out into a smile. He said something to Clark, then gestured in her direction. Clark turned around quickly and spotted her, then turned back to say something to Perry before standing up and hurrying out to her. Lois noticed that his brow was furrowed with concern as he approached. "Lois, are you okay? Why are you here instead of back at the apartment? What did the doctor have to say?" She grinned at him teasingly. "And you say * I * ask too many questions." But she could tell he was too concerned about her to realize she was making a joke. "Clark, lighten up. I just came by to tell you that Dr. Silverman said I was doing great. He took my stitches out and even told me I could come back to work half days." Clark face lit up. "Lois, that's great! I'm glad things went so well! Why don't we celebrate by going out to lunch?" "That sounds great!" After okaying his early lunch with Perry, Clark escorted her to the little café down the street where they often ate lunch together during the week. They talked about the article Clark was working on that morning, and he kept telling her how excited he was at the thought of having her back at work with him. "Yeah, that'll be great, won't it?" she agreed. But her tone sounded wistful. He studied her intently. "Lois? Is something wrong?" She stirred some sugar into her coffee. "Well, it just occurred to me that now that I'm well enough to go back to work at least for part-days, I'm also well enough not to need constant supervision. So," she paused. "I guess that means I should probably move back into my apartment." Clark got quiet. "I hadn't thought about that." Lois noticed that he sounded as sad as she felt. She wasn't thrilled at the idea of moving back into her place, of not being with Clark all day, every day as she had been for the last few days. She'd come to enjoy living with him on a full-time basis, especially after all the fun they'd had together. And then there was last night. Sleeping in separate apartments after the intimate night they'd just spent together didn't exactly thrill her. She realized how quickly spending every day and night with him had spoiled her. It made the thought of marrying him sound even more appealing. As if reading her thoughts, Clark reached across the table to take her hand and then fingered her engagement ring. "I guess one way to look at this is, it won't be long before we'll be married. And then we'll be able to spend every day and every *night*," he winked at her, "together under the same roof." "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then, knowing they were both feeling a little sad about the whole thing, Clark changed the subject, hoping to lighten the mood. Luckily, it worked. By the time they'd finished lunch and got back to the Planet, they were both feeling more positive. Lois went back to the office with Clark and told Perry about the doctor's decision to let her work a few hours a day for the next couple of weeks, before finally switching back to full days by the end of the month. Needless to say, Perry was thrilled. He told her he'd see her first thing the next morning, and to plan on him needling her about taking things easy for those first few days. She grinned at him. "You? Telling me to take things easy? That'd be a first." But he'd only smiled good-naturedly, and waved her off. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Lois. In the meantime, get." She and Clark left his office, then headed for the elevators. "Are you sure you don't want me to see you back to my apartment?" Clark asked, clasping her hand and swinging it lightly. She shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I'm just going to spend the afternoon packing up my things so I can get back to my apartment tonight." She sighed sadly. Clark gave her hands a squeeze. "I know. I don't want you to go, either." He smiled at her wistfully. "Don't overexert yourself this afternoon, okay? I'll be home a little early so I can help you take your stuff back to your apartment." She nodded. "Okay." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly. "I'll see you then." ********** "There. That's the last of it," Clark told her when he finished bringing her stuff in from the car. "Have we forgotten anything?" Lois looked over the pile of stuff on her couch and shook her head, laughing. "I seriously doubt it. I didn't realize I had this much stuff at your apartment." He grinned at her as he set the last bag down next to the couch. "Do you need some help unpacking things?" She shook her head. "No, but thanks. I'm just going to leave everything where it's at and unpack tomorrow." She pushed aside her pillow and flopped down on the only semi-vacant space available on the couch. Clark went over to her and squatted down in front of her. He put his hand on her knee, rubbing it lightly with his thumb. "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" he asked her seriously. "You look pretty tired." "I am a little tired," she admitted. "But it's nothing a good night's sleep won't fix." After several moments, he patted her knee and stood up. "Then instead of sticking around, I'm going to let you get some rest. After all, Perry's expecting you at work in the morning. I'll be by to pick you up before work, though, okay? So don't leave without me." She smiled wearily. "I won't. It'll be nice to see you after a long night of being alone." Wistfully, he reached out and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "I know. I'm going to miss you, too." He leaned down to give her a kiss, then walked to the door. "See you in the morning." "Night, Clark. And thanks for your help." He turned back to her and smiled. "If you need anything, call me. Okay?" She nodded. "I will." He finally left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Lois could tell he was having just as tough a time saying goodbye as she was. It was funny that a week ago, saying goodnight was just something they did. But now everything had changed. She sighed. It was going to be hard to revert back to the way they'd done things before everything had happened. But at least it would give her some time to do think more clearly and objectively about the concerns that still occasionally surfaced. 'But not tonight,' she thought tonight, pushing herself up off the couch and turning off the lights in her apartment. She was tired, and it was going to be a busy day tomorrow. So, without giving her concerns another thought, she changed into her nightshirt, climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep. ********** "Lois, Clark! I need that article about Price's capture up on my desk in ten minutes!" Perry hollered at them from his office doorway. "We're almost done, Chief!" Clark called back, then turned to smile at Lois, who was sitting at her desk typing furiously on her keyboard. "Somehow I thought he'd go a little easier on you today since this is your first day back." Lois shook her head and smiled without taking her eyes off her monitor. "You should know better than that. When was the last time Perry went easy on anybody?" "Good point." Lois typed for another couple minutes, then hit the 'return' key with finality. "There! All done." She turned to beam proudly at Clark. "Not bad for my first article back, if I do say so myself." Just then Perry hollered at them again from his office. "Lois, Clark! Breaking news. In my office, pronto!" Clark looked over at Lois and met her gaze. Then, with a confused look towards Perry's office, they got up and started toward it. As soon as they walked in, Perry handed Clark a piece of paper. "I have a possible page one story for you two. Remember the missing evidence from your crime ring story?" They nodded, and Perry went on. "Well, there are some rumors flying around that somebody on the Mayor's staff might be involved with its disappearance. I want you two to get right on this." "Uh, Chief..." Clark began, glancing down at his watch. "I can jump on this, but Lois needs to get out of her since it's already after four." "Oh, that's right," Perry responded. "Lois, you're only supposed to be on half days, so you go on home and I'll partner Clark with somebody else on this one." Lois immediately started to protest. "No, really, you guys, I feel fine! I can handle doing this with Clark." But before Perry could respond, Clark shook his head adamantly. "Sorry, Lois, but those were the doctor's orders. He said half days, remember? Now, you go home and I'll take care of this." Lois stared at Clark defiantly, an eyebrow lifted in a silent challenge. "Don't tell me what to do, Clark," she told him in an hostile stage-whisper. "We talked about this, remember? You told me that you were going to stop being so overprotective toward me." "I'm not being overprotective," he argued quietly back. "I'm just making sure you follow the doctor's orders." She crossed her arms angrily across her chest. "So all of a sudden you're my keeper?! I *don't* think so," she finished, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Perry raised his eyebrows at their dispute, but remained silent. It had never been his policy to interfere, and he wasn't about to start now. Clark glanced awkwardly at their silent editor, then turned back to Lois. "Um, Lois?" he said, his voice low but firm. "Do you think we can talk about this later? Maybe somewhere more private?" Lois quit whispering. "Why, so you can continue to boss me around?" she yelled. "Forget it!" Then she turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. The air in the office was thick with tension after Lois' departure. After several moments, Clark turned to Perry. "Sorry about that, Chief. She's been extremely temperamental and overly sensitive ever since our little run in with Price and Hendricks a week ago." "Since a week ago? I'd say she's been like that since I've known her." Perry grinned. "Just let her be and she'll realize you're right when she cools off. Someone needs to keep her from overdoing things around here for a while, and, I hate to say, you stand a better chance at that than I do." Clark shook his head and laughed. "I'm not so sure about that, but we'll see." ********** Clark may have been able to laugh the whole thing off, but Lois didn't think it was one bit funny. After snatching her briefcase and overcoat from her desk, she stormed through the newsroom and got into the elevator. She slapped at the lobby button, muttering to herself about people who thought they could run her life, unknowingly scaring the Planet's newest errand boy who had the misfortune of being in the same confined space with her for the albeit brief trip down to the lobby. When the elevator doors opened, she stalked out through the lobby and headed for her car. The drive to her apartment did nothing to soothe her temper, and she stormed up the stairs, fumbling with her keys as she unlocked the door. When the lock finally clicked, she threw the door open, went in, and then slammed the door shut behind her. "Is this the way it's always going to be between us?" she raged, not caring if her neighbors thought she was crazy by yelling to herself. "Is he constantly going to be telling me what to do? Well, forget it! I'm am award winning investigative reporter, and I refuse to let myself get pushed aside because he's afraid I might be endangering myself for my job!" She threw her keys and briefcase down on the table with a clunk and a thud, then marched into the kitchen. Yanking her refrigerator's freezer door open, she reached in for a carton of double fudge ice cream, then slammed the door shut loudly. It wasn't long before the carton was empty, but it hadn't helped. She was still fuming. She'd just stood up to go throw the container into the trash when there was a knock on her door. She altered her direction, going over to the door and peeking through the peephole. Clark. With a muttered curse, she opened the door and glared at him. He spotted the empty container in her hand almost immediately. "Uh-oh. An empty carton of chocolate ice cream," he teased gently. "Either you were out of groceries, or you're mad at me." Lois scowled. "Don't start with me." She let go of the doorknob and turned to walk into the kitchen. Clark came in and shut the door behind him. "Okay, Lois, let's have it." "Have what?" she asked, feigning ignorance as she threw the ice cream carton into the trash. Clark rolled his eyes. "Come on, Lois, you know what I'm talking about. I want to know what caused that earlier 'scene' in Perry's office, which, by the way, I didn't appreciate." Lois whirled around. "*You* didn't appreciate?! Well, excuse me, but *I* didn't appreciate being ordered around in front of Perry, being told that I'm not well enough to do my job! Because of you, he'll probably stick me with fluff pieces for a month! And while we're on the topic, I didn't like the idea that I could be so easily *replaced* by somebody because *you* didn't think I could handle the work! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? I've worked incredibly hard to get where I am in this man's world, and I at *least* deserve some professional respect from you because of that!" "Lois, of course I respect you, and *no* you are *not* being replaced!" he told her in frustration. "Perry knows it's going to take some time before you're completely back in the game, and he's just trying to look out for you, just like I am." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Man, Lois, I can't believe how touchy you're being over these things lately! Where did all these insecurities come from?" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I am *not* being insecure!" He snorted. "Oh, yes you are!" "Am not!" "Are, too!" "Am not!" "Are, too!" "Ahhh!" Lois yelled. "What are you, *six*?! Why are you arguing with me like this?" "Because this isn't like you to be this touchy about everything!" he yelled back. "So why don't we just get down to the real issues here? If you'd just tell me what's really bothering you about this, we could actually have an adult conversation!" "Fine!" she hollered. "But if you want an adult conversation, you'll just have to go somewhere else, because I'm not in the mood to talk about this!" Clark walked over to the couch and dropped down onto it, folding his arms defiantly across his chest. "Lois, I'm not leaving until you talk to me, so you might as well drop the act and tell me what's eating you." Lois forced herself to close her eyes and count to ten. When she reopened them, she saw that Clark was just sitting there watching her, waiting for her explanation. She rolled her eyes, then leaned back against the table. "Okay, fine," she began, her voice still holding a hint of anger, but it was considerably softer. "You want to what's bothering me? There are a *lot* of things bothering me. And I'm *not* being insecure, really..." Not sure how to finish, she let her voice trail off. "Not insecure?" Clark asked, sounding a bit more calm, as well. "Then what do *you* call it?" "I guess I've just been having...doubts." "Doubts?" Clark echoed, confused. "Doubts about us?" She nodded silently. Clark stood up and walked over to her. When he reached her, he put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to his, forcing her to meet his eyes. When she did, he saw that she had tears in her eyes. "Lois, this must be something you've really been fighting with if it's effecting you like this," he told her, concerned. "Do you want to talk about this?" Lois tried to get her tears under control. "My doubts aren't really about *us*, I guess. They're more about the whole idea of marriage." Clark nodded. "Come on," he told her, taking her by the hand and gently leading her over to the couch. "This sounds like something we need to sit down and talk about." When they were seated next to each other, Clark reached out to hold both of her hands in his. "Okay, now...you have doubts," he prompted. She sniffled. "Not doubts about you and me," she repeated. "I know that I love you, and that you love me. That's not even an issue." "Then what is it?" he asked quietly. "What's bothering you about the idea of getting married?" She was silent for a minute before answering. "I think that the main thing is, I just don't know exactly what it is that I'm expecting out of this relationship. I mean, I loved being with you all the time when I was at your apartment the last few days. And our night together two nights ago, was, well...it was just incredible." They traded meaningful smiles. "And I really loved the idea of not having to leave you at the end of the day. But is that enough to base a relationship on?" Clark, sensing she wasn't finished saying what was on her mind, waited patiently for her to continue. Finally, she did. "And what about all the things I'm still learning about you? What if, after we get married, I find out something about you-about your other identity-that really throws a wrench in the works? Could I overlook that part of you, whatever it might be, and still love you like I do now?" When she finished, Clark gathered her in his arms and held her tightly, not saying anything for a long time. Lois began to worry that she'd hurt his feelings, and she pulled back to look into his eyes. "Clark, I need you to understand that this has nothing to do with you, as much as it's just me trying to work through my demons and insecurities left over from seeing my parents' marriage fail so miserably." Her eyes pleaded with him to believe her. "I just don't want that to happen to *us*." Clark's voice was low and serious when he responded. "Lois, I'd like to promise you that when we get married, we'll end up living happily ever after. But I can't. Not without lying to you. There's always going to be something we disagree on, or a problem that comes up that we'll need to work through. But we *will* work through those things when they come because we love each other, and *want* to work them out so that we can keep loving each other." He paused to push her hair away from her eyes so he could see them clearly. "But what it all boils down to is this. You're going to have to decide once and for all what it is that you want. Do you want to take the risk and commit to this relationship? Or do you have enough doubts going through your mind right now that you want to back out? It's up to you, Lois. You know how *I* feel. Now you have to find out how *you* feel." Lois nodded as she reached out to hold his hand, her eyes filling with tears. "I know I do." Clark suddenly got that look, and Lois sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. 'Great. Superman again,' she thought dismally. Then out loud, she asked, "What do you hear?" He listened carefully for a minute "The radio next door. There's an apartment fire and people are trapped." She released his hands and gestured to the window feebly. "Go." But Clark shook his head and groaned. "Lois, I don't want to fly off without finishing talking this through with you..." "It's okay, Clark, just go," she assured him. "If you get done at a reasonable hour, come back and we'll talk some more." He nodded. "I'll try to hurry." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple, then stood up and stepped into the middle of the living room, quickly spinning into the suit. He hurried to the window, then turned back. "I love you, Lois." Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. She'd just spent the last few minutes telling him that she wasn't sure if she felt ready to marry him, but still he was sticking by her. His loyalty and devotion touched her deeply. But at the same time, it made her feel miserable for how badly she'd been treating him. She looked up at him and gave him a teary smile as he stood in her open window. "I love you, too, Clark." He gave her one last lingering look, then he turned and took off into the evening sky. Unable to hold back her guilty and confused tears for a moment longer, Lois stood up and ran into her bedroom. Throwing herself down on her bed, she started to sob into her pillow. 'How could I possibly even consider not spending the rest of my life with a man as loving, as compassionate and as loyal as Clark? He's always there for me, even when I'm acting like an indecisive three-year-old, who can't make up her mind about anything!' That realization made her feel even worse, and she cried even harder. The sound of Lois' sobbing reached Clark's sensitive ears as he flew away >from her apartment, making his heart wrench in agony. He hated to hear her cry. He struggled with the idea of turning around and flying right back into her arms. He wanted to take her into his arms and tell her over and over again how much he loved her, soothing her as he wiped the tears from her cheeks and held her tightly. But he could hear the sound of the fire and the cries for help filling the night sky, so he reluctantly flew on. He'd just have to do his job as quickly as possible so he could return to her and help her talk things out. ********** The apartment fire took much longer than Clark thought it would, with all the people that needed to be rescued from the higher floors where the fire department's ladders couldn't reach. Then he stayed and helped put out the fire, afterwards answering the questions the fireman had for him. Clark found himself growing more and more anxious to return to Lois as the night wore on, but things just kept coming up that required his attention. Finally, hours after he'd left Lois, he helped the fireman secure their hoses and then took off into the night sky, heading in the direction of Lois' apartment. When he arrived, he floated down and landed silently on her balcony, peering through the sheer curtains into the darkened apartment. He saw her lying motionless on her bed, and he tapped lightly on the window, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping. When she didn't stir, he realized she was asleep. Knowing he'd just have to wait and talk to her tomorrow, he headed for his apartment. ********** When Clark got to work the next morning, he noticed Lois was already at her desk going over some notes. He made a beeline for her desk and stopped next to her. "Hi, Lois." Lois jumped. When she looked up and saw that he was standing next to her, she smiled sheepishly. "Oh, Clark, you scared me." He couldn't help noticing how tired and distracted she looked. He sat down on the corner of her desk. "Still thinking about things?" Her smile faded, and she looked down at her notes. "Yeah. I didn't sleep much last night." "I can tell." He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it an understanding squeeze. "Listen, we didn't get to finish our conversation last night, but we really need to. Let's get out of her and go somewhere more private where we could talk. What's your work load like today?" "Clark!" Perry suddenly approached them. "I need an update on your article about the Mayor's assistant and his link to the disappearing evidence, and I need it in a half-hour." Clark nodded. "No problem, Chief." Perry walked on past to his office, and Lois smiled at Clark. "That's exactly what *my* work load sounds like." Clark smiled. "It figures. But let's *make* time today, okay?" Lois nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Clark." But no matter how hard they tried to get away, something seemed to come up. Perry kept heaping additional work on them, and their phones seemed to ringing off their hooks. When Clark darted out to follow up on yet another lead, Lois gave up hope. 'Forget it,' she thought dejectedly. 'It's not going to happen.' But there were so many things going around in her head that she realized it was impossible to concentrate on her work any longer. What she needed to do was to get out of there and go someplace where she could think and not be interrupted every two minutes by somebody. Pushing her chair back from her desk, she decided to ask Perry for the rest of day off. She went into his office where he was hunched over a pile of paperwork. "Perry, would it be okay if I took the rest of the afternoon off?" Perry looked up at her as if she'd just lost her mind. "Lois, are you feeling okay? I think the last time you asked for time off was when...come to think of it, I don't think you've *ever* asked for time off." She smiled wryly. "No, I'm okay. I'm just feeling a little tired, and I don't want to overdo it my first week back." Perry nodded understandingly. "Sure, Lois, no problem. You go on home and get some rest. We'll hold down the fort." Lois smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Chief." She turned and left his office, returning to her desk to gather up her things before heading for the elevators. ********** When Clark got back to the Planet, he was surprised to see that Lois' computer was turned off and her desk was unoccupied. Confused, he strode into Perry's office. "Perry, have you seen Lois?" Without taking his eyes off the story he was reading through, Perry nodded. "Yeah, she came in here a couple of hours ago asking if she could have the rest of the day off. She said something about feeling tired, so I told her to go on home to get some rest." Clark's expression reflected his concern. "Perry, is it okay if I go check on her? My follow up article is all done and ready for you." "Sure, Clark. Go ahead," Perry assured him. Clark thanked him and hurried out of his office. He went over to his desk and picked up his phone, quickly dialing Lois' number. When there was no answer, he decided to head on over there to make sure everything was okay. But when he reached her apartment and knocked on her door, he still didn't get any response. "Lois?" he called out. "Are you home?" There was still no answer, so he lowered his glasses and did a quick scan of her apartment. 'Nope,' he told himself. 'She's definitely not here.' Not knowing where she was, he found himself beginning to worry a little. It wasn't like Lois to play hooky. But then it occurred to him that maybe she'd gone for a walk. So, hurrying out of her building and ducking into an unused alley, he whirled into the suit and took off. 'If she *is* taking a walk, this would be the best way to find her,' he told himself. But after nearly an hour of flying over the city, there still wasn't any sign of her. Reluctantly, he decided he'd better call it quits and go back to the Planet. Perry was probably wondering where he was, and he definitely didn't want to be in the editor's doghouse. As he landed in the alley behind the Planet and changed back into his work clothes, he kept telling himself, despite his natural tendency to worry, 'Lois is fine. Metropolis is a big city. Just because you couldn't find her doesn't mean that she's in any trouble. Besides, you told Lois you would work on not being so protective of every move she makes.' So he forced himself to return to work, though he realized that *telling* Lois he wouldn't worry so much and actually *not* worrying so much was a lot more difficult than it turned out to be. ********** By quitting time, Clark still hadn't heard anything from Lois, and there was still no answer when he called her one last time before heading home. Unable to stop himself, he worried all the way back to his apartment. When he rounded the corner of his building, his heart leapt when he saw her sitting on the steps of his apartment, waiting for him. She smiled at him shyly. "Hi." "Lois, where've you been?" he asked, his voice thick with worry and concern. "Perry said you went home early because you weren't feeling well, but I've been trying to call you all afternoon, and I even flew over the city looking for you." He went up the last couple of steps and sat down beside her. "I was worried about you." She smiled and clapped her hand down lightly on his knee. "Clark, I can tell we're still going to have to work on this protectiveness problem you have." He nodded guiltily. "Yeah, I know. I'm trying. But are you feeling okay?" Lois's smile faded a little. "Actually, I fell fine. Don't tell Perry, but I fudge a little about not feeling well. I only told him that so I could get out of there. I needed to clear my head, and to think about what we talked about last night." Clark put his hand over the top of hers and rubbed it gently. "So did you come to any conclusions?" She nodded. "I walked for a long time today, thinking about everything that's happened since this that night in the warehouse, and I kept thinking, why am I struggling with this decision to marry you? What is it exactly that's holding me back? Then, after a couple of hours of soul searching, I realized that the thing I was struggling with the most was that there are obviously still so many things about you that I don't know. And that fear of the unknown is what's been making me crazy. I kept thinking, what if I find out something about you, some little quirk that might just ruin everything? Could I overlook that part or you and still love you like I do?" She glanced down at their hands for a moment, then looked back up into Clark's eyes, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "But do know what? Suddenly everything became perfectly clear to me. It was as if I was finally able to think clearly for the first time since this all happened." She reached up to wipe at the tear that slid down her cheek. "After all this time," she told him, sniffling, "I finally realized what it means to love you. It means that I need to love *all* of you, and not just those parts of you that I want to love. It means that I need to love Clark Kent, the man I originally fell in love with, as well as that guy who flies around in tights and a cape saving people, because both of those sides of you are what make you into the man that I love." When she finished, Clark had tears in his eyes, as well. "Lois, you have no idea how it makes me feel to hear you say that," he told her earnestly. "I've hated watching you struggle with so many things, knowing that, no matter what I did or said, it all came down to *you* having to decide for yourself what it was that you wanted." "And I have," she told him. "I know now without a doubt that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You taught me that love is something precious, something to be cherished above any earthly possession. And since the kind of love we have for each other doesn't just come along every day, we need to reach out and grab onto it while still we have the chance." Clark smiled at her. "I'm glad to see I finally got through to you." Lois laughed through her tears, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "So maybe it just takes me longer than others." "I don't care *how* long it took you to realize it," he told her more seriously. "The important thing is, you did realize it, and now we can get on with living the rest of our lives together." The tears started flowing more freely down her cheeks, but she didn't care, because this time they were tears of pure happiness. She smiled at him lovingly, then turned her hand in his so she could lace her fingers through his. "I can hardly wait to spend the rest of my life with you." Looking at her, Clark realized how lucky he was to be sitting next to this truly incredible woman to whom he'd lost his heart to the moment they'd met. He'd almost lost her; not once, but several times over last several days. It made him realize that life and love was too precious to take for granted. >From now on, he planned to make sure that he cherished every moment they spent together. His love for her nearly bursting through his chest, Clark gave in to the overwhelming urge to touch her. Lifting his hand to her face, he traced his fingertips lightly across her cheek, watching as she closed her eyes at his touch. Instinctively, she reached up to cover his hand with her own. When she reopened her eyes, he could see the love she had for him shining through from her soul. "I love you, Clark," she told him simply. "I love you, too, Lois." Their lips met in a tender, loving kiss that said more than words could ever say. It told of the promise of a long, wonderful life together that would be full of love, warmth and happiness. Afterward, Clark pulled Lois into his arms, reveling in the certainty that she would soon be his wife. Clark pressed his face into her hair, and Lois felt, rather than saw, him smile. It was then, as she sat wrapped in the arms of the man she loved more than anything in the world, that Lois decided that life couldn't possibly be any more perfect. Whatever came in the future, whatever problems arose, whatever challenges faced them, she knew they would work through them. And they would work through them *together*. The end. :) ~~And so, when a person meets the half that is his very own, then something wonderful happens: the two are struck from their senses by love, by a sense of belonging to one another, and by desire, and they don't want to be separated from one another, not even for a moment. These are the people who finish out their lives together and still cannot say what it is they want >from one another. Look at your love, and see if this is what you desire: wouldn't this be all the good fortune you could want? ~~Plato ********************************** Hope that was worth reading! Happy holidays everyone!! Erin :) _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 14:59:32 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: NEW FANFIC: What it Means to Love You -- 9/10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What it Means to Love You part 9/10 by Erin Klingler erink@ida.net ********** While Lois slept, Clark took advantage of the quiet time and pulled out his notes from that morning's press conference. He knew Perry was going to expect an article on the latest news on his and Lois' crime ring investigation, and he knew the information he'd gotten that morning would make the perfect follow up. Two hours and a half dozen phone calls later, Clark finished typing up the story on his laptop and then emailed it to Perry. He sat back in his chair, glad to have the story done and on its way. Just as he closed his laptop, Lois appeared from around the corner. "Hey," she said sleepily. "Lois, what are you doing up already?" he asked as she padded over to him. "You should still be sleeping." "I couldn't sleep any longer. Besides, I could hear you out here typing and talking on the phone, so I wanted to come see what you were doing." When she reached his side, he reached out for her and pulled her down onto his lap. "So, are you feeling any better?" he asked. Lois nodded, letting her head rest against the top of his. "A little bit. So, what are you working on?" "I emailed Perry a short follow up article that included the information >from the press conference this morning," he explained. With her head pressed against his, he couldn't help noticing that she felt a bit warm. He felt her forehead, then touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "Lois, I think you're starting to run a fever," he told her, his voice filled with concern. "Clark, you worry too much. I'm fine," Lois insisted. But to Clark, her voice sounded small and weak, and he could tell from her flushed cheeks and dull eyes that she still hadn't recovered yet from that morning. "Come on, Lois," he told her, nudging her off his lap so that he could stand up. "You need some more sleep." "Clark, no," she protested. "Really, I'm fine. I'm tired of being by myself in the bedroom. Can't I stay out here with you?" Clark debated for a moment, feeling swayed by the pleading eyes staring up into his. "Oh, all right," he caved. "But just as long as you promise to sack out on the couch. I don't want you doing anything until you're feeling better. Deal?" She managed a slight smile. "It's a deal." He brought her pillow and blankets out from the bedroom and situated her on the couch. When he was finally satisfied that she was comfortable, he went back to the table to put his notes away. Lois turned her head on her pillow so she could follow his movements. "So, any news on Everett Price?" Clark shook his head. "Not yet. I've put in calls to several of our sources, including Bobby Bigmouth, but I haven't heard anything yet." It was quiet for a minute before Lois spoke again, and when she did, her voice was contemplative. "Clark, do you think he had any idea that you were Superman?" Clark stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. He sighed, then went back to straightening his notes. "I don't think so, Lois. I doubt he ever made the connection. When he came in, I was already on the ground, and you and Hendricks were fighting over the Kryptonite. For all he knew, Hendricks could've hit me, and that's why I was down. I think if they honestly *had* known I was Superman, they wouldn't have bothered to go into that whole spiel about using us to lure Superman so they could kill him...er, me." Lois laughed softly. "Confuses even you sometimes, huh?" Clark laughed, too. "Never let it be said that I live a dull life. Anyway, I think my secret is safe." After a minute, Lois asked hesitantly, "Can I ask you a question?" Clark looked up at the seriousness in her voice. "Sure, Lois. You can ask me anything." As she tried to decide the best way to ask what was on her mind, Clark left his stuff on the table and walked over to her. She pulled her knees up a bit so Clark could sit down on the couch with her. "Clark," she began haltingly. "We've been living under the same roof for about a day and a half, and I was wondering. How have you felt about that?" "What do you mean?" Lois tried again. "Well, what I guess I'm wondering is, have you gotten sick of having me around?" Clark laughed at the ridiculousness of her question. But then he saw that she wasn't laughing. His smile faded. "Wait. Are you serious?" She nodded. His brows furrowed. "Lois, of course I'm not getting sick of having you around! What would make you think that?" She sighed, then kind of shrugged. "I don't know. It's just that I keep having all these thoughts about our relationship..." "Like?" "Well, I can't help wondering if this," she gestured to the two of them. "is what marriage is going to be like. You know, the two of us hanging out and talking like we've been doing, maybe having the occasional fight..." she let her sentence trail off and she smiled a little. Clark laughed. "Well, the occasional fight is to be expected, I think. We're both very stubborn people. But, yeah, I think this is what being married would be like. At least, that's how it is with my Mom and Dad." He looked at her curiously. "But what does that have to do with me being sick of you?" Lois pulled the blanket around her more tightly before continuing. "We've just never spent entire days together before," she explained. "And since we're starting to, I thought it would be nice to know *now* if you were starting to get sick of me, so we could spare ourselves the 'falling out of love with you' marriage breakup." Clark stared at her incredulously. "Lois, you've got to be kidding! I'm never going to fall out of love with you." "My Mom and Dad fell out of love with each other," she reminded him. "It just scares me to think of that. I mean, suppose you realize years down the road that you didn't marry the person you thought you were going to? What if you expected to marry someone who dote all over you, and would be content to sit back and do nothing but raise your children and keep a house for you?" "Lois, that's not want I want at all," he insisted earnestly. "I love you, and I want to marry you because of who you are...of what you've become. I love you for your inner strength, your independence, even for your stubbornness and your fiery temper." He laughed, and she joined in. But then his smile faded and he grew serious again. "Lois, I've loved you >from the moment I saw you. And I've only grown to love you more *every day* that I'm with you. And especially now that I came so close to losing you a week ago, I don't know if I could go on living *without* you. You've become part of my soul, and without you, I know I'd be completely lost. I need you, Lois, and I always will. Please believe me when I tell you that." Clark reached out to cover her hand with his, then went on. "A love like ours doesn't just *go away*, Lois. I know that a marriage takes both work and the commitment of both people involved. But a love like I have for you isn't going to fade away with time." She gave him a loving smile. "Clark, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that. It's really been on my mind a lot these past few days." He gave her leg a gentle pat, the casualness about it changing the mood. "Well, you can stop worrying, because now you know how I feel about that." He stood up and gestured for her to stretch her legs back out on the couch, then he tucked the blanket firmly around them and made sure she was comfortable. "Now, you get some rest. I'm going to go call Perry to make sure he got the story." ********** For the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening, Lois remained on the couch, dozing, reading or talking to Clark as he went about some of his daily chores. He even darted out a couple times for 'Superman duty', as Lois started calling it. She discovered that she was getting used to the idea of him being Superman, maybe even more quickly than she thought she would. Of course, one day or two couldn't completely show her everything about this other side to him, but she decided it was a good start. Perry phoned later that afternoon, asking Clark to add some last-minute quotes and facts they'd just received to his article. Clark agreed, then jotted down the information Perry had for him. After he hung up, he turned to Lois. "How do you feel about going through a few notes?" Lois about fell off the couch. "Are you kidding? I'd love it!" He laughed. "Somehow I figured you would." He gave her the stack of notes he'd been working on earlier that day, and then combined them with the information he'd just gotten from Perry. He explained to her what it was that Perry wanted, then helped her sit up, adjusting the pillow behind her so she could lea back against the arm of the couch. Then Clark went back into the kitchen to use his laptop at the table, leaving her to his notes. Lois pulled her knees up and propped the papers on them, pouring through the information and devouring every word. But, as she neared the end, her tired mind, as well as her gaze, began to wander. She looked over the top of her notes at Clark as he sat at the table revamping his article. She stared at him for a long time, studying his features. She loved the way his eyebrows furrowed slightly when he was thinking, and, though she couldn't see it from where she was sitting, she knew that the tiny muscle in his jaw would be twitching occasionally as he concentrated. She loved his strong jaw and the tiny mole over the right side of his upper lip. And she especially loved the way his smile would light up his face and reach clear into his eyes whenever something amused him. She started to realize as she was sitting there that the idea of marriage, of being with the person you loved on a daily basis, was something that was really growing on her. She liked having someone she knew well and felt comfortable with around all the time, and not having to worry about saying or doing something that might make her look foolish. It was a safe and secure feeling like none she'd ever felt before...except for when she was with Clark. Suddenly, Clark looked up from his laptop and caught her eye. Lois looked quickly back down at her notes, blushing furiously at being caught staring. She heard Clark's chair scrape on the floor as he pushed back away from the table and stood up. "Are you hungry, Lois?" he asked, crossing over to the cupboards. "I was thinking about making some dinner." "Sure," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "That sounds good." "What are you in the mood for?" She thought about that for a minute. "Nothing really hits me," she admitted. "So anything you decide on is fine with me." He pulled several items out of cupboards and started throwing things together in a skillet. Curious as to what he was doing, she got up and went into the kitchen. She sat down in a chair-at his insistence-to watch him cook. As they talked while he prepared dinner, Lois found herself enjoying the easy camaraderie they had together. It gave her hope for how comfortable their marriage would be. Dinner was just as enjoyable, and, by the time things were cleaned up, Lois' earlier doubts and fears about whether or not they could make a marriage work had faded away into the recesses of her mind. For the rest of the evening, she lounged on the couch with Clark, his arms wrapped securely around her as they watched TV and talked. Lois was so content that she soon found herself getting drowsy. Clark noticed. "Come on, Lois, time for bed," he insisted, helping her stand up despite her protests that she was fine where she was. Then he followed her into the bedroom with her blanket and pillow, setting them on the bed before turning down the sheets. Lois smiled at him. "Are you beginning to feel like a maid or something?" He laughed, but shook his head. "Nope. Helping you makes me happy." He gave her a quick kiss. "Now, climb in bed." "Slavedriver." He grinned. "You bet." Clark got her all tucked in, turned off the bedside lamp, and leaned down to give her the perfect kiss to a perfect evening. When he pulled away, he grasped her fingers lightly. "Goodnight, Lois. I love you." She squeezed his fingers back. "I love you, too." But when he turned to leave, she kept ahold of his fingers, causing him to laugh and turn back. "Lois, you need your sleep," he told her patiently. "I know, but I don't want you to leave. We had such a nice evening, and I don't want to be in here all by myself. Besides," she told him. "I hate to think of you having to sleep out there on the couch. As much as you insist that it doesn't bother you, I know it can't be as nice as sleeping in a real bed." He lowered himself onto the bed beside her. "Lois, if I stay, you'll never get to sleep. We'll end up talking until all hours of the night, and you'll be exhausted by morning." He paused, averting his gaze momentarily. Then he looked back up into her eyes. "Besides, have you thought about the possible consequences of us sharing a bed?" Lois had to admit that the thought *had* crossed her mind. "Yes, I've thought about that, Clark," she told him seriously. "But we're both mature, responsible adults who can control themselves. And, believe me when I say, that's not why I asked you to stay. I just...I just don't want you to leave." When he still seemed hesitant, she resorted to begging. "Clark, please? I promise I won't talk, and I'll go right to sleep if you'll just stay here with me." She flashed him a mischievous smile. "Or are you worried that I won't be able to keep my hands off of you?" Clark laughed, but inwardly, he found himself thinking, 'It's not *you* keeping your hands off of *me* that I'm worried about. It's whether or not I'd be able to keep *my* hands off of *you*.' But, never being able to resist her cajoling smile, he found himself going against his better judgment and agreeing to join her. "Okay, Lois," he said. Then he shook a finger at her teasingly. "But you'd just better keep your hands to yourself." She beamed triumphantly. "I promise." He pulled a couple articles of clothing from his dresser, then told her he'd be right back. Lois heard him going around the apartment turning off lights and straightening up a bit. When he came back a few minutes later, he had a pillow under his arm and was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and green plaid boxers. Watching him walk over to the bed in the near darkness, Lois discovered she was having a difficult time keeping her thoughts pure. Clark smiled at her as he pulled back the blankets and climbed into bed beside her. She rolled over to face him, deciding that she loved seeing his face on the pillow next to hers. "Hi," he told her quietly, looking back into her eyes. She hoped he wasn't listening to the sound of her heart, because its wild thumping was sure to give away how his nearness was really effecting her. She smiled and whispered back, "Hi yourself." Then Clark turned to get more comfortable under the blankets, and his leg brushed up against hers, causing her heart to race uncontrollably. "Hey, you're feet are *freezing*!" he told her, laughing. "Are your feet always this cold?" Lois giggled. "At nighttime? Yeah, pretty much." "Well, come here," he said invitingly, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I'll warm them up." Her heart just about leaped out of her chest when Clark's arm tightened around her and he pulled her against him. His hand automatically found its way under the fabric of her nightshirt and he rested his hand comfortably on her stomach. Lois loved the way his hand felt against her bare skin, and it was all she could do to not renege on her promise to keep her hands to herself. Reaching down, she laced her fingers through his and held his hand tightly against her stomach. Then, feeling both anxious and content at the same time, she spooned up against him and settled in. They laid that way for a long time, thrilled by the feeling of being in bed together, of being in each others arms. Lois let out a long, contented sigh. "This is so nice." She felt, rather than saw, Clark smile. "Yeah, it is." He moved one of his legs to cover hers, tucking her feet between his warm calves. "Are you feet warmer?" Lois grinned. "Much, thanks." She wondered if he could tell if her whole body temperature had gone up about twenty degrees, or if it was just in her head. If he did notice, he didn't say anything about it. It was quiet for a few minutes as Lois listened in complete contentment to Clark's slow, even breathing. "Clark?" "Hmmm?" "I was just wondering if you were asleep." His grip on her tightened. "Nope. But you should be, so go to sleep." "Okay, okay," Lois smiled. "Man, you're bossy." He laughed softly. "You'd better believe it. Goodnight, Lois." "Goodnight, Clark." She nestled further into Clark's body, then closed her eyes, trying to get her heartbeat back under control. Then she sighed. Sleep was going to be a long time in coming, indeed. ********** Lois woke up the next morning with the strangest sensation that she wasn't alone. She could also feel something weighing heavily across her stomach, and she felt warmer than she usually did first thing in the morning. Forcing her heavy lids to open, she saw that Clark was lying on his side facing her, his sleeping body only inches from hers. In an instant, everything came rushing back. Smiling contentedly, she rolled over underneath the weight of his arm and cuddled into him, resting her head on his shoulder and nestling her face into his chest. She breathed in deeply, savoring the lingering smell of his cologne and the familiar scent of his skin. Her movements caused his eyelids to flicker, and then open. When he saw her watching him, a warm smile lit his eyes. "Hi," he said sleepily. He slid his arm around to the small of her back and drew her even closer. Then he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "How'd you sleep?" "Mmmm, wonderfully," she murmured blissfully. "How about you?" "Better than ever." Lois lifted her hand to his chest, enjoying the feel of the rhythmic beating of his heart beneath his hand. She sighed deeply. "Can we just stay like this all day?" He chuckled. "Sounds good to me." Lois jumped suddenly when the phone rang, disturbing their peaceful silence. She groaned. "Who could be calling this early?" Clark, just as unhappy at the interruption, rolled over toward the nightstand. He glanced momentarily at the clock. "Well, I guess it's not *that* early," he admitted. "It's almost eight o'clock." Scooting closer to the edge of the bed, he reached out and picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Clark, it's Jimmy." "Oh, hi, Jimmy," he answered, turning back to glance at Lois. She smiled at him and scooted closer, pressing up against his back and wrapping her arm around his waist. He reached out to cover her hand with his, but she smiled against his shoulder and pulled her hand away. Then she started trailing her fingertips lightly up and down his sides, sending a trail of fire burning through him. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to remain in control himself and doing his best to ignore Lois' obvious attempts to distract him as he listened to what Jimmy was saying. He was feeling pretty good about his efforts until she slipped her hand underneath his T-shirt and started running her fingertips in feather-light circles over the taught muscles of his stomach. When she did that, all hopes of an intelligent conversation with Jimmy flew out the window. It was all he could do to sound semi-attentive as Jimmy finished relaying the message he'd called to give him. Clark had never been more glad to get off the phone in his life. As soon as Jimmy said goodbye, he fumbled to get the phone back in its cradle and then quickly put his hand on top of hers, stilling its movements. She grinned. "Party pooper." He rolled over to face her, propping his head up with his hand. "Any more of that and I would've had to drop the phone and begin ravishing you!" "Oh, really?" Lois smiled wickedly. "Maybe I'll have to do that more often then." Clark laughed. "Don't go there. Anyway," he told her, changing the subject before things heated up further between them. "You'll never guess who called this morning to leave a message for me." "Who?" "Bobby Bigmouth. He told Jimmy that he thinks he knows where Everett Price is hiding out." Lois' jaw dropped. "You're kidding?!" She sat up quickly in bed. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Clark sat up beside her. "Lois, no way." He shook his head firmly. "We've been through this before. You're not supposed to be working, remember?" "But, Clark!" she protested, her voice rising. "This has to do with the man who was responsible for kidnapping us...for getting me shot! I can't just let you handle this one alone!" "I'm sorry, Lois, but you're going to have to," he told her unwaveringly. "Besides, even if you *were* feeling well enough to go, I still doubt that I'd agree to your going. Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be? Price is still out there, and his very obvious hatred for Superman...for me...will only tempt him to try again, to lash out at the people I love. And since you're still to back to full strength, you'd be especially vulnerable." "Clark, it sounds to me like you're trying to run my life again," she pointed out, beginning to sound angry. "Lois, I promise you I'm not. I'm just looking out for you and trying to keep you safe." "I know you are, Clark. But you know what? I don't need you to watch out for me every step I make." She laid back down on the bed, using her elbow to prop her up. "Okay, I understand where you're coming from right now, telling me I can't go with you because I'm still recovering. Don't worry, I learned my lesson after yesterday. But why do you always feel like you have to protect me? I'm not a little girl anymore." "I know, Lois. And I guess the reason why I get so protective of you is because I love you so much. You have to admit, you have quite a nose for trouble." He grinned a little. "So, knowing that, I find myself worrying about you a lot. Plus, having to go through seeing you get shot last week only made it worse." "I understand that, Clark. But so much of my identity-of who I am-stems >from my work at the Planet. If you get overly protective, and refuse to let me do the things that make me that person, my identity goes away." Clark nodded, then laid down next to her, propping himself up with his elbow, too. "I know that. I just think this whole protectiveness thing stems from my being Superman, and feeling responsible to use my powers to help those who need help. *Especially*," he emphasized, "the people I love. So I know I need to work on letting you do your thing, and not being so protective. But it's not going to be something that I can change overnight. You just have to bear with me." Lois took a deep breath and then let it out. "I know you're trying, Clark. And I'm sorry for yelling. When I get all riled up, I tend to do that. I don't know if you've noticed." She grinned wryly. Clark laughed softly. "I have. And I love you for it. Now, in hopes of better working through this, I have a suggestion." "I'm all ears." "Okay, here's what I propose. I promise that I will do my best not to be so protective in the future, and you need to promise you won't take quite so many risks. Is it a deal?" She smiled. It's a deal." "Good!" He sat up and threw back the covers. "Now, let me hurry and change your bandages before I get out of here. I've got some work to do." Lois groaned, disappointed that he was getting out of the bed. "Do you have to do that work *now*? Can't it wait for another hour or so, so that we can cuddle some more in bed?" Clark turned back to her and smiled. "Don't tempt me." He walked over to his closet and pulled some clothes off a hanger. "But if you'll stay there for an hour or so, I'll be back." Lois grinned. "I can hardly wait." Clark got dressed in the bathroom and then changed her bandages before leaving to follow his lead. After he did, the apartment seemed awfully quiet. Lois stayed in bed for a while, but boredom quickly set in. Throwing back the covers, she got out of bed and put on a pair of sweats and a loose T-shirt, since that seemed to be easier to get in and out of with her sore shoulder. The she went into the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. As she ate, she found her thoughts drifting back to the previous night. Sleeping with Clark-even though nothing sexual had happened-had been wonderful. She kept remembering how incredible it felt to have his body pressed up against hers, feeling the soft hairs on his legs brushing against the bare skin of her own legs. And then this morning, when she slipped her hand onto Clark's bare stomach...well, that simple action had created enough sexual tension between them that she was sure that if they'd stayed in bed any longer than they had, things would have quickly gone from casual to intimate. Sexual tension aside, she was glad that Clark had planned this arrangement of having her stay at his place for a few days. Even though she was incredibly independent, she liked having someone take care of her and look out for her, since she rarely found time to even do that for herself. She was having fun with Clark, knowing he was there to wake up to, to talk to or turn to for help whenever she needed him. But then she frowned a little as the little cautioning voice in the back of her head started in again. It was true that there were still several things that were holding her back from fully committing herself to the idea of marriage. She tried to force those concerns out of her mind for good, but they somehow managed to continue to surface time and again. Clark had silenced her biggest concern about her fear of their love not lasting. After their wonderful talk the day before, she wasn't worried about that any more. But what about the other issues she was struggling with? The biggest thing she kept worrying about whether or not she was really ready to commit to marrying Clark, since she felt like she was having to get to know him all over again. That continued to bother her. What if they *did* get married and then she later discovered something about his other identity that she just couldn't live with? Could she overlook it? Or would it be something that would drive a wedge between them? Looking down at her now-soggy cereal, she knew that her concerns were just things she was going to have to deal with one day at a time. 'Maybe if I mull them over long enough in my mind, the answers will come to me,' she thought. But then she sighed. 'Or maybe they won't.' ********** When Clark returned a couple hours later, Lois rushed out of the bedroom where she'd been dozing after breakfast. Her stomach did a little flip when she saw him coming down the steps, and she realized how pathetically fickle she was. Just a short time ago she'd been having doubts about them. But now all her concerns flew right out the window when she saw him, and she got the strongest feeling that she was right where she was supposed to be. "So?" she asked anxiously, hurrying to his side. "What happened? Did you find him?" Clark smiled at her obvious excitement. "Somehow the police managed to get the same information that I'd gotten from Bobby, because when I got there the police already had Everett Price in custody. I was told that they're not only sending him back to prison, but now they're planning on charging him for kidnapping and accessory to murder. He'll be going away for a looong time. We won't have to worry about him anymore." Lois breathed a sigh of relief. "We can be thankful for that. So what did Perry say?" "He wants me to go in for a while to write the story. Can you manage here by yourself this afternoon?" "I guess so," she said with obvious disappointment. "I just wish I could go with you." He smiled at her and lifted his hand to touch her cheek lightly. "I know you do. But you see Dr. Silverman tomorrow. Maybe he'll give you the okay to start doing part days at the Planet." "Maybe," she consented. She stepped forward and slid his arms around his waist, tipping her face up to his invitingly. "Are you sure you want to go to work? I could make it worth your while for you to stay." "I'm sure you could," Clark grinned. "But Perry's waiting, so I'm afraid I'll have to take a raincheck." Then, using every ounce of his willpower, he disentangled himself from her embrace and gave her a delicate kiss. "I'll be back before dinner." After she walked him to the door and locked up behind him, Lois went over to the couch and dropped down onto it with a confused sigh. Every moment she spent with Clark was perfect. So what was there to worry about? With a final shake of her head, she decided she'd be much better off if she just stopped worrying. But somehow she doubted she was going to be able to. ********** Shortly before six, Clark walked in the door with pizza and videos. Lois thoroughly enjoyed herself as they sat on the couch eating pizza directly >from the box as they watched the movies and talked. After they'd finished off the entire pizza, Lois was content to sit back against Clark, resting her head on his shoulder as he draped his arm around her and ran his fingertips over the bare skin of her arm. They sat through two movies before Lois finally sat up, though reluctantly. "I hate to, but I should probably go to bed," she told him. "I have my doctor appointment at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." "Oh, that's right!" Clark exclaimed. "I told Perry I could go in and do some work in the morning, but maybe I should call him and tell him I'll be in a little later." "No, Clark, I'll be fine, " she insisted. "I'm a big girl, remember? You don't have to be here to watch over every step I take. I'll just give you a call when I get back to tell you how things went." Clark studied her intently. "Promise?" She smiled. "I promise." "Oh! That reminds me..." Clark said, patting her thigh and then standing up. "I need to change your bandages. Stay there. I'll be right back." Changing Lois' bandages had become such a routine over the last couple of days that neither felt uncomfortable with it anymore. So when Clark came back and sat next to her, Lois automatically turned her back to him and untucked her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, holding it up for him while he removed her bandages and cleaned the area with antiseptic. They'd gotten comfortable enough with each other that Clark realized that seeing Lois' bare back or her lacy bras didn't shock him as much as they had the first few times. When Clark removed the bandage this time, he was pleasantly surprised to see how good things looked. "Lois, this looks great!" he told her. "Your incision is almost healed and the bruising has gone down a lot. I don't know why I didn't notice this morning when I changed your bandages." She turned to smile over her shoulder at him. "Well, I'm not surprised you didn't notice. You practically flew out of here this morning to follow up on that tip Bobby Bigmouth gave you." He grinned back at her. "Sorry about that. But this really does look much better. Dr. Silverman will be pleased." "Yeah, he'll be pleased to see I've had such a good nurse." Her eyes flashed mischievously. Clark laughed. "Wait a minute. Are you implying that we've been playing doctor?" "Mmmm, maybe." "Well, I wouldn't be a good doctor if I didn't do this." He leaned forward and very gently kissed her shoulder. "There. Does that feel better?" Her heart began to pound furiously and her skin grew hot. "Yeah, that *definitely* feels better." Clark grinned. "Hmmm. Maybe I'd better make sure it helped." He leaned down and kissed her shoulder again, but then moved on from there. His kissed his way lightly across her back, then up to the back of her neck. He reached up to move her hair away from her creamy skin, then placed several feather-light kisses along her neck. When he almost reached her ear, he heard her mumble something. "What did you say?" he asked, stopping to hear her. "I said I'd give you a million years to stop that," she repeated dreamily. Clark grinned against her neck. "Good. Because it may take me that long to want to." His kisses continued to roam over her sensitive skin. Unable to sit passively while he succeeding in torturing her with his feather-light kisses, Lois turned around on the couch and slid her arms around his neck. Without hesitation, Clark took her mouth hungrily, tasting and nibbling her lips as his hands slipped beneath her untucked shirt and moved across the smooth skin of her back. Lois moaned into his mouth, quickly succumbing to every touch of his hands and every movement of his lips. Completely caught up in the increasing passion of the moment, Lois leaned further into him, unconsciously pushing him backward onto the couch until she found herself on top of him. Their kisses were full of fire and intensity as they continued to explore each other for several minutes. Not stopping to think about what she was doing, Lois undid the buttons down the front of Clark's shirt and she eagerly pushed open his shirtfront, exposing his firm, muscled stomach. Her hands slid underneath the fabric and she let her fingers trace the perfectly defined pectoral muscles. Clark felt a trail of fire burn through him where her fingers touched, and he knew he was quickly reaching the point of no return. He reached out to still her hands. "Lois, don't." She pulled back to look at him, hurt evident in her eyes. "What's the matter?" He scooted up a little from underneath her and he took her face in his hands, kissing her gently to assure her that he wasn't rejecting her. "In case you didn't notice, things are getting pretty...intense between us. I thought if I didn't stop now, I may not be able to later." Lois' eyes reflected her disappointment. "You want to stop?" Clark shook his head and hurried to clarify. "No, that's not it at all. I just thought you wanted to wait." Lois grew shy all of a sudden. "I decided I didn't want to wait anymore," she told him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking these last couple days, and I feel like I'm ready to take this next step." She paused, suddenly sounding uncertain. "That is, unless *you've* changed your mind..." Clark smiled tenderly, taking her face in his hands again and pulling her toward him so he could kiss her gently. "Lois, I love you, and I plan to love you for the rest of our lives. So, if you feel ready to take this step, then I'm ready, too." Lois smiled softly. "Yes, I'm ready," she told him, leaning forward and planning to pick up where she left off. But Clark stopped her. "Wait, Lois. Let's do this right," he said, sliding out from underneath her and standing up. Then he leaned down and scooped her into his arms, smiling gently into her eyes as he carried her into the bedroom. ********** The morning sun streamed in through the window, falling across Lois' face and waking her from her peaceful sleep. She opened her eyes, her gaze immediately falling on Clark's face next to hers on her pillow. She sighed blissfully. After a totally and completely amazing night, Lois felt as if a door had opened onto their relationship, and everything was glorious. Snuggling into Clark, she realized that she'd never felt more aglow in her life than she did right then. For quite a while, she was content to lay beside him and watch him sleep. Then she lifted her hand to his face, caressing his cheek and murmuring his name. At the sound of her voice, he opened his eyes and a smile lit up his face. "Good morning," he said softly, his arm tightening around her waist. He leaned toward her and their lips meeting in a long, passionate kiss that was reminiscent of their night together. When they pulled apart, Lois sighed in absolute contentment, letting her head fall back against his shoulder as he caressed her side with gentle, easy movements. A few minutes later, she looked up to find Clark's eyes on her. She smiled at him and lifted her hand to his smooth, bare chest. "Last night was...amazing." The brilliance of his smile rivaled hers. "'Amazing' hardly even *begins* to describe it." They were quiet for several minutes as they lay encircled in each other's arms, content to simply revel in the afterglow of their magical night together. "Mmm, what time is it?" Lois asked, lifting her head and squinting in the direction of Clark's alarm clock. Clark turned beneath her, trying to see his clock without relinquishing his grip on Lois. He let out a surprised gasp. "It's a quarter after eight!" Lois sat up abruptly. "Oh, no! I've got my doctor's appointment in forty-five minutes!" "I know. And Perry's was expecting me a while ago." He threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. Lois laughed as she scrambled out of bed, too, and grabbed her robe. "What are *you* complaining about? All you have to do is do that quick spin thingy, and you're all dressed and ready for work!" Clark laughed, too. "True. But that'd be no fun. I wouldn't get the chance to fight you for a turn in the bathroom." Lois tied the belt on her robe and grinned wickedly at him. "I'll tell you right now, buster, that's one fight you *wouldn't* win!" They jokingly raced for the bathroom and then spent the next half-hour pretending to fight over the toothpaste and for sink time. Lois was actually sad when they were ready to go and were on their way out the door. When they reached the bottom of the steps, they paused, reluctant to leave each other. Clark reached out for her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snugly against him. "With as hectic as this morning was, I never got to tell you how much last night meant to me." She slipped her arms underneath his suit jacket and reached around him, tucking her fingers into the waistband of his slacks at the small of his back. She grinned up at him. "It meant a lot to me, too. I just wish we didn't have to rush off like this." "Me, too." They stared into each other's eyes for several moments before Clark looked down at his watch. He saw what time it was and groaned. "We'd better go or we'll both be late. But you promise to call me when you're done at the doctor's office, right?" She nodded. For a second, she thought he would pull back and go on his way. But then he pulled her against him, giving her an earth-shattering kiss that was reflective of the passion they'd shared the night before. Finally, he released her, a satisfied grin on his face. Brushing her hair back behind her ear, he whispered, "Call me." ********** _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 20:04:11 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?J=EA=A7s?= Subject: Dean's cd~ Real?!? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ok I already posted this up but those guys at school are still TOTALLY POSTIE THAT THERE IS A CD. ( I'm sorry if they are lying, god I hope not!!!) >today in school this guy announced to me (and the est of the class!) that >DEAN CAIN was supposed to release a country music CD of some sort. can >anyone fill me in on details please!? > >dean singing country will be um....INTERESTING! > >ps could this country singing have something to do with his realtionship >with Mindy? > >pps who is the stud muffin dating now??? > > >thanks! > > >*************************************************** >* Life's short ASK that guy to dance!!!!!!!!!!!!! * >* even HIM! ;) * >*************************************************** > > *************************************************** * Life's short ASK that guy to dance!!!!!!!!!!!!! * * even HIM! ;) * *************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 20:24:28 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Joshua Phelps Subject: Re: Dean's cd~ Real?!? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Cool!!! I'm not really sure how inthused I should be, but one thing is for certain: Dean Cain singing would be a thing to behold. -----Original Message----- From: Ję§s To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Date: Tuesday, December 15, 1998 7:03 PM Subject: Dean's cd~ Real?!? >ok I already posted this up but those guys at school are still TOTALLY >POSTIE THAT THERE IS A CD. ( I'm sorry if they are lying, god I hope not!!!) >>today in school this guy announced to me (and the est of the class!) that >>DEAN CAIN was supposed to release a country music CD of some sort. can >>anyone fill me in on details please!? >> >>dean singing country will be um....INTERESTING! >> >>ps could this country singing have something to do with his realtionship >>with Mindy? >> >>pps who is the stud muffin dating now??? >> >> >>thanks! >> >> >>*************************************************** >>* Life's short ASK that guy to dance!!!!!!!!!!!!! * >>* even HIM! ;) * >>*************************************************** >> >> > > >*************************************************** >* Life's short ASK that guy to dance!!!!!!!!!!!!! * >* even HIM! ;) * >*************************************************** > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 23:20:46 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kristen Sipsma Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks Kristen ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 00:37:50 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: Dean's cd~ Real?!? -- NOT! In-Reply-To: <000401be289b$35c99d80$966398cd@oemcomputer> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 8:24 PM -0600 12/15/98, Joshua Phelps wrote: >Cool!!! I'm not really sure how inthused I should be, but one thing is for >certain: Dean Cain singing would be a thing to behold. Don't get excited .. it's all false. As I posted when Jess asked the question the first time, her friends are mistaken (or playing with her). It's not true. PERIOD. Sorry guys .. Jess, tell your friends you know guys who know guys and it's not true. Kathy ______________________ Kathy Brown kathyb@springnet1.com OR kathyb@fgi.net KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 07:10:12 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Me too. I hope this was a server oversight or something. The parts I got look great. Thanks Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 07:40:51 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-12-16 02:02:52 EST, you write: << Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks >> Same here, Erin---and parts 4-6 came in as attachments as I guess AOL thought they were a bit long for e-mail. --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:42:52 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks Kristen Ditto. Help Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:36:50 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Comments: cc: Kristen036@aol.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 12/16/98 7:02:52 AM !!!First Boot!!!, Kristen036@aol.com writes: << Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks Kristen >> Kristen and others I just found out if you go to Erin's homepage at: http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ you will find the entire fanfiction there. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 15:53:12 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Can't understand that - I got all ten parts. And I'm really looking forward to reading it, Erin!! Wendy On Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:42:52 EST Charlotte Fisler wrote: > Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. > Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks > > Kristen > > Ditto. Help > > Charlotte ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:46:33 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mandy ;o)" Subject: NEW FANFIC: All I Want For Christmas Is You MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well FoLCs, I'm a newbie fanfic writer and this is only my second story but since it's the Christmas season, I thought I'd share it with you all. Be kind, I'm not a great writer :) This story came to me while listening to one of my favorite Christmas songs "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance and the Valiants. The words to the song belong to them. Lois and Clark belong to Warner Bros. , DC Comics, December 3rd Productions and whoever else wants to lay claim to them. The circumstances in this story however, are all mine. It takes place sometime in the first season. Feedback, of course, is quite welcome! I'd like to give special thanks to Karen Ward for helping me with this story. __________ All I Want For Christmas Is You By Mandy Crustner Rated G Submitted December 1998 ___________ Clark Kent straightened his tie and checked himself over in the mirror one last time. 'Not bad,' he thought, 'for a rush job.' Tonight was the annual Daily Planet Christmas party and he didn't want to be late, especially tonight. The Chief had talked Lois into singing. Clark had been waiting for this night for weeks. He loved when Lois let her guard down. As a matter of fact, he loved everything about Lois and he'd finally worked up the courage to tell her. This was it. This night was the defining moment in his relationship with Lois. He'd spent weeks talking himself into telling her, looking for just the perfect gift for her for Christmas. He'd finally decided this morning on a pair of very elegant sapphire earrings. He'd noticed her glancing at them a couple of times when they'd been out on assignment. Clark popped the jewelry box in his pocket and took off flying full speed toward the Daily Planet and his love. The minute he walked in the door of the banquet hall, he spotted her. She was stunning, as always. He approached her where she was standing next to the refreshment bar talking to Jimmy. "Lois, could I talk to you for a minute alone?" "Sure, Clark. Excuse me, Jimmy." They moved slightly away from the crowd and Clark reached into his pocket, pulling out the jewelry box, "Merry Christmas Lois," he said handing it to her. Before Lois could say anything, Perry interrupted their conversation, "Lois, you've got to get backstage, you're on in a few minutes." The Chief started leading her away. Lois tried to keep eye contact with Clark but Perry was insistent on getting her backstage while he told her about something Elvis had done in a not-so-similar situation. They arrived backstage and Perry said, "Stay here until you hear your music begin, it'll be about ten minutes." With that, she was finally alone. . . finally able to look at the gift Clark had gotten her. She slowly opened the lid of the deep blue velvet box and had to try extremely hard to keep the tears from ruining her make-up. Inside the box were the earrings she'd been secretly saving up for and a small note taped to the top of the box: Lois, I love you. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Clark was the most wonderful man in the world and she'd been trying to convince herself for weeks to tell him that she'd fallen in love with him. She'd finally decided that she'd let him know tonight with the song she was going to sing. She'd searched high and low for just the right song and only decided this morning which one to sing. Lois put the earrings in her ears, set the box down on a table and heard the first notes of her music begin. Lois made her way to the center of the stage where the microphone was. Though it was hard with the spotlight in her eyes, she found Clark in the middle of the crowd. In that instant, everyone else disappeared to Lois and only she and Clark were there. Take back the holly and mistletoe Silver bells on strings If I wrote a letter to Santa Claus I would ask for just one thing I don't need sleigh rides in the snow Don't want a Christmas that's blue Take back the tinsel, stockings and bows 'Cause all I want for Christmas is you I don't need expensive things They don't matter to me All that I want it can't be found Underneath the Christmas tree You are the angel atop my tree You are my dream come true Santa can't bring me what I need 'Cause all I want for Christmas is you Her song over, Lois noticed that Clark was nowhere to be found and made her way backstage. She saw him standing with his back to her and walked quietly up to him, tapping him on the back. "Clark . . ." He turned to face her, "Lois, you were magnificent." "Oh, Clark. Thank you so much for the earrings. You know me so well it amazes me sometimes." "You know me just as well, Lois." "Yes, I guess I do," she inched closer to him, "and right about now, you're wanting to kiss me." "Lois, I . . ." "I know, Clark, I love you too." "No, Lois, I need to tell you something about myself, something that might change the way you feel about me." "I know that too, Clark. So shut up and kiss me, flyboy." Lois wrapped her arms around Clark's waist and he cupped her face in his hands, just staring into her eyes. Slowly, his head lowered and his lips captured hers in a tender kiss. "So, when did you figure out my secret?" "I'm an investigative reporter, Clark, did you really think a pair of glasses would fool me forever?" "I guess not," he said, and leaned in to kiss her again. The End or Just The Beginning . . . . ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:03:09 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: ISP problems...and attn. Farah MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all :) It appears that I've been having ISP problems since yesterday morning. Apparently, my emails are getting TO the list, but I'm not receiving any posts FROM the list. So if anyone has posted something to the list that concerns me (i.e. needing parts of the fanfic I just posted yesterday, etc), I haven't seen those posts due to this problem. It seems, though, that I'm able to get most emails that are sent to me from individuals, though, so while I'm working on this ISP problem, please email me directly at erink@ida.net to contact me. I'm crossing my fingers that this gets fixed very soon. I'm going through email withdrawl!! ALSO: Farah... I tried to email you a few minutes ago to ask you if the list posts from your end were bouncing from me, but my email bounced from you. This darned ISP. :P Anyway, could you email me to let me know? Thanks. ;) Erin :) _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 12:43:30 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: fchisham Subject: Re: ISP problems...and attn. Farah In-Reply-To: <000501be2915$f52d6ec0$0200a8c0@erink> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII My email address has changed from: fchisham@indiana.edu to fchisham@cs.indiana.edu or farah@chisham.com Sorry I didn't post this sooner. Also, if you know anyone that put in a request to join the list in the last week and I haven't added them yet, ask them to send in their request again. We just got a new computer and its been slow going. On Wed, 16 Dec 1998, Erin Klingler wrote: > > ALSO: Farah... > I tried to email you a few minutes ago to ask you if the list posts from > your end were bouncing from me, but my email bounced from you. This > darned ISP. :P Anyway, could you email me to let me know? Thanks. ;) > > -- Farah Meitzen Chisham farah@chisham.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 14:27:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: Off the wall question In-Reply-To: <19981214163313.15601.qmail@hotmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi Julie: In the Lex Files arc, which I analyzed in my second Episode Thoughts post, there were three instances where the Troll listened to opera. The first two instances were Puccini soprano arias. The first was Un bel di from Madama Butterfly, and the second was Vissi d'arte from Tosca, both of which I have studied. The last instance was a duet from Lakme (which in the post I mistakenly thought was from Norma: I had to choose one or the other and chose wrong, oh well!). Did I get it right this time, Mary Ann? I love Le Nozze de Figaro too and sing lots of stuff from it. I also didn't think this was an off the wall question, personally. But then...I'm an opera singer:) Carolyn cschnall@mail.med.cornell.edu >Ok, I'm not sure how many other people really care, but I was listening >to Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro, an opera for those of you who don't >know. Well, I remembered watching an episode of Lois and Clark, fourth >season, where, forgive my lovely way of putting it, that shadow guy, or >whoever it was, was sitting in front of his fireplace in the sewer, or >wherever it was, in that one episode, either shadow of a doubt, the one >before it, or the one after it. Does anyone know what opera he was >listening to? I loved whatever it was he was listening to. > >Thanks, > >Julie > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 12:19:15 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Missing parts of my fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all! :) I think I finally got my ISP problem fixed (not sure, but I'm really hoping ;), so if you need missing parts of my recently posted fanfic sent to you, let me know. I can send you parts, or get it to you as a txt attachment. OR you can go to my homepage to download it. I just put it on the fanfic section of my site last night, so you can get it there, as well. Hope it helps with LNC withdrawl! Erin :) _______________ erink@ida.net Visit my updated LNC website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek/ ***** "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." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 19:39:56 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Audrey Rempel Subject: Re: The Twelve Days of Christmas -- L&C Style! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii May I just Kathy, that this was a fabulous idea! To discover some Christmas fanfics I hadn't read (which seems impossible, but true!) and to re-discover others, well it's just a great way to get into the holiday spirit. While I'm at it, kudos again to you and all the archive 'staff' on a fabulous archive that always manages to distract me from other things I should be doing. Keep up the good work! Audrey ---Kathy Brown wrote: > > Thanks to everyone who suggested stories for this month's feature on the > L&C Fanfic Archive. It's the Twelve Days of Christmas -- L&C Style! > > We're putting a new Christmas fanfic under our "tree" every day from now > until Christmas. Get yourself in the holiday spirit by reading (or > rereading) these great holiday-themed stories. > > http://lcfanfic.actwd.com/ > > Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you! > > Kathy > > _________________________________ > Kathy Brown > Editor-In-Chief > Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive > > kathyb@fgi.net > KathyB on IRC > _________________________________ > _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 21:01:17 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Elizabeth Alani Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit << Hey, I only got parts 3-6 of that new fanfic, What it means to love you. Could someone send me 1-2 and 7-10? Thanks >> Me too....I thought I was the only one. :o( Thought my mail box was deleting stuff by it self again, lol, it does that :( Thanks! Liz ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 21:32:58 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: -Audrey Howard Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I only got parts of 3-6 of the new fanfic, What it means to love you. Someone please send me the rest please! It's no fun reading only part of the story! ;c) Audrey ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 19:29:52 PST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Robert Bergeron Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain >Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 21:32:58 EST >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >From: -Audrey Howard >Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > >I only got parts of 3-6 of the new fanfic, What it means to love you. > >Someone please send me the rest please! It's no fun reading only part of the >story! ;c) > >Audrey There have been alot of request for parts of this story, how about just reposting it if possible? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:27:16 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: The Twelve Days of Christmas -- L&C Style! In-Reply-To: <19981216193956.6954.rocketmail@send101.yahoomail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 7:39 PM +0000 12/16/98, Audrey Rempel wrote: >May I just Kathy, that this was a fabulous idea! To discover some >Christmas fanfics I hadn't read (which seems impossible, but true!) >and to re-discover others, well it's just a great way to get into the >holiday spirit. Thank you. The true credit should go to our wonderful web designer, Lauren Willoughby. Lauren began working with Rhen on the web archive even before Demi and I took over coordination and she is reponsible for the great layout and search vehicles. It was Lauren's idea to put up the holiday theme lists, and I agree it looks great. :) So, a public thank you to Lauren (goodness knows I thank her privately enough ) for the great job she does. :) >While I'm at it, kudos again to you and all the archive 'staff' on a >fabulous archive that always manages to distract me from other things >I should be doing. Keep up the good work! You're very welcome. We do work hard, but it's a labor of love. :) But knowing that FoLCs appreciate it makes us feel great. Kathy (whose archive work keeps her distracted from all the other things she should be doing, too. ) _________________________________ Kathy Brown Editor-In-Chief Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive kathyb@fgi.net KathyB on IRC _________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 07:58:14 +0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Comments: Resent-From: adell@mailhost2.planet.net Comments: Originally-From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8c)" From: Ann Adell Subject: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:00:10 Your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list is due for renewal. If you wish to remain subscribed to LOISCLA-GENERAL-L, please issue the following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU at your earliest convenience: CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send a CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially formatted so that you only need to forward it back to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to forward and not reply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- // JOB CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L // EOJ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 09:31:28 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC-What it means to love you. Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Erin: I read this last night at 2:30 am. It is great. Thanks for asking all the questions and answering them as well. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 10:24:51 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Angela Zavila Subject: FW: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L -----Original Message----- From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ann Adell Sent: Friday, December 18, 1998 2:58 AM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:00:10 Your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list is due for renewal. If you wish to remain subscribed to LOISCLA-GENERAL-L, please issue the following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU at your earliest convenience: CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send a CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially formatted so that you only need to forward it back to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to forward and not reply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- // JOB CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L // EOJ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 12:36:40 PST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Everett Subject: Re: PROMO - S6, ep 2, "For The Good Of The Child" slightly OT In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Default"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Charlotte wrote > I keep checking the computer equipment ads, etc. for a real, hand-held = ascii > text reader, one onto which I can load fanfiction and take to bed to = curl up > with and read. A friend told me about e-books but I cant' tell if the > operating system for the new readers is proprietary and will only accep= t text > from the e-book sites. I want one which will let me download to 3 1/4 = inch > floppy and then put that in the reader - a size problem I know. Come = on all > you techie types - there's a new market here much bigger than the handh= eld > machines on which you get to load personal calendars, etc. This sounds so delightfully Star Trek!! Charlotte, if you ever find some= thing like this, let me know -- I want one too!!! Peace FoLCStitch Tell the world you're a FoLC and proud of it! http://www.angelfire.com/tx/folcstitch/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 14:19:22 -0500 Reply-To: bird@sentex.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Bird & I Company Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC-What it means to love you. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Erin Just finished reading. Really enjoyed it. I'm a late convert to L&C..only catching most of the episodes on reruns....but boy, am I hooked. Thanks for continuing the magic! ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 16:07:15 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Dorothy Fersch Subject: Re: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 18:18:28 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "K.M. de Castro" Subject: Re: NEW FANFIC Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi Everybody. While Erin is probably addressing the problem, I know that her ISP has been giving her fits, at least according to what she wrote earlier. I went directly to the ListServ Archive (not the Fanfic Archive) and picked up all ten parts. Now, if I only have the time to read it.... the URL is ListServ Archives, Postings http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html Hope this helps, Marie ChoirGirl2@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 18:34:33 -0500 Reply-To: lindah46@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Linda C. Hoffman" Subject: Re: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ann Adell wrote: > > Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:00:10 > > Your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list is due for renewal. If > you wish to remain subscribed to LOISCLA-GENERAL-L, please issue the > following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU at your earliest > convenience: > > CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > > You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send a > CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. > > PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially > formatted so that you only need to forward it back to > LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that > while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail > packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to > forward and not reply. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > // JOB > CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > // EOJ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 19:33:29 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "K.M. de Castro" Subject: Re: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Great Shades of Elvis! These are about as much fun to read as the "I'm a real person, keep me on the list" thread we had a couple of months ago! Watch the mailboxes get full! Farah, ya wanna step in here? Merry Christmas everyone! Love, Marie ChoirGirl2@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 18:45:35 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Think before you send! (was Re: Renewal of your subscription) In-Reply-To: <45044cb1.367af459@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 7:33 PM -0500 12/18/98, K.M. de Castro wrote: >Great Shades of Elvis! >These are about as much fun to read as the "I'm a real person, keep me on the >list" thread we had a couple of months ago! >Watch the mailboxes get full! Well, I'm not Farah, but I'll say what we are all thinking ... "Hey, you! Look at your To field before you hit Send." ;) That message specifically says you should respond to the LISTSERV address, not the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L address that we all send posts to. When you send those responses to the list, we all have to wade through them and it clogs our mailboxes. Please try to be more careful. Everyone makes mistakes, of course, but we don't need another flurry like this, especially when we are all busy with the holidays. Thanks. :) Kathy (leaving on Sunday for her holiday vacation ... see you all in 1999!) ______________________ Kathy Brown kathyb@springnet1.com OR kathyb@fgi.net KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 18:21:40 PST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Samantha Kegan Subject: Fwd: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain >Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 07:58:14 +0000 >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >From: Ann Adell >Subject: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > >Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:00:10 > >Your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list is due for renewal. If >you wish to remain subscribed to LOISCLA-GENERAL-L, please issue the >following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU at your earliest >convenience: > > CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > >You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send a >CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. > >PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially >formatted so that you only need to forward it back to >LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that >while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail >packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to >forward and not reply. >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >// JOB >CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L >// EOJ > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 22:27:38 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Melissa Day Hall Subject: E-books In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Charlotte wrote >> I keep checking the computer equipment ads, etc. for a real, hand-held ascii >> text reader, one onto which I can load fanfiction and take to bed to curl up >> with and read. A friend told me about e-books but I cant' tell if the >> operating system for the new readers is proprietary and will only accept >>text >> from the e-book sites. I want one which will let me download to 3 1/4 inch >> floppy and then put that in the reader - a size problem I know. Come on all >> you techie types - there's a new market here much bigger than the handheld >> machines on which you get to load personal calendars, etc. > >This sounds so delightfully Star Trek!! Charlotte, if you ever find something >like this, let me know -- I want one too!!! Ok- there is an e-book out there- it's made by NuvoMedia, and sold by Levenger. The text of the e-books is currently being sold only (I think) by Barnes and Noble, through their web-site. (As a side note, the books that they're selling are all by dead authors whose copyright has expired... you know, 'The Classics') The e-book is a small device, about the size of a paperback (but considerably more expensive- $499) which connects to your PC (not the Mac yet- they're still working on that) and will download the text of a book >from the PC to the e-book. The book text isn't really text- it's a variant of HTML, so currently, e-books can't handle straight text. However, the company that makes these things is working on having a version of the e-book that will read HTML, MS Word and text files. They're hoping on having it ready by the first quarter of '99. At this point, the e-book has 8 megabytes of memory on board- and no disks- it connects via a serial port. Since a 400-page novel takes up about 340 kilobytes of memory, you can usually fit about ten novels on the e-book, (or about 12 parts of Dawning ;). There are plans for cards that will increase the onboard memory, but not for disk-compatible versions. So, it's nifty, but I'll wait for the text-capable, USB connectable Mac version. I'm picky that way ;) The URLS for all the sites I found this info on are: Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com (it's a rip-off of Amazon.com- looks exactly the same, the stinkers...) Levenger: http://levenger.com/shop/ (Levenger sells really nifty writing stuff- fountain pens and such) NuvoMedia: http://www.rocket-ebook.com (this is where the good stuff is) Misha, keeper of UBIs mhall@sound.net ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 01:36:49 -1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: maeve Subject: Fw: FW: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L -----Original Message----- From: Angela Zavila To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Date: Friday, December 18, 1998 5:31 AM Subject: FW: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list >CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > >-----Original Message----- >From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic >[mailto:On Behalf Of Ann Adell >Sent: Friday, December 18, 1998 2:58 AM >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list > > >Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:00:10 > >Your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list is due for renewal. If >you wish to remain subscribed to LOISCLA-GENERAL-L, please issue the >following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU at your earliest >convenience: > > CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > >You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send a >CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. > >PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially >formatted so that you only need to forward it back to >LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that >while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail >packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to >forward and not reply. >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >// JOB >CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L >// EOJ > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 10:39:38 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Farah Subject: Re: Fwd: Renewal of your subscription to the LOISCLA-GENERAL-L list In-Reply-To: <19981219022141.3059.qmail@hotmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" If I see anymore of these forwards from anyone, I will hurt you. please stop forwarding this to the list. This is getting a little stupid. Thanks. >> >>You will be automatically removed from the list if you do not send >a >>CONFIRM command within the next 28 days. >> >>PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been >specially >>formatted so that you only need to forward it back >to >>LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note >that >>while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most >mail >>packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure >to >>forward and not reply. >>------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>// JOB >>CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L >>// EOJ >> > > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 10:34:04 -1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: Renewal confusion MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everyone! I'll forever be a newbe with this computer stuff, and forgive me if I'm wrong or if I'm stating something that you all allready know (I'll speak then for the computer challanged like myself!) but I think the confusion and/or problem is with the part of the letter that says: >>PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been specially formatted so that you only need to forward it back to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note that while the formats produced by the forwarding function of most mail packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure to forward and not reply.<< 1. as many have most likely figured out, we are replying and not forwarding and it's sending it back to this list. We need to send it to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU not: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU 2. the letter tells us to *forward* the email back cuz it is specially formatted for that, but when *I* did this, it still didn't work. I had to ignore that part of the letter and just follow the original instructions and type: CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L in the body of my letter. Walla, it worked right away and sent me a confirmation notice! j-me...who was getting scared she was gonna be cancelled of this great list! ;) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 01:33:10 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Joshua Phelps Subject: Re: Renewal confusion MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thank you sooooo much for straightening out all the confusion. It was getting a little annoying having to deal with all of those renewals. =o) -----Original Message----- From: Jamee Jones To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Date: Saturday, December 19, 1998 2:13 PM Subject: Renewal confusion >Hi everyone! > >I'll forever be a newbe with this computer stuff, and forgive me if I'm >wrong or if I'm stating something that you all allready know (I'll speak >then for the computer challanged like myself!) but I think the >confusion and/or problem is with the part of the letter that says: > >>>PS: In order to facilitate the task, this message has been >specially >formatted so that you only need to forward it back >to >LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU to have the command executed. Note >that while the formats produced by the forwarding function of >most mail >packages are supported, replying will seldom work, so make sure >to >forward and not reply.<< > >1. as many have most likely figured out, we are replying and not >forwarding and it's sending it back to this list. We need to send it >to: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > > not: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > >2. the letter tells us to *forward* the email back cuz it is specially >formatted for that, but when *I* did this, it still didn't work. I had >to ignore that part of the letter and just follow the original >instructions and type: > >CONFIRM LOISCLA-GENERAL-L > >in the body of my letter. Walla, it worked right away and sent me a >confirmation notice! > >j-me...who was getting scared she was gonna be cancelled of this great >list! ;) > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 12:39:20 -1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jamee Jones Subject: Re: Renewal confusion MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Joshua Phelps wrote: > >>Thank you sooooo much for straightening out all the confusion. It > was > getting a little annoying having to deal with all of those renewals. > =o)<< Hey! for once I did *something* right!?! :o) j-meS8-)] ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 19:10:35 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6 PROMO -- Episode #3 Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Get ready to join us tomorrow for the next all new episode of Season 6 -- "Bedtime Stories". = * * * = Twas a few days before Christmas And all through the Planet The Creatures were stirring And Cat got the mouse. With Laura asleep and her dad overhead Perry kept watch and dreamed of the past. And to Jimmy's surprise he saw his tomorrow While Lois---well you know Lois! * * * Join us on Sunday, Dec. 20 for the Daily PLanet Christmas Party: Lois and Clark, Season 6, Episode 3, "Bedtime Stories", brought to you by an international team of writers and editors led by Phil Atcliffe. As always, Season 6 episodes are available on this list and also on the web at: Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:45 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (3/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 3 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = "Took me a minute to answer her, 'cause I had to stop and think -- had she really said 'better' news, or was it 'bad' news? Eventually, I asked her, and she said that yes, she'd said 'better'. She didn't have any bad news, except maybe that she really did have to go home in two weeks' time. I laughed and hugged her, feelin' a lot better myself, and said I'd start with the good news and work my way up. "She laughed at that, then told me that she'd been talking to Old Man Krebbs, and he'd said to let me know that he'd arranged for a new, permanent War Correspondent, and I'd be coming home in a couple of months. That was great to hear, and we hugged again and spent a minute or two lip-locked -- this is why I don't bear down too much on your mom and dad when *they* do it, sweetie; I can still remember what it's like to have that need to connect with someone you love. "When we separated -- our mouths, anyway -- Alice filled me in on a few details. The new guy was scheduled to arrive in the middle of January, but the boss wanted me to hang around until after the Tet -- that's the Lunar New Year, a big celebration in those parts. He didn't really think that the VC or the North would try anything major this year, not after the beating that they'd taken in the Tet Offensive, but he just had a tiny feeling at the back of his neck that they might do *something*, just to remind our side that they were there, and he wanted me around to cover it if they did. After that, if there wasn't some big story to report or follow up on, I was to get myself back to Metropolis 'on the double!' "Well, as good news went, that was outstanding, so what on Earth could Alice have meant by 'better' news? I was almost afraid to ask, but she was looking at me, and her eyes were shining, so I knew that she meant it, and I had to bite the bullet, even if I did just about trip over my tongue trying to say it -- what *was* this news that was even better than me coming home? "Now it was *Alice's* turn to get all tongue-tied; she ducked her head and went all shy for a minute. Then, without lifting her head, she said very softly that it had to do with *why* she'd been talking to Old Man Krebbs.... Before I could work that one out, she asked me if I remembered the last time I saw her, how we'd spent that week in Manila. I remembered, all right -- now that we were alone, I was kinda hoping to have another try at what we'd been doing, most of the time. But then she looked up at me and said that she remembered, too... and, in a few months, we'd both have something-- or some*one* -- to remember that trip by! "I felt like I'd been hit over the head with one of Elvis' guitars. All I could do was stare at her; I couldn't say a word -- which wasn't so bad, 'cause the only thing I could think of to say was some darn-fool nonsense like 'Are you sure?' Don't know why men come out with that kind of thing at times like that -- Alice had had 3 months to *make* sure, and she wouldn't've come out and told me otherwise. So it was just as well that I didn't say anything; as it was, she must've seen the question in my eyes, 'cause she nodded, even though I hadn't made a sound. "That didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was there, and we were gonna have a baby! We hugged and kissed, and we both got a bit weepy. I still couldn't quite believe it -- this was fantastic, the best possible news that there could have been -- but Alice kept tellin' me that it was true until I had time to take in the idea properly. She finally got me to put my hand on her stomach, even though it was too early for anything to show, let alone be touched, but somehow the feel of her and the idea that our baby was in there, growing, got through to me in a way that words hadn't -- kinda embarrassing for a writer to have to admit, but that's what happened. "As I said to Alice at the time, that was one heck of a way to start celebratin' Christmas! And we kept going the way we'd started; I think that was probably the wildest Christmas we *ever* had! Alice mostly had to stay off alcohol, but we were half-drunk anyway on the sheer joy of being together and lookin' forward to having a family, so who needed booze? I got smashed a couple of times when I ran into other reporters and they heard our news. Everybody insisted that we have a drink with 'em, and I couldn't get out of it, but Alice just smiled and made sure we got back to the hotel okay -- then fixed me a hangover cure in the morning. "She might have had to stop drinking, but Alice was still as active as ever; she'd got over her morning sickness before she left home, and she didn't see any reason why bein' pregnant should stop her from doing anything that she wanted to! And it didn't! I had to look in at the office every so often -- Christmas was all very well, but Old Man Krebbs wasn't gonna be happy if the Planet got scooped while I was 'off gallivanting around with my wife', as he put it -- but the rest of the time, we did anything we felt like doin'. We'd sleep in if we wanted to, or we'd get up and go look at some tourist attraction, or a local market, early in the morning. We'd wander 'round Saigon in the morning, then go back to the hotel for a siesta after lunch -- or not. "Most evenings, we went dancin'! My reputation as a wowser went right out the window when the other guys saw Alice and I on the dance floor. Alice had that glow that only pregnant women get, but 'cause she wasn't showing yet, it just made her look even more gorgeous than she already was. And her dancing used to catch every eye in the place -- every male eye, anyway. I guess I was lucky that we didn't have any problems with anybody tryin' to move in on her, but maybe she made it obvious that she was already taken; women can do that, but don't ask me how. And, even if I do say so myself, I was pretty fit -- all that time in the field, and a pretty healthy lifestyle -- so no-one was gonna think I was a push-over, even if I wasn't in uniform." Perry stopped speaking for just a second, then let out a great guffaw of laughter. "I remember that Aussie reporter comin' up to me one evening when Alice and I were going back to our table to take a break from dancing. He was more than a bit drunk, but he was one of those courteous drunks, the kind that realise that they're smashed and become very careful and very polite when they try to talk to you. Anyway, he apologised for thinking I was a wowser. He said that now, he understood why I'd been so quiet and sober all these months; obviously -- well, he *tried* to say 'obviously', but he couldn't quite get his tongue 'round the word -- obviously, I'd been conservin' my energy for when my lovely wife could join me. And he could see why. "He just had one question that he hoped I wouldn't mind answerin': had I been sent out there by my boss, or had I *asked* to come, so that I could recover from *last* Christmas? 'Cause he didn't think that any man could keep up with Alice all year round!" Perry laughed again, but then fell silent, turning away from the table for a few moments, his gaze directed towards the ceiling. Eventually, his eyes came back to the little girl, who was still wide awake and looking interestedly at him. He took up his story again, but his voice had changed, becoming much more reflective in tone. "And yet, you know, little lady, when I think of that Christmas and all the fun we had and everything else that was goin' on at the time, there's one memory that really stands out, and that's watching the TV broadcast that Apollo 8 made from the Moon on Christmas Day. If you look in the record books, they'll say that it was made on December 24th, but that was American time; in Vietnam, on the other side of the International Date Line, it was already the next day, and Alice and I watched it all in bed on Christmas morning. "The astronauts showed us the Earth rising over the Moon's horizon, and one of 'em read a passage from the Book of Genesis, about God separating the heavens and the earth. It was an amazing sight -- no-one had ever seen the world from that far away before -- and the words of the Bible were just so appropriate, they fitted the scene so well, that we were just spellbound.... Alice and I just watched the TV, not sayin' a word, until the camera moved away from that incredible view. When that happened, we looked at one another for a moment, and then Alice laid her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around her, and we just stayed there for a while. We didn't move, we didn't talk, we just... *were*, and we thanked God that we were alive and well, and together, with so much to be thankful for and so much more to look forward to. "It was a strange way to feel, what with all the killing and hatred that was going on all around the world, but somehow, the sight of the Earth, looking so beautiful, but so *small* from that far away, filled us with hope. In spite of all the wars and the assassinations, in spite of all the craziness, the picture of that little world, at that time of the year, reminded us that the future could still be a bright one, and it was worth fighting for. "I've tried to take that to heart over the years, even if I did get a bit off-track for a while as to whose future I oughtta be trying to look after. But, maybe I've got another chance and, this year, I'm gonna do my best to show my family just how important they are to me. I remember this time two and three years ago, and I didn't like it much, and I don't want to go back to that. "You remember that, darlin'. If you take after your mom and dad, you're gonna want to help other people, but you need to always keep in mind that the people closest to you are just as much in need of help as anybody else out there, and the *worst* thing you can do is to expect them to be happy without you, but always be there *for* you, while you concentrate on looking after strangers. They'll be there, all right, but if you want them to help you, you've got to remember that and be there for them, too. "But I guess that Lois and Clark will teach you that. They *do* it, every day, so it won't be hard for you to pick it up. Just don't be like me and forget it 'cause you're so busy. It's not a good exchange, a life for a job...." * * * Clark strolled over to where his wife was deep in conversation with Arnold from Features (or so *she* would have said; Arnold, for all that he was supposed to be a good interviewer, was showing the familiar signs of being on the receiving end of a Lane monologue) and planted a gentle kiss on her head. "Hi, honey." Lois wasn't expecting that -- for once, she'd been too involved in marshalling her arguments to notice his approach -- and she jumped slightly at his touch and whirled around, halfway towards a martial arts crouch before she saw who it was. Clark stepped back a pace, raising his hands in his own defence, an amused smile on his face. Lois relaxed once her mind caught up with her reflexes, but only for a second. "Clark! What's wrong? Where's Laura?" she cried, a trace of nervous panic beginning to show in her voice. "It's okay, honey," Clark soothed, taking her hands in his. "Nothing's wrong. Perry's looking after Laura." Lois began to calm down as she looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. Behind her, Arnold took the chance to withdraw discretely; Clark looked up quickly and nodded his thanks to the man as he gathered his wife into his arms. "It's *okay*," he repeated, and she calmed further. "Sorry, Clark," she murmured. "I don't know why I'm so jumpy all of a sudden. I guess I'm still a little nervous after all of the trouble we had with the custody fight." Clark nodded, acknowledging this as reasonable, and, reassured, she brightened and asked, "How come Perry's taking care of our girl?" "I had a little... stomach trouble..." Clark replied. As he said this, he waved one hand in their familiar flying signal, and Lois nodded. "...and he offered to look after her. He told me not to hurry back, either. He wants us to enjoy the party." Clark raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "He suggested that we might like to dance...." Lois thought about that, but grimaced. "Not unless Jimmy changes that music to something more our speed. Do you suppose he's got any jazz there? I wouldn't mind something slow, where I get to be close to you...." Then, grinning, she stood on tip-toes to whisper in his ear, "Shame we can't show everyone what *real* dancing is, isn't it?" Clark grinned back. "Yes, it is, but before we hit the floor...." His voice lowered so that only she could hear -- which, with the music blaring, didn't require all that much of a reduction in volume. "...or lift off it..." He returned to a more normal level. "... I wanna tell you and Perry about something I saw while I was... out and about." Lois' eyebrows went up as he led her towards the conference room. This sounded intriguing. Of course, it also sounded like *work*, but it wouldn't be the first time that that had been more interesting than a party, and Lois hated to miss out on a good story much more than she would ever regret leaving a social function. Clark opened the conference room door and bowed her in. Perry, his attention caught by the sudden burst of music through the open doorway, turned from where he'd been contemplating Laura -- and she'd been contemplating him back, or so he'd thought. "Hey, you two," he greeted them. "Now, what brings you in here? I told Clark to enjoy the party. The little lady and I are doin' just fine by ourselves." "I'm sure you are, Chief," Clark countered, "but I've got something to tell both you and Lois; something I think you'll be interested to hear about. After I'd... finished what I left you to do, I decided to step outside for a moment to get some fresh air. When I came out of the lobby, I heard a commotion of some sort coming from the direction of City Hall, so I jogged over that way...." As Clark spoke, Perry had a hard time not beaming proudly at the younger man. He recognised the signs: here was a real newsman who'd stumbled across something by accident, gone and found out all about it, and now just *had* to tell the world -- or his editor, anyway. This could be good.... He listened curiously, surreptitiously checking his watch and wondering if there was time to get this into the next edition as Clark continued, "When I got there, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. I know it's that time of year, but I didn't expect to see what looked like the entire Christmas story slowly walking up the street! There was a man out in front leading a donkey with a woman on its back. They were both wearing Biblical-style robes, and he had a beard and she was either pregnant or she had some *very* realistic padding under her clothes. "Right behind them was a bunch of about five 'shepherds', all in the same kind of robes, but more worn and dirtier. They even had a couple of sheep with them! Then came three guys in fancier robes; I think they were supposed to be the Magi, but I noticed that they weren't carrying anything...." "So no gold, frankincense and myrrh, huh?" interrupted an interested Lois. "That's right. And that surprised me. If this was some kind of Christmas pageant, then that was an important element of the story that was missing, and I wondered why. I found out soon enough; there was a group of marchers -- about a hundred or so -- following the guys in costume, and they were carrying placards and a couple of banners. I talked to a few of them, including one guy who was acting as the official spokesman, and they said that this was a protest by and on behalf of homeless people; everyone was marching on City Hall, where they plan to stage what they call a Homeless Nativity -- some sort of street theatre, from what they said -- on the front steps to highlight what they call the city's 'criminal neglect' of shelters, refuges and general facilities for the homeless. "The theme of the march, which was on a lot of the placards, was 'No Room at the Inn', and the Magi weren't carrying gifts to make the point that no-one -- especially the City Council -- was giving or doing anything to help people on the streets. The people I spoke to seemed particularly angry about some of those new developments that the Council gave the go-ahead to, a couple of months ago. The Bronson Tower, that LexCorp plan for the south end of Hobb's Bay, one or two others that they mentioned...." "This is good stuff, Clark," Perry broke in. "How long will it take you to get it written up? If I send a photographer down there now, he should be back in less than an hour, which will give me plenty of time to rework the front page for the next edition. The question is, is this main headline material, or do we leave the Washington story there and put a photo next to it, with the text spread over...." Perry's voice trailed off and his eyes glazed as he ran through the options in his head. Neither Lois or Clark, who had seen this kind of performance before, doubted that he was visualising several different front pages in his mind, so that he could choose the most appropriate with a minimum of delay once he had the copy and photos in his hands. They waited silently, anticipating the next step, which duly occurred: Perry's attention snapped back to the here-and-now and he growled at Clark, "Well, get on with it, Clark! You can use my office; you don't want to disturb Laura here -- or vice versa -- and I don't think even Superman could work in the noise out there!" He whirled around to regard the scene in the newsroom. "Where's Jimmy?" As if the mere mention of his name had been enough to summon him, Jimmy opened the conference room door and dived in. "Chief! Chief!" he squawked excitedly, "I was reloading the CD player when I looked up at the TV, and you'll never guess what's happening at City Hall right now!" "If you mean the Homeless Nativity, son," Perry replied proudly, "Clark here has already got the story." He paused with a certain anticipatory glee to watch the stunned expression on the younger man's face, before dropping the other shoe: "I want you to go down there and get some photos to go with it. If you hurry, you can be back before the music needs changin' again." Jimmy's face now went from amazement to definite distress, and Lois took pity on him. "Hold on, Chief. Jimmy's been working really hard on the party; I think he deserves a break -- and there's Penny to think of. Can't you send someone else? After all, I wouldn't want to have to go down there myself unless I knew somebody was looking after Laura. It's bad enough that I'll be stuck in here while Clark is writing and you're rearranging the front page. This *is* supposed to be a Christmas party...." "Now, Lois... this is the Daily Planet! If this newsroom can't get this story, have a party *and* look after a little girl at the same time... then I haven't been doin' my job properly, all these years! We're supposed to be the best newspaper in the world; I think we can handle this. But, okay, I'll send someone else. Watkins, maybe -- or O'Halloran; he doesn't drink, so his photos oughtta at least be in focus! And don't you worry about Laura. You deserve a break, too, and there are enough experienced parents out there--" He waved a hand in the direction of the party. "--to keep an eye on her. You go and enjoy yourself, and I'll send Clark along as soon as he's done." (continued in part 4) !^NavFont02F3DBE0008MGHH3DBF6DA1 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:55 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (5/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 5 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = Over by the Christmas tree, Clark had been talking with Ralph and Perry when he heard Lois speak. Now he turned his attention away >from them to listen to his wife as she began to sing, the soft throaty swing of her voice swirling around him as he gazed at her, pulling him closer to her. He met her eyes for a moment and smiled, raising his glass to her in a silent, joyful toast. Lois continued singing, forcing herself, after a moment, to look away >from Clark. After all, ostentatious flirtation with one's husband at a staff Christmas party is never in good taste, so she turned her attention to the four guys in the band instead, falling back into the pleasure of the music. As Lois was finishing her song, Cat Grant, who knew it was *always* in good taste to flirt with as many men as possible at a staff Christmas party, manoeuvred across the crowded room to Ralph, Perry, and Clark, leaving in her wake an afterglow of red sequins and silver bells. The three men knew she was coming towards them before she was halfway across the room, and they all turned in her direction, their faces a preview of their expectations. Perry grinned expansively, always getting a kick out of Cat's joke. Ralph leered, his eyes fixed on the long feather boa that draped over her shoulders before drifting south along the line of her *very* exposed cleavage, and then down further to touch her high red leather boots. Clark looked amused, finally beginning to clue into Cat's act after all these years, his spooked virgin response long gone. Cat stopped in front of the three silent men. "Merry Christmas, gentlemen!" Slipping her hand around the arm of each man in turn, she planted a cheerful kiss on both Ralph's and Perry's cheeks. Then she purred around Clark, her sinuous body stretching along the side of his hip as she curled her arm around his neck to kiss him. "Merry Christmas, Kansas." She slid the boa around his neck. Clark laughed good-naturedly as he briefly slipped his arm around her shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Catherine." A reminder that he knew and liked who she really was. "Nice outfit, Cat." Ralph made an attempt to regain her attention, visions of their earlier dance teasing his mind. His eyes wandered to her waist. "But, why the whip?" Cat patted his shoulder. "To keep the reindeer in line." Perry's laugh was loud. "Darlin', I bet you could do that better 'n anyone in this room!" Cat tossed her head, her silver bell earrings jingling and her long auburn hair shimmering, and smiled. "Of course I could." Turning serious for a moment, she added, "Thanks, Perry, for giving me my old job back. It's been a great year." "It's been great to *have* you back, Cat. You've added some spice to this old newspaper. I don't know how you find out half the stuff you get, but it's been good for circulation." Her eyes dancing, Cat replied, "Perry, you don't *want* to know how I get my stuff." Then she turned to look at Clark. "And now, I believe it's time to change the shift in the conference room." A pause, and then she purred, "Although I bet Jimmy and Penny haven't minded the chance to be alone." "Thanks, Cat. I know it's awkward having Laura here, but things didn't work out too well today, and we both wanted to be here." Cat turned sultry and patted Clark's chest for a moment longer than necessary. "No problem. No problem at all." Lois joined the three men just as Cat was on her way to the conference room. Fingering the boa for a moment, she gave Clark an arch smile. "Looks good with your red shirt, Clark, but I think it would look better on Ralph." Removing the item in question from around Clark's neck, she turned to drape it over Ralph's shoulder. "Ye-es-ss, I was right." Then her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the society writer's retreating figure. "Do you think Laura will be all right with Cat? I mean, she hasn't got much experience." "Relax, honey." Clark slipped his arm around her waist, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Laura's probably asleep, so there's not much to do. Think of it as leaving a baby with you, only three years ago." "Precisely!" Lois' emphatic tone indicated that she thought Clark had no idea. She turned her anxious eyes toward the conference room. She still couldn't figure out how Perry had managed to persuade -- or con, or blackmail -- Cat into baby-sitting, of all things. And she wasn't sure that she wanted to know.... Cat stopped to chat, kid, or flirt with several people as she made her way across the boisterous newsroom, turning down two offers from slightly inebriated marketing types to help her in what one of them called "her lonely vigil". Patting each one on the chest, she let him know that if it weren't for the higher duty of standing by your friends in their time of need, she would be thrilled to join him in checking whether the photocopier was in working order. Definitely some other time. Cat sighed happily: she enjoyed flirting -- which was, in her opinion, one of the *great* indoor sports -- although lately, for some reason, she was content to leave things at the "harmless" level. Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled. Sheila Molineux from Public Relations drew her aside for a moment. "Cat, you might want to make sure you get to that party at City Hall tonight. You might find it interesting to talk to Councillor Yaremsky." "Thanks, Sheila. I'll make sure I do." The two women chatted for a moment or two and then Cat continued on her way to the conference room, grateful for the tip that Sheila had just given her. She was about fifteen minutes late relieving Jimmy and Penny, but they didn't seem to mind. Cat got a strong feeling that they had enjoyed their time together with Laura. She wasn't so sure she would. She leaned over the carry-cot to peer at the sleeping little girl with some anxiety, and then sank back into the leather sofa, positioning herself so that she could keep her eyes on the baby. Cat was, after all, not a domestic creature. Babies were sweet, cuddly, and *boring.* They slowed you down and they cramped your style. And that was the least of the damage they could do. She had little experience with them, nor did she want more. She was still amazed that Lois Lane, whom she had always thought of as an aggressive and dedicated, if somewhat socially inept, reporter, had agreed to have a child. Lois had never struck her as the wife-and-mother type and, after that badly-managed relationship with Claude, Lois had seemed reluctant to get involved with *any* man again. Lois had learned the wrong lesson >from that experience, Cat thought. When you fall off a horse, you don't quit riding. In fact, it had been a major surprise to return to Metropolis late last fall and discover that Lois had actually married Clark Kent. Lois had never seemed to have much time for the mild-mannered reporter in anything other than a professional relationship, and it had taken her months to accept him even in that capacity. Yet, it had been pretty obvious that Clark Kent was crazy about his partner. Cat had tried, herself, to interest the Planet's newest reporter, but he had proven unresponsive. She had sensed, too, that he was not all that experienced with women and, since he was drop-dead gorgeous, she had decided that it fell to her to give him some instruction. That her actions also annoyed Lois had only added to the fun. Cat had thought for a bit, during the time when the asteroid had threatened them all, that Lois was moving closer to Clark. During that time, Clark had suffered a brief bout of amnesia and Cat had thought that she might get a chance to scrawl a few notes on the tabula rasa of his mind. But Clark had somehow sensed that there was no relationship between them and had instinctively turned to Lois, who had been very protective of him, shepherding him through the forgotten routine of his job -- and keeping him out of Cat's reach, much to her chagrin. Cat had been scared during that time, too. Unable to connect with her family as the asteroid hurtled toward New Troy, she'd found herself truly alone for the first time in her life. Panicking, she had gone to confession, seeking forgiveness for her sins; but, as she had gone through the list, she realised that she didn't think they were sins at all, and she had wound up propositioning the priest. Ah, well. After the asteroid threat ended, things went back to normal and Lois had started seeing more of Lex Luthor, leaving Clark on the sidelines. When Cat had left town after the Planet had folded, Lois had become engaged to Luthor, a move which, at the time, Cat had envied. Luthor was powerful, wealthy, and charming. And, above all, he had style. The ideal man. Cat had been shocked when Luthor had been exposed as a master criminal, the evil genius behind a global criminal network. Afterwards, she'd wondered if Lois hadn't agreed to the engagement as part of a plan to expose the man. After all, she'd never made a secret of her infatuation for Superman, and Lois wasn't the type to be involved with two men at the same time. Or was she? Maybe there was hope for Lois after all, Cat thought with a smile, as she recalled the tabloid stories about Lois and Superman's "secret tryst" at a luxury resort a couple of winters ago. The rumours were still out there about Superman having a thing for Lois, and he was still very much around whenever Lois got into trouble. Nevertheless, Lois and Clark were obviously very happy, and both were delighted with their baby. Clark still had that amazed look that let everyone know that he thought his child was a miracle, while Lois positively glowed. Maybe there was some truth to this maternal instinct business. Cat thought briefly about her ex- husband Richard's recent proposal. No, marriage and children weren't her thing. Laura gurgled in her sleep for a few seconds and Cat reached over to touch her gently. She looked so contented, she thought. Laura really was a beautiful baby, with the dark hair and eyes of her parents. Cat had tried to figure out who the baby looked like but, so far, she wasn't sure. Perhaps the child had Lois' nose. If she was lucky, she'd have her mother's long legs, too, Cat thought, as she curled into the soft leather of the sofa in the conference room. "That's my Christmas wish for you, little one," Cat spoke silently to Laura. "That you have the best of both your mom and your dad." * * * Clark and Alan stood on the fringe of the crowded newsroom, enthusiastically debating the merits of the Governor of New Troy's new plan to eliminate the state deficit. Just as Clark was about to make what he considered to be his most convincing argument, Penny tapped Alan on the shoulder, beckoning him onto the dance floor. With an apologetic shrug of his shoulders, Alan grinned at Clark. "Sorry, Clark. I can't resist." He happily trailed the blonde onto the dance floor, leaving Clark alone for the moment. A sense of well-being permeated Clark as he watched his friends and colleagues in full festive swing. Glancing across the room, he spotted Lois, engaged in what he figured, judging from her body language, was a vigorous debate with two people from Legal. Zeroing in on their conversation with his super-hearing, he caught the tail end of her point and grinned in sympathy for her opponent. Yep, debate mode rampant. Then he lowered his head to peer over his glasses in the direction of the conference room, taking a telescopic look at his baby daughter for no other reason than just wanting to gaze at her. He smiled, the joy of this particular Christmas, their first with Laura, spreading through his soul. This was the perfect opportunity for him to disappear unnoticed >from the newsroom for a short time and make a quick patrol of the city. Slipping back unobtrusively towards the stairwell at the side of the newsroom, he tugged at his tie and, a few moments later, was soaring into the cold night air, high above the streets of the city, the bright lights of the traffic below him flowing like an animated circuit board. That night, the city was busy but unusually crime- and accident- free. Then, suddenly, he was flying into turbulence -- and more. He blinked in astonishment as he found himself in the middle of what appeared to be several elves drifting randomly in the dark night sky. Abruptly, as soon as he had encountered them, he had flown *through* them. They were gone, drifting spectre-like toward an open window below him. A wry smile crossed Clark's face as he recognised their destination. They had come from STAR Labs. Zooming downwards, Clark shot through the open window in close pursuit and landed in a room on the top floor of the lab building. Arms crossed, he stood for a moment in the dim shadows on the room's periphery. No-one had particularly noticed him, the colours of his suit blending, for once, into the background of the colourfully decorated room, its darkness lit by swirling silver lights. The elves, now hopping and bouncing, green arms undulating and red scarves flying in some advanced state of elvish ecstasy, were dancing in the middle of the room to a heavy metal version of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". In the centre of their revelry was Dr Bernard Klein, a green tinsel fringe draped over the shoulders of his white lab coat, square jaw thrust upward, shoulders back and arms outspread as he gyrated joyfully, but just slightly out of step with the music. The elves were not out of step. Elves never are. Finally, Dr Klein noticed Superman standing by the corner window. Grinning expansively, he called out, "Superman, Merry Christmas!" and literally walked through the elf in front of him in order to cross the room to Clark. "I hope this is not a professional visit, Superman," he said once he got there. Clark's eyes briefly wandered across the room, taking in the lights, the white-coated revellers, and the massive, perfectly- formed balsam Christmas tree with its green and red laser lights. "No, it's not," he laughed briefly. "I, uh, followed the elves in." "Uh-oh. I *told* Francesca not to project them outside. It's lucky it was you who flew into them and not some traffic helicopter. It would ruin the surprise." "The surprise?" Clark's eyes widened and he wondered if he'd better plan on patrolling the city at the time. Bernie Klein's blue eyes lit up in anticipation. "We've developed a hologram of Santa driving his sleigh. We're going to project it at midnight on Christmas Eve over the ice rink in front of City Hall. You, Lois and Laura should be there," he whispered as he issued this invitation. "It'll be magnificent. Santa'll fly just above the Christmas tree. You know, that tree's always the best one in the country. That's its clone over there." Klein waved his hand casually to the STAR Labs tree. "Its clone?" Clark asked uneasily. He hated the word "clone." The blue eyes sparkled again. "That's right! I've always admired that tree, so two years ago I took a cutting from it as soon as it was brought into the centre of town from the park. Don't you think they put it up too early? I mean, early November! Okay, it's got that special hydroponics tub -- which STAR Labs developed, I'm proud to say -- that keeps it healthy all year, but it's as bad as some of the big stores to 'start' Christmas that early! "Anyway, I took the cutting, and we've pumped it with growth hormones and irradiated it, and here it is -- perfect!" He beamed like a father gazing at his first-born. "Look, you've got to have some of my punch, Superman. Special recipe -- a dash of a new fluorescent food dye to make it glow!" They strode over to the punch bowl, stopping briefly to exchange season's greetings with some of STAR Labs' best and brightest. Most of them had grown accustomed to seeing Bernie Klein with Superman, and had downgraded the hero from "Look, up in the sky!" to "normal". The scientist ladled punch into a cup and then offered it to Superman. "Unless you'd rather have a beer or a glass of wine?" His voice was hesitant; he'd noticed there hadn't been many customers clustered around his punch. "No, no. This is fine, thanks." Superman raised the cup to Klein in a toast. "Merry Christmas!" Bernard smiled. "Merry Christmas." His gaze swept over his colleagues as they talked, laughed and danced. "Don't you think this is always such a wonderful time of year? Makes you think of your childhood." Superman looked at the older man with interest. "What were your Christmases like when you were a child?" Bernard Klein's eyes lit up as he remembered. "Excitement. My parents always gave me a new science kit. Each year, I could hardly wait to see what it would be. I remember my first chemistry set. Chemicals I'd never seen before -- magnesium, phosphorus! All the experiments!" He laughed. "I didn't get every one right, of course. Some small explosions, accidentally set fire to the dining room tablecloth, one or two small chemical spills in my bedroom. You know, the usual stuff." Clark gave him a startled look as he went on, "One year, I got an electromagnetic kit, and I managed to combine it with my junior electronics set and repolarise the fuse box. Blew all the fuses! And then the erector set and the rocket kit! I built my first rocket, the day after Christmas, and launched it out of my bedroom window." Klein shook his head. "Forgot to open the window. Hard to get a repairman that close to Christmas. Those kits were the greatest! We'll have to make sure that Laura gets things like that." Clark laughed. "Okay. But when the two of you are playing, it's under *strict* supervision." He'd always thought that his parents had faced a challenge raising an alien, but it must have been much more challenging raising a boy genius. "What were your parents like, Bernard?" "Pretty normal. Dad was an engineer. He worked long hours, but he always had time for me and my sister. My mother stayed home with us when we were kids. She's the most patient person in the world. Whenever we had questions, she'd put aside what she was doing and we would find the answer, no matter how long it took or where it took us in the city." "They sound a lot like my mom and dad." Superman finished his drink. "I should be going. I wanted to do a quick patrol of the city before the end of the evening." Bernard Klein and Superman walked over to the window and then paused for a moment. Clark reached his hand out to his friend and the two men shook hands, his voice serious as he said, "Merry Christmas, Bernard. Thank you for all that you've done for me and for my family." "It's been my honour, Clark." Bernard felt a lump rise in his throat, as he looked as this remarkable man who had become his friend. "Give Lois and your parents my best wishes, and that baby of yours a hug." "I'll do that." With that, the Man of Steel leaped to the ledge of the tall window and shot upward. Bernard Klein watched Superman gain height and recede into the star-lit night until he was no more than a tiny speck silhouetted against the moon. Klein shook his head in wonder. He always felt such optimism at this time of year; the miracle of hope for the future and for the children who would make that future. He thought about Laura and wondered what the future would be like for her, that very extraordinary child of Kal-El of the planet Krypton and Lois Lane of Planet Earth. (continued in part 6) !^NavFont02F3E470008MGHH3E4859E1 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:35 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (1/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 1 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = by Phil Atcliffe, Carol Malo and Erin Klingler (with inspiration and ideas from Betsy, Leanne Shawler and Jocelyn Atcliffe) Edited by Lynda D. Love "*Urr-rr-rr-rp!*" "Good girl!" Clark Kent said to his baby daughter after she came out with a monumental burp. The little girl looked rather startled for a moment, as though she wasn't quite sure *where* that noise could have come from, but forgot about it and gurgled delightedly at her father as he lifted her into the air over his head. Clark, for his part, was feeling quietly satisfied -- as well as being equally delighted just to be playing with his very special girl. Burping Laura sounded like something that ought to be very easy, but there was a knack to it, and Clark thought he had it -- and Laura agreed, if that massive belch was any indication. The smile which seemed to be a semi-permanent fixture on his face these days -- or at least whenever he was able to spend some time with his family -- broadened as he remembered how he'd been introduced to the fine art of baby-burping. His mother had once said that he'd been a remarkably healthy baby -- no problems with colic or anything like that -- and he'd gathered from passing remarks by Ellen Lane that Lois had been much the same, but that was no reason to be complacent. So, one evening not long before Laura was born, when he and Lois were visiting the farm, he'd asked Martha how to deal with things like that, and specifically if there was anything that either of the parents-to-be needed to know about the mechanics of burping a baby. He'd read a few books, as had Lois, but they both thought that they'd get a better feel for what to do by talking to someone who'd actually *done* it. Somewhat to his surprise, Martha had promptly handed him over to his father, pronouncing Jonathan as the real expert in the family when it came to burping. The "expert" had looked at his wife with a tolerant, amused expression, and then tried to live up to his reputation. Unfortunately, he didn't seem able to simply describe what to do, and how to do it, to his own satisfaction, finally deciding that the best way to pass on the required technique was by demonstration. Martha and Lois had had a *very* hard time keeping straight faces as Jonathan "burped" Clark by rubbing his hand up and down his son's back, but the victim himself got the idea. So well, in fact, that Lois, even though she tried with her usual determination to imitate Jonathan, had become prone to imitating her mother-in-law instead, passing Laura over to her father after feeding her, in order to get rid of any wind that the little girl might be harbouring. She *could* burp Laura, no question about it, but somehow everyone, even her, seemed happier and more relaxed if Clark did it. Clark enjoyed it. It had become his part of the breast-feeding "ritual"; Lois fed Laura; he burped her. Of course, he regularly fed his daughter from a bottle -- expressed milk, or dilute fruit juice occasionally -- but being able to join in, however slightly, when Lois fed Laura in the traditional manner made for a nice feeling of togetherness, -- which, Lois said, helped her to cope at 3 a.m. The best thing about being the "designated burper" was that he didn't need to use any super-powers at all. Ordinary human strength, gently but firmly applied, did the trick perfectly well. And Laura just loved being cuddled by her dad. Or her mom, but Lois was out in the newsroom, taking her turn enjoying the Daily Planet's Christmas party. As with many things these days, "Lane & Kent" had discovered that they were going to have to join the celebrations in shifts -- at least until Laura settled down and went to sleep. Which she showed no sign of doing at present, hence Clark's presence in the conference room with his daughter while, out in the newsroom proper, the party raged on. And it *was* raging. This was the best Christmas party that the Planet had had for several years, and certainly the most... ah, energetic -- in Clark's memory, at least. Quite why, he wasn't sure, unless it was a reaction to the last couple of Christmases. Two years ago, the newsroom had been the centre of Mxyzptlk's attempt to get him to leave Earth, and reliving the same four hours over and over again, each time losing more of the hope that lay at the heart of Christmas, was enough to put a damper on any party. Last year had been... okay, he guessed, but nothing to write home about. Of course, Lois had only just found out that she was pregnant then, and the attention of the prospective parents had been focused on their forthcoming visit to Smallville and telling the senior Kents the news, which had meant that they were rather preoccupied at the time. They'd left early but, from all accounts (i.e., Jimmy), hadn't missed much; the party had been fairly subdued. Not so, *this* year. Clark lowered Laura to eye level after one last lift and gurgle. A quick check confirmed that she didn't need to be changed, so he put her into her carry-cot on the conference room table. She smiled at him, then became intent on contemplating... something; Clark wasn't quite sure what, but it might have been her feet -- or not. In any case, he recognised the look on her face (*so* like her mother), and knew that, left to herself, she wouldn't be paying much attention to the outside world for a little while -- which meant that *he* could. He looked up and glanced quickly around the newsroom. He spotted Lois immediately, engrossed in a conversation with one of the people from Marketing. Clark had to smile; typically, his wife was laying down the law about something, emphasising her points with sharp jabs of one forefinger to the poor guy's chest. Clark hoped that she remembered that not everyone was as resistant to such treatment as he was; otherwise, her victim, who was rapidly starting to resemble a rabbit caught in a spotlight, might be spending Christmas recovering from multiple flesh wounds to the chest! Clark had no idea what they were talking about, and he didn't intend to listen in because that would involve trying to hear over the music that was blaring out from the office PA system. Which was a heck of a lot louder than usual; Clark suspected that Jimmy had rigged it somehow, probably in an attempt to liven up what he saw as a dull office party. It seemed to be working, to the extent that several desks had been pushed aside to create an impromptu dance floor at the other end of the newsroom. His gaze moved down that way... and his eyes widened as his eyebrows headed for the ceiling. Now, *there* was a sight that he would never have expected to see -- Cat Grant dancing with Ralph! Okay, *Cat* was dancing, as only she could -- or *would*; Ralph was shuffling around a bit, but most of his attention was focused on his partner rather than his feet, and he had a grin on his face that indicated that all his Christmases had come at once. Well, let the guy dream.... Maybe that was his Christmas present -- it was certainly all he was ever likely to get from Cat! But then, Clark had to admit that she'd gone in for spreading Christmas cheer around the office in a big way this year. Cat had been the driving force behind organising the party -- maybe *that* was why it was going so well? -- and, unusually for her, had been insistent on keeping it strictly for Planet staff. No outsiders were allowed, and even family had been strongly discouraged from attending. The two exceptions to this were Laura, here because her parents had been unable to get a baby-sitter; and Penny, whom Jimmy had managed to sneak in. Truth be told, Clark rather thought that Cat approved of Penny; if it hadn't seemed ridiculous, he might almost have thought that the columnist was keeping an eye on her distant relative, and was pleased to see him happy in a long-term relationship. Or maybe she was just relieved that Jimmy wouldn't be making any more bets with her for "nights of passion".... Clark grinned at the memory-- and then his face froze as his super-hearing kicked in at the sound of sirens. 'Oh, no...' he thought, 'what rotten timing!' His gaze snapped back to Lois, but she still had her back to him. He looked around the office, trying to catch the eye of anyone who might let his wife know that she was needed, but no-one seemed to be looking in his direction. Clark was beginning to think he'd have to take Laura over to her mother, which he didn't want to have to do -- that music was *loud!* -- when salvation arrived in the form of his boss. Perry White stepped into the conference room to an accompaniment of blaring guitars and keyboards, shutting the door behind him with a relieved expression. "Whew!" the editor sighed, "Oh, that's better. I hate to have to admit it, but that music is just too darn loud, even for an old rock-and-roller like me." His voice turned reflective. "Last time I heard something at that kind of volume was at an Elvis concert in... oh, '76, I think. And it wasn't the music that was all that loud, it was the screams of the girls...." Perry had a small smile on his face as he remembered bygone days, but it faded as his attention returned to the here-and-now and he noticed Clark's slightly antsy manner. "What's up, Clark?" he asked, concerned. "You got a problem with the little lady here?" "Oh... no, Chief," Clark hastened to reassure him. "No, Laura's fine -- fed and everything." Clark's mind was racing as he tried to come up with a suitable cover story, and he was aware that he was coming dangerously close to babbling. Then inspiration struck. "No, Chief, it's me. I just... gotta go all of a sudden, and I was trying to get Lois to take over, while I...." "Oh, right," replied Perry sympathetically. "Look, don't bother Lois, son; you just go, and I'll keep my eye on the little darlin'. It's been a long time since I had to look after a baby, but I reckon I can still remember what to do." Clark didn't argue and headed for the door. As he went out of the conference room, Perry called after him, "And take your time comin' back! Enjoy yourself -- have a dance with Lois! Laura and I will be just fine...." Clark didn't try to reply over the noise; instead, he waved in acknowledgement before heading for the corridor that led out of the newsroom and towards the men's room -- and a certain well- used window. * * * Perry leaned over the carry-cot to look fondly at Laura, who was still concentrating on her feet -- or not, as the case might be. "Hey there, sweetheart. Your daddy had to step out for a minute -- needed the grown-up version of a diaper change -- and your mom's havin' a good time out there, which doesn't happen all that often... not often enough, not while she's at work, anyway... so Uncle Perry gets to look after you for a while." The little girl raised her head at this new sound and smiled again. Perry beamed back, amazed -- he would swear she recognised him! He thought for a moment; just how old did a baby have to be before her eyes could focus? And would she be able to recognise someone -- especially someone who wasn't part of her immediate family -- once they did? He shook his head. No, it was a long, long time since things like that had been important to him, and he couldn't remember -- always assuming that expectations hadn't changed in three decades or thereabouts, and it wouldn't surprise him one bit if they had. Doctors were always coming up with new ideas about that sort of thing, and it was never the same for one kid as for the next, anyway. It didn't matter. Laura here sure *looked* as though she knew who he was -- or at least that he was a friend. And, he had to admit, if any kid could do that at her age, it would be the child of Lois and Clark, regardless of what the "experts" had to say about it. Perry for one would not be at all shocked if this little lady turned out to be a genuine prodigy -- say, the journalistic equivalent of Mozart. It was just a darn shame that, labour laws being what they were, he'd have to retire before she could start working for the Planet, even as an intern or a gofer like Jimmy had been. Hmmm... maybe he could start her off with a column when she was, say... ten? Eight? Question was, though, what to get her to write about? Conventional wisdom would have her do a column for other kids for the Sunday edition, ghosted by a staff writer or sub-editor, but somehow, Perry doubted that "conventional" was a word that was going to apply too much to Laura -- certainly not if she took after her parents, and especially her mother. So, maybe she could write about something else, something that kids were interested in and good at.... A thought struck him, and he grinned. How about teaming Laura up with Jimmy to do a column about computers -- say, twice a week? He could handle the technical stuff and she could give the kids' view of the fun of it all -- or, maybe, vice versa.... But then he shook his head in rueful amusement with himself. Here he was, planning the career of a little baby who wasn't six months old yet! Besides, if Laura really *did* take after Lois, she mightn't be even remotely interested in journalism, because that's what both her parents did. Just what she might end up doing instead, no-one could say -- except that it'd probably be something that involved helping people in some way. Under that hard-bitten professional exterior of hers, Lois was one of the most caring people that he'd ever known, and *Clark*... well, you'd have to go a long way to find someone with a natural bent like his for that sort of thing. So Laura would most likely grow up caring for other people as easily and as naturally as she breathed. The little girl had, by now, gone back to whatever it was that she had been doing, but Perry continued to look down at her, suddenly struck by the immense potential that was, or could be, contained in her small body. A child was such an incredible thing -- so much *possibility*, all wrapped up in a tiny figure. The whole world might be changed, for good *or* evil, in a hundred different ways, by this lovely little person -- or not at all. You could never tell. Perry shook his head again. This was heavy stuff for this time of night -- especially at a Christmas party. For a moment, he wondered what on Earth had got him thinking this way. Maybe he'd had too much of that punch of Cat's? He wasn't sure what was in it but, like the old joke said, for punch, it had one heck of a kick! Just as well he'd okayed it when the organisers booked pre-paid taxis for after the party; wouldn't want anyone trying to drive home with a few belts of *that* stuff in 'em! On second thought, it was probably the combination of the time of year and Laura here. The "festive season" was a time for kids, but it was also a time for reflection, for looking back -- and forward. And when you got to his age, you had a lot to look back on.... Perry sat down rather heavily, but he didn't really notice. His mind was winging its way back through time, racing down the years, pausing at odd intervals and notable events -- especially those connected with Christmas. One memory stood out right now, and Perry realised with something of a shock that it had happened 30 years ago -- almost to the day. 'Oh, man,' he thought, '30 years....' He looked up at Laura, and saw that she seemed to be looking at him again, and he rather thought he recognised the expression on her face. It was that "Go on -- entertain me" look that kids learned early on and brought out at times, the kind of happy, interested not-quite-smile that encouraged parents -- especially their fathers -- to make fools of themselves in the hope of getting the little one to really smile, or even laugh. Perry had no intention of making a fool of himself, but maybe Laura might like to hear a story, and he knew just what to tell her. She was much too young to understand, but he might just lull her to sleep that way -- or, if not, it might keep her happy and quiet for a while, so that her mom and dad could have a bit more time to enjoy themselves. He pulled his chair closer to the conference table and started to speak. "Not too long till Christmas now, honey. You'll like Christmas, 'specially if you take after your daddy that way -- he's a guy who really enjoys this time of year and, I gotta admit, makes it hard for people around him not to enjoy it, too. Even your mom; she didn't like Christmas much a few years ago -- family troubles, and she used to hate all the hype; can't say I blame her, really -- but I think bein' around your dad more and more has got her to relax some, so now she can appreciate the good things without bein' quite so quick to look for the bad. Kinda like the old saying about the half-finished drink: a pessimist reckons his glass is half-empty, but an optimist says that his is half-*full*.... "Even your Grandma and Grandpa Lane are gettin' along better these days. From what she's told me, seems like your mama's family has been gradually coming back together, little by little, for a while now -- ever since she took up with Clark, I guess. She's a lucky woman -- not that she doesn't deserve it -- but if I said that to your daddy, he'd tell me that *he* was the lucky one." Perry chuckled, picturing the scene. "And if Lois heard *that*, the two of them'd probably get into an argument about who was luckier than who; either that, or they'd end up in one of those red-hot clinches that they love to spend their time in, even when they should be working. I swear, they must think I'm blind, not to see 'em at times.... "Ah well, they deserve it. Your mom and dad are still the best darn reporting team around, bar none, so I don't mind cuttin' them a *little* slack now and then. Don't you tell 'em I said that, though; I got a reputation to maintain, and it wouldn't do for some other people to get the idea that necking on the job is allowed around here." Perry paused, smiling gently at the thought of Lois and Clark and their love for one another. He could still remember what it felt like to have that compulsive need for another person. If he was honest with himself, he still had it, too; he'd never *not* had it, but he'd been a darn fool and ignored it, wrapping himself up in his work and never imagining that the other person might get tired of waiting for him to remember their existence. Well, he'd been a fool, and he'd paid for it; he just hoped that he had a chance to rebuild what he'd thrown away. If Lois' parents could stop fighting and start to enjoy one another's company again, there *had* to be hope for him and Alice... didn't there? (continued in part 2) !^NavFont02F3B8F0008MGHH3B906113 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (4/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 4 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = "Good idea, Mr White," said a voice from the doorway. It was Penny, who had followed Jimmy (at a more leisurely pace) when he rushed to tell his boss about what he'd seen, and had heard everything that had been said. "And you don't need to worry about finding someone to look after your little girl, Lois. Jimmy and I will take good care of her for a while, and Mr White can find someone to relieve us. Maybe we could arrange a sort of roster, with someone new taking over every... half-hour or so?" Perry nodded in approval. That sounded like a good idea; he was sure that he could find volunteers -- or, failing that, shanghai someone! -- and since Lois had got Jimmy off the hook as far as going down to City Hall went, it was only fair that he take the first shift. Jimmy didn't look as though he agreed. He was staring at his girlfriend as though she'd suddenly sprouted an extra head or something. Penny noticed this, and she had a pretty good idea why. "Come on, Jimmy," she coaxed, "Lois is right. You've been rushing around doing things the whole time. You do need a break, and it'll be really nice to just spend a little time relaxing. Laura will probably fall asleep soon, and we can just sit and listen to the music... together... by *ourselves*...." "Oh.... oh, right," he said, her meaning almost visibly getting through to him. "Yeah, okay...." Behind him, Lois, Clark and Perry all tried desperately to stifle grins before making their way out of the room. As soon as he and Penny were alone, Jimmy seemed to recover his self-confidence and gestured at the conference room window, through which they could see that the party was still raging out in the newsroom. "Man, this party is really rockin' this year, thanks to me!" he said, suddenly feeling totally hyped after his narrow escape and grinning proudly from ear to ear. "The last few Christmas parties we had here at the Planet really bombed. It probably would've bombed this year, too, if I hadn't snuck that big box of Christmas CDs into the storage room last week. Otherwise, we would've either been listening to that horrible elevator Christmas music Perry picks out -- or, even worse, some tape of 'Elvis' Greatest Christmas Hits!'" He shuddered for emphasis, making Penny laugh. "Well, you obviously knew what the party needed," she said, giving him a smile of her own. "Everyone seems to be having a really great time. Well, maybe except for Perry." She giggled. "I don't think he appreciates the wiring job you did on the PA system to increase the volume." "Yeah, wasn't that cool?" Jimmy beamed. "But I wouldn't worry about Perry. I've learned that his bark is worse than his bite... most of the time." Laura made a cooing noise, and Penny immediately turned her attention to her. Walking over to where she was still lying in her carry-cot, Penny reached out to take Laura's tiny hands in her own. "Isn't she just adorable?" Penny gushed. "And look at all that dark hair! She's just beautiful." She hovered over Laura, using her hands to clap the infant's tiny fists together gently. Then she smiled at Laura and raised her voice a few pitches. "You look so much like your mom and dad, don't ya?" she jabbered. "Yes, you do." She was instantly rewarded when Laura broke out into a huge, dimple-inducing smile. "Oh, Jimmy, did you see that?" she asked excitedly. "She's learned how to smile!" Jimmy glanced momentarily at Laura, but then he looked back at Penny. "I didn't know you liked babies." "Oh, I *love* babies!" Penny admitted, tucking Laura's blanket more snugly around her tiny form. "I used to baby-sit all the time when I was growing up. And I used to look after my younger sister and brother when my mom was at work." She turned to Jimmy. "Don't you like babies?" He shrugged. "I don't *not* like them..." he hedged. "I just haven't been around them all that much." Penny turned back to Laura and smiled at her again. "Well, there's nothing to it, is there?" she cooed to Laura in the higher-pitched voice that all babies seem to respond to. "All they want is to have their basic needs taken care of, and to be loved by those around them." Laura kicked a bit in her carry-cot, obviously enjoying the attention she was getting. Unable to resist, Penny reached into the carry-cot and slid her arms underneath Laura. "Wha-what are you doing?" Jimmy asked nervously as he watched Penny bending over the little girl. "I want to hold her." "No, don't pick her up!" Jimmy protested. "She looks so comfortable where she is." Penny lifted Laura out easily and cradled her in her arms. "Oh, Jimmy, calm down. If you were a baby, would you want to be stuck in that cot all night? She wants to get out and be with people, too." "Just-- just don't drop her or anything," he conceded. Closing the rest of the distance between them, he peered at Laura, being careful not to touch her. "She does look an awful lot like both Lois and Clark," he observed. "I can see parts of each of them in her." "I think so, too." Penny adjusted Laura's weight in her arms, then looked up at Jimmy. "Do you want to hold her?" Jimmy immediately took an unconscious step backwards. "No, that's okay. You can keep holding her." Penny gave Jimmy a sidelong glance. "Are you afraid of her?" She studied him closely, and when he didn't respond right away, she knew she had her answer. "You *are!*" Jimmy squared his shoulders and pulled himself up to his full height. "I am not," he insisted, jutting out his chin. "Jimmy, there's nothing to be afraid of," Penny went on as if he hadn't spoken. "Take her. Babies aren't as delicate as they look." "No, really," he protested as she moved closer to him. "I-- I'm not very good with babies." Penny smiled, enjoying seeing this side of Jimmy. She decided his insecurity was endearing. "That's just because you haven't had much experience with them," she assured him. "Here, let me show you." Then, ignoring Jimmy's protests, she set Laura in his arms and showed him how to cradle his arm under her tiny head. Laura snuggled right in. Jimmy relaxed a bit, and Penny beamed. "See? I knew you could do it. You're a natural." "You think?" He looked up from Laura's face and met Penny's gaze, a broad smile on his face. She nodded encouragingly. "Definitely." Suddenly Jimmy noticed that the music had stopped in the next room. "Hey!" he exclaimed, leaning around Penny to see what was going on. "What happened to my CDs?" "It looks like those guys are going to sing something," she said, watching four men gathering in front of a microphone with their instruments. "I hope they're halfway decent," Jimmy muttered. "Or they're going to send this party to the Planet Party Graveyard with the rest of 'em." Penny laughed. "Oh, come on, Jimmy. They can't be *that* bad. Give them a chance." As the group started to play, Penny and Jimmy looked at each other. "Not bad!" Jimmy admitted. "Yeah, they've got a great sound." Penny bounced her head a little in time to the music. She smiled at Jimmy, placing her hand on his arm. "You owe me a dance when we get out of here." "I'll give you more than that," Jimmy grinned, being careful not to drop Laura as he leaned toward Penny and gave her a light kiss. Giggling, Penny looked down at Laura lying between them, then lifted her hand to gently stroke the baby's fine hair. Then she brought her eyes back up to Jimmy's. "Thanks for sneaking me into the party." "Hey, it wouldn't have been the same without you," Jimmy insisted. "Besides, I don't know who came up with that stupid 'staff only' rule. I mean, come on! You can't even bring a significant other? Give me a break!" Laura squirmed in Jimmy's arms, drawing their attention back to her. "You know," Jimmy began thoughtfully. "I've always thought that my life would've been so much easier if someone had been able to tell me what to expect when I was Laura's age. If I'd known that my dad was going to practically desert me as a kid, and not be around for me, I would've prepared myself for it, and not been so hurt." Penny put her hand on Jimmy's shoulder sympathetically. "Not everyone makes the right decisions as a parent," she told him. "And we certainly can't choose who our parents are. All we can do is make the best out of our family situations." They were quiet for a minute before Penny continued. "Besides," she said, turning to look out into the newsroom where she could see Lois and Clark dancing, staring lovingly into each others' eyes and laughing happily. "Lois and Clark are two of the best people I know. And they're very dedicated to Laura. I'm sure they're going to be great parents." Jimmy's gaze followed Penny's, and he smiled at the dancing couple. "Yeah, you're right. They're the best. Laura is one lucky little girl." He shifted Laura in his arms awkwardly, then began to laugh. "My arm's falling asleep." Penny laughed, too. "Here. I'll put her back for you." After Laura was tucked snugly back into her seat, Penny dropped into the chair next to Jimmy, leaning into him and laying her head on his shoulder. He slid his arm around her shoulders, and they watched Laura as she sat in front of them, staring back at them contentedly. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have kids?" Penny asked quietly as Jimmy traced tiny circles on the bare skin of her upper arm. Jimmy thought about that for a long time before answering. "Yeah, I guess so," he finally said. "I've probably thought more about it lately since Lois and CK had Laura. I know it's a lot of work, and a big-time commitment and everything, but I think it'd be nice to be a dad some time down the road." He paused. "How about you? Do you want kids?" She smiled. "I've always wanted to have a lot of kids, though I doubt that's very practical." "How many is 'a lot'?" Penny hesitated. "Come on," he urged, nudging her lightly with his shoulder. "You can tell me." She turned her face on his shoulder so she could look up into his face. "Promise you won't laugh?" A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth because of her serious tone, but he did his best to keep it in check. "I promise." She paused, studying him carefully, as if for some indication that she could trust him with her answer. Finally she let out her breath and forged ahead. "I don't know... maybe four or five." "Four or five!" Jimmy cried out, making Laura jump. "Jimmy, you scared her!" Penny scolded, leaning forward in her chair to put her hand on Laura in an effort to reassure her. "Sorry," he said immediately. "You just surprised me. I was expecting you to say two or three, or something like that." Penny sat back in her chair, somewhat miffed. "What, I'm not allowed to want a lot of kids?" Jimmy spoke up quickly. "No, I'm not saying that at all," he reassured her. "I think it's great that you love kids, and that you want that many. There's just not many people these days who have more than one or two children." She sighed, relaxing back into his side. "I know. It's probably because kids cost so much money. They need so many things: baby food, toys, cribs, strollers, tuition for college...." Her voice trailed off. "And don't forget diapers," Jimmy added, making Penny laugh. "Yes, diapers, too." They sat quietly for a few minutes, each thinking their own thoughts. Then Penny broke the silence. "So, from what you said a few minutes ago, it sounds like you're not in a hurry to have kids," she observed. Jimmy shook his head. "I'm definitely not. I've watched Lois and Clark, and have seen how hard they've worked to prepare themselves to be good parents. All the things they went through, all those books they read, it proves to me that being a parent is something to be taken seriously. I don't want to have a kid before I'm ready and end up ditching my son or daughter like my dad pretty much did to me." Realising he sounded pretty bitter, he rushed on. "Not that I don't love my dad or anything," he insisted. "We've even made an effort to stay in touch and get together whenever he's in town. I'm just saying that when I do have a kid, I want to be ready to devote myself to parenthood." Penny smiled tenderly at Jimmy, lifting her hand to touch his face lightly. "I think that's honourable, and very mature of you. And I can let you in on a little secret," she said, lowering her voice secretively and shifting her position in her chair. She leaned closer and closer until their faces were only inches apart. With their lips only a breath away, her eyes twinkled and she gave him a tender smile, whispering, "I think you're going to make a *terrific* dad." Jimmy stared into her beautiful eyes, so full of love and tenderness that it made it very difficult for him to think with her so close. Every time he was with her, he seemed to learn something new about her. It never ceased to amaze him. And it made him love her even more. As if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, he lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly, telling her without words how much he cared for her. What started out as a gentle, innocent kiss quickly became one filled with intensity and passion. When they finally separated, they were breathless. Movement outside the window caught Jimmy's eye, and he turned to see that their moment of passion hadn't gone unnoticed. He couldn't help seeing the curious stares they were getting from several passers-by. "Oops," he said sheepishly, a bit embarrassed at being the centre of attention. But Penny laughed. "Guess we caused quite a scene, didn't we?" A moment later, Jimmy shrugged it off and his carefree smile returned. "Oh, they're just a bunch of old people who've forgotten what it's like to be young and in love. They really need to lighten up." "Yeah!" she agreed with a cheer. Then she smiled coyly and reached out to smooth the creases in the front of his shirt. "Maybe we can even give them something else to talk about later, after we've finished watching Laura and can get back onto the dance floor." "Mmmm," Jimmy grinned. "It's a deal." He leaned in to kiss her again. "But only *after* we crank those CDs back up!" Penny grinned. "I agree. The music is what's making this party great! And 'if it ain't broke...'" "'Don't fix it'!" Jimmy finished. Penny stood up and gestured to someone outside in the newsroom. "I think our shift is about up. Take a look." He rose to his feet beside her and turned to look out the window. Looking where Penny was pointing, he saw that Cat was making her way toward them, but seemed to be stopping about every three steps to flirt with somebody new. Jimmy couldn't help laughing. "Well, at the pace Cat's going, we'll be old and grey by the time she gets here. But," he emphasised, taking Penny into his arms, "at least we have something to do to keep us busy until she gets here." "Oh, yeah?" Penny asked innocently. "And what's that?" With a wicked gleam in his eye, he reached out and pulled Penny close, indulging himself in another long, attention-getting, earth-shattering kiss. * * * Clark finished writing his story quickly -- rather *too* quickly. He didn't want to spend any more time on this than he had to, especially since he'd be able to enjoy the party *with* Lois rather than being by himself while she looked after Laura, and vice versa, so unconsciously he'd been typing at super-speed. He'd realised what he was doing when the computer beeped at him to indicate that its input buffer was full, and he would have to wait for it to process what he'd already typed before he could enter any more text. He winced at his slip, and made sure that he completed his work at a more normal speed. Fortunately, no-one could see him in the office, nor were they likely to be paying close attention to him, so he didn't expect that anyone would notice just how quickly he'd produced his article -- if, indeed, many of them knew that he was working at the moment. Perry certainly didn't mind when he told him that he was done. O'Halloran wasn't back yet, but that was okay: even if he didn't show up in the next, say, twenty minutes, with Clark's copy there, Perry could lay out the story using a standard-size box for the photo. Time would only start to get tight if the photographer hadn't come back in about three-quarters of an hour. Of course, if he turned up with a truly dynamite shot, then Perry would have to re-arrange the whole front page, but that was a chore that he enjoyed -- nothing like another scoop for the Planet to put some zest in Perry White's life! Right now, though, he was gonna take a break himself and listen to the band. 'The band', which had replaced Jimmy's CD's (for the moment), was comprised of four Daily Planet staffers who had been jamming together for about five years. The guys weren't bad. After doing a few numbers themselves, they began backing a few courageous -- or very mellow -- souls who had been overwhelmed by a festive urge to sing. Used to this sort of impromptu participation, the band picked up its cue from the style or the mood of whoever was brave enough to take the mike. Three tuneless, but aggressive guys from the Sports department had just raced through the Twelve Days of Christmas, making up the lyrics as they forgot the originals and turning the song into a bout of competitive one-upmanship. As they bellowed and fought toward the finish line, their lyrics got bawdier and the howls of the Planet's staff louder. When they finished, the bass player stepped forward to the mike. "Uh, I think we should declare a winner, here. Um, maybe Tony." He turned to look at a short, stocky man in red sweat pants and a flashy Hawaiian shirt splotched with Santas and palm trees. "I think you finished first -- about five beats ahead of the rest of us!" "Thank you, thank you. I just wanna say, all those hours of gruelling training paid off." He beamed at his colleagues. "This means, now I get a request." He paused for a moment as his eyes staggered across the room. "Lois, how 'bout you do one for me-- er, us?" Extending his arm, he waved the mike toward the back of the room where she was standing. Lois laughed and shook her head. "I don't think I could follow you guys." "Sure you can, Lois," Alan from Accounting called out from his position next to the punch bowl. "It just takes guts." Lois walked over to Tony and took the mike in her hand. Smiling slightly at Alan, she said, "Never let it be said that I lack guts. But I gotta warn you, I remember the lyrics. *All* of them." After a few words to the band, her sultry voice glided into "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." as the musicians played smoothly behind her, moving into sync with her easy phrasing of the lyrics. (continued in part 5) !^NavFont02F3BD10008MGHH3BD2F219 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:40 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (2/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 2 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = Not knowing the answer to that question, and not wanting to think about the future if the answer was No, Perry's mind drifted again, back to a time when things had been brighter for him personally, even if they'd been dark around him. A time when his need for Alice had been the main factor in ensuring his survival. That certain time, 30 years ago.... "Oh, man, that was a long time ago, sweetheart," he murmured, nominally speaking to Laura but lost in memory and truly addressing he knew and cared not what -- yesterday, maybe? "Your daddy wouldn't have been two yet, and your mom... well, she couldn't have been much older than you are now when Old Man Krebbs sent me off to 'Nam... "It was in February '68, just after the start of the Tet Offensive. The Planet had a War Correspondent over there, of course -- old guy by the name of Jensen -- but he was gettin' on a bit, and the boss wanted someone a bit more spry to go up-country with our boys, and I was the one he chose. "Y'might not think it to look at me now, but in those days, I could have given Clark a run for his money -- or even Elvis, provided I kept my mouth shut!" He chuckled. "Might not have beaten either of 'em, but I can remember Alice gettin' annoyed at the attention some of the secretaries used to pay me... Not that she ever had anything to worry about, but it was kinda nice to see her gettin' a touch possessive. Anyway, Old Man Krebbs thought that I oughtta be able to handle myself in the jungle. "Besides, he didn't like Walter Cronkite much, so when Cronkite came out with his speech about how the Tet was a disaster for our side, but the military guys kept sayin' that he was crazy, this was just what they'd been waiting for, Krebbs decided he wanted someone over there to find out if Cronkite was right or not -- and off I went! "Alice wasn't too happy when she found out where I was going. She'd've been even less happy if she'd known what Old Man Krebbs was really up to. See, he'd decided that I needed some experience away from Metropolis, and, since ol' Jensen was gettin' pretty close to retiring, the boss was gonna make me the Planet's War Correspondent in his place, just till he could line up someone else to cover that area. "I ended up over there for almost a year, and I was cursin' him, I can tell you. There was no sign that the war was gonna end any time soon, and I was scared that he was gonna keep me there indefinitely -- there sure was no shortage of news from that war! Lucky for me, he'd only ever intended my time 'in country' to 'season me a little', as he put it; he wanted me back in Metropolis -- or at least in this country -- once I'd got some of the right kind of experience." Perry paused for a moment, before chuckling a second time. "The funny thing is, darlin', now that I'm in his shoes, I've done the same thing myself, and I guess the people involved have cursed me the same way I cursed Old Man Krebbs.... I've come close to doin' it to your mom a couple of times over the years, but I never found the right place to send her -- and, t'be honest, much as I might've told myself that I couldn't spare her from the city beat, I didn't really want to. Once she started workin' with your daddy... well, there wasn't any point; if a story needed an international angle, then Clark could provide that. And Lois really is a Metropolis girl; I don't think she'd be happy anywhere else, not for long. "I never even *thought* about assigning Kent to any of our overseas offices; where would I send him? Clark's already *been* just about everywhere, and while a lot of what he's seen and done has rubbed off on him, deep down, he's still the same all-American boy from Kansas -- just one who spent a few years travelling the world and liked what he saw. "One of the first things he ever said to me was to recommend paava leaves for stress -- and it worked! I found out a while later that there are little stores all over the country where you can get herbal remedies like that -- even a few mail-order businesses! But your daddy didn't find out about paava leaves >from any store or mail order catalogue -- oh, no, *he* was told about 'em by tribesmen in New Guinea, when he went and lived with 'em for a month or so! That boy's been all over the world and, everywhere he went, he's lived with the people there, talkin' to 'em, listening to them and learning from them. No, any seasoning he needed, he could get right here in Metropolis -- and your mama was just the one to do it!" The editor fell silent again, his words sparking off memories of his own travels across the globe. Good ones, bad ones, recollections of excitement, fear, pain, wonder... all the things that he'd seen and felt in the adventurous times of his life. Looking back at them all, it occurred to him that an awful lot of the good memories were connected with Alice -- or was it, since they'd shared more than a few hair-raising moments (very like Lois and Clark, now that he came to think about it) -- that Alice being there was what *made* some of them good? Others... well, they'd been very much in love for a long time, and some of those memories were special.... Which brought him full circle to 1968 and one particular good time at Christmas that had been *very* special. He looked at Laura, who was gazing contentedly back at him. She apparently wanted him to keep talking, or so he thought, so he took up his story again. "That was quite a year, '68. I guess, like any year, it had its good points and its bad, but at the time, there seemed to be so much more of the bad: Martin Luther King was assassinated; so was Bobby Kennedy; the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia; there were big student riots in France, and the mess at the Democratic convention in Chicago. I heard about 'em all, in between coverin' the war, and things weren't any better in 'Nam: the Tet Offensive was a disaster for *somebody* -- but who and why depended on who you talked to -- and the war just kept draggin' on and on. That was bad enough, but there was worse, only nobody 'cept the men involved knew about it; wasn't till a couple of years later that we found out about the horrors that happened at a place called My Lai.... "I was pretty busy for most of that year, one way or another. Old Man Krebbs was in back of it all, but I didn't know that then. All I could see for the first couple of months was that Jensen was sendin' me all over the place while he stayed in Saigon. These days, I can appreciate that, even if my boss hadn't told the guy to keep me on the hop all the time, it made sense for me t'be the one goin' out with the troops, 'cause I was younger and fitter than he was. But right then, all I could see was that I was spendin' all my time up to my neck in the jungle while he was in some bar or PX, havin' a drink! "Later, after Jensen went home to retire and Old Man Krebbs sprung his trap on me -- that's what *I* thought about it, anyway -- things slowed down a bit, at least as far as havin' to go into the field went. I still had to go up-country on occasion -- the boss was a great one for gettin' the news first-hand rather than relyin' on press releases -- but bein' away from Saigon didn't happen quite so often, and some trips I even looked forward to. "One of those was a couple of weeks on an aircraft carrier, 'round about September. The ship was sailing down south, 'cause President Johnson put a halt on bombing the North while the elections were on. The guys on the carrier didn't mind, and neither did I, 'specially when I heard that the ship was gonna head for Subic Bay in the Philippines for some R&R. I'd been thinking about something like this for a while, and I reckoned that I could get Old Man Krebbs to let me have some time off, too -- *and* I managed to get Alice to come meet me there! "That took a fair amount of effort but, by callin' in a few favours and slipping a couple of bottles of bourbon to some MAC [Military Airlift Command] pilots I knew, she was waitin' for me when the ship docked at Subic. "We had ourselves one heck of a week before I had to go back to Saigon. We hadn't seen each other for six or seven months by then, and I'd really been missing her. From what she said, and the way that we never got more than about 20 feet between kisses as we walked from the docks to the cab that she had waitin' to take us into Manila, I kinda think she'd missed me, too.... I know one thing: we went past a lot of jealous sailors on that walk -- they mostly had to settle for bar girls if they wanted some female company. "We didn't go anywhere much or do anything unusual, that week; we didn't need to. We had each other, and privacy, most of the time -- what more did we need? Besides, we were savin' our money for Christmas. We'd been planning to get together then for several months, which meant bein' very careful with our money so that we could afford the airfare for Alice to come out. This trip, as wonderful as it was, was a bonus that we hadn't expected; we just grabbed the opportunity on the fly, and we were lucky enough to get away with it without it costing too much. "It was kinda funny: back home, I had a bit of a reputation as a hell-raiser, even after Alice and I got married -- she liked a good party as much as I did -- but you'd never have known that in '68. When I wasn't out in the field, I lived real quiet-like in Saigon, 'cause I wanted to save as much money as I could to bring Alice over at Christmas. So, while the other press guys stayed in hotels and spent their spare time in bars, I took after your daddy and 'went native': I lived in a cheap room, ate local food as much as I could, and stayed right away from the Saigon 'night life'. "The other reporters -- even ol' Jensen -- couldn't understand it. Neither could Old Man Krebbs or the guys in Accounting: I kept getting letters and cables from them querying my expense account claims 'cause they were so *low!* Don't know what they thought I was doin'.... "One guy from Australia even hung a nickname on me when he heard that I was living so 'quietly'. He called me the 'White Wowser'; 'wowser' is an Aussie word for someone who doesn't like people enjoyin' themselves and, bein' an American in South-East Asia, the pun on my name was inevitable, I guess. Little did he know.... "Actually, I was enjoying myself. By askin' around, I found a room in a fairly decent part of town, and spent a lot of my time just talking to the people that I met. An awful lot of Vietnamese spoke some English, and those that didn't generally had a relative or a neighbour somewhere 'round who did, so we were usually able to have some sort of conversation. I met all kinds of people that way, and most of them were pretty interesting to talk to, one way or another. I wrote a series of what we called 'vox pop' articles based on those conversations, and they went over well back home." Perry stopped speaking for a moment, and sighed heavily. "Wish I knew what happened to those people when the North took Saigon in '75. A couple of 'em were black market types, so they probably got sent to the 're-education camps' -- if they weren't shot! A few had leanings towards the VC, so they might've done all right for themselves -- or been shot -- but most of the Vietnamese I met were just ordinary people, living ordinary lives. As ordinary as they could, that is, in the middle of a nastier-than-usual war." * * * Superman flew over the Metropolis skyline towards the Daily Planet building. It hadn't taken long to help at that fire and the city looked to be quiet at the moment, so he could head back to the party, and his wife and daughter, and relax and enjoy himself. He let his mind drift a little as he leisurely soared above the skyscrapers, and his brows furrowed in thought. Something about that fire didn't feel right, and he rather thought that the firemen attending the blaze had shared his uneasiness. What could have caused it in the first place? Okay, it was an old building and there were signs of squatting -- albeit not recently -- but he'd got there early enough to minimise the damage, and there was no obvious reason for the fire to start. He'd seen places like that before, and this one showed none of the usual signs to indicate that the cause was something accidental like a carelessly-dropped match or cigarette, or spilt oil (or booze) or an electrical problem. And there was even less evidence to indicate arson: no chemical smells, no bomb debris, no suspicious ash. So why had the fire started? He shook his head. Maybe there was nothing to it, but his reporter's intuition was telling him that there was more here than met the eye -- even his eyes. He'd talk it over with Lois, say, at breakfast tomorrow; or, if she was awake enough, while she was feeding Laura early in the morning. She might come up with something that he hadn't thought of, even at 3 a.m. They'd had some amazing conversations at that time of day. There was something about the feelings of quiet solitude and togetherness that they got whilst, as Lois put it, "slaving over a hot baby in the middle of the night", that allowed them to talk about all sorts of things, even more than they had always done. Since her birth, more than one story-breaking idea had been born with Laura suckling at her mother's breast or held against her father's chest to be burped; maybe something would come of this, too. Clark was about to start one of his favourite pastimes -- thinking about his family -- when he saw something that took a moment or two to register, and then brought him to an abrupt halt in mid-air. He hovered and looked down in disbelief at the scene in front of the Metropolis Town Hall. Yes, it was nearly Christmas, but.... Then his mind recovered from its shock and he realised what he was actually seeing. It looked like his return to the party might be delayed for a little while, because Perry would have his head if he passed this up. Of course, he was going to have to think of an explanation as to how he'd found out about this.... * * * Perry sighed again, momentarily depressed at the thought of the possible fate of some of the people he'd known back then, but mentally took himself by the scruff of the neck and dragged his mind back to the story he had started to tell. Laura didn't want to hear about things like that -- okay, okay, so she couldn't understand him, but she might pick up on the unhappiness in his voice. Much better to think (and talk) about the good things in life, especially at this time of year. So, with a brighter tone in his voice, even if some of it was an act, he went on, "The other press guys might've thought I was crazy, but livin' that way allowed me to squirrel away every cent that I could. Back home, Alice was doin' the same thing, and we ended up with just enough money for her to fly over at Christmas and for us to spend two weeks in one of the local hotels -- not the fanciest, 'cause the swanky hotels there were real clip joints, but a place that I heard about from one of those MAC pilots that I slipped the bourbon to, back in September. This guy said that he'd taken his wife there and had a real good time, and when we saw it, we believed him; I reckon that was one of the most comfortable hotels we ever stayed at. "Actually, I had a little more spare cash than I'd told Alice, 'cause I wanted to get her something nice for Christmas. I didn't know it, but she did the exact same thing! We both had a good laugh about that on Christmas morning.... "That was a real special holiday, that year. I remember waiting for Alice at the airport; the plane was late -- headwinds or something -- and I was as jumpy as a flea doin' an impression of Elvis 'round about 1957, but it arrived eventually. Then I had to wait while she went through Customs, and that seemed to take forever, too. But she finally appeared and I forgot all about the waiting; it was just *so* good to see her again. She looked tired, and a bit fed-up, but to me, she couldn't have looked better if she'd been dolled up for a Kerth Award dinner -- well, maybe *then*... I didn't care; I just grabbed her and kissed her! "It was the best thing in the world to have her in my arms again. Somehow, the three months between the Philippines trip and Christmas had seemed longer than the six months before it; guess the anticipation and all the planning kinda heightened the suspense -- and, of course, in Manila, we'd had a real good reminder of what we were missing! "She told me after we broke for air that the Customs guys had been pretty unpleasant to her -- they were leerin' at her, and I think they were after a little bribe to let her through without goin' through her bags. They might've got it, too, despite the fact that we didn't have too much spendin' money, if it hadn't been for the leers. *That* got Alice's back up, and when that happens, I don't think even Superman is strong enough to get her to change her mind! There was no way that those guys were gettin' anything out of her after makin' her feel uncomfortable with their... what did she call 'em? Oh, yeah -- 'lascivious gazes.' Don't think I've ever heard anybody make two words sound so dirty as Alice did then.... "When they didn't get their money, the Customs guys got real officious and pretty much took her bags apart while other passengers got to go through unexamined. They weren't dumb enough to come out and say it in public -- or not in English, anyway -- but the impression that Alice got was that their 'reason' for doin' this was that she was *too* good-lookin'; a blonde American woman like her would be a perfect courier for smugglers, they reckoned, but they were too clever to fall for it, and they were gonna make sure they found whatever she was tryin' to hide. "I was all set to charge in and punch their lights out when she told me this -- they could've slipped something into her luggage and claimed they found it there, and Alice might've ended up in prison! And South Vietnamese prisons weren't anywhere you wanted to see from the inside, I can tell you! But she wouldn't let me go, and then she whispered in my ear that there were better ways for a *reporter* to deal with guys like that than sluggin' them, and that *she* didn't want to have to spend Christmas by herself 'cause *I* was in prison for assault! "That stopped me, and I calmed down a bit and asked her what she had in mind. She whispered in my ear again, and we both looked at one another for a moment, grinnin' madly, then burst out laughing! She was right -- I could wait; I had better things t'do right then. And I did get those guys into a heap of trouble later with a neat little corruption expose, but that's another story.... "On the way to the hotel, I noticed that she was distracted -- happy, but fidgety, like there was something that she wanted to tell me, but not yet. I was right, too: as soon as we closed the hotel room door, she dragged me over to the bed, sat me down and said that she'd wanted to save this for Christmas, but she couldn't stand to keep it secret any longer, and did I want the good news or the better news? (continued in part 3) !^NavFont02F3CBD0008MGHH3CBEE5A6 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:11:00 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (6/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 6 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = * * * As she watched the sleeping baby, Cat remembered her own parents and her childhood. She hoped that Laura would have as much fun growing up as she did. Since her parents had split up when she was two, she had no memory of them living together, but she had lots of wonderful memories of them *being* together. They had remained good friends even after they both remarried (in fact, her parents had become lovers again) and Cat, her half-brother Jason, her mom and stepfather spent most Christmases with her dad, his wife, and their son. She had always been close to her father, had always known, until his death eight years ago, that she could count on him. Her father had taught her a lot. How to work hard, how to sail against the wind and, most of all, how to have a good time. She remembered now how proud he'd been of the fact that her hair was red like his. The Red Grants. The two had always turned heads whenever they had entered rooms together. He'd taught her to ski almost as soon as she could walk, and the two of them had spent exhilarating days cutting through the deep powder of western slopes. Later, her two younger brothers had joined them, laughing at their sister's resistance to snowboarding. It would be good to see them this Christmas; it'd been a while, and she was looking forward to meeting Jason's fiancee. Hmmm, the marriage thing again.... Like both her parents, Cat was an extrovert, and her childhood had been filled with people coming and going, disappearing for a year or two and then reappearing in their lives. Her mother had been just the safe side of flamboyant, giving her daughter a sense that she could be as outrageous as she wanted, as long as she did it with responsibility and style. Cat smiled as she thought of her mother, happily remarried for the fourth time, and probably right now putting the finishing festive touches on her home in New Mexico before the arrival of friends and family. Cat had always loved Christmas. She had even got married at Christmas. In Switzerland. The perfect country for a Christmas wedding, Cat thought, although she hadn't planned it that way. She and Richard had gone to Switzerland for a skiing holiday, and one thing had led to another. Now, she thought that her acceptance of his proposal had been nostalgia-induced. All that snow, quaint Swiss villages, mountains, Christmas; it had seemed magical. The marriage lasted eight months before their different lifestyles had torn it asunder. A brief bug- and snake-infested stint in the Amazonian rainforest, as Richard had searched for wonder drugs, had sent her screaming back to the Champs Elysees, where she'd taken a grateful breath of exhaust fumes and second-hand smoke and calmed down. Still, she loved Richard. She had no doubt about that. They'd retangled last year in that cosmetics fiasco and, after the powder had dried, they'd resumed their relationship. They enjoyed each other's company, and Richard was a thoughtful and passionate lover. Two weeks ago, he proposed to her again, upsetting the equilibrium that Cat had re-established in her life in Metropolis. He was waiting for her answer, but she was avoiding the whole question. She hoped he wouldn't raise the issue when she saw him tomorrow night. The problem was that Cat was not a one-man woman, never had been, and didn't think she ever could be. Last spring, she had met an attractive and wealthy businessman, Peter Maxwell, while jogging in Metropolis Park. It had been lust at first sight and, when the passion temporarily subsided, they found that they genuinely liked each other and had a lot in common. Cat was crazy about him and the feeling appeared to be mutual. She nearly purred as she thought about him now and their plans for later this evening. Good thing she'd insisted the Planet party be restricted to just staff. Both men knew about the party and had hinted that they would like to come. Neither man knew about the other. 'Face it,' she thought with surprise, 'you have feelings for both Peter and Richard that you've never had for *any* man before.' She smiled as she thought how much she had changed over the past year. Oh, she still got a little hormonal buzz in the presence of attractive men, and she still thought it only good manners to let them know that she appreciated how much they enhanced the decor of any environment in which she might find herself. But her heart belonged to Richard... *and* Peter. Standing up to stretch, Cat walked across to the window that overlooked the newsroom. Someone, probably Jimmy, had started the CD's again; she could hear the pumping beat through the closed door of the conference room. It looked like everyone was having a good time. A few untethered red balloons were floating above the heads of the dancing couples, drifting among the red streamers. Somehow, her feather boa had wound up around Jimmy's neck and Penny was using it to tug him closer to her as they both danced to a rock version of "Joy to the World". Just as Penny's tactic had succeeded, Alan from Accounting filched the boa and twirled it around a laughing Lois Lane, drawing her close to him. Cat noticed the flicker of a scowl on Clark's face when this happened. She turned to look over at Laura for a moment and watched the gentle rising and falling of her chest as she slept. She looked so peaceful. "Honey, I hope you have a lot of fun in your life, too," Cat whispered. "I'll have to make sure you do. Your daddy's a sweet guy and your mama's a bright lady, but they can both be a bit *intense* sometimes." Sitting back on the sofa, she took a sip of the designer water that she carried with her everywhere. Laura started to whimper at that moment, and Cat automatically reached forward to pick her up, cradling her carefully in her arms, afraid that she would do it wrong. Laura opened her eyes and blinked at her, her mouth forming a small, round circle. Cat rocked her lightly and Laura looked at her with interest. At least, Cat thought she did. "You know, there's a lot you have to be aware of, honey. For one thing, you have to get to know your parents really well. Not just what they want you to know. They're my friends and they'll always help anyone in trouble, but there are things about them that you should know." Laura's gurgle encouraged Cat to continue. "Your dad is going to be too protective. Look at how he is now. So you're going to have to plan around that carefully. I can help you with that when the time comes. And look at the *food* he eats. He may look great now, but his diet is a disaster. You should *see* the junk food he brings to his desk." Cat gave an involuntary shudder as a vision of a jelly doughnut flitted across her mind. "He'll be a bad influence on you if you're not careful. Now, your mom... I mean, *not* the life of the party, Laura. Do you know, she always had an excuse to avoid staff Christmas parties? I bet she only came to the one last year because of your dad." Laura snuggled into Cat's arms as she continued, "And you *have* to get a credit card as soon as possible and learn how to shop for clothes. I'll help you with that, too. Beware your mother's fashion sense -- her favourite colour is *brown.* The last year I was at the Planet, we went to a charity bachelor auction, and your mother wore this black dress that looked like it had been picked out by her grandmother from a backwoods mail order catalogue. No wonder Superman didn't even see her that night. "Now, your daddy has better clothes sense. He always looks great, but he probably doesn't have much of a clue about *women's* fashion, so I'll make sure you get to some designer shows. Your mom won't think of that. And be careful about the cosmetics you use." Noticing that Laura's eyes had wandered to the sparkle of her earring, Cat removed one of the large silver bells and dangled it in front of her, smiling as Laura reached out, her tiny hand trying to touch its shiny surface. Gently, Cat rang the bell and Laura's eyes opened wide. Cat laughed softly. "You are such an amazing little thing." She put her earring on the table and continued to rock Laura gently, wondering briefly what it would be like to be a mother, to have a child. Cat thought again about Richard's proposal. Maybe she should give marriage another try. She did love Richard, and he seemed to be quite committed to this new research job with Biotech Pharmaceuticals, but who knew? One of the things she loved about him was his sense of adventure and his willingness to fly to places like Rome on a whim. But what if that meant disappearing into the jungle again, too? She was *not* good at living in isolation. And if she married him, he would probably expect her to give up Peter. She loved Peter. He had a great sense of humour, he had piles of money -- which he liked to spend on *her* -- and he looked better in spandex than Superman. An unbeatable combination. Cat didn't think she could give him up. She would miss both men very much over Christmas. Peter was taking her to Paris for New Year's. She could hardly wait. Metropolis was a great city; you could feel its energy pulsing in the streets, and you always had this feeling that something important was just about to happen. But it wasn't Paris. In Paris, you could feel the ancient beauty, and you always felt that something extraordinary was about to happen. Cat had spent three months there before she had returned to Metropolis last year, and she was ecstatic about the forthcoming trip. Peter had booked a small hotel in the Rue Colbert on the left bank of the Seine, central for just roaming the narrow side streets of the city's heart. She'd kept in contact with a couple of her friends in Paris, and she and Peter would be attending a large New Year's party at the home of her friend Francoise. And, of course, the shopping opportunities later.... It would be perfect. "You have to make sure that you learn to speak French, Laura, so you can live in Paris for a while. Metropolis is fine, London is great, but Paris... Paris is *magic.*" Laura had lost interest in this very important advice and had fallen asleep again. Tenderly, Cat touched the baby's check and then tucked her back into her carry-cot, making sure that the dark blue blanket covered her. A small bubble escaped from Laura's mouth as she slept and Cat smiled. Maybe she really would like to have a child. Two would be nice -- a girl and a boy. She could teach them all the things her parents had taught her: how to play and have fun, and she would take them to Paris in the spring and to visit their grandmother and their uncles on holidays. Her father had left her some money, her book had been a moderate success, and she was doing well here at the Planet. She had reached a stage in her life where she could afford to have a family. She could have a child with Richard and a child with Peter. One child by each of the men she loved. Cat smiled as she thought of this. That's what her mother had done and it had turned out really well. After all, why put all your eggs in one basket? Add a little diversity. That's what her investment advisor had told her, years ago, and it seemed to make good genetic sense as well. Maybe she should start planning for this now. Then Cat frowned for a moment: she didn't want to have all that physical inconvenience that Lois went through last year. So hard on the body! Maybe she should talk to her doctor in the New Year about having her eggs harvested and frozen. Then, when she felt the time was right, she could hire a surrogate to carry the embryos to term. That would be much easier. Yes, Cat thought, she would = like to have children. After she came back from Paris, she would introduce Peter and Richard to each other. It was time for the two men to meet; after all, they had so much in common. Her cat, Lucky, liked both of them, and that was a good omen. They ought to like each other, too, and she was sure that she could... persuade them that she could keep them both happy. After all, she wouldn't want either of the prospective fathers of her children feeling neglected, so she'd just have to make sure that she didn't neglect either of them. She smiled even wider, and stretched sensuously. The challenge of keeping her two men happy sounded like a lot of fun. If she could pull it off, and she didn't doubt for a minute that she could -- and who could, if not the Cat? -- then there were exciting times ahead. *Her* kind of exciting. Then she noticed a certain odour coming from the carry-cot.... * * * Lois was having a great time. For the first time in her adult life, she was *really* enjoying a Christmas party, radiating "good will to all mankind." She felt benevolent towards everyone; she loved everyone -- even Ralph, with whom, at the moment, she was dancing. She beamed, dark eyes flashing as she stretched and strutted to an old disco recording of Christmas carols that Jimmy had found who-knew-where. 'The little drummer boy in a white suit,' she thought. 'The carol, not Jimmy.' She raised her right arm in a disco salute and giggled. Ralph, one of disco's spiritual heirs, felt his hopes rise as he watched his partner, visions of sugar plums dancing in his head. Surely she must be bored with Kent by now. He leered at his partner in anticipation; what he liked most about being involved with a married woman was that there was no pressure for commitment. As the music changed to a relaxed version of the song that Lois had sung earlier, Ralph reached to pull Lois close. With immaculate timing, Lois stepped out of his reach and smiled. "Thanks, Ralph. That was fun." Her eyes shifted away from him to search the room. Spotting her quarry over by the punch bowl, she set off in that direction, picking up fragments of football talk as she got closer. 'Of course,' she thought. She tapped the arm of the man nearest her. "Our dance, I believe," she murmured as he smiled at her. "Yes, it is." Clark took her hand and led her over to the area that had been cleared for dancing, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her close as the velvet fog of the singer's voice warmed the lyrics of the old melody. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart." Lois moved back a little so she could meet his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Clark." He pulled her close again and she smiled as her cheek touched the side of his neck. They danced in silence, lost in each other, remote from everyone else in the room. When the music ended, they stood together, looking like this was the first dance they'd ever had, and waited for the music to start again. Just as it did, Alan approached them. "Call for you, Lois. I didn't want to interrupt you two..." He grinned at them. "...so I answered your phone. It's your sister. Why don't you take the call in Perry's office? I could scarcely hear her out here." "Thanks, Alan." Lois turned anxious eyes to Clark. "Something's wrong, Clark, I just know it." "Lo-is...." Clark's voice was soft as he took her shoulders in his hands and turned her in the direction of Perry's office. "What could be wrong? Probably just a flight delay." "Probably," Lois said, but she felt a small shiver of anxiety as she walked through the revellers to Perry's office. Shutting the door, she picked up the phone and then perched on the edge of the desk. Deliberately, she kept her tone light. "Hi, Luce. What's up?" Light tone responded to light tone and Lois' heart sank. "Nothing much, Lois. Just a slight snag in my travel plans. The flight tonight has been overbooked, so I won't be able to make it until late evening of the 26th." "Oh no, Lucy." Lois couldn't keep the disappointment from her voice. "What about another airline?" "They're all booked. Besides, I'll lose my money if I switch airlines." "What? That's outrageous! Your airline made the mistake. They owe you a refund. Lucy, I was really looking forward to your being here. We haven't spent Christmas together in five years." "I know, Lois. I was-- *am* looking forward to seeing you and Clark, and especially my new niece. And I still will. Only it won't be until the 27th." "Lucy, you'll be alone on Christmas." Lois had spent a couple of Christmases like that and was dismayed at the thought of her younger sister doing the same. She and Lucy had spent so many unhappy Christmases when they had been children that Lois wanted to make up for all those times, now that the Kents, all three of them, had given her the courage to love again. She wanted Lucy to know that warmth, too. Lois was silent for a moment as these feelings tumbled through her mind. "Don't worry, Lois, I won't be alone. I'll be spending Christmas Day with Jenny and her family. I was there at Thanksgiving, remember? They're wonderful people, Lois. An old-fashioned family -- you know, where Mom and Dad still know how to laugh together. And they make me feel like I'm one of the family." "I guess we had some pretty rough times when we were kids." Lois' voice was soft as though trying to lighten the pain of their childhood. Lucy's laugh held a trace of bitterness. "You could say that. You know what I remember most about Christmas? The noise. Mom and Dad fighting and doors slamming." She paused for a moment and then continued with emphasis, "When he was *there*, that is. I remember the first Christmas he wasn't there. Remember that spindly Christmas tree you decorated? I thought it was wonderful. Until I saw that tree, I thought there wouldn't be a Christmas tree at all." "I remember, too." Lois felt her eyes moisten and she tried to keep her voice under control. "Look, Lucy. Superman owes me a favour. I bet he would fly you here." Lucy's laugh was genuine this time. "Keep your favour for some other time, Lois. I'll be fine." Lois realised what her sister was really doing. "You don't want to come, do you, Lucy? It's Dad, isn't it? You don't want to see him. That's why you avoid coming here at Christmas. That's why you avoided my wedding, isn't it?" "Which one, Lois?" Lucy teased her sister. "Hard for me to take a wedding invitation from you seriously." Lois laughed. "Don't change the subject, Luce. I think Dad really does want to connect with us again. " "Uh-huh. Well, he's getting old, isn't he, and he's afraid of the dark. I really don't care. Have you forgotten what it was like, Lois? Never being quite good enough, the fights, the affairs, knowing he wouldn't be there when it counted?" "I know, Lucy, I know. But if Mom can start to rebuild a friendship with him, then maybe you and I should try, too." Lois genuinely believed this. Maybe it was Clark's influence, the way he always found the best in people. It was also her father. No matter how much she resented his abandonment, she would be forever grateful that he had saved Clark's life, three Christmases ago. He may not have been there for her in the past, but he had been there for Clark that night. Unfortunately, she knew she could not tell Lucy that. (continued in part 7) !^NavFont02F3CC20008MGHH3CC35DC0 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:10:29 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: New Fanfic ALERT (S6) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 It's that time again :-) It's Sunday, so what the world needs now ... is= a new Lois & Clark episode. And it's the holidays, so what you're gettin= g is a nice long WAFFy Lois & Clark Christmas episode, written by our international team of authors. And when I say long, I mean it's in 10 parts. Honestly, not all S6 episodes are going to be this long. Truly. Yes, I know I said that last= time, too... I certainly hope everyone on the list receives all 10 parts. If you're missing any, you may certainly request a repost, but it might be quicker for you to find it on the Season 6 website (http://www.tempus.simplenet.com/season6/) or on the listserv archive. Enjoy! PJ ^^^^ !^NavFont02F02270006MGHHIo3F40 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 ~~~~~ Read L&C Season 6 (S6) at: http://tempus.simplenet.com/season6/ --I'd turn off the NavFont garbage if I could -- Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:11:16 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (9/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 9 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = * * * Miracle or not, it was humbling to have contributed to the existence of another species-- another *world*, Lois thought, her mind returning to its original track after a little while. New Krypton didn't count, as far as she was concerned. What she had seen of the inhabitants of that place had not impressed her, and she was firmly of the opinion that they didn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Jor-El and Lara. Cold, unfeeling, insensitive, inflexible, selfish and self-righteous murderous boors, all of them -- with the possible exception of Zara and Ching. It was a mystery how they could possibly come from the same culture that produced two people who had worked unceasingly in order to give their son a way to escape their fate, who had dared to send their beloved child alone into the blackness of space because only that way would he, and the love that he represented, and their entire race, have a chance of survival. "Your grandparents would love you if they could be here to see you, little one," she murmured. "Your Earth ones sure do." The thought of her own parents produced mixed emotions in Lois -- as always, it seemed. Lucy's pulling out of Christmas in Metropolis had really upset her earlier, but, on reflection, Lois had to admit that, given the opportunity, she'd have done the same thing herself a few years ago. But that was BC -- "Before Clark" -- and with him to love and support her, and with Martha and Jonathan's help, she was managing to deal with having her own parents around much more. She'd even come to appreciate her mother and what she had had to cope with after her father left; it didn't mean that Ellen didn't still drive her crazy at times, but Lois had a lot more respect for her mother now than she had had in the past. Because of that -- or because she loved her anyway -- Lois was worried about her mother at the moment. Despite the successful outcome of the custody hearing, and despite being cleared of all allegations of neglecting her grand-daughter, Ellen had been deeply upset by the whole affair. She was filled with remorse that anyone had even been able to *think* that Laura had been neglected, and her ordeal in court had dealt a further blow to her already fragile self-confidence. All too typical Lane female behaviour, and Lois knew all about *that.* So she hadn't been surprised that repeated reassurances from herself and Clark that they had no doubts about Ellen looking after Laura hadn't helped much. Nor had messages from Jonathan and Martha, currently on their way back towards Metropolis >from their sight-seeing trip; a long phone conversation with Martha had brightened Ellen's demeanour for a couple of days, but the improvement hadn't lasted long. In the end, Sam had whispered to them that they should leave Ellen to him. Drastic measures might be the only way to break the cycle of self-reproach, and fortunately, he had an idea. It would mean that Ellen wouldn't be around for a week or two before Christmas, though, and he hoped they wouldn't mind. They'd definitely be back by the 22nd... maybe the 23rd? Clark had agreed instantly; Lois had given her father a sharp look before seconding her husband. She had a feeling that Sam's "idea" had more to do with getting her mother alone than with restoring her self-confidence; it might well do both, but Lois rather thought that her father was implementing a pre-arranged plan, and said plan had *not* been originally intended to deal with Ellen's feelings of self-worth, or lack of same. Her suspicions had been confirmed when Sam had announced that he was taking Ellen to "that little bed-and-breakfast in Santa Paula" for a couple of days, before going on to "somewhere a bit fancier -- but I won't tell you where because I want it to be a surprise." Lois had shrugged; she knew that Ellen was still uneasy about where her relationship with Sam might be going in the long term -- once abandoned, twice decidedly wary, as it were -- but this time, Sam's machinations might serve a useful end as well as forwarding his continuing pursuit of his ex-wife. And they *were* both adults.... The result of all this intrigue, at least as far as tonight was concerned, was that Lois and Clark had been left without a baby- sitter at short notice, and had had to bring Laura to the party -- which, Lois reflected, had turned out to be a good thing. Had she and Clark been here on their own, Lois knew that she would have been edgy all evening, and they would most likely have left already; as it was, with her baby not far away and being looked after by people she knew and trusted -- even Cat, now -- she had been able to relax and really enjoy herself. Of course, it hadn't hurt that this party was very different to similar events of previous years. For that matter, Lois reflected, so was her whole attitude to this time of year. For the first time in so many years that she could hardly remember when she'd last felt this way, she was actually looking forward to Christmas. She still had her usual reservations -- she'd griped about "crass commercialism" and the like when the first stores had started their pre-Christmas advertising back in September, and she knew that there was a lot of work ahead for both herself and Clark if everything was to happen the way that they wanted it to over the next few days -- but she felt an enthusiasm for the festive season that was new, somehow.... Maybe it was because this was Laura's first Christmas, and everyone wanted it to be perfect for her. 'Yet one more thing to thank Clark for, I guess,' Lois thought. 'First he shows me the magic of Christmas, and then he gives me someone to show it to. What an incredible gift....' But then, it was no more than she'd come to expect from him, even if, at times, she felt almost unworthy of the depths of his generosity. He had so much to give -- his time, his help, his support, his caring -- and he gave it all to others so freely, so readily that it was hard for a cynical world (with herself as a prime representative thereof) to appreciate or even accept, and yet he had so much more that he wanted to give *her*.... It had been unnerving at the start of their relationship, once she knew his secret and he felt free to be himself with her. His willingness to shower her with gifts, large and small, and the ease with which he could do it, had been one of the biggest things about him that she had had to come to terms with; for a while there, it had felt as though that, by discovering his true nature, she'd opened some kind of floodgate and was being swept away, in danger of being swamped by everything that he could do and the eager readiness with which he'd use his extraordinary abilities to satisfy her every whim. 'Well, *almost* every whim,' she thought, grinning to herself as she remembered arguments on Spencer Spencer's island regarding "buzzing around" and "scooping and carrying", not to mention breaking them out of the cell in which they'd been imprisoned.... Later, she'd realised that it was an inextricable part of him. Satisfying her physical wants, be they for French cheese, Japanese pearls, Swiss chocolate or whatever, *was* easy for him, so why not do it if it made her happy? *That* was his real concern -- her happiness -- and she'd come to see that he'd put his real efforts into achieving that for as long as he'd known her. Which was quite a bit longer than she'd known what he was doing, or even that he was doing it, much less how much he *could* do if he tried. And maybe, just maybe, his greatest feat that way had been to show her that there could be more to this time of year than the rampant consumerism and saccharine sentimentality which had been all that she could see for so many years. "But that was before I met your daddy, sweetheart," she whispered to her-- *their* wonderful little girl. "I remember walking down the street in the snow with him... ooh, it must have been four years ago, and he was saying how wonderful Christmas was, and *I* said that it was just a nice holiday, like Independence Day or Arbor Day. He was trying to explain to me *why* it was so special but, half-way through, he had to go help a little girl who was in trouble -- he does that a lot, but you'll get used to it. Hey, you might be doing it yourself when you're a big girl.... "It's funny to look back on now, though it didn't seem that way then. You see, he heard this bunch of bullies ganging up on the little girl when he was talking to me, and he had to come up with a reason to leave to go help her. But all he could think of was that he had to do some last-minute shopping, and he had to change the subject in the middle of saying something, so his explanation of what he loved most about Christmas came out as 'the spirit of... shopping' -- which didn't exactly make me feel any better. "Later, though, he showed me what he really meant far better than he could tell me. I would have had a really lonely Christmas without him; Mom couldn't come, Dad was only interested in his work, Lucy had a new boyfriend from California -- kind of an omen, I guess -- and even after all the craziness over those Space Rats, everyone like Perry and Jimmy had someone to spend Christmas with. Everyone except me. "I was determined to have a great Christmas, but I was fooling myself; it would have been horrible to be alone, and all the effort that I'd put in to do the traditional Christmas things would have only made it worse. So... Clark came. He pretended that his flight home had been snowed in -- *not* one of his more inspired excuses, but I didn't care. I was so happy to see him, and the thought that he'd given up Christmas at home with his family, for *me*.... I'd realised that he might be more than a friend when Dillinger shot him, but this... this was incredible. "But when I thought about it a few days later, I decided that it *wasn't* incredible, not for him. It was just part of what made him who he was. He wanted me to enjoy Christmas as much as he did, and this was a kind of gift. It sounds silly to hear myself say it now, but at the time, it just seemed like one more example of Clark being there for me. "I mean, he didn't laugh at me when I told about my weakness for little Christmas trees; he even gave me a special star for the one I had that year. A *very* special star -- how many people do you know who have a Christmas star that really came from outer space? *We* do. And he sympathised with me when I told him about some of the awful Christmases that I'd had as a kid, and when we were both affected by the stuff in those Rats, and... and he was kind and supportive about *everything.* "I guess that was the problem, really: he'd been terrific the whole time, but he was always like that -- well, most of the time -- so I didn't think it meant anything more than Clark being Clark, my best friend. I guess I got scared. I was nothing but a bundle of nerves, babbling like a brook the whole evening he was there, but I got worse afterwards. It was easier to think that Clark was just being a good friend than it was to realise that this was more than mere friendship, even if -- or maybe *because* -- that was what I wanted it to be. I was so blind.... "By the next Christmas, though, things were different. I'd discovered... why he was always running off, and we'd finally admitted that we loved each other and got engaged. Your Grandma and Grandpa Kent had come to the city for the holidays, and it looked like I might be going to have a real family Christmas for once. "Naturally, it wasn't that simple, because *my* parents showed up -- both of them! Mother and Daddy hadn't seen each other for years, and neither of them was expecting to meet Martha and Jonathan, much less one another. Boy, talk about culture shock! Big city divorced couple -- plus a *robot*, of all things -- meets small-town Kansas family... a recipe for disaster, if there was ever one. "And it got crazier every time either family tried to do something to brighten the atmosphere. The funniest thing had to be the Christmas trees. No forlorn little trees that year, oh no. Daddy went and bought a huge silver artificial one, while at the same time, Martha and Jonathan found an equally big freshly-cut fir. And, naturally, they arrived at my apartment bearing them within minutes of each other. Still, the two of them did look very pretty next to each other when we decorated them -- even if they did take up most of my living room." Lois smiled at the memory. In a way, that scene, with the two trees together, was the beginning of a time that she wouldn't have thought possible; a time when her parents were able to be together in relative peace, to have a relationship that wasn't all shouting and arguments and angry recriminations. She had no idea if it would last, but so far, so... um, not *bad*.... "But before that," she went on, now thoroughly wrapped up in telling the story, "we had something dreadful to deal with. Your daddy got sick, really sick, and almost died. A horrible woman called Mindy Church, who pretended to be the dumbest of dumb blondes -- you watch out for her type, sweetie, especially if their name is Linda; they'll pretend to be your friend, and then turn right around and stab you in the back and steal your boyfriend, all at the same time -- anyway, she infected Clark with a horrible virus as part of a plan to rebuild a huge crime syndicate that her husband and his son used to run. "Your daddy hadn't been sick like that since he was a little boy, so this virus really hit him hard. It took him-- all of us -- a long time to realise that he *was* sick; he was always so healthy! We could hardly believe it when he came down with a raging fever just like any ordinary person. "It was an awful time. When Mindy thought that Clark was out of the way, she unleashed a huge crime wave on the city -- bank robberies, muggings, the works. Both your grandmas had their purses snatched while they were out shopping, just before your daddy collapsed. "When I brought him home, Martha and Jonathan and I didn't know what to do, but then I thought of Daddy. He was a doctor -- the best doctor in the world, I'd thought when I was a little girl -- and he was the only person I could think of whom I could trust to treat Clark. These days, I guess I'd ask Dr Klein, but I didn't really know him that well then. And maybe that was a good thing, because it was Daddy who came up with the way to save your father. It was controversial, it was dangerous... only someone who wasn't afraid of unconventional ideas would have thought of it, and maybe only someone who was a doctor but who hadn't practised recently -- it was 15 years since Daddy had left surgery for research -- would have dared try it, but it was the only thing that any of us could think of to do. "And it worked! I *felt* it work. It was the most amazing thing; we'd all been hanging around, waiting -- it was all we could do, and we felt so helpless -- and eventually Daddy insisted that I take Jonathan and Martha home with me so that we could all get some rest. He'd stay with Clark, and Mother said she'd stay, too. That surprised me; the night before, she'd insisted on coming with me when I went to meet a snitch -- *anything* rather than be by herself with Daddy and his 'android'! "So we went back to my place and Jonathan and Martha fell asleep, but I couldn't. I was too worried, so I sat by the window and waited. Eventually, I dozed off, still in the chair. But when morning came, Clark came out of his coma, and I knew. Even before Daddy phoned to tell us, I *knew* that Clark was awake and well; I could feel it, feel him getting stronger every second. I'd told him, just before he fell into the coma, to grab on to the strength that he said came from our love, and he *had*... and he was going to be all right! We were so relieved.... "After that, we thought that the worst was over, and I guess it was, but Mindy wasn't through with us yet. She'd got the same guy who infected your father to booby-trap my microwave, so now *we* were the ones in trouble. But Clark could tell, the same way that I knew that he was awake, and he saved us. Then we went and threw the Handyman into jail, though we didn't get Mindy -- not that time, anyway -- and we could all relax. "What a Christmas! But, you know, something good came out of all the horror and the fear of that time. Daddy had always been prone to treating me like I was still a little girl, but when he thought of his idea to save Clark, he asked me to choose whether or not to try it. I didn't have to, because Clark woke up and could make up his own mind, but the fact that Daddy asked *me*... well, that was when I knew he'd accepted that I was a grown woman, even more than a couple of years before when I ran into him and those cyborg boxers of his. And I began to believe that he was serious about 'mending his fences.'" She sighed. "Maybe he'll be able to get together with Lucy in a couple of years. As far as I was concerned, what he did that Christmas was enough for me to stop resenting him, and I think we get on better now than we ever have. "Looking after Clark helped Mother, too. It was almost weird to see my parents working as a team; Mom had always talked about them being a 'brilliant surgeon and his loyal nurse', but to actually *see* them in action... they were good. I think working together again brought them a little closer, or at least stopped Mother from running away. I'll always remember her telling me to trust Daddy -- and I *did*, and he saved your father. Maybe Mom learned to trust him too, just a little, that night. "And I ended up having a family Christmas after all. Not the kind I'd had in mind, but maybe it was better that way, because it helped me to feel that I could be part of a family, and not just a loner taken in by kind people." (continued in part 10) !^NavFont02F390C0007MGHH39TE781 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:11:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (10/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 10 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = Lois fell silent, the memories of three years ago overwhelming her for a few moments. Laura let go of her breast and looked up at her. Lois held her close, feeling a need to let out some of the emotion that recollecting that time had produced. She wished Clark was there; right now, she really wanted to hug him, hard, without having to take the same care that she did with Laura. That had been such a horrible few days, and she didn't know what she would have done if she'd lost Clark.... The thought of losing Clark sparked more memories, this time of another Christmas when he'd been the only hope of the world -- literally. Laura was still gazing at her interestedly, so Lois took up her tale again. "The year after that, Christmas got weird: we had Mixed-pickles to deal with! He's a... gnome or an imp or something; he says he's from the fifth dimension, whatever that is, but he sounds vaguely Irish to me -- go figure. All we know for sure is that he's a pain in the shillelagh whenever he turns up! "Oh yeah, he's got delusions of godhood, too. And that's what caused all the trouble: he wanted to be worshipped by all us mere mortals, and he saw your daddy as a rival -- Clark, of all people!" Lois rolled her eyes and snorted in disgust, before continuing, "So he set out to drive your father into exile -- right off the planet, would you believe? Where he was supposed to *go*, Mixitup didn't say, of course. He wouldn't.... "Anyway, this imp tried to get Clark to leave by playing on his conscience. He rewound time so that everybody lived the same four hours over and over again -- but nobody but your father knew it -- and each time, the world lost some hope. People became depressed, or got into fights, and all the nice things in the world -- like the Christmas tree we had in the newsroom -- got smaller or disappeared, and it kept getting worse and worse. If it had kept going, I guess the world would have ended; somebody would have started a nuclear war and nobody would have cared much. Except Clark, of course, and that's what Mazeltov was counting on. He said that he'd look after 'all these mortals' if your father left Earth; otherwise, it was going to be the twelve-to-four shift over and over until we blew ourselves up. "Bad things would happen long before that, though, and one of the first was your Grandpa Jonathan having a heart attack right here in the newsroom. He would have died, except that the attack happened only a few seconds before four o'clock -- of course, it wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't for Mix-Tippex, but that rotten little gnome tried to push the blame onto Clark! "Luckily, sweetie, your father is made of stronger stuff than that. I have this mental image of him saying, 'I love these people. And that's why... I'm not going anywhere!' I wish I could say it the way he did, but it's kinda fuzzy in my memory. You see, the imp would only appear after freezing time, so only he and Clark knew what was going on, and I was supposed to be as frozen as everybody else. But something incredible happened: Mixednuts was trying to overwhelm your father with the idea that trying to resist him was as hopeless as he was making the world, but Clark refused to accept that, and his determination, his conviction that there was always a little hope in the human spirit, whatever happened, snapped *me* out of the paralysis. "Gnome-boy was as startled as we were when this happened, but it all made perfect sense to me. I didn't bother analysing it, I just knew that your daddy had set me free -- again. And the *last* thing I wanted was for him to have to go away, not to mention leaving us all at the mercy of that awful little... troll. We'd only been married just over two months! He'd already had to leave me once, to help some people who turned out not to deserve it, and that was the worst time of my life. No way was I going through that again! "Sometimes, I think the best memory of that Christmas was the look on Clark's face when he realised that I remembered everything that had happened. He'd done his best to fight Mixandmatch, but doing it alone was even wearing him down. Now, though, *he* had hope, and that was all he needed; with me to help him, we knew we could beat that fifth-dimensional pest. "First order of business was to deal with the effects of Mizzenmast's time loop. If he was taking hope away from the world, then we were going to put it back! We couldn't help all the world, but we didn't do too bad a job here in Metropolis and in the newsroom. Between us, your daddy and I got a desperate would-be bank robber a job so that his family could have a good Christmas, helped a rich old recluse find some good in the world, stopped my mother from falling off the wagon, helped relax Martha and Jonathan so that he didn't get sick, gave Jimmy's then-girlfriend Brenda a few tips on fashion and self-presentation (she looked great at the start, but by the third or fourth time around, she could have come straight from poor Long-Legs Lulu's 'office'), made Christmas something special for Perry by getting him to play Santa for a bunch of orphans whose home (and all their presents) had burned down, and generally cheered up everyone in the newsroom. Not too shabby for a couple of hours' work. "That made the imp mad, which was just what we were waiting for. We'd discovered that we had to get him to say his name backwards to get rid of him, and this was our chance. He's very powerful, but not too bright, and he's got a *huge* ego, so it wasn't hard to trick him while he was all steamed up about what we'd been doing. Once he'd gone, all his magic disappeared and things went back to how they'd been before he started messing with time. "One thing was different, though, and that was me. Before all the trouble started, I'd been having my usual attack of festive season blues, and your father said he wished that he could show me the way Christmas looked to him -- the magic he saw. And after we'd seen off Myxomatosis -- after we'd got rid of some *real* magic -- I could. I could feel all the hope that we'd been fighting for, the 'good will to all men' -- *and* women, but I guess we have to live with those old expressions sometimes. It was... magical... and it was all because of Clark. We are so lucky to have him, sweetheart." Lois tightened her grip on Laura just a bit, again in lieu of giving her husband a hug. Then she realised that Laura had finished feeding a while ago; she'd need to be burped! And her father was nowhere in sight.... Smiling gently at this opportunity, she lifted her baby onto one shoulder and began to rub her back as she'd been shown how to by both Kent men. Her small smile became a broad grin as Laura soon obliged with another loud belch. Lois returned her daughter to her lap in proud consciousness of duty done, and the little girl's eyes began to droop. 'She'll drop off again soon,' Lois thought. 'If I keep talking to her, it should lull her to sleep.' So she decided to finish telling of Christmases past. "And last year... well, there was that business with Grant to sort out, but I don't want to think about that now. The important thing about last Christmas was that *you* were coming, little treasure. There's not much more to be said, really. Your father gave me the most amazing gift that anyone could have -- you. Everyone was so happy -- once we got rid of that maniac 'Stick'. We're going to make sure that your Christmases are like that... without the killers, that is; you just watch." Lois fell silent again. "It's hard to believe..." she said in wonder after a while, the events of the last few years and the way that they had affected her striking her afresh after their retelling, "but ever since I met Clark, Christmas has got better and better every year..." Then she giggled impishly as a thought struck her. "Gee, this year must be going to be *really* something!" "Well, I hope so," said a familiar voice from the doorway. "I do have some plans...." Lois half-turned, smiling. "Hi," she said, glad to see him after her emotional reminiscences. "How'd it go?" "No problem," Clark replied, coming over to stroke their sleepy baby's cheek. "Mark was right -- all the trouble, such as it was, was over by the time he phoned Perry. When I got there, everyone -- cops, security guards and protesters -- was just standing around, sharing coffee. Everyone who was hurt had been patched up by the paramedics; only a couple of them needed to go to the hospital, which was good news. "The interesting thing was that the *only* people who got hurt were those who were hit by flying rocks and bottles. The so-called fighting seemed to be mostly pushing and shoving, and, once everybody calmed down, there were no hard feelings. One cop even joked that he wished that he could book this group for the precinct's 'annual riot' -- some kind of in-joke, I think -- because they were so much less hassle to deal with." "Yeah, that makes sense," Lois said thoughtfully. "Bobby said that the trouble was started by outsiders -- kids looking for a fight. They start throwing things from behind the crowd, and one thing leads to another...." Clark looked at his wife, amused. It wasn't hard to guess what she'd been up to while he'd been gone. "How *is* Bobby?" "Fine. Hungry, of course. Looking forward to Christmas and his sister's turkey stuffing. And her mince tarts." "I'll bet." He went over to the conference room computer and turned it on. He called up a file and began to type quickly. A few seconds later, he sent it on its way to editorial and shut the computer down. "There we go," he said, pleased, "Bobby's stuff is just what that story needs -- and now it can go under a 'Lane & Kent' by-line, just the way it should." "Don't give me that," Lois said, aggrieved -- but quietly so, so as not to disturb Laura. "I saw you and Perry plotting earlier, and let me tell you--" "Honey, please," Clark interrupted, guessing why she was annoyed and realising that he needed to reassure her over this. "It's not like that. Let *me* tell *you* what Perry said to me when we were 'plotting'." He related the conversation verbatim. "So you see, Perry's not planning to relegate you to dog shows and library opening hours..." Lois had to smile at that, despite herself. Jimmy had been *so* proud of his first by-line -- and so had she, a few years earlier. Never underestimate the importance of a good obituary -- or a notice of new opening hours for Metropolis' libraries. "...he was just trying to make sure that you could relax a bit before Christmas. This is our first Christmas with a baby, and he just wants you to be able to enjoy it all. And so do I. You see, like I said, I hope-- no, I *know* that this is going to be the best Christmas that I've ever had. How could it be anything else, now that I've got you and Laura?" He moved a chair next to hers and sat down, putting his arms around her shoulders and gently turning her so that she could lean on him. Lois sank back into the crook of his shoulder, sighing softly as she settled against his strong, solid form. Laura didn't so much as stir. "As far as I'm concerned, Santa doesn't need to visit, this Christmas. He can come for you two and everyone else in the family, but I don't need anything more than what I have right now. And right here, in this room, are the two greatest, most precious gifts that anyone could ever give me: you, my partner, my best friend... my wife; and our child. You -- my *family* -- are what I've wanted all my life, and what, for a long time, I thought I could never have. What more could I ask for?" "Oh, Clark..." Lois sniffed, suddenly fighting an upswell of emotion. Once again, she was rendered speechless by this man who meant so much to her, and whom, to her never-ending amazement, she seemed to mean as much or more. It was either move or cry, so she very carefully got up and put Laura into her carry-cot. Concentrating hard on not disturbing the baby, and then on fixing up her clothes, allowed her to regain her self-control. Once she looked presentable again, she ran a hand gently over the little girl's forehead, then straightened up and turned around... and ran straight into her husband's chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug and found her mouth in a kiss, long, loving and passionate. Lois relaxed and put her own arms around his neck as she returned the kiss, her cares fading away. After the kiss ended, a timeless eternity later, they stood together, unmoving. Neither one said anything for some time, until Lois raised her eyes to look at Clark and murmured mischievously, "So... I needn't rush out at the last minute to find you a present, then?" Clark laughed, and Lois felt the rumble of it against her cheek. "I wouldn't go *that* far," he replied. "After all, I do have a present for you, and I know how you hate to owe anyone anything...." "Oh, really? Then you also know that I hate surprises. Even more," she teased. "So why don't you tell me what it is?" "I don't think so, Lois," Clark said, laughing quietly. He'd been wondering when she'd ask; she always did. Actually, he had several gifts for her, including one that he'd only thought of that night -- a flight to California and back on Christmas Eve so that she could see Lucy -- but there was no way that he was going to tell her that. He decided to employ a tactic that had been successful in the past and pulled her to him for another of *those* kisses. It worked. Lois stopped wondering about Christmas presents... stopped wondering about *anything* -- except, perhaps, why she didn't just melt through the floor. But she knew that that wouldn't happen, not while she had Clark. He wouldn't let her fall any more than she would him, not while they both had each other. And not while they had their child. And that, surely, was the most wonderful gift of all. The End And from all of us here at S6 to FoLCs everywhere: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Io! Saturnalia, or whatever -- Season's Greetings, and may that Peace on Earth and Good Will to All that we hear so much about at this time of year *truly* be with you and yours. Enjoy the holidays, and take care -- we want you back in 1999! !^NavFont02F2D800007MGHHt81492F Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:11:11 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (8/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 8 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = She looked around the newsroom. The party had wound down a little while she was gone, but people were still dancing, talking, eating, drinking.... Speaking of drinking, Ralph was, as usual for him at a party after a couple of hours, swaying rather noticeably. As she watched, he saw her and yelled, "Hey, Lois! Come 'n' have 'nother dance -- quick, before Kent gets back!" It was hard to say which was more revolting: the prospect of dancing with an inebriated Ralph; the less-than-subtle entreaty, slurred out in a kind of high-pitched, drunken whine; or the implication that she could possibly be interested in going behind Clark's back with *anyone*, much less him. The question was moot, though. Lois felt her temper flare, but controlled her instinctive urge to walk up to the guy and deck him. That wouldn't help; Ralph's hide was as thick as an elephant -- not just its hide, the entire animal! -- and he'd probably take it as a "love tap". Once he woke up, of course. Meantime, she was in dire need of a reason not to have to stand up with the slob. One answer -- Laura -- presented itself immediately, but Lois wasn't happy at having to hide behind her baby. She hated hypocrites and did her best to avoid being one herself; so, after waxing indignant at Perry a few minutes ago, using motherhood to dodge Ralph's invitation rankled somewhat. On the other hand, desperate situations require desperate remedies.... She looked at her watch in what she hoped was a maternal fashion, then called back, "Sorry, Ralph. It's time I looked in on Laura. I'll send Cat out; maybe she'd like to dance with you...." 'And maybe she'd prefer to use you as building rubble. I know *I* would...' she thought as she headed for the conference room. She felt guilty at letting Cat in for Ralph's attentions, but she figured that the woman could handle him. She'd been to enough celebrity "bashes"; if some of the stories she'd told were even half-way true, she ought to be able to deal with a pathetic, lecherous drunk with one red leather boot tied behind her back. Lois was about to open the conference room door when what she saw inside made her pause. Cat was leaning over the carry-cot, watching the sleeping Laura intently, with a most unusual expression on her face. Unusual for Cat, that is; Lois was fairly sure that she'd seen much the same thing on Clark's face... and Martha's... and Jonathan's, and her mother's, and her father's, and Perry's -- and, she strongly suspected, it appeared on her own face on a regular basis. Hard though it might be to believe, Cat Grant was showing all the signs of being besotted with her, Lois Lane's, baby daughter! 'Well, well...' she thought, raising her eyebrows in astonishment. 'What was that about biological clocks?' She grinned, wondering if she might have a chance for a little gentle needling; after all, she probably owed Cat several thousand digs from their sparring days five or six years ago. But then she relented; somehow, it didn't seem right to snipe at someone who thought your little girl was wonderful, friendly teasing or not. The grin became a smile as she finally opened the door and stepped inside. "Hi, Cat." Cat looked up and returned the greeting. "Thanks for looking after Laura. I'll take over now and you can get back to the party. Watch it, though: Ralph's feeling no pain -- *and* every woman he can get his hands on." Cat rolled her eyes, but didn't comment on their co-worker's roving hands. Instead, she took a last look at Laura before replying, "You're welcome, Lois. Laura and I have had a great time together. I know that leaving a party to look after a baby isn't exactly what you would expect from me, but there you go; I really enjoyed it. In fact, when Imelda came to relieve me not long after you ducked out, I told her not to bother, I was having too much fun. You should have seen the look on her face!" Both women laughed at that. Lois was amazed; she'd been surprised enough that Cat had agreed to look after a baby at all, but she seemed to be positively enthusiastic about it! She *had* to ask: "So, what did you do that was so much fun?" "Oh, nothing much. We played a little bit -- hey, she really liked my earrings; maybe you should get some, or a mobile or something that has dangly things on it that tinkle. It'd keep her happy for hours! -- and I talked to her. She fell asleep after a while, and I had a chance to watch her and think a bit. I find sleeping children very conducive to thinking, don't you?" Her voice trailed off, sounding almost wistful as it faded, and Lois stared at her, dumbfounded. Maybe she'd been righter than she knew, thinking that Cat might be wondering about having children herself. "Well, I'm glad you had a good time," she said softly, still not quite believing that it was possible. "Thanks again." "No problem, Lois -- though I might have to apologise to Imelda; she looked disappointed, as well as shocked, when I told her she didn't have to look after Laura." Cat raised one eyebrow sardonically, a small, wicked smile curving her lips just a bit. "You know, if this evening is any guide, I think you're half-way to having an unofficial second family for this little charmer. Perry's obviously all set to be Grandpa, and I can just see Jimmy, once he gets over his panic at being around a baby girl, being a real big brother to her. He'll probably be even more over-protective than Clark!" Cat laughed, and Lois joined in, although she wasn't laughing at exactly the same thing. 'You don't know just how protective Clark can get, Ms Grant!' "Maybe I'd better appoint myself as an adopted aunt to this little one," Cat mused. "Laura will need someone to balance out all that male influence, and who better than me? It doesn't mean that I'll be available for baby-sitting or anything -- at least, not until she's old enough to take shopping...." It was Lois' turn to roll her eyes at that, but Cat only grinned. She leaned over to gently touch Laura's cheek with one finger, murmuring softly, "Such an amazing little person you are...." Then she got up and headed for the door, tossing a cheery "Ciao!" over her shoulder as she went out of the room. The conference room door closed with something of a bang behind her, and the noise caused Laura to stir. Lois took Cat's place leaning over the carry-cot, and caught the attention of the now-awake little girl. "Hi there, sweetie. Mommy's back." Laura looked happy to see her, and the two of them spent a little while playing a kind of touch-fingers game that Lois knew her daughter enjoyed -- or which could keep her occupied for a long time, anyway. But then the little girl began to wriggle a bit in her cot, and the game was forgotten as she reached out for her mother, her happy gurgles changing to an urgent plea. Lois recognised this behaviour. "Hungry, are we, sweetheart? O-kay... I think I can do something about that." Even though she'd been doing it for months now, Lois still felt a thrill, and not an inconsiderable amount of surprise and pleasure, at the thought that she could feed her daughter herself. She was well-practised at it by now, though, and made the necessary preparations in her usual businesslike fashion. After getting a couple of things from her "baby bag" and placing them so that she could reach them easily, she took special care as she re-arranged the chairs, ensuring that her back would be to the windows facing the newsroom; public acceptance of breast-feeding was one thing, but she saw no need to allow a drunken Ralph -- or anyone else -- to leer at her while she fed her baby! Only Clark had that privilege, and *he* didn't leer. Once she had things organised to her satisfaction, she undid her blouse and bra, picked up the now-insistent little girl and settled down in her chair. Laura quickly found her breast and began to suckle enthusiastically. Lois looked down at her wonderful baby as she fed. Cat was right; what an amazing little person Laura was -- even more than anyone could realise, except those few who knew Clark's secret. This tiny, beautiful little girl embodied so many hopes and dreams, >from the immediate ones of her parents and their families to those of Clark's long-dead parents.... Even her existence was incredible, if you thought about it. Despite all the science fiction stories of children born to aliens and humans, from the pulps to Star Trek to "Mars Needs Women", the plain fact was that the odds against people from different planets being able to breed with one another were literally astronomical; for that matter, it never ceased to amaze Lois that Kryptonians and humans even resembled each other! Dr Klein's news that she and Clark couldn't have children had been heart-breaking at the time but, once she had really thought it over, Lois had come to the conclusion that it wasn't really surprising. She was human, and Clark wasn't -- although, apart >from the flying, the differences seemed pretty minor (and vive la difference, she had giggled). And that thought had both explained the problem and strengthened her determination to find a way to beat it; if Clark could be born on another planet and still be her soul mate and the man of her dreams (and *what* a man!), then there was no way that she was going to just sit there and accept what Dr Klein had told them without a fight! Where was the chocolate? And, after all that worry and effort -- not to mention a lot of love and joy -- there she was, their special girl. Unique, as her father was unique. Destined, if you believed H.G. Wells, to be the first in a line of their descendants who would create a Utopia in the future. A gift to this world from the heavens.... Lois' eyebrows headed for the ceiling as she realised what she was saying. 'Good grief,' she thought, 'this is starting to sound like old Mr Drake from Sunday school....' The thought made her feel more than a little uncomfortable, but her journalist's mind kept throwing up parallels. Ones that, she decided instantly, no-one was ever going to hear about from her. 'Especially not Clark,' she thought. 'He'd be horrified. He *hates* it when people describe him as "miraculous" or "god-like." Heaven knows I've heard him complain about it often enough: "I'm a *man*, Lois, not a god; I just... have these powers. I wish they wouldn't *do* that..." The idea that some crazy could go one step further and compare Laura to Jesus Christ would really freak him out.' Well, the best way to avoid that was to make sure that nobody ever knew that Laura Kent was also Superman's daughter. That way, no-one could ever make the connection, at least until Laura adopted her own secret identity -- if she ever did. Lois' mind seized on this distraction, and she spent a pleasant moment wondering if Laura would adopt the mantle of Ultra Woman, and if the costume would fit her. That made her feel a little better, but she still resolved to never mention the idea of Laura's birth "resembling" that of Jesus to anyone. As far as she was concerned, the only miracle involving Laura was that God had seen fit to bless her parents with her in the first place, and she was happy to keep it that way. But the thought of the need to keep what was now The Kent Family Secret made her feel uneasy again, even as she giggled at the way she had capitalised the words in her mind. Because there was one person other than the family whom she was sure knew it -- Lex Luthor -- and the idea of him trying to get his hands on her baby made her feel ill. She could all too easily imagine him orchestrating a "religion" with Laura as the new Messiah. It would be exactly the sort of thing that he'd take a twisted delight in. She tensed unconsciously, her body preparing to defend her daughter, even though there was nothing there to protect her against. Laura seemed to pick up on this, becoming fretful. Lois quickly soothed her, crooning reassuringly as she switched the little girl to her other breast. Soon, both mother and child were calm again, but Lois couldn't help thinking of something odd that had happened only a few days ago.... As if Laura hadn't kept her busy enough, she'd had to spend the entire morning running errands. There had been all the seemingly endless, tedious tasks such as grocery shopping, picking up and dropping off the dry cleaning, and, worst of all, doing her last- minute Christmas shopping. But despite the many hectic events of the day, one event definitely stuck out in her mind. It happened when she was at the mall looking for a gift for Lucy. She'd been browsing through the handbags when she'd looked up and saw a familiar face. "Beth, hi!" Startled, Beth Luthor looked up from the leather briefcase she was inspecting. "Oh, Lois. Hello," she smiled. Lois noted that although Beth's tone was friendly, her expression remained somewhat guarded. "Are you doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, too?" she asked, trying to be pleasant. Beth nodded. "Every year, I promise myself I'll get all my shopping done early, but it never works out that way." "I know what you mean," Lois agreed. "And this year I've been even busier than usual, since Laura demands so much of my time." Beth smiled. "Yes, I'd heard you'd had your baby." She looked down at Laura, who was asleep in her stroller. "She's adorable." "Thanks," Lois beamed. "But a half-hour ago, you wouldn't have thought so. She's got a good set of lungs." Then, as if she knew she was being talked about, Laura stirred, and then started to cry. Lois laughed. "See what I mean?" She bent down to unbuckle Laura and lift her out of the stroller. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, cradling her in her arms and smiling tenderly at the fussing infant. She shifted Laura into an upright position against her chest and bounced her soothingly. Laura, feeling secure in her mother's arms, settled right down. When Lois looked up, she saw that Beth was watching her intently, an unreadable expression on her face. There was an awkward silence. Finally, Lois spoke up. "Well, I guess I should probably finish up my shopping and get Laura home. All this shopping is making her cranky." Beth smiled, at last being able to shake herself out of her daze. "Yeah, and I should get my shopping finished. It was nice seeing you, Lois." To Lois' trained eye, Beth's smile seemed forced. But Lois smiled back pleasantly. "It was nice seeing you, too." With a final nod, Beth turned and walked away. Thinking back on that encounter, Lois couldn't help thinking there was definitely something strange about the way she'd been watching her interact with Laura. Come to think of it, the whole meeting had seemed strange. Something had just struck her about Beth's demeanour. Outwardly, Beth had always been friendly and polite, but Lois couldn't help noticing that she never seemed to divulge much information about herself. She always seemed slightly guarded, almost as if she had something to hide. It sort of reminded Lois of how Clark was in the first of couple years that she'd known him. It wasn't until she'd uncovered the truth about his secret identity that it all made sense. Well, it was the same with Beth. Lois' experience told her that there was definitely something else going on. But if there *was* something there, she was just too relaxed to think clearly enough to figure it out now. There were other, more important things to think about... she hoped. Deciding not to spend any more time thinking about it -- for now, anyway -- she refocused her attention on Laura, determined to sit back and enjoy these few, precious minutes of peace. * * * Meanwhile, across the city, Beth Luthor was also remembering their chance meeting as she wandered aimlessly around her large bedroom, trying unsuccessfully to unwind. Fortunately, Lex hadn't returned yet from his "errands", and it gave her some time to think. Ever since she'd run into Lois and her baby daughter in the department store the other day, she'd had an uneasy, unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just hadn't been able to shake. When she found herself thinking about Lex's attempts to break up the Kent family, her stomach physically hurt, and an unaccustomed feeling of guilt swept through her. 'Why should *I* feel guilty?' she thought angrily. 'I haven't done anything to feel guilty about. Lex was the one bent on taking Laura away from them. All I did was....' But that was it, wasn't it? What she really felt guilty about, what really made her feel as though she had a knife in her belly, was the fact that she'd known about her husband's plans... and had dared to try and thwart them. She began to shudder, but hurriedly suppressed it. She was getting good at that; she'd had to, because it was vital that she never give Lex cause to suspect that she'd done anything that he wouldn't approve of. She had no reason to think that he connected her with the collapse of his plans, but fear was a constant companion these days -- even more so than usual. In her mind's eye, she kept seeing Lois lifting her tiny daughter out of the stroller and holding her in her arms, with such an incredible amount of gentleness and love that it touched Beth deeply. Fortunately, Lex had failed to rob the little girl of that. 'But what if he *hadn't* failed?' she asked herself. The mere possibility filled her with remorse. 'No,' Beth thought with a definitive shake of her head. 'I *had* to do it. I couldn't let Lex go through with that.' And yet, what was also tearing at her was that she had done so *little*. One cautious, hurried phone call in the middle of the night, giving the Kents' attorney a lead.... 'But what else could I have done?' she asked herself again. Lex was a master at operating in the dark; she had known what he was doing, and how, only in the broadest terms, and then only by accident. Now, after the case was over, she had used her own knowledge and information from news reports to piece together some of what he had done, but the only... irregularity that she had known any details of at the time, particularly once the original judge had been replaced, was how the case had come to happen at all. So that had been the only direction in which she could point someone: if the Social Services people who had brought the charges were discredited, hopefully the case would collapse. Which, thank God, it had, although she wasn't fool enough to think that her actions had even been significant -- not that that would matter if Lex ever found out! But, as the weeks went by after the verdict and there were no repercussions, she had slowly begun to relax a little, until meeting Lois had brought it all back. Still, it looked as though she was safe -- for now. Never before had she given much thought to how Lex's misdeeds affected other people's lives. But when she thought of what might have happened if Lex had succeeded in taking Laura away from her obviously loving mother and father, and how that would have affected the tiny infant, as well as Lois and Clark, she found herself growing angry. She'd seen first-hand how strong the bond was between Lois and her tiny daughter. What could Lex supply that could possibly take the place of that? While it was true that Lex had never explained his reasoning behind wanting to take their daughter away, Beth could see no clear reason for it. If Lex had wanted a child of his own, what was stopping him >from having one with *her?* And if that wasn't the reason, what other purpose could be behind his actions other than pure and simple revenge? And if it was revenge, what was it revenge *for?* Why was he so set on trying to ruin the lives of Lois and Clark? She could see the hatred that burned deeply in his eyes whenever he talked about them. But it went beyond anything she'd ever known him to feel. Could it be something so... petty as Lois jilting him? She shook her head slowly. There were things about Lex that she didn't know, and probably never would know. But she was a smart woman; whether Lex realised it or not, she knew what he was going after, and what things he'd done to get where he was. And she felt that she'd fulfilled her role as his faithful and dutiful wife, without ever interfering or questioning his actions. But this time it bothered her. Looking out at the city lights of Metropolis, she felt herself beginning to wonder if she'd done the right thing by helping Lex return to his former prominence. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea after all. (continued in part 9) !^NavFont02F41E00008MGHH41E16D11 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:11:06 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: S6, Ep3 Bedtime Stories (7/10) Comments: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Season 6, Episode 3, Part 7 of 10 BED-TIME STORIES = "Mom's still playing victim, is she? Not me." Lucy's tone was blunt, and then gentle as she explained to her sister, "I'm pretty okay with all of this, now, Lois. Dr Friskin really helped me to understand how all this affected us. Do you know, I used to blame myself -- if only I'd been better, then Mom wouldn't drink and Dad would stay. I bet you blamed yourself, too, Lois. Our past relationships with men are classic textbook stuff." Lois sighed, remembering Lucy as a little girl who had hidden herself in her room for long periods of time, refusing to come out as her parents battled in the living room. She wished desperately that she could go back in time and comfort that child. "Lucy, *promise* me you'll be here on the 27th." "I'll be there. I miss you, Lois. It's time for me to get to know Clark better, and I haven't seen my niece yet. You couldn't keep me away!" "I hope not. I've been telling her all about you. I told her how your backhand's even better than mine, and how you were the best skater in town. Remember that winter when Grandad taught us to speed-skate and we pretended we were geese flying in formation as we followed him?" "I do! It took me *so* long to get my balance and then, all of a sudden, I was perfect! He picked me up when we reached the end of the pond and twirled me around and laughed. 'Speed Demon', he called me." "Luce, I wish you could stay with us over New Year's," Lois said, her voice wistful. Then, striving to keep her tone light, she suggested, "I don't suppose you could break that New Year's Eve date?" Lucy laughed. "I don't think so, sister. Bryan's got reservations for dinner at the best restaurant in town, and then we're going to a party at Bob and Cindy's. Besides, I've already bought the dress." "Okay, okay. We'll meet you at the airport on the 26th. What time does your plane get in?" "Kind of late. Eleven-thirty." "We'll be there. Oh, and give me Jenny's phone number so I can phone you Christmas morning." Lucy did, and then she said good-bye. "Bye, Luce. Love you." Lois replaced the receiver and sat for a moment, her eyes filling with unshed tears. She remembered when she and Lucy were very young and blissfully unaware of the trouble between their parents, and then, later, those awkward Christmases when they all pretended that everything was okay and the two girls naively thought that if they made a good Christmas for their parents, then their father would stay. Then the silent dull pain of the first Christmas when their father was not there and their mother got drunk; and, finally, their acceptance of the fact that he really hadn't been there for them for a long time and that he never would be. Lois gulped, as though struggling for breath. Clark heard her as he came out of the conference room. He'd intended to be just outside Perry's office while Lois talked to Lucy, but he'd seen Cat's frantic signals as he crossed the newsroom with his wife, and had detoured to see what the problem was. A diaper change for Laura hadn't taken long, but it looked as though Lois needed him now. He turned the handle on the door of the darkened office and walked over to stand beside her, the touch of his hand on her shoulder gentle and his voice soft as he spoke. "You okay, honey?" He slid his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her. "Oh, Clark...." Lois was on the verge of tears. "She's not coming for Christmas." "What is it? Problems with her flight? I can solve that problem pretty easy." Gently, he tilted her chin so that she was forced to look up. "It's not that simple. She doesn't want to see Daddy." "Ah." Clark's voice was sympathetic. "Well, we'll just have to make sure that when she does come, she has such a special time that maybe, at some point, she might want to see Sam." Bending his head, he kissed her tenderly, then stood back from her and took her hand. "Come on back to the party, Lois. Perry's got on his Elvis Santa suit and he's about to do 'Blue Christmas.' It's gonna be historic. " "Oh, no!" But she went with him out of the office anyway, her mind in California with her sister. * * * Perry was in a happy mood -- though not completely -- as he changed out of his Santa suit in his office. "Blue Christmas" had been a smash; even Jimmy had applauded wildly, yelling out, "Encore! Encore!" -- although that might have had more to do with Penny, who had insisted on accompanying him with an impromptu go-go dance, to an enthusiastic reception from the male staff. She was pretty good, too, though he didn't think she was quite up to Alice's standard of years gone by. He grinned; Jimmy thought he and Alice were old and staid -- the boy would be shocked out of his wits if he knew what they used to get up to when they were his age! And he wouldn't *believe* some of those home movies of a 25-year-old Alice dancing! Alice had nearly killed the guy who'd taken them; only by means of very careful concealment had Perry managed to preserve them for posterity -- or, at least, for his own private enjoyment. Meantime, O'Halloran *still* wasn't back from City Hall, and Perry, for all his present good humour, was starting to fume a little. Just how long did it take to photograph a Nativity scene, even if it was a protest rally? That three-quarters of an hour was long gone; the whole edition was waiting for one good photo, and then it could be put to bed. If O'Halloran didn't show up in the next ten minutes, he'd have to re-jig the front page! Hmm... maybe he could get Cass to do an artist's impression of the scene.... His musings that way were interrupted by the phone. It was the missing Mark O'Halloran, but any reproaches that Perry may have intended to utter faded into nothingness as the photographer related the story of why he was so late. There was trouble at the Nativity. According to Mark, everything had been peaceful and good-natured at the start, and he'd had no trouble taking a series of shots of the scene on the steps of City Hall. He'd taken a couple of rolls of the "actors", the other protesters, including close-ups of their spokespersons, and even of the city officials who'd come out to accept a written message and petition. He'd even got a shot of Superman waving at the crowds as he flew by on patrol. All in all, it had been a model protest, a perfect example of the way in which citizens, even homeless ones, could present their views to those in power. Okay, it was rather unusual to hold a march and rally at this time of night, but the organisers had their reasons, and they'd got all the permits and done everything right. Which made what happened all the worse. The trouble began at the back of the crowd. The marchers had arranged themselves in a rough semi-circle around the tableau on the steps and were listening to a spokesman describe the plight of the homeless at this time of the year, drawing clever parallels with the Christmas story. Everything was fine, except perhaps for the nerves of the listening city officials who were going to have to address the crowd in response, when a scuffle broke out -- and things had gone straight to hell. What happened next, O'Halloran said, was basically the result of confusion deepening rapidly into chaos. Protesters had tried to break up the fight; the police accompanying the march had also moved in, but the protesters got in their way. City security guards tried to get through the packed and agitated crowd from the other side and, in their haste, had knocked a couple of people over. That had angered their companions, who had moved to block the "rentacops." So far, so bad, but then someone -- no-one knew who for sure, because both sides denied it -- had started throwing rocks and empty bottles, and the whole place erupted into a mass of struggling figures. It wasn't quite a riot, and it wasn't quite a street brawl -- more an overgrown playground squabble, really. Nobody was throwing punches much, nor did the police and guards resort to weapons; the protesters were just standing firm and kind of wrestling with anyone who tried to get past them, and the authorities had realised this, and sensibly concentrated on keeping things under some form of control. The real danger had been from the missiles. O'Halloran had been taking shots of the struggle when he'd been hit in the head by a flying bottle. A nearby paramedic had dragged him off to have his wound attended to, which is why he'd been gone so long. The fight, such as it was, had run out of steam, and now everybody was milling around trying to work out what had happened. Perry asked if the photographer was okay and, assured that he was -- and so was his film -- told him to get back to the Planet right away, and hung up. He stood for a moment, thinking hard, then went out of his office and scanned the newsroom for Clark. Finding him chatting to some people from Advertising, he strode across the room, nimbly dodging groups of revellers, some now slightly the worse for wear. Apologising to his companions, Perry pulled Clark aside and filled him in on what had been going on. "Much as I hate to mess up your evening, Clark, I need you to get down there and follow up on this. If you can get back by eleven, I'll make this the headline story for the morning edition." "Right, Chief. I'm on it." Clark was shocked; when he'd flown over City Hall on his way back from STAR Labs, everything had seemed so peaceful -- and now *this.* The one good thing about this was that the fight was over now, and it couldn't have been that serious or his super-hearing would have picked up on it.... He went to leave, but Perry caught him again. "Oh, and Clark? No need to tell Lois about this, just right now. She's havin' a good time, and I'd just as soon let her. If she can really relax tonight, then maybe she'll have an easier time copin' over the holidays. Christmas with a new baby is fun, but not all that restful, if I remember right, so let her unwind while she can." Clark was less certain about the wisdom of this -- Lois hated to be left out of things, baby or no baby -- but, thinking about it, there probably wasn't anything that she could do at City Hall that he couldn't, and he didn't like the idea of leaving Laura here without either of her parents, "experienced" baby-sitters or no. Maybe Perry was right.... In any case, he needed to get down there right away, although it didn't sound like he needed to be in the suit -- not yet, anyway. * * * Lois peered from behind the Christmas tree at her husband and Perry, deep in conversation across the noisy room. Although she couldn't hear them, she was, nevertheless, sure of what they were talking about. They were plotting. She knew them both well enough to recognise the body language that each used: that serious cast to Perry's face which seemed, somehow, to intensify his jowls; and Clark's head slightly bowed, nodding in agreement with what the older man was saying. And she knew the plot involved her; at least, she knew it involved her because it was a plot *not* to involve her. She could tell this by the way in which Clark kept casting glances towards where she was standing. Then Clark took off, *not* tugging at his tie. Lois' suspicions were confirmed. Something must have happened, most likely at the protest, and she was *not* being sent to investigate the story, either with Clark or alone. Why not? No reason that *she* could think of. She was not as competent a reporter as Clark? She had a bad sense of direction and would get lost? Her follow-up questions didn't? She couldn't cross the street safely? She was a *mother...?* Hah! Lois' eyes focused on Perry as she stalked him across the room. "So, Perry, where did Clark go?" 'Innocently enough asked,' she thought. "Uh, well, darlin', he's just off doin' a bit of a follow-up on that protest. Double-checkin' a couple of things." Lois' giggle was light and insincere, her tone mildly astonished. "Gosh, he still hasn't got that part right, has he?" Then her eyes narrowed. "All the more reason to send *me* with him." "Now, darlin', Priscilla didn't go everywhere with Elvis, especially after Lisa-Marie was born." They both knew he'd made a mistake as soon as he'd said this. "Look, Lois, this isn't such a big story. Clark can handle it. No need for both of you to miss this party." Then he had a bit of luck: Jane from Legal asked him to dance. Steaming, Lois watched him escape and plotted her next action. She could cover this story from a different angle. First, she popped into the conference room to let Cat and the sleeping Laura know that she would be gone for a while. Next, she grabbed a plastic bag and made her way to the buffet table over by the tall window on the east side of the newsroom. Quickly, she filled the bag with only the type of food that had the Surgeon-General's warnings attached, added a plastic cup of punch, and charged off to find Bobby BigMouth. * * * Lois caught up with Bobby outside the newly renovated Metropolis Railroad Station. Rather, he caught up with her. All of a sudden he was beside her, his leather-clad shoulders hunched against the chill as he fell into step with her. "Heard ya been lookin' for me." He didn't look at her as he spoke. "Bobby! Thought you might be hungry. Brought you some stuff." "Way to go, girl. Goodies from the Planet Seasonal Bash? I trust you skipped the veggie platter. Let's duck into the station here and see what ya got." Crowds of people milled about or stood in line beside suitcases and shopping bags full of presents, waiting for trains to leave, to pick up tickets, or just to hang out. "Grand, ain't it? They did a good job fixin' up this place," Bobby said as his hand made a sweep that encompassed the refurbished interior. He nudged her toward the east side of the departure area. "Over there by the Chicago line-up." They walked toward a small alcove with several empty seats. Lois planted her bundle on the black vinyl seat between them. "Lookin' good, Lois. Motherhood agrees with you. Looks like you put on a couple of pounds. That's good. Kent doin' fine? And the kid?" As he was speaking, his hands were reaching into the plastic bag, on a preliminary tour of inspection. "Isaac's Caterers. Good choice. Guess they didn't put you in charge of the food." Lois remembered that Cat had made nearly this same comment when she had been organising the party. Lois frowned. She could have done a good job organising the food. After all, she had a rolodex of the best take-out places in Metropolis. Shaking her head, she refocused. "Bobby, I need some information." "No kiddin'. Great potato salad. Mustard dressing. Good, good. Oh, dogs in a blanket. Mmmm." He almost managed to cram a whole one in his mouth with one bite. Lois watched, amazed as always. How come he never gained any weight? "Bobby..." she put in a bid for his attention and was rewarded when he raised his stubbled face to look at her as he continued eating. "What do you know about the homeless protest at City Hall?" He paused in mid-munch. "Not much to know. They're on the up-and- up." "But what about what's going on right now?" Lois had no idea what this might be; all she knew was that it was important enough for Clark to cover it. "The fight with the City Hall security guards? Word has it that it was started by a couple of kids. Why ya interested? No news there. Just got out of hand. Kids from the 'burbs, lookin' for a good time, yellin' insults, pickin' a fight -- and then, all of a sudden, it's a big deal." He peered into the bag again. "Didn't forget dessert, did ya? Ah, cheesecake." His eyes brightened, adding a certain charm to his narrow face. For a moment, Lois thought he looked like a seedy Lex Luthor. Her eyes widened. Shaking her head to clear the image, she refocused on what Bobby had to say. She was disappointed; it appeared that there was not much of a story here, after all. Bobby continued speaking, his voice partially muffled by cheesecake, a few crumbs of which clung precariously to the side of his mouth. "Things get tough for guys outside, this time of year. The streets are no place to spend the winter. Hard to trust anyone. Someone doesn't show up one day and you figure it's exposure or they been cut in a fight or OD'd. People come and go. A couple of accidents down there, last couple of weeks. City didn't bust its butt to deal with them." "Accidents?" "Yeah. Burst water main where a few old guys used to hang out. Some bad dope. Happens all the time." Lois sighed. 'Not much news here. Just the usual suspects,' she thought. She stood up, buttoning her coat as she did. "Thanks, Bobby." "No problem." He bit into a bagel and cream cheese. "Say hello to Kent. Remind him to make sure the kid gets some food. Good thing she's got a dad for back-up." "What's *that* supposed to mean?!" Lois snapped aggressively. "Hey, relax, girl. Remember, I seen your fridge. Tragic." He shook his head in sorrow. Lois let out an indignant breath, and then she relented. It was, after all, the season of good will. "She'll be fine, Bobby. Hey, have a good Christmas, okay?" She felt a brief stab of anxiety that maybe he wouldn't. "I will." His eyes gleamed. "Having Christmas dinner with my sister, Thelma. Her turkey stuffing is the best in the city. And her mince tarts!" Lois laughed. "Merry Christmas, Bobby." "You too, Lois, you too." He waved a bagel in farewell as she turned to leave. * * * Lois came back to the newsroom somewhat down-heartened, and a little wary. She hadn't been gone long -- in fact, she was amazed at how quick she must have been, because Cat was still in the conference room! -- but she hoped that Perry hadn't noticed that she'd been gone at all. She was not at all happy about this business of sending Clark off to cover a story while expecting her to stay behind and play the good little mother, and the failure of her attempt to thwart this "plan" by getting information from Bobby had only made her feel worse. If Perry knew about her going behind his back, he'd be all smug and superior -- "I *told* you that this wasn't such a big story, Lois. Now, you listen to your old editor when he tells you something, huh?" -- and there was no need to give him any ammunition for the next time he tried this. Of course, as far as Lois was concerned, there wasn't going to *be* a next time! She may be a mother, but she was also a reporter, and having a baby did *not* condemn her to doing fluff pieces for the rest of her working life! Particularly not while her husband and partner was out there flying around, grabbing scoops and racking up awards! For just a moment, she stood there and seethed at both editor and husband. Then, falling into a familiar pattern of years past, she expanded her ire to include the entire male population -- sexists, all of them. However, as they steadfastly refused to do the right thing and collectively vanish in puffs of smoke, she calmed down and began to think about her situation. She realised that she was probably being very unfair to Clark, but Perry was going to take some watching. This had better not be the thin end of the wedge, or there were going to be fireworks! (continued in part 8) !^NavFont02F3D550008MGHH3D56E375 Distribution: Ficlist INTERNET:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 18:07:56 -0600 Reply-To: alyssam@earthlink.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Alyssa Mondelli Organization: Deceive, Inveigle, & Obfuscate, Attorneys-at-Law Subject: S6: Episode 3 up and running Comments: To: loiscla@vm.ege.edu.tr MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ho ho ho, and mistletoe, and presents for pretty girls... or rather, stories, at least for Laura. Grownup parties are no fun when you can't even talk yet, so it's a good thing our favorite child has plenty of friends to entertain her when Lois and Clark are forced to bring her to the Daily Planet Christmas party. Join all the usual suspects for a holiday celebration in Episode 3: Bedtime Stories, written by Phil Atcliffe, Carol Malo, and Erin Klingler. As always, we remain: http://tempus.simplenet.com/season6/ or http://tempus.simplenet.com/season6/s6text.htm for just the text, ma'am And what better Christmas present could the S6 crew get than reader feedback? Don't forget to click on the link at the end of the story and tell us what you thought. Now that the archivist has graduated, your review really *will* make it onto the website. ==Alyssa in St. Paul== (alyssam@earthlink.net) Webmistress, Tempus Expeditions - http://www.tempus.simplenet.com B.A. Chemistry and Biology, University of St. Thomas, 12/18/98 "Permission to barge in, sir?" --Col. Jack O'Neill, SG-1 ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 22:50:47 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "K.M. de Castro" Subject: Editing Utilities Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hello FoLCs, Just a quick note here regarding those neat multi-part stories we have the privilege of receiving: Most of you know about the AOL log manager that can be used to read in your email and then be edited later. But for those of you not on AOL who want to get all those multi-part stories into one text file, here's a utility I wrote that is really quite simple. To use it, after you have saved all the parts to .txt files, put them all in the same directory, and then just double-click on the .bat file. Note: If you put any other .txt files in that directory, they will be included in the resulting file. For example, in directory Medos I put: Secrets1.txt Secrets2.txt Secrets3.txt Secrets4.txt and my .bat file: y.bat then I double-clicked on y.bat and it combined all the files into one, in sequence. For parts over 9, I would recommend using 01, 02, 03, etc., since it makes the files more likely to end up in sequence than not. This is the code: copy *.txt txt.wri copy *.htm htm.wri It'll take up a whole 42 bytes on your system, but it is entirely worth using. Notice that I also stuck the .htm option in there, since a lot of text from the 'net is in html. You can do whatever you want with it. After I run y.bat, I just rename the resulting text file (in our example above I renamed it Secret.txt) and edit it down to something pleasing to me in my favorite word processor. Next: A special thanks goes out to Bud Mayes regarding the ^P and ^T replace function in reformatting text. I tried this in Write, and it works just as well. Happy Holidays! Marie, ChoirGirl2@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 08:40:16 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Re: Editing Utilities Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 12/20/98 7:52:07 PM Pacific Standard Time, ChoirGirl2@AOL.COM writes: << Most of you know about the AOL log manager that can be used to read in your email and then be edited later >> Am I misreading this? Is there a way to have the log manager automatically combine the post for multi-part stories. I must have missed it. I looked and I couldn't find it. Help! Bud Mayes ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 09:43:15 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "K.M. de Castro" Subject: Re: Editing Utilities Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi FoLCs: Bud Mayes wrote: I replied to Bud on this privately, but if more FoLC's ask me how to, I'll post it here, since I covered it a few months ago. Marie ChoirGirl2@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 19:28:53 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mar Smith Subject: Re: Editing Utilities Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-12-21 09:44:44 EST, you write: > ChoirGirl2