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Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 07:17:16 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Categories: New Author
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good quiz, Hazel.

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

1.  Notrepooh "A question of ethics" from the quote, without searching
2.  Chris H. "When tomorrow comes: broken wings" from the excerpt.  I had to
look for this one
3.  Judith Tylke "Forever obsessed" from the quote, without searching
4.  Tank Wilson "Faith, hope…and a little more hope" I had to search for
this one, and I didn’t find it until after I’d looked at the excerpts.
5.  Tara Smith "The Jeep" I knew I’d read the quote, but didn’t recognize
the story until I read the excerpt, and then I had to search to find the
title and author
6.  Christine Carr "Au revoir, and not good-bye" from the quote, but I had
to look up the title
7.  Hazel "Escape from Krypton" from the quote, without searching
8.  Allison Forbes "Come back to me" from the excerpt, and Hazel, you lead
me on a wild goose chase looking for this story, which I *knew* I’d read,
but could not find among the new authors.  Allison Forbes is not a new
author.
9. Irene Dutchak "Redemption" from the quote without looking (I should hope!
since I helped with the french in this story and even got my name in the
credits <sg>)
10. Marnie Rowe "Misadventures in crimefighting" from the excerpt, but
without looking.  After reading the quote, I kept asking, "who wrote a story
where L and C have a son named Peter? :)
11. Lara Blasingham "Time to adjust" from the quote without searching
12. Nan Smith "Partners" from the quote, without searching
13. Melisma "What *really* happened" from the quote, I had to look to be
sure of the title, but I’d gotten it right
14. Trevise "End of the beginning" from the quote, but I had to look to see
which one it was. I’d thought it was the second one in the series (ah, these
are eligible for best series…)
15. Sharon Gilbert "Power to forgive" After reading the quote, I’d written
"Tank, ‘Love disabled’??", but after reading the excerpt, I knew which story
it was.  It took me a little searching to find title and author.

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com

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Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 07:24:15 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Authors: Kerth Awards--my list
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Well, I did say I'd prolly made some mistakes... It seems that in copying
and pasting, one of the people from my list didn't make it into my email.
So, unless she'd previously published fic I don't know about, please add Joy
N. Sowell.

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
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Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 04:52:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Kerth Categories: New Author quiz answers
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Here are the answers to the New Author quiz:

Story 1: A Question of Ethics, by Notrepooh
Story 2: When Tomorrow Comes: Broken Wings, by Chris H.
Story 3: Forever Obsessed, by Judith Tylke
Story 4: Faith, Hope... and More Hope, by Tank Wilson
Story 5: The Jeep, by Tara Smith
Story 6: Au Revoir, and Not Good-bye, by Chris Carr
Story 7: Escape From Krypton?, by Hazel
Story 8: Come Back to Me, by Allison K. Forbes
Story 9: Redemption, by Irene Dutchak
Story 10: Cold Fire, by Cybercerpent
Story 11: A Time to Adjust, by Lara Blasingame
Story 12: Partners, by Nan Smith
Story 13: What REALLY Happened?, by Melisma
Story 14: The End of the Beginning, by Trevise
Story 15: Power to Forgive, by Sharon Gilbert

Tara gets 5 points: two quotes (including her own!) and one excerpt. And
we'll give her a smiley-face sticker for remembering a bit of Tank's story.
:)

Wendy gets 21 points: 9 quotes and 3 excerpts. I'm impressed. ;)

Pam's score was especially difficult, with half and quarter points
sprinkled all over place! :) My final scoring seems to be 13.25 points:
five and a half quotes, and one whole, two halves, and a quarter excerpts.
You also get the same smiley-face sticker as Tara, although yours is for
describing Melisma's story. You just like to make things complicated, don't
you?? And yes, I took that excerpt from Sharon's story deliberately!

Diyan gets 23 points, and proves the value of looking things up a bit. ;)
Those points break down as follows: nine quotes, and five excerpts. Just
one mistake, Diyan, regarding "Cold Fire"; but you're not the only one who
thought it was Marnie's "Misadventures in Crime Fighting," which also
qualifies if I'm not mistaken.

Diyan is the winner, with Wendy a close second. Well done!

Diyan thought that Allison K. Forbes is not qualified as new author this
year. I must point out that while some of her stories are stamped as having
been submitted in '98, none of them actually were uploaded to the archive
until '99. According to the rules, as I understand them, that means that
she qualifies.

Only four people tried to answer this quiz. Does that mean that the quizzes
are coming out of your ears already...? Guess we should've started a month
ago. ;p But with nominations officially open today, Wendy and I wanted to
remind you all of the marvelous stories just *waiting* to be read... and
nominated! So over to you, Wendy!

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:23:47 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      NEW: Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons of Smallville,
1/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Blame(?) Nan for this one... <g> I was musing about the odd idea of
L&C meets C&H on Zoom's MB, and she says that I could do it if
anyone could -- I mean, how could I refuse? <g> [Would the person
who just yelled out, "Very Easily!" kindly leave? <g>] For those
who came in late, this is the sequel to "The Spirit of..."

Phil
--
Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons of Smallville

The cold air on her face -- on her nose in particular -- woke Lois
from a sound sleep. As usual, she didn't escape from dreamland all
at once, but took her time, consciousness only reluctantly emerging
to face the new day -- which was why she needed an alarm to get her
up in time for work.

There was no alarm this morning, though, so she was slow to realise
what had woken her, and what it might mean. 'Oh, hell...' she
thought once her whirling thoughts had coalesced enough for
something like logic to resume inside her head. 'The heat must be
off. That's just great! I can hear the screams of my dear, devoted
landlord now...'

Actually, she couldn't. She couldn't hear anything much, and what
noise there was didn't sound right. Come to think of it, the
bedclothes were rather heavy (which was a good thing if it was
*that* cold out; her face might be chilly, but the rest of her was
lovely and snug). And what was she wearing? It didn't feel like any
of her nightclothes...

Lois' eyelids slowly, unwillingly opened... to reveal unfamiliar
surroundings. *That* finally got through to her -- and to her
adrenal glands -- and she shot up in bed, almost on the verge of
panic. 'Where the hell *am* I?'

The first wave of adrenaline-boosted reaction died down a little,
and her brain, which had been trailing along behind the rest of her
ever since she'd woken up, finally joined the crowd. This *wasn't*
a strange place, after all. She *did* know where she was; she just
couldn't figure out how she'd *got* here.

She was in Clark's old room, in his parents' house in Smallville.
For just a moment, she almost began to wonder if she'd done a Mrs
Bobby Ewing, and dreamed everything that she remembered since the
Smallville Corn Festival -- but then she noticed the small, but
distinctly Christmassy touches in the room's decor, and sanity
returned to the world.

That was both good and bad; there were some aspects of the last few
months that she wouldn't have minded being a dream, most of which
had to do with a certain slimy, *dead* ex-fiancee of hers. Against
that, there were some much better memories from that time, and most
of *those* had to do with her best friend, partner -- and, right
now, her host.

Which brought her back to the big question: how had she come to end
up here, when the last thing she remembered was...

...Clark bringing her home after they'd both helped out at the
Metropolis Orphanage Christmas party. It had been a fun evening,
but tiring. And after all the legwork they'd done on the Winslow
Schott story, not to mention the debilitating effects of the Greed
Potion that he'd put in those blasted Atomic Space Rats of his, she
had been *exhausted*. She could barely remember collapsing on her
couch, so glad to be home, and yet worried because it was late on
Christmas Eve and they were supposed to be leaving for Smallville
and she still didn't know how they were getting there and it was a
long trip and she was so *tired*...

'And here I am,' she thought, flopping back down on the bed. 'Even
if I don't know how I got here. I guess I'll just have to ask
Clark...'

At that exact moment, as if the mere thought was enough to summon
him, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Lois?" came his voice,
softly but clearly. "You awake?"

Lois smiled and quickly took a look at herself. She was warmly and
decently dressed in some old sweats that she remembered packing --
although she was going to have to find out how she'd got into them!
But that could wait. "Yes, Clark," she called. "Come on in."

He did, backing into the room because he was carrying something. He
was only wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, so Lois enjoyed the
view for the few seconds until he turned around to reveal a tray
holding a steaming cup of coffee and some toast. "Merry Christmas,
Lois," Clark murmured as he set the tray on the bedside table.

"Merry Christmas, Clark..." Lois gratefully reached for the coffee
-- or *was* it for the coffee? That was what she got, anyway, as
Clark moved over to the fireplace and bent down to do something
that she couldn't see, his broad shoulders and back blocking her
view.

A very few moments later, a glow from in front of him revealed that
he had been lighting the fire. He stood up as the kindling caught
quickly -- rather *too* quickly, if truth be told, the result of
using heat vision in order to warm the room as fast as possible,
but Lois, not much versed in the ways of lighting fires, didn't
notice. "There you go," he said. "The room'll warm up quickly. When
you're ready, come downstairs; Mom's cooking the traditional family
Christmas breakfast. It'll be a while yet, so there's no need to
hurry, but we like to open the presents after breakfast and before
we go to church. You don't have to come, by the way, if you'd
rather stay here."

"Of course I'll come," Lois said, taking another sip of her coffee.
Clark smiled and was about to leave when she called him softly,
"Clark..."

"Yeah, Lois?"

"Um... this is going to sound silly, but..." She blushed. "...I
don't remember anything much after getting home last night... How
did we get here?"

Clark laughed. "Yeah, you were kind of out of it, weren't you?" He
sat down on the end of the bed. "It's simple, Lois. Remember when
I invited you here, and I told you that I had all the travel
arrangements covered?" She nodded expectantly. "Well, I did -- with
a little help from a mutual friend. Superman brought us, Lois; it
was part of his Christmas present to you -- and me. He was kinda
surprised that you slept right through the entire trip, though." He
grinned. "So was I."

"Oh." Well, that made sense. She took another sip of the coffee and
felt herself become that bit more awake, and with that awareness
came the memory of the *other* unanswered question about the
previous night -- a question that Lois was suddenly afraid, though
she couldn't say why, wouldn't have as reasonable an answer.

But Clark kept talking and her fears were allayed. "Not only did
you sleep all the way here from the city, but Mom couldn't even get
you to wake up enough to get changed by yourself, so she had to
help you get into something comfortable to sleep in. She told Dad
and I when she'd finished that you were just barely awake enough to
respond when she told you to lift one of your feet or something
like that; it reminded her of when I was little and she used to
have to help me get ready for bed after a busy day." He paused and
grinned at her wickedly. "...except that you were a lot less
trouble than I was, apparently."

Lois put the now-empty coffee cup down and flopped back onto the
pillows, inexpressibly relieved -- and, suddenly, feeling
wonderfully relaxed. But relaxed mentally rather than physically;
in fact, she felt rather energetic now. She sat up again, smiling.

"Okay, Clark, if you get out of here, I'll get up and wash. Do I
need to get dressed for breakfast?"

"Nah. Mom and Dad and I are all dressed, but that's 'cause we've
been up doing the morning chores. Your sweats will be fine, if
you're sure they'll be warm enough; you might want to put on some
warm socks, though -- the fire's going downstairs, but it's a cold
day.

"Other than that, just wear what you're comfortable in. We save our
'Sunday best' for church -- and we change *back* into comfortable
clothes when we get home."

Lois grinned back at him, feeling better and better by the minute.
This lack of fuss was such a change from the formality of Christmas
with her family: everyone wearing their best clothes all day, being
oh-so-polite and wary of one another -- until the inevitable
arguments started. The thought of a Christmas without emotional
warfare was almost too good to be true.

She waved her hands at Clark, shooing him out of the room. With the
prospect of such a wonderful day before her, she wanted to get up
and run to experience it before it faded away like other impossible
dreams -- except that she knew, to her amazement, that it *wasn't*
impossible, and something totally unexpected would have to happen
for it to disappear. And that wasn't likely when the Kents --
mother, father and son -- would move Heaven and Earth to prevent
that... and she had an inexplicable but irresistible feeling that
Heaven and Earth would go along with them rather than argue the
point.

Clark obediently got up to go, taking the coffee cup and tray with
him. He heard the thud of feet on the bedroom floor as he closed
the door behind him and smiled as he went down the stairs. If he
didn't know better (and he *didn't*), that sounded like someone
starting the day with considerable enthusiasm, and an enthusiastic
Lois was fun to have around -- especially when her enthusiasm was
directed towards something other than work!

That had been shown very clearly at odd moments in the last few
days, while the two reporters had been tracking down Winslow Schott
-- like when "Santa" had brought Danielle to visit the Planet
newsroom and Lois had used her newly-remembered skill at Cat's
Cradle to entertain the little girl; or when she had gone looking
for her Christmas tree; or the previous evening at the
orphanage....

                    *         *         *

It had been fun, helping at the party, albeit a little tricky since
Clark had tried to involve both himself *and* Superman in the
festivities -- but a little forethought and some super-speed could
do wonders. Superman had done reindeer duty pulling the sleigh with
Lois, Jimmy and "Santa Elvis" White on it to deliver the kids'
gifts, then disappeared to bring the tree. While he was "gone",
supposedly to fetch and decorate the already-prepared tree (but, of
course, no-one else knew that), Clark had met his friends and
joined in the fun. A short while later, when he'd been separated
from them by the press of the crowd of orphans, it was easy to
disappear and make a big entrance in the suit with the tree.

And that's how it had gone on for most of the evening, Clark and
Superman zipping in and out at different times. It was hard for him
to get away from the kids when he was in the suit, but he'd
volunteered to run a number of errands to help with the party, so
he'd only once had to plead the need to take care of some trouble
-- which was real (a car wreck on a nearby freeway) but didn't take
anything like as long to clear up as he claimed it had by the time
Superman returned to the party. Nor did the errands take very long
in reality, since he had already arranged most of them beforehand,
but it gave him the opportunity to re-appear as Clark and give the
impression that he'd been there all along, just separated from the
others by the mass of energetic kids.

Clark hadn't expected had any great problems in fading into the
background as himself when it was time for Superman to re-appear,
but he had been surprised a couple of times. The first surprise was
Danielle, who remembered him and wanted to tag along with him as he
strolled around the party. He wondered if she was worried about the
boys who had been bullying her, but there was no sign of them. True
to his promise, he'd enquired of "Santa" (Clark *still* didn't know
the guy's real name) and the good-natured, amiable man had said
that there'd been no trouble; in fact, the boys had been ill the
day after Clark had dealt with them, and they'd been very quiet
ever since.

'Ill, huh?' Clark could guess what had caused *that*. Nonetheless,
he kept an eye on both Danielle and the boys all evening, but the
only indication that they even knew one another was when he caught
the biggest boy, the one who'd started the bullying, watching the
little girl as she ran around, momentarily distracted from her
attachment to Clark by some game. To Clark's surprise, the look on
the boy's face was not angry or vengeful, but... wistful.

He found out why when he returned to the party a little while
later, having made another appearance as Superman between-times.
The boy saw him, looked away quickly, and then visibly made up his
mind about something and came over to Clark to say something --
hesitantly and nervously, but firmly enough for all that, once he
was reassured that Clark wasn't going to get angry with him again.

He was very sorry for what he'd done the last time they'd met; he
couldn't really understand why he'd been so stupid. Then, when his
apology was accepted, he asked if Clark could help him. He was very
fond of Danielle -- all the boys were -- but she was scared of him
now, and he didn't know what to do about it.

Clark knew, though, and was only too glad to help. He told the boy
to gather the others, because he had something to tell them - *and*
Danielle. It didn't take long for Clark to find her -- or did she
find him? Anyway, he told her that he needed to have a talk with
her and the boys. She didn't want to, muttering something to that
effect under her breath like any unhappy, slightly rebellious kid,
but she went along with him when he told her, as honestly and
sincerely as he could, that it was *really* important.

When the boys came over, she half-hid behind Clark, her eyes wary.
But, for all her fear, she listened to what he had to say as he
told the boys about Winslow Schott and his Greed Potion. He didn't
name the "villain", because Schott was also helping at the party,
and both Danielle and the boys only knew him as the generous man
who had made and given them toys -- the Space Rats and Danielle's
beloved teddy bear. In fact, it took some fast thinking and careful
phrasing to convey the impression (without actually lying) that the
potion had been put in the Rats by someone other than their
creator, but Clark didn't want the kids to hate or fear the man;
this party was probably the only good thing about this Christmas
for Schott, and Clark didn't want to ruin it for him -- it was
likely to be a long time before the man had another chance to take
part in something like this.

The boys' eyes widened when they heard that the potion had affected
people all over the city, not just them -- even Mr Kent and his
friends (Clark decided not to mention that the stuff had worked on
Superman, too; no need for *that* vulnerability to become public
knowledge).

Clark gently drew Danielle from behind him and crouched down to her
level as he went on to explain that the boys' behaviour had been
the result of the potion, and that they wouldn't have been nasty to
her without it. With perfect timing, the biggest boy joined in,
saying in a forthright but pleading manner that he was really sorry
about everything, and his friends chimed in as well. Clark could
tell that the boys were both relieved and horrified to find that
they'd been under the influence of the potion, and that they meant
what they said.

Danielle, not fully understanding what had happened, was a little
harder to convince, but, with a little gentle encouragement from
Clark, she finally accepted that the boys hadn't meant what they
had done -- and anyway, Clark whispered, the two of *them* had won
the snowball fight! -- and forgave them. The big boy and the little
girl exchanged a quick hug, the other boys cheered quietly, and the
reconciled group ran off to join in a game at the other end of the
orphanage grounds.

Clark watched them go, smiling to himself, and turned his attention
to the main festivities. This was a good time for him to make his
presence known, and then disappear to become his other self; it was
great to see that the kids were friends again, and he had an idea
as to how to cement their repaired relationship.

That was when he got his *second* surprise. Lois stood a short
distance away, and had obviously been watching everything. She
didn't say anything, but came over and tucked her arm in his, and
the two reporters slowly strolled around the party for a few
minutes.

Clark would have been happy to spend the rest of the evening like
that -- heck, the rest of the *year!* -- but his conscience began
to prod him; Superman really did need to make another appearance,
and he wanted to finish what he'd started with Danielle and the
boys. Fortunately, he was able to tell Lois the truth
(more-or-less...) about why he had to go -- that he wanted to
arrange a special surprise for the kids (and, in passing, to
confirm some of the arrangements for the two of them). Her ears
pricked up at that last, but Clark was pleasantly yet firmly
uninformative, so she had to live with the "mystery". She was also
disappointed that Clark had to leave her for a while, but she knew
what he was like when he was arranging one of his surprises...
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:24:26 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      NEW: DMKMSGoS, 2/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Clark smiled ruefully as he reluctantly disengaged his arm and
disappeared into the crowd. A short time later, Superman descended
gracefully from the night sky, carrying something. It was a...
well, it looked for all the world like an overgrown seating cage
from a Ferris wheel. Which turned out to be a good description,
because, to the stunned delight of the assembled children, the Man
of Steel announced that he was going to take everyone who wanted to
come for a short flight over Metropolis. And, who knew -- if they
kept their eyes open, they might even see Santa!

All the kids jumped with joy -- most of them literally -- and
crowded around, wanting to get to the front of what only the very
broad-minded could have described as a queue. Superman, however,
seemed to have his own idea about who got to go first, because he
raised his voice above the clamour, telling all the orphans that he
promised that everyone would get a turn, but a friend of his had
asked him to make sure that some of them got to go together, so
would these people please come and have their ride?

To their complete astonishment, he called out the names of Danielle
and the four boys. They hung back, suddenly shy, but Superman
beckoned to them and their friends pushed them forward. They came
over slowly, silent and wary, until Superman leaned down and
whispered something to them: because they'd all had an awful time
due to that potion -- Danielle being bullied, and the boys with the
"hangover" that you got when the stuff wore off -- and because the
boys had apologised and Danielle had forgiven them, Mr Kent had
wanted them to have their flight together, and before the others,
as a sort of reward for not giving in to the greed that the
potion-maker had tried to spread.

The five children looked even more amazed, but quickly recovered
and scrambled into the "cage". A quick check that they were
strapped in and the door was securely closed, and the Man of Steel
and his burden -- precious, but light as a feather -- lifted
gracefully into the sky, the smiles on the kids' faces lighting the
way.

As he rose above the rooftops, Superman cast a quick glance back at
the people on the ground, and at one person in particular. Lois was
watching them go, a soft smile on her face -- and a knowing look in
her eye. 'A friend of Superman's, hmm?' she thought to herself. It
didn't take an investigative reporter to work that one out, and
she'd bet that she knew what he'd said to the kids, too. Nor would
she be at all surprised if Superman's first trip was just a
*little* longer than the rest -- not enough for any of the other
kids to feel slighted, but just so it would be that extra bit
special.

It had taken quite a while to fly all the orphans around
Metropolis, and Clark was relieved when the last group finally
scampered away. His work was not over yet, unfortunately, because
Perry immediately cornered him with a request for a lift to Alice's
hotel room -- she'd forgiven him, once she'd realised that he must
have been affected by Schott's potion -- and Clark could hardly
refuse in the circumstances. So it was one more trip for
Super-Rudolph and the sleigh that the Daily Planet party had
arrived in before Clark could come back, say good-night to everyone
(everyone who was still awake, that is), collect and stash the
"cage", and then return and disappear into the orphanage kitchens
at super-speed, to emerge from them moments later as himself.

Lois, having just sent Jimmy on his way with Angela (her own
contribution to the general Christmas cheer), saw Clark come out of
the building and waved. "Clark! Where have you been all this time?"

He smiled, having thought this one out already. "Well, Lois, I
talked to Superman before he left to get the thing he took the kids
for their ride in. I was there when he arrived with it, but you saw
what happened when he announced that he was going to take them all
for a flight! You were caught up in organising everything, so I
looked around for something useful to do. I've been cleaning up the
kitchens, ready for tomorrow -- not exactly glamorous, but I bet
the staff will appreciate it." All of which was true, except that
Clark had done the "housework" at super-speed, just before he'd
come out of the building to find Lois.

"Oh, Clark..." murmured an amazed Lois as she took his arm again.
"What a nice thing to do. That's so thoughtful of you."

"Oh, well..." replied her partner, slightly embarrassed. "The kids
were having so much fun... I just thought that it might be a good
idea to give the staff a hand. Besides, coming down to a messy
kitchen is never fun, and at *Christmas*...?"

Lois didn't say anything more, contenting herself with squeezing
his arm as they walked home from the orphanage. First her, then
those kids - *and* Winslow Schott -- and now the orphanage staff;
was this guy considerate, or what? But then she yawned, the late
hour and her exertions suddenly catching up with her, and her
attention turned to what was to happen next. She hoped that Clark
really did have their travel arrangements made, because they were
a long way from Kansas, Toto...

                    *         *         *

'But he obviously did have,' Lois mused as she came down the stairs
for breakfast. She, too, had been remembering the previous evening,
with a slight pang of regret in her case that, what with one thing
and another, she hadn't seen nearly enough of Clark. 'Well, that's
not going to be a problem *here!*' she thought, grinning.

Her grin was matched by Martha's broad smile on seeing her come
into the kitchen. The two women exchanged hugs -- or, rather, Lois
hugged Martha, who did what she could in return, without getting
the flour covering her hands all over Lois. The kitchen was filled
with the most appetising range of smells, some of which Lois
couldn't identify -- but they all made her hope that breakfast
wouldn't be too long in coming!

Martha offered her cereal or oatmeal as a first course, but Lois
declined, wanting to save the room in her stomach for whatever was
making those wonderful smells -- just what *was* this Kansas-style
"traditional family Christmas breakfast", anyway?

Martha laughed when Lois asked that. "There's not all that much
from Kansas in the Kent Christmas breakfast, honey -- not any more.
It's all Clark's fault; we used to have an old-fashioned
traditional breakfast, but then he went off on his travels and came
back with all sorts of interesting ideas and recipes from all over
the world. We tried the ones that we liked the sound of, and some
turned out okay and some didn't... but a few sort of worked their
way into how we usually cook things, until we found that we were
mixing ideas from half-a-dozen different places without knowing it.
It wasn't until we had guests, a couple of years ago -- some
neighbours who were snowed in here, and told us that they'd really
enjoyed all the 'exotic food' -- that we realised what we were
doing!"

Lois didn't care whether breakfast came from Kansas or... or
*Timbuktu!* All she knew was that it smelled delicious. And, once
Jonathan and Clark arrived, their chores (or whatever it was they'd
been doing) completed for the moment, and everyone settled down to
eat, she found that it tasted as good as it looked. She was
astonished, when she finally had to refuse Martha's offer of yet
more pancakes, or ham, or sausage, or waffles, or fritters, or
another egg, or some more toast, or coffee or fruit juice, at just
how much she'd eaten. Suddenly, she understood how Clark, the Human
Vacuum Cleaner -- who had matched her, and then some, in the huge
breakfast stakes -- could eat as much as he did, if *this* was the
sort of meal he was accustomed to at home. How he kept in such
great shape in spite of it was still a mystery, though.

She pushed back her chair, not quite able to decide if she should
groan at the distended feeling of her stomach, and got up --
slowly. She helped clear off the table, and would have offered to
wash up, but Martha forestalled her by saying that there was no
need to worry about that; besides, there were more important things
to do right now.

Of course! Clark had said that they opened their presents after
breakfast, hadn't he? Lois considered herself to be a grown woman;
a mature, intelligent adult... but there was still enough little
girl in her to be excited (inside, at least) at the thought of
Christmas presents -- both receiving and, this year, giving them to
the wonderful family who'd already made this Christmas the best
she'd had for so long. So it was with joyful glee that she ran
upstairs to find her suitcase, and the gifts she'd packed before
heading off to the orphanage party the previous night.

To her surprise, no-one seemed to be around when she came back down
the stairs, carrier bags in hand. There was the big fir Christmas
tree, cut, she had been told, by hand by Jonathan the day before,
as was the tradition here, but where were Clark and his parents --
and, for that matter, the pile of brightly-coloured presents that
she'd caught a brief glimpse of on her way down to breakfast?

The first half of the question was answered when she heard murmurs
from another room off to one side, and then Clark appeared at that
doorway. "In here, Lois," he said, waving her over. "We're...
exchanging presents in the study this year."

Lois' eyebrows went up. What was going on? She cocked her head to
one side in a gesture that she was certain Clark would understand,
but he said nothing, merely grinning at her and waiting for her to
go in ahead of him. She frowned slightly -- she was starting to get
just a little tired of the continual air of
I-know-something-that-you-don't that Clark had had ever since he'd
invited her here -- but the frown vanished in an instant, replaced
by an expression of baffled amazement as she entered the study to
see Martha and Jonathan sitting in chairs next to the missing pile
of presents, all neatly arranged at the foot of... *her* Christmas
tree!

"What? How...?" she gasped, stumbling forward a step or two. She
whirled to face Clark, who was standing just behind her, smiling
gently. "Clark... that's *my* tree!" she said, waving a hand in its
vague direction. "What's it doing *here?*" And then, suddenly
unsure of herself, she trailed off, "It *is* my tree... isn't it?"

Clark's smile widened and he stepped over to her, putting his arms
around her for a gentle hug. "Yes, Lois, that's your tree," he
murmured softly before releasing her and stepping over to the gift
pile to pick up a small, flat parcel. "As to why it's here... well,
we thought it might be nice if you had something of yours here, so
that you wouldn't feel overwhelmed by your first Kansas Christmas."

Lois had to stop and think about that. Her first reaction was a
mixture of embarrassed happiness at the thoughtfulness of the
Kents, combined with a healthy dollop of annoyance that they'd
thought it *necessary* to help her cope with something as...
un-threatening as Christmas on a small-town farm. She'd just about
decided that the two emotions cancelled each other out, and was
starting to wonder about the implications of Clark saying that this
was her *first* Kansas Christmas, as though there might be
others... when her attention was caught by what he was saying now:

"...so it was simple enough for Superman to bring the tree with us.
Besides, we had to have it here, or..." He paused and came back
across the room to her, holding out the parcel. "...or you'd have
had to wait till after Christmas to use this."

Lois put her bags down and took the neatly-wrapped package from
him. She looked at him, her face flushed, and then at Martha and
Jonathan. "Go on, honey," Martha prompted. "Open it."

Suddenly all thumbs under the friendly, yet intimidating eyes of
her hosts, Lois struggled with the ribbon, the large red bow and
the wrapping. While she did so, Clark went on, "This is from both
Superman and me. I told him the story about the tree when you were
12, and he and I thought that this..." He paused again as Lois
finally opened the box. "...might look good on that little guy."

Lois was speechless. Inside the box was the most beautiful
Christmas star she'd ever seen. And it was totally unlike any other
star that she'd ever seen; it looked like... well, she wasn't sure
*what* it looked like. Frost scattered with starlight, maybe. It
was solid enough to the touch, but it *looked* almost ethereal, and
the light from the tree and the fire somehow lost itself inside the
stone, making the star seem as though it wasn't quite there, not
completely real. But it was.

Lois had never seen anything like it, and said so. Her wonder at
being given such a precious thing turned to awe when she asked
Clark where it had come from, and his only reply was to point
upwards. She could only stare at him, and try desperately not to
cry with joy at the thought of such a wonderful gift from two
equally wonderful men. To her relief, Martha and Jonathan came over
to look at the star, and their amazed reactions distracted her and
let her regain her equilibrium. It also meant that she missed the
smug looks that Clark's parents sent their son.

Lois put the star on top of the little tree, and everyone spent a
few minutes just looking at the incredible sight. The tree may have
been small, it may have looked lost and forlorn when Lois chose it
-- but not now; now, it was beautiful and mysterious, and very,
very special.

After that, the rest of the present-giving might have been an
anti-climax, but no-one in the Kent house thought so. Lois quickly
came to realise where Clark had acquired that quirky sense of
humour of his -- from his parents, Martha in particular. It seemed
that the Kent Christmas spirit had a high component of laughter to
it, and the effort that went into choosing gifts for one another
(and, this year, for her) was accompanied by a certain amount of
deviltry. While most of the presents given and received showed the
kind of thoughtfulness that she would have expected from Clark and
his parents (and, in some cases, a considerable amount of
forethought and planning), one or two caused the recipient (and the
giver) to crack up; Lois couldn't always understand why, the
laughter being caused by some inexplicable family in-joke, but the
hilarity was contagious and she found herself giggling along with
the others out of sheer joie de vivre.

Her own turn came when she unwrapped a small book -- "The Turkey
Strikes Back: What to do with Christmas Left-overs". Inside, Martha
had written:

"To Lois:

"We never have Christmas left-overs here any more
-- Clark takes them all back to Metropolis. Now,
_you_ get to help, so here's some inspiration for
the 30th of the month -- or as long as it takes
Clark to eat everything.

"Love,
"Martha
"Smallville, Kansas

"PS. Clark loves pasta."

Lois realised that Clark must have told his mother of her claim
that she could only cook four things, and pasta was the only one
that didn't involve chocolate. Sure enough, "Turkey Pasta Salad"
was prominently highlighted in the list of recipes, which made her
laugh. 'Okay, Clark,' she vowed, 'It's pasta for you... the day
after tomorrow!'

But that could wait; right now, Lois just wanted to soak up all
this festive happiness. For someone who'd never much liked being
teased, she had to wonder what it was about the Kents (first Clark,
and now his parents) that made their jokes, even ones which she
might, with someone else-*anyone* else -- have taken offence at, so
much *fun!* Maybe it was because they always laughed with her,
never at her -- even when she was laughing at herself. However they
did it, Lois knew that to share their joy as a family at this time
of year was another precious gift.

Lost in a sort of reverie, Lois missed Jonathan's quiet question to
Clark: "Son, where's that other--" *And* she missed Clark's frantic
shushing motion, which made his father stop in the middle of the
sentence. Then, before she could notice the sudden silence, Martha
got up and suggested that everyone head upstairs to get changed for
church.

                    *         *         *
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:25:26 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      NEW: DMKMSGoS, 3/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Lois shivered a little. The "good clothes" that she had gone to
church in weren't *quite* warm enough for Kansas winter weather,
even with her long coat over them. She had been fine inside the
church and in the truck, both of which were well heated, but,
standing out here in the farmyard, the light but nonetheless chill
wind was, as they say, "cutting right through" her. But, for all
that, she was in no hurry to follow Martha and Jonathan inside;
just at that moment, she was content to remain where she was,
looking out across the snow-covered fields.

Clark silently watched her for a while, then came over and wrapped
his arms and overcoat around her, sheltering her from the wind.
Lois, not expecting the contact, jumped in surprise, but she
quickly appreciated the protection from the icy breeze -- and the
unexpected warmth she felt from him inside the haven of his coat --
and relaxed, contentedly leaning against the solid, secure person
of her friend.

The pair remained motionless and silent for some time, just sharing
the moment -- and one another. Eventually, Lois shifted a little
against Clark, who murmured, "What are you thinking about, Lois?"

"Um..." she said slowly, lifting her face to look at him, "This is
going to sound crazy, but... do you know that comic strip set in
the Old West, with the town sheriff and the retired gunfighter?"

"'Rick O'Shay?' Yeah, I used to love it as a kid. Why?"

"Well, do you remember how the gunslinger... what did they call
him? Hipshot Percussion, that's it!" Lois giggled at the name, and
Clark smiled at the delightful sound. "Anyway, Hipshot almost never
went to church, but every so often, he used to go riding out of
town, and the strip would show him surrounded by some beautiful
piece of scenery, and then he'd say something like, 'Much obliged,
Boss.' That was his way of talking to God; he wouldn't go to church
in town -- maybe he felt he wouldn't be welcome there -- but he
still wanted to give thanks for what he had."

"I remember that," Clark replied thoughtfully. "And I remember the
beautiful artwork in those particular strips; except for Hipshot,
those panels could have been sketches for landscape paintings. What
brought them to mind?"

"Oh, it was the church. It's such a lovely old building, and
something the minister said in his sermon made me think of how the
people here have always made *me* feel welcome... and that and the
building reminded me of the comic. So I was looking out over the
fields... and, I guess, giving thanks like Hipshot used to."

Lois turned to face Clark and wrapped her arms around him. "And I
have so much to be thankful for, this Christmas. This has already
been the best Christmas I've had for *so* long... and it's all
because of you. Thank you, Clark."

She buried her face in his shoulder, hugging him tightly, sniffing
a little with the emotion that was momentarily that little bit too
much for her to contain. Clark lowered his head onto hers, saying
softly, "You're welcome, Lois," and held her close.

                    *         *         *

"Lois, would you like to go for a walk before dinner? Or have you
seen enough of the outdoors today?" Clark asked as they went into
the house, stomping the snow off their boots before entering the
warmth of the kitchen.

"Clark!" Martha scolded, passing Lois some coffee. "Give the poor
girl a chance to warm up before you drag her out into the snow
again! Just because you don't feel the cold..."

Clark looked stricken at the accusation of thoughtlessness, so Lois
hastened to reassure him. "No, Martha, it's okay. Once I've
finished this..." She lifted the mug in a thankful salute. "...and
got changed into something warmer -- Clark, I promise I'll pay more
attention, the next time you warn me about Kansas weather! -- I'll
be fine. Dinner smells *delicious*, so I need to get out of here
anyway before I start gnawing on the furniture, and a good, brisk
walk sounds like a great way to build up an appetite."

Now, it was Martha's turn to look stricken, and she hurriedly
offered Lois anything she wanted to eat, but Lois refused. "No,
Martha. After *that* breakfast, I shouldn't need to eat anything
until next Wednesday, anyway." She grinned wickedly. "But I'm going
to! I can wait until dinner's ready -- and I'm sure that it will be
worth waiting for!" With that, she downed the rest of her coffee
and headed upstairs to change.

When she came back down, wearing almost every piece of casual
clothing that she'd brought with her, Clark was still in the
kitchen -- but he, too, had changed his clothes. Whereas, at
church, he'd been resplendent in the classic GQ-style tailoring
that he loved (and looked *great* in!), now he was the archetypal
Kansas farm boy -- winter edition. Lois was instantly reminded of
the way he'd looked and the fun they'd had at the Corn Festival
earlier that year, and she sent up a silent, urgent prayer to the
effect that she *was* grateful for everything -- really, she was --
so could there *please* not be any more crazed maniacs around to
mess up *this* trip to Smallville?

For the moment, Whomever might be listening seemed to think that
was a reasonable request, and, after Clark had promised Martha
faithfully that he would make sure that Lois didn't get too cold
(the subject of this "discussion" noted with considerable amusement
that Clark kept casting nervous glances her way all through
Martha's exhortations; it was almost as if he was expecting her to
get mad at the suggestion that she couldn't look after herself --
now, what could have given him *that* idea..?), the two young
people headed out and across the fields.

They set a brisk pace as they strode along. They had no particular
destination in mind -- or, rather, Lois didn't and Clark was
content initially to let her wander anywhere that it was safe to
go, so they roamed here and there around the farm. Clark pointed
out the occasional notable sight or place, embellishing a few of
them with tales from his childhood, and Lois listened with real
interest; for all that she thought that she had Clark pretty much
figured out, his life out here in rural Kansas was alien to her,
and she found that she wanted to know more about it -- pure
curiosity, of course, or maybe it might make good copy one day.
Besides, when he wasn't teasing her about her supposed dislike of
the countryside, Clark, as befitted a good reporter, could tell a
very good story.

For her part, Lois reminisced about the Christmas she had spent in
Ireland as an exchange student, and Clark told her of festive
customs that he'd encountered in his travels. Some of them sounded
very strange indeed, but one or two -- like celebrating Christmas
on a hot, sunny beach, the way some Australians did -- held a
definite attraction.

Being preoccupied with the conversation and her own thoughts, Lois
didn't notice that Clark had, very subtly, begun to direct their
course towards one particular field not far from the farmhouse.
Nor, once they reached it, did a slightly odd sight register with
her until they were quite close to it. Even then, she might have
walked right past it had she not suddenly felt as though she was
being watched...

She looked around, but there was only Clark, looking at her with a
quizzical expression... and what was *that?*

"Clark..." she asked, genuinely puzzled, "why is there a *snowman*
in the middle of one of your parents' fields? Since when do farmers
build snowmen -- or did a couple of the local kids decide that this
was the perfect place--" She broke off and began to examine the
ground. "No, that can't be right; it hasn't snowed this morning,
but there are no footprints... so how did that thing get here?"

Clark breathed a well-hidden sigh of relief; for a while there,
he'd been certain that Lois was going to walk right past it, and
then what would he have done? Fortunately, the Lane observational
skills hadn't been totally over-ruled by whatever she had been
thinking about. Meantime, he had a part to play...

"I don't know, Lois," he said, calling on all of whatever acting
skills he might possess. "Let's take a look at it."

The couple had approached the figure from the side, so it wasn't
until they moved around it that it became obvious that this was no
ordinary snowman.

"That is the weirdest snowman I've ever seen..." Lois muttered.
"Two heads... three arms... hey, has one of those heads got *three*
eyes? And what's that, hanging from... one hand..."

The penny had begun to drop, and Lois turned to stare, wide-eyed,
at a grinning Clark. "You didn't...?" she breathed.

Clark's grin simply became wider, and he gestured at her to take a
look at the small parcel hanging from one of the wooden arms of the
snowman. She charged over to the figure and grabbed it, tore off
the wrapping paper to reveal a clear plastic bag, and stared at its
contents -- a book -- for a few moments before raising it to the
sky in triumph.

"*Yes!!*" she cried. "'Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster
Snow Goons!'" She whirled and stomped back to Clark, glee all over
her face. "I *love* 'Calvin and Hobbes'," she said, "and this is
the one collection that I've never been able to find! How did you
know?"

"This from the woman who used to lecture me on the necessity for an
investigative reporter to pay close attention to everyone and
everything around them?" Clark replied dryly. "It wasn't hard to
work out that you're a fan of 'Calvin and Hobbes', Lois; that was
pretty obvious from the well-used copies of the books on your
shelves -- but I noticed that this one was missing, and I
remembered that I'd never seen you with a copy. So I thought I'd
get you one."

"Where did you find it? I've been looking for a copy for *two
years!* I was away on assignment when it first came out, and all
the bookstores sold out before I got back. And, somehow, every time
a new shipment came in, I was always busy and could never get one."

"I know what you mean; for some reason, it's one of those books
that is just plain hard to find. I had to go out of town to get
that copy..." What Clark wasn't saying was that "out of town"
actually meant across the Atlantic; he'd been strolling around
London one weekend a few months ago, taking a break after a
super-rescue in England, and had seen the book in one of the stores
in Charing Cross Road. He'd remembered that Lois wanted a copy and
had picked it up to give to her on a suitable occasion -- which had
turned out to be now.

Lois could hardly wait to get back and read the book, but first she
came over to Clark and grabbed him in a happy hug. "Oh,
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou,"
she burbled, quoting from a 'Calvin and Hobbes' strip.

Clark recognised the line and made the appropriate reply,
paraphrasing as necessary: "Well! Wasn't Ms Lois a lady-- Hey! Who
took all the cookies?" He carefully didn't mention the fact that
Lois' quote was from a panel in which Calvin kissed Susie -- but he
had hopes that she might remember it herself. Meantime, a hug from
Lois had its own value.

Lois giggled, both at the neat way he'd picked up on her reference
and the falsetto voice he'd used to reply -- since, of course, he
was saying lines intended for a six-year-old girl. "I didn't know
you were a Calvin fan," she said, making no move to let him go.

"More a Hobbes fan," Clark replied, "and a Susie fan. Calvin gets
on my nerves at times -- but I do like Spaceman Spiff. And I
*really* like his 'snow art'."

"Yeah, me too. Is that why you made the snow goon?"

"Partly -- it was mostly just a silly way of giving you the book.
But I have always wondered if it would actually be possible to
build some of the things that they show in the strip -- like the
snow chicken, or the little dog sniffing at the fire hydrant..."

"Or the UFO and the aliens, or the horror sculpture..." Lois chimed
in, grinning at the thought. "Well, you made a good copy of the
original snow goon..."

"Yeah, it worked out okay," Clark agreed. "Hey -- want to build a
few of his relatives?"

"Why not? How long did it take you to make this one? And when *did*
you make it, anyway?"

"Not that long. I did it this morning before you came down to
breakfast. Okay, so what would a second-generation snow goon look
like?"

Shortly thereafter, the odd-looking snowman was joined by several
even odder creations that bore very little resemblance to any known
species, either real or fictional. Some started out as snow
"models" of aliens from books or films, but mutated rapidly; Lois
managed to get the three-legged body of a Pierson's puppeteer to
stand up okay, but she became a little frustrated when the "heads"
kept falling off the long necks, and in the end the thing became
more like a peculiar version of a pushmi-pullyu than anything else.

Eventually, they had seven of the weirdest-looking snow
"sculptures" that either of them had ever seen. Clark put the
finishing touches on one that looked to have its head in the middle
of a hole in its stomach, stood back to survey their handiwork and
remarked in a satisfied tone, "Yep, we've got a definite invasion
force of snow goons here."

The way he phrased that sentence caught Lois' attention. 'Invasion
force?' "Oh, and what do you suggest we do about it, Clark?" she
asked, fairly sure that he must have something in mind. If it came
to that, she had a feeling that he'd been orchestrating this for
most of the morning, what with the suggestion of the walk and the
gift of the book; for that matter, why had he packed the book in a
plastic bag if he hadn't expected it to be put to one side while
they built the snow goons? This smelled like a set-up; the question
was, what was she being set up *for?*

"We-el-ll..." he drawled, instantly confirming Lois' suspicions,
"You wanted to have a snowball contest, and we are on my home
ground... but I kinda thought it might be more fun if we did
something other than just throw snowballs at each other."

"Oh, I get it... What do we do -- attack the snow goons and the one
who... what? Knocks the most over wins?"

"Something like that. How about we say that a goon is dead when all
of its heads have gone, and we can score heads rather than goons;
there's an odd number of either -- I made sure of that, knowing
you."

"O-kay... You're on, Spaceman Spiff. Hey -- who does that make me?"

Clark had to think about that; there weren't exactly many starring
roles for women in the 'Calvin and Hobbes' strips, the eponymous
protagonist having an exaggerated dislike for the female of the
species - *any* species. So, in the end, he decided that he'd have
to fall back on the source material that Spaceman Spiff was
satirising.

"Oh, that's easy," he said, "Spiff doesn't have a partner, so
you'll just have to be his ruler; the person in whose name he
explores the furthest reaches of outer space -- or is he trying to
get away from her? The Empress of the Galaxy!"

Lois threw back her head and crowed with laughter. "I love it!
Spaceman Spiff and the Empress of the Galaxy Versus the Snow Goons!
Right, my trusty space explorer, let's load up on
Freeze-O-Bombs(TM) and protect the Earth from their evil plans!"
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:25:57 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      NEW: DMKMSGoS, 4/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

And they did. It didn't take long for each of them to make a neat
pile of snowballs and, after a short countdown, the "battle" was
on. Clark was off to a good start when his first snowball took off
one of the original snow goon's heads, but the second head (the one
with the three eyes) was made of sterner stuff and took several
hits before it was finally toppled. Meanwhile, Lois was
concentrating on some of the other goons and was wreaking havoc
among them; her aim might not have been as accurate as it could
have been, but she was able to keep up such a rapid rate of fire
that a head which was not hit squarely was whittled away by
multiple glancing blows -- either way, it succumbed to her attack
in short order.

Clark, more accurate but slower, decapitated another "enemy" and
now turned his attention to some of the goons that Lois had made --
and came to a halt in a certain amount of confusion. Lois'
creations were weird indeed, and it wasn't at all obvious which
bits were supposed to be the heads. 'But what the heck,' he
thought, snatching a quick glimpse of the Empress of the Galaxy in
what looked to be Berserker mode. 'Hit whatever you can, Kent, and
you're bound to get a head once in a while...'

Lois paused for breath after successfully beheading another snow
goon -- and to replenish her ammo supplies; the disadvantage of her
all-out attack was that it used up snowballs at a horrible rate.
She looked over at Clark to see if she could swipe some of his
weaponry, but she lost interest in that as she watched him make use
of it instead.

Just as she had been outside the orphanage a few days earlier, Lois
was struck forcefully by the grace and easy power that Clark showed
as he attacked the remaining goons, hitting them with
precisely-placed shots that dismembered each one with the precision
of a surgeon. She just couldn't understand why he continued to
attack them when he'd already removed their heads!

Which thought made her realise that, once he'd finished carving up
the one he was working on at the moment, there'd only be one goon
left -- Clark's "masterpiece", the one with its head in its
stomach. If she wanted to win this contest, she'd better stop
admiring him and concentrate on *beating* him!

Unfortunately, Clark realised the "sudden death" nature of the
competition at almost the same time, and abandoned his systematic
destruction of a decidedly "dead" goon to go for the last survivor.
Two snowballs were launched at the goon, and both flew straight and
true...

...but a sudden gust of wind sent a flurry of snow into the air
between the competitors and their target, and not even Clark, whose
super-vision was blocked by his glasses, could tell which one made
the kill. That it *had* been made was not in doubt; the "head" had
been knocked right out of the hole, leaving a neat opening in the
body of the goon that could have come from a Henry Moore sculpture,
but whose shot had removed it?

Lois, naturally, was in no doubt. "I win!" she cried with
characteristic glee, tossing an unused snowball into the air and
catching it.

"Hang on, Lois -- what do you mean, *you* win? I couldn't see who
hit the goon, and I don't think you could, either. How do you know
*I *didn't knock its head off?"

Lois just looked at him. "Oh, come *on*, Clark -- of course I won!
Or do you have the nerve to imply that a mere space explorer could
possibly beat the Empress of the Galaxy?"

"Darn tootin' I do, Your Imperial One-upmanship! You have no proof
that you won our little contest, any more than I do--"

Clark was about to suggest that they call it a draw, but Lois
decided that there was a better way to "settle" their disagreement
-- open warfare. With a cry of "Death to rebel scum!" she flung her
initial "argument" at Clark and bent to collect more ammunition.

Clark could have dodged, but didn't bother. Truth to tell, he'd
been more than half-expecting this ever since they'd started
building the snow goons. Let Lois score first; he was on his home
ground, and he had a lot of experience of snowball fights here, so
there were a few surprises in store for her, even without using his
super-powers.

The snowball hit harmlessly on his chest, and then he moved, diving
to one side to take cover behind the remains of one of the goons.
Lois began to taunt him about his supposed cowardice, but her jeers
stopped suddenly when Clark reappeared from behind the goon and
launched a pair of snowballs at her before ducking out of sight
again; one of his missiles hit her on the hip and the other thudded
into her arm just above the wrist, making her drop the snowball she
was holding in that hand out of sheer surprise.

Behind his cover, Clark snickered. That shot to her wrist was right
out of an old Western movie -- or "Blazing Saddles" -- but he
didn't think Lois would suspect anything unusual about it; no, she
was too busy taking cover herself with a furious look on her face.

Stalemate ensued for a few moments, both combatants concentrating
on re-arming themselves rather than taking any more shots, although
Clark risked a short glance over his goon "wall" to scout the
situation -- and noted that Lois' improvised defences weren't as
good as they might have been. Her head was down when he looked, so
he was certain that she hadn't, and couldn't have seen him since he
hit her that last time; by contrast, he knew exactly where she was
because she was hiding behind the remnants of her three-legged
creation, and he could see *under* its body.

This gave him an idea, and he began to crawl off to one side,
taking care to keep out of Lois' view. It took him a little while,
but eventually he was behind another wrecked goon, well away from
where he'd been the last time she saw him. He could no longer see
*her* -- not without cheating by using his x-ray vision -- but he
was certain that she hadn't moved. As long as she stayed down, she
probably thought she was safe; little did she know that he had a
method of dealing with her tactics, one which had been perfected
over many a Kansas winter...

"Oh, Lo-is..." he called in a sing-song voice as he began to lob
several snowballs high in the air, "Incoming!"

Lois looked towards the sound of his voice in surprise;
concentrating on building up her arsenal, she hadn't thought of
being outflanked. Nor was she expecting to be attacked while she
kept out of sight, but she was soon disabused of *that* notion; the
first snowball landed in the middle of her back, which made her
start with surprise... and then the others arrived. They all hit,
and some of the snow went down the back of her neck

 "Aaahhh! Clark, you *fink!*" she cried as the snow made its icy
way past her shoulders. "I'll get you for this!"

"You already did, remember?" he called back, managing somehow not
to laugh too hard at her aggrieved tone.

Lois stood up to try to remove as much as she could reach of the
snow inside her clothes -- which wasn't as much as she would have
liked, and Clark, watching, was vastly entertained by the impromptu
dance she performed as the remaining icy crystals slid down her
spine to pool and melt in the small of her back.

Once the torture by ice was over, Lois saw that Clark had also
risen to his feet and was... well, Clark thought he was just
smiling at her, but in her rage, it seemed to Lois that it could
only be a triumphant smirk, and that was too much for her to bear.

She reverted to Berserker mode, flinging whatever came to hand in
the way of lumps of snow -- her snowballs, bits of
goon-cum-fortress wall, even quickly-scooped, unpacked handfuls of
the stuff -- in his general direction as hard and as fast as she
could. Clark just stood there and took it, only making positive
efforts to protect himself from missiles that were headed towards
his face; after all, he didn't want a lucky shot to take his
glasses off.

As before, Lois eventually had to pause for breath, and she looked
at Clark once more as something other than a target to be
obliterated -- or at least buried in snow. He was well on the way
to the latter, his clothing below the middle of his torso more than
lightly covered with snow and ice, and Lois couldn't help but take
a certain pride in having had her revenge: Clark might not have got
any snow down his neck (or pants... now, *there* was an idea for
later!), but he'd be brushing himself down for some time.

She grinned at the thought, and Clark's own smile broadened. "Happy
now?" he asked, amused and still standing there with his arms
crossed. Lois was somewhat taken aback by the question and didn't
say anything for a moment or two... and then she began to laugh.
Long and loud.

To Clark, her laughter was the most joyous sound he'd heard for a
long time, and Lois herself felt uplifted by it, and by the silly,
happy, funny, *ridiculous* craziness that caused it: two friends --
and it didn't matter that they were supposedly adults, and not
children -- playing games in the snow on Christmas Day; could
anything be more wonderful or more appropriate for this of all
days? She felt as though all the worries of the world had just
fallen from her shoulders, and all she had to do now was enjoy it.

She couldn't stop laughing, not even when Clark brushed himself off
and walked over to her. She fell against him, lost in an odd
mixture of giggles, cackles, gasps for air and good old-fashioned
belly laughs, and Clark, chuckling himself, but mostly smiling with
delight at her happiness, took the opportunity to wrap his arms
around her again. Lois didn't protest -- if she even *could*, just
then.

She finally regained a little self-control, though she still broke
out in an occasional giggle, and became aware of her position up
against her... friend's chest. It didn't worry her, though; as
often before, she felt safe and secure there, and very, very
grateful for that and for everything else that he'd brought to her
life.

She suddenly needed to tell him this. "Oh, Clark," she sighed
happily, "I don't know why you put up with me sometimes, but I'm
awfully glad you do."

Clark's arms tightened around her. "Lois," he whispered to her, "I
*like* putting up with you. You're high maintenance, but worth it."

Lois' eyes began to tear as she looked into Clark's, searching for
the truth of what he'd just said and finding it. She lowered her
head to his chest and snuffled a little, all the while soaking up
every bit of the caring that he offered to her -- with no
conditions, no restrictions, no strings attached; just because he
*cared*... For his part, Clark remained where he was and let her do
whatever she wanted to; at that moment, there was nowhere in the
world that he'd rather be.

                    *         *         *

Lois and Clark, arm in arm, made their way back to the farmhouse
some time later, after kicking over the battered remnants of the
snow goons and collecting Lois' book -- which was in perfect
condition, the plastic bag having done its job even through the
battles of the Spiff Rebellion, as Lois had christened their
snowball fight. It wasn't a long walk, but they took their time
over it, sharing more memories, this time of winter fun and games
(and related topics, like flour- and water-bomb fights in high
school and college). Clark claimed to have become the Midwestern
State University champion at "Indirect fire, my dear Empress -- as
used by all the best artillery commanders and space explorers!" and
Lois, having been on the receiving end, was prepared to believe
him. *She* favoured the direct approach in this as in almost
everything, but she had to agree that Clark's method had its merits
-- out here in Kansas, anyway; just let him try that approach back
in Metropolis..!

Clark just laughed and they moved on to some other topic of
conversation -- and another, and another, and several more others
-- until, bickering happily in their usual fashion, they reached
the farmyard gate. They had to take a little more care here because
the surface of the yard, well trampled by all the comings and
goings that morning, was rather slippery -- the compacted snow was
really more like ice.

Lois picked her way across the yard towards the house, and had no
problems until she went to go around the front of the Kents'
pick-up, where a small (but not that small) hole in the ground was
full of ice -- and she stepped onto it and her foot slipped. She
cried out as she felt herself fall and braced herself for what was
bound to be a hard impact...

...except that it wasn't. She landed squarely on her backside, but
not on the frozen surface of the yard. Instead, she felt a gentle
thud and two strong arms supporting her, and she turned her head
just a little to find herself staring into Clark's eyes -- and
sitting in his lap.

For a moment, she was flustered. "Clark!" she cried, but softly,
because he was so close to her. "How did you--?" But was there any
real need to ask, or was she just talking for the sake of making
the sound? Clark had seen her in trouble and had rushed to help her
-- was there anything more that she needed to know?

"You okay?" he asked, breaking in on her whirling thoughts, voice
soft with concern.

'Am I *okay?*' she thought. 'I'm *very* okay... I don't think I've
ever been *more* okay in my life!' And then, *because* she was so
okay, because the reason she was so okay was the man holding her,
because he had done so much for her -- not just today, or even over
the festive season, but... ever since she'd first known him -- and
because he was so unselfish and gave of himself so generously, and,
above all, because he was *there*, warm and gentle and caring...
and, her libido suddenly screamed, absolutely *gorgeous*, with
those eyes and a body that just wouldn't quit (it hoped)... she
began to lean towards him ever so slowly, and he didn't back away.

Their breaths were warm and sweet on each other's face... and then
their lips brushed, and neither knew who felt the strongest bolt of
lightning race through them as the kiss, which had begun as slow,
even tentative, instantly changed into the oscular equivalent of a
five-alarm fire! The emotions that they both felt-- were being
*consumed* by -- were too powerful and too unexpected (for Lois, at
least) to analyse just then, but one thing was certain: they were
*so* good... and totally unlike anything that either of them had
ever known.

Their mouths separated, but not their heads -- indeed, moving any
further from one another would have required more mental energy and
muscular control than either could summon at that moment. Neither
spoke; what could they have said? Words, or wordless noises, or
even sighs would have been crass and meaningless in the face of
what they had just experienced.

One thing was certain: nothing could ever be the same between them.
Not after *that!* Where this new discovery of each other would take
them, neither Lois nor Clark had any idea; but the events and
feelings that had made it possible and then allowed it to happen
also held out the possibility -- and a glorious one, it was, too --
of a destination that was worthy of the wonder that they had just
experienced.

They would need to take things slowly -- it would be all too easy
to rush matters and thereby deprive them of the attention they
deserved -- but they could do that. They were partners, best
friends, and now something more -- and they would not waste the
chance they had been given.

Clark stood up, effortlessly lifting Lois in his arms. She was
amazed that he could do that, and so easily... but he set her
gently on her feet and she didn't bother pursuing the notion as
they walked slowly into the farmhouse, deep in thought -- or was it
feeling, or perhaps both? That could wait; right now, all she
wanted to do was mull over this incredible happening and what it
might mean for them. For that was the most amazing gift that she
had received, this Christmas: there was her, and there was him...
and now, it looked as though, if they both wanted it -- and she was
sure that *she* did, although she would not make that decision in
emotion-clouded haste -- there could be *them*.

The End?
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 12:26:13 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

As Hazel pointed out, nominations open today, so we thought
we'd move these along a little. Here, therefore, is the
quiz for the Round Robin category.

As before, the stories used in this quiz do not represent
*all* the RR stories eligible for Kerths this year; they
are simply a selection. I hope they jog your memory a
little and remind you about the RRs you enjoyed.

This is an extract/quote quiz, so two points for
identifying the story from the quote and one for needing
the extract.

Spoiler space, as usual, please!

Wendy

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

Quotes:

Quote 1:
"I wonder if multiple births are common for Kryptonians."

Quote 2:
"Jimmy, find me a dentist!"

Quote 3:
"Honey," Lois sighed. "Just do it, please, before Dr. Klein
thinks I'm seeing Batman on the side."

Quote 4:
"Clark, your parents know we arouse each other."

Quote 5:
Superman: "OH MY GOD! What am I doing??? I gotta go!"

Quote 6:
Clark bent over and picked up his shirt. Ruth sighed with
disappointment as he put it back on.

Quote 7:
"Mother, I am not having a midlife crisis."

Quote 8:
"It doesn't sing, Clark. You've got a real handy way of
making copy sing like the King, and this one's got
laryngitis."

Quote 9:
"I put three packs of 'I Can't Believe It's Not Sugar' in
that glass."

Extract 1:
Clark folded Lois into his arms, his hands coming down to
cradle her rounded belly. "He'll never get you, honey. I
won't let him get close."

Lois sighed and settled into his embrace. "But he got to
the King family. He traced them to Smalltown, Nebraska."

Clark snorted and straightened a little. "Smalltown? But
that's nothing like Smallville."

Lois twisted and looked up at him. "You're kidding, right?"

Clark wrinkled his nose. "They're in Nebraska, honey.
Cornhuskers all the way. Completely different."

"Cornhu..." Lois let her head drop to his chest. "It's the
Midwest, Clark. To Morgan Edge, there's Metropolis and LA
and the rest is a big cornfield in the middle."

Clark sighed. "He thinks Superman's roots are in a
cornfield. Great. Next our kids will be going to the
University of Ne..."

Extract 2:
The truth is, nothing is fine. I walk around the streets of
this idiotic city and can think of nothing. Not even about
her. Everything seems useless, everybody is indifferent.
Where can I go? I can't get myself to visit her apartment
but I don't want to leave just yet. Who knows, maybe she'll
show up. I keep telling myself it's impossible, but until a
week ago I also considered cloning people as impossible. I
went to the hospital, and they told me only family is
allowed. They wouldn't even let me see her body. And why?
It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense these days. Not
the Cafes we won't visit, not the movies we won't watch.

Everybody talked about how much she was like you. I've got
news for you - she was nothing like you. She was naive, and
caring, and funny, and sensitive and I could go on like
this forever, but it doesn't help now! It doesn't matter
anymore. She looked like you. That was all your
resemblance. Apparently, it was enough to get her killed.

Extract 3:
Sam smiled and put his hand on Clark's shoulder.  "Now,
Clark.  It's all right to feel a little ... jealous."

Clark chuckled nervously.  "Sam ... I don't know what
you're talking about. I have nothing to be jealous about."

Lucy winked at Clark.  "Aw, come on, Clark.  You can't tell
me that when Lois was throwing herself at Superman you
never envied the guy?  Wished that you were him?"

Ellen nodded.  "She still is a *good* friend of his, isn't
he?"

Clark stood up.  "We *both* are, Ellen.  And no, Lucy.  I
never envied Superman."  Seeing that they still weren't
convinced, he sighed, sat back down and tried to explain.

"Superman and I are close ... *very* close.  Ever since he
made his first appearance, there's been this ....  I don't
know ... maybe it's because I was an only child, but ... I
*knew* what he was going through.  Being alone.  Not really
sure where he fit in ..."  He looked at Lucy.  "You have a
sister, Lucy.  You fight with her and there may be times
when you don't like each other.  But she's still your
sister."  Putting his hand over his heart, he continued.
"I only had my parents.  Superman is the closest person to
a brother that I know."

Extract 4:
She was still facing the mirror when Lois turned back to
the door.  She stopped abruptly, suddenly feeling dizzy,
and put out a hand to steady herself.

The woman who had yanked her into the room while working
with Alice's hair had left as quickly as she had forced
Lois to enter, and Martha was now coming through the same
door.  It took a moment for Lois to realize why Martha wore
such a stunned look on her face.

Stepping forward, Martha took Lois's hand and tugged.  It
was then that Lois realized she had been floating inches
off the floor.  Glancing back at Alice, Lois was grateful
to see that the incident hadn't been noticed, then she let
her shocked eyes meet the similar expression worn by her
mother-in-law.

"Oy," she whispered.

Extract 5:
Lois hung up the phone.
*Oh, jeez, not another nut trying to ask my sister out!
When will these guys stop calling me!?!* The Planet seemed
weird to Lois. Ever since she stepped off the plane with
Lex, her mind seemed like a blur. She felt like someone was
watching her. Maybe it had to do with that passionate kiss
Lex gave her outside of his private jet. She didn't expect
it. All he did was pull her into his arms and kissed her
mouth full. She stumbled a bit when she returned to her
Jeep. This past weekend she had been kissed by two POWERFUL
men and she didn't know what to think. *Get a grip girl!
You have a job to do. Mainly trying to find out more about
Mr. Wayne.* Lois picked up her bag and walked out the
Planet. She was off to the Americana Cafe.

Extract 6:
"Kryptonite?" Dr. Klein's voice cracked a little and he
smiled nervously. "What makes you think we have kryptonite
here?"

"Cut the crap. I know that STAR Labs has kryptonite. I want
it and I want it *now*!"

Lois' heart raced at the mention of the kryptonite and she
spoke up despite their captor's earlier admonishments. "Why
do you want kryptonite?"

Instead of snarling at her, the man glanced nervously
around the room and then up at the ceiling. "I need it for
protection," he whispered.

"Have you thought of buying a dog?"

Extract 7:
One hour later all these optimistic thoughts were gone and
she stared at the voucher in her hand in total
bewilderment. The staff had surprised her with a weekend on
a *beauty farm*!? This couldn't be true, could it?!

She forced her glance back with an effort to a proud Gabby,
who had gotten the honor of presenting the 'nice' gift, and
noticed, not for the first time, that the girl looked like
fresh beauty incarnate. Her blue eyes sparkling, her
well-shaped body dressed in a slim but flattering dress and
the little extra air of excitement from being able to give
the birthday present to her secret idol glowed on her skin
and gave it a fresh and annoyingly *young* appearance.

"This is really an unexpected... ehm, surprise," Lois
managed weakly. "I'm totally speechless." Okay, that was
the truth at least. What in heaven's name were they
thinking? Was she in need of a beauty farm? Yes, she knew
that she wasn't 25 anymore like little Gabby, but there
*was* a lot to be said for maturity and experience wasn't
there? She decided to write a story about the damned
youth-cult in today's society.

Suddenly she became aware that people were still staring at
her expectantly. Obviously she hadn't shown the appropriate
amount of joy over the gift yet. "Thank you," she forced
herself to say with all the maturity gained in her forty
years. "And now champagne for everyone."

Extract 8:
"Clark," she said, grabbing the front of his shirt.
"They're back!"

"*Who*?"  Clark asked, feeling exasperated, and a little
helpless.

"Your homeboys, the Kryps from the 'hood, the --"

Clark rubbed his temples. "Honey, is this about that 'Yo
MTV Rap' nightmare?"

Lois, still holding his shirt, dragged him to the doorway,
opened the door, and pointed to Trey and his young charges.
Trey bowed politely just a second before Lois slammed the
door again. "See? They're back!"

"Okay, calm down. I'm sure there's a good explanation."

Lois folded her arms. "Borrowing sugar? Collecting for the
paper?"

Clark straightened his shirt. "Why don't we find out?"

"Let's not, and say we did."

Clark looked at her sympathetically, but sternly. "It'll be
fine, Lois. I'm not going *anywhere* with them."

Lois nodded. "You're right. It's not like Earth recognizes
the Kryptonian draft board."

Extract 9:
He duly reported to the editor's office, informing Perry
that Lois was recovering at home.

"And you didn't stay to look after her?" Perry enquired, an
amused grin hovering on his face. He was well aware of
Clark's tendency to fuss over his very pregnant wife.

"Um... well, Ellen arrived, so...." Clark explained, his
expression saying far more than his words revealed.

"What in the Sam Hill were you thinking of, Clark! You left
Lois alone with her mother?" Perry grinned broadly. "I see
- you *wanted* an excuse to leave?"

"Um... no...." Clark replied, in a tone which his wife
would have instantly recognized as being not entirely
truthful. Deciding that this was a topic of discussion he
didn't really want to continue, he changed the subject.
"You want me to cover that riot?"

"Well, sure, Clark. After all, I guess a horde of rampaging
prisoners can't be any worse than your wife and her mother
when they get started!" Perry's grin grew even wider.

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 05:01:57 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Debby <Debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
In-Reply-To:  <NDBBJNGDOLAFBFIDNGLDIECCCGAA.erink@ida.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 06:12 PM 01/30/2000 -0700, you wrote:

[snip]

>Just wanted to quickly clear something up about this.  My site is *not* an
>archive for fanfics--the only fanfics I have posted there are my own.
When we
>talk about the fanfic archive, we're actually talking about the official
>fanfic archive at http://www.lcfanfic.com/  .   I'm surprised to hear you
>weren't familiar with fanfic archive submission proceedures, Debby, since
>you've been around folcdome even longer than I have.  <g>

Being around and keeping up are not the same thing. Things change rapidly.

>But it's really
>easy--for all of you who may not know,   you simply send your fanfic to the
>archive address: stories@ lcfanfic.com , and then an editor for the archive
>will be assigned your story and read through for typos, text conversion
>glitches, etc.

But if a story doesn't need further editing? I think the version on my site
is
fine now. That's the version I put up for people to read and judge, if they
wish.

>Then it's sent to our hard-working Editor in Chief, Kathy
>Brown, who gets it uploaded to the archive with the help of her
hard-working
>staff.  Simple!  ;)
>
>But in answer to your other question, no, I don't have any of the eligible
>fanfics posted on my own website (other than my own stories), so Debby, go
>ahead and post your fanfic on your own site, or better yet, submit it to
the
>archive where more ppl will stumble across it!  I'm sure many who don't
know
>about your site would love to read it.  ;)

But if I leave it on my site (to save the fanfic site some room) what I
write
is not eligible, right? If I send it in, it gets assigned to an editor (yet
again...), a poor, bedraggled and busy person who probably doesn't have much
time, given how long my story is and much there is to do with all the other
stories... I'm tired just thinking about it. I think I'll leave it on my
site
:) People can read it or not; I don't care. *yawn!* I'm sleepy...

>Erin  :)

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
going to bed now...
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 12:50:40 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
In-Reply-To:  <4.0.2.20000131205522.008d2f00@mail.swcp.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 05:01:57 -0700 Debby <Debby@SWCP.COM>
wrote:

>
> But if a story doesn't need further editing? I think the
> version on my site is fine now. That's the version I put up
> for people to read and judge, if they wish.

Debby, if it doesn't need further editing, then it doesn't
need further editing! I do sometimes get stories which are
very 'clean' and in which I find almost no errors: I'm sure
Becky won't mind my saying that when I edited her
'Timeless,' in a 220-page story I found *four* typos. And
that's all we edit for - spelling and grammar. Not the
story content.

I'm not sure what you perceive the Archive editor's role
as being. We don't invent errors when we edit! We just read
the stories and where we do find problems we *suggest* to
the authors that they could be fixed. And - unless it
contravenes the maximum PG-13 rating rule - no suggestion
we make to an author is in any way binding on the author.

>
> But if I leave it on my site (to save the fanfic site some
> room) what I write is not eligible, right?

It's eligible if you tell the Kerth organisers about it -
and personally, I can see the logic in that rule. Erin and
Pam can't be expected to trawl around the dozens - if not
hundreds - of sites on the Internet which host L&C
fanfiction, to make sure that everything which might be
eligible is included in their list. If you tell Erin that
you want a story which was posted in 1999 to be eligible,
it will be - and I see 'Journal' is.

>If I send it in,
> it gets assigned to an editor (yet again...), a poor,
> bedraggled and busy person who probably doesn't have
> much time, given how long my story is and much there is to
> do with all the other stories...

Unless you're talking about all 20-something parts of
Dawning <g> I've edited stories far longer than your
individual ones, Debby! But, of course, no-one is compelled
to submit their stories to the Archive! I only want to
reassure you that you have nothing to fear from the editors
if you do. <g>

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 08:31:17 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002011213.I@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Oh, Wendy, this is fun... and tough! I do see that you used my favorite
quote though. :) :)

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

>Quote 1:
>"I wonder if multiple births are common for Kryptonians."

Er. One of the "Unintentional fifth series," and after they discovered Lois
was having twins... maybe the excerpt will help.

>Quote 2:
>"Jimmy, find me a dentist!"

OUATIM. By Yvonne and half the loiscla list. :) :)

>
>
>Quote 3:
>"Honey," Lois sighed. "Just do it, please, before Dr. Klein
>thinks I'm seeing Batman on the side."

Another Unintentional Season...

>Quote 5:
>Superman: "OH MY GOD! What am I doing??? I gotta go!"

Alexis' ADITLOM.

>Quote 6:
>Clark bent over and picked up his shirt. Ruth sighed with
>disappointment as he put it back on.

Unintentional Season strikes again...

>Quote 7:
>"Mother, I am not having a midlife crisis."

Oh, this is the one by the German team! "Forever Young"

Guess I better try the excerpts. <add blush emoticon>
>
>Extract 1:

"Edge of Metropolis" by the IRC team

>Extract 2:

A good choice here, Wendy -- "Dan" wrote this -- but the quote was enough
for me. :)

>Extract 3:

IRC's Fully Functional

>Extract 4:

IRC's Love Me Tender

>Extract 6:

IRC's Someone's Watching (Over) Me

>Extract 8:

IRC's "Blast From the Past"

>Extract 9:

IRC's "Emotional Corners"

I readily admit that while I recognized the stories, I had to look up
almost every title to get it right. Fortunately, this was an open-book
quiz. ;)

So what's my score, Wendy?

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 13:38:02 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Ceremony Times
In-Reply-To:  <3893556B.55964139@bellsouth.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On Sat, 29 Jan 2000 16:02:35 -0500 Pam Jernigan
<jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET> wrote:

> lemme see...
> 3pm Pacific (US)
> 4pm Mountain
> 5pm Central
> 6pm Eastern (US)
> 11pm GMT (standard time, not summer time)

There ain't no such thing as "summer GMT"; we have "British Summer
Time" here. GMT is GMT, "Zulu time", and it never varies -- that's its
purpose!

> 12pm Germany

> and the Aussie time zones always confuse me... I can give a rough
estimate (early morning Sunday) but can never remember it exactly,
even besides the fact that there are several time zones to consider. <

I can handle those -- although I admit that I don't know when daylight
saving ends (or if Queensland even _has_ that, these days). I have a
sneaking feeling that it will have changed the morning of the ceremony!

Anyway, we can add to your list, Pam:

9 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time / 10 a.m. AESummerT
8:30 a.m. ACST / 9:30 a.m. ACSumT
7 a.m. in WA (sorry, any Sandgropers out there; I can't remember what
your time is called -- is it Western Standard Time?) or 8 a.m. if it's
summer time.

Phil
------------------------------------------------------------
"Sic Transit Gloria Barramundi"
   (Or, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!)
   -- not Douglas Adams, but me: Phil Atcliffe
                         (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 14:35:30 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Debby wrote:

> But if a story doesn't need further editing? I think the version on my
site is
> fine now. That's the version I put up for people to read and judge, if
they
> wish.

~~~I understand your concerns about control, Debby, but you really have
nothing to worry about. Archive GEs are flexible, not gods, and don't claim
to be. (Or at least I've never met any that claimed to be ;) I doubt that
there would be any major changes asked for your story in the edited state
it's in now, but even if the odd difference of opinion did crop up it's
definitely a two way process, not autocratic at all. In the end it's
entirely your choice whether you accept the editor's recommendations. Some
degree of control does have to rest with the GE however - since it is after
all the rules of the Archive you are asking for your story to be submitted
to that the story undergoes an editing process. If a writer disagrees
strongly with the suggestions of the GE, then they are entirely at liberty
to not submit and retain overall control of their work. As I understand it,
that's the basic difference between posting a story on your own site (where
the rules are yours) and to another venue, where the rules belong - quite
rightly I think - to someone else. If you wish to submit to another venue,
then you play by the rules. That applies not only to the Archive, but to
Zoom's mbs or anywhere else. ~~~

> But if I leave it on my site (to save the fanfic site some room) what I
write
> is not eligible, right?

Not as I understand the rules of the Kerths, Debby! And I've asked Erin
about this repeatedly on irc to the point where I'm sure she was very bored.
<G> The Archive list is not an exhaustive list of eligible stories, as I was
lead to understand, but simply most of them. Any other story not submitted
to the archive, but posted to private sites, mbs, wherever, *are* eligible -
the only proviso being that to get onto the list the author has to advise
Erin of their existance, their eligibility and where they can be found to be
read by interested parties. This is fair enough, imo - the amount of time it
would take the Kerth committee to track down every eligible story not on the
list but out there in cypberspace would be prohibitive and no one, I think,
could seriously expect them to embark on such a search. Let's not forget
they're all donating a substantial chunk of their free time on the project
already and entirely voluntarily. They're working quite hard enough as it
is! <g>

Hope this helps.

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:02:01 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Felix E. Sung" <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E

Oh boy, Wendy, this is hard...

>Quote 1:
No idea.

>Quote 2:
Still no idea.

>Quote 3:
"Fully Functional"

>Quote 4:
Arrrrrgh!

>Quote 5:
$)(%&$($*@&#!!!!!!!!

>Quote 6:
"Someone's Watching Over Me"

>Quote 7:
"Forever Young"

>Quote 8:
No clue.

>Quote 9:
Uh, um, oh, I don't know. :(

The quotes are *hard*, Wendy!  Let's see if I do better in the extracts...

>Extract 1:
Ah!  "Edge of Discovery"

>Extract 2:
I still have no idea.  Doesn't sound like it was from the Unintentional
Season.  One of Alexis' stories, perhaps?

>Extract 4:
Oh yes!  "Love Me Tender"

>Extract 5:
Don't know :(

>Extract 8:
"Blast From the Past", Part 1

>Extract 9:
"Emotional Corners"

Whew! :)

Felix

--
Felix E. Sung
fsung@justice.loyola.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:05:28 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Archiving
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Debby wrote:
>> But if a story doesn't need further editing? I think the version on my
site
is fine now. That's the version I put up for people to read and judge, if
they
wish. >>

Labrat wrote:
>I doubt that there would be any major changes asked for your story in the
>edited state it's in now, but even if the odd difference of opinion did
crop
up >it's definitely a two way process, not autocratic at all. In the end
it's
>entirely your choice whether you accept the editor's recommendations.[snip]
If >a writer disagrees strongly with the suggestions of the GE, then they
are
>entirely at liberty to not submit and retain overall control of their work.

Or they keep the story as is and it gets posted anyway <g> As someone who
has
frequently decided not to accept a general editor's comments, let me again
assure you that the author approves all changes, minor as they are. I have
some very particular rules about using commas, and when I've asked to ignore
a
GE's advise, that's always been fine.

I use the GE as a last-ditch way to hunt out any typos that might exist. I
have others beta-read my stories and they mostly look for continuity/plot
problems; sometimes they find grammar errors and typos too, but I don't
count
on it. So when I submit stories to the Archive, what I'm looking for is a
new
set of eyes to catch something that my dozens of previous readings have
missed.

Debby, I know you've had people read your stories, then email you to alert
you
of a typo. The GE is a little like that, but focused on your story and more
knowledgeable about grammar; she's not going to deny your story a place in
the
Archive for a difference of opinion about a semi-colon or comma, and she has
no say in content, other than to decide whether or not it's suitable (ie
rated
G - PG-13) for the Archive. And I don't think editing your story would place
undue burden on any GE; I'd guess that it's easier to read a rather clean
long
story than a short one in need of much editing. Hope that helps.

-Christy
 kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 15:18:44 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors: Kerth Awards)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

>
>Unless you're talking about all 20-something parts of
>Dawning <g> I've edited stories far longer than your
>individual ones, Debby!

Wendy, I'd love to know which stories you're talking about: to my knowledge,
"My Journal" is the longest complete story in LnC fanficdom.  Yes, longer
than "Caped Fear."  However, "On The Run" is already longer than "My
Journal," so if it ever gets finished, look out Debby! :)

-Dia

But, of course, no-one is compelled
>to submit their stories to the Archive! I only want to
>reassure you that you have nothing to fear from the editors
>if you do. <g>
>
>
>Wendy
>
>----------------------
>Wendy Richards
>w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 07:14:38 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New: Pagimon (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

LOL!!!
A good contender for next year's Kerth for comedy or
short.
James

--- Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Ok, I dreamed this up one morning when my little
> brothers were watching that
> dreaded tv show (dare I say it?) Pokemon
> (obviously!). Ok, I based this on a
> demented show, so you should know this is a demented
> piece of throw-away
> fluff. Enjoy. :)
>
>
> Pagimon
>
> Lois Lane typed in the last few sentences and hit
> the save button.  There,
> the story was done.  Maybe Perry’d assign her to
> something more interesting
> than some kiddie craze.  Pagimon!  Who thought up
> these things, anyways!
> What kind of demented mind could possibly think up
> little furry creatures
> that went around saying nothing but their own names
> as they battled the
> forces of darkness?  And those forces of darkness!
> If only she and Clark
> only had to fight villains like that!  What was that
> line the enemies were
> always saying when they appeared on the scene?  Oh,
> yeah, it was “Prepare
> for hardship, and make it a partnership” or
> something silly like that.  They
> were total incompetents, and it didn’t help that
> they were always coming up
> with great plans to beat the Pagimon heroes that
> were incredibly stupid,
> either.
>
> Oh, did her head ache, though!  She rifled through
> the drawers of her desk,
> hoping she hadn’t run out of headache pills.  After
> a moment, she found the
> bottle--empty, just like she’d thought it would be.
> Well, maybe if she
> rested her eyes for a moment the headache would go
> away.  She closed her
> eyes and leaned her head against her hands.  Just
> for a moment, she thought.
>
> “Earth to Lois,” a familiar voice said.  Lois jumped
> and looked up into the
> handsome features of her partner and fiancé, Clark
> Kent.  He smiled down at
> her.  “It’s time to go home.”
>
> “Thanks, Clark,” she smiled back at him.
>
> She shut down her computer and gathered her things
> before heading over to
> the elevators with Clark.  As she did so, she
> thought she caught a glimpse
> of something furry and yellow under the coffee
> station.
>
> “What was that?” she asked.
>
> “What was what?” Clark, already on the ramp, turned
> to look back at her.
>
> Lois bent down to look beneath her desk.  A small,
> hideously familiar fuzzy
> yellow creatures came into view.  It’s back was to
> her, but as she watched
> it slowly turned towards her.  She gasped as its
> face came into view—a face
> that was all too familiar.
>
> “Lex-a-chu!” the creature chirped.
>
> “Nooooooo!” Lois screamed.
>
> Lois sat upright in her recliner and gasped, looking
> around the room
> frantically.  It had been a dream!  Just a horrible
> nightmare! She signed
> and leaned back again.  She took a deep breath to
> slow her pounding heart
> and glanced down at her abdomen.  That, of course,
> was the reason for her
> mid-day nap and the reason for her nightmare about
> those horrid little fuzzy
> creatures.  She was eight months pregnant with twins
> and already she was
> receiving advertisements for childrens toys,
> including the dreaded Pagimon.
>
> A whoosh and a sudden breeze announced the arrival
> of her husband.  Clark
> Kent, clad in his blue red and yellow uniform,
> looked down at her with an
> expression of concern.  “Are you all right, honey?”
>
> She took another deep breath before responding.
> “I’m fine, Clark.  It was
> just a dream.”
>
> “Are you sure?”
>
> Lois nodded, then gestured at the box he was holding
> in his right hand,
> hoping to distract him.  “What’s that?”
>
> “What?  Oh,” Clark looked at the box and grinned.
> “Your mother sent it as a
> gift for the babies.  She really seems to be looking
> forward to being a
> grandmother.  I was on my way home when I heard you
> scream.”
>
> “Yes, well,” Lois shifted uncomfortably in her
> recliner.  Visions of the
> toys her mother might send her for the twins filled
> her mind, none of them
> very exciting.  “What is it?”
>
> Her husband started to turn the box.  As Lois caught
> sight of the logo on
> the side she gulped and as the front of the box came
> into view she paled.
>
> “Aaah!” Lois pushed herself awkwardly out of her
> chair and ran . . . well,
> waddled, away from Clark and the horrible box and
> its contents as quickly as
> she could.
>
> Clark looked after her blankly, then looked at thte
> box with a puzzled air.
> What could Lois possible have against something as
> cute as the Pagimon?
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
> Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
>

=====
Mr. D8a
Philipians 4:8

The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but...
Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa!
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 15:22:55 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Categories: New Author quiz answers
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

>Diyan thought that Allison K. Forbes is not qualified as new author this
> >year. I must point out that while some of her stories are stamped as
>having >been submitted in '98, none of them actually were uploaded to the
>archive >until '99. According to the rules, as I understand them, that
>means that >she qualifies.
>
Actually, her first story (I don't remember the title, Clark tells Lois his
secret just *after* the wedding) was uploaded 7 November 1998.  So she can
join Mobile Richard as being among the best almost new authors :/

-Dia
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 15:21:33 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
In-Reply-To:  <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L%2000020110020148@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Felix:

Want to run your answers past me again and this time
include authors for your guesses? <g> I'm guessing that you
actually know which RR teams were involved with those
stories you identified.

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:47:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Categories: New Author quiz answers
In-Reply-To:  <20000201152255.93401.qmail@hotmail.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Diyan corrected me:

>> I must point out that while some of her stories are stamped as
>>having >been submitted in '98, none of them actually were uploaded to the
>>archive >until '99. According to the rules, as I understand them, that
>>means that >she qualifies.
>>
>Actually, her first story (I don't remember the title, Clark tells Lois his
>secret just *after* the wedding) was uploaded 7 November 1998.  So she can
>join Mobile Richard as being among the best almost new authors :/

Yep, you're right. My apologies. I can only meekly point out that you're
the only one who was organized enough to notice... :) And yes, Mobile
Richard had his first story posted in November or some such of '98, and
then a whole slew of marvelous stories in '99.

Thanks, Diyan.

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:59:11 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I'll see if I can squeeze in a few answers here (hopefully with less
confusing scoring this time -- sorry Hazel! :)  I tried to do it without
looking anything up, but these titles elude me, so I caved during the
extracts part...

s
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
p
a
c
e

Quotes:

#1: Not a clue

#2: This was from OUATIM, by Yvonne Connell et al... this line had me
rolling on the floor.

#3: I know this was the Unintentional Season but don't know which one,
off hand

#4: Ditto.

#5: ???

#6: LOL -- probably Unintentional Season but I don't recognize it

#7, 8 & 9: ??

Extracts:

#1: Still can't place it, although I guess the author is #l&cfanfic.
Edge of Discovery?

#2: Aww, this is where we actually felt sorry for Scardino...

#3: Ah, now I have this one:  Fully Functional, by #l&cfanfic

#4: Love Me Tender, by #l&cfanfic

#5: This one, I don't know

#6: Someone's Watching (over) Me, by #l&cfanfic

#7: Don't know ... German RR team?

#8: LOL, this is Field Trip (part 1 of Blast From the Past), by
#l&cfanfic

#9: Emotional Corners, by #l&cfanfic

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:04:13 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

As this is my very first time nominating for the Kerths, could someone
please
send me a list of the different catagories?  I've got stories in mind that
are definitely Kerth-worthy, but I'm not sure which categories to nominate
them for.

Thanks,

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:11:24 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Categories: New Author quiz answers
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000201174543.009092a0@actcom.co.il>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:47:34 -0500 Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL> wrote:

[snip]

> Yep, you're right. My apologies. I can only meekly point out that
you're the only one who was organized enough to notice... :) And yes,
Mobile Richard had his first story posted in November or some such of
'98, and then a whole slew of marvelous stories in '99. <

Frak, that sounds familiar. I had "Beefcake" make it onto the archive
way back when, and then well over a year (I think) passed before my
next story was put up. Dunno why, but I could _not_ send stuff to Rhen
for love nor money; I tried everything, but she never seemed to get it.
It wasn't until Kathy and co. took over that everything began to go
smoothly.

Which is why I was never in the running for BNA, ever! <g>

Phil
------------------------------------------------------------
"Sic Transit Gloria Barramundi"
   (Or, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!)
   -- not Douglas Adams, but me: Phil Atcliffe
                         (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:09:08 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <66.14d23de.25c85dfd@aol.com>
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Rose,

As Erin posted here a couple of times, all the information
you need is on her Kerth site:
http://www.ida.net/users/davek/kerths.html

(This is from memory, Erin, so I hope it's right!)

Wendy

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:04:13 EST Rose Cookson
<Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM> wrote:

> As this is my very first time nominating for the Kerths,
> could someone please send me a list of the different
> catagories?  I've got stories in mind that are definitely
> Kerth-worthy, but I'm not sure which categories to
> nominate them for.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rose

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:11:04 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Categories: New Author quiz answers
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002011624.A@muahost.uwe.ac.uk>
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On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:11:24 -0500 Phillip Atcliffe
<Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK> wrote:

[snip]
> Which is why I was never in the running for BNA, ever! <g>

Well, there wasn't a 'Best New Author' category in the
first year of the Kerths; *everyone* was a new author at
that stage! The category was introduced last year, the
second year of the awards.

Wendy
(who is actually rather relieved, selfishly, that Phil did
not qualify as a new author last year... just kidding,
Phil!)
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:28:38 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Felix E. Sung" <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins

Wendy,

I thought that we didn't *need* to include the author(s) *because* they're
all RR.  I must have misunderstood, so let's try again:

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:02:01 -0500, Felix E. Sung <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
wrote:

>S
>
>P
>
>O
>
>I
>
>L
>
>E
>
>R
>
>S
>
>P
>
>A
>
>C
>
>E
>
>Oh boy, Wendy, this is hard...
>
>>Quote 1:
>No idea.
>
>>Quote 2:
>Still no idea.
>
>>Quote 3:
>"Fully Functional"
from IRC Round Robin's Unintentional Season (U.S.)

>
>>Quote 4:
>Arrrrrgh!
>
>>Quote 5:
>$)(%&$($*@&#!!!!!!!!
>
>>Quote 6:
>"Someone's Watching Over Me"
from IRC Round Robin's U.S.

>
>>Quote 7:
>"Forever Young"
by German L&C Fanfiction Team

>
>>Quote 8:
>No clue.
>
>>Quote 9:
>Uh, um, oh, I don't know. :(
>
>The quotes are *hard*, Wendy!  Let's see if I do better in the extracts...
>
>>Extract 1:
>Ah!  "Edge of Discovery"
from IRC Round Robin's U.S.

>
>>Extract 2:
>I still have no idea.  Doesn't sound like it was from the Unintentional
>Season.  One of Alexis' stories, perhaps?
>
>>Extract 4:
>Oh yes!  "Love Me Tender"
from IRC Round Robin's U.S.

>
>>Extract 5:
>Don't know :(
>
>>Extract 8:
>"Blast From the Past", Part 1
from IRC Round Robin's U.S.

>
>>Extract 9:
>"Emotional Corners"
from IRC Round Robin's U.S.

>
>Whew! :)
>
>Felix
>
>--
>Felix E. Sung
>fsung@justice.loyola.edu

--
Felix E. Sung
fsung@justice.loyola.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:07:41 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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Rose wrote:

>As this is my very first time nominating for the Kerths, could someone
please
>send me a list of the different catagories?  I've got stories in mind that
>are definitely Kerth-worthy, but I'm not sure which categories to nominate
>them for.

Definitely go to my Kerths web page, Rose, since I have all that pertinent
information there.  The URL is:  www.ida.net/users/davek/kerths_html   From
there you can link to Kerth related pages such as categories, eligible
stories
and new authors, nomination rules, etc., etc., etc.  Hopefully everything
anybody would want to know regarding the Kerths is there.  ;)

I look forward to seeing your nominations!

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:21:55 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
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Okay, for those of you who have been clammoring for more, here's the latest
installment of "The Darkest Hour."  I plan on cranking out some more today,
but it will depend on how caught up I get with taking your nominations.  I
can't believe how organized and up on your reading so many of you are!  You
make me sick!  <vbg>

Anyway, I hope this installment explains a lot...maybe you readers already
predicted this.  <g>

***********************************
The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn)
by Erin Klingler
erink@ida.net
part 23

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

Garrison pulled up to the guard gate and waited for the tall metal gates to
be
rolled back before driving through into the prison’s parking lot.  After
finding a parking space and going through all the familiar visitor checks,
he
was led to a private visitor’s room and left alone.  He sat down in one of
the
chairs at the small rectangular table and waited.

It wasn’t long before he heard the door open, and he quickly looked up to
see
a guard holding the door open for a tall, dark-haired man in prison uniform.
Even in the guarded setting, the man walked with an air of confidence,
announcing to everyone around him that he was still a force to be reckoned
with.

“Lex,” Garrison greeted respectfully as he rose to his feet.  “You’re
looking
well.”

“Thank you, Garrison,” Lex replied, his familiar, arrogant smile not the
least
bit tamed down by the rigors of prison life.  “I assume you have news for
me?”

Garrison nodded.  “I thought I should tell you that everything is going
according to plan,” he reported, intentionally leaving out the little
trouble
they’d run into at the Planet since he was confident it wouldn’t affect
their
plans.  “The virus has been planted, and I have the only copy of the
anti-virus software stored safely away.  Once everything hits, the orders
for
the software will start pouring in.”

“And we’ll become millionaires in the process,” Lex added with a smug smile.
“By the time I get out of here, I’ll be well on my way back to
reestablishing
my financial empire.  I’d say this is cause for celebration, don’t you?”

Garrison smiled, too, pulled a couple of cigars out of his inside coat
pocket,
and handed one to Lex.  “I’d say so.”

Lex’s eyes gleamed as he leaned forward to let Garrison light his cigar,
then
puffed on it deeply a couple of times before blowing out a puff of smoke.
“You know,” he began as the smoke wafted between them, “ever since I first
met
you in South America during that investments fraud scheme, I knew a man with
your computer talents would be perfect for the job.”

“And I am,” Garrison agreed, puffing on his own cigar.  “But I couldn’t have
pulled off a scheme of this magnitude by myself.”

“How true,” Lex agreed arrogantly, putting his cigar back to his smirking
lips.  “You’re the computer brains of this operation, but without my
marketing
and recruiting skills, not to mention my connections, this little plan
would’
ve gone nowhere.  How else could I have gotten you into Bureau 39 as Trask’s
second in command?”

Garrison’s jaw tightened.  “Not that answering to that man is something I’d
prefer to do,” he grumbled.  “All that ‘alien invasion’ garbage…he’s so full
of it.”

Lex gave a little laugh.  “Don’t I know it.  But you have to admit, it’s the
perfect arrangement for you and me both.  For you, you have the assurance
that
the FBI won’t be looking for you.  Who would think to look amongst their own
ranks for a notorious hacker and virus programmer such as yourself?  You can
put up with Trask and his delusional ideas while you perfect the virus and
slip it into the Planet’s computer systems, causing that paper to be blamed
for bringing down millions of computer systems around the world, and thus
getting my revenge against the newspaper who put me here in the first
place.”

He paused for a minute to take a long puff from his cigar before blowing out
another cloud of smoke.  “For me, not only do I get the satisfaction of
getting my revenge, but I collect the millions of dollars that come from
solving the world’s computer problems with the convenient availability of
our
software.  And if that weren’t enough, your being in Trask’s ranks gives us
the perfect opportunity to can keep an eye on him to make sure he fulfills
his
own little personal vendetta against a certain man of steel, unknowingly
preventing him from creating any resistance against the building of my
future
empire.”

“The perfect plan,” Garrison nodded.

Lex’s eyes gleamed.  “Precisely.”  Lex strolled over to the table and tapped
his cigar’s ashes into the ashtray.  “Speaking of our boy in blue, any sign
of
him at Trask’s place?”

Garrison smirked.  “Only in *black* and blue,” he replied, chuckling at his
own joke.  “You should see what Trask’s men have done to him.  He looks like
the losing fighter after a ten round bout.  That Kryptonite really did the
trick.  He’s completely at our mercy.”

“Ah, so Trask *did* succeed in luring him there after kidnapping Lois and
Clark, did he?” Lex asked, sitting back in his chair.  “Good.  I knew that
all
the money I’d put into Gretchen’s research for her ‘Phoenix project’ would
eventually pan out.  Not only was she able to bring *me* back to life, but I
was able to enlist the help of my medical contacts to have Trask brought
back
to life.  I think he’s been highly underestimated in his persistence and
drive
to kill Superman.  Never underestimate the power of a good vendetta, I
always
say, especially when you’ve fallen victim to it once.”  Lex grinned at
Garrison, then continued.  “When you combine a man with Trask’s military
training, unwavering loyalty to his country, and, of course, his large dose
of
paranoia, you have the perfect person to use in one’s pursuit of eliminating
Superman.  With all that Trask’s gone through to see this mission through, I
can’t help but admire his tenacity.”

Lex paused to take a puff from his cigar, then blew out the smoke slowly.
As
he did, a fleeting look of concern flashed across his face, and he turned to
Garrison.  “I take it my wishes were honored, though, and Lois wasn’t hurt
in
the kidnapping attempt?”

Garrison swallowed the sudden lump in his throat when he remembered Lane’s
attempt to escape at the cabin, and how Trask’s thug had slashed her leg
with
the knife before knocking her out with chloroform and throwing her into the
truck.  He remembered cringing when it had all happened, knowing that Lex
had
specifically ordered him to make sure she wasn’t hurt.  He’d even hastily
given her some first aid once they got back to Trask’s cabin and used his
basic medical training to stitch up the gash.  But all that didn’t have to
be
brought to light.  Some things were better left unsaid where Lex’s potential
wrath was concerned.

“No, Lane wasn’t hurt,” Garrison answered finally, waiting with bated breath
to see if Lex would believe him.

“Good,” Lex replied with a relieved smile, showing that he did.  “Because I
still plan on changing her mind about me when I get out of here.  I romanced
her with my power and money before, and I plan to do it again.”

Garrison put the cigar to his mouth and took another puff.  “Well, with Kent
out of the picture, I wouldn’t doubt that it’s possible.”

Lex leaned forward in surprise, his eyes widening.  “Kent’s out of the
picture?  What happened?  Did Trask kill him?”  When Garrison didn’t answer
right away, Lex got to his feet and paced around the small room, waving his
cigar in the air as he continued to speak.  “Not that I mind, you
understand.
Kent was always a thorn in my side.  But I thought Trask was going to keep
him
alive to use as leverage if Superman refused to answer Trask’s questions
about
his so-called ‘alien invasion.’”

Garrison continued to stare at Lex in disbelief.  What did Lex mean, ‘keep
him
alive to use as leverage’?  Didn’t he know…?  It only took a minute for
Garrison to realize that Lex didn’t know.  He didn’t know Kent was Superman!
Garrison’s eyes widened in shock.  “You really don’t know, do you?”

Lex pulled the cigar from his mouth and blew out a long, controlled cloud of
smoke.  “Know what?”

Garrison quickly realized what a hand he was holding.  Lex didn’t know that
Kent was Superman!  His mind whirled and churned as he thought of the
importance of his recently acquired knowledge of Superman’s true identity.
As
he leaned back in his chair, he studied Lex for a long minute.  He’d known
Lex
for a long time.  Maybe not worked side by side with him as others had, but
he
knew what the man was capable of.  That was rule number one in involving
yourself in a plot with Lex Luthor--you had to know who he was and what he
was
capable of doing.  Then you had to take every precaution to safeguard your
own
interests, and your own well-being.

*And didn’t this latest piece of information do just that?* he asked
himself.
He knew he had an ace in the hole, and he definitely wanted to make sure he
held it until he absolutely needed it.  Or wanted something.

Giving Lex a quick smile, he shook his head in feigned ignorance.  “Nothing.
It’s not important.  The important thing is, it looks like our plan is
finally
coming together.  In just a matter of days, the money from the sales of our
anti-virus software is going to start rolling in.”

“Magnificent.”  Lex leaned forward and put his cigar out in the ashtray
sitting on the table, then pushed his chair back and stood up.  “But just so
we’re clear…I want you to make sure that Trask takes care of Superman.  If
he
doesn’t, *you* take care of him.  We’ve come all this way, and we’re so
close
I can taste it.  I’m not about to see things fall apart before my eyes.
Understood?”

Garrison nodded.  “You’re not the only one with a stake in this.”

“Good.  Then I’ll be waiting to hear.” Lex turned to the room’s door and
knocked twice to signal to the guard that they were done.  A minute later,
Lex
was escorted out of the room, but Garrison continued to sit in his chair for
several minutes.  As he thought about the conversation they’d just had, a
slow
smile crept across his face.

So Lex didn’t know Kent was Superman.  Interesting development.

That little piece of information definitely gave him the edge, and all he
had
to do was decide what he wanted to do with it.  Suddenly the possibilities
seemed endless.  For starters, a bigger chunk of Project Y2K’s profits was
in
order.  Then maybe they could talk about more of a fifty-fifty partnership
in
Lex’s future empire.  The possibilities made his head spin.

Pushing back from the table, Garrison stood up and walked out the door
opposite the one just exited by Lex.  He hadn’t known it when he arrived to
see Lex, but his future suddenly seemed bright indeed.

He made his way through the prison’s visitor check-out routines, then
stepped
out into the wintery sunshine with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets,
whistling a cheerful tune.

*****

“Are the technicians having any luck?" Perry asked as Jimmy walked through
the
door of his office.

Jimmy shook his head.  “Not yet, but they’re still searching through his
computer files, looking through anything that might contain it.”

“As long as they’re on top of it, I guess that’s what matters.”

Just then a sudden commotion from the elevators caught Perry’s attention,
and
both he and Jimmy walked out of the office to see what was going on.
Several
men in suits were coming out of the elevators with briefcases in hand and
were
making their way down the newsroom ramp.

“What’s going on?” Jimmy asked, confused.

“My bet is it’s the FBI,” Perry answered.  “It sure didn’t take them long to
get here.”

“Apparently not.”

A short, stocky man with a permanent scowl strode over to Perry with
determined steps.  “Are you Perry White?”  When Perry nodded, he continued.
“I’m Frank Robbins.  I’m here to head the virus investigation.”

“Virus investigation?  That sounds so formal,” Perry replied.

“A virus threat is not something we take lightly,” Frank stated matter of
factly, his scowl deepening.  “A virus could even be considered a threat to
national security, so my men and I are here to make sure we neutralize it.”

“Um, Mr. Robbins,” Perry objected haltingly, “with all due respect, we have
no
reason to believe that this virus is a threat to national security.  We
don’t
even know what it does.”

“All the more reason to secure your systems and find this virus and destroy
it.”

Perry and Jimmy exchanged looks.  Clearly this man was a little over the top
as far as his job was concerned.

“Oh, um, okay,” Perry nodded hesitantly at the man, then waved over a
passing
newsroom staffer.  “If you’ll go with Simmons, here, he’ll show you where
the
employee’s workstation is.”

Frank gave them a curt nod, then turned to follow Simmons.  As soon as they
were out of earshot, Jimmy turned and raised his eyebrows at Perry.  “That
man
is *scary.*”

“Tell me about it,” Perry agreed seriously.  “But as long as he gets rid of
that virus, I don’t care what he acts like.  Let’s just give him his space
and
let him do his job, got it, Jimmy?”

Jimmy nodded obediently.  “You got it, Chief.”

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

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:31:16 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <NDBBJNGDOLAFBFIDNGLDCEDECGAA.erink@ida.net>
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Oops!  I mistyped the URL for my Kerths webpage in my recent email.  Wendy
had
it right.  (Boy, that's bad!  I can't get my own web URL right, but Wendy
can
just going by memory!! <sg>)

Go by Wendy's, or here it is again:  CORRECTLY <sg>
www.ida.net/users/davek/kerths.html

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:32:41 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002011608.Z@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
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Hey Wendy!  ;)

Did you and Yvonne have fun yesterday?  I'm sure you did, talking about all
those fanfics!  <g>

>As Erin posted here a couple of times, all the information
>you need is on her Kerth site:

THANK YOU!  Sometimes I wonder if ppl actually read what I send to the list
at
all.  <g>

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:36:15 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Apologies
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sorry for sending that to the entire list, folcs...that should teach me to
email anything with only an hour's worth of sleep last night. <sigh>

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 19:59:46 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Petra Steudle <petrast@GMX.NET>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
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I knew it! I knew it!

Thanks, Erin, to confirm my suspicions of who might be the real bad guy (and
my
second favourite bad guy btw) in your story. :-)

Unbelievable you found the time to send us another part while being
completely
wrapped up in Kerth Awards stuff!

cheers

Petra

<mailto:petrast@gmx.net>
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 15:12:09 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
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In case Erin takes time from receiving nominations to check for
responses... and just for the record, I haven't even planned my
nominations yet, let alone sent them in <g>

and now, on to the story...

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

Erin, you about gave me heart failure when it looked like Garrison was
going to tell Lex about Clark ... I mean, I know Trask and his bully
boys know already, so the secret's out, but this is *Lex* and he just
gives me the creeps...

Garrison, btw, is just a little too overconfident if he thinks he's
going to get on an equal footing with Lex.  He knows Lex is a crook, but
he's making the mistake of thinking Lex is an *honest* crook, who will
stay bought...  he don't know him very well, do he? :)

Erin, this is still looking very grim, so don't think this part is going
to placate any of your adoring fans... we want more!
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:07:59 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW: DMKMSGoS, 2/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I seem to be missing Part 1 and the introduction.  Has anyone else got this
problem?

Thanks Rowan :) - who is suscpicious mail is going missing from her box
-- -- --

R. Fuller
LaneKent@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/lanekent
If you want to be notified of updates to my site visit:
http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:09:40 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Apologies Discard last emailRe: NEW: DMKMSGoS, 2/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

That will teach me to press post befoe double checking.  I do have it.  But
the full title and then the abbreviation afterwards momentarily confused me.

Sorry everyone
Rowan :) - who is still convinced that other mail has gone missing
-- -- --

R. Fuller
LaneKent@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/lanekent

If you want to be notified of updates to my site visit:
http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:17:37 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hmm.....everyone's commenting on this latest addition. I guess I'll have to
start at the beginning and read it sometimes. But of course i'm busy with
reading all the Kerth eligibles (not that that's a chore or anything :-) I'm
WAY excited about the Kerth awards, namely because I'm a recent FoLC and
FoLCfanfic!!!! My husband thinks i'm a complete NUT!!!! Oh well......tough
cookies! :-P
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:14:04 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/1/00 10:02:21 AM EST, fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU writes:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

<< >Extract 2:
 I still have no idea.  Doesn't sound like it was from the Unintentional
 Season.  One of Alexis' stories, perhaps?
  >>

Nope, it's not me (although I was in the cast! <G>)   Still I'm very honored
that you would get me mixed up with a story that was Yvonne's baby! ;)

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:14:00 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/1/00 7:31:28 AM EST, w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK
writes:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

<< Quote 2:
 "Jimmy, find me a dentist!" >>

Now I should know this one.  I think it was the RR called, "OUATIM."  I
should know since I was a part of it! LOL! <G>

>>Quote 5:
Superman: "OH MY GOD! What am I doing??? I gotta go!"<<

Now this one looked awfully familiar but I just had to scroll down to make
sure.  To my surprise and confirmation it was ME!!!! OMG I can't believe it!
This is the first thing I submitted on my own and it makes it in a quiz!  i
don't even care if I don't get nominated I'm just honored to be here!!!
Before i pass out, it is my RR in progress called, "ADITLOM."  <G>

Alexis ;-.)
{who really needs to go lie down now!}
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:31:17 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Speaking of nominations.. can one nominate themself for a category, or would
that just be too weird?

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 31 Jan 2000 11:58:16 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Marnie Rowe <Bumpkin@CGOCABLE.NET>
Subject:      Re: New fanfic: Prologue and Part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I sincerly hope that you have more... you can't leave us with just this...
whaaaaaa.. ok I can be patient honest... <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:06:38 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      New Story:  A Matter of Ethics  Part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Disclaimer:  The recognizable characters and settings in this story are
the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. December 3rd Productions et al.
The scenes from the episode The Green, Green Glow of Home are credited
to the writers of the show.  The changes in the story are mine.

A Matter of Ethics
by Nan Smith(deimos1@earthlink.net)

"This is Clark's room," Martha told Lois, opening a door near the head
of the stairs.  Lois followed her in and looked around.

"It looks like him," she said, surprising herself.  The room had
obviously belonged to a boy, later a young man.  On the dresser was a
picture of a much younger Clark, standing between his parents and
grinning at the camera.  The walls were decorated with posters, pennants
and framed awards for both academic and athletic excellence.  Several
trophies were arranged on a shelf situated on one wall, along with
several carefully assembled plastic models of planes and cars.

Martha chuckled.  "We keep it like this.  When he visits, he likes to
see it the way it was when he lived here."  She stepped out into the
hall once more.  "Just make yourself at home, Lois."

"Thanks."

The door closed behind her hostess and Lois sank down on the bed.
Clark's mother was such a nice person--especially after Lois had
virtually called her a hick by explaining to her what a fax machine was,
only to discover that the Kents owned one.  Her opinion of the
unsophisticated country people had undergone a couple of abrupt shocks
in the last few hours.  Clark had set her up for one, she recalled in
mild irritation, when he'd told his mother that Lois thought the chef at
the barbecue might be a cross-dresser, only to have Martha Kent burst
into laughter and inform her that the cook was Clark's father.  And then
there'd been the business over the fax machine, and she had to admit
she'd stuck her own foot into her mouth with that.

Well, no more.  Lois Lane wasn't caught making the same mistake twice.

The window was closed, and Lois crossed the room to open it, to let in
the warm, autumn breeze.  Clark and his father were crossing the yard
below her toward another building, a barn or a shed or something.  Parts
of their conversation drifted up to her on the evening air.

"I want to show you something, son.  It's in the storage room."  The two
men went into the structure by a side entrance, and his voice was cut
off by the closing door.

Lois stood by the window for a moment, breathing in the scent of some
late-blooming flower.  The night sky was clear and black, the stars,
undimmed by city lights, were brighter than she could ever remember
seeing them before.  This place explained a good deal about Clark; his
calm, laid-back attitude, not to mention his trusting nature.  She shook
her head at that.  How Clark had ever survived as long as he had in the
big city was a mystery she hadn't yet solved, but somehow he managed.

She had turned from the window with the intention of opening her
suitcase, preparatory to getting ready for bed, when she heard the
alarmed shout: "Martha!"

It was Jonathan Kent's voice.  Lois turned back to the window in time to
see Martha Kent emerge from the side door and hurry across to the barn.
She disappeared inside.  Lois paused for a moment, undecided, then her
curiosity got the better of her, and she half-ran out of Clark's room
and down the flight of stairs.  A few minutes later she was crossing the
yard to the same building where all three Kents had vanished.

Martha Kent had left the door partly open, and Lois was able to peer
inside around the door frame.  What she saw brought her up short, and
she all but held her breath, trying to be silent.

Jonathan and Martha Kent were bent over something she couldn't see,
hidden by a half-collapsed pile of bags, which the labels informed her
contained fertilizer, and on the work table behind them partially
obscured by their bodies was a metal box.  Inside that box
was...something.  She couldn't see it clearly; but whatever it was, it
glowed a brilliant green in the dimness.

"Close that thing!" Martha commanded her husband in a voice sharp with
fear.  He turned to obey, and the woman leaned over speaking to whoever
was concealed by the stacks of bags.  "Honey, wake up!  Clark, open your
eyes."  She knelt down, and Lois retreated slightly, afraid that she
might be seen.  Something was going on here that she didn't understand,
but she had the feeling that the Kents wouldn't welcome an observer.

Someone moaned, and with a start she recognized Clark's voice.  She
heard the voices of both elder Kents speaking, and then the rustle of
motion.  Quickly, Lois retreated to the corner of the building and
watched as the three Kents emerged from the door, both older Kents
supporting Clark between them, and it was obvious that, without their
help, he would not have been able to stand on his feet.  They crossed
the yard and entered the side door.  It closed behind them.

Cautiously, Lois approached the door and slipped inside.  The light was
off; she didn't quite dare to turn it on and the green glow had
disappeared.  Slowly and carefully, she felt her way across the
cluttered little room.  Once she barked her shin painfully on some hard
object, but finally she reached the work table..  The metal box was no
longer where she had seen it and in the dark it would be impossible to
find.  She reluctantly exited the barn and made her way back to the
house.  Perhaps later she could return with a flashlight

As she entered the side door she could hear the soft murmur of voices in
the kitchen.

"...Doesn't work like other people's."  That was Clark.  What didn't
work like other people's?  She froze just short of the kitchen door,
listening.

"How do you feel?"  Jonathan's voice was clearer than Clark's.  "That's
the important thing."

"Better."  Clark's voice again.  "I think I feel better."

Didn't he know?  Lois shifted slightly.  Concern for Clark warred with
curiosity.  He must have been taken ill very suddenly, for this
afternoon he had been the picture of health.  Whatever had caused it
somehow must be connected to the green glow she had seen in the shed.
Something very odd was going on here.  Almost like a scene out of those
grade Z science fiction movies on the late, late, late shows on
television.

A popping sound, and there was a faint scream, then Martha's voice
exclaimed, "Oh, my...!"

What had happened?  Lois strained her ears to hear.  Something clinked,
and Jonathan's voice said, "What do you mean, you ‘think' you feel
better?  Don't you know"

"He's never been sick before, Jonathan," Martha said.  "It's a new
experience!"

Lois frowned, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.  Never been
sick?  Everybody got sick at some time or other!

More sounds, then Clark's voice again: "I've lifted a rocket into orbit
before.  Now I can't even lift this."

What was she hearing?  Was Clark crazy?  No one could lift a rocket into
orbit except Superman!  The thought hit her with such a shock that she
missed the next part of the conversation.

"...Bounce right back," Martha was saying.

"I don't understand," Jonathan Kent's voice said.  "How can a rock that
probably came from the same planet as Clark make him sick?"

*What*?  Lois couldn't believe what she was hearing.  Clark was from
another planet, or his parents believed he was.  That could only mean...

"Because it's poison, that's all we need to know," Martha said.  "We're
not going to let it near you again."

The sound of the fax machine in the other room brought conversation to a
sudden halt.  Lois moved quickly and as quietly as she could away from
the door to retrieve the fax, mind working furiously to process what she
had just heard.  Clark was from another planet, and had never been sick
until he encountered this green rock.  That could only mean one thing,
and it wasn't something she could accept just yet.  It was easier to
believe that the Kents were somehow crazy, but...

She looked over the sheet of paper for a moment, then made a decision.
She had to look at Clark right now, see if he had somehow changed.  She
turned and headed back for the kitchen, not trying to hide the sound of
her footsteps this time.

The three Kents looked around simultaneously as she entered, and she
could see the apprehension on all their faces.  She waved the paper in
the air, at the same time looking closely at Clark.  "Look at this!" she
said.  "A working list of all the clean-up sites from the Environmental
Protection Agency, and guess what?  Smallville is not on it."

Clark's complexion was pale, and she could see his hands shaking.
"Clark?"  She took his chin in her hand, turning his face up for a
closer look.  "You look horrible!"   In spite of what she had heard, she
felt a pang of concern.  He really did look sick.  But now something
else was striking her, something she had never noticed before.  Except
for the glasses, Clark Kent bore a very close resemblance to Superman.
How had she managed to miss that before?

"It's..my allergies," Clark said.

"You never said you were allergic to anything," Lois said.

"They always kick up when he's in the country," Martha said, quickly.

 "Real bad this time of year," Jonathan chimed in.

"Oh."  Lois regarded him again.  "Well, I tried to warn him about those
amber waves of grain."  She rested a hand on his shoulder, feeling the
slabs of hard muscle under his shirt.  "I better get right on this."
She looked back at his strained expression.  "You...feel better."

She exited the room, and headed back up the stairs, her thoughts in
whirling confusion.  Had she really heard and seen what she thought?
Had she?  If it was true, if the Kents weren't crazy, then Clark Kent
was Superman!

The whole idea was impossible.  Clark couldn't be Superman...could he?
Her purse lay on the bed where she had dropped it, and on impulse she
pulled it open and fumbled inside for her wallet.  She had acquired a
photo of Superman some time ago, and now she extracted it, holding it in
the light of the bedside lamp, examining it.  Clark?  What would Clark
look like without those horn-rimmed glasses?

The picture of Clark and his parents on the dresser drew her, and she
picked it up, comparing the two.  There was a resemblance, all right,
and a strong one.  The child in the photo had those same brown, faintly
Asian eyes, and the same heavy, well-shaped brows as Superman.  And the
birthmark on his upper lip...Why hadn't she noticed before that Clark
had Superman's birthmark?

The more she looked, the more certain she became.  Clark Kent and
Superman were one and the same.  How could she possibly have missed it?
The similarity was unmistakable.

And what a story it would make!  The thought was riveting.  Superman had
to have been raised on Earth for at least part of his life., and was
masquerading as a human man.  And what about Martha and Jonathan Kent?
Were they from Krypton, too?  No, only Clark had been affected by the
green rock; his parents were probably human.  So when had Superman
really arrived on Earth?  Maybe she could get him to answer the
questions once his secret was out, and he realized he couldn't hide
anymore...

That stopped her in her tracks.  If she exposed his big secret, how
likely was it that he would ever want to have anything to do with her
after that?  He must have a reason for what he was doing.  Why would a
being as superior as Superman try to hide who he was behind a pair of
horn-rimmed glasses?

Well, thinking about it, that wasn't all that hard to understand.
Celebrities were constantly hounded by the press and curiosity seekers.
He was probably looking for privacy.  All well and good.  But didn't she
owe it to the public to tell them the truth?  Besides, this had Pulitzer
written all over it.  The reporter who exposed Superman's secret life...

Of course, she needed proof, and that was going to be hard to get.  And,
of course, she would have to explain to him why she felt it was her duty
to write the story.  Didn't the public have a right to know?  It wasn't
up to her to ponder the rights and wrongs of that, or the consequences
of her action, was it?  She was a reporter; it was her job.

But, a small part of her argued, his secret wasn't harming anyone.  Did
she have a right to destroy what privacy Superman had by telling his
secret to the world?  How effective would he be at his job if he never
had any respite from the press, or the curiosity seekers?  It was
something which she didn't want to think about with the lure of such a
story before her eyes, but it tugged at her, insidiously.  What would
Perry think of her?  What would *Clark* think of her?

There *was* no Clark, part of her argued.  He was Superman!

Is he? that irritating little voice answered.  Superman only appeared a
few months ago.  Judging by the history in this room, *Clark* had been
around a lot longer.  If she wrote the story she had in mind, Clark
Kent's life, as he knew it, would certainly be destroyed.

Not to mention the life his parents had, here on their Kansas farm.

Was it something she really wanted to do?  Was it something she *should*
do?

The debate raged in her head, back and forth, pro and con, long after
the Kent household had settled down for the night.  At last, in
exasperation, she shelved it.  She needed more information before she
made a final decision, so she would wait.

But it was a long time before she actually slept.

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

continued in part 2
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:11:18 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      New Story:  A Matter of Ethics  Part 2
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

A Matter of Ethics  Part 2
by Nan Smith

The scene at Wayne Irig's farm seemed little different today than
yesterday.  The bulldozers were still busy, turning over the ground,
digging for so-called pesticides.  After last night, Lois wasn't so sure
that was what was going on, anymore.  This place wasn't so far from the
Kents' farm.  Wasn't it something of a coincidence that Jonathan Kent
had that green rock in his shed and the Feds were here at a neighboring
farm, obviously looking for something--especially since this site wasn't
listed on the EPA's records?  Lois looked at the activity with narrowed
eyes.  There was something very strange about this whole thing.

She had tried to return to the barn or shed or whatever it was, early
this morning, only to discover that the elder Kents were up long before
her.  Clark, Martha had told her cheerfully, was still sleeping.  Those
antihistamines had really knocked him out.

Lois hadn't said anything, but the thought of Clark's pale face of the
night before bothered her.  Whatever that green-glowing rock was, it
seemed to have a very bad effect on Superman.  Now, looking at all the
activity before her, something else occurred to her--something that she
had been trying not to think about.  There was that group that would
give anything to lay their hands on something that could harm Superman.
They hadn't seen or heard of Bureau 39 since their one encounter with
them, not long after Superman's appearance, but she had no doubt that it
was still around.

Well, when she wrote the story she didn't need to mention the green
rock, did she?  That would be irresponsible, after all, letting
potential trouble-makers know that there was something that could harm,
perhaps kill, Superman.  Besides, she didn't really know anything about
it.

She glanced at him as the car came to a stop.  His face was preoccupied,
as if something was bothering him.

"You coming?" she asked.

"Go on," he said.  "I'll just be a minute."

Lois reached over to rest a hand on his forehead--*Superman's* forehead!
her mind screamed at her-- but he didn't look all that super right now.
"You feel normal."

"I *am* normal," Clark said.

"So everything's okay, right?"

"Everything's okay," Clark said.  He didn't sound as if it was, though.

"So, let's go," she said.

They got out of the car and Lois walked on ahead a short distance.
Clark hadn't kept up with her, she noticed, and on glancing back, she
saw him surreptitiously place a hand under the bumper of the car.  He
was trying to lift it, she realized, and he couldn't.  Quickly she
turned and continued on, but the thought bothered her.  Superman had
lost his powers, it seemed.  If they didn't come back, there went her
Pulitzer, but the loss to the world would be even greater.

And if she wrote the biggest story of her career and exposed his secret,
wouldn't she effectively be doing the same thing? That small, nagging
corner of her mind wouldn't give up prodding her, it seemed.

Nonsense! she told it, firmly.  Actors and other famous persons
continued to function with the press and others pursuing them.  There
was no reason Superman couldn't, too.

Yes, it replied, but they didn't do the kind of thing he did.  And what
about groups like Trask and Bureau 39?  What about the criminals he put
into prison?

Well, police had to put up with the same dangers to themselves and their
families, didn't they?  And they didn't even have the luxury of being
invulnerable.  Besides, it wasn't her problem, it was his.

But, it wouldn't be his problem if not for her, that small voice
reminded her, relentlessly.  Nag, nag, nag.  She told her conscience
firmly to shut up, but she was conscious of a small tug of guilt when
Clark jogged up to join her before they went to confront Carol Sherman
of the E.P.A.  The thought that she would be betraying Clark's trust was
an uncomfortable one.  What would he think of her for such a betrayal?

He's a newspaperman, she told herself.  He'd understand that she felt it
was the public's right to know the truth.

But would he?  People didn't have the right to know *everything* about
everyone else, especially the intensely private things.  Clark wasn't a
public official; even Superman had no official standing, really.  Did
she really have the right to destroy a man's life so she could win that
award?  Nunk of the National Whisper would think so, of course, but he
was a bottom-feeder anyway.  No serious journalist had any respect for
him.

But she was no Nunk!  She wasn't one of those sensationalizing
scandal-mongers!

She wasn't going to think about this anymore.  She hadn't made any
irrevocable decision, yet, after all.  First she had to come up with
proof, anyway, and that wasn't going to be easy.  Clark and his parents
had apparently gone to a great deal of effort to conceal his origins...

Again that twinge of guilt.  No!  She wasn't going to let personal
feelings get in the way!  This story could make her career!

And shatter three lives, that little voice reminded her.

She was still debating with herself as they got back in the convertible
after a short and unsatisfactory talk with the E.P.A. liaison.  The list
was out of date, Sherman had said.  Lois wasn't sure she believed her.

She was even less sure four hours later when she and Clark settled into
a booth at the little town coffee shop.  They had spent the hours in
City Hall researching ancient and dusty records, and found that in
twenty years there had not been one permit or citation on the Irig
property.  Nothing had happened that would attract the attention of the
Federal government.  So why had they turned up in such force?

"Clark, it just doesn't make sense," she said, finally, setting the
cellular phone down in the middle of the table.  "The Federal Government
doesn't just charge in out of the blue like this.  There's usually some
kind of triggering factor."

"One would think."  He glanced around as a waitress approached and set
two glasses of water on the table.  "Hi, Maisie."

"Clark Kent!  Your mom said you were here for the Daily Planet.  So this
must be Lois?"

Of course.  Lois was beginning to understand small towns.  Anything one
person knew that was of the slightest interest was all over town in no
time.  "How'd you guess?"

The woman smiled.  "I'm Maisie.  How's the writing coming?  I just love
to read a good romance novel."

"How did..."  Lois looked accusingly at Clark.  He looked a little
guilty.

"I must have accidentally mentioned it to my mother.  She must have..."

"--Accidentally told the whole town," Lois said.

Maisie smiled at her.  "Oh, that's just Smallville, for you, honey.
Everybody knows everything about everybody else."

Not everything, Lois thought.  "So why haven't I heard any dirt on
Clark, here?"

"Oh," Maisie said, "with Clark, here, what you see is what you get."
She laid out two napkins and smiled.  "Here you go.  Back in a jif."

When she had gone Lois looked at Clark across the table.  He was turning
the pages of his notebook, scanning the copious notes he had taken while
they searched the old records.  "What you see is what you get, huh?"
And Clark probably was hiding the biggest secret of anyone in town.
Superman had been raised as a small town boy, and hidden what he could
do with great care.  Again that twinge of guilt, carefully pushed away.

"Ow!"  Clark's exclamation startled her.  He was staring at his finger
in open astonishment.  "I'm bleeding!"

Lois glanced at the injury.  "Haven't you ever had a paper cut before?"
With a shock, she suddenly realized what she was saying.  He probably
hadn't!  This was all new to him.

"Not that I can remember," he said.

"Put it in your mouth and suck on it," she told him.  Still, it was a
revelation.  Superman, without his powers, was as easily hurt as anyone
else, and perhaps even more vulnerable, because there were certain
things he had never needed to learn.  Again she pushed away the guilt,
but it was getting harder to ignore the voice in her head that kept
telling her that what she was planning to do was wrong.  Lois Lane had
exposed many wrong-doers in her career, but she had never ruined the
life of an innocent man before.

It was the job of a journalist to strip away the veil of secrecy and
expose the naked truth.  How many times had she heard that in journalism
class?  But did that mean that no one was entitled to any secrets, even
if they harmed no one?  Should everyone's entire life be laid bare for
anyone who cared to to gawk at?  There were plenty of things about her
life she didn't care for anyone else to see.

But, part of her argued, this was different!  This was big, in capital
letters!  Didn't the world deserve to know who its hero really was?

Her internal argument was interrupted with the ringing of the cellular
phone.  Lois reached quickly over to snatch it up, accidentally
upsetting the paper cup of water into Clark's lap.  With a grimace of
apology, she raised the phone to her ear.  "Hello?"  The voice on the
other end made her sit up straight.  "Mr. Irig?"

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

"He said it was Salt Lake City," Lois repeated, "but it could have been
anywhere.  And he sure was in a hurry to get off the phone."

"I noticed," Clark said.  The were strolling between the booths at the
corn festival, talking over the strange phone call.  "He acted nervous,
too.  If I hadn't recognized his voice I wouldn't have thought it was
Wayne at all.  He's one of the calmest, steadiest men I know."

"Well, he didn't act calm," Lois said.  "His voice was shaking."

"I noticed that, too."

"And I've noticed something else," Lois said, quietly.  "We're being
followed."

Clark didn't glance around.  "How can you tell?"

"The same two guys have been watching us ever since we were at the
coffee shop," Lois said.  "One of them looks familiar.  I've seen him
before."

"Lois..."

"Stand right there," Lois directed, gesturing at one of the displays.
"Look at the reflection in that big glass.  See those two guys standing
beside the popcorn stand?  Don't tell me you don't recognize the one on
the left."

Clark obeyed, and she saw him freeze infinitesimally.  "I was right,
wasn't I?  We've seen him before."

"I'm not sure."

"Well, I am.  That's one of the men who invaded the office of the Daily
Planet when Jason Trask was trying to track down Superman.  Clark, we
*aren't* dealing with the E.P.A. here.  We're dealing with Bureau 39!"

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

"Clark, why would Bureau 39 be tearing up your neighbor's property?"
Lois asked, bluntly.  They were seated in the rental car again, using
the rear-view mirror to keep an eye on the two men who now stood thirty
feet behind them, apparently engaged in vigorous argument.

"Lois, are you sure?"  Clark's voice lacked conviction, and she knew
why.  If Bureau 39 was here, then they were probably after that green
rock in Jonathan Kent's storage barn, and a way to harm Superman.  And
Clark was trying to keep her from finding out--which was reasonable, she
figured.  He couldn't know whether he could trust her...which, she
realized, with a pang, he couldn't.  Not if she was considering
doing...well, what she was considering doing.  It wasn't an image of
herself that she cared to contemplate, but something had to be done to
protect Superman from these goons.  If she knew government types, sooner
or later it would come to their attention that Wayne Irig and Clark's
father were friends, and then the Kent farm would be searched as
thoroughly as the Irig farm was being gone over right now, and they
would find that dratted green rock!

"Yes, Clark, I'm more than sure.  I'm absolutely positive.  Bureau 39 is
looking for something, and it probably involves Superman.  And the
chances are that they've got your neighbor, too, so what are we going to
do about it?"

Clark sighed.  He looked absolutely hunted, she thought, which in a way
he was.  "Clark, do you have any idea what they're looking for?" she
asked.

He glanced at the mirror, than seemed to make a decision.  "Yeah, I
think I do."

"Then what is it?"

Clark put the car in gear and backed out of the parking spot.  "Let's
see if they follow us.  I'm just going to move the car down two blocks
and park again.  Watch to see what happens."

"One of them's got a cell phone out," Lois reported after a moment.  "My
bet is they're notifying another team to take over."

"Great.  See if you can spot them."  Clark moved the car slowly out into
the street and drove down a couple of blocks to park across from the
husk-off that was now going on full-tilt.  Lois kept an eye out and
shortly was able to report.

"Two guys just picked us up on the corner."

"It sounds like Trask figures if he follows us we might lead him to
Superman," Clark said.

"In that case, I've got an idea." Lois grinned.  "Let's give these guys
the most boring day they've had since they came here!  Come on, Clark!
You're going to show me around the Corn Festival, and we're going to
lead those guys all over town!  But first, what do you think they're
after at Wayne Irig's farm?"

"A rock."

"A *rock*?"

"Yeah.  There was a storm last week that blew over one of his trees, and
under it he found this rock.  He'd never seen anything like it, and he
thought it might be valuable, so he sent a piece of it to the lab in
Wichita.  They told him it was a meteorite.  Then a few days later these
people showed up and started tearing up his farm.  The thing was, he had
already brought it to my dad for safe-keeping.  But if this *is* Bureau
39, sooner or later they're going to realize what Wayne probably did
with it, and then they'll do the same thing to our place.  They'll find
it."

Clark had followed the same reasoning she had, she thought.  Somehow
they had to get that thing out of there.  But first they had to do what
they could to avert suspicion.  "I want to know more about this, later,"
she said, "but we can't do anything right now with them following us.
Let's go.  If we run into your parents you can warn them and maybe they
can get rid of the rock while we keep the snoopers busy."

He nodded.  "I guess we can manage that," he agreed.  "Come on.  I'll
show you the Corn-o-Rama."

"I can hardly wait," she said, and opened the car door.

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

They spent the rest of the day moving from one entertainment to the
next, ending with the line dancing.  The only thing that spoiled Lois's
enjoyment of the day was the knowledge that they were being followed
everywhere they went, and the knowledge that the man they sought was the
one escorting her about the Festival.

How much did Trask know, she wondered.  Clark had lived here in
Smallville growing up.  Did he somehow know that Superman had come from
this area?  And what would he do to Jonathan and Martha when--if--she
wrote the story that exposed Clark as Superman?  It wouldn't be merely a
case of inconvenience then.  It could be life or death.  Trask wasn't
the sort of man to let something like the law stop him from doing what
he wanted to do.  What would he do to a couple of people whom he saw as
traitors to humanity simply because they had raised the man who had
become Superman as their son?  Did she have the right to expose Jonathan
and Martha Kent to that kind of danger for a story, no matter how big?

She was still debating that when Clark asked her to dance.  Lois
hesitated, then saw Rachel Harris, the petite sheriff whom she had met
the day before, making a straight line for Clark.

"Sure," she said.  "Let's go!"

"Do you know how?" he asked, as if in afterthought.

"Oh, sure.  Last year I had a friend who convinced me this was a great
way to meet guys."

They took their places in line.  "And was it?"

She laughed.  "Define ‘guys'."  Out of the corner of her eye she saw
Rachel watching them, and smiled to herself, only to have the moment's
enjoyment disappear, when she realized that what she planned meant that
this would probably be the last time she ever danced with Clark. *Could*
she do this?  Last night it had seemed possible, but it was beginning to
feel more and more as if she was letting down a friend.  How many times
had he saved her life in the last few months?  At least three that she
could think of right off hand. What was Clark going to think of her when
he found out that she was responsible for destroying his life and his
parents' lives?  For she could no longer deny to herself that it was
exactly what she would be doing.  The answer was simple; he wouldn't
want anything more to do with her.  But how could she pass this up?  A
story of this magnitude came along maybe once in a lifetime!  Surely
Clark would understand that!

Yeah, right, that little voice responded.  In his place, would she
understand someone writing a story, no matter how big, that wrecked her
life?  If she was completely honest with herself, the answer was no.
She wouldn't, and she would never forgive that person, no matter who it
was.  The bald fact was that if she did this, Superman--Clark--would
probably leave Metropolis and her, and begin life somewhere else.  He
would never want to see her again, and with good reason.  But she would
have her story.

"You look worried, Lois," Clark's voice said in her ear as he whirled
her around in one of the steps of the dance.  "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied.  "Just thinking about this thing, that's
all."

"Our two tails are standing over by the door, still watching," he told
her.

The dance finished with them both out of breath.  The left the dance
area a few moments later, the two tails in tow.  The carnival booths
were a short distance away, and Lois gestured at the attraction where
men were swinging a hammer in an  attempt to ring a bell at the top of a
column.  The levels were labeled all the way from "Wimp" at the lowest
to "Top Dog" at the top, but someone had crossed that out and replaced
it with "Superman".  Lois grinned at Clark.  "Here, let's make this an
evening to remember."  She handed the barker a quarter.

Clark laughed.  "Oh, no."  He picked up the hammer, positioned himself
and swung.

To Lois's surprise he reached the level of "Hercules" just below
"Superman".  Clark regarded it for a moment, then dug out another
quarter.  "Let me try that again."

The little ball went higher this time.  Lois handed the man a third
quarter.  "Come on, Clark.  Once more."

Clark was really straining, she thought as he slammed the hammer down
with everything he had.  The ball shot up, faster and harder and the
bell clanged triumphantly.  Lois found herself clapping as the barker
held out a choice of prizes: a Superman doll and a teddy bear.  Without
hesitation, Lois took the bear and saw the surprise on Clark's face.

That look remained in her mind as she lay in bed at the Kent farm that
night.  Clark had clearly expected her to choose the Superman doll.  He
knew she had a crush on his alter ego, and now she thought she
understood his attitude.  There was no Superman--not in his own mind.
Superman was simply his way of keeping his life as Clark Kent separate
from the things his alter-ego did.  That was why Superman hadn't
appeared until a few months ago when Clark had gotten his job at the
Daily Planet.  Her sometime partner wanted to help people, but he didn't
want all the problems that went with celebrity status.  He wanted a
normal life that didn't involve constantly fending off curiosity
seekers, fans, nutballs and cranks.  It was that normal life that she
was planning on taking away from him.  Did she really have the right to
do that to him, even for the story of the century?  She didn't know
anymore.  It had seemed a lot simpler at first.  The longer she thought
about it, the more complicated it became, and the harder the little
voice of her conscience prodded her.

What was she thinking?  She couldn't just throw everything away because
of a scruple!  Maybe she could talk to Perry when they got back, sort of
quiz him without actually giving anything away and see what he thought.

Satisfied that she had settled that for now, her mind switched to the
other worrisome matter of the day.  They hadn't managed to find the
Kents until just before they were ready to come home.  The mysterious
rock must still be out there in the barn unless Jonathan had decided to
do something else with it that he hadn't told Clark about.  There was
something wrong with that sentence structure, but her tired mind didn't
seem to be able to straighten it out.  At last, exhausted by a tiring
day, after too little rest the night before, she drifted off to sleep.

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

to be continued in part 3
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 16:13:36 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      New Story: a Matter of Ethics  Part 3
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A Matter of Ethics  Part 3
by Nan Smith

"Come on, get out of that bed!"  Lois found herself being yanked roughly
out of bed by two burly men in fatigues.

"What?" she mumbled.

"Get up!" the voice repeated, impatiently.  A powerful hand pushed her,
stumbling and protesting, out the door.  Clark's voice, downstairs, was
raised in anger, and she could hear the voices of Martha and Jonathan
Kent as they were herded into the living room by more armed men in
camouflage gear.

"Lois, are you all right?"  Clark started forward as she reached the
bottom of the steps.  One of the men casually pushed him backwards onto
the sofa.

"Shut up, Pretty boy.  Speak when you're spoken to."

One of the men who had hauled her out of her bed gave Lois a shove
toward the sofa.  "Sit down, lady.  We've got some questions to ask
you."

The outer door opened as he spoke and another man was propelled through
the door, followed by two more Bureau 39 agents.

"Wayne!" Jonathan exclaimed.  "Are you all right?"

"Shuttup, Grandpa," said one of the invaders. He pushed Irig over beside
Clark so the three of them were lined up on the couch.  "Sit still."

Another military figure appeared in the doorway, and Lois started
forward with an exclamation.  "Trask!  I was wondering when you were
going to crawl out from under your rock!"

"Those are fighting words, Miss Lane!" Trask said, with cheerful
mockery.  "Especially from someone in your precarious position!"

"What do you want, Trask?" Clark demanded.  "You can't come barging in
here without a warrant!"

"I wouldn't worry, Mr. Kent," Trask said.  "My warrant is the good of
the American people.  You've been holding out on me.  I didn't realize
that your family and Mr. Irig were so close.  But then I started to
think.  What would Wayne here have done with something he didn't want
someone to find?  Since it wasn't anywhere on his property then it must
have been taken somewhere else!  That's when I thought of you!"

"I told you, there wasn't no more!" Irig said.  Lois looked at the older
man and saw how he held one of his hands, his fingers wrapped in a
handkerchief.

Trask chuckled.  "You know, these small town ties are so touching," he
said.  "Mr. Irig here took sodium pentothal and three broken fingers and
wouldn't talk.  I tried to explain how I was trying to protect the world
from an alien invasion and he still wouldn't cooperate.  But then I
realized he must be trying to shield someone else, and that's when I
discovered his closest neighbor was you, Mr. Kent!"  He jerked a thumb
at Clark.  "Take him outside.  I have some questions to ask him."

"What are you going to do to him?" Jonathan asked.

"If he cooperates, nothing," Trask said, cheerfully.  "I'm trying to
stop an alien takeover of Earth and you're worried about one man.
Whatever happened to loyalty?"

Another man in camouflage gear entered the living room.  Trask glanced
at him.  "Anything?"

"No, sir, not yet."

"Keep looking."

"Yessir."

Two of Trask's men grasped Clark's arms and dragged him, not without
difficulty, out the door.  Trask glanced at his remaining prisoners.
"You know what to do with them."

"Yessir."

Two men took Jonathan Kent and hustled him  into the kitchen.  Martha
and Irig were also seized, and then it was Lois's turn.  She was
dragged, struggling uselessly, after the others through the farmhouse
kitchen and out the back door into the yard.  A nondescript van was
parked in the middle of the open space, and men were swarming around the
area.  Trask's men took the four of them to the barn and proceeded to
bind them with merciless efficiency.

Lois squirmed, but their captors pulled the ropes so tight that she felt
her fingers beginning to turn numb, then proceeded to splash the area
thoroughly with gasoline.  The fumes made her eyes water and she heard
Martha coughing.

"My God!" Irig's voice said from behind her.  "They're gonna burn us
alive!"

Where was Clark?  Lois twisted her neck, trying to see where they had
taken him.    As she did so, Trask pushed him around the corner with one
hand, holding a pistol pointed squarely at his back with the other.

"All right, Mr. Kent," he said.  "Let's be straight with one another.  I
have the three people in the world who matter the most to you.  I want
Superman.  If you want to save them you'll tell me what I want to know."

"Sir!"  The shout came from a nearby field.  "We've found it!"

"So," Trask said, "you thought you could hide it by burying it?  But you
see, Mr. Kent, I already allowed for that possibility.  Now, I want this
alien creature, Superman."

"What makes you think *I* could give him to you?"

"Superman came to Smallville around the time you were born.  There has
to be a connection.  Tell me and I'll let you live.  I'll let them all
live."

"There's nothing to tell.  I'm learning all this for the first time,
right now."  Lois saw Clark glance sideways as one of Trask's men
arrived with the metal box.

"That it?" Trask asked.

The man nodded.  "Yes, sir."

"Set it down here and the rest of you go.  We'll meet at Delta point.
I'll finish this."

"Yessir."  The man saluted, glanced once at Clark and the bound
prisoners, executed a perfect about face and hurried to the van.  Trask
turned back to Clark as the van doors closed and the engine started up.

"Now, Mr. Kent, I want Superman!  I'm trying to save humanity from an
alien invader."

"You have no proof of that."

Trask raised his eyebrows.  "There's another possibility.  Perhaps the
alien has taken over your mind, infused you with its power."

"Nobody's infused me with power.  Nobody's taken over my mind."

Trask smiled.  "Very well.  Then these people die.  If you give me
Superman, I'll let them live.  I'll let you all live."

Lois saw Clark glance at her and swallow.  "All right.  But you have to
promise to let them go."

The eagerness in Trask's voice couldn't be disguised.  "I do!  I
absolutely give you my word."

"No, Clark!" Lois cried.

She saw him swallow again, visibly.  "I'm Superman."

Lois closed her eyes.

"Are you, now?" Trask said.  Lois opened her eyes in time to see the man
point his weapon straight at Clark.

"No, Trask!" Clark said.

Trask chuckled.  "That was fear, Kent.  Superman doesn't fear guns.
Nice try, but I want the real thing." With his free hand he reached into
his pocket and withdrew a match book.  "Time's up, Kent.  It's now or
never.  Do you give up the alien or do you watch your parents and Miss
Lane die?"

"I mean it, Trask!  I'm Superman!"

Keeping his pistol centered on Clark, Trask carefully extracted a match
and struck it.  With a final glance at Clark he started to flick it
through the air toward the trail of gasoline on the ground.  Clark
charged.

The match went out and whirled into the puddle of gasoline.  Clark and
Trask tumbled to the ground after it and the gun went off.

"Clark!"  Lois found herself screaming his name.  "Clark, no!"

For a moment there was no movement of the two men on the ground, then,
gradually, Clark began to stir.  Slowly and painfully, he pushed himself
off Trask, and Lois could see blood running down his face from an ugly
cut at the hairline.  The federal agent didn't move.  Clark seemed to
stare for a long time at the man, then he got unsteadily to his feet and
made it across the short distance to the barn.  He dropped to his knees
in a puddle of gasoline and began to fumble at the ropes that bound
Lois, his parents and Wayne Irig together.  As her bonds came free,
Lois's arms flopped numbly to her sides, but after a moment she felt the
fiery ache of returning circulation.  She stared dumbly at Clark, then
past him at the unmoving figure of Jason Trask.

"Is he..."

"He's dead," Clark said, his voice flat and without expression.  "The
bullet must have hit...something vital.  I don't know..."

Slowly, the five people got to their feet and moved away from the barn
and the gasoline.  Wayne Irig said, "I'll call the sheriff."

"They cut the wires," Jonathan Kent said, staring at the dead man.

"The cell phone's in my purse, upstairs," Lois said.  She was watching
Clark's stunned face, and suddenly she couldn't stand the expression she
saw there.  She put her arms around him.  "Come on, Clark.  Let's go
inside."

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

"Sit still, honey," Martha said.  "That's a bad cut."  She was dabbing
carefully at the long, bloody slash on Clark's forehead with a clean,
damp rag.  Lois stood behind him, hands on his shoulders, strangely
reluctant to move away.  Clark's sheer, raw courage in the face of a
madman with a gun had awed her more than she could have believed, and
the stricken look he still wore tore at her.  He might not believe that
Superman was real, but she had watched Superman in action today, and
what she had seen told her better than words ever could the kind of man
Clark Kent really was. She could hear the sound of sirens in the
distance, approaching rapidly, and she glanced down at the dirty,
gasoline-spattered pajamas she wore in sudden realization.

"The police will be here in a few minutes.  I better go change."

Martha glanced up from her ministrations to Clark's injury.  "You better
just throw on a robe, Lois.  Rachel will need to see what that maniac
did to us before you get rid of the evidence."

Evidence?  Oh, yes.  Trask had died in a fight with Clark.  Martha
wanted to be sure that he wasn't blamed for the man's death, and so did
Lois.  She nodded and ran up the stairs.

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

It was several hours later.  The police had finally gone and Lois was at
last able to take a much needed shower.  She had changed out of the
pajamas earlier and sponged herself off, but she wanted to get the smell
out of her hair and feel clean again.  In those hours she had watched
Clark.  She thought she had never seen him so quiet and at last she had
walked up to him and taken his hand in both of hers.

He was standing still, just staring out over the yard where the traces
of their ordeal still remained, and she had to make him look at her
before he appeared to notice.

"Clark, what's wrong?" she asked.  "You act like you lost your last
friend.  Rachel said she doubted the D.A. will bring any charges.  The
man was killed by his own weapon while he was trying to commit murder.
It wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it, Lois?  If I hadn't jumped him like that, the gun wouldn't
have gone off."

"If you hadn't jumped him your mom, dad, Mr. Irig and I would all be
dead, and you probably would be, too, Clark!  It wasn't your fault he
had his finger on the trigger!  He was trying to kill us and you did the
only thing you could, at the risk of your own life!  I don't want to see
you blaming yourself for something that you couldn't have helped, do you
hear me?  You saved all our lives!"  She shook him slightly.  "Clark,
listen to me!  You just have to realize that!  It was *not* your fault!"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  "You mean that, don't you?"

"Of course I do!  Clark, we're here right now because you did what you
had to.  It was just bad luck that Trask was killed.  You couldn't have
done anything differently.  You have to trust me on this!  Will you,
please"

Slowly he nodded, and she thought his body relaxed slightly.  "Okay."

"Good!  Now--" She surveyed herself with distaste.  "I'm going to go
upstairs and get a shower.  I'll be back in a little while and we'll
talk about it, all right?"

But upstairs, she reviewed what she had said and grimaced at her own
wording.  Trust her?  When her intentions for the last two days had been
so utterly despicable?  What had she been thinking?

She stared at herself in the mirror as she was brushing her hair into
its usual style and her eyes filled slowly with tears.  Was this what
she had become--someone no better than one of those tabloid reporters
she so despised?  She had been ready to ruin this man's life for
something so transitory as a story!

She had seen first hand what had happened simply because one madman
thought Clark *might* know how to find Superman.  If he had known the
truth what would he have done?

How many *more* Trasks were out there?  There were little groups all
over who feared Superman as some kind of invader, and criminals who
feared him for other, far more concrete reasons.  She had been ready to
hand those people a potent weapon against a man who had just proved to
her beyond the shadow of a doubt that he genuinely deserved to be called
a hero--not for his incredible powers, but because of the incredible
courage that had led him to attack an armed madman with his bare hands
to save them all.

She was still standing before the mirror, the tears pouring down her
cheeks in a flood when Martha opened the door a crack to peek into the
room.  "Lois?  Are you all right?  I thought I heard..."  She broke off
when she saw Lois's face, then opened the door wider.  "Oh, honey.  May
I come in?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but entered the room, closing the door
carefully behind her, and crossed to Lois's side.  "Come over here and
sit down on the bed, Lois."

Lois began to sob in earnest.  She felt Martha patting her back
comfortingly and cried even harder.  The older woman sat down beside her
and said nothing, waiting for the storm to die out on its own.

Eventually it did.  Martha still said nothing.  Lois became aware that
she was still sitting patiently next to her, waiting. When the sobs had
subsided to a few sniffs and hiccups, Martha handed her a tissue.
"Better?"

"No."  Lois shook her head, refusing to look at her.  "I don't think
I'll ever be better.  I could have ruined everything for all of you, and
all I could think of was my stupid story!  Clark's going to hate me, and
so will you when I tell you what I nearly did."

"Lois..."

"No," she said resolutely, then gulped.  "I saw the meteor night before
last, Martha...when Clark collapsed.  I heard what you said.  After I
figured out what it meant, that Clark was really...well, Superman, all I
could think about was what a story it would make if I could prove it.  I
didn't want to look at what it might do to Clark and you and Jonathan.
And then this happened, and I had my nose rubbed in it.  What have I
turned into?  How could I be so horribly selfish?"

Martha Kent's face had paled as she spoke, and for a moment she said
nothing.  Then she patted Lois's hand and gave a rueful little smile.
"I don't suppose it would help to point out that Clark has no super
powers, would it?  You saw that cut on his forehead."

"The meteorite took them away.  I heard most of what you said later in
the kitchen, too," Lois confessed, miserably.  "But I'll never tell
anyone now; I don't care how big a story it would be.  It's too
important."

Martha drew a shaky breath.  "Then I guess there's no real harm done, is
there?"

 "But I almost did," Lois said, unwilling to let the fact go by
unnoticed.  "I knew it was wrong, but it was such a big temptation that
I'd nearly decided to print it."

"But you didn't, did you?"  Clark's mother said.  "I don't think you
would have, either; not after you'd had more time to think about it."
She took another deep breath, obviously trying to accustom herself to
the fact that Lois knew, and that there was no going back.  " Lois, I
think there's something you need to know.  You didn't know that Jonathan
and I couldn't have children, did you?"

"No."

"We'd been turned down for adoption, too.  We'd resigned ourselves to
it, I guess, but it's not something you ever really accept.  And then,
one night we were driving past Shuster's Field when we saw what looked
like a meteor in the sky..."

When Martha Kent finished speaking, Lois was silent for a long time.
"So you're the only parents he's ever known.  He said his mother made
the costume--I remember that now.  Martha, how am I ever going to tell
him what I nearly did?  I want him to know that his secret is safe with
me, because I swear to you that it is!"

Clark's mother smiled at her.  "Just tell him.  Clark isn't the kind of
person to hold grudges.  If you tell him the truth, he'll believe you."

She nodded and swallowed nervously.  "I guess I know that.  Maybe I'd
better take him for a long walk."

"I think that might be a good idea," Martha said.  "I'll tell you what.
You wait here, and I'll send him up to you."

A few moments later Clark knocked softly on the bedroom door.  "Lois?
Mom said you wanted to talk to me?"

Lois took her courage in both hands and opened the door.  All the cold
water and makeup in the world couldn't disguise the fact that she had
been crying, but right now she didn't care.  All that mattered was that
she make things right with Clark, and that meant telling him the whole
truth.  No more prevarications, no more lies of any kind.  Not now.  He
deserved the full and unvarnished truth, and the truth was what he was
going to get.

"Lois, are you all right?"  He looked worried. "You've been up here for
ages, and you've been crying, haven't you?"

"Yes," she said, "but that doesn't matter right now.  I've got something
important to tell you.  Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

"Sure."  His forehead puckered slightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, but I will be.  Come on."  She led the way down the steps and out
the kitchen door into the afternoon sunshine.

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

"‘And, in the end, Jason Trask's obsession caused him to search for a
mystical rock he alone imbued with destructive powers.  He came to see
Superman as his enemy and to seek his destruction without regard to the
cost.  It was an obsession that for Jason Trask would prove fatal...'"
Perry White laid the paper down and shook his head.   "I've been in the
newspaper business over thirty years and this is the damnedest story I
ever saw."

"You should have been there, Chief," Lois said.  "The man was so far
around the bend that he nearly killed us all.  If it hadn't been for
Clark, he'd have succeeded."

Perry turned his attention on Clark.  "Kent, I usually tell my reporters
to stay out of their stories, don't get involved.  But since you had to
fight this nutcase, I'm just glad you came out on top."  He clapped
Clark on the shoulder.  "Good job."

"Thanks," Clark said.

"You're sure you don't want to share the by-line on this one?" Perry
asked.

Clark shook his head.  "No, thanks, Chief.  I'm too close to it.  Lois
can tell it the way she sees it."  His gaze rested on Lois for a moment,
and she felt her face growing warm.  Then he smiled at her.  "I'm sure
she'll do a better job than I ever could."

"Well," Perry said, "in that case, I've just got one note for you.  This
rock that Trask convinced himself was gonna hurt Superman.  What's it
called?"

"Called?" Lois said.  "You want a name?  Nobody can even find it.  Even
the sample Irig sent to the lab disappeared.  I'm not sure the whole
thing wasn't just a figment of Trask's imagination."

"Even so," Perry told her, "this copy would sing a whole lot sweeter if
you gave it a name."

Lois shrugged.  "Well, Trask thought it came from Krypton.  I don't
know...Kryptonium?"

"Sounds good to me," Perry said.

"It was a meteorite, right?" Clark interjected.  "How about Kryptonite?"

Perry chuckled.  "You two fight it out.  I've got work to do."  He
handed the copy to Lois and headed back toward his office.

Lois glared at Clark and whapped him with the paper.  "You are always
editing my copy!"  Then she laughed.  "Okay, Kryptonite!"  She tossed
the paper down onto her desk and turned back to Clark.  "Let's get some
coffee, partner, then I'll put in the changes."

"Okay by me," he said.  Lois glanced at him as they walked together
toward the coffee machine, and her gaze flicked to the spot on his
forehead which only the day before had shown a deep cut and a colorful
bruise.  It was unmarked now, and there was no sign that the damage had
ever existed.

"So, how are you feeling now, Clark?" she asked him.  "Better, I hope?"

"Yeah," he said.  "To be honest...I'm feeling..." he met her gaze and
smiled.  "I'm feeling pretty Super."

She stared at him for a moment in shock at his audacity, then giggled.
"I'll bet you are, partner," she said.  "I'll just bet you are."

The End
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:19:16 CST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jessi Mounts <jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Quiz: Round Robins
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

*
*
*
S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E
*
*
*

1. After reading the extract and looking it up, I'm pretty sure it's Edge of
Metropolis, by the IRC people.  At least, I'm pretty sure it's one of the
Edge stories.

2. No way I'm going to forget that quote.  That's Once Upon A Time In
Metropolis, written by a whole lot of people, but I think the author of that
quote is Yvonne.

3. Fully Functional, by the IRC people?  If I'm right, I knew that at the
quote.  It's the one where Dr. Klein finds out Clark is Superman, anyway.

4. Love Me Tender, by the IRC people again.  I love that quote!

5. No idea.

6. I knew at the quote it was by the IRC people, but after reading the
excerpt, that's definitely Someone To (Watch) Over me.

7. No idea.

8. I had to read the extract and look up the title, but it's Blast From the
Past by IRC people.

9. After reading extract and looking it up, that's Emotional Corners by the
IRC people.

Jessi
jessi914@hotmail.com

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:49:58 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Becky Bain <rbain@USWEST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002011240.J@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Wendy said:
>Debby, if it doesn't need further editing, then it doesn't
>need further editing! I do sometimes get stories which are
>very 'clean' and in which I find almost no errors: I'm sure
>Becky won't mind my saying that when I edited her
>'Timeless,' in a 220-page story I found *four* typos.

Actually, I was going to mention that, myself.  I came away very happy with
the editing process.

Becky

rbain@uswest.net

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
                                - Eleanor Roosevelt
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 20:12:19 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <MPSL27@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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Alexis wrote:

<< Speaking of nominations.. can one nominate themself for a category, or
would
 that just be too weird? >>

By all means, nominate yourself!  I do not see anything weird about
that--well, I did it last year, so it *can't* be weird!  LOL;)  Oh well, do
it anyway.

Molly
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 20:36:40 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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> Speaking of nominations.. can one nominate themself for a category, or
would
> that just be too weird?

Sure, you can nominate yourself ... I always do.  Um... I mean... only
if I really think my story is the best in the category... ;)

Besides if I don't nominate me, who will? :D

PJ
shameless Kerth-glory hound
(that was a joke, btw, please don't feel the need to reassure me! :)
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 18:53:42 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      New Story:  A Matter of Ethics Part 3
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In response to relentless nagging by certain persons on the message
board for a view of what went on during Lois and Clark's "walk", I am
hereby posting an extra section.  this should be inserted immediately
before the final scene in the Daily Planet newsroom.

Nan

A Matter of Ethics  (Walk Scene)

They had walked together in silence for several minutes while Lois tried
to formulate what she wanted to say.  Clark remained silent, although he
was watching her closely with a worried expression on his face.  The cut
at his hairline was turning a spectacular purple, she noted.  He still
didn't have his powers back, and if they never returned, then what?
Then Superman was in retirement, but it wouldn't change her new opinion
of Clark.  The powers didn't make Superman what he was.  It was the man,
himself.

"Clark," she said finally, "I have a confession to make, and it doesn't
make me look very good, I'm afraid."

He took her hand.  "Lois, I don't think anything you did could ever make
me think less of you."

"Don't be so sure."  She pulled her hand away and he let it go.  The
worried look deepened.  "I almost did something pretty horrible.
Looking back at it now, I can't believe I was going to do it, but I
nearly did."

"What do you mean?  I can't think of anything..."

"Clark."  She turned to face him and put a hand on his chest.  "Wait
until you hear about it, then you can judge.  If you never want to speak
to me again, I'll understand."

"All right."

"Two nights ago, I heard your dad yell for Martha to come out to the
barn.  I followed her."  She found she was staring at her shoes, unable
to look him in the eyes. "I saw the green meteor and I saw what had
happened to you.  And I overheard what you said in the kitchen.  I know
that you're Superman."

"Lois..."

"No, wait.  I'm not finished."  To her distress, tears were beginning to
leak from her eyes again, and she kept her face down so he wouldn't see
them.  "The first thing I thought of was what a story it would make.
I'm sorry, Clark.  I knew it would cause you problems, but the
temptation was almost too much.  I've been arguing with myself ever
since, and I hadn't made up my mind yet when Trask's goons grabbed us,
but I hadn't decided not to.  It was only when I saw first hand what
could happen, and how you saved us that I realized what I'd nearly
done.  Clark, I'm so ashamed. I want you to know that no matter what
happens I'll never tell anyone.  Ever!  And if you never want to see me
again I'll understand."  To her dismay her voice broke on the last word,
and she scrubbed a hand across her face to wipe away the tears that were
blinding her.

Clark didn't answer at once, and her despair deepened.  She had been
right; he would never forgive her, and only now did the reality hit home
that she really didn't want to lose Clark's friendship.  She must have
been insane to even think of writing that horrible story, considering
what it had cost her.  She turned away, her eyes so full of tears that
she couldn't see, and as a result nearly fell over a tree root that
protruded from the soil. A pair of large, masculine hands caught her and
prevented a fall that would have, in the very least, been painful.

"Lois," Clark's voice said in her ear, "I understand, and I believe
you."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  "What?"

"Lois, it's okay," he said.  He wiped the tears, and the makeup that she
had used to try to cover the first crying jag from her face with a
handkerchief.  "Come on, let's sit down over here.  There's a clean
patch of grass."

When they were both sitting, he handed her the handkerchief.  "Here.
You better blow your nose," he suggested.

She obeyed, and mopped at her face again.  Clark didn't speak while she
was trying to recover a few shreds of self control, and after a few
moments, and several deep breaths, she ventured to look up at him.

He had taken off his glasses.  It was the first thing she saw, and he
was looking soberly at her, waiting for her reaction.

"You don't hate me?" she asked.

He shook his head.  "I could never hate you, Lois.  But I'm glad you
decided not to write the article."

She swiped at her face again.  "I haven't cried this much in years.  I'm
so sorry, Clark, I..."

"And you don't have to keep apologizing," he said, softly.  "The
important thing isn't what you *were* going to do, but that you decided
*not* to do it.  I don't think you really would have.  Not when it came
right down to it."

"I'm not so sure of that," she said.

"Well, I am," he said.  "I just have one question."

She sniffed again and dabbed at her eyes.  "What's that?"

"If I never get my powers back, do you still want to be my partner?"

She gulped and wiped away more tears.  "You mean you still want me?"

He smiled tentatively.  "More than anything."

"Clark, of course I want you for my partner!  I'm no good working with
anybody else!"

"I sort of doubt that."

She gave a watery giggle.  "Just ask Eduardo what happened when Perry
tried to team us up.  Besides, I've gotten used to you."  She looked at
him a little timidly.  "Are you sure..."

"If you don't stop being so humble I'm going to wonder who stole my
partner and replaced her with an alien clone," Clark said.  "Lois, let's
forget it.  It's over and done with."  He put out a hand.  "Friends?"

She took it.  "And partners," she said.  "Power or no powers.  But if
they do come back..."

He grinned.  "Ms. Lane, you wouldn't be suggesting we use them illicitly
to get scoops, are you?"

"Of course I am," she said, archly.

"It's a deal."  Clark began to laugh, and she joined in.  She had never
felt so relieved in her life.

*****************
scene in the Daily Planet continues here.

Nan
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 22:32:59 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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Ok I think I will then! LOL!

BTW, do I just go to Erin's site to nominate?  Sorry I've been busy with a
thing called college so I kinda forgot.

Thanks,
Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 22:33:34 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Mary Scibetta <Meg4076@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Mergers and Breakdowns Part 16
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"Clark Kent.  Oh, hi.  How goes the hearings."  Clark continued to look over
at Lois and then concentrated on Mayson.
    "I am so tired.  I need a break.  The judge thinks that he can get us on
the docket for the next couple of weeks.  Since there were so many
eyewitnesses at the scene and the guilty pretty much admitted to it, this
case will be open and shut pretty quickly.  Then we can worry about us."
This caught Clark's attention.  He had almost forgotten the position that he
and Mayson were at in their relationship.
    "Yeah, after this is all over, we will have to really talk."
    "Yeah.  I have to get going.  Someone just came to the door.  Tell Lois
to expect me to call soon."  Clark hung up the phone after Mayson said
goodbye and looked over at Lois.  How was he going to tell her about him and
Mayson.  He didn't want to hurt her feelings but at the same time he knew
that she was still Luthor's widow.  She had loved Lex, not him.

    Both Lois and Clark had been sent home to work on their angles of
different stories for the remainder of the week.  Perry had no intention of
Lois having to work for several weeks but she had turned him down.  She
really didn't care either way obviously when she announced she could trade
in
one fourth of the amount of money she now had to buy the company.  Perry
even
got a chuckle out of that joke.  Lois was getting better.  She actually
belonged with these people in the newsroom.  She would have never made it as
Luthor's debutante.   Clark went back to his apartment and heard that Mayson
had called three times that morning wondering about lunch.  'She must know
how I am feeling,' he thought to himself as he erased the messages.
Turning on the television, he noticed that the news just broke in with the
story of the
extradition taking place at the airport in town.  There she was.  His
Mayson.
 Flying out of the apartment, he headed for the airport to stand watch.
Where Lex had been concerned, Superman didn't trust any of his people.
    In front of hundreds of police and other security forces, Superman was
just one more guard that would not let anything happen to their main
suspect.
 Main suspect, everyone knew Luthor's assistant was the one.  The plane had
left without permission.  The smoking gun - this judgement was in the bag.
He saw that Mayson was riding in the front car back to the courthouse and
followed the string of cars and police back from overhead.
    "Hey, what's going on?"  Lois walked up to Superman standing off to the
side of the courthouse.  "I thought you would want to escort the scum right
into the jail cell of my choice."
    "We have to follow the letter of the law here.  If one thing goes
slightly wrong, the lawyers will call Mayson for mistrial and then they'll
come after you and make it look like an accident.  Lois, I don't think you
should be here.  Let Clark cover this.  He has the ties on the inside."
    "Yeah, what do you know about that?  Everytime I mention Mayson, he gets
all quiet and pouty."
    "That I can't answer."  Lois looked disgruntled that Superman knew Clark
so well and didn't know about his love life.  What kind of exclusive was he
if he didn't keep up with who his best friend was in love with.  Lois knew
in
her heart that Clark had done something with Mayson the weekend of Lois'
wedding but wasn't sure what.

    The morning of the trial, Clark and Lois had trouble getting close to
the
courthouse.  Once Clark got Lois set up in the witness area, he excused
himself.  He knew this trial was important and Superman was most likely
going
to testify for what he saw of Luthor's body.  He had to find Mayson.
    "Aren't you supposed to be down stairs?"
    "Clark, you came," Mayson reached around his arms and hugged him.
"How's
Lois doing - she is ready?"
    "Yep.  I haven't seen her this intense since the day she was reading for
the Kerth awards."  Clark laughed as he remembered her that first year.
    "How about you?  We're going to talk soon as thing is all over with?"
    "Actually, I was hoping that we could talk during lunch.  I thought we
would go across town since there is supposed to be a two-hour lunch break.
Then we could talk about us."  Mayson rubbed her hand across Clark's chest
and smiled.
    "I have to really keep working through lunch on this one.  I don't want
to mess up the trial of the century."  He hugged her before walking back
down
to the courtroom.
    The case continued into the afternoon until Clark couldn't stand it.  He
had glanced at the list of witnesses and Superman wasn't on is after all.
Something about the fact that he wasn't there at the actual incident was the
difference.  He had never considered it until that moment how he was going
to
ever explain the Superman thing to Mayson.  He didn't think she could take
it.  She treated Superman with respect but it wasn't emotion.  That could
cause a problem.  On the other hand, he knew from Lois' look that at the
moment of her loss, she would have taken Clark just as much as Superman.  He
hoped that wouldn't be lost.

    "Do you think I'll get on the stand anytime this week?"  Lois walked
next
to Clark down the street in front of the Planet building.  He had resigned
to
lunch with Lois after Mayson ended up working through her lunch.  Just then,
Jimmy came running out of the Planet building with his camera.
    "Whoa.  Where you off to?"  Clark grabbed his shirt and waited for a
response.
    "Something about a car bomb down on the rear side of the municipal
building."  Clark looked at Lois and thought quickly.
    "Lois, go with Jimmy.  I got to call someone."
    "Clark?"  As he was running, he turned around to answer.
    "Check on Mayson, her new office is on that side of the courthouse that
municipal building backs up to."  Clark took off and Lois hailed a cab for
her and Jimmy.
    Arriving at the courthouse, the place was crawling with emergency
personnel once again.  This looked deliberate.  Superman landed on the side
with the car bomb and saw the injured coming out.  Mayson.  Mayson was this
target.  Damn Luthor and his confusing psychopathic life.  He flew up to
where Mayson's new office was and only saw charred cabinets.
    "The woman that works in this office?"  Superman stopped the officer
investigating and clearing the scene.  "Where can I find her?  She was the
point man for the state counsel."
    The officer looked at Superman for knowing so much about Mayson Drake.
Her dealings with the case were supposed to be confidential.  "She was
already carried out."  Superman started breathing deep again.
    "She was carried to the Metropolis General for an autopsy.  Something
about the bomb trigger being in one of the files.  These were professionals
that set this one up."  At the same moment his face went blank, Lois and
Jimmy ran though the investigators to get the information.  "But she had
this
on her and thought you would know who to give it to."  The officer handed
Superman a small ring.  Lois had noticed that same ring on Mayson earlier.
    "Thank you."  Lois walked over to Superman as the officer disappeared.
    "She was targeted.  She was named point man for the counsel to keep the
elder attorneys at bay.  It was cover to make sure that the trial would go
through instead of one of the real attorneys getting hit."  Not even looking
at Lois and Jimmy, he took off to the sky.
    "The suspect is gone," Lois heard someone yell from below.  Jimmy and
Lois took off down the hallway.  "SUPERMAN."
    "What?  I was in need to find Clark Kent."
    "No time.  The suspect is gone.  This was all planned.  Someone knew how
everything would play out and planned all of this.  I'm really beginning to
get nervous that I'm next."  Superman took Lois and rubbed her face.
    "I can't lose you."  Lois stood in front of him and wondered if that was
he bearing his soul.  "I have to fly."  She watched him take off and
wondered
if there was something still possible between them.
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 22:34:03 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Mary Scibetta <Meg4076@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Mergers and Breakdowns End
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    DAILY PLANET - Today, the Metropolis police department confirmed the
deaths of Lex Luthor's two most prominent assistants to self inflicted
gunshot wounds.  Lois Lane found the two in the basement of the Luthor Tower
on Friday morning after hearing the news of the status of their not so
generous sum of stock left to them.  Assistants for Luthor for several years
became increasingly his only confidants until Luthor became engaged to Lois
Lane.  To protect his investment, Luthor, suspecting foul play, wrote his
future wife into his Will to hold all his present accounts.  Announcing a
new
stock acquisition, Luthor skyrocketed his own stock through the roof but
soon
saw the advantage to leaving the stock for his assistants.  The Interweb
Communicatons stock holding never actually went through the Senate hearings
because of payoffs to the committee by Luthor himself.  When the suspect was
nabbed in Europe, Mrs. Cox felt her trial could be bought with her wealth
and
hired another suspect to make a hit on the lead attorney, Mayson Drake, a
head figure that actually had no power.  When the two suspects fled the
scene, the trial was cut short until they were found.  That was Friday.
Many
people seem to suspect Luthor in the set up.  In truth, Lex Luthor's love
was
genuine.  End result - poor parentless children like Luthor fathered by
people like Nigel St John make the perfect sons, and Patsys.

"I have an announcement.   I would like to welcome Lois Lane officially back
the newsroom floor.  Lois, I hope you will still take it easy your first few
days and no daredevil stunts this early on."  Lois smiled at Perry and spun
around in her chair to look over at Clark.  Clark was still musing over
Mayson's death.  He kept saying he could have stopped it.  Regardless,
things
were slowly putting themselves back together.  The Daily Planet had their
story run in every paper in the world, Lois was slowly selling of Luthor's
things at Sotheby's for charity, and the suspect, suspects, found out some
horrible news about their fortune and went the way of Hitler and his
mistress.

"Clark, can we talk?"  Lois walked over to his desk and took his hand.
Without saying anything, he followed her into the conference room and closed
the door.
"Clark, did I ever tell you why I went on and married Lex?"  Lois sat across
the conference table from Clark.
    "I assumed you loved him."  Clark answered halfway kidding.
    "I married him because from when I was little I was told no matter what
happened with mom and dad that was a little girl's life calling.  Marry
someone who could provide."  Lois looked at Clark without seeing his face.
"You want to know why in a weird way I'm glad I'm not married anymore?"
Clark nodded his head but still wasn't looking at her.
    Putting her hands over his in the middle of the conference table, she
responded, "Because I need to fix a mistake I made long ago."  Clark looked
up at her puzzled.  Reaching across the table, she planted a full passionate
kiss on Clark's lips.  Removing his hands from hers, he wrapped one hand
through her hair and held her lips to his for few more moments.  As they
separated, Lois squeezed his other hand that was still on the table.  "Let's
just take it real slow, promise?"
    "Scouts honor, partner."
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 23:24:37 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 2 of ?)
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PART TWO

Clark was up out of his seat and at Lois=E2=80=99s side in an instant.
She=20=
was=20
crying in her sleep, twisted uncomfortably in bed.  Her arms were
wrestling=20
with her sheets,  her hands reaching out for something.  She was
screaming=20
his name.

=E2=80=9CShhhh, Lois, baby, I=E2=80=99m here,=E2=80=9D Clark whispered,
pull=
ing her to his chest and=20
cradling her.  He rocked her gently as she slowly eased out of her dream=20
state.=20

=E2=80=9CClark!  Oh, God, Clark,=E2=80=9D she sobbed.  Her arms were
wrapped=
 around his=20
neck.  She held him just as close as he held her. =20

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m here, Lois, I=E2=80=99m not leaving you.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CIt was so awful, Clark.  There was so much blood...=E2=80=9D

Clark=E2=80=99s heart clenched him his chest.  She was dreaming about
being=20=
shot.  Of=20
course he couldn=E2=80=99t expect her to just get over it.  She was
sufferin=
g.  He=20
tightened his hold on her, being careful not to hurt her more with the=20
pressure of his grasp. =20

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m so sorry, Clark.=E2=80=9D  Lois whispered between
shaky=
 breaths. =20

Sorry?

=E2=80=9CLois, you have nothing to be sorry for,=E2=80=9D Clark said
hoarsel=
y, shutting his=20
eyes against the tears that were collecting there.

=E2=80=9CI tried to stop him, Clark, I really did.  But I couldn=E2=80=99t
m=
ove...=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CIt was just a nightmare, Lois.  He can=E2=80=99t hurt you anymore.=
=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHe was going to shoot, and I tried to stop him...=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI won=E2=80=99t let anyone hurt you again, ever.=E2=80=9D=20

=E2=80=9CAnd then you were lying there....=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CNever.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThere was so much blood.... so much blood....=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI promise.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHe shot you Clark, you were bleeding.=E2=80=9D  Lois jumped
suddenl=
y in his arms,=20
as if startled.  =E2=80=9CThere was a hole in your jacket.=E2=80=9D

She remembered. =20

Lois pulled away from him, and looked at him with teary eyes.  She
sniffled.=
 =20
He didn=E2=80=99t move.  He was searching for an explanation. =20

Lois moved away from him, slightly, keeping one arm around his neck.  The=20
other arm moved down.  She pressed her hand to his chest, and then moved
it=20
down.  Her fingers pressed down on his lower abdomen, right over where
she=20
was sure there had been a bullet hole.  She could=E2=80=99ve sworn she saw
a=
 bullet=20
hole.

=E2=80=9CYou were shot.  I saw the hole.=E2=80=9D

Clark wet his lips.  He=E2=80=99d managed to pull his jacket off quickly,
us=
ing it to=20
absorb the
blood from Lois=E2=80=99 leg before the paramedics got there.  No one else
h=
ad=20
noticed the hole, and fortunately, there wasn=E2=80=99t one in his shirt.
H=
is shirt=20
was close enough to his body to be protected by his aura.  He=E2=80=99d
hope=
d Lois=20
had forgotten about it. =20

=E2=80=9CThere *was* a hole,=E2=80=9D Clark said slowly, trying to give
hims=
elf time to come=20
up with an explanation.  =E2=80=9CBut the blood wasn=E2=80=99t mine.  It
was=
 yours.=E2=80=9D

At least that much was the truth.

=E2=80=9CThe paramedic said that the bullet passed through your leg and
hit=20=
me. =20
That=E2=80=99s why there was a hole in the jacket.  But, um, I was wearing
m=
y pager=20
underneath my jacket.... and the bullet hit the pager...=E2=80=9D  Clark
rea=
ched=20
quickly behind him, to where his pager was hooked to his belt.  He pushed
hi=
s=20
thumb into the center of it, making an indentation.  He pulled it around
for=
=20
Lois to see. =20

=E2=80=9CSee?  The paramedic said that when the bullet passed through your
l=
eg, it=20
lost enough momentum so that it didn=E2=80=99t shatter the pager
completely.=
 =20
Otherwise, the bullet would=E2=80=99ve killed me.=E2=80=9D

Clark inhaled sharply.  *What a stupid excuse, Kent.  She=E2=80=99ll never
b=
uy it. =20
It=E2=80=99s almost as bad as the Choco Chocolate Monster Chip ice cream
exc=
use you=20
used for the warehouse fire the other day.*=20

Lois gazed at the pager in Clark=E2=80=99s hand, slowly absorbing the
inform=
ation. =20
Her fingers still pressed at his abdomen.  He was solid.  He was alive. =20
Slowly, she brought her eyes back up to his. =20

She could see the concern in his eyes.  *I=E2=80=99ve put him through so
muc=
h* she=20
thought,
swallowing the lump that filled her throat.  *I almost killed him.  He=E2=
=80=99s=20
lucky to be alive.*

Lois wrapped her arms around his neck tightly once more, glad she still
had=20
him to hold.

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 1 Feb 2000 23:29:00 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 3 of ?)
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PART THREE

It was midnight.  Clark had spent the day at Lois=E2=80=99s house, making
su=
re she=20
was alright.  Finally, after reassuring him that she was fine, and that she=
=E2=80=99d=20
call him if she needed anything, he left her apartment and headed for
home.=20=
=20
But he couldn=E2=80=99t sleep.  One of the few things Clark hated about
bein=
g=20
Superman was that he didn=E2=80=99t have to sleep, even after having been
aw=
ake for=20
the past 48 hours.  Of course, it had its advantages.  When there was a
lot=20
of trouble in the city, he could go for a long time without sleep.  But he=
=E2=80=99d=20
already been patrolling.  The city was quiet.  Except for a few lurking=20
gangsters, for whom he=E2=80=99d scoured the neighborhood to no avail,
nobod=
y needed=20
Superman.=20

He tried to read, but found he couldn=E2=80=99t concentrate.  There was
noth=
ing but=20
infomercials on television, and he didn=E2=80=99t need a Thigh-Master or
an=20
Abdominizer.  Finally, he picked up the phone. =20

=E2=80=9CHello?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHi Mom.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHi, Honey!  I read your story on that warehouse fire.  Nice
work...=
 both of=20
you.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThanks Mom.=E2=80=9D

There was a brief silence.

=E2=80=9CSo how long do I have to wait before you tell me what=E2=80=99s
wro=
ng?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWhat?  Nothing=E2=80=99s wrong, Mom...  Well, not really.
Everythi=
ng=E2=80=99s fine now.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CDon=E2=80=99t lie to me Clark Jerome,=E2=80=9D Martha said in a
ton=
e that Clark new meant=20
business.=20
=E2=80=9CDo you really think you can fool me?=E2=80=9D

Clark sighed.  =E2=80=9CNo Ma=E2=80=99am.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWell, then, tell me what=E2=80=99s wrong.  What=E2=80=99s got you
s=
o upset?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CLois was shot, Mom.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D  Martha was alarmed.  =E2=80=9CJonathan, pack the
ba=
gs, we=E2=80=99re going to=20
Metropolis,=E2=80=9D
Clark heard his mother call to his father, muffled by her hand over the=20
receiver.  Clark
never understood why she did that.  She knew he could hear her anyway.

=E2=80=9CMom, don=E2=80=99t worry.  She=E2=80=99s okay.  The bullet went
thr=
ough her leg.  She=E2=80=99s at=20
home
recovering.=E2=80=9D

Martha sighed, relieved.  =E2=80=9CThank heavens.  So, you=E2=80=99re
upset=20=
because Superman=20
didn=E2=80=99t get to her fast enough to save her.=E2=80=9D=20

=E2=80=9CNo...  Well, yes.  But it=E2=80=99s not how you think.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CClark, honey, there are going to be times when bad things happen
an=
d=20
Superman just can=E2=80=99t get there in time.  You can=E2=80=99t be
everywh=
ere, honey.  You=20
can=E2=80=99t save everyone all the time, even Lois...=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI know that Mom.  But it=E2=80=99s not that.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThen what is it?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI got there.  I was with her.  I saw the whole thing happen.  And
I=
=20
didn=E2=80=99t...=E2=80=9D  Clark=E2=80=99s
voice cracked.  He swallowed hard.

=E2=80=9CWhat happened, baby?=E2=80=9D

Clark told his mother about Dillinger and the other gangsters.  He told
her=20
about the
whole story, and about how he and Lois wound up at the casino.  He told
her=20
how he
stood there and watched Lois get shot, rather than revealing himself as=20
Superman.  Finally, he ended his story, spent from reliving the whole=20
horrible scenario.  He waited for his mother to say something.  He was
scare=
d=20
of what she thought of him. =20

Martha took a deep breath.  She thought a minute, choosing her words=20
carefully before proceeding.  =E2=80=9CHoney, I don=E2=80=99t understand.
Y=
ou said=20
Dillinger was aiming at you?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThat=E2=80=99s right.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThen how was Lois shot?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CShe jumped on me, I think.  I was hit too.=E2=80=9D

Martha paused.  Clark froze.  When Martha finally spoke, Clark could hear
th=
e=20
laughter in her voice. =20

=E2=80=9CDon=E2=80=99t take this the wrong way, honey, but you really can
be=
 a lunkhead=20
sometimes.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CHoney, why do you think Lois jumped on you?=E2=80=9D  Clark said
no=
thing.  Slowly,=20
spelling it out for Clark, Martha continued.  =E2=80=9CHoney, she was
trying=
 to push=20
you out of the way.  She was trying to save you.=E2=80=9D

*Oh God.*  Clark fought to absorb this new information.  Lois was trying
to=20
save him.=20
But he didn=E2=80=99t need saving.  He was Superman.

Martha could sense Clark struggling.  =E2=80=9CHoney, she loves you.  Why
el=
se would=20
she try to stop a bullet for you?=E2=80=9D

The words were lost on Clark.  He was lost in his own world again, his
mind=20
reeling with the implications of his mother=E2=80=99s statement.  Lois had
t=
ried to=20
save him, and got hurt in the process.=20

Clark was always worried that Lois would get hurt because of Superman.
If=20
anyone
realized how close her relationship with Superman was, even Lois, then
she=20
would
instantly become a target.  Criminals would be standing in line, waiting
to=20
use her to get to him.  So he=E2=80=99d kept it a secret, in order to
protec=
t her.

But Lois had still gotten hurt.

Lois had gotten hurt because of his secret, only not the way he had
thought=20
she would.  She almost died, because she thought Clark was vulnerable.
She=20
tried to save him because she thought the bullet could kill him.  If she
had=
=20
known he was Superman, she wouldn=E2=80=99t have put herself at risk.  She=
=E2=80=99d almost=20
died because Clark was Superman, but not the way he had thought.  She
almost=
=20
died because he wasn=E2=80=99t honest with her. =20

He may as well have pulled the trigger himself.

*****  =20
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 00:14:54 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Singin Drew <SinginDrew@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Presents: part 1
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Sorry for those of you who have already seen the story, but I posted it
to=20
the wrong list the first time.

This story is not set in any particular time frame except for after their=20
almost first date. I've used experiences from all over the place, so
don't=20
get too picky about time frames. Enjoy the story and feedback is
definitely=20=
a=20
plus!!!

Presents

    It=E2=80=99s Christmas Eve and Lois Lane, award-winning star-reporter
fo=
r the=20
world-renown newspaper The Daily Planet, was at her wits end. Clark had=20
expressed his deep caring and emotional need for her in his life and Lois=20
doesn=E2=80=99t know if she is ready to open up and risk the chance of
losin=
g her=20
heart and her pride if it doesn=E2=80=99t work out.=20
**************************************************************************

    "C=E2=80=99mon Lane! You know you care for him! Why else would your
hear=
t do=20
somersaults every time he walks into view? Every time his name is
mentioned,=
=20
you know you get a goofy grin on your face and try to hide it!" Lois
chuckle=
d=20
at this last remark of hers as she enjoyed her morning cup of coffee at
her=20
kitchen table. She could still smell faint traces of his cologne from the=20
previous night when he came in with her to watch Christmas In
Connecticut.=20
Nothing really happened before or after the movie. But during the movie,
Loi=
s=20
just felt this kind of peace flow through her when she leaned against him
an=
d=20
settled in for the movie. Their hands ended up being intertwined by the
end=20
of the movie, but neither of them commented on that. He thanked her for=20
entertaining him for the evening and left. Lois wondered what would have=20
happened if she had just squeezed his hand. Would he squeeze back? Would
he=20
look at her with the burning she at times had felt?=20

    "Listen to yourself! What is coming over you?! Just because one=20
admittedly good-looking guy, tells you he doesn=E2=80=99t want to live
witho=
ut you,=20
you turn all goo-goo eyed like some mooney-eyed cheerleader! Get a grip!"
    But Lois couldn=E2=80=99t get him out of her mind. His Christmas
present=
 had been=20
foremost on her mind for the last two weeks. She started leafing through
a=20
store catalog as she tried to get ideas about what to get Clark for=20
Christmas. Clark had been teasing Lois since the day after Thanksgiving=20
saying he has had her gift all wrapped and under his tree and it=E2=80=99s
t=
he most=20
perfect gift she could ever want.=20

    "Gee, no pressure there!" She didn=E2=80=99t know whether or not to
get=20=
him a=20
nice romantic gift, or else stick with an old stand-by. Her mother used
to=20
buy ties for Lois=E2=80=99 father and say they were from Lois and Lucy.
That=
=E2=80=99s=20
usually a pretty good stand-by.

    There was another issue Lois was also wondering about. Clark was=20
definitely not materialistic, but if he spent a lot of money on her
present,=
=20
she would feel extremely guilty about getting him something, well, not.=20

    "He did mention back in October about how he needed new sheets since
his=
=20
old ones had become worn and faded,"  she realized as she flipped through
th=
e=20
bedding section.

    "But then he=E2=80=99ll think all I want is to get into his bed! Lois
th=
ought=20
irrationally. Oh... But I really must have it bad if I=E2=80=99m
remembering=
 things=20
he asked for two months ago!"

    Lois had called Perry earlier in the morning to tell him she was
taking=20
the morning off. She didn=E2=80=99t let him know it was to do her
Christmas=20=
shopping=20
although he had probably guessed. Lois actually felt she earned the time
off=
,=20
though. Especially since she and Clark had snagged the latest scoop on
the=20
Holiday Highwaymen. The Holiday Highwaymen were a band of thieves who
would=20
sit by the side of the road with a flat tire. When some kind, unknowing=20
stranger would pull up to help the distraught driver, the rest of his
cohort=
s=20
would jump out and steal the drivers wallet and any Christmas presents
they=20
could find in the vehicle. Lois and Clark had helped the police figure
out=20
the next place the group might be hitting according to their past
encounters=
.=20
All that was left was to wait while the police were on stakeout of the=20
assumed area.=20

    But back to the matter at hand: Clark=E2=80=99s Christmas present.
Jimmy=
=E2=80=99s=20
present was simple: he said he needed new lenses for his camera. Can=E2=80=
=99t get=20
much easier than that! Even Perry=E2=80=99s gift was easier than Clark=E2=
=80=99s: Lois found=20
a framed picture of Elvis that would be perfect for his office. Their
gifts=20
were quite simple to find and represented them so well. It was Clark who
was=
=20
giving Lois the most trouble!

    Lois got out her pen and notepad and started making a list of all the=20
stores she wanted to hit in the order they should be hit so as to not
lose=20
any time before she had to go in after lunch. By this time, it was ten=20
o=E2=80=99clock.=20

    "Three hours is plenty of time to find something for him. He can=E2=80=
=99t be=20
that hard to shop for!"

    After her list was fully prepared (well, as fully prepared as she
though=
t=20
she could be!), Lois darted out of the house and headed down the block
where=
=20
her Jeep was parked. One of her fellow tenants had had a Christmas party
the=
=20
night before and conveniently forgot to tell his friends not to park in
the=20
reserved spaces. After a long debate, Clark had finally convinced Lois to
le=
t=20
it go and walk inside or else they=E2=80=99d miss the movie. Reluctantly,
Lo=
is=20
circled around the block again and parked in the first spot she saw,
which=20
happened to be three houses down, but, since she was with Clark, she didn=
=E2=80=99t=20
mind the walk.=20

    In the morning, she started to mind!

    "Why is it, when I=E2=80=99m with him, he can make any issue the most
tr=
ivial=20
thing. But by myself, it gets all blown out of proportion? How does he do=20
that?" Lois queried in an almost angry tone.

**************************************************************************
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 00:15:47 EST
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Subject:      Presents: part 2
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
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    Lois=E2=80=99 first stop was to Grant=E2=80=99s Appliance. Lois had
noti=
ced the phone by=20
Clark=E2=80=99s couch had mysteriously disappeared so she decided that a
pho=
ne might=20
be appropriate. Lois walked in and started looking at the different phone=20
models when a clerk walked up to her.=20

    "Hi there! I=E2=80=99m Stacy. Can I help you find anything?"

    Lois, slightly bewildered by actually seeing an employee walk up to a=20
customer in a store, answered the young woman=E2=80=99s question and asked
a=
bout the=20
different features on the phones.

    "Well, the one in your hand has built in caller ID, and an answering=20
machine. There is no way he=E2=80=99ll forget to call with both of those
bui=
lt into=20
the phone!" Stacy joked.

    Lois thought about the woman=E2=80=99s joke. =E2=80=98If I get Clark a
p=
hone for=20
Christmas, he=E2=80=99s gonna think I want him to call me all the time and
t=
hen=20
he=E2=80=99ll think I=E2=80=99m clingy.=E2=80=99

     Lois high-tailed it out of that store and walked up the street to
the=20
next store on her list. By this time it was already 10:40.

    The new store held an amazing array of office supplies that Lois=20
remembered from their supply cabinet. "Now what would I think if on
Christma=
s=20
morning I opened a package of pencils?" That was the end of that store.
10:5=
8.

    Next was the music store. Pearl Jam had a new CD out that Clark didn=E2=
=80=99t=20
have yet.=20

    "It=E2=80=99s pretty bad that I know his entire CD collection! But I
gue=
ss it=20
does help that he keeps them all in alphabetical order." Lois
rationalized=20
again.=20

    Lois remembered how she and Clark were supposed to go see Pearl Jam
for=20
their first date, but ended up having to work. Their almost-first-date
was=20
nice, 'but I don=E2=80=99t think I should rub it in Clark=E2=80=99s face
tha=
t we didn=E2=80=99t=20
actually get to go out. I think he still feels bad about it.'

     Lois exited the store with three CD=E2=80=99s for herself and crossed
t=
he street=20
towards the department store. 11:32.

    On the way, Lois walked by a sidewalk vendor selling flowers.

    "Flowers?" Lois wondered. "No. Too girlie."

    "What about a nice bottle of wine?" She thought as she passed by a
cute=20
little shop selling vintage wines. "All Clark and I do is drink when we=E2=
=80=99re=20
together. It=E2=80=99s amazing he doesn=E2=80=99t think I=E2=80=99m a
drunk!=
" Lois hurried past that=20
shop. 11:39.

    Lois entered the departments store and immediately headed for the men=
=E2=80=99s=20
department. The first thing that caught her eye was a beautiful silk tie
tha=
t=20
she would have loved to see him in, but then the thought enters her mind,=20
"Doesn=E2=80=99t he have enough ties?" She scratches that idea. 11:44.

    After trying to describe to the attendant for nearly an hour how
Clark=20
looked and trying to figure out his size, Lois gave up on buying Clark=20
clothes. The attendant seemed to think Lois made up this marvelous
looking=20
man she was intending to buy clothes for.

    Finally Lois realized "What=E2=80=99s the point in buying something if
h=
e=E2=80=99s just=20
going to have to take it back anyway? Then he=E2=80=99ll also know how
much=20=
I spent=20
on him!"=20

    The thought of a gift certificate flashed through Lois=E2=80=99 mind,
bu=
t that=20
got nixed right away. "The amount is always so hard to decide, and there=E2=
=80=99s=20
really no thought involved in it, either." 12:33.

    Lois was beginning to get worried. She was almost out of ideas. She=20
decided to run by the houseware=E2=80=99s department and check out some of
t=
heir=20
selection.=20

    "If anything, I can get him a nice vase or, if worse comes to worse,
a=20
chia-pet!" Lois thought as she passed by the box containing the porcelain=20
animal that grows a plant out of it's back that can be trimmed and
shaped.=20

    Lois started picking up different household goods but didn=E2=80=99t
fee=
l any of=20
them fit into Clark=E2=80=99s apartment. She had to admit, the man does
know=
 how to=20
decorate.

    "But what if I get him something for his apartment and he thinks I don=
=E2=80=99t=20
like his style of decorating? Then I=E2=80=99ll really have insulted him!"

    Finally, Lois turned to leave empty-handed when she saw it. She saw=20
exactly what she knew would be the perfect present for Clark. She picked
it=20
up, paid for it, then dropped it into her purse and turned to head to
work.=20
If she didn=E2=80=99t hurry, she=E2=80=99d be late for work.=20

****************************************************************************=
**
******************
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 00:16:19 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Singin Drew <SinginDrew@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Presents: part 3
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

    Walking in to the Daily Planet, Lois knew she had a huge weight
lifted=20
off her shoulders. She passed by Clark=E2=80=99s desk and her heart began
to=
 race as=20
she realized he wasn=E2=80=99t anywhere in sight. She quickly looked
around=20=
and=20
remembered that he was out getting the newest police report on the
Holiday=20
Highwaymen.

    To pass the time, and since Lois knew she wouldn=E2=80=99t be seeing
eit=
her of=20
them tomorrow, Lois handed Jimmy and Perry their Christmas presents.
Jimmy=20
was extremely excited, although Lois couldn=E2=80=99t figure out why. That=
=E2=80=99s exactly=20
what he had asked for! And Perry immediately hung up the picture in the
exac=
t=20
place Lois figured he would.

    As Lois walked out of Perry=E2=80=99s office, Clark walked up to her
des=
k and set=20
down a piece of paper. Lois=E2=80=99 heart belly-flopped when she realized
t=
hat, from=20
at this vantage point, she could see him, but he couldn=E2=80=99t see her.
J=
ust as=20
Clark grabbed his coat and prepared to leave again, Lois regained her=20
composure and called out to him.

    "Clark!"

    "Oh! You _are_ here! I was beginning to get worried!" Clark called as
he=
=20
walked in her direction. He was just about to scour the city for her. He=20
hadn=E2=80=99t heard from her in over 12 hours and was beginning to get
worr=
ied.=20
Usually, he was in constant knowledge of her whereabouts, whether it was
by=20
phone or by Superman. And he knew from her past, that if Lois couldn't be=20
found, she usually needed help!

    "You were?" Lois quietly asked filling with joy at the thought of him=20
worrying about her. That was definitely not something she was used to
hearin=
g=20
from other men!

    She walked over to her desk with him and picked up the piece of paper
he=
=20
had set on her desk.

    "What=E2=80=99s this?" she wondered.

    "That=E2=80=99s the-"

    "It=E2=80=99s the story." Lois stated with building frustration. "I=E2=
=80=99ve been gone=20
for three hours and you=E2=80=99ve already got the story wrapped and ready
t=
o print!"

    Clark could see by the look her eyes that Lois was hurt because she=20
didn=E2=80=99t get to participate in probably the biggest story of the
seaso=
n. Which=20
is definitely understandable, but he didn=E2=80=99t know what she wanted
him=
 to do=20
about it. When the story broke, he didn=E2=80=99t want to interrupt her
beca=
use she=20
finally took one of her well-deserved vacation days. Even if it was just
a=20
half-day. He eventually decided to page her and if she responded, then he=20
would tell her.

    "I tried paging you. I never got a call back so I went with it."

    Lois went to check her pager and sure enough, the battery had died.
She=20
had been wondering why there was no big emergency during her little
shopping=
=20
spree.

    "My pager died. Wonderful!" Lois put down the rejected pager and took=20
another look at Clark=E2=80=99s article as he began to sit down at his
desk.=
 That=E2=80=99s=20
when Lois noticed her name on the by-line as well.

    "Clark? I think there=E2=80=99s something wrong with this article."
She=20=
announced=20
to him as she casually walked over to his desk.

    "What? What did you find?" He asked as took the article out of her
hands=
=20
to scan it for himself.

    "Why is my name on there? I had nothing to do with this one. You
found=20
the information, you researched it, and... you did a really good job."
Lois=20
barely choked out.

    Clark knew how hard it was for Lois to give compliments so he took
her=20
last remark to heart, even if it was barely audible to even him!=20

    "Well thank you. But, we=E2=80=99re partners. Together on everything."
H=
e said=20
giving her a sincere look that Lois was afraid held so much more than she=20
thought she could feel. She hoped that one day she could reciprocate his=20
feelings, but right now, his intense gaze, which melted her heart, made
her=20
feel inferior so she had to change the subject.

    "Well, so what are you doing to celebrate the holiday?" Lois asked.

    "Well, tomorrow I=E2=80=99m going down to Smallville to spend
Christmas=20=
Day with=20
my folks-"

    "Oh that=E2=80=99ll be nice." Lois interjected.

    "But tonight... I was hoping, well, that you and I could get together
to=
=20
exchange our gifts." Clark sent out the invitation. Now it was just a
matter=
=20
of Lois accepting...

    "I think we could do that. What time?" Lois answered trying to keep
as=20
cool an exterior as possible.

    "How about seven at your place? I=E2=80=99ll bring over something to
eat=
 and a=20
nice bottle of wine. I think they=E2=80=99re going to show =E2=80=98It=E2=
=80=99s A Wonderful Life=E2=80=99=20
on TV tonight." Clark proposed.

    Lois checked her watch and affirmed their plans. But if he was coming=20
over, she had some major plans to get prepared for, so Lois jetted out of
th=
e=20
newsroom and headed home.
**************************************************************************
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 00:16:53 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Singin Drew <SinginDrew@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Presents: part 4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

    Lois scoured through every box she had in her entire apartment to=20
complete the finishing touches on her present for Clark. She finally got=20
everything put away and herself ready right when Clark rang the doorbell.=20
Lois answered the door looking exquisite in a simple black dress with=20
spaghetti straps and an open back. Clark could barely keep his jaw off
the=20
floor. But Lois knew she felt the same about him. He walked in wearing a=20
gorgeous charcoal suit with the silk tie Lois was looking at in the=20
department store. =E2=80=98It=E2=80=99s  a good thing I didn=E2=80=99t get
h=
im that!=E2=80=99 Lois quickly=20
thought.

    Lois rushed Clark inside, took the food and wine from him and set it
on=20
the table. Clark still held on to Lois=E2=80=99 present, though. He
finally=20=
set it=20
down under Lois=E2=80=99 tree when Lois asked him if he was going to carry
i=
t around=20
all night. Embarrassed, he set it down and joined Lois at the dinner
table=20
which was adorned with lit candles and the Italian food Clark had picked
up=20
from Giordanno=E2=80=99s. Each ate as much as they could, but were both
too=20=
excited=20
about giving the other their "perfect present" they couldn=E2=80=99t wait
an=
ymore.

    Finally, Lois said "How about we do presents now?" with as much=20
nonchalance as she could muster.

    "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." Clark agreed with mirroring=20
emotions.

    Both got up from the table and nearly knocked each other down as they=20
raced to the tree to give each other their present first. Surprisingly=20
enough, Lois beat Clark to the tree and handed him his gift first which
was=20
wrapped in a small box.

    "But wait! You can=E2=80=99t open it yet." Lois told him sternly.

    Clark looked at Lois both befuddled and amused.

    "You have to wait until I=E2=80=99m out of the room. Promise?" Lois
aske=
d=20
hopefully.

    "Yeah, sure. Tell me when." Clark replied.

    Lois left the room and told him to go ahead. Clark finally got the
box=20
unwrapped and open and pulled out a beautiful silver picture frame with
an=20
envelope taped to the front. Clark pulled off the envelope to reveal a=20
picture of he and Lois right after they had re-modeled her bathroom
together=
=20
5 months ago. Both were in raggedy sweat pants and old T-shirts which
were=20
covered with paint. But neither of them could have looked happier. Clark=20
opened the envelope and took out the letter contained therein. It read:

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-=
^-
^-^-^-
Dear Clark,

    I tried to find you the perfect gift. I couldn=E2=80=99t think of
anythi=
ng more=20
perfect than the two of us together, close, comfortable, and happy. And
that=
=20
makes everything perfect.

                            Love,=20
                                 Lois
PS I love you.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-=
^-
^-^-^-

    Clark started to get tears in his eyes when he took another look at
the=20
picture and then saw Lois walk out of her room wearing the same sweat
pants=20
and T-shirt as she was in the picture. Looking as beautiful as ever but
also=
=20
happy, Clark walked over to her and with a renewed confidence, kissed her=20
like he had been longing to kiss her since the day they met and literally=20
lifted her off her feet. Lois returned his affection with everything she
had=
=20
and then some. Finally Clark broke away from the embrace.

    "I haven=E2=80=99t given you your gift." He stated slyly.

    "Oh, Clark you really didn=E2=80=99t-" He interrupted her with a swift
k=
iss which=20
quickly did it=E2=80=99s duty. He handed her his gift and watched as she
beg=
an to=20
open the beautiful wrapping. Lois slowly began to pull out the same
beautifu=
l=20
silver picture frame with an envelope taped to the front. She looked at
Clar=
k=20
quizzically and then began to pull the envelope off the frame and saw the=20
exact same picture that was in her frame. She drew the letter out of it=E2=
=80=99s=20
container and began to read.=20

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-=
^-
^-^-^-
Dear Lois,=20

    The perfect gift would not do for you. The only thing perfect in my
worl=
d=20
is you. And the only thing other thing I could think of is the two of us=20
together, close, comfortable, and happy. Nothing is as perfect as that.

                        Love,=20
                             Clark
PS I love you.

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-=
^-
^-^-^-

    Lois had tears running down her cheeks when she finally looked up to=20
catch Clark=E2=80=99s eye. But he wasn=E2=80=99t there. Lois turned around
t=
o see him=20
emerging from her room wearing the same sweat pants and T-shirt he was=20
wearing in the picture. Lois ran over to him and embraced him again
realizin=
g=20
at that moment that this man meant more to her than she had ever felt
about=20
anyone.=20

    Lois broke off the embrace and looked Clark straight in the eye.

    "Clark, I love you. And I need you in my life, to be
together...(Kiss)=20
close...(Kiss) comfortable...(Kiss) and happy."  Lois said with as much=20
emotion as she had left in her. They worked their way over to the couch
to=20
enjoy the rest of the evening watching the movie and holding each other
clos=
e.

    After the movie, Clark looked deep into Lois=E2=80=99 eyes and couldn=
=E2=80=99t believe=20
how wonderful that experience was. Not only was he in love with a
beautiful=20
woman, he found out she was also in love with him. He had one thing left
to=20
tell her, "but not yet. Don=E2=80=99t ruin tonight. Tonight it=E2=80=99s
jus=
t her and I=20
being together, close, comfortable, and happy."

THE END

Feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

Singindrew@aol.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:29:52 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: NEW: DMKMSGoS, 2/4
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

I don't seem to have it either. But I just joined this list.
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 02:50:48 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Presents: part 4
In-Reply-To:  <fb.1aa21e1.25c917c5@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

For those who haven't read it yet...

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

This was a lovely little story! I was laughing at Lois' increasingly
frantic attempts to find *the* perfect gift for Clark, and the way you
added the time after each para just made the whole thing funnier. The bit
with Clark wearing the same tie she was eyeing in the store was an extra
touch. :)

One question: was Clark saying "slyly" or "shyly" that he hadn't given Lois
her present yet? It might be a typo, but when I saw that adverb, the
thought instantly leapt into my head that his "present" would be telling
her who he really was -- unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the Suit.

One request: I don't know what program you used to type your story, but all
your apostrophes came out as nonsense symbols, which turned the story into
an irritating read. I continued because it was fun, but I would have
enjoyed it a lot more without the problem. Please make sure you "save as"
your story as text before cutting and pasting it so we can *all* enjoy your
stories equally!

Oh, and let me add this -- WAFFy stories are prolly my least favorite kind,
so this story *has* to be extra good for me to like it!

Looking forward to more of your work,

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 03:49:31 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
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I'm taking a creative fiction writing class at my college right now.  I'm=20
taking it for my english minor and also in hopes of bettering me as a
fanfic=
=20
writer and all around writer in general.  Anyway our first assignment a=20
couple of weeks ago, was to write our life story in two pages or less.
The=20
catch is that she didn't tell us how we could go about it.   This is what
I=20
came up with.  I'm posting it here, because there are more people who=20
appreciate my writing style here then they do at school! ;p  I hope you
like=
=20
it and feedback is more then welcomed even though the assignment had
already=
=20
been turned in.  Basically I'm just posting this for fun!  ;)

This is simple titled, UNTITLED.

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D

Untitled

    I was born in a big Metropolitan city, located on the east coast.
From=20
the minute I opened my eyes, I knew this was it.  The city of my birth
would=
=20
be my permanent home.  I would make a name for myself.  It was in my blood.
    Daddy was a brilliant surgeon, well at least that=92s what other
people=20
said.  Mother was a nurse.  My parents met when she was his assistant.
The=
y=20
got married and had two children, both girls.  Daddy wasn=92t too happy
abou=
t=20
that.  He always wanted a boy.  When I was 12, my parents got a divorce. =20
Mother said it was because Daddy was in love with his cyborgs more than
her.=
 =20
She said that my younger sister and I were better off without him.  Then=20
again what does she know?  She=92s a recovering alcoholic.
    As I got older, my interests turned to journalism.  The life of a=20
journalist can be rather lonesome sometimes.  You can get completely
wrapped=
=20
up in your work and forget who you really are.  This was something I was=20
rather used to.
    After graduating from the university, I got a job as an assistant at
one=
=20
of the biggest newspapers in the world.  I eventually worked my way up to=20
being the top investigative reporter.  I am what you call the top dog or
top=
=20
banana. =20
    Currently, I work with a partner.  I wasn=92t too keen on it at first,
b=
ut=20
he=92s grown on me.  In fact I consider him to be my best friend, probably
o=
ne=20
of my only friends.  He=92s also one of the only members of the male
species=
 I=20
can trust.  Although he does have this annoying habit of leaving every
time=20=
I=20
want to say something important.
    The other man in my life, flies around in tights.  But that my
friends,=20
is a different story...
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
written by Alexis W. ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 10:45:37 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
In-Reply-To:  <6e.920237.25c9499b@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On Wed, 2 Feb 2000 03:49:31 EST "Alexis W."
<MsLoisette@AOL.COM> wrote:

>   Anyway our first assignment a couple of
> weeks ago, was to write our life story in two pages or
> less. [snip]
> ==========================
[snip]
>     After graduating from the university, I got a job as an
> assistant at one of the biggest newspapers in the world.  I
> eventually worked my way up to being the top investigative
> reporter.  I am what you call the top dog or top banana.
[snip]
>     The other man in my life, flies around in tights.  But
> that my friends, is a different story...
> ==============

I don't get this, Alexis. The assignment was to write
*your* life story??

Wendy
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 10:54:00 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
In-Reply-To:  <c.c533bd.25c90b85@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE

On Tue, 1 Feb 2000 23:24:37 EST Rose Cookson=20
<Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM> wrote:

>=20
> =E2=80=9CShhhh, Lois, baby, I=E2=80=99m here,=E2=80=9D Clark whispered,=
=20
> pulling her to his chest and cradling her.  He rocked her=20
> gently as she slowly eased out of her dream state.=20

[snip]

Rose, your story looks like one I'd love to read, since I=20
love TOGOM stories and I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort and=20
angst. But these control characters all over the place make=20
it impossible for me to concentrate. Do you think you could=20
start posting again, but *please* save your story as plain=20
text first?

Thank you,

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 10:59:29 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <38978A28.A4CEE476@bellsouth.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

> > Speaking of nominations.. can one nominate themself for a
> category, or would > that just be too weird?
>
> Sure, you can nominate yourself ... I always do.  Um... I
> mean... only if I really think my story is the best in the
> category... ;)

I have to say, I'm wondering if this is an American thing;
some of us UK-based writers were discussing nominations and
all agreed that we'd never dream of nominating ourselves!
It's not anything based on 'English reserve' or anything
like that, since those of us who discussed it are a mix of
Scottish, Irish and English.

But as they say in Yorkshire, 'there's nowt as queer as
folk!'

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 05:05:26 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Debby <Debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
In-Reply-To:  <3894E1D9.812717D4@bellsouth.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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At 08:14 PM 01/30/2000 -0500, Pam wrote:
[megasnip]

>Hope this helped :)

Thanks, it did! :) I thank Wendy, Labrat and Christy for their efforts, too!

Debby
debby@swcp.com
still mulling it over
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:42:27 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Part 23? Where are the other 22 parts? I must have missed them.
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:57:50 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
In-Reply-To:  <1262591254-34437229@smtp.octa4.net.au>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Larissa, go to the archives of this list:

http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html

and scan through them. Erin's been posting this since early
December, I think, so just go back until you see Part 1,
and then jump forward through the weeks until you read them
all. It's well worth it!

Wendy
(still waiting impatiently for more... though understands
that Erin is very busy doing a mammoth task for the Kerths).

On Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:42:27 +0200 Kaye Family
<tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU> wrote:

> Part 23? Where are the other 22 parts? I must have missed
> them. ~Larissa~

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 08:24:14 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
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Erin, don't get sick!  Than we'll never get any new chapters.

Take care.

Charlotte, who hasn't even read this one yet, but will before the day is
out.
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 08:48:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 3 of ?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hmm, Rose, what an interesting state of mind for Clark... mind you, he
deserves it after pulling that stunt with the pager (good thinking on
your part, tho :). I'll be looking for part 4...  =

One request... could you save the file as "text only" before you copy &
paste it?  You've got smart quotes (the curly kind) turned on in your
word processor and they look awful in ASCII, which is how a lot of
people get their mail.

Lemme see if I can show you...

=E2=80=9CHoney, I don=E2=80=99t understand.  You said =

[spoiler] was aiming at you?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CThat=E2=80=99s right.=E2=80=9D

I don't see any " or ' in there, it's all weird characters.  Makes it
hard to read :)  When the story's good, I manage, but it's nicer not to
have to work around it.
-- =

-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net  =

ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in =

_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 09:40:54 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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>>> Speaking of nominations.. can one nominate themself for a
>>> category, or would that just be too weird?

>> Sure, you can nominate yourself ... I always do.  Um... I
>> mean... only if I really think my story is the best in the
>> category... ;)

>I have to say, I'm wondering if this is an American thing;
>some of us UK-based writers were discussing nominations and
>all agreed that we'd never dream of nominating ourselves!

Definately not an American thing; I couldn't nominate myself either. I'm not
exactly sure why, but it just feels wrong to me. There are a lot of good
stories
out there and I can certainly find Kerth-worthy ones in categories my
stories
are in. I'd rather leave it to readers to decide what they feel my stories
are
worth; I already have my own opinions of them (good and bad). I think an
award
allows an audience's opinions to be heard. I could, however, imagine voting
for
myself, depending, of course, on what other stories are nominated...

Christy
kubitc@kenyo

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 06:57:46 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Go to http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html and
start checking back over the archives of the last few weeks.  It's
there.

Nan

Kaye Family wrote:

> Part 23? Where are the other 22 parts? I must have missed them.
> ~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 14:55:47 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Kerth Category Quiz: Round Robins - ANSWERS
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Thanks and well done to everyone who took part in this
quiz. The answers are as follows:

1 - Edge of Discovery - IRC Round Robin
2 - Once Upon A Time In Metropolis - Various, Arbitrator, Yvonne Connell
3 - Fully Functional - IRC Round Robin
4 - Love me Tender - IRC Round Robin
5 - ADITLOM - Alexis (which must be a *very* long day!)
6 - Someone's Watching (Over) Me - IRC Round Robin
7 - Forever Young - German L&C Fanfiction Team
8 - Blast from the Past - IRC Round Robin
9 - Emotional Corners - IRC Round Robin

This seems to have been a hard one! A lot of people said
Edge of *Metropolis* for the first one, so they got half a
point for being close <g> Only two people got #5 (one of
whom was the author). So despite the fact that authors were
easy in most cases (IRC Round Robin) scores were generally
low: no-one came anywhere near the possible maximum of 18.

***Cautionary note*** - I should have pointed out, when I
set this quiz, that OUATIM and ADITLOM are *not* eligible
for this year's Kerths. OUATIM is currently being edited
for the Archive, and ADITLOM is not on the Archive either
(as well as being unfinished - must be one very long day!!
<g>)

Results:

Alexis got 2 quotes right and scores 4.
Pam got 1 quote and 6.5 extracts, and scores 8.5.
Felix got 3 quotes and 4 extracts, and scores 10.
Jessi got 3 quotes and 3.5 extracts, and also scores 10.
Hazel got 3 quotes and also gets points for correctly
identifying 5 stories as by the IRC team, plus half a point
for the wrong 'Edge'. She scores 11.5 and is the winner.

Hope this helped people with their RR nominations; over to
you, Hazel!

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 10:51:31 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Little disclaimer thingy: All the stories here qualify for the Alt-Universe
category in the Kerths this year -- they are stories which either feature
the "Alt World" that was introduced on the show or involve the travel of
the characters between other such parallel universes, and they were
uploaded to the archive in 1999. (One of them has not yet appeared on the
archive, but it was posted here in its entirety and on Zoomway's fanfic
message boards as well.)  However, these are by no means the only stories
on the archive (or elsewhere) that qualify for this category, and this is
not a specific recommendation for any of these stories over any others that
might qualify. No offense to any other story or author is intended. :)

Quiz rules: The quiz has been divided into two sections: single quotes and
excerpts. If you can't get the story from the single quote, then you can
scroll down and try the excerpt.  When you answer (and DON'T forget the
spoiler space!!), let us know if you deserve two points for your answer (if
you got it from the quote) or only one point (if you got it from the
excerpt.) Feel free to hunt the archive if you're unsure. Have fun!

Quote 1:

"We're behaving just like Lois and Clark from Season 2."

Quote 2:

"I don't think giving him obituaries to do just after his
girlfriend has been killed is very appropriate, Perry!"

Quote 3:

"So *our* Superman disappeared in the thunderstorm last
week, and *this* Superman appeared in his place."

Quote 4:

"I watched Vincent try to tear your throat out, and you don't
have a scratch.  So maybe it isn't so incredible that you can
x-ray things with your eyes."

Quote 5:

"Don't you think he should have at least *mentioned* it?  His
ex-fiancee hates me and I had to find out about it from a TV talk
show!"

Quote 6:

"If I remember correctly, he's frightened of your reaction.  He does
trust you, I assure you."

Quote 7:

"But I don't think I'm strong enough to deal with this.  Seeing you
everyday and knowing you aren't her will constantly reinforce the
fact that she's gone, and what I've lost."

Quote 8:

"Maybe we were wrong not to take Mr Wells's chance, but I
don't think so.  He offered us the chance of something better
than what we have, but, Clark, I don't believe that anything
could be better than this."

Quote 9:

"Wow. That was some kiss. I think I felt the Earth move."

Quote 10:

"So what if he comes from Krypton? He's from another planet, and
I'm from another dimension, so we ought to get along just fine!"

* * *

If you need some more help, try the excerpts below, worth one point apiece:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

EXCERPT 1:

His head lowered. Lois froze momentarily as she realised his intentions.
<He's going to kiss me!> she thought agitatedly. "No! - I can't do this!"
she whispered, knowing that Conor could hear her.

"Trust me, Lois," he replied softly, under his breath. He was very close
now; she could feel his breath against her face. She tried not to jerk away
as his lips touched her, but then realised in amazement that instead of
kissing her full on the lips, he was actually kissing just above her upper
lip. His mouth was moving in a parody of a passionate kiss, but it was
barely touching her own lips.

"Act as if you're kissing me back," he whispered, under cover of shifting
his grip on her. She tried to comply, closing her eyes and remembering
similar occasions when Clark had kissed her at her desk. It was still a
relief when Conor straightened.

"That's a TV technique," he murmured very quietly. "Believe me, from the
right angle it looks exactly like a real, passionate kiss - and this will
have been the right angle."

EXCERPT 2:

He thumbed the stop button and leaned back against the wall, closing his
eyes in an effort to regain his inner calm.  Of course, he'd received taunts
before, even before people knew his secret - at school, and at his foster
homes, but somehow, this man had the uncanny knack of getting right
under his carefully built-up defences, going right to his core where he was
most vulnerable.

Maybe it was because Ralph was his boss.  All the other times, the taunts
and
jeering had come from people who were his equal, or at least had no direct
authority over him.  He guessed he'd been lucky that none of the adults
he'd come into contact with while he was growing up had been like that.
Ralph, on the other hand, continually reminded him that he was different,
that he stood out from the crowd, that he didn't fit in.

It was actually employee harassment, he realised, but he couldn't
very well go to personnel and tell them.  How could Superman, the world's
strongest person, claim to be hurt by a few words from his boss?  He was
invulnerable, wasn't he?

No, I'm not, he answered himself.  I'm lonely.

EXCERPT 3:

"Mom?" he called, knocking lightly before swinging the door
 open.  He heard a clatter in the kitchen, as if a drawer were being
 hastily opened and closed.   "Dad ...?" He stepped over the threshold,
 stopping abruptly as Martha Kent charged out of the kitchen, holding
 a large chunk of kryptonite in her hand.

 "I told you not to come here ever again!" she screamed at him, her
 face distorted by anger.  "Get out now!"

 "Mom!" Clark gasped weakly, staggering and almost falling to his knees
 as the force of the Kryptonite hit him.  "No, don't ... I can't ... "
 Waves of pain swept over him, and he dropped to the floor, clutching
 at his stomach.  "Mom ... please ... why are you hurting me ...?"

 Martha watched him writhe and twist in agony, her own face as pale
 as his.  She backed away slightly, giving him enough distance from
 the Kryptonite to allow him to stagger to his feet.  Clark was
 breathing in ragged sobs, tears streaming from his eyes.   "Just go
 away, Clark!" Martha said, the anger draining from her face and
 leaving a mask of sorrow.  "Haven't you done enough?  Go away from
 here."

EXCERPT 4:

He levitated, rising above the tunnel floor and
hovering there, his hair brushing the ceiling.

Clark folded his arms and waited, tracking Vincent with his
ears.  The sound of slow breathing, barely audible even to
him, came closer.  Something dark and formless moved at the
bend in the tunnel.  Clark waited until he was sure Vincent
had a clear line of sight, then rotated his body forty-five
degrees, until he was suspended, on his back, in the middle
of the tunnel.  He hung there for a handful of heartbeats,
then rotated again to hover upside down.  A half twist
brought him around to face Vincent.  "Convinced?" he asked,
keeping his tone conversational.

For the first time, he detected uncertainty in the other
man's voice.  "This is... not possible."

Clark flipped neatly and settled on his feet.  "Some
people," he pointed out, "would say that about you."

EXCERPT 5:

"She told me it was *her*--or Superman.  I chose Superman."

"*Smart* move!"

Clark gave her a crooked smile.  "I still feel guilty.  If it
wasn't for me she might not be like this now.  We were pretty
young when I let her in on my secret.  I think it warped her.  I
wish I hadn't forced that burden on her."

Lois had a sudden desperate urge to throw something sharp and
pointed at the absent Lana, but restrained herself.

"It is *not* your fault!"  Infuriated by his bewildered
expression, she said.  "Boy, she *really* did a number on you,
didn't she?  Clark!  You needed to be loved for who you *are*.
She wasn't capable of that.  Tempus set up your childhood so that
you had no choices.  You confided in the wrong person, that's all.
Can't you *see* that?"

"I've known Lana since we were in kindergarten together.  She
wasn't like this before I told her about me.  She used to be a
caring, compassionate person.  All those years of fearing that the
authorities would come and take me away destroyed that part of
her.  She wasn't being malicious, I'm sure, she was just scared
that I'd be taken away."

"Well, she may not have been malicious *then*, but she sure is
*now*.  She's still controlling your life, and you're not even in
a relationship any more!"

EXCERPT 6:

"Here.  Maybe this will give you some idea of what I'm talking about."  She
handed him a picture of Superman.

"See, *this*," he said, pointing at the picture, "is what I'm afraid of."
He
flipped through the other pictures and stopped at a photo of her Clark with
his parents.

"They're alive?"  She nodded.  "Does he . . . spend much time with them?"
Lois nodded again.  He turned to the next picture, a photo of Lois and her
Clark, smiling with their arms around each other.  "Is this us?"

"It's me and him."

"Are we . . ."  He trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his question.

She blushed.  "It's complicated.  I've been dating him and another guy, Dan
Scardino.  Actually, Clark hasn't told me that he's Superman yet, and he
keeps running off to save the world when I talk about our relationship.  It
hurt me, not knowing why he runs off, so I went out with Dan to get back at
Clark.  Mr. Wells says that Clark and I will get married.  Now I might never
see him again."

EXCERPT 7:

"I, I guess the first thing I'll have to do is get this hair cut." Lois
emitted a little self-conscious laugh.  "I've never had my hair that short
before.  It should be an interesting experience."

"What?"  Clark's introspection had been broken and he was, at first,
confused.  He didn't seem to understand what she had just said.

"I mean if I'm to fill in for this world's Lois, I'll have to look like
her."

Clark leapt to his feet, his face suddenly flushed with anger.  He saw Lois
flinch under the heat of his gaze.

"What do you mean fill in!"  He took one step toward her.  "You can't be
Lois Lane!"

Suddenly all the pent-up fears and frustrations of not only the last few
days but from the last four years surged forth.  Lois came up out of her
chair in a flash and stuck her finger in his chest.

"You forgot something buster!  I *AM* Lois Lane!"

EXCERPT 8:

"Need you?  My dear, I don't *need* you for anything.  But I
want you here because I want you to know what you've done.
As I once told your ancestor, 'God, I love irony!'  And the
best irony of all is that you, a direct descendant of Lois Lane
and Clark Kent, helped me to escape from their prison, come
to the future, and learn how to make things like this wonderful
machine work.  So, now, I can go back in time and destroy
them.  And, believe me, this time I *will* destroy them, one
way or another!"

"You can't!" cried Rachelle.

"Oh?  Why not?  Who's going to stop me?  Not you, I fancy.
Not so long as I have this gun pointed at you."

Rachelle had to admit that he was right about that.

"And once I'm gone, of course, no-one else will come after
me.  Your machine, and your copy of the plans, were
destroyed, remember?"  He threw back his head and roared
with laughter.

She watched with horror as he keyed the necessary commands
into his time machine and disappeared.

History had been set in motion, and it was all her fault.

EXCERPT 9:

"What kind of catastrophe are we talking about here?" Superman
pressed. "Another earthquake? An asteroid hitting the Earth?"

Clark almost smiled. "What, you haven't done that yet?" At
Superman's confused expression, Clark waved him off. "I'll tell
you later. Maybe you'll have an easier time of it than I did."

Superman wasn't ready to let things drop yet, however. "How
big of a catastrophe are we talking? How many people?"

Wells coughed awkwardly. "Actually ... though certainly all life is
precious, there is one life in particular that, should it be
ended prematurely, would affect the future of this world's Utopia."

Superman followed Wells gaze to the woman sitting next to him
on the couch. "Lois?" he exclaimed. "Are you saying Lois is
in danger?"

Wells just looked at the young couple and sighed. "I'm afraid that
possibility exists."

EXCERPT 10:

"Clark, I don't know why this picture of Superman bothers you
so much, but I really do need your help. You're the only one who
can contact him on a regular basis and I've got to talk to him as
soon as I can. I don't feel like falling out a window, which seems
to be *my* regular way of contacting him, so if you could please...?"

She stopped as she realized that she'd lost him. His gaze was
once more fixed on the picture in her wallet. He traced the
S-symbol, then touched the handsome face. Shaking his head with
disbelief, his left hand reached up and raked through his hair. "It
can't be," he whispered. He touched his glasses, almost as if he
wanted to assure himself that they were still there. "This just can't be."

"Tell me about it," Lois agreed with him bitterly, although she
was thinking of her own situation. "So, can you help me get in
touch with him?"

Clark gave a slight shudder and firmly closed the wallet over
the picture. "Ms. Lane," he said formally, "the man in this
picture does not exist. I'm afraid I can't help you."
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 11:14:23 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <MPSL27@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hey Alexis:)
That was good!  *I* like your writing style<g>

Molly
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 16:04:33 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000202174904.00905e40@actcom.co.il>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Hi Hazel!

Good one! And pretty good stories all, if I'm allowed to
say so... :) This is one of the most difficult categories
since so many great stories are eligible!

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

Quote 1 - Ah, recognised this immediately! Big Boys Do Fly,
by someone called Wendy Richards. I couldn't decide which
part, though I thought it was probably 3. Your extract is
definitely 3.

Quote 2 - one of my favourites by far this year, Fear of
Discovery 2 - Nowhere to Hide by Yvonne Connell.

Quote 3 - another inspired story, Life in a Different World
(part 1) by Mobile Richard (psst: Part 3 will be on the
Archive in a few weeks' time!).

Quote 4 - an outstanding story and another of my own
favourites, Timeless by Becky Bain.

Quote 5 - Only You: Reality, by Margaret Brignell (roll on
Part 5!).

Extract 6 - The Greatest Lesson, by Sammi Burleigh. I
needed the extract here - it sounded too like 'The Mirror
Crack'd' and I knew it wasn't.

Quote 7 - A Future Not Now, by Tank Wilson, a haunting
piece of work.

Quote 8 - If We Could Live Our Lives Over, by Chris Carr -
very inventive.

Extract 8 - you fooled me on this one and I couldn't get
if from the quote! I loved this - Movers and Shakers, by
Nancy Merkle and Kathy Brown.

Quote 9 - easy!! Another great story: The Mirror Crack'd,
by Hazel.

So - did I do okay?  <g>

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:04:11 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
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In a message dated 2/2/00 5:55:54 AM EST, w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK
writes:

<< I don't get this, Alexis. The assignment was to write
 *your* life story??

 Wendy >>

Well yes and no.  She didn't tell us how to go about it.  Since my life was
so boring, I decided to look at it through another character's eyes.  She
obviously had no problem with it.  She didn't tell us what we needed to do
with this assignment since she wanted to see what creative ways we came up
with.  It's a creative writing fiction class, so hence this story about
Lois.

I hope this helps!

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:04:13 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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Well i like to think of voting for myself this way.... Polticians who run
for
president, vote for themselves on voting day.. so why the heck not in this
case!

But if you feel bad about it, i totally understand.  I'm not shooting you
down for not voting.  Different people have different views when it comes to
this. ;)

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:04:16 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
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In a message dated 2/2/00 11:15:05 AM EST, MPSL27@AOL.COM writes:

<< Hey Alexis:)
 That was good!  *I* like your writing style<g>

 Molly
  >>

Thank you! <G>  I really appreciate it. =)

Alexis ;-.)
{who's had a really bad start to a really bad morning and a probably really
bad rest of the week!  arrgh!}
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:04:12 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
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In a message dated 2/2/00 6:10:09 AM EST, w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK
writes:

<< since those of us who discussed it are a mix of
 Scottish, Irish and English. >>

I'm a mix of all of those nationalities and more, I'm an American and I
voted
for myself! LOL!

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:04:14 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth Category Quiz: Round Robins - ANSWERS
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In a message dated 2/2/00 10:10:38 AM EST, w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK
writes:

<< ***Cautionary note*** - I should have pointed out, when I
 set this quiz, that OUATIM and ADITLOM are *not* eligible
 for this year's Kerths. OUATIM is currently being edited
 for the Archive, and ADITLOM is not on the Archive either
 (as well as being unfinished - must be one very long day!!
 <g>)
  >>

Well Erin, if you get this message then you can totally forget my
nominations
since I voted for this! LOL!

Alexis ;-.)
{who's RPG has actually gone through more then one day!   Actually the gang
has been through about one week.. it just might get confusing sometimes and
yes it does seem like one big day! LOL!}
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 08:38:51 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Audrey Rempel <audo65@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Yay, my favourite category!

Love the Alt-World...  Here's my spoiler space:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Quote 1)  Wendy Richard's Big Boys Do Fly
Quote 2)  don't know
Quote 3)  Mobile Richard's Life in a Different World
Quote 4)  Becky's Timeless
Quote 5)  Margaret Brignell's Only You: Reality
Quote 6)  not sure
Quote 7)  Tank Wilson's A Future Not Now
Quote 8)  don't know
Quote 9)  don't know
Quote 10) Hazel's The Mirror Crack'd

Excerpt 2) I know I've read it ... arrgh!
Excerpt 6) really don't know
Excerpt 8) Cannot remember the name, but it was set
really far in the future, and Clark & Lois' descendant
freed Tempus and there was lots of time travel ... I
know I've read it!
Excerpt 9) don't know

Great Quiz Hazel!  This was all from memory, as I
don't have time to look anything up right now.

Audrey
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 09:11:47 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Becky Bain <rbain@USWEST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002021029.V@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Wendy said:
>I have to say, I'm wondering if this is an American thing;
>some of us UK-based writers were discussing nominations and
>all agreed that we'd never dream of nominating ourselves!
>It's not anything based on 'English reserve' or anything
>like that, since those of us who discussed it are a mix of
>Scottish, Irish and English.

Well, I'm American, and I can't imagine nominating (or voting for!) myself.
 If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I can't be an impartial
judge of my own stories.  I'm too close to them, and my view is entirely
too subjective.  Besides, once it's done, I like to let a story succeed or
fail on its own - luckily this isn't the "real world" where a writer may
have to hype his or her own stuff in order to get it noticed, and thus
purchased.  <g>

But of course I know other people feel different.

Becky

rbain@uswest.net

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
                                - Eleanor Roosevelt
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:28:43 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Terry S. Horowit" <horowit@UMIACS.UMD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000202174904.00905e40@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

OK, what the heck.  I'll give it a shot:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

>From the quotes:
>Quote 1: not a clue
>
>Quote 2: Yvonne Connell's "Fear of Discovery" part 2 (great story)
>
>Quote 3: Mobile Richard's "Life in a Different Universe" (ditto above)
>
>Quote 4: Becky Bain's "Timeless" (I just reread this yesterday!! - I love
>this one too!)
>
>Quote 5: Margaret Brignell's "Only You - Recall" (Ditto above - is there a
>pattern here?)
>
>Quote 6: not a clue
>
>Quote 7: maybe Pam Jernigan's "Being Lois Lane" ??  not sure
>
>Quote 8: arghh! I know this - it's from Season 6, I think where HG Wells
>offers them the chance to change the past and they decide not to. But I
>can't remember title or author.
>
>Quote 9: Season 6, "Movers and Shakers" I'm guessing Kathy Brown(?)
>
>Quote 10: Cynthia Haste's "Prelude" (I think, and I'm not sure I spelled
>her name right)
>

from the excerpts:
>EXCERPT 1:  Oh OK, Wendy Richard's "Big Boys Do Fly" (the last section) -
>another masterpiece
>
>EXCERPT 2: Yup, I stick with my guess.
>
>EXCERPT 3: Ditto
>
>EXCERPT 4: See above
>
>EXCERPT 5: ditto
>
>EXCERPT 6: Oh dear, I don't think this can be Hazel's "Mirror Crack'd"
>because I don't remember Wells appearing in that.  I'm gonna kick myself
>when I see the answer...
>
>EXCERPT 7:  Oh, this is Tank Wilson's "Future Not Now".   oops (This one
>disturbed me very much)
>
>EXCERPT 8:  Sigh, i still can't remember title or author and I don't want
>to cheat and check the archive...
>
>EXCERPT 9: I stick by my guess but am still unsure of the author
>
>EXCERPT 10:  Oops again.  This IS Hazel's "Mirror Cracked" (another
>wonderful story)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:24:19 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Marnie Rowe <Bumpkin@CGOCABLE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Presents: part 4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
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I liked this, I was soooooo curious to what the presents were and then when
they were the same I waffed but I did feel a bit cheated, I thought that he
might have chosen another picture of something.. but then its not my story.
I liked it anyway so hey it is good :)
-----Original Message-----
From: Singin Drew <SinginDrew@AOL.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
<LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Date: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 12:17 AM
Subject: Presents: part 4

>    Lois scoured through every box she had in her entire apartment to
>complete the finishing touches on her present for Clark. She finally got
>everything put away and herself ready right when Clark rang the doorbell.
>Lois answered the door looking exquisite in a simple black dress with
>spaghetti straps and an open back. Clark could barely keep his jaw off the
>floor. But Lois knew she felt the same about him. He walked in wearing a
>gorgeous charcoal suit with the silk tie Lois was looking at in the
>department store. ‘It’s  a good thing I didn’t get him that!’ Lois
quickly
>thought.
>
>    Lois rushed Clark inside, took the food and wine from him and set it on
>the table. Clark still held on to Lois’ present, though. He finally set
it
>down under Lois’ tree when Lois asked him if he was going to carry it
around
>all night. Embarrassed, he set it down and joined Lois at the dinner table
>which was adorned with lit candles and the Italian food Clark had picked up
>from Giordanno’s. Each ate as much as they could, but were both too
excited
>about giving the other their "perfect present" they couldn’t wait
anymore.
>
>    Finally, Lois said "How about we do presents now?" with as much
>nonchalance as she could muster.
>
>    "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." Clark agreed with mirroring
>emotions.
>
>    Both got up from the table and nearly knocked each other down as they
>raced to the tree to give each other their present first. Surprisingly
>enough, Lois beat Clark to the tree and handed him his gift first which was
>wrapped in a small box.
>
>    "But wait! You can’t open it yet." Lois told him sternly.
>
>    Clark looked at Lois both befuddled and amused.
>
>    "You have to wait until I’m out of the room. Promise?" Lois asked
>hopefully.
>
>    "Yeah, sure. Tell me when." Clark replied.
>
>    Lois left the room and told him to go ahead. Clark finally got the box
>unwrapped and open and pulled out a beautiful silver picture frame with an
>envelope taped to the front. Clark pulled off the envelope to reveal a
>picture of he and Lois right after they had re-modeled her bathroom
together
>5 months ago. Both were in raggedy sweat pants and old T-shirts which were
>covered with paint. But neither of them could have looked happier. Clark
>opened the envelope and took out the letter contained therein. It read:
>
>^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
-^-
>^-^-^-
>Dear Clark,
>
>    I tried to find you the perfect gift. I couldn’t think of anything
more
>perfect than the two of us together, close, comfortable, and happy. And
that
>makes everything perfect.
>
>                            Love,
>                                 Lois
>PS I love you.
>^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
-^-
>^-^-^-
>
>    Clark started to get tears in his eyes when he took another look at the
>picture and then saw Lois walk out of her room wearing the same sweat pants
>and T-shirt as she was in the picture. Looking as beautiful as ever but
also
>happy, Clark walked over to her and with a renewed confidence, kissed her
>like he had been longing to kiss her since the day they met and literally
>lifted her off her feet. Lois returned his affection with everything she
had
>and then some. Finally Clark broke away from the embrace.
>
>    "I haven’t given you your gift." He stated slyly.
>
>    "Oh, Clark you really didn’t-" He interrupted her with a swift kiss
which
>quickly did it’s duty. He handed her his gift and watched as she began to
>open the beautiful wrapping. Lois slowly began to pull out the same
beautiful
>silver picture frame with an envelope taped to the front. She looked at
Clark
>quizzically and then began to pull the envelope off the frame and saw the
>exact same picture that was in her frame. She drew the letter out of it’s
>container and began to read.
>
>
>^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
-^-
>^-^-^-
>Dear Lois,
>
>    The perfect gift would not do for you. The only thing perfect in my
world
>is you. And the only thing other thing I could think of is the two of us
>together, close, comfortable, and happy. Nothing is as perfect as that.
>
>                        Love,
>                             Clark
>PS I love you.
>^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
-^-
>^-^-^-
>
>    Lois had tears running down her cheeks when she finally looked up to
>catch Clark’s eye. But he wasn’t there. Lois turned around to see him
>emerging from her room wearing the same sweat pants and T-shirt he was
>wearing in the picture. Lois ran over to him and embraced him again
realizing
>at that moment that this man meant more to her than she had ever felt about
>anyone.
>
>    Lois broke off the embrace and looked Clark straight in the eye.
>
>    "Clark, I love you. And I need you in my life, to be together...(Kiss)
>close...(Kiss) comfortable...(Kiss) and happy."  Lois said with as much
>emotion as she had left in her. They worked their way over to the couch to
>enjoy the rest of the evening watching the movie and holding each other
close.
>
>    After the movie, Clark looked deep into Lois’ eyes and couldn’t
believe
>how wonderful that experience was. Not only was he in love with a beautiful
>woman, he found out she was also in love with him. He had one thing left to
>tell her, "but not yet. Don’t ruin tonight. Tonight it’s just her and I
>being together, close, comfortable, and happy."
>
>THE END
>
>Feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!
>
>Singindrew@aol.com
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 12:51:58 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Chris Carr <c.carr@VIRGIN.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe

Wow, I actually knew more that two of the answers to this quiz, so I've
decided to have a go...
s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

>From the quotes:
1) It's one of the Big Boy's Do Fly stories by Wendy Richards
2) Fear of Discovery II (Yvonne Connell) (I was going to put down that it
was FOD III, but that's just wishful thinking...)
3) Can't remember the title, but it was second in a series, and I think it
was by Mobile Richard
4) Timeless, Becky Bain
5) I think this is something by Margaret Brignell, from her Only You: If
Only series.  Reality, maybe?
6) Haven't a clue
7) Ditto
8) If We Could Live Our Lives Over, by Chris Carr (me!)
9) Haven't a clue
10) Possibly Prelude, by Cynthia (Chaste?)

>From the extracts:
6) Hazel, is this your The Mirror Crack'd?  Sorry, it's in my backlog of
stuff to read, but it fits the little I've heard about it.
7) I know I read this.  Did Tank write it?

So, how did I do?  (Hope I haven't insulted anyone by getting things too
wrong!)

Chris
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:06:11 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Yay, one of my favorite categories...

s

p

o

i

l

e

r

s

p

a

c

e

Quotes:

#1:  LOL! Got to be Big Boys Do Fly, by Wendy Richards

#2:  I *think* this is Fear of Discovery II, by Yvonne Connell

#3:  Just as a wild guess... Life in a Different World, by Mobile
Richard?

#4:  Not ringing any bells.

#5:  Only You: Reality, by Margaret Brignell

#6:  This sounds hauntingly familiar, but I can't place it.

#7:  Umm... another wild guess:  A Future Not Now, by Tank?

#8:  Don't know that I've read this.

#9:  Don't know it.

#10: The Mirror Crack'd, by our very own Hazel :)

See if I can do any better from the excerpts...

#4:  Gosh I'm an idiot, I should have known this from the quote...
Timeless, by Becky Bain

#6:  Still clueless.

#8:  Okay, I have read this, but I still can't remember the title or
author.

#9:  I should have known this one, too!  "Movers & Shakers" by Kathy &
Nancy, in S6

Good job, Hazel!  I was worried there wouldn't be enough of these
stories to fill up a category! :D  Obviously I was mistaken...
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:49:28 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Genine Murray <SuperGem4@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 2 of ?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I seem to have missed part 1 here ... could someone send it to me please?
Looks like a great fic, but I'd really love to start reading it from the
beginning!  ;)  Thanks in advance!!!

Genine
SuperGem4@aol.com
SuperGEM on IRC
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:54:05 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Angela Zavila <zavila@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 2 of ?)
In-Reply-To:  <84.e926e3.25c9f258@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Genine wrote:

> I seem to have missed part 1 here ... could someone send it to me please?
> Looks like a great fic, but I'd really love to start reading it from the
> beginning!  ;)  Thanks in advance!!!

I never received it either, and checked the list archive as well (not
there).  I have a feeling Part 1 never reached the list, and I'd love to
read the story from the beginning as well.  Rose, could you resend it to the
entire list?  Thanks!

Angela Z.
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:00:01 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nicole Wolke <NKWolke@EIFEL-NET.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I call myself a sucker for Alt-Stories, so let's see how I am doing in this
category-quiz:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Quote 1:

ehm...

Quote 2:
"Fear of Discovery 2", Yvonne Connell

Quote 3:
"Life in a Different world" Richard Mobile

Quote 4:

hm....

Quote 5:
Hmm... I think it's one of Wendy Richards' stories: "Strange visitor from
the
Congo" ?

Quote 6:

well...

Quote 7:

sounds so *good* and I *know* it! But well...

Quote 8:
Buaaaaahhhh.... I know this one! I *know* it!...

Quote 9:
I shouldn't have taken a potty break. That's the reason. Now I can't
remember
anything!

Quote 10:

ditto :-(

EXCEPRT 1:
oups... This one is Wendy!
"Big Boys don't fly" Wendy Richards

EXCERPT 4:
I *know* it... I *know* it... okay, I don't know it :-(. But I definitely
read
this one!

EXCERPT 6:
I'm sure it's not long ago that I read it... but no, I don't know :-(

EXCERPT 7:
I know it sounds lame, but I *have* read this! I just can't remember the
title...
:-(

EXCERPT 8:
still nothing :-(

EXCERPT 9:
:-(

EXCERPT 10:
Ha! I know it! This is "The Mirror cracked" by Hazel!

oh well,
Nicole

--
AKA CKgroupie on IRC
NKWolke@eifel-net.net

Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain?
And don't you have enough time to find them?
Go to: "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/CKgroupie/
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 13:00:25 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 2 of ?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

It's there, but it's under the name of  "Prologue and Part One".  It was
posted
to the list on Sunday.

Nan

Angela Zavila wrote:

> Genine wrote:
>
> > I seem to have missed part 1 here ... could someone send it to me
please?
> > Looks like a great fic, but I'd really love to start reading it from the
> > beginning!  ;)  Thanks in advance!!!
>
> I never received it either, and checked the list archive as well (not
> there).  I have a feeling Part 1 never reached the list, and I'd love to
> read the story from the beginning as well.  Rose, could you resend it to
the
> entire list?  Thanks!
>
> Angela Z.
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 13:18:10 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         peabody <peabody@MCS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
Comments: To: "USWEST.NET LOISCLA-GENERAL-L"@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain

|Wendy asked:
|>I have to say, I'm wondering if this is an American thing;
|>some of us UK-based writers were discussing nominations and
|>all agreed that we'd never dream of nominating ourselves!
|>It's not anything based on 'English reserve' or anything
|>like that, since those of us who discussed it are a mix of
|>Scottish, Irish and English.

and Becky responded:

|Well, I'm American, and I can't imagine nominating (or voting
for!) myself.

I pretty much agree with Becky and Christy on this.  I'm in the
U.S. also, and don't think it's an American thing, even though
we often seem to be perceived as being less reserved than people
from other places.

| If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I can't be
an impartial
|judge of my own stories.  I'm too close to them, and my view
is entirely
|too subjective.

Same here, Becky.  That's one of the reasons that I like being
part of this group.  I need that feedback from other people to
let me know what worked and what didn't.

Besides, once it's done, I like to let a story succeed or
|fail on its own -

I'll never forget how excited I felt the first time I found that
something I'd written was nominated for a Kerth.  Sally Fields
summed my feelings up very nicely in her Oscar acceptance speech,
when she turned to the audience and shouted:  "You like me!
You really like me!" <bg>

I would have missed out on that if I'd nominated my own work,
and that would have been a shame.  At least in my case, I think
the thrill of being nominated even surpassed that of winning
:)

Pat

peabody@mcs.com
pattijean@aol.com

----------------
Sent from a WebBox - http://www.webbox.com
FREE Web based Email, Files, Bookmarks, Calendar, People and
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=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 21:34:10 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Becky wrote:

> Besides, once it's done, I like to let a story succeed or
> |fail on its own -
>
And Peabody responded:

> I would have missed out on that if I'd nominated my own work,
> and that would have been a shame.  At least in my case, I think
> the thrill of being nominated even surpassed that of winning
> :)
>
Nicely put, Pat. And a well deserved win it was too. Both what you and Becky
have said cuts to the heart of my own pov on this one. Whilst not intending
to make any judgement calls whatsoever on those who do nominate/vote for
their own stories (each to their own), I must admit that I've never actually
understood the *point* of doing so.

I look at it this way. Scenario: You nominate/vote for your own story. Your
story gets nominated/wins an award by one point over your nearest rival.
So...what does the award mean? To me, it would mean precisely zip. You
wouldn't have won it because your peers voted your story to be the best in
its category, (and isn't that really the point of the awards, as Pat
succinctly acknowledges - peer approval? Not a statue to file away, but the
knowledge that someone out there read your story and thought it worthy of
honoring?) but because your own vote had tipped the balance in your favour.
It would be meaningless to win under those circumstances, imo. You might as
well just make yourself a Kerth and award it to yourself privately. Same
difference.

Course, those who disagree might just find a flaw in that argument,
somewhere. <g>

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:56:45 CST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jessi Mounts <jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

*
*
*
S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E
*
*
*

Quotes:

1. Big Boys Do Fly by Wendy Richards
2. It's sounds familiar, but...
3. Life in A Different World by Mobile Richard?
4. No idea.
5. ??
6. Don't know.
7. Well, it sounds good.  I hope I haven't read that and forgotten it.
8. If We Could Live Our Lives Over by Christine Carr.
9. Don't know.
10. Is that the Mirror Crack'd by you, Hazel?

Extracts
1. Oh, it's part 3 of Big Boys Do Fly, Torn Between Two Worlds.
2. I think I remember now.  Fear of Discovery, Part Two by Yvonne Connell.
3. Definitely Life in a Different World.
4. Oh!  That's Timeless by Becky Bain.
5. Argh!  I've read that!
6. This is so frustrating.  I've read this one too.
7. Still don't know.
8. Definitely If We Could Live Our Lives Over.
9. I know one finally! Movers and Shakers by Nancy Merckle and Kathy Brown.
(Okay, I cheated and looked up the authors, but this open book, right?)
10. Yeah, that's The Mirror Crack'd all right.

Thanks for reminding me how impossible it's going to be to choose
nominations for the category. <g>

Jessi
jessi914@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:59:15 CST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jessi Mounts <jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

*
*
*
S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E
*
*
*

>Quote 3 - another inspired story, Life in a Different World
>(part 1) by Mobile Richard (psst: Part 3 will be on the
>Archive in a few weeks' time!).
>

Yay!!!

Jessi
jessi9142hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:00:27 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gerry Anklewicz <Gerry_Anklewicz@NYNET.NYBE.ON.CA>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002021000.U@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

I'm not that computer literate so what I did when I found all those weird
characters was go to find and change, copied the weird looking stuff to
find and put the appropriate stuff in change.  Changed the whole thing and
voila...legible.

I'm enjoying your take on the story Rose.  Write more.
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:07:08 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I've never seen those weird characters before.  Why does that happen?  How
do
I change it?

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:14:09 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

In a message dated 2/2/00 6:04:31 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20
w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes:

<<=20
 >=20
 > =C3=A2=E2=82=AC=C5=93Shhhh, Lois, baby, I=C3=A2=E2=82=AC=E2=84=A2m here,=
=C3=A2=E2=82=AC=C2=9D Clark whispered,=20
 > pulling her to his chest and cradling her.  He rocked her=20
 > gently as she slowly eased out of her dream state.=20
=20
 [snip]
=20
=20
 Rose, your story looks like one I'd love to read, since I=20
 love TOGOM stories and I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort and=20
 angst. But these control characters all over the place make=20
 it impossible for me to concentrate. Do you think you could=20
 start posting again, but *please* save your story as plain=20
 text first? >>

Is this a problem with differences in email accounts or servers?  The
versio=
n=20
of Rose's story that I got was fine, no character problems at all.

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:14:13 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Tylke, Judith" <jtylke@FLSOUTHERN.EDU>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The problem lies in the translators for the individual programs, so if =
you
save to a rich text format, as opposed to a plain text, you maintain =
your
format while still allowing everyone to read it in thier respective
programs/browsers without fragging... Back to the insanity I call =
work....
JT

> ----------
> From:         Ann E. McBride[SMTP:Aerm1@AOL.COM]
> Reply To:     Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic
> Sent:         Wednesday, February 02, 2000 5:14 PM
> To:   LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
>=20
> In a message dated 2/2/00 6:04:31 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20
> w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes:
>=20
> <<=20
>  >=20
>  > =E2EURoeShhhh, Lois, baby, I=E2EUR(tm)m here,=E2EUR=9D Clark =
whispered,=20
>  > pulling her to his chest and cradling her.  He rocked her=20
>  > gently as she slowly eased out of her dream state.=20
> =20
>  [snip]
> =20
> =20
>  Rose, your story looks like one I'd love to read, since I=20
>  love TOGOM stories and I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort and=20
>  angst. But these control characters all over the place make=20
>  it impossible for me to concentrate. Do you think you could=20
>  start posting again, but *please* save your story as plain=20
>  text first? >>
>=20
>=20
> Is this a problem with differences in email accounts or servers?  The
> version=20
> of Rose's story that I got was fine, no character problems at all.
>=20
> Ann
>=20
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:28:12 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/2/00 6:10:09 AM Eastern Standard Time,
w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes:

<<  have to say, I'm wondering if this is an American thing;
 some of us UK-based writers were discussing nominations and
 all agreed that we'd never dream of nominating ourselves!
 It's not anything based on 'English reserve' or anything
 like that, since those of us who discussed it are a mix of
 Scottish, Irish and English.

 But as they say in Yorkshire, 'there's nowt as queer as
 folk!' >>

I don't know that I agree with those who have said that they don't believe
this is an American thing.  I think to some extent it is an American thing,
and perhaps to some extent a situational thing.  For example, every year
there is "Heismann Trophy race."  (For American football non-fans, this an
award given annually to the "best college football player.)  Universities
spend large amounts of money on advertising and publicity to tout the
prowess
and accomplishments of their player who is potentially good enough to be
nominated.  Players from smaller programs don't have a prayer of winning
because they don't get the publicity.  Or consider our political process.
In
order to run for public office, one must nominate oneself at the very
beginning.  Party leaders don't necessarily call someone up and say, "We
want
you to run for governor, president, whatever."  Any individual who wants to
run runs.  Then the one who toots his own horn the most generally gets the
party nomination. Even with awards for films, etc., the studios usually push
their films to be nominated and to be voted for.  So, I think there is some
American tendency toward nominating, if not oneself, then one's friend or
co-worker.

I agree totally with the people who say "how would you feel if you one by
one
vote?"  On the other hand, I think that judging any work of art is so
subjective that one should opt out of considering one's own.  It's not quite
the same as Al Gore voting for himself.  (If he doesn't think he should win,
then I sure don't want him to.<g>)

Ann ( who is sitting on the fence on this one)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 15:18:49 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (no spoilers)
In-Reply-To:  <5a.dcfd94.25ca0631@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Ann wrote:

>Is this a problem with differences in email accounts or servers? =20
>The version=20
>of Rose's story that I got was fine, no character problems at all.

Mine was fine, too.  Maybe my email program just decided I didn't need =
any further hassels in my life right now, and thought it would go easy =
on me. <bg>

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they =
happen."=20
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:39:23 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane... Prologue and Part 1 (.txt)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

My apologies to everyone who had problems with my story!  I'm still
pretty=20
knew to computers, and definitely new to posting stories, so I hope you
all=20
will bare with me while I learn.  And thank you all for your wonderful=20
comments.   I'm reposting parts 1-3 again for those who had trouble
before.=20=
=20
Let me know if there are any problems this time.

Rose

That Lois Lane of Mine

PROLOGUE   =20

Dillinger raised the gun.  Clark froze.
   =20
If he advanced toward Dillinger, Dillinger would surely fire.  If he
stood=20
still, Lois could
be hurt.  If he advanced at superspeed...
   =20
Clark took a step forward.  He felt Lois=E2=80=99 body hit his at the same
m=
oment he=20
heard the gun fire.  Then he heard her cry out his name.
   =20
She was on the ground.  He hadn=E2=80=99t moved.  There was blood
everywhere=
, on his=20
clothes, on the floor.  It deepened the already deep red of her dress. =20
=E2=80=9CClark!=E2=80=9D she cried frantically, =E2=80=9CClark, you=E2=80=
=99re hurt...=E2=80=9D
   =20
Clark looked to where Lois was reaching.  There was a bullet hole in his=20
jacket, which was soaked through with blood. =20
   =20
But he didn=E2=80=99t bleed...  Did he?
   =20
Lois was still crying for him, yelling for someone to help him. *Why was
she=
=20
still on the floor?*   he wondered.   Then, suddenly, he knew why. =20
   =20
He had not been shot.  She had.

PART ONE

Clark Kent paced the length of the waiting room.   He was worried about
Lois=
,=20
terribly
worried.  The doctor had said that she would be fine, that the bullet had=20
passed cleanly through her femur.   She would have to stay off of her leg
fo=
r=20
a week, and then she=E2=80=99d be up and hobbling on crutches in pursuit
of=20=
her next=20
byline.  But Clark was worried for other reasons.  Lois would heal this
time=
.=20
 But next time...

Lois had a way of finding danger.  She seemed to have a magnetism about
her;=
 a
magnetism that attracted not only men, but every minute threat in the=20
entirety of
Metropolis and beyond.  She was headstrong and fearless.  And it scared
Clar=
k=20
to death.=20
   =20
*How was it that she managed to get into so much trouble?* Clark mused.
On=20
an almost weekly basis, Clark, or rather Superman, saved her from what=20
otherwise would certainly be a deadly situation.  It terrified him beyond=20
reason, the thought that someday he wouldn=E2=80=99t be able to reach her
in=
 time. =20
Someday, he might be a second too late, and in the space of a heartbeat,
he=20
would lose the woman he loved more than anything.
   =20
He loved her.  From the day he met her, Clark belonged to her, heart and=20
soul.  She was his partner, his best friend, and his soulmate.  He couldn=
=E2=80=99t=20
live without her. =20
   =20
Yet he stood and watched in horror while she was shot.  He did nothing to=20
save her from being killed.  What kind of man was he?=20

*****

Lois Lane laid on the hospital bed with her eyes squeezed tightly shut in=20
pain.  Her leg was aching badly, but something else hurt worse.  She=E2=80=
=99d almost=20
lost Clark.  She=E2=80=99d dragged him into that casino so that she could
ch=
ase after=20
her Pulitzer.  *Her* Pulitzer.  A testament to her selfishness.  Clark
had=20
been her partner for a year and a half now, but she still could not share
a=20
Pulitzer.  =20

Clark was always looking out for her.  Although it made her a little
crazy=20
sometimes, she secretly loved it.  No one had ever taken the time to look
ou=
t=20
for her before, certainly not her father, or her mother.  There was
Perry,=20
Lois had always shared a special relationship with him, more
father/daughter=
=20
than editor/reporter, but even Perry would step out of the way when Lois
was=
=20
headed for trouble.  Clark was different.  Clark had saved her life on
more=20
occasions than she could count.  Almost as many times as Superman.     =20
     =20
Once again, Lois had dragged Clark into one of her half-baked schemes.
Clar=
k=20
was
always telling her that she took far too many risks, that she was going
to=20
get herself killed.  She=E2=80=99d lead him into dangerous situations
before=
,  but=20
this time she went too far.  She=E2=80=99d almost killed Clark.  How could
s=
he ever=20
expect him to forgive her?

*****

Clark drove Lois home from the hospital in her Jeep, which he=E2=80=99d
fina=
lly=20
thought to fly
back to the casino and pick up.  Despite her protests and insistence that
sh=
e=20
could make it to her apartment on her crutches, Clark carried her to her=20
apartment and laid her down in her bed.

=E2=80=9CClark, I don=E2=80=99t need rest,=E2=80=9D Lois said the whole
way.=
  =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m okay, really.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ve been through quite a lot tonight, and look,=E2=80=
=9D Clark said, gesturing=20
to her window, =E2=80=9Cit=E2=80=99s morning now.=E2=80=9D  The faint
light=20=
of the sun was just=20
barely visible, reflected off the windows of nearby buildings.
=E2=80=9CYou=
 need=20
sleep, and the doctor said that those pills he gave you would hit you like
a=
=20
ton of bricks.  I=E2=80=99m surprised you didn=E2=80=99t fall asleep on
the=20=
way home.=E2=80=9D  Lois=20
moved to protest, but Clark took her gently by the shoulders and
pushed her back down on the bed.  =E2=80=9CSleep,=E2=80=9D he ordered,
tryin=
g to look stern.=20
 He tried not to show Lois how truly frightened he was.

Lois couldn=E2=80=99t help but grin.  =E2=80=9CYes, Martha,=E2=80=9D she
tea=
sed.  Clark turned out=20
Lois=E2=80=99 bedroom light, and quietly closed the door. =20

In the kitchen, he put a kettle of water on the stove, picked up the
phone,=20
and dialed the number for the Daily Planet.  He knew Perry would be
there,=20
despite the early hour.   He filled Perry in on the shooting, and told
him=20
Lois was fine and in bed asleep, although his heart was screaming
otherwise.=
 =20
Clark promised to send him the story the minute he had it written, but
Perry=
=20
objected.  Lois and Clark both had quite a few personal days left,
neither=20
one of them ever seemed to take a day off.  After being ordered to show=20
neither hide nor hair in the newsroom for the next three days, Clark hung
up=
=20
the phone, prepared his tea, and sat down to think.

He didn=E2=80=99t know what to do.  He was the strongest man on the
planet,=20=
and Lois=20
still got hurt.  He could have saved her, should have saved her, but then=20
everyone would know his secret.  Everyone would know he was Superman.=20

Lois would know he was Superman. =20

Not that knowing would have been so bad for Superman.  Lois loved
Superman.=20=
=20
But if Lois knew... would Clark matter?  Clark knew Lois cared for him.
The=
y=20
were good
friends, even best friends.  But she didn=E2=80=99t love him.  Not the way
t=
hat he=20
loved her, not the way he needed her to love him.  If Lois knew that he
was=20
Superman, it would destroy any chance of Lois ever loving Clark.

He was being selfish, he knew that.  He had put his love=E2=80=99s life at
r=
isk=20
because he cared more that she love him than that she was alive.  How
could=20
he ever look her in the eye again?  Why *should* she love him?  He didn=E2=
=80=99t=20
deserve her love.

Just then, Lois=E2=80=99 screams disrupted his reverie.

*****

She was back in the casino.  Clark was at her side.  Dillinger entered,
gun=20
in hand.  He took aim.

Lois tried to move.  Tried to scream.  She was frozen. =20

She heard the shot ring out.  She stared helpless, unable to make a move
to=20
help her fallen partner.=20

He was dead.  The blood oozed from the hole in his jacket, soaking his
chest=
,=20
soaking his clothes, soaking the floor. =20

He was surrounded by red.  The redness seemed to come alive in front of
her=20
eyes.  It wrapped around Clark, spread across the floor.=20

His jacket was too big now, bright red with blood.  He seemed to drown in
it=
,=20
his huge jacket.  It billowed around him.  It billowed like a cape.=20

Lois found her voice.

=E2=80=9CClark!!!!!=E2=80=9D

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:45:07 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      My story got rejected by the list
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ok everyone, I'm doing my best here, but the second part of my story was
rejected by the list.  I sent it, but I got a message back saying it was
rejected.  So, what do I do now?

Rose

Sorry for all this trouble!
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 17:54:06 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kathyb@SPRINGNET1.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

><< I don't get this, Alexis. The assignment was to write
> *your* life story??
>
>
>Well yes and no.  She didn't tell us how to go about it.  Since my life was
>so boring, I decided to look at it through another character's eyes.  She
>obviously had no problem with it.

So, what did you get? <g>

Kathy (who has voted for her own stories in some categories and against
them in others ... no ego problems here, on either side. <bg>)

______________________
Kathy Brown
kathyb@springnet1.com
kathyb@lcfanfic.com
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 16:00:09 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: My story got rejected by the list
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

How many KB is the story part?  Is it possible that it was a little too long
for the list?

Nan

Rose Cookson wrote:

> Ok everyone, I'm doing my best here, but the second part of my story was
> rejected by the list.  I sent it, but I got a message back saying it was
> rejected.  So, what do I do now?
>
> Rose
>
> Sorry for all this trouble!
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 18:32:09 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kathyb@SPRINGNET1.COM>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
Comments: cc: Debby Stark <debby@swcp.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Sorry to get into this discussion so late.  I've been reading the listserv
via the website, and I somehow missed the beginning of this thread.

Debby Stark wrote, about submitting stories to the L&C Fanfic Archive:

>I've never submitted anything there, basically because I think
>there
>are more potential readers *here*, on this list. Also, readers may not want
to
>download a very long story from a web site. I may be wrong on both points,
but
>I'm learning

The Fanfic Archive averages 1500-2000 hits a week.

This listserv has 300 subscribers, plus people who read it as a newsgroup
on the listserv archive site.  Still, I seriously doubt you reach over 500
people when you post a story here.

As for downloading a large story from a website, I think it depends on the
person. LabRat's Caped Fear was about 1 Mg, and I was worried that that was
too big for a single file. Yet luckily not one person has written us about
having trouble downloading the file.

Debby, if you want us to link to any of your stories from the Archive, we'd
be happy to do so.  They don't need to go through editing (though as so
many people have already explained very well, our editing process is not a
punitive procedure; it's just a way to verify stories are appropriate and
readable.  For experienced writers, it's just another set of eyes.)

There is no reason that putting any of your stories on the Archive would be
any more painful than putting your Swap Meet story up on the Archive last
month.  And considering that consisted of an email exchange between us in
December, "may we put your story up?", I'd say that was pretty pain*less*.
:)

Kathy

_________________________________
Kathy Brown
Editor-In-Chief
Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive:  <www.lcfanfic.com>
kathyb@springnet1.com OR kathyb@lcfanfic.com
KathyB on IRC
_________________________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 19:54:05 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/2/00 6:52:02 PM EST, kathyb@SPRINGNET1.COM writes:

<< So, what did you get? <g>
  >>

Well technically i got no grade which is probably better then some grade.
This was a practice exercise.  Actually I'm getting pretty frustrated (which
I hope is what is part of the life of a writer).  She doesn't seem to like
my
writing style.  She tells me to write about things I know.  I have been
trying hard to break away from Lois and Clark, but since I'm new at this,
Lois and Clark seem to be the only thing I really do *know*.  I'm what you
call the LnC Expert of Professor of LnC 101 within my circle of friends.  So
if she wants me writing more about things I know, unfortunately she's going
to get more LnC influenced stuff.  She says she doesn't care what we write
about, but then again, I'm not so sure.

Next time i think I'm going to go try to find a movie-script class.  Now
that
might be right up my alley.  A movie script/tv script class.  Then  I can
write about LnC to my heart's content while at the same time post it here
for
all of you to enjoy.

Alexis ;-.)
{who's wondering if all of this frustration having to do with her writing is
normal?  Or is the honeymoon over and I''m completely going insane!?!}
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 21:46:31 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      OT: RE: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Since I didn't see Alexis's email address on her post, I'll take the chance
that this isn't too OT and post it to the list...

>Well technically i got no grade which is probably better then some grade.
>This was a practice exercise.  Actually I'm getting pretty frustrated
(which
>I hope is what is part of the life of a writer).  She doesn't seem to like
my
>writing style.  She tells me to write about things I know.  I have been
>trying hard to break away from Lois and Clark, but since I'm new at this,
>Lois and Clark seem to be the only thing I really do *know*.

I don't know your professor and 2 fiction writing courses hardly make me an
expert, but what it sounds like she's saying is that you should write about
a
personal truth of your own. The problem with fanfic in relation to this is
that fanfic doesn't *need* to contain a truth. It can just be a vignette
and,
while vignettes can be fun, most published writing is more than a vignette.

Professors don't tell you to 'write what you know' because they think your
autobiography is particularly enthralling, or that you hold the secrets to
the
universe, but that there may be something that you know or feel that is
unique
or insightful, or that can be presented in a unique way. One of my
professors
liked to say that everything's been done before, you just have to find a new
way to do it, and make your own special observations about it.

In a writing class I took last year, I had a hard time writing about
characters that weren't 'nice.' The professor complained continuously about
my
'too nice' characters until I finally discovered a truth that I felt deeply
and wrote about it. That story also had nice characters, but they rang true
to
the professor because I was writing about something I knew.

>I'm what you
>call the LnC Expert of Professor of LnC 101 within my circle of friends.
So
>if she wants me writing more about things I know, unfortunately she's going
>to get more LnC influenced stuff.  She says she doesn't care what we write
>about, but then again, I'm not so sure.

I'm sure you 'know' about lots more than Lois and Clark. What you know isn't
a
specific character, setting, or plot; it's an abstract truth (i.e., the
character doesn't have to be a college student for you, a college student,
to
share a truth you know). Looking for a truth and expressing it is good to do
in any writing; L&C can have truths just as well as other characters, and I
think in that way fanfic is good practice for 'real' (i.e., publishable)
writing. My favorite fanfics are ones that have themes and truths. And the
story I consider to be my own best fanfic was written with the concepts of
theme and truth in mind.

Writing what you know doesn't have to be contrary to L&C but, if you are
planning on a writing related career, you'll have to write about something
other than L&C. (And I don't know that you are, but many college writing
courses are trying to prepare you for a writing career.) One of my favorite
writing-related quotes is by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who said that writers
really
only have one or two stories (truths) that they tell over and over again in
different ways.

>Next time i think I'm going to go try to find a movie-script class.  Now
that
>might be right up my alley.  A movie script/tv script class.  Then  I can
>write about LnC to my heart's content while at the same time post it here
for
>all of you to enjoy.

You might find that in a screen-writing class you are still being asked to
write what you know rather than writing L&C. You mentioned wanting to post
your writing here; I'm assuming that's because this list is a great and
supportive environment for feedback. You might also find that your writing
class can give good feedback and, often more importantly, constructive
criticism, which is sometimes hard to give via email, IMO. I hope this post
made sense and was in some way helpful; I found it strangely difficult to
write about writing <g>

Christy
kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 21:23:16 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kathyb@SPRINGNET1.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Alexis wrote:

>>>>
Next time i think I'm going to go try to find a movie-script class.  Now
that
might be right up my alley.  A movie script/tv script class.  Then  I can
write about LnC to my heart's content while at the same time post it here
for
all of you to enjoy.
<<<<<

I don't think this will be the answer you are looking for, unfortunately,
Alexis.  While a tv/movie script class would allow you to use L&C as a
basis for your first assignment, the same way this general creative writing
class did, they almost certainly will ask you to branch out afterwards as
well.

This is just real life -- say you rework your very best fanfic into a
script or novel, and an agent loves it.  The very next question out of his
or her mouth will be "what else do you have to show me, something that's
totally different?"  If you have nothing else, the conversation will be
over before it begins.   Just like your writing professor, an
agent/publisher/newspaper editor wants to see that you have bredth as well
as depth.  If you write on the same topic each time, you will not be
showing your abilities, nor practicing in order to learn new skills.  Most
importantly, you will be showing that you can't adapt your writing to the
audience you are trying to reach.  (This last point is important no matter
what career you choose -- whether law, medicine, business or journalism,
being able to adapt to different audiences is a highly valued skill. Take
it from a former recruiter.)

To bring L&C into this, look at Clark's first interview with Perry -- Perry
saw "mating habits of the knob-tailed gecko" and wrote Clark off as someone
with limited experience and exposure.  What a foolish article to lead off
his portfolio with -- I would think his article exposing the 'drug running'
of Baron Sunday (though it later proved to be untrue) would have been a
much more appropriate investigative showpiece.  If Clark had been
interviewing at a different kind of paper, his Borneo story might have been
the right choice.  But by including it for Perry -- a hard news,
investigative journalism kind of editor -- Clark proved he didn't do his
homework very well about who his audience was.

We all write fanfic for fun.  But don't sell yourself short about who you
are and what you know -- there are many more topics that you know about
beyond L&C.  You know about high school, early college life, your hometown
and the people in it.  You know about the internet and IRC and writing a
round robin and being on a listserv. The list goes on and on.  Why must
everything you write about for class be "big" things?  Why is everything
else "boring"?  Writing what you know means writing about the little things
we all experience every day.  *This* is where you'll find your common
ground with your readers -- not by writing about a television show few, if
any, of the people in your audience have watched.

Personally, I think that's the wonderful thing about this listserv (and the
other FoLC forums).  It gives us a great venue to talk about L&C and
fanfic, so we can spend the rest of our time pursuing our other interests.
:)

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kathyb@springnet1.com
kathyb@lcfanfic.com
KathyB on IRC
______________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:23:13 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: My story got rejected by the list
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/2/00 4:00:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,
deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET writes:

<< How many KB is the story part?  Is it possible that it was a little too
long
 for the list? >>

It was Part 2 of my story, exactly as it had been posted before, except that
I made it a .txt thing, or at least I think I did.  :-P

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:24:46 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Thank you for your insights.  I'm actually pursuing a career in journalism
(i'm very good with the journalistic writing.. no problems there! LOL)
English is only my minor.  I thought this class might help me with my fanfic
writing.. but now I'm not so sure... oh well...it is helpful and I do enjoy
trying to go past my *comfort zone* now and then.

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 13:03:57 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Thanks, Wendy!
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 13:05:37 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Thank you, Nan.
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:27:43 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Samantha Kegan <sam_kegan@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      New Troy
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Hey guys:

I have removed myself from lurkdom to inquire about the residency of Lois
and Clark.  Do they live in Metropolis, New Troy, or is it Metropolis, New
Troy, Illnois?  I understand that you can have a city within a city.  A
burrough if you will.  'Cause I have friends that live in Greenwood,
Indianapolis, Indiana.  Anyway, if someone could clear that up it would be
much appreciated.

Samantha Marie
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:28:39 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Troy
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 02/02/2000 10:28:05 PM Eastern Standard Time,
sam_kegan@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

<< Do they live in Metropolis, New Troy, or is it Metropolis, New
 Troy, Illnois? >>

I think it's Metropolis, New Troy

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:39:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

re: nominating and voting for yourself...

No, I don't think it's an American thing -- I think it's a shameless
thing <g> and there are still some Americans who've been taught to
understand that ;)  I haven't sent in my nominations yet, haven't even
really thought about them, so I don't know if I will nominate any of my
own stories ... but if I think I did one of the better stories in a
given category, I might.  I love my own stories, but there are lots of
other stories I love, too, and I can admit when they're better than mine
<g>  In the end, I hope it won't make too much of a difference, actually
... if *lots* of people nominate, then it won't be so much of an
issue... so everyone make sure to participate! :)

As Pat says, it's pretty cool to have other people nominate you when you
didn't contribute yourself... then again, it can be agony to think you
missed making the cut by that one vote... <g>  Everyone has to do what
they think is right.
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:51:52 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Alexis,

You've reminded me of a creative writing course I signed up for in
college ... on the first day, the prof told us he expected lots of
writing out of us, but none of it should be "genre" fiction -- no
romance, no westerns, no mystery, no science fiction, no horror ... just
"literary" fiction.  I dropped the class that same day :)

On the other hand, I do think you know things other than just LnC...
you've experienced high school, and family life, and Internet-based
subcultures ;)  I understand how much fun it is to immerse yourself in
LnC fantasy, but you shouldn't use it to hide from reality, 'cause
sooner or later you're going to have to deal with reality :)

And of course I could be totally wrong here, so if you want to tell me
to get stuffed that's okay <g>

Good luck!
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 22:55:32 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: New Troy
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

> Do they live in Metropolis, New Troy, or is it Metropolis, New
> Troy, Illnois?

As I understand it, New Troy is a state ... the license plates say New
Troy on them, and I don't think cities do license plates :)
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 20:11:05 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Judith Williams <judithwilliams@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi Alexis--Kathy and Christy have given you some very wise and powerful
advice.  One of the reasons for going to college is to stretch yourself so
that you have broader experiences than you came in with.  Learn "how to
write" by writing about as many things as you can in as many ways as you
can.  Then try new and different ways of writing about them.  As your
experience grows, you have more things to write about.  Playwright Arthur
Miller once said that first you have to learn the rules about writing, so
that when you break them, you'll be breaking them for a reason not out of
ignorance.  You know all the rules for writing about LNC.  Learn them about
other forms of fiction.  Sorry if I seem to be lecturing.  Is your teacher's
first name by any chance Joan pronounced Jo-ann? Anyway, good luck.  It's
unfortunate but true that in life we have to fit ourselves to the mold.
Only rarely can we morph the mold to fit us.  Jude
----- Original Message -----
From: Alexis W. <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
To: <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 7:24 PM
Subject: Re: OT: RE: creative writing

> Thank you for your insights.  I'm actually pursuing a career in journalism
> (i'm very good with the journalistic writing.. no problems there! LOL)
> English is only my minor.  I thought this class might help me with my
fanfic
> writing.. but now I'm not so sure... oh well...it is helpful and I do
enjoy
> trying to go past my *comfort zone* now and then.
>
> Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 23:19:20 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Nope.. her name is Julianne.  Very funny woman! I spent the whole class
period, ROTFLMAO all over the place! <G>

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 23:23:18 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Juli Hale <jhale@PREFERRED.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
In-Reply-To:  <l03130308b4be8f9ccec6@[12.34.170.21]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Alexis,

I teach a Freshmen Composition class, and the advice you've been getting
has been very good. I have lots of advice that I could offer you, but the
following quote says everything far more beautifully than I could:

"Go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you write. This above
all--ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: must I write?...Do
not write love poems; avoid at first those forms that are too facile and
commonplace: they are the most difficult, for it takes a great, fully
matured power to give something of your own where good and even excellent
traditions come to mind in quantity. Therefore save yourself from these
general themes and seek those which your own everyday life offors you;
describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and the belief in some
sort of beauty--describe all these with loving, quiet, humble sincerity,
and use, to express yourself, the things in your environment, the images
from your dreams, and the objects of your memory. If your daily life seems
too poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not
poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no
poverty and no poor indifferent place. And even if you were in some prison
the walls of which let none of the sounds of the world come to your
senses--would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly
possesion, that treasure-house of memories?"
                --Rainer Maria Rilke, From Letters To a Young Poet

Juli
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 2 Feb 2000 20:52:11 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Judith Williams <judithwilliams@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Great quote, Juli!  Jude
----- Original Message -----
From: Juli Hale <jhale@PREFERRED.COM>
To: <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: creative writing

> Alexis,
>
> I teach a Freshmen Composition class, and the advice you've been getting
> has been very good. I have lots of advice that I could offer you, but the
> following quote says everything far more beautifully than I could:
>
> "Go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you write. This above
> all--ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: must I write?...Do
> not write love poems; avoid at first those forms that are too facile and
> commonplace: they are the most difficult, for it takes a great, fully
> matured power to give something of your own where good and even excellent
> traditions come to mind in quantity. Therefore save yourself from these
> general themes and seek those which your own everyday life offors you;
> describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and the belief in some
> sort of beauty--describe all these with loving, quiet, humble sincerity,
> and use, to express yourself, the things in your environment, the images
> from your dreams, and the objects of your memory. If your daily life seems
> too poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not
> poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no
> poverty and no poor indifferent place. And even if you were in some prison
> the walls of which let none of the sounds of the world come to your
> senses--would you not then still have your childhood, that precious,
kingly
> possesion, that treasure-house of memories?"
>                 --Rainer Maria Rilke, From Letters To a Young Poet
>
> Juli
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 00:57:35 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      character names
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I was looking for a name to call one of my male characters in a story I'm
working for a class, when i came upon some names we know and love in my baby
name book. <G>

I'm not sure if the creators of Superman thought about what these names
meant, when they named the characters.  But let me just say that the names
suit their personalities just right.

1.  Clark = "scholarly"
2.  Claud = "lame"  (the meaning to this name made me LOL all over the
place!
;))
3.  Lois= "renowned warrior
4.  Nigel = "dark"
5.  Perry = "pear tree"  {it doesn't really relate to him, but I saw the
name
nonetheless)

Just for the heck of it I will throw in the name Dean.   Dean means, "from
the valley." <G>

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 01:11:58 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Presents: part 4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I like it I like it! I feel warm and fuzzy all over!
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 01:26:36 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ok, I'm new to this list so I got a really dumb question. What's with the
SPOILER SPACE????

thanks,
SuperLorie :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 01:28:23 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane of Mine (Part 2 of ?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I didn't get it either, but that's probably because it was sent before I
came
on the list a few days ago (?).....I would love to have it too!!

thanks,
SuperLorie :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 01:52:05 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/2/00 10:39:20 PM Pacific Standard Time,
SuperLorie@AOL.COM writes:

<< Ok, I'm new to this list so I got a really dumb question. What's with the
 SPOILER SPACE????

 thanks,
 SuperLorie :-)

  >>

Spolier spaces are there so we don't ruin a fanfic or quiz that someone
hasn't gotten a chance to read yet.  It basically out of curtesy to our
fellow FoLC members.

I hope this helps!

Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 01:58:58 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ooohhhhhhhhh...........NOW i get it. DUH! LOL

thanks,
SuperLorie:-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 02:03:06 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
In-Reply-To:  <3898F87B.703FA720@bellsouth.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

This has been an interesting discussion re nominating and voting for one's
own stories. I've followed it with interest, since this is the first time
the question actually applies to me! :)

My own personal take on it is as follows: nominations and votes are two
very different things. With the nominations, when I only managed ONE single
nomination out of all the categories (I'm sorry, Erin, I really tried to
keep it down!), I saw nothing wrong in including my own stories. But when
it comes to votes, then it's time to be honest here, and no, I don't think
"Escape From Krypton?" deserves to win best Krypton/New Krypton story. :) :)

But I do enjoy the insight into various personalities in this thread...

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 02:45:50 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I'm going to toss in my two cents here:

I, too, am taking a Creative writing class.  It's actually part 2 of a
2-part class.  Some of the things we have done seemed incredibly boring
before I started writing about it (ex:  describe a rug in a way that
suggests the abuse of something  or describe a pet in a way that implies the
owner is dying--ok, that  2nd one is just dumb, but we had to do it) but the
ideas behind these little exercises is to teach us about more specific areas
of writing that can be used in writing genre or non-genre fiction.  The
original stories I write are mostly science fiction and fantasy--I didn't
think writing something set in modern days on Earth could possible be fun,
much less fun to read.  I don't mean to sound cliche'd or stereotypical, but
writing the little assignments my creative writing teacher assigned me has
improved my writing ('course, writing LnC stuff improved it, as well--you
would not believe how 2-d my characters used to be!  They've improved, but I
think they still have a ways to go).

Basically, it doesn't matter if you want to write professionally or
privately, the more kinds of fiction you can write the better your writing's
going to be.

Tara

ps:  Has anyone ever heard of the Long Ridge Writers Group?

------Original Message------
From: Kathy Brown <kathyb@SPRINGNET1.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Sent: February 3, 2000 3:23:16 AM GMT
Subject: Re: creative writing

Alexis wrote:

>>>>
Next time i think I'm going to go try to find a movie-script class.  Now
that
might be right up my alley.  A movie script/tv script class.  Then  I can
write about LnC to my heart's content while at the same time post it here
for
all of you to enjoy.
<<<<<

I don't think this will be the answer you are looking for, unfortunately,
Alexis.  While a tv/movie script class would allow you to use L&C as a
basis for your first assignment, the same way this general creative writing
class did, they almost certainly will ask you to branch out afterwards as
well.

This is just real life -- say you rework your very best fanfic into a
script or novel, and an agent loves it.  The very next question out of his
or her mouth will be "what else do you have to show me, something that's
totally different?"  If you have nothing else, the conversation will be
over before it begins.   Just like your writing professor, an
agent/publisher/newspaper editor wants to see that you have bredth as well
as depth.  If you write on the same topic each time, you will not be
showing your abilities, nor practicing in order to learn new skills.  Most
importantly, you will be showing that you can't adapt your writing to the
audience you are trying to reach.  (This last point is important no matter
what career you choose -- whether law, medicine, business or journalism,
being able to adapt to different audiences is a highly valued skill. Take
it from a former recruiter.)

To bring L&C into this, look at Clark's first interview with Perry -- Perry
saw "mating habits of the knob-tailed gecko" and wrote Clark off as someone
with limited experience and exposure.  What a foolish article to lead off
his portfolio with -- I would think his article exposing the 'drug running'
of Baron Sunday (though it later proved to be untrue) would have been a
much more appropriate investigative showpiece.  If Clark had been
interviewing at a different kind of paper, his Borneo story might have been
the right choice.  But by including it for Perry -- a hard news,
investigative journalism kind of editor -- Clark proved he didn't do his
homework very well about who his audience was.

We all write fanfic for fun.  But don't sell yourself short about who you
are and what you know -- there are many more topics that you know about
beyond L&C.  You know about high school, early college life, your hometown
and the people in it.  You know about the internet and IRC and writing a
round robin and being on a listserv. The list goes on and on.  Why must
everything you write about for class be "big" things?  Why is everything
else "boring"?  Writing what you know means writing about the little things
we all experience every day.  *This* is where you'll find your common
ground with your readers -- not by writing about a television show few, if
any, of the people in your audience have watched.

Personally, I think that's the wonderful thing about this listserv (and the
other FoLC forums).  It gives us a great venue to talk about L&C and
fanfic, so we can spend the rest of our time pursuing our other interests.
:)

Kathy

______________________
Kathy Brown
kathyb@springnet1.com
kathyb@lcfanfic.com
KathyB on IRC
______________________

-----------------------------------------------
FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 03:11:11 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane  (Part 4/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Okay, for those of you who can read this without crazy little characters=20
messing it all up, I've decided to post the next couple of sections of my=20
story.  For those of you who can't read it, I will be posting it in the=20
archive once it is editted and revised, and I hope you will check it out=20
there!  For now, enjoy, and remember to let me know what you think!
Thanks!=
=20

Rose

PART FOUR

Lois couldn=E2=80=99t sleep.  Whenever she tried, her dreams haunted her;
dr=
eams of=20
Clark
drowning in a blanket of red.  She couldn=E2=80=99t close her eyes without
t=
he sight=20
of her best friend lying dead before her. =20

Her eyes were swollen from crying continuously since Clark left.  She was=20
almost glad he had left; she couldn=E2=80=99t bear looking at his sad
brown=20=
eyes,=20
knowing that she was the one who had made them so sad.=20

She had to do something to keep her busy.  She briefly considered going
into=
=20
the Planet, and getting some late night work done, but she knew Perry
would=20
have her hide if she came in before her forced vacation was over.  She=20
decided it wasn=E2=80=99t worth the risk.  The casino had been shut down
aft=
er the=20
shooting, and Dillinger, Capone, and the others had gone into hiding.
Maybe=
,=20
she guessed, if she went back to the casino and had a look around, she
would=
=20
find a clue as to where they were hiding. =20

*It=E2=80=99s worth a shot,* she thought.  *Hopefully, once these jerks
are=20=
put away,=20
Clark and I can put this whole thing behind us.* =20

After placing a call to Bobby Bigmouth, Lois called a cab, and sat out on
th=
e=20
front stoop to wait.  In her head, she listed everything she knew about=20
Dillinger, Capone, and Bonnie and Clyde.  Fingerprints had confirmed that=20
they were the genuine article.  Professor Hamilton, a scientist studying
DNA=
=20
modification, believed that it was possible to restructure DNA and=20
short-circuit aggressive behavior.  Lois was almost certain Hamilton was=20
responsible for regenerating the gangsters.  She had the =E2=80=9Cwho=E2=80=
=9D and the=20
=E2=80=9Cwhat.=E2=80=9D  Now if she could only figure out the
=E2=80=9Cwhere=
,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cwhy,=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Chow.=E2=80=9D =20
She decided to start with the =E2=80=9Cwhere.=E2=80=9D

Clark had found a movie ticket stub from the cineplex that Dillinger
dropped=
,=20
after they had robbed the bank.  Maybe something was left at the gambling=20
club that would lead her to Hamilton=E2=80=99s lab. =20

Ten minutes later, Lois was struggling to get out of the cab.  Hobbs
Street=20
poorly lit,
making it easy for her to pick the lock on the door, and creep into the=20
casino as quietly as the crutches would allow.  The casino was completely=20
dark, and the lack of windows prevented the moonlight from helping her
out.=20=
=20
She reached into her purse, drawing out a small flashlight, which she held
i=
n=20
her mouth as she hobbled to where the shooting had taken place. =20

There were still blood stains on the carpet where she had fallen.  She=20
focused the light on the floor, working her way slowly to the door where
Al=20
Capone had entered.  She didn=E2=80=99t really know what she was looking
for=
, but=20
whatever it was, she wasn=E2=80=99t finding it.  She moved around to the
bar=
,=20
scanning the floor, the counter, the shelves where the bottles of alcohol=20
were stored-- anywhere that Dillinger may have touched.  She found nothing.

Lois shifted her weight on the crutches.  Not being able to move at top
spee=
d=20
and the
hindrance of the crutches sure wasn=E2=80=99t making her work any easier.
S=
he=20
decided to rest her crutches against a stool, and try her luck walking,=20
hopping on her good leg when necessary.  She found that she was able to
do=20
it, uncomfortably, but not unreasonably so. =20

Having shed her crutches, she hobbled more quickly toward the craps table
an=
d=20
slot
machines.  Still nothing.  Frustrated, she turned back, and was sliding=20
toward a large
roulette wheel using the slot machines for support, when she felt the
cool=20
metal barrel of a loaded gun against her back.

*****

Clark was sitting on the ceiling with his elbow on his knees and his head
in=
=20
his hands.  He knew he had to tell Lois.  She deserved to know the truth,=20
*needed* to know it.  But how could he tell her?

All this time, he=E2=80=99d worked side-by-side with Lois.  They became
frie=
nds, best=20
friends, and maybe even more.  Lois grew to care about him, genuinely,=20
instead of just tolerating =E2=80=9Cthe hack-from-nowheresville,=E2=80=9D
as=
 she did when=20
they first met.  Most of all, she trusted him.  She trusted him to be
honest=
=20
with her, to respect her, and not to hurt her.  But he=E2=80=99d destroyed
a=
ll that.

He knew that she=E2=80=99d be furious with him.  Or worse, she=E2=80=99d
be=20=
so star-struck=20
by the thought of working with Superman that he=E2=80=99d never see the
real=
 Lois=20
Lane again, only the phony sugar-coated version of herself that she
allowed=20
Superman to see.  Either way, he had blown all chance of developing a
real=20
relationship with her, and of ever truly having a =E2=80=9Cnormal=E2=80=9D
l=
ife. =20

He thought of her eyes, and all the times he=E2=80=99d looked deep into
them=
, trying=20
to get her to see the truth.  He=E2=80=99d wished sometimes that she would
s=
ee past=20
the glasses.  He wished she could see the real man behind the glasses,
and=20
behind the cape.  He wished that she would recognize him for who he truly=20
was, for what was truly in his soul.  *She* was in his soul.  She was a
part=
=20
of him.  A part of him that was almost killed by his two alter-egos-- a=20
mild-mannered reporter, and a cool-headed superhero.  She didn=E2=80=99t
eve=
n really=20
know him, really.  She knew the superhero, she knew the reporter, but she=20
didn=E2=80=99t know the *man.* =20

He=E2=80=99d seen every side of her.  He=E2=80=99d seen her brilliance,
her=20=
temper, her=20
unfaltering courage, and her unfaltering stubbornness.  He=E2=80=99d seen
pa=
st her=20
walls, into the woman who desperately craved love, and who had so much
love=20
to offer.  She=E2=80=99d allowed him, in her friendship, to melt the ice
aro=
und her=20
heart, and share a part of her that Clark didn=E2=80=99t think anyone else
h=
ad truly=20
shared. =20

And he=E2=80=99d offered her a pair of glasses, and a flashy cape.

*She deserves more than that.*  Clark set his jaw against the lump of
regret=
=20
that blocked his throat.  *If it costs me everything I have,
she=E2=80=99ll=20=
have the=20
truth.*

He owed her that much.

*****=20
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 03:14:21 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

PART FIVE

=E2=80=9CYou know, you=E2=80=99re a pretty gutsy broad.=E2=80=9D
Dillinger=20=
finished securing the=20
knots that bound her to the barstool.  =E2=80=9CI woulda thought you=E2=80=
=99da stayed outta=20
here after I shot ya.  But you just can=E2=80=99t get enough, can ya?=E2=80=
=9D =20

Dillinger smiled at her in a way that made her stomach turn, the same way
he=
=20
smiled when he offered to make her head hostess.  =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ll
ne=
ver get away=20
with this,=E2=80=9D she spat.  =E2=80=9CSuperman will be here any second.=
=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CSuperman, eh?=E2=80=9D  Dillinger chuckled, taunting her.  =E2=80=
=9CWhere was Little Boy=20
Blue the other night, then?  Huh?=E2=80=9D=20

Lois didn=E2=80=99t know what to say.  Where *had* he been that night?  He
h=
ad never=20
failed to save either Lois or Clark in the past.  Why didn=E2=80=99t he
come=
 when=20
they both needed him the most?  In fact, she hadn=E2=80=99t seen him at
all=20=
since the=20
shooting... =20

=E2=80=9COh, he=E2=80=99ll be here, trust me.=E2=80=9D   Lois forced her
dou=
bts down to the pit of=20
her stomach.=20
Superman wouldn=E2=80=99t let anything happen to her.=20

Dillinger grinned again.  =E2=80=9CMaybe he will.  But it won=E2=80=99t
matt=
er, Cutie. =20
It=E2=80=99ll be too late.  It=E2=80=99s a shame I gotta kill ya, but you
ju=
st can=E2=80=99t seem to=20
mind your own business.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYou won=E2=80=99t get away with this...=E2=80=9D Lois started
again=
, but Dillinger pressed=20
the gun to her forehead, and positioned his finger on the trigger.  Again,
h=
e=20
grinned, a big toothy grin. =20

=E2=80=9CSUPERMAN!  HELLLPPPP!=E2=80=9D

*****

Clark flew slowly toward Lois=E2=80=99s apartment, trying to plan out the=20
conversation.  He
practiced, quietly saying the words to himself.  =E2=80=9CLois,
I=E2=80=99m=20=
Superman.=E2=80=9D

He=E2=80=99d thought he was invulnerable.  But each time he saw Lois=E2=80=
=99s face in his=20
mind=E2=80=99s eye, the inevitable hurt expression and angry tears that
woul=
d follow,=20
it felt as if a band of Kryptonite had seized his heart.  He prayed to=20
whomever was out there, whomever was stronger and more powerful than him,=20
that Lois=E2=80=99s pain would be lessened eventually, and that she wouldn=
=E2=80=99t hate=20
him after a while.  He didn=E2=80=99t bother to pray that his pain would
be=20=
lessened.=20
 Without Lois, even God was helpless to ease his suffering.

He arrived at her apartment, and stepped gently off of her windowsill
into=20
her living room.  It was dark.  *Of course she would be sleeping,* he=20
realized.  *It=E2=80=99s the middle of the night.*

But Clark couldn=E2=80=99t wait any longer.  He had to tell her now, or he
m=
ight=20
never be able to gather the courage again.  He walked slowly to her
bedroom,=
=20
like a prisoner walking to his execution.  His palms were sweating.  He=20
rubbed his hands on his tights, trying to rid himself from the strange
and=20
offending sensation. =20

She wasn=E2=80=99t in her bed. =20

He turned on the bedroom light and looked again, as if bad eyesight had
been=
=20
the problem.  The bed was empty, the sheets thrown back. =20

=E2=80=9CLois?=E2=80=9D Clark called.  His voice sounded hollow in the
empty=
 apartment.  He=20
quickly
searched the apartment for her.  Her purse and her crutches
weren=E2=80=99t=20=
there. =20
Where could she have gone?

A quick flight proved she wasn=E2=80=99t sneaking in some late-night work
at=
 the=20
Planet, nor was she in any of the other places he could think of her to go
i=
n=20
the middle of the night.  He saw no sign of her, anywhere. =20

He was getting more and more worried by the second.  Gangsters were
roaming=20
the city, and Lois was no where to be found. =20

He was on his way back to Lois=E2=80=99s apartment when he heard her
scream=20=
for help.=20
 He
almost cried.  He was not going to fail her twice.

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 19:20:24 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Okay, I've heard of ROTFLMAO. I keep seeing it but I've never worked out
what it means. Can someone tell me please?
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 07:41:25 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         John Debbage <106532.433@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Universal Union Book2 P/13
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hi Lara,

I'm sorry I've been very busy lately as my husband has been ill in
hospital.  I like to reply to the people who so kindly send me messages
about my stories and, if I have already emailed you, please excuse me.  A=
t
the moment things are so hectic that I don't know whether I'm on my head =
or
my heels.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed Universal Union.  I did try to use the
charachters from the series but to change them so that they wouldn't be
quite the same.  After all with a different up-bringing and environment i=
t
would follow that they would be slightly different.

Kal-El is the obvious character for this as I wanted him to have all
Clark's goodness and compassion but with a little added.  Kal had been
brought up to rule Krypton and therefore would have a degree of authority=

in his make-up.  I think even Clark showed this in the series in the
epsiode 'Lord of the Flies' when he answered Jen-Mai with 'I am your
commander'.

I've tried to keep Lois true to her roots but I believe on Krypton she
would have to mature more quickly, perhaps learn to be less implusive, bu=
t
without loosing her spirit and courage.

For the moment I'm intending to give both Lois and Kal-El a rest but I do=

mean to write another installment of Book 2 in the near future.  At the
moment I'm concentrating on writing a sequel to my family stories.

Thank you again for your kind words.
Yours Jenni Debbage
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 08:30:06 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
MIME-Version: 1.0
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ROTFLMAO= Rolling on the floor, laughing my a** off.

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:04:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane  (Part 4/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Rose, =

I'm still working around your funky quotes <g> but it's worth it... this
part, especially:

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

> He=E2=80=99d seen every side of her.  He=E2=80=99d seen her brilliance,=
 her temper, her =

> unfaltering courage, and her unfaltering stubbornness.  He=E2=80=99d se=
en past her =

> walls, into the woman who desperately craved love, and who had so much =
love =

> to offer.  She=E2=80=99d allowed him, in her friendship, to melt the ic=
e around her =

> heart, and share a part of her that Clark didn=E2=80=99t think anyone e=
lse had truly =

> shared.  =

> =

> And he=E2=80=99d offered her a pair of glasses, and a flashy cape.
> =

> *She deserves more than that.*  Clark set his jaw against the lump of r=
egret =

> that blocked his throat.  *If it costs me everything I have, she=E2=80=99=
ll have the =

> truth.*
> =

> He owed her that much.

That is just beautiful.  So well written, and I can definitely see Clark
thinking it...  I do sometimes think the angst in this story is a little
overblown (I'm like that; just ask Wendy), but then you give me
paragraphs like that and it's all worthwhile... :)

So hurry up and post the next part(s)! :-)

PJ
who really has no room to talk, given how she's making people dangle on
the message boards...
-- =

-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net  =

ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in =

_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 14:21:15 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane  (Part 4/7)
In-Reply-To:  <38998AF2.76381B4C@bellsouth.net>
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On Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:04:34 -0500 Pam Jernigan
<jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET> wrote:

> I do sometimes think
> the angst in this story is a little overblown (I'm like
> that; just ask Wendy), but then you give me paragraphs like
> that and it's all worthwhile... :)

Oh, I love angst... and if there's angst in this, I'm going
to go and read it right now!!  (thanks, Rose, for the
non-formatted copy!)

> who really has no room to talk, given how she's making
> people dangle on the message boards...

Well, yes, indeed... where is the next part of 'In Any
Universe'? I might just have to keep the reveal-all part of
'So Strong a Foundation' over until the weekend at this
rate! <g>

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:51:42 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane  (Part 4/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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> Well, yes, indeed... where is the next part of 'In Any
> Universe'? I might just have to keep the reveal-all part of
> 'So Strong a Foundation' over until the weekend at this
> rate! <g>

The next part is still percolating around in my brain, waiting until the
kids' naptime so I can get the words on paper... well, on screen,
anyway... and if you hold off on your story, that would be just
spiteful! :)  I'm sure you aren't spiteful... are you?

PJ
who should have taken Wendy up on her offer to send the whole story, so
that she wouldn't be subject to this kind of blackmail... hey!  Wendy's
acting just like Lana!  <eg>  Hah, now you'll *have* to post, just to
prove you aren't Lana! hehehe!
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 07:44:48 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      The Mirror Cracked - Recommendation
Comments: To: zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Truly well written story.

Elisabeth and I have always wanted to read a Tempus
story without H.G. Wells in it.  Thanks for giving us
the opportunity!

I am nominating it for Episode Adaptation and
Revelation Story.

James

=====
Mr. D8a
Philipians 4:8

The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but...
Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa!
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:01:06 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Universal Union Book2 P/13
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

>>I'm sorry I've been very busy lately as my husband has been ill in
hospital.  At the moment things are so hectic that I don't know whether I'm
on my head or my heels.

My sympathies, Jenni.  I hope things go well with your husband.

I'm looking forward to reading UUBook2.  I've not yet started it because I
want to wait until it's finished and I can read it all at once.

>At the >moment I'm concentrating on writing a sequel to my family stories.

Yea!!!  Oh, goodie.  These are among my very favorite lnc fics.  something
else to look forward to :)

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:22:40 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: character names
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Alexis wrote:
>I'm not sure if the creators of Superman thought about what these names
>meant, when they named the characters.  But let me just say that the names
>suit their personalities just right.
>
>1.  Clark = "scholarly"
>3.  Lois= "renowned warrior

I have a great book called Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend,
which deals with the origins and incarnations of Superman. It's probably out
of print but for anyone's who's interested it's edited by Dennis Dooley &
Gary
Engle, 1987. The name info is in the chapter titled "The Man of Tomorrow and
the Boys of Yesterday," by Dennis Dooley. Some excerpts...

"She was Lois Amster, 'a very pretty, very nicely-put-together girl... one
of
the hardful of young females that the boys were conscious of.' She was very
bright - and one of those disturbingly self-assured girls who make their
male
contemporaries uneasy by dating older fellows... (This hunch concerning the
identity of the original Lois was later confirmed by a little-known
interview
with Siegel and Shuster published in the Washington Star on October 29,
1975.
'Lois Lane was named for Lois Amster, a Cleveland girl,' reports the Star.
But
the article also contains a surprise none had previously suspected. It was
Joe
[Shuster] who 'had a crush' on her. 'She's a grandmother now in Cleveland,'
a
mature Shuster philosophized, 'but I don't think she has any idea that she
was
the inspiration for Lois Lane.'"

"But who then was Kent? The probable answer, as in the case of Lois, is
maybe
a composite of two or three people. The name Clark, for one thing, is not
too
difficult to trace. Anyway, there's a good bet... Clark Kent's first name,
it
seems, was very likely intended to call up, for laugh value, the image of
Gable in the minds of readers. Clark indeed, with his four left feet and his
stammering, bashful ways with women. What could have been more ludicrous?
Seigel, in [an] interview, confirms the Gable connection, adding that the
'Kent was borrowed from actor Kent Tyler, and the name Metropolis from Fritz
Lang's 1927 film classic about a city of the future.'"

And, for the etymology of the name Kal-El, here's a passage from the chapter
entitled "What Makes Superman so Darned American?" by Gary Engle.
"[His cape] hang... like an angel's wings. In light of this graphic detail,
it
seems hardly coincidental that Superman's real, Kryptonic name is Kal-El, an
apparent neologism by George Lowther, the author who novelized the comic
strip
in 1942. In Hebrew, el can be both root and affix. As a root, it is the
masculine singular word for God. Angels in Hebrew mythology are called benei
Elohim (literally, sons of God) or Elyonim (higher beings). As an affix, el
is
most often translated as 'of God,' as in the plentitude of Old Testament
given
names: Ishma-el, Uri-el... The morheme Kal bears a linguistic relation to
two
Hebrew roots. The first, kal, means 'with lightness' or 'swiftness' (faster
than a speeding bullet in Hebrew?). It also bears a connection to the root
hal, where h is the gutteral ch of chutzpah. Hal translates roughly as
'everything' or 'all.' Kal-el, then, can be read as 'all that is God,' or
perhaps more in the spirit of the myth of Superman, 'all that God is.' And
while we're at it, Kent is a form of the Hebrew kana. In its k-n-t form, the
word appears in the Bible, meaning 'I have found a son.'"

Just some interesting possibilities; whether they're true or not is a
different story. (I've had many people tell me that some of the Hebrew
translation is not accurate.)

Christy
kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:34:02 -0700
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: character names
In-Reply-To:  <38892B5A@webmail.kenyon.edu>
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Christy wrote:

>Just some interesting possibilities; whether they're true or not is a
>different story. (I've had many people tell me that some of the Hebrew
>translation is not accurate.)

Thanks for posting this, Christy!!  I really enjoyed reading it!  If only I
gave my own characters' names as much consideration.  <g>

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 08:54:54 -0800
Reply-To:     creolel@ca.freei.net
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori Llorence <creolel@CA.FREEI.NET>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)
Comments: To: Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM
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PLEASE ROSE MORE!!!! Can you tell I'm not a very patient person??? Seriously
though, this is excellent-I can't wait for the next installment! Which will
be soon....right???

Lori

-----Original Message-----

From: Rose Cookson [mailto:Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM]

Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 4:15 PM

To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net

Subject: That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)

PART FIVE

“You know, you’re a pretty gutsy broad.� Dillinger finished securing
the

knots that bound her to the barstool. “I woulda thought you’da stayed
outta

here after I shot ya. But you just can’t get enough, can ya?�

Dillinger smiled at her in a way that made her stomach turn, the same way he

smiled when he offered to make her head hostess. “You’ll never get away

with this,� she spat. “Superman will be here any second.�

“Superman, eh?� Dillinger chuckled, taunting her. “Where was Little
Boy

Blue the other night, then? Huh?�

Lois didn’t know what to say. Where *had* he been that night? He had never

failed to save either Lois or Clark in the past. Why didn’t he come when

they both needed him the most? In fact, she hadn’t seen him at all since
the

shooting...

“Oh, he’ll be here, trust me.� Lois forced her doubts down to the pit
of

her stomach.

Superman wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Dillinger grinned again. “Maybe he will. But it won’t matter, Cutie.

It’ll be too late. It’s a shame I gotta kill ya, but you just can’t
seem to

mind your own business.�

“You won’t get away with this...� Lois started again, but Dillinger
pressed

the gun to her forehead, and positioned his finger on the trigger. Again, he

grinned, a big toothy grin.

“SUPERMAN! HELLLPPPP!�

*****

Clark flew slowly toward Lois’s apartment, trying to plan out the

conversation. He

practiced, quietly saying the words to himself. “Lois, I’m Superman.�

He’d thought he was invulnerable. But each time he saw Lois’s face in
his

mind’s eye, the inevitable hurt expression and angry tears that would
follow,

it felt as if a band of Kryptonite had seized his heart. He prayed to

whomever was out there, whomever was stronger and more powerful than him,

that Lois’s pain would be lessened eventually, and that she wouldn’t
hate

him after a while. He didn’t bother to pray that his pain would be
lessened.

Without Lois, even God was helpless to ease his suffering.

He arrived at her apartment, and stepped gently off of her windowsill into

her living room. It was dark. *Of course she would be sleeping,* he

realized. *It’s the middle of the night.*

But Clark couldn’t wait any longer. He had to tell her now, or he might

never be able to gather the courage again. He walked slowly to her bedroom,

like a prisoner walking to his execution. His palms were sweating. He

rubbed his hands on his tights, trying to rid himself from the strange and

offending sensation.

She wasn’t in her bed.

He turned on the bedroom light and looked again, as if bad eyesight had been

the problem. The bed was empty, the sheets thrown back.

“Lois?� Clark called. His voice sounded hollow in the empty apartment.
He

quickly

searched the apartment for her. Her purse and her crutches weren’t there.

Where could she have gone?

A quick flight proved she wasn’t sneaking in some late-night work at the

Planet, nor was she in any of the other places he could think of her to go
in

the middle of the night. He saw no sign of her, anywhere.

He was getting more and more worried by the second. Gangsters were roaming

the city, and Lois was no where to be found.

He was on his way back to Lois’s apartment when he heard her scream for
help.

He

almost cried. He was not going to fail her twice.

*****

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<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D4>
<P><FONT color=3D#0000ff>PLEASE ROSE MORE!!!! Can you tell I'm not a =
very patient=20
person??? Seriously though, this is excellent-I can't wait for the next=20
installment! Which will be soon....right???</FONT></P>
<P><FONT color=3D#0000ff>Lori</FONT></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D4>
<P>-----Original Message-----</P>
<P>From: Rose Cookson [mailto:Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM]</P>
<P>Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 4:15 PM</P>
<P>To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net</P>
<P>Subject: That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>PART FIVE</P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;You know, you=E2&#8364;&#8482;re a pretty gutsy =
broad.=E2&#8364;=9D Dillinger finished securing=20
the </P>
<P>knots that bound her to the barstool. =E2&#8364;&#339;I woulda =
thought you=E2&#8364;&#8482;da stayed=20
outta </P>
<P>here after I shot ya. But you just can=E2&#8364;&#8482;t get enough, =
can ya?=E2&#8364;=9D </P>
<P>Dillinger smiled at her in a way that made her stomach turn, the same =
way he=20
</P>
<P>smiled when he offered to make her head hostess. =
=E2&#8364;&#339;You=E2&#8364;&#8482;ll never get away=20
</P>
<P>with this,=E2&#8364;=9D she spat. =E2&#8364;&#339;Superman will be =
here any second.=E2&#8364;=9D</P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;Superman, eh?=E2&#8364;=9D Dillinger chuckled, =
taunting her. =E2&#8364;&#339;Where was Little Boy=20
</P>
<P>Blue the other night, then? Huh?=E2&#8364;=9D </P>
<P>Lois didn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t know what to say. Where *had* he been =
that night? He had never=20
</P>
<P>failed to save either Lois or Clark in the past. Why =
didn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t he come when=20
</P>
<P>they both needed him the most? In fact, she hadn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t =
seen him at all since=20
the </P>
<P>shooting... </P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;Oh, he=E2&#8364;&#8482;ll be here, trust =
me.=E2&#8364;=9D Lois forced her doubts down to the pit=20
of </P>
<P>her stomach. </P>
<P>Superman wouldn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t let anything happen to her. </P>
<P>Dillinger grinned again. =E2&#8364;&#339;Maybe he will. But it =
won=E2&#8364;&#8482;t matter, Cutie. </P>
<P>It=E2&#8364;&#8482;ll be too late. It=E2&#8364;&#8482;s a shame I =
gotta kill ya, but you just can=E2&#8364;&#8482;t=20
seem to </P>
<P>mind your own business.=E2&#8364;=9D</P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;You won=E2&#8364;&#8482;t get away with =
this...=E2&#8364;=9D Lois started again, but Dillinger=20
pressed </P>
<P>the gun to her forehead, and positioned his finger on the trigger. =
Again, he=20
</P>
<P>grinned, a big toothy grin. </P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;SUPERMAN! HELLLPPPP!=E2&#8364;=9D</P>
<P>*****</P>
<P>Clark flew slowly toward Lois=E2&#8364;&#8482;s apartment, trying to =
plan out the </P>
<P>conversation. He</P>
<P>practiced, quietly saying the words to himself. =E2&#8364;&#339;Lois, =
I=E2&#8364;&#8482;m=20
Superman.=E2&#8364;=9D</P>
<P>He=E2&#8364;&#8482;d thought he was invulnerable. But each time he =
saw Lois=E2&#8364;&#8482;s face in his=20
</P>
<P>mind=E2&#8364;&#8482;s eye, the inevitable hurt expression and angry =
tears that would=20
follow, </P>
<P>it felt as if a band of Kryptonite had seized his heart. He prayed to =
</P>
<P>whomever was out there, whomever was stronger and more powerful than =
him,=20
</P>
<P>that Lois=E2&#8364;&#8482;s pain would be lessened eventually, and =
that she wouldn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t hate=20
</P>
<P>him after a while. He didn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t bother to pray that his =
pain would be=20
lessened. </P>
<P>Without Lois, even God was helpless to ease his suffering.</P>
<P>He arrived at her apartment, and stepped gently off of her windowsill =
into=20
</P>
<P>her living room. It was dark. *Of course she would be sleeping,* he =
</P>
<P>realized. *It=E2&#8364;&#8482;s the middle of the night.*</P>
<P>But Clark couldn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t wait any longer. He had to tell =
her now, or he might=20
</P>
<P>never be able to gather the courage again. He walked slowly to her =
bedroom,=20
</P>
<P>like a prisoner walking to his execution. His palms were sweating. He =
</P>
<P>rubbed his hands on his tights, trying to rid himself from the =
strange and=20
</P>
<P>offending sensation. </P>
<P>She wasn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t in her bed. </P>
<P>He turned on the bedroom light and looked again, as if bad eyesight =
had been=20
</P>
<P>the problem. The bed was empty, the sheets thrown back. </P>
<P>=E2&#8364;&#339;Lois?=E2&#8364;=9D Clark called. His voice sounded =
hollow in the empty apartment. He=20
</P>
<P>quickly</P>
<P>searched the apartment for her. Her purse and her crutches =
weren=E2&#8364;&#8482;t there.=20
</P>
<P>Where could she have gone?</P>
<P>A quick flight proved she wasn=E2&#8364;&#8482;t sneaking in some =
late-night work at the=20
</P>
<P>Planet, nor was she in any of the other places he could think of her =
to go in=20
</P>
<P>the middle of the night. He saw no sign of her, anywhere. </P>
<P>He was getting more and more worried by the second. Gangsters were =
roaming=20
</P>
<P>the city, and Lois was no where to be found. </P>
<P>He was on his way back to Lois=E2&#8364;&#8482;s apartment when he =
heard her scream for=20
help. </P>
<P>He</P>
<P>almost cried. He was not going to fail her twice.</P>
<P>*****</P></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0000_01BF6E24.57E27480--
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:13:23 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kate Crane <KCrane1865@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Aaaaaahhhhhh, please don't keep us waiting for 6 & 7!
This is terrific stuff, Rose. =20

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
=20
S
P
A
C
E

I was especially touched by=20
"She=E2=80=99d allowed him, in her friendship, to melt the ice around her=20
heart, and share a part of her that Clark didn=E2=80=99t think anyone else
h=
ad truly=20
shared. =20

And he=E2=80=99d offered her a pair of glasses, and a flashy cape."

Great new angle.  Looking forward to the rest....soon I hope ;)
Kate
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:38:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gerry Anklewicz <Gerry_Anklewicz@NYNET.NYBE.ON.CA>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
In-Reply-To:  <b6.db1a8c.25ca2bad@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

I'd like to add my two cents in here too.

The problem with using fanfic as a basis for other kinds of writing is the
limitations that fanfic places on its writers.  First of all, we're given
characters who have already been defined and there is very little growth
in them.  They may get married, have many kids, many adventures or exist
in alternative universes, but they stay the same because we want them to.

 Next, our characters rarely face difficult ethical crises and decisions.
Their ethical standards are really never threatened.  Even in Wendy's "For
the Greater Good", Clark had no choice but to go and destroy the meteorite.

  Stylistically, on reading hundreds and hundreds of fanfic (like I'm
really addicted to the stuff), I realized that we've created our own
cliches and overused descriptions.  How many times and in how man
different ways can tears flow from Lois's eyes?

 Similarly, we have overused plot devices because there are certain
situations that our heroes have to end up in to make the story work or
make the WAFF credible.   Once again, as readers we expect these and want
them.

Finally, there is a lot of repetition within stories.  I find this when
both Clark and Lois think about an event, we get it from both their
perspectives which at times becomes redundant because it's somewhere else
in the story already.

Creative writing courses want to take you beyond these limits.  There's a
difference between good storytelling and good writing.  There's also a
difference between good writing and literature.

Having said all of this, I'd like to add that

I LOVE L AND C FANFIC AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT.

Gerry
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:56:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth category quiz: Alt-Universe answers
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000202174904.00905e40@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Here are the answers to the alt-universe quiz:

Story 1: Big Boys Do Fly 3 - Between Two Worlds, by Wendy Richards
Story 2: Fear of Discovery 2: Nowhere to Hide, by Yvonne Connell
Story 3: Life in a Different World, by Mobile Richard
Story 4: Timeless, by Becky Bain
Story 5: Only You 4: Reality, by Margaret Brignell
Story 6: The Greatest Lesson, by Sammi Burleigh
Story 7: A Future Not Now, by Tank Wilson
Story 8: If We Could Live Our Lives Over, by Chris Carr
Story 9: Movers and Shakers, by Nancy Merkle and Kathy Brown
Story 10: The Mirror Crack'd, by Hazel

Audrey got twelve points for six quotes. She didn't specify *which* part of
BBDF was used here, but just about everyone did the same thing, so we'll
give her credit anyway. ;)

Terry got twelve and a quarter points: five quotes (with the loss of
three-quarters of a point for the wrong "Only You" and only one author for
story 9) and three excerpts.

Chris got eleven points: four complete quotes, and one author from the
quote.

Wendy got eighteen points: seven quotes and two extracts. Her numbers got a
bit confused there, but we'll forgive her! Sorry that I "fooled" you on
quote 9, but hey, I included the title... ;)

Pam got fourteen points: six quotes and two excerpts.

Nicole got six points: two quotes and two excerpts.

Jessi got eleven and a half points: four quotes and three excerpts, plus a
half-point extra-credit for actually giving the title of BBDF3! Not even
*Wendy* gave the title! :)

Seven players for one quiz does reflect the popularity of this category,
but it's no surprise. Wendy is the clear winner with eighteen points, with
Pam coming in second and almost everyone else huddling around the
twelve-point mark. :) Congratulations, Wendy!

Some people thought Story 10 was actually Cindy's "Prelude," which is, if
I'm not mistaken, not quite eligible as yet -- it hasn't reached the
archive and she hasn't requested that it be included in this year's Kerths.
I must say I'm flattered by the mistake! That means, of course, that
"Prelude" will not only be eligible next year, but Cindy will also qualify
as New Author. ;)

Several people also thought that Sammi's "Greatest Lesson" was my "Mirror
Crack'd." I don't blame 'em. Sammi's story, which *did* include Wells, was
what inspired me to write my own (without Wells). I did try to choose
quotes and excerpts that reflected his presence in the story,  but maybe I
didn't do as good a job as I thought. :(

One more note: Terry and everyone else, these quizzes are NOT "closed-book"
(or closed harddrive or archive either!) -- you are more than welcome to
hunt for the answers! The only "closed-book" quiz was the S6 one, as Wendy
specified. It might be more fun, of course, to trust your own memory, but
don't feel that you have to do it!

Over to you, Wendy... :)

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 13:09:42 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Gerry wrote:
>The problem with using fanfic as a basis for other kinds of writing is the
>limitations that fanfic places on its writers.  First of all, we're given
>characters who have already been defined and there is very little growth
>in them.  They may get married, have many kids, many adventures or exist
>in alternative universes, but they stay the same because we want them to.

For me, this "problem" was a help. Before I heard of fanfic, I was a writer.
Not a very serious one, being a child, but I did write. I had a hard time
finishing stories, though, because I got so caught up in creating characters
(going down to such detail as birthdays, addresses, timelines of their
lives)
that once they were created, I was thoroughly sick of both them and my
story.

So when I found fanfic, I found a world where there were ready-made
characters
whose lives already existed. Fanfic allowed me to concentrate on other
aspects
of a story: a plot, a theme, a setting. After writing fanfic for a year and
a
half, I was given the opportunity to take a fiction writing class. I was
initially worried that, having to make up my own characters again, I would
revert back to my old ways. But I didn't, and I think the reason is that,
while writing fanfic, I learned enough about other aspects of writing to
know
that it isn't necessary to have an entire back-story for your characters
before beginning to write.

> Next, our characters rarely face difficult ethical crises and decisions.
>Their ethical standards are really never threatened.  Even in Wendy's "For
>the Greater Good", Clark had no choice but to go and destroy the meteorite.

I just (5 minutes ago) read Notrepooh's A Question of Ethics and in that
story
Clark definately went through an ethical crisis. And I know I've read other
stories with real crises, not just problems which the reader knew were going
to be solved without a decision by Lois or Clark.

>  Stylistically, on reading hundreds and hundreds of fanfic (like I'm
>really addicted to the stuff), I realized that we've created our own
>cliches and overused descriptions.  How many times and in how man
>different ways can tears flow from Lois's eyes?
>
> Similarly, we have overused plot devices because there are certain
>situations that our heroes have to end up in to make the story work or
>make the WAFF credible.   Once again, as readers we expect these and want
>them.

And this is where the challenge is: finding new story lines; abandoning
folcdom cliches; exploring new aspects that the show ignored, glossed over,
or
could not explore. It may not be easy to find a "new" idea, but who said
writing should be easy? After all, there are many more "real" (published)
short stories and novels out there, and they overlap too. But people are
still
writing, trying to find new ways to see and describe old problems.

It was much easier to write fanfic when I started, and a significant body of
fanfic existed back then. Now I have to wonder whether an idea was really
mine, or whether I read something by another writer and built on it in a
slightly different way. And, if it is a built-on idea, is it different
enough
to warrant another story? One of my fiction writing professors liked to ask
us
what we could "steal" from a short story we'd been assigned to read. She
said
there was nothing wrong with stealing; it was borrowing that was bad. If you
stole something, you took it and made it yours, but if you borrowed it, you
just copied another's idea rather than changing it into your own.

-Christy (giddy with a touch of freedom now that her thesis intro is done ;)
 kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 13:30:12 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Comments:     RFC822 error: <W> Incorrect or incomplete address field found
and
              ignored.
From:         Carolyn Schnall <cschnall@MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject:      Review of S5/10
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi FoLCs:

Season 5/Episode 10: Eine Klein Nachtmusik
by Nancy Lemieux, story by Nancy Lemieux and Adrienne Vukovic, Edited by
Adrienne Vukovic

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Cute classical music title use!

The episode format is back :) and I did have to get the text format for a
couple of pages:(

I loved the whole bit with the kits, the dialogue when the kits are
positive, the fact that Klein is finally told the secret and the SHARP
organization.  I suspected Lex all along so it was interesting to find out
that he was not responsible for it.  Also there were interesting scenes of
Lex with Beth, which reminded me of the parallel scenes between Lex and
Clark that used to show up.

I thought this was a terrific ep, that it would have made a great addition
to the canon and I could easily see it produced.

I also thought that Lois having morning sickness is an interesting element.
When people get sick, they are often embarrased, but everyone gets sick
from time to time. However, Clark is only sick very, very rarely, and his
worst illness did not seem to involve losing his lunch.  Imagining Lois'
mindset when she gets sick in CK's presence was compelling.  Of course, he
is the most understanding husband and was even sympathetic about Ralph's
Pagoda's sickening food!

Anyway, I thought this was an excellent ep.  I also went back and read the
nfic version of Ep 9 (ooh la la!).  On to ep 12!

Thanks,
Carolyn
cschnall@.med.cornell.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 13:40:39 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: The Mirror Cracked - Recommendation
In-Reply-To:  <20000203154448.1221.qmail@web214.mail.yahoo.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Thank you for your kind dose of FDK, James!

And I didn't even pay him, really... ;)

So, when will we get some more of "Seven Days"?

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 14:34:56 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This little vignette came to me last night while I was at work.  It's for
al=
l=20
the newbies on the list and IRC, who wonder just how some people know so=20
much...  (Or am I the only one who wonders about these things? <g>)
Hope=20
you get a chuckle out of it.

Rose

AOL:  A Revelation Story of the Alternate Kind

=E2=80=9CArgh!=E2=80=9D  Lois pushed herself away from her laptop in
disgust=
.  She just=20
didn=E2=80=99t understand it.  She wrote Kerth caliber stories for a
world-r=
enown=20
newspaper, possessed a brown belt in Tai-Chi, and had once even gained=20
Superman=E2=80=99s powers and was a superhero for a while.  So why was it
th=
at she=20
was having so much trouble getting started on AOL?=20

She stood and moved to the kitchen for a beverage.  Clark was sitting at
the=
=20
kitchen table, slowly eatting his breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast,
and=
=20
reading that morning=E2=80=99s edition of *The Daily Planet.*=20

=E2=80=9CMorning, Honey,=E2=80=9D he said when she entered. =20

Standing behind him, Lois slid her arms around his neck and planted a kiss
o=
n=20
the top of his head.  Clark set down the paper, and turned around so that
he=
=20
could kiss her properly.   =20

=E2=80=9CWhat=E2=80=99s got you so tense, Hon?=E2=80=9D  Clark asked,
messag=
ing her shoulders=20
gently. =20

=E2=80=9COh, it=E2=80=99s nothing...  Just this stupid AOL.  I=E2=80=99ve
be=
en trying and trying to=20
create a screen name, but everytime I type something in, it=E2=80=99s
taken!=
=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWell, what have you tried?  Maybe I can help you come up with
somet=
hing.=E2=80=9D =20

I=E2=80=99ve tried Lois Lane, Lois Kent, LoisLaneKent, and even Mad Dog
Lane=
.  All of=20
them, already in use.  How many people could possibly be called Mad Dog
Lane=
?=20
 I was even going to try Ultrawoman, but I didn=E2=80=99t want to risk
anyon=
e to=20
making the connection.=E2=80=9D

Clark grinned.  His own screen name, Farmboy22866 had been accepted on
the=20
first try.  He tried to keep Lois from getting too worked up.

=E2=80=9CHoney, why don=E2=80=99t you give it a rest?  You=E2=80=99re
always=
 racing around trying to=20
do a million things--  research, write a story, or start up AOL.  Why don=
=E2=80=99t=20
you and I spend a little time relaxing today, and forget about AOL for a=20
while?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9COh?  And just how, do you propose, we spend this time relaxing?=E2=
=80=9D  Lois=20
asked coyly, raising her eyebrows. =20

=E2=80=9COh, I=E2=80=99m sure I could come up with some interesting
ideas...=
=E2=80=9D  Clark pulled=20
Lois to him for another kiss. =20

=E2=80=9CMmmm,=E2=80=9D  Lois murmured.  =E2=80=9CI think I could arrange
so=
me time in my schedule=20
for a little *relaxation.*=E2=80=9D

Clark smiled.  He loved his wife.  She was beautiful, brilliant, and sexy.
=20
He loved making her smile, and he really loved making her *relax.* =20

After relaxing for the rest of the morning, and again later that
afternoon,=20
Lois was able to get up and face the computer again without stress.  She=20
successfully created her new screen name, and sent emails to all of her=20
friends and family so they=E2=80=99d know her email address.  Then she
signe=
d off,=20
and went to research her latest story.

Clark sat down at the laptop to check his own email.  When the sign on
windo=
w=20
appeared, Clark=E2=80=99s eyebrow arched in confusion.

=E2=80=9CZoomway?=E2=80=9D Clark wondered aloud.  *Why did Lois name
herself=
 after a=20
highway?*

THE END
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:02:58 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: The Mirror Cracked - Recommendation
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I am working on part 4 even as we speak, er... type?
James

--- Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL> wrote:
> Thank you for your kind dose of FDK, James!
>
> And I didn't even pay him, really... ;)
>
> So, when will we get some more of "Seven Days"?
>
> Hazel
>

=====
Mr. D8a
Philipians 4:8

The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but...
Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa!
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:24 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 3 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 3

It was a tired and cranky Lois Lane that made her way
to her Uncle Mike's for Sunday brunch.  Since she had
gotten up a little over an hour earlier, she had, more
than once, been on the verge of calling her uncle to
cancel.  It was only the overwhelming sense of
loneliness that still lingered from her gloomy
thoughts of the night before that forced her to look
for company.  What she really wanted to do was to call
Clark and ask him to join her, but after last night
when he had switched his allegiance to Mayson, no way.

Lois ignored the little voice inside her head that
logically pointed out that it was Mayson who made the
big play for Clark rather than the other way around.
No, if Clark hadn't been willing to be with Mayson, he
would have made his feelings clear.  The little voice
inside her head then pointed out that Clark was gentle
and kind and never, ever rude and ...  <Oh, shut up!>
she silently snarled to herself.  She didn't really
want to cut Clark any slack.  No, she wanted to wallow
in her foul mood - really savour every unforgiving
thought.

She managed to greet her uncle courteously.  His warm
welcome did a lot to make some of her negative
feelings dissipate.

"Hey, sweetie.  How're you doing today?" He planted a
hearty smack on her cheek.

"Hi, Uncle Mike." Lois returned his hug and looked
around the restaurant.  It wasn't crowded by any
means, but there were two other couples sitting
outside just finishing their meals.  "Business is
picking up, I see."

"It sure is.  And it's all due to you.  You and that
partner of yours."  Mike squeezed her arm gently as he
looked around his restaurant in pride.  "Anyway, have
a seat, sweetie.  I have to get these guys their bills
and then we can talk in peace." He disappeared at a
fast clip into the back of the restaurant.

"Don't forget Superman helped too..." Lois called
after his retreating back.  He didn't seem to hear
her.  Lois sighed and picked an inside table to sit
at.  She felt that her grumpy mood wouldn't survive
outside in the sunshine and she wanted to hold on to
it for a little while longer.  Although, after eyeing
the dessert display case, she figured her grumpy mood
was nearly a thing of the past.  Man, oh, man, her
uncle knew what to do with chocolate!

It didn't take long for Mike to deal with the bills
and the payments.  He came to join her carrying a
couple of cups of coffee and a couple of pieces of
rich, chocolate cake.  One look at the incredible
chocolate confection and Lois felt her mood
immediately begin to lighten.

"Thanks, Uncle Mike.  I need this today." Lois picked
up her fork and dove right in.

Mike smiled at her fondly before picking up his own
fork.  "Why's that, sweetheart?"

"Oh, I don't know.  It's been a tense couple of days.
The story was a lot of work, and I was really worried
about you, and, well," Lois waved her fork around,
"there's been a lot of other things happening that
made me tense."

Mike looked around his restaurant and grinned.  "At
least you don't have to worry about me anymore.  That
'cop' took care of the last of my problems."

Lois smiled happily.  "Yes, and we both know who that
cop really was, don't we?"

Mike nodded.

"Clark."  "Superman."

"Superman?"  "Clark?"

"No, it was..."  "I know it was..."

"But I saw him..."  "But he told me..."

They fell silent, exchanging puzzled glances.

Lois opened her mouth and enunciated clearly.  "Are
you telling me that Clark...  that he...  all those
guys...?"

"I saw him, Lois.  His face was hidden by his hat, but
he looked back at me just before he went around a
corner and I saw him.  He wasn't wearing his glasses,
but it was Clark.  I'm sure of it."

"But why would Superman say it was him?" Lois asked,
falteringly.

"Did he come right out and say that?"

Lois thought for a moment.  "He sort of implied it.  I
said that you wanted to bake him a cake, you know, to
say thanks and," she paused for a second,
concentrating hard, "he said something like 'tell him
I retired from the force.' That sounds like Superman
was saying that it was him helping you out."

"Well, I'll admit that Clark looks really different
without his glasses, but I saw him without them the
other day.  And then the other night, I got a really
good look at him.  It was Clark."

Lois frowned down at the remnants of the chocolate
cake on her plate.  "I just don't understand."

"Neither do I," Mike said, "unless...  Nah!" He shook
his head emphatically only to pause a second later.
"But they do look alike," he said, quietly, almost to
himself.

Lois pounced on his last comment.  "Superman and
Clark? Uncle Mike, they don't look alike.  Well, okay,
they both have dark hair and brown eyes, and I think
they're about the same height and weight, and Clark
does have lots of muscles - I saw him half-naked once;
don't worry it was perfectly innocent - and we know
that Superman has muscles, too, because the suit does
nothing to hide them, and ...  Oh, my God! They do
look alike!" She looked up at her uncle with an
appalled expression on her face.  "Oh, my God!
Clark...  and Superman...  and they both...  Oh, my
God!" Much to her uncle's dismay, Lois started to
hyperventilate.

"Sweetie, calm down!  Take a deep breath ...  That's
good.  Take another."

Lois complied with her uncle's suggestion, taking deep
breaths until she was able to sit and look at him
relatively calmly.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked in concern.

Lois nodded, her eyes still looking a little wild.

"Let's look at this logically, honey.  Have you ever
seen the two of them together?"

Lois concentrated hard.  "Well, there was the time
that ...  no, Clark left before Superman got there.
And then there was ...  no, Superman left before Clark
showed up.  But then ...  no, not then either." She
looked at her uncle, her eyes wide.  "No, I've never
seen them at the same time," she admitted,
reluctantly.  "Why would I when they're the same
person?" she said slowly, drawing each word out.

"Are you sure, Lois?"

His niece slowly nodded, her eyes fixed on his.  "A
minute ago, I would have argued with you about it.
Now, after thinking about it, I know for sure."

"Wow." Her uncle sat back in his chair and looked off
into space before turning his attention back to his
niece.  "I don't know what to say."

"I do," Lois stated emphatically, once again breathing
hard.  "That rat! That piece of worm-ridden fish bait!
That..."

"Why the heck are you angry?" Mike asked sounding
surprised at her reaction.

"Well, wouldn't you be? He lied to me.  He treated me
like a fool.  He..."

"When did he do that?" Mike asked, leaning forward and
taking her hand in his.  "What did he do?"

"Are you serious, Uncle Mike? He...  he misrepresented
himself to me.  He pretended to be something that he's
not!"

"When was he pretending? When he was Clark? Or when he
was Superman?"

Lois's mouth fell open as she looked at her uncle in
shock.  Wow.  Talk about the sixty-four thousand
dollar question.  When was he pretending? Was Clark
Kent just an act? Or was Superman? "I...  I don't
know," she stuttered.  "I can't answer that."

"Well, it seems to me, Lois, that you haven't even had
a chance to figure out the questions yet, let alone
the answers."

"I guess you're right, Uncle Mike.  I do need to do
some thinking."

Just then, a couple came in for lunch.

"Here's your chance, sweetheart," Mike said as he
patted her arm.  "I have to look after these two.  You
just sit - I'll bring you more coffee - and you think.
 It'll be a while before I can join you again."

"Thanks, Uncle Mike.  That'd be great...  Oh, do you
think I could have another piece of cake, too? I'm
really in the mood for chocolate.  I need all the help
I can get right now."

Mike Lane nodded and gave her a thumbs-up as he headed
for the customers.  Lois settled back in her chair.
Her uncle was right.  She did have a lot of thinking
to do.

***
Continued in part 4

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
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=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:36:03 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 7 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 7

The rest of the morning was a little easier for Lois.
Going out for dinner with Clark had been a good thing
to do.  It had made her relax and start to see Clark
for himself, instead of being overlaid with this
splendid vision of red, blue and yellow.  Oh, she knew
that he'd never, ever be 'just Clark' to her again,
but at least she could talk to him for a minute or two
before she started obsessing about who he was in his
spare time.

Checking her watch, she noted that it was almost noon.
 Maybe she should follow up on last night's successful
dinner and ask Clark if he wanted to join her for
lunch.  Just as she was about to push herself out of
her chair to approach him, the elevator dinged and
Lois looked up to see Mayson Drake emerge.  The blonde
made a beeline for Clark, much to Lois's dismay.

There was no way for Lois to miss the conversation.
She heard it in every painful detail.

"Hi, Clark," Mayson said, enthusiastically.

"Oh, hi, Mayson.  I wasn't expecting to see you,"
Clark said, warmly.

"Oh, well, you know.  I just thought that...  Uh, I
was in the area and I thought I'd take a chance that
you might be free for lunch," the Assistant District
Attorney said fatuously as she batted her eyelashes at
Clark.

Clark paused for a long moment.  Lois held her breath,
hoping to hear him turn Mayson down, but it wasn't to
be.  She kept her head down, not looking at them.  If
she had looked, she would have seen Clark sending a
questioning glance her way before finally answering
Mayson.

"I'd love to," Clark said, slowly.  At least he didn't
sound too enthusiastic, Lois thought.

"Great!" Mayson exclaimed brightly as she hooked her
arm into Clark's and tugged him towards the elevator.

Lois lifted her head and watched as the elevator doors
closed behind the two of them.  "Great," she muttered.

It was a long hour, waiting for Clark to return from
his lunch date with Mayson.  Lois had ended up getting
a soda and a stale cheese sandwich from the vending
machines.  She had finished the soda but had only been
able to choke down half the sandwich before discarding
it.  She couldn't help but think about Clark and
Mayson having a nice meal together, enjoying
themselves and each other.  By the time Clark
returned, she had worked herself into quite a bad
mood.

As it happened, Lois and Clark had a fair amount of
separate work to do that afternoon.  If they had had
to work more closely together, Clark would have soon
realised that Lois had made a massive attitude
adjustment.

They both had to stay a few minutes late, tidying up
files and checking on a few details for tomorrow's
stories.  The newsroom was almost empty with the
exception of Perry still ensconced in his office.
However, he had closed his door so he could clean up
some of his administrative paperwork without
interruption.  As she straightened up her desk, Lois
glanced over at Clark.  "So," she said, diffidently,
"did you have a nice time at lunch?"

"Uh huh," Clark answered, absentmindedly, as he
quickly brought his notes up to date.

"Do you think you'll be seeing Mayson again?" Lois
asked, striving to be nonchalant.

"What? Oh, maybe," Clark answered without looking up.
If he had, he would have been able to read the storm
signals that Lois was sending out, but he was busy,
and he didn't.

"Oh, really," Lois drawled, feeling ignored.  "What do
you see in her anyway, Clark?" Her voice was steely
and filled with venom, and this did capture his
attention.  She walked over and perched on the corner
of his desk.

"Uh, she's very nice," he said as he looked up, almost
feeling guilty admitting this.

"Don't you find her a little...  needy?" Lois asked.
"She strikes me as someone who's very desperate for a
man.  Not a very attractive quality in a woman if you
ask me," Lois pointed out, sarcastically.

Clark was starting to get a little annoyed.  All these
mixed signals from Lois were pretty confusing.  He was
a little irritated by how she was first warm, then
cold with him.  "Are you saying that the only women
who find me attractive are needy ones?" he asked,
sharply.

"No, I'm just asking if you really think that you have
any kind of a future with her," Lois retorted,
angrily, so caught up in the argument that she had no
idea what she was saying.

"Well, maybe I do," Clark replied, retaliating in
kind.

"Oh, really.  And how could you possibly have a future
with a woman who thinks of you with distaste?" Lois
asked, the words pouring out of her on their own.

"What? Mayson enjoys my company.  She doesn't think of
me with distaste," Clark said, plainly confused by
this new attack.

"Hah!" Lois exclaimed, triumphantly.  "That's because
she doesn't know, does she, Clark? She doesn't know
about your alter-ego, does she, Superman?"

Her words just hung in the air for a long moment with
no reaction from him.  Lois's hand crept up to cover
her open mouth as she realised what she had just said.

"You know?" he finally asked, his voice shaking a bit.

Wide-eyed, Lois nodded.

"When did you find out?" he asked, quietly.

"My Uncle Mike and I figured it out," she said,
tentatively.  "He recognised you when you rescued him
from the Skins, but then when you, when Superman told
me that he had been the cop, well..."

"You know, and your uncle knows?" Clark asked,
incredulously.

Lois nodded again.

As she watched, Clark grimaced and closed his eyes,
obviously thinking hard.  When he opened his eyes
again, Lois was shocked.  His eyes were cold as they
rested on her.  "So, is it just you and your uncle, or
did you tell anyone else?"

"No, it's not like that, Clark.  I wouldn't tell
anyone.  I couldn't have figured it out on my own and
Uncle Mike couldn't have either.  He already said he
wasn't going to tell, and I won't either - you have to
believe me.  I wouldn't do that to you, Clark.  I care
about you too much," Lois said, her voice faltering
under the weight of his icy gaze.

"Don't you mean you care about Superman too much,
Lois?" Clark asked, coolly.

"What? No...  Okay, it was like that at first, but not
now!" she exclaimed.

Clark sat back wearily in his chair.  "I find that
really hard to believe.  How long have I been trying
to make you notice me, Clark Kent, instead of some guy
in tights? And did you ever? No, not until you found
out my secret," he pointed out, bitterly.

"No, no! It's not like that, Clark.  You have to
believe me," Lois protested.

"Under the circumstances, I don't see how I can,
Lois," Clark said, ironically.

Lois blanched as she remembered the last time he had
said those words to her.

"I'm sorry," she said, flustered and upset.  "I didn't
mean to hurt you that night, Clark, and I didn't mean
to hurt you now." She laid a shaking hand gently on
his arm only to feel him flinch under her touch.
"Please, Clark? Don't shut me out."

"Don't shut you out?" Clark exclaimed as he pulled
away from her.  "Why shouldn't I? Since the first day
I met you, that's all you've done to me.  Turnabout's
fair play in my book."

"But you don't understand!" Lois exclaimed in
frustration.  "My attitude did change because you're
Superman, but not for the reason you think."

Clark looked around the empty newsroom.  "Could you
speak a little louder, Lois? I don't think Perry could
quite hear you.  Maybe I should go fetch him.  That
way, you won't have to worry about straining your
voice."

"I'm sorry," Lois said, dropping her voice to a
whisper.  "Please, Clark.  You have to listen to me.
I want to explain."

"Oh, well then, go ahead," Clark said, sarcastically,
waving his hand graciously in front of him.  "Be my
guest.  Explain to me exactly why your attitude did a
major about-face at the same time that you found out
something interesting about me." He leaned back in his
chair, folded his arms in front of his chest and
waited.

"It's not that easy to explain, but I'll try," Lois
said, hesitantly.

As she was about to continue, Clark bolted up out of
his chair and put his hand out shushing her.

"What? What is it?" she hissed.

"Shhh, I'm trying to listen," he said to her
frustration.  After a moment, he turned his attention
back to her.  "I have to go," he said quietly.

"What's going on?" she asked, impatiently.

"Sirens.  Lots of them.  I've got to go now."

Before Lois could ask another question, Clark was
gone, the door to the stairs banging shut behind him.

"At least he's not returning a video," she muttered to
herself before bursting into tears of frustration.

***

Continued in part 8

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:16 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 2 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 2

Later, much later, while Lois lay quietly in her bed
waiting to fall asleep, the thrill still hadn't worn
off.  Superman was just the ...  the dreamiest man she
could imagine - so gallant and romantic.  And so
good-looking, too.  He was different from any other
man she had ever met.  Somehow, he seemed to be
separate from normal, petty, human behaviour.  She
couldn't imagine him telling a lie or making a
mistake.  He was perfect.  More than perfect.  Once,
she had described him as a Greek God.  Now, she saw no
reason to change that description.

Lois sighed happily and shifted position slightly.  So
far, she showed no signs of getting to sleep, but that
didn't matter.  It just meant that she had more time
to indulge in her favourite nocturnal activity -
fantasizing about Superman.

Oh, if only she could be with him for one night - one
perfect night.  She knew exactly how she wanted it to
be.  He would hold her in his arms - those manly,
muscular arms - and then he would kiss her tenderly
before pulling back a bit and smiling at her lovingly.
 Then she would ask him the question that burned
inside of her.  She would ask him how he felt about
her.  He would smile at her again, and then he would
say those three magic words that she burned to hear
him say, and then ...  and then ...

And then as always, to her frustration, Lois's well of
inspiration ran dry.

She wanted to fantasize about him kissing and
caressing her, about kissing and caressing him, but
she just couldn't.  He seemed so far above all human,
petty desires.  She could no more imagine him being
with her in that way than she could imagine him, oh,
going to a movie with her or playing cards with Jimmy
and Perry.

Her mood changed from elation to desperation.  She
loved him; she knew that, and she thought he might
have special feelings for her, too - at least she
hoped he did - although he didn't come out and say
anything to her.  He had rejected her after all.  But,
he did keep dropping in on her.  He wouldn't do that
if he felt nothing for her, would he? Or did he just
think of her as a friend?  It hadn't seemed as if that
were all it was tonight.  He had seemed to be treating
her in a romantic fashion.  She chased her thoughts in
circles, unable to come to any firm conclusion.

Or maybe, she just wasn't good enough for him.  He was
perfect, and Lois knew that she was most definitely
not perfect.  At that thought, all her doubts and
fears came flooding in from the dark, hidden place
that she had crammed them into.  What reason in the
world was there for Superman to want her, Lois Lane?
Even Clark had turned away from her, preferring Mayson
Drake's company.

Clark's friendship had been a constant in Lois's life
for so long now that Lois was having a hard time
dealing with this new upset.  She needed him ...  as a
friend she was quick to qualify.  And she wanted him
in her life ...  again, as a friend.  At least they
had made up their fight.  Lois had told Perry that she
would always have Clark as a friend but, lying here in
the dark, Lois forced herself to face the truth.

If Clark really did want to be with Mayson, Lois knew
that that would be it.  Mayson didn't like Lois.  She
wouldn't tolerate a boyfriend spending time outside of
work with another woman even in the most platonic way.
 Why in the world would he choose a 'best friend' over
a girlfriend? And why wouldn't he want to be with
Mayson? The woman adored him; she catered to his ego.
And she wasn't that bad looking, Lois admitted
grudgingly.

It was easier in a way for Mayson, Lois thought.
Mayson wasn't in love with Superman.  Lois wondered if
she, herself, weren't in love with Superman, could she
have been interested in someone like Clark?  Maybe.
Actually, thinking about it, probably, she admitted
truthfully.  Clark was a special friend.  He was kind
and sweet and courteous and sensitive and well, he was
very good looking, too - not as gorgeous as Superman
but definitely nothing to sneer at.  If she had got to
know him before Superman turned up, well, maybe Lois
might have taken a chance on him.  Instead, Superman
had turned up, long before Lois had realised what a
...  a treasure Clark Kent really was, and that was
that.  One look at Superman and Lois couldn't begin to
think of another man, instead preferring to dream of
what might be with the super-hero.

But dreams don't keep you warm at night, she told
herself brutally.  Dreams don't hold you in their
arms.  You can't have a future with dreams.

For the first time, Lois saw what her love for
Superman was keeping her from.  For the first time,
she saw what she had lost by shutting herself away
from taking a chance on life.

Instead of drifting off to sleep buoyed by warm
thoughts of Superman, Lois cried herself to sleep,
counting her faults and mourning the coming loss of
her friend.

***
Continued in part 3

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:36:31 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 10 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 10

Clark sat glumly on top of Lois's apartment building,
trying to make sense of her mercurial moods.  He was
feeling totally confused, but he thought he had one
thing straight.  She had gone overboard being nice to
him because she felt guilty for having treated Clark
worse than Superman.  That was good, wasn't it? He was
so mixed up he wasn't sure.

She wasn't angry; that was a plus.  And she wasn't
hurt; at least he didn't think she was.  But she did
feel really, really guilty.  He didn't like seeing her
be so hard on herself, putting herself through such
pain.

There was one big question he was afraid to ask.  How
did she feel about him, now? If she did have feelings
for him, would that be a good thing or a bad thing? He
did want her to love him, but he wanted her to love
him for Clark, not for Superman, so it would be bad,
but on the other hand, it would be better if she did
love him than if she had no feelings for him at all.
Maybe.  He wasn't sure.  And, if he kept thinking
about it, he just might get the first headache he had
ever had.

Suddenly, he heard Lois swear, "Damn it all," followed
by a thud and a crash.  He didn't even have to think
about it.  He was standing in front of her less than a
second later.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worried by how upset
she looked.

"No.  I'm not all right, and we're not all right, and
nothing's all right!" Lois exclaimed loudly, with her
fists clenched and her eyes flashing.  "You love me,
but you don't want me to love you because you're
afraid that I prefer Superman to you.  Clark, I don't
want to love you, because being in love with a real
person who might be able to return my feelings, scares
me more than words could say.   Even so, even knowing
all that, I'm completely and totally in love with you.
 And I can't deny that knowing you're also Superman is
the reason that I took a second look at you.  I can't
deny that I had feelings for Superman, but they were
safe feelings.  He never threatened my peace of mind
because I knew all along I could never be with him.
So, I'm not in love with you because you're Superman,
but because you're you, but I never would have known
that I love you if I hadn't known about the other
thing...  so, no, I'm not all right, Clark.  And I'm
sorry.  I'm sorry that I was too pigheaded to see you,
Clark Kent, instead of some make-believe Prince
Charming in tights and a cape.  I'm sorry that I was
insensitive and shallow and selfish.  I'm sorry.  But
I'm in love with you and I can't pretend that I'm not.
 I'm tired of pretending."

Clark stood rigid, unable to take in everything that
Lois had said.  He was having trouble processing the
information she was throwing at him.  She was in love
with him.  And the only reason that she was, was
because he was Superman, too.  He half turned away
from her, too dejected to even look at her, when he
caught sight of their reflection in her hallway mirror
- a petite woman next to a tall man in red, blue and
yellow, cape hanging limply behind him.

"And this is your fault, too, Clark Kent," she yelled,
her tiny reflection waving an index finger at his
back.  "If you hadn't encouraged me as Superman, none
of this would have happened..."

Clark stood mesmerized, watching the mirror image of
the woman he loved scold and berate him.  Suddenly,
the implications of exactly how Lois was reacting to
him, hit him like a thunderbolt.

"...  And, aren't you going to say anything?  I just
totally opened up to you, Clark, and I'd like a little
feedback from you, unless you like seeing me standing
here waiting, twiddling my thumbs and..."

"What did you just call me?" Clark asked, hoarsely.

"What?"

"You just called me Clark."

"Well, duh.  That's your name."

"No, I mean, here I am standing here, dressed like
this," and he gestured at his tights, boots and cape,
"and you called me 'Clark'.  Not 'Superman'.  You were
yelling at me.  You always yell at me, Clark.  You
never yell at me, Superman.  This whole time since you
found out about me, you've never once seen Clark as
really being Superman, have you? But you see Superman
as being Clark, don't you?" His words spilled out,
faster and faster, as he got more and more excited by
the implications.

Lois frowned, obviously trying to puzzle out the
meaning of what he had just said.  "I think so," she
said, tentatively.

"Lois, when you say that you love me, just who are you
saying it to?" Clark asked, his heart in his throat.

"You lunkhead, haven't you been listening to me? I
love you, Clark Kent."

"And you're not in love with Superman anymore?" he
asked, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"How could I be, Clark, when he doesn't really exist?"
she replied, smiling warmly in response.

"But you're scared to be with me."

"I'd be more scared to not be with you," she admitted,
glancing up at him shyly.

"And you're not dazzled by the colourful, flashy
outfit?"

"I think I'd be more dazzled if you weren't wearing
it," she purred, throatily.

Clark blinked hard.

Lois looked at him in exasperation.  "Clark, what are
you waiting for?"

He looked at her blankly.

She sighed, and then before he knew it was happening,
she launched herself at him so fast his head was
spinning.  Their lips met in a kiss so passionate it
made his toes curl inside his boots.

"Oh, Clark," she murmured.  "Don't ever doubt how I
feel about you, okay? I love you, Clark Kent - not
that other guy."

"I love you, too, Lois," he murmured, bending his head
to kiss her once more.

"Although..." She paused.

"Although?" he prompted her.

"Well, it's only right that I do love the other guy,
too, at least a little bit, because he is a part of
you, which is good because he can fly, and I like to
fly, and do I have to feel guilty about enjoying the
superpowers because some of them are pretty nifty? I
can think of some pretty great uses for the heat
vision especially in the wintertime and..."

"Lois!" Clark interrupted, laughing.

"Yes, Clark," Lois said, meekly, fake innocence
plastered all over her face, the corners of her mouth
twitching.

"Have I ever told you? You talk too much." He wrapped
his arms around her, and kissed her once again.  As
they kissed, they floated up off the floor.  Neither
one of them even noticed.

The end.

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
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=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:55 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 6 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 6

Clark surreptitiously watched Lois as she solemnly
studied the menu.  She was acting so completely and
totally weird today; he was hoping that she would say
something soon that would help him make sense of her
behaviour.

"Do you want to order a dinner for two, or individual
dishes?" he asked.

"Let's order the dinner for two, Clark.  If that's
okay with you," she hastily added.

"That's fine."

"Oh, good," she replied with a giggle and a relieved
smile.  "What would you like, mild, medium, spicy or
extra-spicy?"

"You pick, Lois.  I'll go along with what you want."

"But what if I pick the wrong thing, Clark? What if I
choose spicy when you really prefer mild? Or what if
you have a secret hankering for extra-spicy and I
choose medium?" Her voice got louder and louder in
distress as she questioned him.

"Uh, okay, if you want me to choose, medium sounds
pretty good.  Is that okay with you?" he asked, trying
to calm her down.

Lois flashed him a brilliant smile.  "If that's what
you want, Clark, that's what you should get."

Definitely very weird, Clark thought to himself.  This
whole new 'pay attention to Clark and cater to his
every wish' attitude of hers was very nice for the
moment, but he already knew that he had no desire for
a steady diet of it.

They closed their menus and sat in an awkward silence
waiting for the waiter to appear.  Lois was looking
anywhere but at him.  He regarded her seriously for a
moment, waiting for her to speak but she didn't.

"Uh, Lois, is there anything wrong?" Clark finally
asked.

"No, uh uh.  Nope.  Not at all.  Um, why do you ask?"
Lois replied as her face turned pink once again.

"Oh, no reason."

They fell into an awkward silence once again.

Clark greeted the waiter with relief when he finally
came to take their dinner orders.

After the waiter left to take their order to the
kitchen, Clark was determined not to suffer another
moment of awkwardness.  If she didn't want to talk, he
would.

"Did I ever tell you about when I traveled through
India?" he asked, tentatively.

"No," Lois said, eagerly.  "I'd love to hear more."
She leaned forward onto her elbows, her body almost
straining towards him, looking at him in anticipation,
her eyes luminous in the dim light of the restaurant.

He was taken aback by the eagerness with which she
greeted his question.  He swallowed, his mouth
suddenly dry before he could continue.  "I backpacked
around the world for a year before I went to college.
It was great.  I got to meet so many interesting
people..."

***

As they finished their meal, Clark reflected that he
had never enjoyed an evening more than he had tonight.
 The atmosphere was intimate, the lighting subdued.
And once Lois had relaxed a bit, she had been great
company.  She had shared a lot of herself with him
tonight.  He had never known before that she had moved
out when she was in her senior year at high school.
She had talked openly about her relationship with her
parents and how their views on life, love and marriage
had affected her.  He was starting to understand her
more and more.

And she had been genuinely interested in what he had
to say.  She had asked appropriate questions at
appropriate moments in his stories, she had encouraged
him to express his opinion on things and had otherwise
been attentive in a much more normal way than she had
been earlier in the evening.

"Lois, I've had a great time tonight," he said,
warmly.

"I did, too," Lois admitted shyly, looking up at him
flirtatiously.

Clark's heart just about skipped a beat in his chest
when he intercepted that look from her.  She had only
ever looked at him that way when he was wearing his
'suit' not when he was being himself.  Wow! Was she
finally starting to appreciate him, Clark Kent,
instead of Superman? He didn't know, but he sure hoped
so.

The waiter came with the bill, Clark paid over Lois's
protests, and they left the restaurant.

As they strolled lazily back towards the Planet and
Lois's jeep in the underground parking lot, Lois
tucked her arm into Clark's much to his delight.  They
made idle conversation as they walked, talking about
past stories and future possibilities for other ones.
Nothing of import was said on the surface, but Clark
was aware of emotional undercurrents to the
conversation even so.

"Here we are," Clark announced as they arrived beside
Lois's jeep.

"Can I give you a ride?" Lois asked, shyly.

"No, thanks, Lois.  I think I'll walk," Clark
answered, regretfully.  He was overdue to patrol the
city.  He wanted to try and patrol frequently in the
wake of the recent problems with the Skins and with
other gangs.  Otherwise, he would have jumped at the
chance to extend his time with Lois.

"Oh, okay, Clark," Lois replied, sounding
disappointed.  She took a deep breath as if to brace
herself, and then rose to the tips of her toes to
plant a quick kiss on his cheek.  He was so shocked by
her gesture that she had whirled quickly away and was
in the driver's seat before he even noticed.

"Uh, goodnight, Lois," Clark said, still stunned.

"Goodnight, Clark," a blushing Lois said as she put
her vehicle into gear.

Clark stood and watched her jeep as she drove out of
his line of sight, one hand lifting to press against
his cheek, still feeling the imprint of her lips on
his face.

***

Lois drove home feeling wonderful.  Clark had been
such good company.  He had been attentive and warm and
interesting.  And he had been incredibly good to look
at, sitting on the other side of the table, she
thought with a giggle.  Why had she never noticed that
before? Actually, she thought to herself with a wicked
grin, she had noticed but she had chosen to ignore it.
 A vision of Clark clad in a towel danced in front of
her eyes for a moment, causing her to nearly run a red
light.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realised
something else.  It had been Clark Kent who had been
good company, not Superman.  Once she had got over her
initial wariness around him, she had been able to
relax and shunt her new knowledge about him to the
back of her brain and focus on him as Clark, not as
Superman.  Which meant that she could have enjoyed
this kind of evening with him before she knew his
secret.  Why hadn't she? Had she been that blinded by
the super-hero that she had ignored the nice guy
standing before her? She must have been.  Poor Clark.
He really did deserve to be liked for himself.

Why had she been so dazzled by the super-hero? On the
other hand, why was it such a relief to let go of that
infatuation for these new feelings for her partner?
Darned if she knew, but for right now, she was
comfortable getting to know Clark a little bit at a
time, and not rushing into anything.

***

Clark went to work, very curious as to how Lois would
behave today.  She greeted him with a steaming cup of
coffee prepared 'exactly the way you like it'.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten to check that the
coffee was fresh before pouring a cup, but she still
got an A for effort in his book.  He managed to choke
down the thick, bitter brew, pretending complete
enjoyment and satisfaction, not wanting to do anything
that might jeopardise this new attitude of hers
towards him.

With a glare at Ralph who was hovering in the
background, Lois grabbed a donut out of the box to
serve to him.

Clark grinned at her as he accepted it, only to be
gripped with horror as an idea occurred to him.

"Oh, God, Lois! You're sick, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You're dying.  That's why you're acting this way.  I
read that fatal illnesses can change people's
perspective on life and..."

"What? That's ridiculous," Lois interrupted, giggling
girlishly.  "No, I'm not dying, Clark.  There you go
again, pretending that I never do anything for you.  I
told you yesterday.  You're my friend.  I like to do
things for you."  She patted him awkwardly on the arm
and headed for her computer.

***
Continued in part 7

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:46 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 5 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 5

Lois walked home from her uncle's restaurant in a daze
with one question running constantly through her mind.
 Did she love Clark? It was a hard question to answer
in the wake of her startling discovery.  She felt so
confused.  He was her friend, her best friend, and
now, she felt as if she didn't know him at all, like
he was a stranger.

Did she love Clark? She knew she wanted him in her
life.  She remembered that when he had quit the Planet
last year during the heat wave, she had felt like
someone had reached into her chest and ripped out her
heart.  She knew that he made her feel unexpected joy
when she was around him when she had long ago decided
that joy had no place in her life.  She knew that she
counted on him to support her, and she wanted to
support him in return.  Yes, if that was love then she
loved him.  She just didn't know who the heck he was
anymore.

That was going to have to be her first order of
business - getting to know Clark for who he really
was.  And doing it without letting on what she knew.
She wasn't ready to face him without the protection of
his alter ego standing between them.  She wasn't sure
enough of his feelings for her to do that.

One thing she did know, though.  She was going to have
to treat Clark Kent a lot better.  She had been
thoughtless and insensitive and, knowing what she knew
now, at times downright cruel.  That was all going to
change.

***

"Lois, are you feeling okay?" Clark asked in concern.

"Sure, Clark.  Why do you ask?" Lois responded, a
tinge of pink staining her cheeks.  She pointedly kept
her eyes focused on her computer monitor.

"I don't know, Lois.  I'm just not used to...  You're
acting...  I don't know.  You're just different from
how you normally are." Clark leaned forward onto his
elbows, intently studying his petite partner from the
vantage point of his desk.

"I don't know what you mean," she answered with a shy,
quick glance at him before she turned back to her
monitor.  The pink colour in her cheeks deepened
visibly.

"You're just being so, so nice to me," Clark retorted.
 "I mean, you got me at least three cups of coffee
this morning, and you offered to pick up my
dry-cleaning, and you didn't argue with me when I
criticized your spelling, and then you practically arm
wrestled poor Ralph for the last donut which you
didn't even want but thought that I might.  I mean,
that's just...  not you." Clark said with a grin in
his voice.  "Where's Lois Lane, and what have you done
to her?"

"Hey, Ralph deserved what he got.  He should have
backed down when I told him I had dibs on that donut.
It's his fault that he tripped over my foot, not
mine."

"I'm not going to even touch that argument," Clark
said with a laugh.  "But why all the sudden attention
from you? I'm not complaining, mind you, but I'm not
used to it."

Lois turned her chair to face Clark.  "That's
ridiculous, Clark.  We're best friends.  We look out
for each other.  You do stuff for me all the time, and
I've always tried to do stuff for you, too."

"You have?" Clark asked, his eyebrows disappearing
into his hairline.

"Of course I have, Clark.  I've done...  lots of
things for you.  I've, I've, um...  well, I'm sure
that I'll think of a whole bunch of stuff later, but
right now, I have to finish this story or Perry'll
have my neck." With that, Lois turned back to her
computer and started typing frantically.

Clark shook his head and returned to his own work.

***

It was with two heartfelt sighs of satisfaction that
Lois and Clark both hit 'enter' a few seconds apart to
send their stories to Perry.

Lois stretched back in her chair, her spine arched
backward and her arms extended over her head.  From
the corner of her eye, much to her satisfaction, she
could see Clark regarding her appreciatively as she
tried to work the kinks out.  He dropped his gaze when
she turned to face him.  Maybe Uncle Mike was right,
at least a little bit right!

"So, partner," she said, softly, bolstered by his
appreciative glances.  "Feel like grabbing a bite
somewhere?"

A big grin spread over his face much to her delight.
"I'd love to," he answered enthusiastically.  "Should
we go to a restaurant, or grab take-out?"

"Um, let's go grab a table at that new Indian place,
if that's okay with you," Lois suggested, not ready to
face being alone with him yet.  She took a deep breath
and then felt words spill from her mouth, out of her
conscious control.  "But if you're not in the mood for
Indian, there's that great Thai place around the
corner, or the Chinese place just down the block.
Have you ever thought about how lucky we are in
Metropolis to have so many choices when it comes to
places to eat? And eating food from other people's
cultures can be educational if you have the right
attitude about it.  Although, I can never remember if
I was born in the year of the Rat, or Ox, or Horse.  I
wonder if that really means anything when you get
right down to it.  I'll have to reread that next time
we go for Chinese.  And the restaurants always have
information on the backs of the menus about what the
different types of food signify and why they eat the
combination of foods they do, although it probably
wasn't a good idea for the Indian place to put the
information down that the heavy spices in their food
was originally intended to disguise the taste of bad
meat and to prevent the consumer from getting sick
from eating it, and..." Lois paused to take a breath,
letting her words trail off into an awkward silence.
She couldn't look Clark in the face; she was too
embarrassed by her latest attack of verbal diarrhoea.
And from the feel of it, she was blushing again.

"Indian sounds great," Clark was quick to interject,
sounding somewhat overwhelmed.  Lois didn't blame him
for feeling that way.  She had gone off on a tangent
again, hadn't she? She took a deep breath, trying to
calm herself down.  Clark had never made her nervous
before.  Superman had, but never like this.  The
super-hero had seemed so remote and untouchable
before.  He had never threatened her emotional
control.  Why was that, she wondered.  She had loved
Superman, she knew that for a fact, but, even though
he had made her completely nervous and flustered, she
had never felt threatened by him.

Lois snuck a peek at Clark as they waited for the
elevator.  He looked the same as always, and yet
everything was so different.  One thing that had
changed was how nervous he made her.  He made her
knees wobble and put butterflies in her stomach, and
she was finding it very hard not to blurt her new
knowledge out to him.  But she didn't want to, not
yet.  She wanted to guard it close and take her time
to really get to understand what made Clark Kent tick.
 She had made so many mistakes in her personal life in
the past, and she had seen her parents suffer from
their own mistakes.  She was in no hurry to jump into
anything with both feet.  This was one time she felt
the better course of valour was to be cautious.

But this was so hard, she complained to herself as she
silently entered the elevator beside him.  Every time
she looked at Clark, she couldn't help wondering if he
had the Superman outfit on under his work clothes.  If
she pretended to trip and he caught her and she just
let her hands land on his chest, would she be able to
feel it? Where did he hide the boots? What about the
cape? With an effort, Lois wrenched her thoughts away
from the mundane details to fix on the greater truth.
Clark was Superman.  Clark was the 'Greek God' that
she had put up on a pedestal.  But Clark was so
normal, she wailed to herself.  Okay, he did have a
few quirks.  He did disappear at odd moments - and
boy, was it ever nice to finally know why! - and he
had done a few strange things from time to time.  She
now knew how he had got her that bouquet of flowers
the one time when he had pretended to do a magic
trick.  She sucked in her breath as she realised what
a chance he had taken that day with his identity.

"I'm sorry, Lois.  Did you say something?" Clark asked
as they exited the elevator.

"What? Oh, sorry, Clark.  I was just thinking about
something," Lois said with an apologetic smile.

"Is something bothering you? You've been pretty
distracted today."

"No, it's okay, Clark.  I'm fine." Lois plastered a
warm smile onto her face.  "I'm sorry for ignoring
you.  So, any leads that you want to follow next, or
are we still fishing for our next story?"

***

Continued in part 6

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:00:06 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
Comments: To: 7d <seven-days@onelist.com>,
          BackStep Fiction <Backstep-7Days@onelist.com>,
          Tad Flowers <tflowers@lrs.com>, Marc Gartin <mgartin@inacom.com>,
          Dave and Debbie Harrison <ddharson@aol.com>,
          Travel Time <timetravel@onelist.com>, Dad Tull
<dicktull@interl.net>,
          Danny Tull <dijit@postmark.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title: 7 Days of Superman
Part: 4 of ?
Author: Mr. D8a (Guest Author - Benjamin Rogers)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Crossover
Summary: I don't know what to say that won't give it
all away.  Superman fails to stop the nuking of
Washington DC and gets some help from Frank B. Parker
from Operation Backstep.

Personal Note: This story, in no way, links in with
Mr. D8a's and Elisabeth's Lois and Clark universe.
This is purely the creation of Mr. D8a's mind...so
beware!  (Okay there is some dialog help from
Elisabeth)

Copyright Stuff: Lois and Clark and the rest of the
show's entourage are the property of DC, Warner, ABC,
and Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson.  Seven Days
is the property of UPN.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION.SEVEN DAYS (Details supplied by
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/9329/SevenDays

+++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, October 8, 1999
4:30pm MST
Area 51
Operation Backstep
+++++++++++++++++++++++

Project Leader Bradley Talmadge sat at the end of the
debriefing room table.  The group was solemn and
quiet.  In less than two days the world had been
turned upside-down.  “The US Armed Forces has cordoned
off Cuba by sea and air.  Nothing’s going out or in.
Cuban President Fidel Castro claims to be as surprised
as the rest of the world.  The…”

Nate Ramsey chose to voice his opinion at this point.
“Fat chance.  That Commie ba…”

Dr. Olga Vukavitch cleared her throat loudly.  Ramsey
decided to back down a bit.
“That Commie ‘bureaucrat’ has been chomping at the bit
for years to get back at us for what happened in the
sixties.  Personally I wish we had done the job right
back then and *we* wouldn’t be sitting here having
this little discussion.”

“Well, maybe if you had helped him remove that animal
Batista from power instead of ignoring the situation
then he would not have turned to Comrade Khrushchev
for help in the first place.  Then maybe ‘*we* would
not be having this little discussion’ at this time
either.”

“Listen here Mis…”

“Nathan!  This is resolving nothing!”  Ramsey and
Talmadge locked eyes in a silent contest of wills.
Talmadge won.

“The U.N. is calling an emergency session to
investigate and determine what sanctions, if any, are
to be implemented.  The order to over-run the island
has not been given and will not be given until they
say so.  However, most nations across the globe have
already tried and found Cuba's attack on the U.S.
indefensible and are strategizing on how to take
advantage of the situation.  Certain members of the
world community are urging Cuba and other nations to
continue the work of destroying the U.S.
International tensions over the event are in
continuous flux as the world edged closer to a
worldwide conflagration.  Here in the States it’s
worse.

“Martial law has been declared nation wide. All Cuban
Americans are being incarcerated and investigated.
Retaliation against anyone of Hispanic decent is out
of control.  Emergency situation plans are being
pulled out and dusted off.  Special elections are
being planned to replace the lost representatives.
President Clinton is promising swift justice from his
temporary headquarters in Fort Knox, TN.  The dead,
dying and injured tolls scroll across the screen of
every working TV.  Thousands are dying daily due to
the lack of medical help.  Across the world teams of
relief people outfitted themselves to come to the
help, but it won’t be enough.  Fallout continues to
drift north, killing hundreds of thousands in
Baltimore, Metropolis, New York City, and will
eventually reach as far north as Boston.

“The President has ordered a Backstep as soon as we
have figured out what happened.  We have until
tomorrow to do that because he doesn’t want to cut it
to close.  Here’s what we know at this time.
Apparently an old SS-5 nuclear missile was fired from
the Isla de la Juventud just off the coast of Cuba.
All missile sites on that island were dismantled some
thirty-seven years ago.  All they could find at the
point of "launch" was burnt ground and an some slagged
metal components."

This brought up Dr. Isaac Mentor's eyebrows quickly.
<Something familiar about that and where it was found.
 >

"Has anyone heard any word about Superman?"  This was
from Dr. Olga Vukavitch.

Dr. Isaac Mentor spoke up at this point.  "Star Labs'
Dr. Bernard Klein confirmed the presence of powdered
Kryptonite was indeed found in the radioactive
fallout.  It has been speculated that the bomb was
rigged with Kryptonite and that Superman was vaporized
when it exploded."    This last statement brought
dismay to all faces around the table, with the
exception of Ramsey's face.

"I've said it before.  We can take care of ourselves.
I knew that alien was going to be trouble the first
time I saw him.  The rest of his people proved that to
be the case!  I for one am glad he's gone.  It was
probably his fault that this happened in the first
place.  The Kryptonite in the bomb proves that he was
probably the intended target all along."

The looks of dismay turned to disgust.  Frank Parker
turned to give Nate a piece of his mind "Of all the
bone-headed, callused and out-and-out-stupid things I
have heard you say I think that one beats 'em all.  Do
you really think we would be having this conversation
today if Superman hadn't stopped that asteroid?  Or
when..."

Talmadge stopped listening to Frank as the phone rang.
 He picked it up and listened.  Pointing toward Capt.
Craig Donovan he said, "Turn on the television."

"What channel?"

"It doesn't matter.  It's on all channels."

=====
Mr. D8a
Philipians 4:8

The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but...
Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa!
__________________________________________________
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Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
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=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:00 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 1 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Like a rite of passage, I think every FoLC fanfic
writer is eventually tempted to write a revelation
story.  This is my take on it.

Thanks to Karen Ward for encouraging me to continue
this story when I was unsure about it.  It's due to
her that this did not get deleted from my hard drive.
Also, thanks to Wendy Richards for reading this in
progress and giving me her honest (and very valuable)
opinion. Thank you to Laurie who was, as always, an
excellent editor for me.  Finally, thank you to the
readers from Zoom's message board who provided
excellent feedback and encouragement.  It is, as
always, much appreciated.

Please send feedback to sirenegold@yahoo.com

All standard disclaimers apply.

Tales Out of Church by Irene Dutchak

"Chocolate torte in raspberry sauce," the burly
ex-Marine said as he placed two large slabs of cake in
front of his niece, Lois Lane, and her partner, Clark
Kent.

"Oh, Uncle Mike, no..."  Her voice trailed off at the
sight of the gorgeous dessert.  Mike Lane smiled to
himself.  He could almost hear the wheels turning in
her head as she convinced herself that she really
should indulge in the gooey chocolate treat in front
of her.  Clark, on the other hand, didn't hesitate.
He immediately dove in, eagerly forking the delicious
cake into his mouth.

Lois picked up her fork and smiled happily.  "Well, I
guess I could just move into my gym for a month."

"Mmmm, this is great," Clark moaned in delight.

"He does all the baking himself," Lois imparted to her
partner, beaming proudly at her uncle.

Mike Lane sighed.  "Lately more of a hobby than a
job."

Clark looked around, puzzled.  "I just don't
understand what happened to this neighbourhood."

The street was certainly very bleak looking.  Mike's
restaurant looked like an oasis in the middle of the
burned out apartment buildings and boarded up
storefronts.  The piles of trash and the abandoned
cars really didn't establish the ambience that he
wanted for his restaurant.

"Well, the neighbourhood's in transition.  Getting
more ...  eclectic.  Kind of like Saigon without the
jets."  Mike regarded the street with a calmness that
was completely at odds to his niece's firecracker
ways.

Clark glanced up at Mike as he was speaking only to
look down and discover that he had dribbled some of
his raspberry sauce on his tie.

As he grabbed his napkin to blot the stain, Lois
noticed and put her two cents in.  "Better get some
water on that.  Remember, dab, don't wipe."

Clark nodded and headed into the restaurant in search
of the washroom.

Mike promptly sat down with his niece who turned to
him in concern.  "Clark's right.  This is crazy.  Six
months ago, this was the hottest street in town."

***

Meanwhile, in the washroom, Clark dabbed carefully at
his soiled tie.  He turned away from the sink in time
to see a gang member, a member of the Skins judging by
his colours, setting off a firebomb at the alley
entrance of Mike's restaurant.  Clark whipped his
glasses off as the Skins member turned to take off.
Much to his chagrin, the kid ran right into
Metropolis's resident Super-hero who quickly put the
fire out with his super-breath.

"Man, you just stepped over a line and you're going
down!"

Superman smiled sardonically as he stuck the gang
member's hand through a dumpster handle and moulded it
around his wrist so he couldn't get away.  "You're the
only one going anywhere.  Hope you don't mind
showering in groups."

Lois and her uncle came running pell-mell around the
corner and into the alley as Superman took off with a
wave.

Mike coolly surveyed the juvenile delinquent before
turning to Lois in disgust.  "Little punk tried to
burn me out."

"Can't prove that, man.  Can't prove nothing.  Nobody
saw a thing!"

Clark emerged through the smouldering restaurant door.
 "I did."

Mike looked at Clark and smiled his approval as Clark
fumbled his glasses out of his jacket pocket and put
them on.  Clark's eyes met Mike's in a startled glance
the instant before he had the glasses safely on his
nose.  Mike idly noted that the younger man looked
quite different without his spectacles.  Clark looked
worried, Mike thought.  He must be apprehensive about
being a witness.

Lois missed the byplay completely as she searched in
her purse for her cell phone.  "I'm calling the
police," she announced triumphantly as she dialled the
phone.

"Take your shoes off and get comfortable," her uncle
told her.  "Last time I called, they took two hours."

"Yes, I'm reporting an attempted arson.  My name is
Lois Lane..."  Lois pulled the phone away from her ear
and stared at it incredulously.  "He put me on hold."

"Lois Lane?  You're Lois Lane?" the gang member asked,
laughing patronizingly.

Lois glared at him.  "I'm sorry.  Have we met?"

"No, we ain't met.  It's just funny to me 'cause ...
you're dead.  I mean, I know you're walking around but
trust me, lady, go pick out a nice grave.  And from
what I hear, pick it out fast."

The stranger's words hung ominously in the air as
Lois, Mike and Clark waited silently for the police to
arrive.

***

The Next Night

Mike Lane was fighting valiantly, fighting for his
life, but he recognised that it wasn't going to be
enough to save him this time.  The leader of the Skins
tossed a knife from one hand to the other, taunting
him, obviously having fun, like a cat with a mouse.
Mike steeled himself for the thrust, not willing to
let these delinquents see him flinch from his fate.
The punk pulled his arm back, the knife flashing in
the dim light and...

A hand caught his wrist.  Mike's eyes widened as he
watched the cop pull the knife away from his
assailant.

"You have the right to remain silent.  Anything you
say can and will..."  On one side of the police
officer was a punk with a baseball bat, on the other
side, a man wielding a chain.

"...be used against you..."

The punk with the baseball bat tried to hit the cop
who danced out of the way.  He ended up walloping his
chain-wielding friend who promptly dropped like a
stone.  The guy with the bat swung at the cop once
more, only to have the police officer grab the end of
it and launch the punk into a pile of garbage cans.

"...in a court of law.  You have the right to an
attorney.  If you cannot afford an attorney, one will
be provided for you."

The leader of the Skins shouted defiantly, adopted a
karate stance and ran at the cop who promptly
stiff-armed him, letting him fall into a limp heap at
his feet.

"Do you understand these rights as I have explained
them to you?"

The leader groaned.

"Officer," Mike pointed out, tentatively.  "I think
that was a yes."

The cop started to move away fast.  "I'll go call for,
uh..."

"Backup?" Mike finished, still stunned by the cop's
swift actions.

"Yeah."

Mike turned.  He could hear the sounds of sirens
coming closer.  "Looks like it's already on the way."
He turned back in time to see the cop look back at him
one more time before disappearing around a corner.

"Clark?" he whispered to himself.  "That was Clark?"
He fumbled for a chair and sat down, hard.

***

4 Nights later

Lois danced dreamily around her apartment listening to
the haunting strains of 'Fly Me to the Moon.'  She was
relaxed, glad that her uncle would be all right.  She
was so grateful to Superman.  She hadn't had much of a
chance to speak to her uncle about it, but she was
meeting him for breakfast the next day.  They'd talk
then.  She was so thankful that Superman had come
through for her once more.  She glided and twirled and
came to a stop, startled by the arrival of the
super-hero she had just been thinking about.

"I just dropped in to say thanks for your advice the
other night," he said with a warm smile.

"You're welcome ...  Officer."  Lois giggled before
continuing, "My uncle will want to bake the anonymous
cop a cake."

Superman smiled in amusement.  "Well, tell him I
retired from the force, but I'll still be looking out
for him ...  and you, too."

"I know," Lois replied in a soft murmur.

Superman turned to the window intending to leave only
to stop when Lois asked him a tentative question.

"Would you ...  like to dance?"

"That sounds nice," he replied to her delight.

They moved together and started to sway back and forth
to the music.

"I like this song," he said.

"Do you?  I've been thinking.  I don't know very much
about you.  I don't know what kind of music you like,
what your favourite colour is.  I didn't even know you
could dance."

"This isn't dancing," Superman said.

"It's not?" Lois asked, puzzled.

"This is," he stated firmly as they floated up off the
floor.  Lois felt a thrill of pleasure shoot through
her as they glided smoothly through the air.

***
Continued in Part 2

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:35:33 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 4 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 4

Mike kept a surreptitious eye on his niece as he took
the young couple's orders and quickly prepared their
food.  She alternated between writing frantically in
her notepad and staring off into space.  At least she
wasn't running shrieking from the restaurant, Mike
reflected.  That was a definite plus.

Mike couldn't get over his newfound knowledge about
Clark.  It was amazing to think that he had met
Superman on a personal level - of course, he had met
the super-hero when he had taken Baby Rage into
custody - but this was different.  Clark had eaten in
his restaurant, was a friend of his niece and had,
from what Lois had reported to him, gone out of his
way to help when the Skins had attacked Mike.

>From his time in the Marines, Mike still remembered
the value of a well-kept secret.  Clark Kent and his
secret had nothing to fear from Mike Lane.  After what
Clark had done for Mike, not just once but twice,
there was no way that he would ever do anything to
hurt that man in any way.  Mike glanced at Lois once
again.  She was looking upset again and angry, chewing
on her upper lip as she tapped her pen on the table.
Perhaps he could start paying off his debt to Clark
Kent by calming Lois Lane down.

The young couple finished their meal and paid,
enabling Mike to rejoin his niece.

"Are you doing okay, sweetheart?"

Lois jumped at the intrusion.  "Huh? Oh.  Yeah, I
guess so...  no, not really, Uncle Mike.  I'm mad -
really, really mad."

"Why?" Mike leaned forward to hear Lois's answer.

"He didn't trust me, Uncle Mike, and that really
hurts," she said, looking down at the table avoiding
his gaze.

"Why do you say that?" Mike asked.

Lois looked up at him defiantly at that question.
"It's simple.  We're friends.  He said I was his best
friend.  He should have trusted me.  He should have
told me."

"Lois," Mike said softly as he laid a gentle hand on
her arm.  "There are some things we don't tell anyone,
not even our friends.  Have you told Clark everything
about yourself?"

"Everything that counts," Lois spat out indignantly.

"Oh, and I suppose you told him about the time that
you and Lucy just about got arrested when you..."

"Okay, okay!" Lois interrupted.  "Maybe I don't tell
him everything, but this is big.  This is
mind-boggling.  It's, it's life-altering!"

"Oh, I'll agree with that description, Lois, but it's
Clark's life not yours that it's altered."

"I don't understand what you mean," Lois exclaimed in
frustration.

Mike took her hands in his and leaned even closer to
her.  "Why would a man like Clark hide what he can do
from the world? Because, Lois, by pretending to be two
separate people, that's effectively what he's done."

Lois looked up at him, stricken by his words.  "I
don't know, Uncle Mike.  I guess I hadn't thought
about it."

Mike laughed and patted her hand.  "Well, don't beat
yourself up about it, sweetie.  You just found out
about this less than an hour ago.  I think you can
give yourself till tomorrow before you start
shouldering the blame for not having all the answers."

Lois couldn't keep from giggling, grateful to have the
tension broken even for just a minute.  Turning
serious, she regarded her uncle solemnly.  "I guess,"
she said slowly, "that Clark has reasons, valid
reasons to keep this a secret.  He's ticked off quite
a few criminals since his rather splashy debut into
crime-fighting, and if he had done that as Clark Kent
rather than Superman, well, his parents would be in
danger."

"Maybe even his friends too.  His best friend most of
all."

Lois's eyes grew wide.  "I never thought of that.  But
why would he have to keep it a secret from me?"

Mike regarded his niece seriously.  "Why don't you
tell me?"

"I can't, Uncle Mike.  I don't know." Lois shook her
head in agitation.

"I think you'll be able to figure it out if you think
about it, Lois.  Just talk.  Tell me what you're
thinking.  Tell me what jumps out at you.  Isn't that
what you told me you like to do when you get stuck
with a story?"

Lois smiled warmly at her uncle.  "Do you remember
everything I tell you?"

Mike grinned back.  "Yep.  You know that I think of
you and your sister as my kids, too.  I'm pretty proud
of the two of you.  Of course I remember what you have
to say."

Lois's expression softened as she regarded her uncle
affectionately.  "Thanks, Uncle Mike.  You don't know
how much I like having you in my life.  God knows my
own father doesn't pay any attention to me."

"Hey, I don't want to hear any of that from you.  Sam
may not have been the perfect father..."

Lois snorted, the noise punctuating her uncle's
comment.

"...but he's the only father you've got, and for that
reason deserves a little respect."

"A little is all he'll get from me," Lois retorted,
bitterly.

"Ah, honey, you know he loves you.  He's just not very
good at expressing his emotions."

Lois looked at her uncle, a wan smile on her face.  "I
would definitely call that an understatement, Uncle
Mike.  That's the reason I love you so much.  I always
know where I stand with you.  Thanks for being there
for me."

"Hey, you're welcome, sweetheart.  I love you, too.
Now, enough of this mushy stuff.  All my Marine
buddies would rib me if they heard me getting all
sentimental like this." Mike grinned at his niece,
taking the sting out of his words.  "Okay, spill it.
Tell me about Clark.  Tell me about Superman.  And
tell me about you and the two of them."

"Okay, Uncle Mike." Lois took a deep breath, noisily
exhaled and started talking.  "The first time I met
Clark, I can't say I was too impressed by him.  I was
too excited about a lead on a story to pay attention
to him..."

Forty-five minutes later, Lois brought her recitation
to a halt and took a big gulp of her now cold coffee.
Noting his niece's grimace, Mike jumped to his feet.
"Here, let me get you a fresh cup."

"Thanks." Lois arched her back and stretched her arms
in an effort to loosen up.

Mike brought her full cup back and sat back down.  He
surveyed his empty restaurant and sighed.  "Well,
business is better, but I can't exactly call it
booming yet, can I?"

"That'll come, Uncle Mike.  You know it will."

"I sure hope so, Lois.  I sure hope so." Mike brought
his attention back to his niece.  "So, any insights?"

Lois grimaced.  "Maybe.  I think so, but I'm not what
you would call thrilled."

Mike leaned back and grinned.  "You know, Lois, I
could tell."

Lois smiled wanly before continuing, "I'd say that I'm
part of the reason, a big part of the reason, that
Clark didn't tell me."

"Yeah, I figured that part out from what you've said
about your relationship with him and with Superman."

"I focused on Superman instead of on Clark and, well,
I think I was the one who kept myself from having a
clear picture of either one of them." Lois sighed.  "I
can't even begin to imagine how I made him feel when I
turned him down as Clark only to throw myself at
Superman." She shook her head before looking at her
uncle, a stricken expression on her face.  "I must
have hurt him so much, Uncle Mike.  I feel terrible
about that.  He must have been in so much pain."

"I think you did hurt him, Lois," Mike said, softly.
"I've only had a small taste of being categorised by
what I am instead of who I am, but I have to tell you,
it does hurt.  It hurts a lot."

"What do you mean?" Lois asked as she regarded her
uncle quizzically.

"Everything changed after 'Nam, Lois.  Suddenly, every
Marine had a new image.  We were baby-killers,
war-mongering rednecks out to take over the world.  It
got to the point where it was hard to walk down the
street when we were on leave.  Nobody on the outside
took the time to get to know us as individuals.  They
just labelled us all as these aggressive,
bloodthirsty, raping, pillaging, sons of..." Mike
stopped himself with a visible effort.  "Sorry, honey.
 I nearly forgot to watch my mouth around you."

"It's okay, Uncle Mike.  I've heard worse."

"Not from me you haven't.  And you won't." Mike
paused, took a deep breath and let it out slowly
before continuing, "If anyone had taken the time to
find out, they would have seen that we were all
individuals.  I liked to bake and cook.  Pete played
the harmonica like an angel.  We used to listen to him
for hours.  Artie was, well, Lois, he was the most
incredible artist.  He could capture what we were
feeling on paper so accurately and yet it looked so
effortless for him.  It really hurt to be labelled the
way we were, to not be seen for ourselves but only as
things.  I think you did hurt Clark, Lois.  I think
you did see only what he could do, instead of who he
is."

Lois was silent for a long time, digesting her uncle's
words.  He didn't talk about his time in the Marines
much.  If she hadn't been convinced of his pain by the
expression in his voice, that fact alone would have
been enough to prove the truth of his words to her.
"I have to make it up to him, Uncle Mike.  I have to
make it up to Clark," Lois said, steely resolve in her
voice.

"That's all well and good, sweetheart, but first, you
have to decide what you feel for him.  Are you in love
with Clark?"

Lois bit her lip.  "I don't know.  I thought I was in
love with Superman but now I'm not sure.  I've been
having doubts.  It's hard to visualise a future with a
crime-fighting super-hero."

Mike snorted.  "I guess so! It's hard enough to
visualise having a future with anyone, let alone
someone highly visible and respected like that!"

Lois giggled.  "Somehow, I just can't quite picture
Superman taking out the garbage."

"Or mowing the lawn," Mike retorted.

"Or buying groceries."

"Or doing his laundry.  Can you imagine him in a
Laundromat scrubbing his capes?"

Lois giggled before continuing, "Or going to a show."

"Or playing poker with his buddies."

Lois's expression suddenly sobered.  "Or being in
love," she said, softly.

"Oh, honey, I don't want to hear anything like that
from you." Mike leaned forward to place his large hand
on top of her smaller one.  "It's obvious how he feels
about you.  I saw that the other day.  He's crazy
about you."

Lois looked down at the table.  "I don't know about
that, Uncle Mike," she said, quietly.  "Why would he
be? He could have anyone in the whole world.  He's
Superman.  Why would he want me?"

"Is he really Superman, Lois, or does he think of
himself as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter and
part-time super-hero?" Mike tipped her face up to meet
her eyes with his own.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lois admitted.  "But why would he
want me?" she repeated.  "He's got Mayson chasing
after him, and, I hate to admit it, but she's really
pretty and smart and..."

"Now, honey.  Don't you let me hear you talking like
that.  You're Lois Lane.  You're better than any
blonde assistant District Attorney.  Now you, you're
an award-winning reporter.  You've won Kerths..."

"So has he," Lois interrupted.

"Only one and you know that was a fluke; you told me
so.  You'll beat him next year," Mike said as he
gently squeezed her hand.  Lois smiled weakly in
response, and then he continued, "As I was saying,
you're an award-winning journalist, you're smart and
persistent and tenacious and intuitive and..."

"Yeah, I'm a really hard worker.  That sounds like a
sterling quality for a girlfriend," Lois retorted,
sarcastically.

"I'm not done yet," Mike said with a laugh.  Becoming
more serious again, he continued, "You're also
beautiful - stunning in fact - and I'm not just saying
that because you're my niece.  And you're lively and
fun and passionate about things that matter to you and
you have a lot of love in your heart just waiting for
the right person.  I know that.  I've been able to see
that for years."

"Oh, Uncle Mike, I wish I could believe all that,"
Lois said, on the verge of tears.

Mike cupped her cheek tenderly.  "Lois, it doesn't
matter if Clark has a reason to love you or not.  Just
know one thing - he does love you.  I saw it in his
eyes when he looked at you.  And from everything you
told me about him, and about Superman, he's loved you
from the minute he met you."

Lois gazed warmly at her uncle through a haze of
tears.  "I'm still not convinced, but there's one
thing I know for a fact."

"What's that?"

"I love you, Uncle Mike."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

***
Continued in part 5

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:36:21 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 9 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 9

By taking the subway, Lois was able to get within a
block of the Bluebird Apartments in just a couple of
minutes.  There was a thick haze of smoke in the air.
As she got closer, she could hear the crackle of the
out of control fire.  There was a cacophony of noise -
the fire, shouts from the crowd of onlookers, police
issuing instructions to the crowd - that they promptly
ignored - and firefighters yelling into radios.

She strained her eyes, trying to pick out one blue,
red and yellow clad form but wasn't able to see him
yet.

As always, like a good little reporter, she was
carrying a notepad and pen, and she promptly began to
take notes.  Lois interviewed a number of the
bystanders, quickly determining who resided in the
apartment and who were just thrill-seeking voyeurs.
She had no time for the latter, but concentrated her
efforts on the former, getting quite a few good
quotes.

Finishing with that, she interviewed a few of the
junior police officers.  By batting her eyes a bit,
she was able to get a lot of the facts straight
without having to wait for an official announcement.

Finishing with them, she set her sights on the fire
chief directing operations.  Lois was moving
purposefully towards him, when Clark emerged from the
building, carrying the limp body of a child.

He was filthy, covered with grime, his cape singed
around the edges.  But it was his face that caught
Lois's attention - the worry, the sadness and the
fear.  How many times had she seen that expression on
the super-hero's face? How many things had he seen
that were heartbreaking? Or evil? And yet, Clark was
never cynical, but was always kind and humane.  Lois
was struck with wonder once more, that he was her
friend - this marvellous, magical being from another
planet who had the most human heart of anyone she
knew.

As she watched, Clark gently laid the small boy on a
gurney and left to make another trip back into the
burning building.  The emergency technicians quickly
closed in around the boy.  When Lois next caught sight
of the child, he was wearing an oxygen mask and was
being loaded into an ambulance.  She ran over quickly.
 "How is he?" she asked as the workers pushed her
aside to close the vehicle doors.

"Thanks to Superman, he'll be fine."

Lois moved back from the ambulance as it left for the
hospital.  Thanks to Superman, the child would be
fine, she repeated to herself.  How many times had
people said that? How many people had he helped? <Oh,
God, why would he want me?> she asked herself.  <Why
would he want someone who's so insensitive that she
can't even see what's right under her nose until she's
hit with a baseball bat? Why would he want anyone who
hurt him time and time again and never even knew it?>

Lois sat down on the curb, cradled her head in her
hands and watched as Clark helped to get the fire
under control.

She was looking despondently at her feet when two red
boots moved into her field of vision.

"Lois? Are you okay?"

"No.  Go away," she blurted, refusing to lift her head
to look at him.

"Come on," he said, sounding a bit amused.  "Let me
take you home."  He pulled her quickly to her feet.

Lois quickly turned to hide her face from him.  "No,
please.  I'll be fine," she exclaimed, her words
catching thickly in her throat.

"Lois? Are you crying?"

Lois bowed her head, fighting the urge to sniff.
"No."

Clark gently turned her towards him and tipped her
face up.  "Yes, you are.  What's wrong?" he asked
gently.

Lois looked helplessly at the curious bystanders.  "I
can't tell you.  Not here." She dashed a tear from her
cheek.

"Want me to take you away from all this?" Clark asked,
with a gentle smile.

"Please."

He bent down, scooped her up and took off, straight
up.  Lois didn't look around eagerly as she usually
did when she flew with Superman.  Instead, she hid her
face against his neck.  Clark was silent for a long
time, which Lois was more than grateful for.  She was
striving mightily to bring her emotions under control,
but it was slow going.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Clark asked,
sympathetically.

"Oh, Clark!" Lois buried her face even deeper into him
and started sobbing incoherently.

"I guess not," Clark said, with a sigh as he held her
a little closer.

By the time Clark swooped into Lois's apartment, she
had managed to pull herself together.  He set her
gently on her feet, letting his arms slip up around
her shoulders in a loose embrace.  "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Clark.  I made a mess of everything.  I'm so
sorry.  I treated you horribly, and then when I tried
to make it up to you, I went overboard, and now you
think that I'm shallow and insensitive and a terrible
person." Lois sniffed and wiped her face with the back
of her hand.

"No, I don't.  I overreacted.  I'm sorry.  It was just
a shock to find out that you knew." He gently brushed
away the last remnants of her tears with his thumb.
"I was upset.  I'm over it.  And you're not shallow.
I think you're pretty terrific."

"Are you over it? Really?" Lois asked, ignoring the
compliment.  "I've hurt you so many times without even
knowing it.  I guess I was fussing over you because I
wanted to be nicer to you.  But then I even messed
that up!" she exclaimed, bitterly.

"Hey! Stop beating yourself up about this.  It's not
your fault that I got touchy.  So you were nicer to
me.  So what! It's not like you suddenly vowed your
undying love to me the second you found out," he
gestured at his brightly clad body with a laugh,
"about this.  If you had done that, I would have
really had my feelings hurt.  I was always afraid that
you...  that people might prefer Superman to me,
Clark."

"Oh, no.  I wouldn't do that to you, Clark.  No way.
Uh uh.  Nope.  That would be insensitive," Lois
agreed, a fake smile plastered on her face masking her
shock at his words.

"Good." He paused and smiled warmly at her.  "So, I
guess you have a lot of questions about all this,
right?"

"I just have one that I want answered right now.
Clark, do you love me?"  The words spilled out of her
mouth without warning.  She waited with bated breath
for his response

Clark blinked, and turned to the window, suddenly
looking very weary.  "Yes, I do, Lois" he said,
quietly.  "I am completely and totally in love with
you.  I have been since the day we met."

"Oh, Clark..."

"No, please don't say anything." He gripped the window
frame and bowed his head.  "There's nothing you could
say that wouldn't hurt right now.  If you told me you
love me, too - now that you know about me - I couldn't
stand it."

"No, Clark.  I won't do that," Lois said, softly.

"I better go.  Are you going to be all right?" Clark
asked over his shoulder.

"Yes," she assured him quickly.

"Then I'll say goodnight."

"See you tomorrow, Clark."

Clark paused for a second at her words.  "Yes,
tomorrow," he said, remotely.  He flew out the window
and didn't look back.

Lois watched him leave, her heart breaking when she
saw how hurt he looked.  Somehow, knowing how he felt
about her made her feel even worse.  She had hurt him
more than she had thought possible. So much for the
illusion that Superman wasn't vulnerable.

And not only had she been stripped of all her
illusions about Superman, but also, if she told Clark
how she felt, he would never believe it, thinking she
preferred the super-hero to the reporter.

Did she, she wondered? Two days ago, she would have
had a glib answer to the question, but not now.  No,
now that she knew what Clark Kent was hiding, she knew
that everything she loved in Superman was part of him,
plus so much more.  It was both a relief and a source
of terror to know that the super-hero was not really a
real person - a relief because it had become very
tiring maintaining him on the pedestal upon which she
had placed him, and a source of terror because now she
could contemplate what it would be like to have a
romantic entanglement with him.  She snorted, thinking
about it.  Entanglement was the perfect word for what
they were in right now.  Everything was a snarled and
tangled mess just like every other romantic
relationship she had ever had.  This had to be a
record though, having the whole thing fall apart
before it even had a chance to get started.  It wasn't
fair.

"Damn it all!" she snarled.  In a fit of pique, she
threw her purse blindly at the wall, only to hear a
crunch of broken china and glass as one of her lamps
smashed against the floor.

***
Continued in part 10

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
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=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 15:28:18 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Amy Otto <sweetinnocentamy@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane (Part 5/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Rose, this is a Wonderful story!  Hurry up and post the last two parts -
pretty please?

~Amy
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 11:36:13 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New - Tales Out of Church - Part 8 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Title:  Tales Out of Church
Author: Irene Dutchak
Parts:  10
Rating: PG
Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
welcome.
Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.

***

Part 8

Clark soared through the air heading for home, feeling
a need to retreat and lick his wounds in privacy for a
while.  It wasn't that late, but it had been a busy
night of doing nothing important.  Some nights were
just like that.  The first set of sirens he had heard
had turned out to be nothing more than a bunch of kids
setting off a false alarm.  They had been educated by
the fire chief, assorted police officers and Superman
himself as to why that had been a really, really bad
idea.  Once the super-hero and the assorted city
personnel had finished with them, the kids had been
turned over to their parents who were even more upset
than the other adults had been.  Clark smiled as he
remembered the sight of one hulking teenager being
dragged home by his petite mother.  His smile faded as
he recalled something else.  That kid's mother had
looked like Lois, and he didn't want to think about
Lois right now.

That incident had been followed by any number of
fender benders.  He hadn't stayed too long at those,
but he had put in an appearance, making sure people
weren't hurt.  Then, he had rescued two dogs from the
river and one cat from a tree.  He had changed three
flat tires and replaced the chains on two bicycles.
All small stuff, but still time consuming.

Now, he just wanted to go home.  He was too raw to
sort out exactly what he was feeling.  He just knew
one thing; he felt horrible.  What a difference
twenty-four hours had made.  Last night he had been
thrilled and hopeful; tonight, he was dejected with
all his hopes dashed to the ground.

He had felt sick, literally sick, for the first time
in his life when he had realised that Lois's new
attitude was a result of her having figured out that
Superman was alive and well and living inside Clark
Kent.  Obviously, she was only willing to accept Clark
in her life if that was what it took for her to be
with Superman.  He pushed those thoughts to the back
of his mind as he tried to focus on his sweep of the
city.

With a shock, he realised that he was flying over the
Southside area of Metropolis.  He looked down and was
further jolted by the fact that he could see Mike Lane
sweeping the sidewalk in front of his restaurant.  On
an impulse, he swooped down and landed in front of the
startled man, not really sure what he was here for.

"Superman!" Mike Lane exclaimed.

Clark was relieved to hear that name on the other
man's lips.  As soon as Lois had told him that she and
her uncle both knew his secret, he had been afraid
that they would both get clumsy with it.  His lips
tightened as he reflected that there was still plenty
of time for his secret to be bandied about to all and
sundry, but at least this was a good start.

"Hi, Mr. Lane," Clark responded, stiffly.  "I thought
I would, uh, check and see how you're doing after the
other night."

"Fine, thanks to you." The older man turned and
surveyed the empty street before focusing on Clark
once more.  Even though there wasn't a soul around, he
dropped his voice.  "From the look on your face and
the tone of your voice, I would guess that my niece
let you know what we figured out."

Clark inclined his head in agreement.

"Why don't you come on in, sit down and have a cup of
coffee and a piece of cake, and we'll talk about it?"
Mike suggested, calmly.

"Okay," Clark agreed slowly, not sure if this was a
good idea or not.

"So, tell me, Superman," Mike asked as he led the
super-hero inside.  "Are you as crazy about chocolate
as my niece, or would you prefer to have something
other than chocolate cake? I have a nice crème caramel
as well as a cherry flan."

"The crème caramel would be great.  Thank you, Mr.
Lane," Clark said as he took care to arrange his cape
before sitting down.

"You called me 'Mike' the other day," Mike said as he
served the desserts and coffee before taking his seat
opposite the colourful super-hero.

"Sorry, Mike." Clark smiled politely at the older man.

"First of all, would you stop looking so worried? I'm
not going to tell a soul.  You really helped me out -
saved my bacon, in fact - and I would be a pretty poor
human being if I paid you back like that." Mike sipped
his hot coffee before continuing, "Besides, who would
I tell?"

Clark snorted.  "I can think of quite a few people who
would pay you quite a bit of money for this info."

"Yeah, but how much self-respect would I be able to
buy with it?" Mike retorted.  "No.  Anyone who wants
to know about you this badly, doesn't need to know
about you, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, yeah.  I know exactly what you mean," Clark
answered with a smile, relaxing in his chair.

"So, how are things with you and Lois?" Mike asked as
he sipped his coffee.

Clark shifted restlessly in his chair.  "Fine."

Mike laughed.  "In other words, knowing my niece,
they're a mess."

"Yeah." Clark nodded slowly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mike asked.

"No, I don't think so, but thanks for asking." Clark
scraped the rest of his crème caramel up with his fork
before getting up from his chair.  He extended his
hand to the older man.  "Thanks for reassuring me
about the other thing, Mike.  I appreciate it.  It's
good to know that I have a friend that I can count
on."

Mike shook Clark's hand firmly.  "Listen.  You don't
have to tell me what's wrong between the two of you,
but I want you to know something.  When Lois left here
the other day, after we figured out, you know, she was
very upset.  She kept telling me how cruel she had
been to you - not you, Superman, but you, Clark - and
how she was going to make it up to you.  After she had
a chance to think about everything, that's what upset
her the most - that she had caused you so much pain.
She really cares about you, Superman."

That was the problem, Clark thought to himself.  She
cared about Superman; she didn't care about Clark.  He
shook his head slowly.  "That's nice to know and
everything, but it doesn't really help solve the
problem.  Thanks for trying, though, Mike."

"No problem.  Come back anytime for a piece of pie.
But, Superman?"

"What?"

"It might be better if you came as Clark Kent, next
time." Mike surreptitiously pointed at the window to
the restaurant.

Clark looked over to see at least a dozen wide-eyed
faces pressed up against the panes of glass, the
people peering goggle-eyed in at him.  He turned back
to Mike and smiled.  "You know what they say.  Nothing
like free publicity."

"I don't think this is quite what they had in mind,"
Mike said, with a grin.

Clark strode theatrically to the door of the
restaurant, his cape swirling majestically behind him.
 As he opened the door, he turned back and very
audibly enunciated, "Thanks, Mr. Lane.  That was the
best dessert and coffee I've had in a long time.  I'll
make a point of visiting again."

Playing to the audience, Mike strolled towards the
door, his broom once more in hand.  "You're welcome,
Superman.  Glad you liked it.  Feel free to stop in
anytime." He followed the super-hero outside and waved
once at Clark as he launched himself into the sky.

The crowd of onlookers watched as Superman disappeared
into the distance, then turned as one to gape at Mike.

"Would you guys mind moving? I'm trying to tidy up
here," Mike said, nonchalantly as he plied his broom
against the pavement.  "Unless..."

The crowd hung on his words.

"Well, I have a lot of crème caramel left over.
That's what he had - seemed to like it.  Anyone else
want to give it a try?"

Mike watched with satisfaction as all the seats in his
tiny restaurant filled up in the blink of an eye.

***

Clark left the restaurant feeling a lot better about
Mike being in on the secret.  The older man had been
reassuring and calm and hadn't blinked an eye when
Clark had turned up dressed as Superman, but had taken
the whole thing in stride.

But Clark didn't feel any better about the whole
'Lois' thing.  She had admitted to him that her new
knowledge was what had caused her to change her
attitude.  He couldn't stand that.  He didn't want
Lois to be attracted to him because he happened to
look half-decent in tights.  No, he wanted Lois to
appreciate him for his more earthly qualities - for
who he was, for what was in his soul, not because he
could bench-press space shuttles.

It didn't take him long to fly home, even though he
was moving a lot slower than normal.  A leisurely
flight home was more what he was in the mood for.
When he arrived home, he was greeted by his flashing
answering machine.  There were two messages on it,
both from Lois.

"Hi, Clark.  Are you there? ...  Pick up, would you?
...  I want to talk to you.  I have to tell you how
sorry I am...  Okay, I guess you're out doing, you
know.  Call me..."

<Beep>

Her voice was a little tenser in the next message, the
words a little louder, and the delivery a little
quicker.  "Clark, there's nothing going on tonight.
I've been watching the news.  Come on.  Answer.  I
know you're there ...  All right.  I guess you really
aren't home.  We need to talk.  Call me, okay?"

<Beep>

As the second of the messages rewound, the phone rang
again.  Clark made no move to pick it up, letting his
machine screen it for him.

"Clark Kent, you pick up the phone this minute!! We
need to talk, and we need to talk now! Look, buster,
you can't ignore me like this.  I won't let you.  I
know where you live, and if you don't pick up the
phone right now..."

Clark quickly lifted the phone out of its cradle.
"Hi."

"Oh.  Hi," Lois said, coolly.

"I just got in."

"Oh."

"There were a lot of fender benders tonight and other
things like that - nothing newsworthy, but still
necessary.  That's why it wasn't on the news," he
explained.

"Oh.  So, you weren't ignoring me." Her tone thawed a
little.

"No, well, maybe a little bit.  I'm sorry," he said,
quietly.

"That's okay.  At least it is, if you'll stop ignoring
me now."

"Okay."

"Will you listen to me now?"

"Yeah.  I'm sorry I had to leave earlier," he said,
apologetically.

"That's okay.  I understand.  You were needed."

"You're taking me running out on you a lot better than
normal."

"That's because I know why."

"That's good because you know, it could happen at
any...  oh, damn!" he exclaimed, frustrated.

"What? What is it?"

"Three-alarm fire at the Bluebird apartments on
Bessolo.  People are trapped.  I better..."

"Go!"

"I'll be late.  We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" he said,
quickly.

"Yeah, just one thing.  Clark, are you still my
friend?" Lois blurted out, her voice pleading.

His tone softened.  "Always, Lois.  Always.  I
promise.  We'll talk tomorrow."

Clark hung up the phone and was gone in a blur.

***
Continued in part 9

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:06:47 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

> This little vignette came to me last night while I was at work.  It's for
all
> the newbies on the list and IRC, who wonder just how some people know so
> much...

This was very cute, Rose, I enjoyed it all the way through... until the
last line, when I howled with laughter.  Excellent work!

You will be submitting all these stories to the archive, right? :)  It's
a lot harder to win Kerths, otherwise, and I think you'd have a good
shot at them. :)
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:20:19 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: character names
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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Interesting info there.  I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks,
Alexis ;-.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 22:14:03 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "=?iso-8859-1?q?R.=20Ziegler?=" <r_ziegler_3@YAHOO.DE>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour part 23
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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Erin, thank you so much for writing this absolutely
wonderful story!! :)

I love it very much (it's already one of my favourite
stories)!

I'm looking forward to read the next parts.

Take Care,
Ren
__________________________________________________________________
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Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:59:09 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         The Zoomway <Zoomway@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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In a message dated 2/3/00 1:35:43 PM Central Standard Time,
Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM writes:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E
<<This little vignette came to me last night while I was at work.  It's for
all
the newbies on the list and IRC, who wonder just how some people know so
much...  (Or am I the only one who wonders about these things? <g>)   Hope
you get a chuckle out of it.<<<

<< Zoomway? Clark wondered aloud.  *Why did Lois name herself after a
 highway?* >>

I don't know if this is referring to the AOL chat room incident that got
brought up the other night where Grant Rosenberg (one of the Lois and Clark
writers) said in the chat room "I thought everyone knew Zoomway is Teri
Hatcher" (which is definitely *not* true in any department, but did cause me
to get flooded suddenly with Instant Messages and e-mail that night <g>)

Lois probably ended up with "Zoomway" the same way I did. I wanted a
Superman
related nickname, but everything I tried was already taken. As you can see,
it took me to the letter "Z" to find one that was not ;)

Zoom (thanks for the cute "guest star" role, Rose ;)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:13:38 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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In a message dated 2/3/00 1:59:47 PM Pacific Standard Time, Zoomway@AOL.COM
writes:

<< I don't know if this is referring to the AOL chat room incident that got
 brought up the other night where Grant Rosenberg (one of the Lois and Clark
 writers) said in the chat room "I thought everyone knew Zoomway is Teri
 Hatcher" (which is definitely *not* true in any department, but did cause
me
 to get flooded suddenly with Instant Messages and e-mail that night <g>) >>

No!  I didn't even know about that!  (Surprise, surprise.)  I chose to make
Lois and Zoomway the same person <g> because when I first came online and
started looking up LnC stuff, I immediately started finding Zoom's name
everywhere.  And now that I've talked to her on the IRC, and discovered how
knowledgable she is... well, my imagination took over.  That is the only
reason I wrote this....

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:18:04 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: "That Lois Lane of Mine"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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Alright, here's what I'm gonna do.  I'm going to post the last 2 sections of
"That Lois Lane of Mine," for those of you who don't have the funny
character
problem.  For those who do... email me if you'd like to read the story, and
I
will be more than happy to email it to you as an attachment.  Does this
sound
fair to everyone?  I'm sorry, I saved the stupid thing as plain text, and
it's still doing it.  I don't know what else to do!

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:21:00 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane... (6/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
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PART SIX

Lois squeezed her eyes shut.  She forced herself to block out the image
of=20
his finger
straining on the trigger.  He was pressing the barrel firmly against her=20
forehead, so hard it felt like the force of it alone could kill her.  She=20
inhaled and held it, waiting for the gun to fire.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared.

Then came the tell-tale sonic boom.

She was saved.

She kept her eyes closed for another second, and then opened them.  A=20
familiar pair of concerned brown eyes were looking at her intently, as
gentl=
e=20
hands worked at the knots in the ropes. =20

=E2=80=9CSuperman!  Where=E2=80=99s Dillinger?=E2=80=9D  Lois queried,
rubbi=
ng her rope-burned=20
wrists. =20

=E2=80=9CBack where he belongs, in jail.  Are you okay?=E2=80=9D =20

=E2=80=9CYeah, I=E2=80=99m fine.  Thanks for helping me.=E2=80=9D

Clark smiled, a sad smile.  =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re welcome, Lois.  I=E2=80=
=99m glad to help you.=E2=80=9D

Lois studied his face intently.  Something felt very wrong.
=E2=80=9CSuperm=
an?=E2=80=9D

Again, the sad smile.  =E2=80=9CLois, we have to talk...=E2=80=9D =20

Clark sat down on the floor, pushing his cape out behind him so as not to
si=
t=20
on it.  He pulled his knees up to his chest.  He wrapped his arms around
his=
=20
knees, and took a deep breath, preparing.=20

Lois watched him.  An acute sense of wrongness plagued her.  She was=20
frightened of whatever Superman was going to say.  What if he was mad at
her=
?=20
=20

*Oh no...  He knows about the shooting.  He knows I nearly killed Clark.*
=20
Lois thought.  *He can=E2=80=99t even look at me!  He keeps staring his
boot=
s so that=20
he doesn=E2=80=99t have to look at me!*  Lois=E2=80=99s eyes filled with
tea=
rs.  She had=20
nearly lost Clark, now she was going to lose Superman.  If only she=E2=80=
=99d never=20
brought Clark to the casino!

Superman looked up sharply at the sound of Lois sniffling.  *She=E2=80=99s
c=
rying. =20
I=E2=80=99ve made her cry.*  Clark thought, and he felt his own heart
breaki=
ng. =20

=E2=80=9CLois--=E2=80=9D  Clark leaned forward, reaching his hand out to
com=
fort her.  As he=20
reached, his bright red cape fanned out behind him. =20

Lois was instantly mesmerized by the movement of the cape.  It seemed to
com=
e=20
alive, the redness, and spread like spilt blood on the casino floor. =20

*...It billowed like a cape...* =20

Lois gasped, and looked into *Clark=E2=80=99s* eyes.

*****=20
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:25:07 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
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PART SEVEN

Clark placed Lois gently on the floor and stepped down from the
windowsill.=20=
=20
She hadn=E2=80=99t said a word.  He knew there had to be a million
thoughts=20=
and=20
questions racing through her mind; he could see them in the way her eyes=20
flashed.  It was impossible for him to tell if she was angry though.  He=E2=
=80=99d=20
expected an outburst, as angry outbursts had been Lois=E2=80=99s style in
th=
e past,=20
but he got none.  She=E2=80=99d just let him scoop her into his arms and
fly=
 her home.

Lois hung on to Clark=E2=80=99s arm to help her hobble to the couch.
Clark=20=
took this=20
as a good sign-- at least she was still willing to touch him.  Lois sat
down=
=20
carefully at one end of the couch, and Clark sat down at the other, not
sure=
=20
if he should take the liberty of sitting too close to her.

For a long time, Lois looked at him.  She searched his face, as if not
quite=
=20
sure what she was going to find there now.  After a while, her eyes
filled=20
with tears.

=E2=80=9CLois,=E2=80=9D Clark started, his voice cracking slightly.  =E2=80=
=9CThere is so much I=E2=80=99ve=20
wanted to tell
you.  Please believe me when I say that I *never* wanted to hurt you.=E2=80=
=9D  He=20
cupped her face with his hand.  She let him.  =E2=80=9CI thought that, if
yo=
u knew I=20
was Superman, then you=E2=80=99d become a target for anyone who was trying
t=
o get to=20
me.  But...=E2=80=9D  Clark paused, drawing in a shaky breath,
=E2=80=9Cyou=20=
got hurt anyway.=20
 You got hurt because you *didn=E2=80=99t* know--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CClark,=E2=80=9D Lois said suddenly.  She tested the name again,
mat=
ching it up to=20
the outfit.=20
=E2=80=9CClark.=E2=80=9D  Her face crumbled.  She dissolved into helpless
te=
ars.  Clark=20
reached out,
desperate to hold her, to comfort her, but Lois flinched away.

=E2=80=9CLois--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CClark, no.  Please.=E2=80=9D

Clark inhaled sharply.  This was it.  She never wanted to see him again. =20
He=E2=80=99d go to the Planet in the morning, give Perry his notice.  It
wou=
ld be too=20
difficult working next to Lois anyway, if he could no longer have the
same=20
relationship with her.  Clark turned, prepared to fly out the window and=20
leave her in peace.

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m sorry, Clark,=E2=80=9D Lois said suddenly.  =E2=80=9CI=
=E2=80=99m so very sorry.=E2=80=9D =20

=E2=80=9CYou have nothing to be sor--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CYes I do.  I don=E2=80=99t know how it is that you=E2=80=99ve
worke=
d with me, been my=20
friend, been...  It must have been so hard for you.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D  Clark was completely baffled.  What was she
talking=
 about?

Lois laughed bitterly.  =E2=80=9CI would love you even if you were an
ordina=
ry man,=20
without any
powers,=E2=80=9D she mimicked herself.  =E2=80=9CIsn=E2=80=99t that what I
s=
aid?  And you, seeing me=20
everyday, at work as Clark, and then as Superman.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m always Clark,=E2=80=9D Clark said quickly,
=E2=80=9CSup=
erman is what I can do, and=20
Clark--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CIs who you are,=E2=80=9D Lois finished.  =E2=80=9CI should have
rea=
lized, Clark. I feel so=20
stupid.  You must think that I don=E2=80=99t care about you at all, that I=
=E2=80=99m=20
heartless.=E2=80=9D  She gazed at the floor, so that she wouldn=E2=80=99t
ha=
ve to look Clark=20
in the eye.

=E2=80=9CYou stopped a bullet for me, Lois.=E2=80=9D  Clark said softly.
=20=
=E2=80=9CThat took real=20
courage.  I know that Superman is supposed to be brave, but it=E2=80=99s
eas=
y for me=20
to fly in and catch a few bullets.  I take it for granted.  But you...
you=20
made a real sacrifice for me.  You risked your life to save mine.=E2=80=9D
=20

Lois allowed herself a quick glance at Clark.  She was afraid, of what
she=20
wasn=E2=80=99t sure.  Maybe she was afraid that his eyes would make her
feel=
 too=20
much, and she wasn=E2=80=99t sure she could live with that. =20

She wasn=E2=80=99t sure she could live without it.

Clark couldn=E2=80=99t remember ever having been so scared.  He=E2=80=99d
ne=
ver really faced=20
losing
something before, not something valuable.  Compared to Lois, nothing was
of=20
worth to him.  He knew that his entire future rested in this moment. =20

=E2=80=9CLois--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CClark--=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m sorry.  Go ahead,=E2=80=9D Clark offered. =20

Lois paused a moment, collecting herself. =20

=E2=80=9CClark,=E2=80=9D she started carefully, =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve
been=20=
friends for almost two years=20
now.=E2=80=9D  Clark
nodded agreement.  =E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99ve been my best friend.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CAnd you, mine,=E2=80=9D Clark murmured.

=E2=80=9CBut when we were in the casino... when I thought you=E2=80=99d
been=
 shot... that=20
changed.=E2=80=9D

Clark=E2=80=99s heart pounded loudly in his chest.  Things had changed.
How=
 could he=20
live
without Lois=E2=80=99s friendship?  He didn=E2=80=99t think he could take
it=
 if their=20
friendship were to end.  Maybe he ought to fly out of here right now, and=20
never...

=E2=80=9CYou became more.=E2=80=9D =20

At these words, Clark=E2=80=99s head snapped up.  Did she really say that?
=20=
*More?*

=E2=80=9CNo... you=E2=80=99d already been more to me than just a friend.
Bu=
t when I thought=20
I=E2=80=99d lost you for sure, that=E2=80=99s when I realized...=E2=80=9D
L=
ois choked back the=20
tears that threatened to
overwhelm her.  She focused her attention on her hands, which were
playing=20
with the hem of her shirt.

=E2=80=9CThat=E2=80=99s when I realized that I love you.=E2=80=9D

Lois stopped abruptly.  She couldn=E2=80=99t say anymore.  She almost
couldn=
=E2=80=99t=20
breath.  All of her emotions that had been stirring around inside her had
al=
l=20
come together and tightened into a lump that was now lodged in her throat.

The silence almost killed her.  She thought he would say something,
anything=
=20
after what she=E2=80=99d told him, but when she finally looked up at him,
sh=
e=20
understood his silence.  He was choked by the same emotions she was.
Tears=20
pooled at the corners of his eyes, threatening to overflow and overwhelm
him=
.=20
=20

So he said nothing.

Instead, he reached out to her and drew her closer to him.  He cupped her=20
face with his left hand, while he held her left hand in his right. =20

He kissed her.

All of the unsaid words met at the touch of their lips.  There would be
no=20
more apologies, no more guilt.  No more building walls, no more secrets,
no=20
more loneliness. =20

They sat there for a long while, saying nothing, only holding each other
and=
=20
knowing that finally, everything was going to be all right.  When Clark
felt=
=20
Lois=E2=80=99s sleepy body relax against his, he pulled her into his arms
on=
ce more,=20
and carried her to bed.  She stirred, only for a moment, when she felt
him=20
move away from her. =20

Their fingers still intertwined, she pulled him toward her.  When she
felt=20
the warmth of his arms around her, and the drowsy pull of sleep on her=20
eyelids, she found the one thing she=E2=80=99d been searching for.

Lois Lane found home.

*****

THE END =20

Well, what do you think? =20
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 16:28:35 CST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Jessi Mounts <jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

*
*
S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E
*
*
*

>“Zoomway?� Clark wondered aloud.  *Why did Lois name herself after a
>highway?*
>

<g> I was not expecting that.  Very funny.

Now if you knew some of theories my brother has for why Zoomway knows
everything. ;-)

Jessi
jessi914@hotmail.com

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:29:44 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
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In a message dated 2/3/00 2:28:55 PM Pacific Standard Time,
jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

<< Now if you knew some of theories my brother has for why Zoomway knows
 everything. ;-) >>

By all means, do tell!

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 22:37:43 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Rose, this was beautifully conceived and written. Kudos! What a lovely way
to end my evening. The final line was just perfect. One of those fics that
produces a happy little sigh when you reach the ending.

I'm sorry, but I've missed your intro. (LabRat gets delete happy again.
Sigh...)  Is this your first venture into fanfic? If so.....more, please!

And if not......where can I pick up your previous stories? Aside from AOL,
which I also found a nice way to spend the evening. Funny and sweet. And
very natural. It was easy to visualise Clark and Lois at home, just doing
nothing much of anything.

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

You have a knack of writing some very witty, throwaway lines. Like:

"After relaxing for the rest of the morning, and again later that
afternoon..."

LOL!

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:46:04 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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Thanks Labrat!  Yes, this story was my very first attempt at fanfic,
although
I've been writing forever.  AOL was my second, written this morning after
very little sleep.  I am just so happy that everyone likes it!  I can't wait
to write more!

Rose (Who is not above doing anything for FDK.  I should've believed
everyone
about how addictive it is!  Who knew?)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:52:30 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rich & Dawn <rfield@ROANOKE.INFI.NET>
Subject:      NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hi FoLCs!

We have a winner! September received the most votes as the month to hold the
NKerth Awards Ceremony. That would put nominations in July and voting in
August. That should also give us a break after the Kerth Awards, and give
those of us behind in our reading a chance to catch up.

At this time we'd like to go ahead and choose a date so people who need to
can plan ahead. Saturdays in September are the 2nd (this might not be a good
day due to Labor Day on Monday), 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th (this might not be
good because of Rosh Hashanah).

Send your vote to nkerth@yahoo.com

We'll take votes through February 14th.

Thanks!
Dawn, Irene, and the Crew
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 15:52:06 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
In-Reply-To:  <55.1a71465.25cb5f2c@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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>Rose (Who is not above doing anything for FDK.  I should've believed
everyone
>about how addictive it is!  Who knew?)
>

LOL!  It is addictive, isn't it? <vbg>  It's so addictive, in fact, that I'm
stampeding through the next couple of installments of 'Darkest Hour,' making
sure I satisfy everyone who has been begging me to hurry up and get Lois and
Clark out of their predicament that I'm hurrying to finish their escape
scene... oops!  Could that be considered a spoiler? /me clamps a hand over
her
mouth <g>  Well, I guess it's a moot point.  Everyone knows they have to
escape sooner or later, right? <wink>

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 17:57:47 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 2/3/00 2:55:18 PM Pacific Standard Time, erink@IDA.NET
writes:

<< LOL!  It is addictive, isn't it? <vbg>  It's so addictive, in fact, that
I'm
 stampeding through the next couple of installments of 'Darkest Hour,'
making
 sure I satisfy everyone who has been begging me to hurry up and get Lois
and
 Clark out of their predicament that I'm hurrying to finish their escape
 scene... oops!  Could that be considered a spoiler? /me clamps a hand over
her
 mouth <g>  Well, I guess it's a moot point.  Everyone knows they have to
 escape sooner or later, right? <wink> >>

YES YES YES!!!  Erin, you must finish Darkest Hour.  You have no choice.
I'm
afraid I'm gonna have to... well, do something.  I'm not sure what.  But
I'll
figure it out, and when I do, you better be ready to pony up the story!  Or
else! <g>

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 18:48:09 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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ROTFLMAO!  What a cute story! <G>  I loved the part about Lois trying to use
her own name for an SS but it was already taken!

Alexis ;-.)
{aka: MsLoisette on AOL.  Lois probably tried this name out too! LOL!}
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 19:59:03 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 02/03/2000 5:54:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,
rfield@ROANOKE.INFI.NET writes:

<< Saturdays in September are the 2nd (this might not be a good
 day due to Labor Day on Monday), 9th, 16th, 23rd, & 30th (this might not be
 good because of Rosh Hashanah). >>

Sept 9th

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 20:22:40 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Amy Otto <sweetinnocentamy@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church - Part 10 of 10
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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Irene,
That was a wonderful story - just like all your other ones!
~Amy
----- Original Message -----
From: Irene D. <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
To: <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2000 2:36 PM
Subject: New - Tales Out of Church - Part 10 of 10

> Title:  Tales Out of Church
> Author: Irene Dutchak
> Parts:  10
> Rating: PG
> Feedback:  All feedback, both public and private, is
> welcome.
> Summary:  A continuation of the episode 'Church of
> Metropolis' wherein Lois finds out something
> interesting about her partner, Clark Kent.
>
> ***
>
> Part 10
>
> Clark sat glumly on top of Lois's apartment building,
> trying to make sense of her mercurial moods.  He was
> feeling totally confused, but he thought he had one
> thing straight.  She had gone overboard being nice to
> him because she felt guilty for having treated Clark
> worse than Superman.  That was good, wasn't it? He was
> so mixed up he wasn't sure.
>
> She wasn't angry; that was a plus.  And she wasn't
> hurt; at least he didn't think she was.  But she did
> feel really, really guilty.  He didn't like seeing her
> be so hard on herself, putting herself through such
> pain.
>
> There was one big question he was afraid to ask.  How
> did she feel about him, now? If she did have feelings
> for him, would that be a good thing or a bad thing? He
> did want her to love him, but he wanted her to love
> him for Clark, not for Superman, so it would be bad,
> but on the other hand, it would be better if she did
> love him than if she had no feelings for him at all.
> Maybe.  He wasn't sure.  And, if he kept thinking
> about it, he just might get the first headache he had
> ever had.
>
> Suddenly, he heard Lois swear, "Damn it all," followed
> by a thud and a crash.  He didn't even have to think
> about it.  He was standing in front of her less than a
> second later.
>
> "Are you all right?" he asked, worried by how upset
> she looked.
>
> "No.  I'm not all right, and we're not all right, and
> nothing's all right!" Lois exclaimed loudly, with her
> fists clenched and her eyes flashing.  "You love me,
> but you don't want me to love you because you're
> afraid that I prefer Superman to you.  Clark, I don't
> want to love you, because being in love with a real
> person who might be able to return my feelings, scares
> me more than words could say.   Even so, even knowing
> all that, I'm completely and totally in love with you.
>  And I can't deny that knowing you're also Superman is
> the reason that I took a second look at you.  I can't
> deny that I had feelings for Superman, but they were
> safe feelings.  He never threatened my peace of mind
> because I knew all along I could never be with him.
> So, I'm not in love with you because you're Superman,
> but because you're you, but I never would have known
> that I love you if I hadn't known about the other
> thing...  so, no, I'm not all right, Clark.  And I'm
> sorry.  I'm sorry that I was too pigheaded to see you,
> Clark Kent, instead of some make-believe Prince
> Charming in tights and a cape.  I'm sorry that I was
> insensitive and shallow and selfish.  I'm sorry.  But
> I'm in love with you and I can't pretend that I'm not.
>  I'm tired of pretending."
>
> Clark stood rigid, unable to take in everything that
> Lois had said.  He was having trouble processing the
> information she was throwing at him.  She was in love
> with him.  And the only reason that she was, was
> because he was Superman, too.  He half turned away
> from her, too dejected to even look at her, when he
> caught sight of their reflection in her hallway mirror
> - a petite woman next to a tall man in red, blue and
> yellow, cape hanging limply behind him.
>
> "And this is your fault, too, Clark Kent," she yelled,
> her tiny reflection waving an index finger at his
> back.  "If you hadn't encouraged me as Superman, none
> of this would have happened..."
>
> Clark stood mesmerized, watching the mirror image of
> the woman he loved scold and berate him.  Suddenly,
> the implications of exactly how Lois was reacting to
> him, hit him like a thunderbolt.
>
> "...  And, aren't you going to say anything?  I just
> totally opened up to you, Clark, and I'd like a little
> feedback from you, unless you like seeing me standing
> here waiting, twiddling my thumbs and..."
>
> "What did you just call me?" Clark asked, hoarsely.
>
> "What?"
>
> "You just called me Clark."
>
> "Well, duh.  That's your name."
>
> "No, I mean, here I am standing here, dressed like
> this," and he gestured at his tights, boots and cape,
> "and you called me 'Clark'.  Not 'Superman'.  You were
> yelling at me.  You always yell at me, Clark.  You
> never yell at me, Superman.  This whole time since you
> found out about me, you've never once seen Clark as
> really being Superman, have you? But you see Superman
> as being Clark, don't you?" His words spilled out,
> faster and faster, as he got more and more excited by
> the implications.
>
> Lois frowned, obviously trying to puzzle out the
> meaning of what he had just said.  "I think so," she
> said, tentatively.
>
> "Lois, when you say that you love me, just who are you
> saying it to?" Clark asked, his heart in his throat.
>
> "You lunkhead, haven't you been listening to me? I
> love you, Clark Kent."
>
> "And you're not in love with Superman anymore?" he
> asked, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
>
> "How could I be, Clark, when he doesn't really exist?"
> she replied, smiling warmly in response.
>
> "But you're scared to be with me."
>
> "I'd be more scared to not be with you," she admitted,
> glancing up at him shyly.
>
> "And you're not dazzled by the colourful, flashy
> outfit?"
>
> "I think I'd be more dazzled if you weren't wearing
> it," she purred, throatily.
>
> Clark blinked hard.
>
> Lois looked at him in exasperation.  "Clark, what are
> you waiting for?"
>
> He looked at her blankly.
>
> She sighed, and then before he knew it was happening,
> she launched herself at him so fast his head was
> spinning.  Their lips met in a kiss so passionate it
> made his toes curl inside his boots.
>
> "Oh, Clark," she murmured.  "Don't ever doubt how I
> feel about you, okay? I love you, Clark Kent - not
> that other guy."
>
> "I love you, too, Lois," he murmured, bending his head
> to kiss her once more.
>
> "Although..." She paused.
>
> "Although?" he prompted her.
>
> "Well, it's only right that I do love the other guy,
> too, at least a little bit, because he is a part of
> you, which is good because he can fly, and I like to
> fly, and do I have to feel guilty about enjoying the
> superpowers because some of them are pretty nifty? I
> can think of some pretty great uses for the heat
> vision especially in the wintertime and..."
>
> "Lois!" Clark interrupted, laughing.
>
> "Yes, Clark," Lois said, meekly, fake innocence
> plastered all over her face, the corners of her mouth
> twitching.
>
> "Have I ever told you? You talk too much." He wrapped
> his arms around her, and kissed her once again.  As
> they kissed, they floated up off the floor.  Neither
> one of them even noticed.
>
> The end.
>
>
> =====
> Outside of a dog, a book is Man's best friend. And inside of a dog, it's
too dark to read.
> Groucho Marx
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
> http://im.yahoo.com
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 20:35:31 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Amy Otto <sweetinnocentamy@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Thank you thank you thank you for posting the last two!!!  (It didn't ever
mess up on my e-mail for some reason)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 20:59:46 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gerry Anklewicz <Gerry_Anklewicz@NYNET.NYBE.ON.CA>
Subject:      Re: AOL:  A Revelation Story... (1/1)
In-Reply-To:  <39.c802c5.25cb3260@aol.com>
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Cute story Rose.  I really enjoyed it.
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 21:17:27 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Gerry Anklewicz <Gerry_Anklewicz@NYNET.NYBE.ON.CA>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
In-Reply-To:  <37.e33ac5.25cb7e57@aol.com>
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Sept. 9, 16 or 23 work for me
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 18:21:53 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church - Part 10 of 10
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Thanks, Amy! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Irene

--- Amy Otto <sweetinnocentamy@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Irene,
> That was a wonderful story - just like all your
> other ones!
> ~Amy

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 3 Feb 2000 19:18:33 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Debby <Debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: Archiving (was Re: New Authors:  Kerth Awards)
In-Reply-To:  <l03130306b4be770d0800@[12.34.170.21]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 06:32 PM 02/02/2000 -0600, Kathy wrote:

[snip]

>As for downloading a large story from a website, I think it depends on the
>person. LabRat's Caped Fear was about 1 Mg, and I was worried that that was
>too big for a single file. Yet luckily not one person has written us about
>having trouble downloading the file.

I haven't visited there, the fanfic site in a long time. I hope downloading
is
a quick matter of right clicking and instructing the story to download
itself
to a subdirectory on a hard drive--and not waiting for the whole thing to
load
and then telling (say) IE4 to "save as"...

>Debby, if you want us to link to any of your stories from the Archive, we'd
>be happy to do so.

This is what I suggested earlier.

>There is no reason that putting any of your stories on the Archive would be
>any more painful than putting your Swap Meet story up on the Archive last
>month.  And considering that consisted of an email exchange between us in
>December, "may we put your story up?", I'd say that was pretty pain*less*.
>:)

No one said anything about editing and no one has approached *me* with
suggested corrections (then again, I'm so far behind reading... but a
descriptive subject line would alert me and there has been none).

>Kathy

Thanks for your efforts--you're a wonder! Clark should be jealous of your
efficiency (well, the show's version would be, anyhow!) :)

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 01:27:06 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

This is cool!  I love Seven Days (even though I almost never get a chance to
watch it anymore) I can practically *see* these characters (even Ramsey
grr--the guy we all love to hate!)  I can't wait to see more!

Tara

------Original Message------
From: James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Sent: February 3, 2000 8:00:06 PM GMT
Subject: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?

Title: 7 Days of Superman
Part: 4 of ?
Author: Mr. D8a (Guest Author - Benjamin Rogers)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Crossover
Summary: I don't know what to say that won't give it
all away.  Superman fails to stop the nuking of
Washington DC and gets some help from Frank B. Parker
from Operation Backstep.

"So, we meet again, for the first time, for the last time!" Dark Helmet,
Space Balls
-----------------------------------------------
FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 11:43:16 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
In-Reply-To:  <00cd01bf6e97$5bd27720$ba1c883e@d9t5t7>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Rose, I too thought 'That Lois Lane..' was an excellent
first story. I loved the premise, and I thought the way you
handled the emotions of both characters was very powerful
and very believable. As LabRat and others have already
commented, there are some fantastic lines in there too.

Anyone who has not yet read this story, go and read it NOW!!

The AOL vignette was clever and very funny as well - I
LOLed when I read the last line!

Looking forward to more from you, Rose!

Wendy
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 13:21:32 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nicole Wolke <NKWolke@EIFEL-NET.NET>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
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*
*
*
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
*
*
*
S
P
A
C
E
*
*
*

Irene,
I didn't comment on your story when you posted it to the MB, because I
detected it only when
you had already finished it, but since you now brought it over here, too, I
thought I'd let
you know, that I enjoyed it very much.

I loved the interaction between Lois and her uncle Mike and I thought it was
a clever idea to
completely reverse the usual reactions to the revelation. Lois is the one
who feels guilty and
Clark is the one who is mad. That was a new and refreshing variation of a
situation we've read
about in countless stories. And the best thing about it was, that the
reaction surprisingly
worked for me and seemed to be as logical and convincing as the other way
round.

way to go!
Nicole
--
AKA CKgroupie on IRC
NKWolke@eifel-net.net

Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain?
And don't you have enough time to find them?
Go to: "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/CKgroupie/
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 06:34:17 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I was hoping that I was not painting Ramsey as too
much of a horse's pe-toot??spelling??.

James

--- Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM> wrote:
> This is cool!  I love Seven Days (even though I
> almost never get a chance to
> watch it anymore) I can practically *see* these
> characters (even Ramsey
> grr--the guy we all love to hate!)  I can't wait to
> see more!
>
> Tara
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
> To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> Sent: February 3, 2000 8:00:06 PM GMT
> Subject: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
>
>
> Title: 7 Days of Superman
> Part: 4 of ?
> Author: Mr. D8a (Guest Author - Benjamin Rogers)
> Rating: PG-13
> Genre: Crossover
> Summary: I don't know what to say that won't give it
> all away.  Superman fails to stop the nuking of
> Washington DC and gets some help from Frank B.
> Parker
> from Operation Backstep.
>
> "So, we meet again, for the first time, for the last
> time!" Dark Helmet, Space Balls
> -----------------------------------------------
> FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
> Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
>

=====
Mr. D8a
Philipians 4:8

The love of James' life is Elisabeth, but...
Daddy's little sweetheart is Rosa!
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 14:46:27 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

Time for the next quiz, and this time the entries are all
eligible for the category of Best Series, which is two or
more stories in a series, at least two parts of which must
be eligible for the 2000 Kerths.

Usual disclaimer: while all of these stories are eligible,
there may be - most probably are - other series which will
be eligible in this category, and the choice of stories
here is not intended to represent a judgement on the
suitability of these or any others for nomination.

This time there are only extracts and no quotes. A point
for the author and title of the individual story; extra
points for the title of the series or, where there is no
series title, the titles of the other stories in the series
or some other identifier.

Spoiler space as usual, please! The results of this will be
posted by Hazel on Sunday, since I cannot get the web
interface to allow me to post from home!

Wendy

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

Extract 1:
Lynn nodded, and turned to her she hoped very temporary
partner. "Come on, Jack, let's go."

"Uh, it's Jon, not Jack."

As they left the office, Chief Olsen could barely make out
Lynn muttering "Jon, Jack, whatever, let's get this over
with." As soon as the two were out of even Jon's earshot,
he let out a low chuckle. "Well, I'll be. Here we go
again." He leaned back in the chair, and his eyes scanned
over the framed editions of The Daily Planet that were
hanging from the wall. A fair number of them bore the
byline of Lane and Kent. He remembered the days when a
young Jimmy Olsen was wondering why Perry White was pairing
the great Lois Lane with a completely unknown Clark Kent:
sure, he had talent and initiative, but he was still a cub
reporter, waiting for his first big story. He realized now
that somehow, Perry had known that the two were meant to be
together, both professionally and personally. As he
pondered this, he looked out his window into the newsroom,
and saw Jon leaning over Lynn's chair as she typed. It was
a scene so familiar to him from twenty years ago that he
nearly burst out laughing.

Extract 2:
"Yeah, well, what did I tell you? We wives can read
husbands' minds, Kryptonian or no Kryptonian."

"So you think I'm an open book, do you?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Oh, I think you'll find I've got a few pages still to
turn."

"Mmmm, where shall I start?"

"Anywhere you like, just be prepared for a few surprises."

"Oooh, sounds like my kind of book..."

Lois reached up to kiss Clark, but stopped abruptly and
pulled back a little.

"Clark?"

"What?"

"He wouldn't be...'sensing' you now, would he?"

"Lois!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm new to this thing too."

"Lois, trust me, he - and I - respect each other's privacy.
That channel is closed, shut down, locked and barred with
steel shutters. No entry." He emphasised his point with a
sweep of his flattened hand.

"OK, OK, you made your point. I just had to check."

"This is just you and me. Now, are you going to turn the
page, or what?"

"All right. Let me see...page 1...shows promise..."

Extract 3:
His smile broadened at a memory.  In his mind's eye he saw
her burst uninvited into Perry's office as he was being
interviewed.  She had barely seen him then, much less
noticed him, so caught up was she in her story.  But he had
seen her, and that had been enough.

Was that when he had fallen in love with her?  Certainly
the attraction had been instantaneous, and he had been
intrigued by the small dynamo with whom he had subsequently
been assigned to work.

As she jabbed at the telephone's cradle to clear the line
for her next call, she glanced across at him and mouthed,
low enough that no-one else would guess that she was
talking to him, but loud enough that he could hear, "Quit
staring at me and get on with your work, Kent!" and she
laughed at him as she looked away again.

He picked up his own phone and tried to do as she
commanded, but he found it impossible to concentrate.  Over
and over again his mind replayed the scene from last night
when she had asked him to marry her.

She had asked him to marry her!

It was the final proof, if any had been needed, that she
had managed to reconcile both halves of his personality,
the superhero and the reporter, Kal-El of Krypton and Clark
Kent of Kansas.  He was more grateful for that than any
words could ever express.

Extract 4:
Clark poured on an extra burst of speed, grateful for a
break in the flow of people walking, and caught the bullet
microseconds before it hit Lois square between the
shoulderblades.  He soared sharply upwards, to avoid
hitting any of the cars in the busy street, then controlled
his flight enough to swoop downwards once more, snatching
the gun before it could be fired again.  Then he slowed,
and descended, his arms crossed and his face as menacing as
he could make it.

A thin blond man stood gaping at his empty hand, then
looked upwards, his eyes narrowing in fury.  "You!  You'll
pay for this, you interfering blockhead!"

"The lady doesn't want to go with you," Clark replied with
forced mildness. He had located Lois by hearing her tirade,
and part of him had enjoyed it very much, even as the rest
of him had feared for her life.

"Do you know who I am?"  Lex demanded, his calm facade
crumbling.

"Yes," Clark replied, noting that Lois was now standing
next to him, facing her nemesis.  "You're a pathetic old
man who can't take no for an answer."

Extract 5:
Clark laughed. "I guess you don't much like actors, honey."
He strolled to the window-seat and perched on it, one ankle
resting across his knee.

"Not really," she conceded with a smile. "But I suppose we
should have known these two would be okay - after all, they
are *us*. And we're pretty incorruptible."

"Maybe," Clark agreed. Lois threw him a curious glance.

"Well, it's all to do with environment, isn't it, honey?"
he asked her. "I mean, I was lucky - I got adopted by the
greatest parents in the entire world apart from the two of
us, and I grew up with people who were able to help me come
to terms with... being different. So that when I became
Superman, with your help, I knew what my ethics were and
what I wanted to achieve." He paused, then met Lois's gaze
as he continued. "The alternate Clark - well, he lost his
parents when he was a kid, and he grew up lonely and
confused, and the only person who knew what he could do
hated that part of him. When I finally got to meet him,
even thought he'd been Superman for almost a year at that
stage thanks to you, he was still insecure about who he
was, he was desperately lonely, and I figured that he had a
pretty sad life. Okay, he seemed to share my view about
right and wrong, but he only seemed to have any confidence
in himself when he was Superman."

Extract 6:
"Something *is* wrong!" snapped Lois irritably, closing up
her cell phone and putting it into her purse.  "Can't you
see?  Look around you!"

Clark cast his eyes around the area, noting the billows of
smoke drifting toward them from the fire sweeping down the
block.  "Yeah?" he said. "Whaddya want, Lois?  You can
cover it--Perry doesn't need two people here."

"I don't need help covering the story!  *They* need help
putting out the fire!" Lois gestured toward the
firefighters.

"What d'ya think firemen are for, Lois?" said Clark.  He
wasn't going to make this easy for her.  "I'm not a
firefighter; I'm a journalist."

"Not *you* you!"  Lois said in annoyance.  She leaned
towards him and said under her breath, "Superman!"

"Superman?" drawled Clark, wide-eyed and innocent.  "But,
Lois, there *is* no Superman, not in *this* world.  You
said so yourself--"

His words were cut off when, to his astonishment and
complete and utter delight, Lois grasped him by the
shoulders, turned him around and gave him a shove.  "Go!
They need you. *We* need you!"

"*Who* needs me, Lois?" he couldn't resist saying.  "You're
not actually asking for my help, are you?"

Extract 7:
"Have you been talking to Clark?" he asked in a strangled
voice but with a certain amount of belligerence.

"Clark?!"  Lois nearly squeaked out then brought her voice
under control.  "No!  Where is Clark anyway?  I thought he
was assistant chef."

"Gone to the bathroom.  At least that's the story for
public consumption.  For you though he's gone to help out
as Superman, but don't you already know that?"  Jon had
obviously witnessed Clark's and Lois' dialogue.

Lois considered prevarication, but then thought better of
that idea. She loved her father-in-law greatly and thought
that he deserved the truth.

 "Clark and I are just concerned about you, Jonathan.  We
care so much that sometimes we must seem
overprotective.........."

"And I must appear like an ungrateful, bad-tempered  old
coot..........."

"No, never bad-tempered, Jonathan," Lois interceded with a
grin, which thankfully was returned.

Extract 8:
Lois and Clark entered the room and sat down together on
Jon's bed.  The twins sat cross-legged facing each other on
Sam's bed.  They turned and swung their legs around to face
their parents.

"Are you boys all right?" Clark tried to look them in the
eyes but they both averted their gaze from him.

"Fine."  "We're fine."

Clark looked at Lois helplessly.  She motioned to him to
continue.

"I guess you figured something out today."

"Yeah."  "Guess so."

They sat in silence for a long, tense moment.  Finally, in
frustration, Lois turned to Clark.

"Honey, why don't you take the boys and go ... you know?  I
want to come too, but ... well, I know Jimmy's here and
everything, but I should stay with Marty."

Extract 9:
"Got it!"  Even the whisper sounded elated.  "It's back!"

"What do you see?"

"About two million dollars worth of cocaine.  And this is
only one crate."

Her lips pursed in sheer astonishment.  "I think we've
found what we came for.  Let's get out of here."

"Shhh!"  He put a finger to his lips.  "Someone's coming."

"I tell you, I heard something!"  The voice came from only
yards away.

"Over here!"

Without conscious thought, he slipped an arm about Lois's
waist, and they were floating silently upward into the
dimness of the rafters.  Below them, men could be seen
creeping around, flashing their lights between the boxes,
searching for the source of the noise.  Someone tripped and
fell to the ground, swearing loudly.  Superman's eyes met
Lois's and they exchanged a silent chuckle.

Superman raised his eyebrows.  "I think we've seen enough,
don't you, Miss Lane?  I think we should get out of here."

Extract 10:
Beth's deep brown eyes opened wide in surprise.  Stepping
closer to Clark, she focused her intense gaze on the face
she held in her hands. Her father saw the recognition
dawning in her eyes but was powerless to stop her question.
"Daddy?" she asked.

Rico realized the significance of Beth's question with a
jolt.  "Daddy?" he repeated incredulously.  "Did she just
call you 'Daddy'?"  Cruelly, he wrenched Beth by the arm
and turned her to face him.

"What's your name?"  he demanded.

Beth trembled in his grasp.  She whimpered in pain, her
eyes as big as saucers, and Rico forced himself to calm
down.  He would get no answers from a child too petrified
to speak.  He released his grip on her arm and asked again
in a soothing tone, "What is your name?"

Clark struggled to rise from the floor, desperate to stop
the scene that was playing out before him.  If Beth
answered Rico's questions, all would be lost.  But even his
powerful resolve was no match for the effects of the
kryptonite and he sank back to the floor in despair.

Meanwhile, Beth planted her feet firmly, looked Rico in the
eye and responded proudly, "My name is Lara Elizabeff
Kent!"

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 10:31:06 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Marnie Rowe <Bumpkin@CGOCABLE.NET>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Rose, I liked this, I liked the way that Lois took the blame for the really
nasty bits that she said to clark aka supes and that was just beutiful the
mocking of her own words.. and having clark reassure her, it was great :)
Marnie
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 10:38:28 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Terry S. Horowit" <horowit@UMIACS.UMD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002041427.E@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Oh boy, another another one that I recognize several!!

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

>
>Extract 1: The Adventures of a New Superman, Part 1: Awakenings
            by Trevise

>
>Extract 2: Fear of Discovery, Part 1 (of 2, so far) by Yvonne Connell

>
>Extract 3: Counting the Ways (mirror to The Best Bargain)
            by Christine Carr

>
>Extract 4: Just Like That, Part 1 of Being Lois Lane by Pam Jernigan

>
>Extract 5: Big Boys Do Fly, Part II: Close Encounters by Wendy Richards

>
>Extract 6: Life in a Different World, Part II: The Reluctant Superman
            by Mobile Richard

>
>Extract 7: The Tears of a Clone, part 5 in series (about Lois and Clark
>and their 3 children plus adopted son from England) by Jenni Debbage

>
>Extract 8: Starfire and Sunstorm, Chapter 4: Superman by Irene Dutchak

>
>Extract 9: Dagger of the Mind, Part I/III in Dagger series
            by Nan Smith

>
>Extract 10: Coming of Age, second in series (prequel is Tempered by Fire)
             by Notrepooh

Cool!! I think I actually recognized them all this time!!!  (I did have to
check the archive for exact titles and authors a few times...)
Terry
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 11:15:00 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth first-timer
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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In a message dated 2/2/00 2:42:52 PM !!!First Boot!!!, kubitc@KENYON.EDU
writes:

<< I couldn't nominate myself either. I >>

Definitely not relevant, but I found myself remembering the LnC episode Meet
John Doe, where the President admits when he got in the voting both even he
voted for his oponent, John Doe, AKA Tempus.

Just a funny thought, not meant to have any relevance to the question at
hand.

Charlotte
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 14:29:34 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Alicia Utowski <Alicia3456@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I recognized a lot of these, but I had trouble with which one they were in
the series.  I knew which series most of them were from, but I can't
remember which exact story.
s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

1.  It's part of Trevise's Jon Kent:  The Adventures of a New Superman
series

2.  It's one of Yvonne Connell's excellent Fear of Discovery series... it
might be the first one

3.  no idea

4.  It might be Just Like That by Pam Jernigan (the other one is Being Lois
Lane)

5.  It's part of Wendy Richards' Big Boys Do Fly (I don't know which one,
though)

6.  It's one of Mobile Richard's Life in a Different World (might be the
second one... not sure)

7.  dont know

8.  definately Starfire and Sunstorm... the one where Marty falls off the
diving board and Sam and Jon find out that Clark is Superman) by Irene
Dutchek

9.  Dagger of the Mind, by Nan Smith (part 1 of 3 in that dagger series)

10.  It's Comming of Age by Notrepooh (the prequel is Tempered by Fire)

I got all of these without checking the archive... I am so proud of myself
:)

Alicia :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 12:47:57 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

--- Nicole Wolke <NKWolke@EIFEL-NET.NET> wrote:
> *
> *
> *
> S
> P
> O
> I
> L
> E
> R
> *
> *
> *
> S
> P
> A
> C
> E
> *
> *
> *
>
> Irene,
> I didn't comment on your story when you posted it to
> the MB, because I detected it only when
> you had already finished it, but since you now
> brought it over here, too, I thought I'd let
> you know, that I enjoyed it very much.
>
> I loved the interaction between Lois and her uncle
> Mike and I thought it was a clever idea to
> completely reverse the usual reactions to the
> revelation. Lois is the one who feels guilty and
> Clark is the one who is mad. That was a new and
> refreshing variation of a situation we've read
> about in countless stories. And the best thing about
> it was, that the reaction surprisingly
> worked for me and seemed to be as logical and
> convincing as the other way round.
>
> way to go!
> Nicole
> --

Nicole, thank you so much for the compliments.  I'm
really pleased that you enjoyed this story and the
slightly different take on the revelation.

Thanks,
Irene :)

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 15:55:37 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Guy or Lesley Hilliard <lhilliar@IDIRECT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>
> Extract 1:

Have no Idea
> Extract 2:

Wendy Richards Big Boys Do Fly (dunno which part though) There were three of
them
> Extract 3:

Have no idea
>
> Extract 4:

Have no Idea
> Extract 5:

Yvonne's Fear of Discovery -- Part one
   the other one is Fear of Discovery Part two
>
> Extract 6:

Mobile Richards Life in a Different world -- First part
> Extract 7:
No Idea

>
> Extract 8:
Irene D's StarFire and Sunstorm
    other in the series is FireStorm and Broccolli dancing

>
> Extract 9:
No Idea
>
> Extract 10:

Notrepooh - Coming of Age -- Sequel to Tempered by Fire
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 15:48:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Like a rite of passage, I think every FoLC fanfic
>writer is eventually tempted to write a revelation
>story.  This is my take on it.

Great job, Irene :) Without giving away too much, I think this story is a
good
example of how a writer can write a story whose basic premise (a revelation)
has been done before, but write the story in a new way, remaining true to
the
characters. Now I've got to start up a new list: of stories to nominate for
the 2001 Kerths <g>

Christy
kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 15:56:56 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Guy or Lesley Hilliard <lhilliar@IDIRECT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Sorry Folcs Forgot the spoiler space on the previous message
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 17:12:08 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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In a message dated 2/3/00 5:28:51 PM Eastern Standard Time,
jessi914@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

<< Now if you knew some of theories my brother has for why Zoomway knows
 everything. ;-) >>

OK, Jessi--- what are his theories?

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 17:14:15 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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In a message dated 2/3/00 5:55:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, erink@IDA.NET
writes:

<<  Everyone knows they have to
 escape sooner or later, right? <wink>
  >>
Depends.  Not necessarily if Tank Wilson is involved.  <G>

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 17:28:07 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         The Zoomway <Zoomway@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/4/00 4:12:31 PM Central Standard Time, Aerm1@AOL.COM
writes:

<< << Now if you knew some of theories my brother has for why Zoomway knows
  everything. ;-) >>

 OK, Jessi--- what are his theories? >>

The top 10 theories:

10) Zoomway is really a corporation that tracks Superman

9)  Zoomway has a cape fetish

8)  Zoomway lives in a hollow tree and makes cookies shaped like chocolate
covered superheroes

7)  Zoomway has blackmail photos of the producers of Lois and Clark

6)  Zoomway and Teri have an agreement

5)  Zoomway knows where the Kryptonite is buried

4)  Zoomway and Alice have spies everywhere

3)  Zoomway is on a quest for Dean's shoe size

2)  Zoomway is addicted to Soylent Green snacks

and..... the most likely:

1)  Zoomway *seriously* needs to get a life ;)

Zoom (who was that masked troll?) way
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:59:26 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "=?iso-8859-1?q?R.=20Ziegler?=" <r_ziegler_3@YAHOO.DE>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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Wonderful story!! :)
Thank you, Rose!

Ren
__________________________________________________________________
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Gesendet von Yahoo! Mail - http://mail.yahoo.de
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=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 14:42:57 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

--- kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU> wrote:
> >Like a rite of passage, I think every FoLC fanfic
> >writer is eventually tempted to write a revelation
> >story.  This is my take on it.
>
> Great job, Irene :) Without giving away too much, I
> think this story is a good
> example of how a writer can write a story whose
> basic premise (a revelation)
> has been done before, but write the story in a new
> way, remaining true to the
> characters. Now I've got to start up a new list: of
> stories to nominate for
> the 2001 Kerths <g>
>
> Christy
> kubitc@kenyon.edu
>
Thank you so much, Christy.  I'm very flattered... and
embarrassed.

Irene

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 20:37:19 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 2/4/00 5:28:38 PM EST, Zoomway@AOL.COM writes:

<< 3)  Zoomway is on a quest for Dean's shoe size
  >>

That's been something I've been wondering for the longest time! LOL! ;)

Alexis ;-.)
{who figures if Zoom doesn't know by the time she gets that *exclusive*
interview with Dean in future.. she will ask him herself! <G>}
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 20:55:16 -0600
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pat <peabody@MCS.COM>
Subject:      e: AOL: A Revelation Story...  and OT:  Teri's Frasier episode
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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Zoomway wrote:
> 3)  Zoomway is on a quest for Dean's shoe size

LOL, Zoom!  I really wish I hadn't been reading my email at the office
when I spotted that one. ;)  Maybe we could use Dean's glove size as a
proxy--does anyone what size gloves Dean wears? <beg>

This is a combo post, and the second part isn't related to the first.
I just saw a commercial on Fox--they're re-running Teri's Frasier
episode tonight, either at 11:00 pm. or 11:30 pm CST (Fox runs two
Frasier episodes back to back)  If you missed it the first time
around, tonight's your chance to get it on tape :)

Pat
(wondering if it's true what they say
about the size of a man's nose  ;)

peabody@mcs.com
pattijean@aol.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:10:47 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Rose,

I really liked this story.  It was a very interesting and well-written twist
on TOGOM.  And made much more sense than the episode did.  <G>

Ann

P.S. as a fellow victim, I also loved the AOL vignette.
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:41:06 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<bottom lip trembling> ooohhh....that was a good story!!!  (and I might add,
I didn't get any weird nonsense symbols in any part of the story)

SuperLorie :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:45:10 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Question: what are the "N" Kerth awards??

SuperLorie :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:48:32 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 2/4/00 11:45:37 PM EST, SuperLorie@AOL.COM writes:

<< Question: what are the "N" Kerth awards??

 SuperLorie :-) >>

"N" stands for Naughty or Naughty Fanfiction.  This is Lois and Clark
fanfiction for the 18 and older crowd.  It has this age restriction because
of the adult content. <G>

Alexis ;-.)
{who should know what nfic is since she's in the middle of writing one
herself. ;)}
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:56:30 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

oooooh. Naughty LnC fanfic! WOO HOO! SuperLorie is there! LOL
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 4 Feb 2000 23:58:52 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Waitaminute....is this the stuff i need a password to get into on Zoomway's
message board????? lol

SuperLorie :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 00:55:54 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Lorie Y. Crisp" <SuperLorie@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

ok ok...another quick question: How do I get to the nfanfic site, and how do
I get a password?

Thanks!
SuperLorie (who is worried y'all will think she's a big perv for harping on
this subject.....lol)
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 02:05:13 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nethra Ankam <nethraa@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW: DMKMSGoS, 4/4

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed this story.

Nethra
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 09:44:48 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

SuperLorie wrote:
<<How do I get to the nfanfic site, and how do
I get a password?

It's really pretty easy.
Go to the following URL:

http://www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/nficintro.htm

Scroll down until you see a message that says, Join our mailing list to
receive the password.  Follow the directions from there.

There is also an Nfic folder on Zoomway's message boards.

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 10:57:52 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Irene

What a great revelation.  I printed it without even checking to see if I was
going to like it because I knew if you wrote it, it would be great and I was
right.

I'm going to read it over slowly for the second time today.  That's a sure
sign of a really good story.

Charlotte
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 11:13:31 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW: DMKMSGoS, 4/4
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Phil,

This was a trip down memory lane. I remember vividly Rick - O - Shay and the
special comic you describe.  The strip wasn't in my regular newspaper at
least not during most of my growing years, but one Easter Sunday somehow I
got a look at just that one - the gunslinger out in the wilderness thanking
God for its beauty - and I remember it to this day.  Beautiful sentiment,
beautiful artwork.

The story was great, especially the snowball fight.  Did you have a lot of
snow where you grew up?  I didn't in the City of NY, but I could still
picture it the way you wrote it.  Anyhow, I love when people pull Calvin and
Hobbes, other comics, etc. into their LnC stories.

Charlotte - who works at Cedar Crest which has a collection of books in the
700s on comic art and who purchased a copy of the Daniels Superman book and
donated it to the college.  One of the profs here teaches a course on heros
through the ages, and Superman is one of those heros.
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 11:14:34 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: That Lois Lane... (7/7)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Loved this one. Thank you for sending it.

Charlotte
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 11:17:44 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: AOL: A Revelation Story... (1/1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

While I'm getting caught up on my reading.  I like this one too, laughed out
loud.

Very clever using revelation and AOL in a single story.  I thought it was
going to be a story about 'the revelation' and was surprised but happily so
at what was done instead.

Charlotte
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 11:47:10 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Rich & Dawn <rfield@ROANOKE.INFI.NET>
Subject:      Re: NKerth 2000 Update
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Waitaminute....is this the stuff i need a password to get into on Zoomway's
message board????? lol

SuperLorie :-)<

Hi Lorie,

Someone may have already replied.  I haven't seen it yet, so I thought I'd
jump in.  Zoom's is one of the places to get nfic, and yes it is password
protected, as are all of the sites where nfic is located.  The best place to
start is the Nfic Directory at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/7378/nfic.html

There is a listing of all the nfic stories available and how to go about
getting them.  There is also a link to the upcoming NKerth Awards, which
will be in September.

I hope this helps.  If you have any others questions, please email me.
Dawn
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 15:02:54 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 02/05/2000 10:58:17 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Cdfisler@AOL.COM writes:

<< I printed it without even checking to see if I was
 going to like it because I knew if you wrote it, it would be great and I
was
 right. >>

Well, of course! I think Charlotte is joining the "embarass Irene" club. ;)

--Laurie (Irene's #1 fan)
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 13:32:57 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New - Tales Out of Church
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Charlotte,

Thanks for putting a big smile on my face.

I'm glad you enjoyed the story,
Irene

--- Charlotte Fisler <Cdfisler@AOL.COM> wrote:
> Irene
>
> What a great revelation.  I printed it without even
> checking to see if I was
> going to like it because I knew if you wrote it, it
> would be great and I was
> right.
>
> I'm going to read it over slowly for the second time
> today.  That's a sure
> sign of a really good story.
>
> Charlotte
>

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
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Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
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=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 17:17:27 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Nope, you didn't over-do it!  Ramsey has always been like that on the ep's
I've managed to watch!  Irritating little twerp, isn't he? :)

Tara

------Original Message------
From: James Tull <mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Sent: February 4, 2000 2:34:17 PM GMT
Subject: Re: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?

I was hoping that I was not painting Ramsey as too
much of a horse's pe-toot??spelling??.

James

"Lex-a-chu!"
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FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 14:38:49 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Betty Huang <bhuang60641@YAHOO.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello there.

I was told that this is where I can find an editor.
Is it?

English is not my first language so, I need major
editing in my stories.  Plus I write stories to the
point, maybe someone whose good at writing stories
with feelings I(in depth). I don't mind even if they
had to rearange a lot of stuff for me to publish it on
the archives.  Like my friend Jamee Jones stated.

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

Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2000 20:39:00 -1000
From: jamee jones <shore@maui.net>  | Block address
To: Betty Huang <bhuang60641@yahoo.com>
Subject: lnc listserv Add Addresses

HI Betty...

I totally forgot to send this address for the fanfic
listserv to you...I've been so busy. We were gone on
vacation and just got back,and now I have 3 sets of
company this month! I went to the airport to pick up
some freinds today that arent' supposed to come in
until tomarrow! I can't believe I did that! so now I
have to go to the airport tomarrow agian! what a pain!

anyways go to this site, at the top you will see "Join
or leave the list", that should give you the info you
want. You will be on a list of writers and readers and
editors. It is a news list just like our Dean Cain
list. You will get fanfic sent to your email and you
can discuss fanfic and ask for help with your stories.

Now if I were you I would up front right when you
write the email to the list advertising a request for
an editor...let them know that English is not your
first language (I've seen others advertize this way
before)and because of this, your stories need a lot of
help with grammar and all. Let the person know how you
don't mind them having to rearange a lot of stuff like
I did for you. When I edited that one, I felt like I
was rearanging too much, I was afraid you wouldn't
like that, but if you want it to be on the archives
then you need to accept that kind of help. You have
great ideas, but you need some help getting them down
so they flow as a story and aren't so much as idea's
jotted down. The tense you write in makes it seem this
way.

One time when I suggested you put more into the
feelings that Lois and Clark would of been having, you
asked if I could write those parts for you. Well, you
can aske others for help with that sort of stuff, or
let an editor know that you don't mind them putting in
idea's to fill in that sort of stuff. There are people
out there who can and like to do that for others. I
think if you did find someone like that, it would
help your stories to have more depth...they are still
your idea's. I've read many story's where a writer had
help with certain parts, or had other writers write
certain parts for them.

You may just find somebody on this list who is willing
to take on some big editing projects...you sure pump
the ideas out fast...so if you want to have them
published on the archives then, just let the person
know that you realize you need a lot of help with them
and you understand they will need to rearange the
sentences in the way they should be stated.

heres the URL:

http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html

Also all the old posts are listed here, so you can
check out what kind of a list this is.

Hope this helps you!

take care!

jme
______________________________________________________
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--- "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)"
<LISTSERV@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU> wrote:
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=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 18:49:32 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Threads of Confusion (4/?) Voyager
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Ok, here we are again for another exciting installment of Threads of
Confusion! Enjoy!
Don't worry, the next part will be Metropolis again, then the one after tha=
t
will focus on Lois and Clark again.  I'm writing part 5 now.

Threads of Confusion: Voyager

=93Coming up on the system, Captain.=94 Tom Paris announced. He glanced bac=
k
over his shoulder at the command area, where Captain Janeway and Commander
Chakotay sat.

Captain Janeway sat up straight. She had been leaning towards her first
officer, undoubtedly discussing the current food problem--that was all
anyone had been talking about aside from ships business for the past few
days. The only fresh food items that had survived the mites had been leola
roots and mushrooms--neither one of which were food items that he, Tom,
would willingly eat if there was another option. Unfortunately for him, he
had used the last of his replicator rations the night before the mites were
discovered on a romantic dinner with B=92elanna Torres. That left him no
choice but to eat the concoctions that Neelix threw together for the rest o=
f
the month.

=93Take us out of warp, Ensign, and take us into orbit of the second planet=
.=94
Janeway ordered.

=93With pleasure,=94 he said. Skillfully, he manipulated the controls and
brought the starship back into normal space. As he did so, an alarm sounded
behind him. An instant later, Harry Kim, chief operations officer, spoke up=
.

=93Captain, I=92m detecting a plasma storm bearing,=94 there was a brief pa=
use as
he determined the exact coordinates, =93346 by 82 by 12. It=92s a small one=
 but
its interfering with my scans.=94

Janeway stood and turned to face the younger officer. Tom turned his chair
slightly so he could watch her and his controls as the captain spoke to Kim=
.
=93Why didn=92t we detect it before, Ensign?=94

=93The storm appears to still be forming. I would say it just moved into th=
e
system at the same time as we did.=94 Harry looked up at Janeway. =93It is
producing quite a bit of interference. Transporters are offline and
communications will be disrupted.=94

Janeway shot a wry smile at Chakotay. =93I guess we=92ll have to send down =
a
shuttle, to scout the planet before sending the collecting teams.=94

Chakotay nodded. =93That shouldn=92t be a problem. All of our previous scan=
s
indicated the system was uninhabited.=94

=93Harry, I want you to monitor that storm and inform me immediately if it
begins to pose a danger to the ship. And see if you can find a way to bypas=
s
the interference.=94

=93Yes, Captain.=94

=93Entering orbit now, Captain,=94 Tom interjected.

She turned back to him. =93Good. Tom, assemble an away team. Take the Delta
Flyer and stay in as close contact with the ship as you can.=94

Tom quickly turned his station over to the relief pilot and strode across
the bridge and up the ramp that led to the turbolift.

=93Oh, and Tom,=94 Janeway stopped him. =93I=92m going to need B=92elanna o=
nboard.
Take anyone else you need, though.=94

=93Yes, Captain.=94 Tom hid his disappointment. He had been planning on mak=
ing
her the first on his away team. Ah, well, he couldn=92t have everything he
wanted, he thought as he stepped into the turbolift. =93Deck six.=94

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

The Delta Flyer eased out through the shuttlebay doors and arched gracefull=
y
towards the planet below. Tom, at the controls, was thouroughly enjoying
himself. The Delta Flyer was his baby--it didn=92t really matter that other=
s
had worked on her design, he had come up with the concept and he was the on=
e
who did most of the flying on her.

He flashed a glance back at the rest of the away team. He=92d tried to put
together a balanced team. Neelix was a natural, he was there to pick out th=
e
types of plants he could use to cook with. The Doctor, seated beside Tom,
was there to verify that everything that Neelix selected was edible--of
course, leola roots had been deemed edible by the Doctor, but no one onboar=
d
could stomach the things. Seven of Nine, the ex-borg dronewas the last
member of the group. She had actually been suggested by Captain Janeway--
Janeway wanted Seven to get more experience working in small groups like th=
e
away team.

He directed the Flyer towards the area they had picked as being the most
likely to have the most edible plantlife. The planet was very similar to
Earth in most respects, being approximately seventy percent water and thirt=
y
percent land. The landmass they were heading for was extremely green and
teeming with life. It was surprising that such a fertile planet didn=92t
already have inhabitants--then again, this was the delta quadrant--it was
always possible that nobody had been here yet and didn=92t know what a find
they were missing.

=93It=92s a beautiful planet,=94 the Doctor commented. He was seated beside=
 Tom on
the small seat he commonly occupied when in the Delta Flyer. =93Too bad I
didn=92t bring my holocorder.=94

=93Don=92t worry, Doc,=94 Tom reassured the hologram. =93We=92re going to b=
e here for
a few days at least. I=92m sure you=92ll get a chance to snap a few picture=
s.=94

Something beeped interrupting him. Neelix, the Talaxian who had appointed
himself morale officer and chef after they had agreed to let him stay
onboard the vessel five years previously, was at the ops station. He spoke
up nervousely, =93Um, there=92re two ships coming up from the planet. They =
seem
to be fighters of some kind.=94

Tom brought up a visual of the craft on a small screen. The vessesl were
sleek, deadly looking things. The sensors identified at least four phaser
ports, all active, as well as two torpedo launchers on each vessel. They
were painted in a way that practically screamed predator to Tom, they looke=
d
vaguely like a stylized version of a shark.

=93I see it! I thought this planet was uninhabited!=94 Tom objected as he t=
ried
to raise Voyager on communications. =93Delta Flyer to Voyager.

=93 . . .terference . . . holographic shields . . . ere hiding . . . plasma
storm. Voyager . . . der atta . . .=94 The communication cut off in a burst=
 of
static.

=93Interference is blocking any further communications with our ship,=94 Se=
ven
of Nine informed them cooly from tactical. =93The attacking vessels are
closing.=94

=93Sheilds up, initiating evasive maneuvers,=94 Tom said. =93Where did they=
 come
from?=94

The ship shook from a phaser blast. Tom returned fire and swerved to avoid
another blast from the other ship.

=93Unknown.=94 Seven replied. =93Shields are at 85 percent.=94

The ship shook with phaser fire again and again they returned fire. =93Dire=
ct
hit. Shields at 53 percent.=94

=93They may be small, but they pack a punch!=94 Tom commented. He directed =
the
Flyer down at the planet, hoping to surprise the enemy fighters, then
swooped up between two of them. The vessel shook with phaser fire again.
=93Smart, too. Let=92s see if they can handle this!=94

Tom executed a complicated maneuver that left the enemy fighters confused
for a few seconds, then they were once again on the tail of the Flyer. The
ship shook again then again as the enemy fighters phasers found their mark.
=93Shields are failing.=94

Something burst and vapor jetted across the cabin. Tom ignored it as he
struggled to lose the fighters by taking the Flyer down into the atmosphere=
.
His evasive maneuvers just weren=92t working!

=93Life support is damaged,=94 Seven=92s voice cut across the alarms. =93Sh=
ields
have failed. Inertial dampeners are failing.=94

=93Attempting to compensate.=94 Tom fought to keep the Flyer stable despite=
 the
shaking caused by the failing inertial dampeners. Another phaser blast
rocked the vessel. =93Impulse engine=92s are offline. Thrusters are damaged=
. I=92m
going to try to land her.=94

=93Just try to keep us in one piece, Mr. Paris.=94 Tom could barely hear th=
e
Doctor over the noise in the cockpit.

=93I=92m doing my best!=94 Tom swerved the Flyer to one side, narrowly avoi=
ding
one of the enemy vessels. A moment later, the ship rocked with the impact o=
f
another phaser blast. =93Thrusters are offline! Switching to manual control=
s!=94

The vessel rocked with another blast and the panel before him exploded in a
shower of sparks. Tom was thrown out of his chair. His head hit another
console and the world went dark.

-----------------------------------------------
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=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 19:02:10 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace <peace9@SERVTECH.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Okay, answering quick before looking at anyone
else's answers!

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

#5 is from Swapmeet: Metropolis (I Guess We're Not In Kansas
Anymore) by Margaret Brignell.  I confess I had to look up the name
of the author -- I couldn't remember whether Debby or Margaret
had written this part of the mirrored pair!

I'm afraid that's the only one I recognize in this list -- I am way
behind on my reading, but some of these sound wonderful!!!

Peace
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 19:08:43 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Peace <peace9@SERVTECH.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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Sigh... I checked the story after I sent in my
reply, and I was wrong... so... never mind... ;)

Peace
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 19:15:34 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Marnie Rowe <Bumpkin@CGOCABLE.NET>
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Okay I will gladly edit anything that you might want to toss my way but I
must admit that I am not good with grammar and spelling other then that of
my spell checker. I am pretty good at rephrasing things into english and I
would be able to help with the creative parts... so letting you decide, you
would probalbly need to use another editor for the nit-picking of grammar...
ok?
Marnie
Bumpkin@cgocable.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Betty Huang <bhuang60641@YAHOO.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
<LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Date: Saturday, February 05, 2000 5:49 PM

>Hello there.
>
>I was told that this is where I can find an editor.
>Is it?
>
>English is not my first language so, I need major
>editing in my stories.  Plus I write stories to the
>point, maybe someone whose good at writing stories
>with feelings I(in depth). I don't mind even if they
>had to rearange a lot of stuff for me to publish it on
>the archives.  Like my friend Jamee Jones stated.
>
>-----------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2000 20:39:00 -1000
>From: jamee jones <shore@maui.net>  | Block address
>To: Betty Huang <bhuang60641@yahoo.com>
>Subject: lnc listserv Add Addresses
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 20:42:49 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Threads of Confusion (4/?) Voyager
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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Um, I don't seem to see part 3 in my list of unread stories...
--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 18:02:34 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Melisma <melisma@INTERGATE.BC.CA>
Subject:      Re: Threads of Confusion (4/?) Voyager
In-Reply-To:  <30.e35402.25ce2b99@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Whew! It *wasn't* just me...

Melisma (relieved under her rock that she isn't going mental as she had
originally thought <no comments, sisters!> :)

At 08:42 PM 05/02/2000 EST, you wrote:
>Um, I don't seem to see part 3 in my list of unread stories...
>--Laurie
>
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 12:21:20 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Subject:      Re: OT: RE: creative writing
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Oh, right, thank you!
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 12:33:30 +0200
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaye Family <tjmckaye@OCTA4.NET.AU>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Well, I could do the grammar part if you like.
~Larissa~
=========================================================================
Date:         Sat, 5 Feb 2000 22:08:38 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Threads of Confusion (3/?) Metropolis
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Ok, since some people don't have this, I'll re-send it.  It's strange that
you don't have it:  it came through from the list to me and my Mom just
fine. (/me shrugging)  Anyways, here you go.

------Original Message------
From: Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Sent: January 31, 2000 5:26:11 AM GMT
Subject: Threads of Confusion (3/?) Metropolis

Ok, like I promised, I labelled this for which thread it is B-)

Please send FDK, I need it to really get going on part 4 ;) <vbg>

Threads of Confusion (3/?) Metropolis

Night had fallen swiftly on Metropolis and was accompanied by a new cold
front to offset they day's relative warmth.  Maggie knew from things Lois
and Clark had told her that by morning there would be a crust of ice on the
snow which would make for more accidents the next morning.  She wasn't
really looking forward to that.  Fortunately, there hadn't been anything
that required her presence yet.

As Maggie hurried down Hyperion Avenue with her covered dish in hand, she
was once again thankful that she wasn't affected by the cold like humans
were.  The light jacked that she wore was the only one in her possession at
present and she didn't really want to have to go buy a new one.  She knew
that Jimmy had been planning on getting her a new 'cool' jacket but . . .
firmly, she banished all thoughts of Jimmy Olson from her thoughts.  Now
really wasn't the time to let herself dwell on things she probably couldn't
change.  Still . . .

She finally reached Lois and Clark's brownstone.  She had walked the
distance from her apartment using only a little superspeed.  Despite the
refining of her control she had acquired since moving to Metropolis and
using her powers on a daily basis, she hadn't wanted to chance damaging her
contribution to tonight's dinner--a dessert she was sure that Lois, at
least, would love.

She walked up the steps to the front door and unlocked the door using the
key Lois had given her earlier that day.  Neither Lois nor Clark would be
home right now, so Lois had given her the spare so she wouldn't have to wait
outside until one of the two returned.  As she stepped inside and closed the
door behind her, closing the chill night out, she could clearly hear someone
moving around in the kitchen.

She juggled the covered dish from hand to hand as she shed her light jacket
and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

"Lois?  Is that you?"  A strange woman's voice called from the kitchen.

"No, it's not!" Maggie called back.  "It's Maggie Carmichael.  Lois gave me
a key so I wouldn't have to wait for her or Clark to get home."

An older woman stepped out of the kitchen.  Maggie recognized her instantly
from the pictures she had seen around the house as Martha Kent, Clark's
adoptive mother.  She was wearing a plain blue dress with an apron over it
and was drying her hands on a dishtowel.  From the smells emanating from the
kitchen, Maggie knew Mrs. Kent had been preparing food.

Maggie smiled brightly.  "Hi, Mrs. Kent."

Martha Kent smiled back.  Maggie could tell from the warmth in the smile
that she was everything Clark had said she was.  "Oh, call me Martha, dear.
You're practically family, from what Clark tells me."

Maggie quelled a surge of worry at that phrase.  The woman undoubtedly knew
about her son's secret and had kept it for over thirty years, now.  If she
did know Maggie's secret, she was unlikely to spread it around.  She smiled
at her.  "Lois and Clark are really cool people, Mrs. . . . um, Martha.
They've helped me a lot since I've moved to Metropolis."

"Why don't you come into the kitchen with me?" Martha suggested.  "That way
we can talk while I finish up some of the food for dinner."

"Fine by me."  Maggie followed Martha back into the kitchen.

The scents she had detected from in the entryway hit Maggie almost like a
physical force as she entered the kitchen.  She inhaled deeply, recognizing
most of the scents as ones she had smelled the last Christmas before her
parents were killed, when her mother had actually had enough time to cook
Christmas dinner for her family.

"Mmm!  Smells great!" she commented.  "I can see where Clark learned to
cook."

"Thank you," Martha said.

Maggie held out the covered dish.  "I brought something for dessert.  It's
just something I threw together.  Nothing much, really."

Martha accepted the dish and popped the lid off to peek inside.  Her
eyebrows lifted and she shot a look at Maggie.  "I wouldn't call this
nothing much.  I'd better put it in the refrigerator to keep it safe."

By safe, Maggie knew she meant hidden from Lois.  The woman might not be
able to resist sampling the dessert ahead of time if she saw how much
chocolate was in the cake.

Martha placed the dish in the refrigerator and turned back to Maggie.  "Do
you like to cook, Maggie?"

Maggie grinned sheepishly.  "Sort of, but all I really know how to make is
desserts."

"Well, why don't you help me with dinner.  I can show you a few things."

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

"I'll match you and raise you a star system!"  Maggie said.

Lois pushed open the front door, certain she couldn't have heard what she
thought she just had.  Jonathon Kent, just a step behind her, laughed
softly.

"I'll see that." Martha was seated across the table from Maggie and both
were looking very intent as they stared at each other across their cards.
"And I'll raise you a star cluster."

Lois stifled a laugh--they just looked so serious about it!  "Playing
high-stakes poker, are you?"

Maggie, who undoubtedly had already known Lois and Jonathon were there,
flashed Lois a grin.  "Of course!  That's the only way to play poker!"

Lois and Jonathon had gone out for some ingredients for the dessert Clark
had planned.  They had been held up by a minor traffic accident until
Superman cleared it away.

The two hung their coats on the rack beside the door and went into the
living room.  As they did so, Lois caught sight of a pile of poker chips in
the center of the table Martha and Maggie were seated at.   Apparently this
hand had been going for quite a while, now.  As she watched, Maggie tossed
some chips into the center.

"I raise you a star cluster!"

Martha laughed and shook her head.  "I fold."

"I finally beat someone at poker!" Maggie said, laughing.  She put her cards
face down on the table and raked in the chips.

"Do I get to see what I lost to?" Martha asked.

Maggie gave her a look that was part dubiousness, but mostly suppressed
laughter.  "Hmmm, I don't know . . . ok."

The two flipped their cards over.  Maggie had an ace, Martha had three of a
kind.  When Martha saw what Maggie had won with, she burst into laughter.

"Has Clark gotten back yet?" Lois asked when the laughter died down.  Martha
opened her mouth to reply when a whoosh and a thud interrupted her.  A
moment later, Clark strolled casually down the stairs, glasses in hand.
Martha gestured for him to put them back on.

"It's ok, Martha," Lois told her.  "Maggie already knows."

Maggie nodded at Martha and Jonathon's surprised expressions.  "I figured it
out the first time I met him as Superman.  I've got a photographic memory.
Don't worry, I'd never tell anyone--Lois and Clark are two of my best
friends!"

"If Clark trusts you with his secret, we trust you too," Jonathon spoke up.
"Now, why don't we get dinner set up?"

Dinner passed quickly--almost too quickly, as far as Lois was concerned.
But then, that was the way it was when they were having a good time.  The
conversation was lively, and by the end of dinner, Martha and Jonathon were
treating Maggie like a good friend.  Superman hadn't been called on once,
amazingly.

Dessert had been provided, as planned, by Maggie.  She had baked a cake--a
chocoholic's delight.  Lois hadn't realized that Maggie even knew how to use
the oven, from the kinds of things Maggie kept in the cupboards in the
apartment she and Lucy shared.  Lois had assumed, on seeing it, that Maggie
had bought it from the store because of how professional it looked.  Maggie
sheepishly admitted that she'd made it herself--she was a chocoholic, too.

Lois leaned back in her chair, smiling at her husband, who was sitting
across the table from her.  Everyone seemed to be finished eating.  Clark,
as usual, started to pick up the dishes but Maggie stopped him.

"Why don't you two go take that romantic flight you were planning on?  We
can take care of the dishes for you."  He started to protest, but Maggie
didn't let him.  "Don't worry about it!  You two just go enjoy yourselves!
Shoo!"

Lois exchanged an amused look with Clark.  "It sounds like we've been given
our marching orders, doesn't it?"

Clark came around the table to her.  "It sure does.  And I can't think of
any reason to disobey."

He stopped in front of her and spun into his uniform.  She put her arms
around his neck and he scooped her up in his arms and turned towards the
staircase.  They drifted up the staircase and out the master bedroom window.

The city was as quiet as it had ever been as they flew leisurely north.  The
sky was clear for now, despite the weather predictions that a new cold front
was moving in.  Lois, cuddled close to her warm husband, didn't even notice
the chill in the air.

A little while later, they had gotten a few miles out of Metropolis when
Lois noticed a familiar expression on her husband's face.  "Something
wrong?"

He nodded.  "It sounded like an accident.  It's fairly close to us."

She sighed.  "Can't people stay out of trouble for just one night?  Let's
go."

They reached the scene of the accident in a matter of minutes.  A truck had
been driven into a ditch alongside the road and a man, apparently the owner
of the truck, was standing beside it speaking into a cell phone.  When he
saw Superman coming in for a landing, he said something into it and closed
the phone.

Clark deposited Lois just outside of the ring of light the truck was
producing and walked up to the man.

"Hi, Superman.  Sorry to bother you on Christmas night and all."

"It's all right.  I'll have your truck out in no time."

"Thanks."

He didn't seem drunk, Lois thought.  Why had he driven off the road?  The
man, seemingly hearing her thoughts, continued talking to Superman, telling
him what happened as the Kryptonian moved the truck carefully out of the
ditch.

"I was driving along minding my own business when these kids in a sportscar
tried to pass me.  I think they're drunk, 'cause they tried to run me off
the road.  I was just letting the highway patrol know about it when you got
here."  The man seemed extremely annoyed as he related his story, his breath
steaming in the cold air.

"There you go, sir.  Good as new."  He looked up at the gathering clouds.  A
flash of light lit up the sky for a moment and a second later the rumble of
thunder hit them.

"Thanks, Superman.  Merry Christmas."  The man shook Superman's hand, then
spoke to Lois.  "Merry Christmas to you, too, ma'am!"

Lois lifted her hand in a wave as the man climbed back into his truck and
drove away.  Clark came back over to her and scooped her up again.  "We
should get going too.  This storm looks like its going to be a lively one."

Lois looked up as lightning again illuminated the sky.  "That's odd.  I
don't remember the weather forecaster predicting an electrical storm."

"Neither do I.  We should go home and check the news."

"Well, it'd better not be a criminal controlling the weather again.  It was
annoying enough the last time."

Clark wrapped his cape partly around her and prepared to launch himself.  As
he did so, a brighter light than the lightning flashed in the sky.  At the
same time as it hit the ground by them, lightning flashed, this time
directly in front of them, striking the ground, combining to create a flash
of light that dazzled their eyes for a moment.  The universe blinked.

"What was that?"  Lois blinked fiercely to clear her sight.  She felt
slightly dazed.  What could that have possibly been?  She'd never felt
anything quite like it before.

"I don't know."  Clark responded.  Lois felt him lift off and fly quickly
out from under the storm clouds as quickly as was safe for her.  Lois,
looking around, was the first to notice something strange.

"Clark, where's Metropolis?"

to be continued . . .

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=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 04:09:41 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Series
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Well, I got into *reading* (and rereading) fics, and didn’t give myself time
to research this one, so I gave up and looked at everyone else’s answers for
the three I didn’t have.  Here’s what I had written before I looked:

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

1)  Trevise "Here We Go Again,"  From the series that began with
"Awakenings," and continued with "Right on Time" and "The End of the
Beginning."
2)  ?
3)  ?
4)  Pam Jernigan "Just Like That…?" to which the sequel is "Being Lois
Lane."  (Are we going to see a 3rd part, Pam?  Please?)
5)  Wendy Richards "Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounter," which is not only
part of the BBDF trilogy, but also in the same continuity with "A Ring On
His Finger" and "A Love So Long In The Making," as well as the one she’s
writing now, "So Strong a Foundation," which is shaping up to be the best
one yet in the series.
6)  Mobile Richard "Life in a Different World II: The Reluctant Superman,"
obviously the sequel to "Life in a Different World"
7)  Jenni Debbage "Tears of a Clone," the most recent in her family series,
though rumor has it that she’s working on another.  (Yea!)  The first four
in the series are:  "A New Birth," "The Huntress’s Revenge," "Master Race,"
and "Suffer the Little Children."
8)  Irene Dutchak "Sunfire and Starstorm"—no, that’s not right… "Starfire
and Sunstorm," or "Sunstorm and Starfire"—better know as "S&S."  Story in
the same continuity as "Firestorm" and "Solar Eclipse."  "Broccoli Dancing"
was originally published separately from "S&S."
9)  ?
10)  Notrepooh "Coming of Age," companion story with "Tempered by Fire"

All of this is from memory except for subtitles, although I did check my
answers on a couple.
For those of you who are interested, here is my list of stories which are
eligible in this category (I’m not certain that this list is exhaustive, so
please correct any errors):

*Yvonne Connell "Fear of Discovery"
*Mandy Crustner "When Separate Worlds Collide"
*Irene Dutchak "Firestorm," "Starfire and Sunstorm"
*Dawn Field "What If I Never Left Krypton," "Something to Talk About,"
"Return of Kal-El"
*Elaine Gustainis "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" "To The Stars,"
"Mystery at Neewatoree Falls"
*IRC RR unintentional 5th season
*Pam Jernigan "Just Like That…?" "Being Lois Lane"
*Letitia Logan "One Mistake"
*Maria TB Mendoza The Knowledge Series
*Notrepooh "Coming of Age" and "Tempered by Fire"
*Mobile Richard "Life in a Different World"
*Wendy Richards "Big Boys Do Fly"
*Wendy Richards "It Happened One (Super) Night" and "It’s a Super Life"
*Carolyn Schnall "Psychic" parts II and III
*Nan Smith the Dagger stories
*Trevise "Awakenings," "Here We Go Again," "Right On Time," "The End Of The
Beginning"

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
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Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 07:55:19 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Wendy asked me to forward the answers to the Best Series quiz:

Extract 1: Here We Go Again, by Trevise; part 2 of the series he began with
'Awakenings'
Extract 2: Fear of Discovery, by Yvonne Connell; part 1 of her Fear of
Discovery series.
Extract 3: Counting the Ways, by Chris Carr; forms a series with The Best
Bargain

Extract 4: Just Like That, by Pam Jernigan; concluded in Being Lois Lane

Extract 5: Big Boys Do Fly: Close Encounters, by Wendy Richards; part 2 of
the Big Boys Do Fly series

Extract 6: Life in a Different World: The Reluctant Superman, by Mobile
Richard; the second part of the Life in a Different World series

Extract 7: Tears of a Clone, by Jenni Debbage; fourth part in Jenni's
family series. The third part, also eligible this year, is Suffer the
Little Children

Extract 8: Starfire and Sunstorm, by Irene Dutchak; sequel to Firestorm

Extract 9: Dagger of the Mind, by Nan Smith; part 1 of the Dagger series

Extract 10: Coming of Age, by Notrepooh; sequel to Tempered by Fire

Results (Maximum possible score 30):

Terry: 28 points: identified right series wrong part of #1, right story and
author of #8 but first in series was Firestorm

Alicia: 20 points
Lesley: 9 points for three complete correct answers. Lesley did also
identify BBDF and Fear of Discovery, and Yvonne and Wendy were very
flattered that FoD was mistaken for BBDF and vice versa!

Diyan, I'm not even going to *try* to sort out Wendy's scoring system, so
I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out where you place. :) :)

Best Dramatic story quiz coming up...!

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 07:55:35 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Little disclaimer thingy: The stories featured in this quiz qualify for the
Best Dramatic Story category in the Kerths this year -- at least in my
opinion! ;) They were all uploaded to the archive in 1999. However, these
are by no means the only stories on the archive (or elsewhere) that qualify
for this category, and this is not a specific recommendation for any of
these stories over any others that might qualify. No offense to any other
story or author is intended. :)

Those of you who actually "take" these quizzes will not the inherent hazard
of having two separate people making quizzes as once... Guess some stories
are just that popular! ;)

Quiz rules: The quiz has been divided into two sections: single quotes and
excerpts. If you can't get the story from the single quote, then you can
scroll down and try the excerpt.  When you answer (and DON'T forget the
spoiler space!!), let us know if you deserve two points for your answer (if
you got it from the quote) or only one point (if you got it from the
excerpt.) Feel free to hunt the archive if you're unsure -- no points will
be deducted for looking things up. Have fun!

Special extra-credit to anyone who can name #6 from this quote alone,
without checking out the "official" quote and excerpt:

"Superman was stuck in an elevator?"

It was my absolute favorite line in the entire story, I can't help it. :)

Quote 1:

"Cl...ark Kent...? But I have a friend... called...."

Quote 2:

"The way she talked about this particular alien made me think that maybe
they've got their hands on Superman.  Lois, he's saved your life; I'm not
going to have a hand in destroying his."

Quote 3:

"I remember a little.  I think you must be right about the
Kryptonite.  I think I felt it while I was in the hold, right before the
explosion--just for a split second.  It's all pretty foggy."

Quote 4:

"Yes, Clark, he said the sun is what's making you sick."

Quote 5:

"There is no honor in winning at these children's expense.  I
suggest freeing the children now and taking another hostage in
their place."

Quote 6:

"You know, the United Church of  Salvation rally? Dale Karvin?
The Evangelist? Fortunate soul that I am, I'm going to be at the
performance of the decade this evening."

Quote 7:

"Lois, not everyone we meet is a criminal.  This is Jimmy's wife, for
God's sake!"

Quote 8:

"Kate! Listen to me! There is no us! I am happily married to Lois.
I love Lois. Only Lois."

* * *

For more helpful clues, try the excerpts below, for one point apiece:

S
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EXCERPT 1:

She reached up and caressed his face. "Kal-El, I love you. Whatever it is,
nothing can change that."

"This might, Lois," he told her quietly. "You see, I've been deceiving you
about something really important. Do you remember asking me what my Earth
parents had named me? You guessed that I had a life, as a normal man, which
you knew nothing about."

She nodded, taking a sharp intake of breath as she realised that this was
it: he was finally going to tell her everything about himself. "Who are
you, Kal-El?"

A strange choice of words, Clark thought, given that Lois had previously
given the impression that she assumed his other identity was no more than a
disguise. She surely believed that Superman, Kal-El, was who he was.

He took a deep breath, watching her face for every fleeting expression. She
was still gazing at him with concern and love. He hesitated, wanting to
treasure that gaze for as long as possible.

She touched his hand lightly. "Kal-El?" What was he going to tell her? How
could it be that bad?

The words came quietly. "Lois, my name is Clark Kent."

EXCERPT 2:

The next morning, Lois and Clark glanced over the headlines in the
morning papers as they ate breakfast in the lodge's small dining room.
The Daily Planet's main headline read, "President Kills Bureau 39," with
a smaller, "Superman at Accident Site."  The Metropolis Star's main
headline was "Superman Back, Saves Crash Victim" with a smaller,
"Pres Trashes Bureau 39," while the National Whisper blared, in two
inch red caps "Superman in Secret Love Tryst with Brunette."

Clark grinned happily across the table at the brunette. "Sometimes
the Whisper gets it right."

EXCERPT 3:

The phone rang ten minutes later.  Superman grabbed it first.  "Hello?"

"Man, Superman, you sound just like CK over the phone.  Look, I got the
information Lois asked for, but you might want to know the cops just picked
up a guy who was trying to use CK's credit cards to buy out Broadhurst's
Department Store.  So far he isn't talking, but Henderson says he knows him.
He's just a petty thief--no violent felonies on his record."

"Well, that's one plus.  Lois was afraid Clark might have been mugged. How
about the rest?"

"Well the cargo ship was registered to some company in the Cayman Islands
called Caribbean Imports.  Ever hear of it?”

"Jimmy, I don't even remember my own boot size right now."

EXCERPT 4:

.."and in conclusion, I would like to thank all the people who have helped
me through this difficult time.  Without their selfless acts of kindness,
these
past few weeks would have been almost impossible to get through.  I won't
name them, for they know who they are, but I thank each and every one of
them from the bottom of my heart.  Thank you for listening."

Lois got up and turned the TV off.  Clark eyed her anxiously.

"Well, what did you think?" he asked.

She parked herself on his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't give up the day job," she answered.

"That bad?"

"Yes, you were stiff and formal, and not a bit like your real self. You
were just like that guy...what's his name?  Oh, I know...Superman."

EXCERPT 5:

"She's my sister and I have the power to save her."

"I'll lose all three of you."

"He's my father and he's dying."

"He would want me to protect you - to stop you."

"He would understand what I have to do."

"Your father will find a way to save them both."

"You saw the kryptonite as clearly as I did."

Turning from him, Lois sank to her knees, her face buried in her hands.

"Mom, you had to know that this time would come - that I'd be called on to
step up and *be* his son.  Please don't ask me to be less than the person
you've raised me to be."

EXCERPT 6:

Still moving slowly, he eased his way out of his jacket, keeping his eyes on
her throughout.

"Lois?"

He tried to beat down the tide of frustration welling in his chest. He was
making no impression on her at all.

"You look cold. Here. Put this on."

She shifted. Cowering further into the tight, rigid ball she'd made of her
body, drawing back against the cold steel and away from him. It could simply
have been an involuntary movement to keep warm. Other than that, she gave no
indication that he was there or that she heard him.

Clark swallowed roughly. "Okay." He leaned forward a little, stretching out
the hand holding the jacket and placing it carefully on the metal. "I'll put
it here."

He straightened, giving her back the distance she'd set between them,
invading
it for only the briefest of moments.

Lois didn't move.

As Superman, Clark had talked down more suicide attempts than he could
count.
He knew the rehearsed lines to use, the rote of psychology, the tone of calm
that was necessary. But this was different. This was someone he loved more
than life itself. And he had no backup. This time he couldn't simply swoop
down and pluck her out of air if she refused to listen to him and stepped
off
that platform, as he had with so many others before her. Or at least not
without bringing their entire world crashing down around them.

EXCERPT 7:

"Of course he is, Julian."  Her tone held a note of annoyance.  "This
isn't exactly the time or the place for you to hear this, but we are all
Superman's children.  Even you!!"  Twisting her face to fix him with a
penetrating stare she continued with her confession.  "Clark Kent is
Superman!!"

A number of expressions passed over Julian's countenance as he
reviewed her announcement.  Disbelief and denial were rapidly replaced
by enlightenment as the pieces of the puzzle dropped into place.

"It's the truth, Julian," the junior super hero simply reinforced their
sister's
declaration.  "And we need him here, now!"

More rocks fell into the shelter and three desperate voices rose in unison.

"Help, Superman!!"

Within seconds Joel raised a hand to still his panicking siblings.

"He's here."

A sob broke through Joel's iron-held control.  He was, after all, only
eight years old and had for too long single-handedly held back a
mountain of bricks and mortar.  His ensuing whispered plea was all child.

"Daddy, please help us.  Daddy, we need you."

EXTRACT 8:

"We've been having some disturbing things happen the last
several days. At first, we thought it was just a prank, but it's
become clear to us that someone is targeting us directly. Or
more accurately, targeting Clark."

"At first it was just a lot of phone hang-ups, but over the weekend,
we started getting deliveries," Clark continued.

"One of the guys you put in jail harassing you again?" Jimmy asked.

Clark hesitated and looked at Lois. "I hadn't thought of that ... you
think someone is making all of this up, just to harass us?"

Lois looked doubtful. "Anything is possible, but it doesn't feel like that."
She turned back to Perry. "It started this weekend. Clark got flowers
delivered to him at our house, along with a romantic note. Then I got an
anonymous letter, telling me Clark didn't love me and that he was
planning to leave me. And yesterday morning, someone left a cassette
tape of love songs in our car for Clark to find when he went to work. But
the most disturbing thing happened Wednesday afternoon. A woman
tried to claim Laura from the daycare center downstairs, telling the staff
that she was 'the future Mrs. Kent' and Clark wanted her to have the baby."
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 08:54:27 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Yay, another quiz... I probably won't do very well on this one, but what
the heck, it's another hour before I have to start getting ready for
church...

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Special quote:  sorry, can't place it.  It does sound funny, tho :)

Quotes:

#1:  vaguely familiar
#2:  I'm not quite sure but I think it's "Recognition: The Only Way" by
CC Malo. Ah, I just looked it up, and I'm right :)  An excellent
story...
#3:  Dagger of the Mind, by Nan Smith
#4:  the only story I can think of to fit this isn't eligible this year,
so I don't know... the sun reference makes me think of Heliophobia, but
I haven't read it so I could be way off
#5:  Coming of Age, by Notrepooh (had to look up the title but I knew
the story)
#6:  not a clue...
#7:  likewise, but lol at that quote...
#8:  Fatal Attraction, by Kathy Brown

Excerpts:

#1:  Was this A Conscious Choice, by Wendy?
#4:  I don't think I've read this.
#6:  Haven't read it, but I'm wildly curious now...
#7:  Another one I haven't read... from the kids' names I'm guessing
Jenni Debbage :)

I sense a trend here... if I know the story, I can get it from the
quote, but if I don't get the quote, the excerpts don't usually help
me... <g> Ah well, I always knew I was weird <g>

Now I'm going to go re-read Recognition: the Only Way...

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 09:39:46 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Best Series answers
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000206145514.0090da10@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>
>Diyan, I'm not even going to *try* to sort out Wendy's scoring system, so
>I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out where you place. :) :)
>
 Wendy has just sent me Dia's scores:

Hi Hazel!

Thanks for posting the results. Dia's score for Best Series: 21 points plus
one bonus point for giving even more information on the BBDF series than
even I would have remembered!!

So there ya go!

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 09:41:51 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Guy or Lesley Hilliard <lhilliar@IDIRECT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>

> S

> P

> O

> I

> L

> E

> R

>

> S

> P

> A

> C

> E

>
EXCERPT 1:
Wendy Richards - a conscious Choice - From the excerpt

 EXCERPT 2:
Don't know

EXCERPT 3:
Nan Smith's Dagger of the Mind - from the excerpt

EXCERPT 4:
Don't know

 EXCERPT 5:
Notrepooh - Coming of Age - From the excerpt

 EXCERPT 6:
Labrat's Caped Fear from the extract

EXCERPT 7:
Jenni Debbage - Suffer the Little Children - from the excerpt

 EXTRACT 8:
Kathy Brown - Fatal Attraction - from the excerpt
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 09:43:09 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000206145526.008ff7e0@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Wendy also asked for to forward this to the list (here's the story in
question, Pam, and I'm glad you're enjoying the quotes as much as I am!)

My entry for Best Dramatic, which you can forward to the list if you like
<g>
s
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The elevator quote is from Caped Fear by LabRat

Quote 1: A Conscious Choice, by Wendy Richards
Excerpt 2: Recognition: The only way, by Carol Malo
Quote 3: Dagger of the Mind, by Nan Smith
Quote 4: Heliophobia, by Yvonne Connell
Quote 5: Coming of Age, by Notrepooh
Quote 6: Caped Fear, by LabRat
Quote 7: Suffer the Little Children, by Jenni Debbage
Quote 8: Fatal Attraction, by Kathy Brown

Did I do okay? <g>
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 11:53:04 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Felix E. Sung" <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story

S

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On Sun, 6 Feb 2000 07:55:35 -0500, Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL> wrote:
>
>Special extra-credit to anyone who can name #6 from this quote alone,
>without checking out the "official" quote and excerpt:
Don't know.

>Quote 1:
Wendy's "A Conscious Choice"

>Quote 2:
Sounds familiar...

>Quote 3:
Nan Smith's "Dagger of the Mind"

>Quote 4:
Yvonne's "Heliophobia"

>Quote 5:
Notrepooh's "Coming of Age"

>Quote 6:
Still don't know.

>Quote 7:
Another one that sounds familiar...

>Quote 8:
Kathy Brown's "Fatal Attraction"

All right, lemme try the excerpts:
>EXCERPT 2:
Ah yes!  Carol Malo's "Recognition: The Only Way"

>EXCERPT 6:
*Still* don't know.  I don't think I've read this...

>EXCERPT 7:
Jenni Debbage's "Suffer the Little Children"

Felix

--
Felix E. Sung
fsung@justice.loyola.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 19:49:32 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kaethel <kaethel@CLUB-INTERNET.FR>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Okay, considering this is one of my favorite categories, I'm jumping in the
pool for this one (let me tell you I haven't checked the water level first
<g>)

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>
> "Superman was stuck in an elevator?"
No hesitation here: Caped Fear by LabRat

 Quote 1:
No hesitation either: A Conscious Choice by Wendy Richards

Quote 2:
Ah... not sure I've read this

Quote 3:
Mm... sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it...

Quote 4:
I don't think I've read this one

Quote 5:
No idea :(

Quote 6:
Caped Fear by LabRat, but I had already recognized it from the first quote
:)

Quote 7:
Haven't read that :(

Quote 8:
Oh boy... this shows how much way behind my reading I am :(

EXCERPT 2: Argh, still no idea!

EXCERPT 3: This sounds familiar but...

EXCERPT 4: Don't think I've read this one either...

EXCERPT 5: Haven't read this.

EXCERPT 7: Ah... um...

EXTRACT 8: Well...

Okay, I did worse that I thought I would <g> Thanks for reminding me I still
have a lot to read ;) Anyone could lend me their superpowers so that I'll be
on time for the Kerths voting? <g>

Take care :)

Hélène :)
------------------------------------------------------
Kaethel on irc / Kaethel79  on AIM
kaethel@club-internet.fr
"And I always thought that it would make me smarter
 But it's only made me harder
 My heart thrown open wide
 In this near wild heaven"
                            R.E.M. -- "Near Wild Heaven"
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 14:48:08 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Alicia Utowski <Alicia3456@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I know some of these :)

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from quotes:

4.  Heliophobia by Yvonne Connell
5.  Coming of Age by Notrepooh
8.  Fatal Attraction by Kathy Brown

from exerpts:

1.  A conscious Choice by Wendy Richards
3.  Dagger of the mind by Nan Smith

I don't think I have read 2 or 6 but the kids names in 7 remind me of
something Jenni Debbage has written

Alicia
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 19:40:50 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

S
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> Special extra-credit to anyone who can name #6 from this quote alone,
> without checking out the "official" quote and excerpt:
>
> "Superman was stuck in an elevator?"
>
> It was my absolute favorite line in the entire story, I can't help it. :)
>
Hey, thanks, Hazel! <g> Can't say it was my absolute favourite, but I kind
of liked it too. ;)

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 15:18:25 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      "ADITLOM" (RPG), Sixteenth Installment, Week #17 (Part 1 of 1)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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New Fanfic (ongoing) "A Day in the Life of Metropolis" (PG-13)
All characters are property of DC Comics, WB, Lois and Clark etc.. unless
otherwise noted.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Feedback is welcomed whether public or private.  But no grammar please!
=3D)=
 NO=20
Please let me know if you loved it or hated it.. etc.. My cast and i
would=20
really=20
appreciate it! <G>
Thanks.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Summary:

This is the thirteenth installment of a rpg club I created on yahoo.  We
cam=
e=20
up with a story line, and we can correspond through email, dialogue, etc..
Anything goes.  If you want more information on this club or if you would
like to join in the fun yourself please go to:  <A=20
HREF=3D"http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/adayinthelifeofmetropolis">Yahoo!
Clubs=
=20
adayinthelifeofmetropolis</A>=20

Thanks.
Alexis ;-.)
{"ADITLOM, arbitrator}
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Cast List

Clark Kent : Alexis W. (that's me!)
Lois Lane :  Alexis W.
Cat Grant: Renda
Perry White: Renda
Sam Falcon : Sam F.
Batman: Sam F.
Anya Starr: Tabitha
Jimmy Olsen: Abbi Marie
Dan Scardino: Abbi Marie
Lucy Lane: Liz
Dr. Sam Lane: Rachel

* * * *
WEEK #17
(1/31 to 2/6)

Re: Perry concerned about Clark!

Sam and Clark started dancing. He put his hand on her waist and took=20
hold of her other hand. She put her hand on his shoulder.   They started=20
moving back into the main ballroom. Clark's hand moved a little lower=20
on her waist.  From the roof, looking down through the skylight, Batman's=20
dark eyes scanned the room. He kept his cape wrapped around him as the=20
wind blew over the roof.  As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed a few
 couples starting to dance again. He knelt down slightly to get a better=20
look.=20
One couple, off to the side, caught his attention. The woman tilted her
head=
=20
slightly and he could see that was Sam. He started trying to see who the
man=
=20
was. Then he noticed the glasses and realizeed it was Clark!

"What in the h*ll?  She said she was going out to the car . . .why would=20
she be dancing with him," he muttered.
>tbc<=20
 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Perry sees Clark Dancing

Perry White turned from his last drink to observe Clark dancing with=20
that lovely Samatha lady. "Well break out the band and call me Judas=20
Priest! Kent=92s looking better." Perry looked at Mayson and Ramone.=20
"Well, now you kids don't have to nurse maid me! I can handle my drinks.=20
You run along now and dance and enjoy the evening." Perry motioned them=20
onto the dance floor. Muttering to himself... "I think I shall find a=20
nice place to get some air!"

Perry tipped the bartender a hefty tip and made his way to the main=20
veranda off the ballroom.  It seemed to be crowded so he made his way=20
back into the ballroom and to the coat check. After getting his coat,=20
Perry made his way to the main enterance. Looking at the doormen he=20
said. "Need some fresh air!" They nodded and opened the doors for him.=20
Perry stepped out into the grey fog riddled night, turning around the=20
corner, he noticed a man,carrying what appeared to be a fencing case.=20
"Hum, now you don't see those things everyday!" Perry watched the figure=20
approach him. "Great shades of Elvis! It's Diego!"
"Well, hello there Don Diego, you need some fresh air too?"

Diego: "Ah, yes Mr. White, I did indeed," replied Diego, wondering how=20
much Perry had seen and knew.  The two gentlemen exchanged=20
pleasantries, and walked together in the fog of Gotham City.
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Got Ice?

*Arrgh! I can't believe Cat! I mean of all the nerve! Clark=92s  a=20
distraction?!? I think not! I mean Kent=92s  the last man that would=20
linger in my mind...*

Stars started sparkling in her eyes when her mind went wandering back to=20
the kiss that Clark had given her in the middle of the ballroom. She=20
could feel his hands caress her back as she leaned in to touch his lips.=20
Lois let out a small moan as she once again felt the warmth that surged=20
through her body as Clark went deeper and deeper into her mouth.
"Clark...mmm...Clark," she whispered as her hand ran down her neck.=20
"Claa...oh! Excuse me!"

Lois was too busy remembering her passionate embrace with Clark, to=20
notice the tall man standing before her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized.
The man with the curly brown hair and soft, brown eyes, only smiled at=20
her.

"Um, okay..." she said to herself as she walked over towards the bar.
>tbc<=20
 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Perry concerned about Clark!

Sam was enjoying the dance. Clark's shoulder fetl bigger than Bruce's,
but=20
she wished it wwas Bruce's shoulder she had her hand on. Having Clark's=20
arm on her waist was nice, but nothing more than that. Bruce's arm would=20
have been perfect.   She stopped herself.   Bruce was off being Batman.
He=20
didn't=20
ask her to dance and she had to get over that. As soon as the dance was
over=
,=20
she would go out to the car.  All she had wanted to do was dance once. No=20
harm, no=20
foul, right?=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Got Ice?

Scardino genuinely grinned for the first time in ages as the highly=20
embarrassed woman left the veranda. ***Wow,*** he thought.
But then he noticed a figure shivering in the corner. "Excuse me, you=20
with the bomb... do you need a hand?"=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Perry concerned about Clark!

Clark enjoyed the feeling of having a woman close to him. Sam was a nice=20
lady, but she was no Lois Lane. He missed the way Lois gave him=20
disgusted looks as he pulled her closer to him. Or the way, she sighed=20
as he passionately kissed her lips.

*Oh Lois, why couldn't this be you, in my arms?*
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Got Ice?

Lois was walking through the main ballroom when she noticed Sam dancing=20
with a man who was clearly not Bruce.  *Hmm...who is that guy?*
The pair turned around when all of a sudden Lois saw Clark and his=20
famous glasses.  "Oh my God, it's Kent! I can't believe him!?! The minute=20
Bruce leaves her side, Clark moves in like a vulture! Arggh!!!" Lois
ranted as she stomped her feet.

Lois wanted to look at anything else but those two, so she found her=20
eyes wandering up to the ceiling. To her surprise, she saw a black=20
figure looking down from the skylight. Taking a closer look, she noticed=20
that the black figure was actually Batman.  "Oh my!" she muttered under=20
her breath. *Wait a minute! Bruce is friends with Batman. Batman is=20
watching Bruce's girl, dance with another man. Batman tells Bruce and=20
Bruce gets mad!*  "YES! This is so good!" Lois laughed. *I just wish=20
I could be a fly on the wall when it all goes down...* she thought as she=20
playfully skipped on over to the bar.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Jimmy and Lucy are dancing (awwww!)

Jimmy and Lucy kept dancing as yet another song began.
"You think I look great? Jeez... you know, Lois told me to be careful=20
with you, as she says with all the guys I date... But you're really=20
terrific.... I don't know what she meant..."  Lucy smiled and let out a=20
breath as she looked into Jimmy's eyes... she thought about kissing
him, at that moment, but for some odd reason she wanted him to make=20
the first move.. she turned her head slightly, looking towards the bar,=20
but Lois was no where in sight. Her attention came back to=20
Jimmy as the next song started...=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Perry concerned with Clark!

He looked away and closeed his eyes. A short while later he opened them=20
again and  saw Miss Lane making her way across the room. Lois looked
 right at him. He quickly moveed back into the shadows. "Sam and I=20
are going to have to talk," he whispered.=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Perry concerned about Clark!

"So what other plans do you have now that Miss Lane seems to
have deserted you?" Sam asked.
=20
"Oh, I don't know," Clark sighed. "I'll probably just hang out here=20
until it's time to escort Lois back to her sleeping quarters for the=20
night. The problem is finding a hotel on a night like this. That should=20
be fun!" he said sarcastically.

"I can't actually extend the invitation, but I bet I can convince Bruce=20
to, when I see him again. Wayne Manor has several extra rooms and if you=20
can't find anything quickly let us know."=20
=20
"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Maybe I'd better go call a=20
few hotels right now. What do you think, Miss Falcon?"

"I probably ought to get to the car, like I told Bruce I would. I can=20
ask Alfred to wait for a few minutes to see if you find something."=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Got Ice?

Lois walked up to the bar and tapped her finger on the table to get the=20
bartender's attention.  "Excuse me, but could I have a bucket of crushed
ice, please?"

"Oh yes, Miss. Just a second." The bartender got the ice for her and=20
Lois said "thank you" as she walked off in the direction of the veranda.
Her attention was grabbed by Clark when she noticed him kissing Sam on=20
the cheek. After he kissed her, Sam headed for the elevator. "Boy, he=20
doesn't waste any time, does he!" Lois muttered to herself.
>tbc<=20

* * * *
Re: Perry concerned about Clark!

Anya sat down on one of the bar stools, sipping on a club soda.  She=20
snapped a few more pictures and decided to put her camera away. She'd do=20
more work if something happened. She got up and started to mingle,=20
turning down a few requests for a dance and looked towards the door.=20
Where was Dick? she wondered.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Got Ice?

When Lois moved to the bar, Batman stepped forward.  He immediately=20
started watching Sam again. Clark seemed about to leave and then leaned=20
forward to kiss her on the cheek.  "What in the hell does he think he's=20
doing? He and I are definately having a talk later. She didn't even pull=20
away . . ." he whispered.  Sam turned around and headed towards the=20
elevator.  "Finally, she's heading to the car. Alfred will take her home
and=
=20
she'll be out of the way." He took a deep breath. *Maybe he's right . .
.I=20
guess that means we have to make sure she's not in the line of fire.*=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Got Ice?

As she continued on her way towards the veranda, Clark and her looked=20
into each others eyes. Clark smiled at Lois and mouthed, "hi" with his=20
lips. All Lois could do was shake her head back and forth in disgust.=20
Clark saw Lois' icy response, so in return, all he did was shrug his=20
shoulders and walked off in the direction of the pay phones.=20
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Got Ice?

Sam headed to the elevator after Clark kissed her. The kiss had shocked=20
the h*ll out of her. She's not sure if he was just being nice or if it=20
had another intention behind it. She suspected the first. It still=20
surprised her though.
When she got to the elevator, she pressed the button and waited.=20
She turned around and looked around the room one more time.
There were some people out on the dance floor, some others by the
bar, and even more just standing around talking.  She turned back=20
around as she heard the chime sound announcing the elevator's=20
arrival. She stepped into it as the doors opened. She turned back=20
around as the doors closed.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Jimmy and Lucy are dancing (awwww!)

"I don't know what Lois could find to warn you about. It could be the=20
fact that I'm really a serial murderer who attacks girls who look great=20
in formal gowns. But, hey. I don't bite," Jimmy smiled. He kissed Lucy=20
lightly on the cheek and held her a little bit closer.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Got Ice? Cat hears banging on doors!!

Catherine Grant sat shivering on the private veranda waiting to hear=20
Lois knock with the ice. She heard banging and someone asking if they=20
could help her with the bomb. "That sounds like a man and not Lois!" Cat=20
got up and looked through the glass of the french doors to see a cute=20
guy standing there. She opened the doors and he smiled at her. He=20
stepped onto the veranda and Cat bent over the bomb again. Scardino=20
looked at her shivering and again said..."Would you like me to help with=20
the bomb?" Cat turned around to say yes please, but she saw three thugs=20
behind a dark haired man. One hit him over the head and then they=20
drug him back into the hallway and down the corridor to an exit. Cat knew=20
she couldn't leave the bomb because it was too critical a situation. She=20
closed
 the doors tightly, again making sure that they locked and waited for
Lois.=20
"When Lois gets here I'll let her know that the thugs got a mysterious
man!"=
=20
Cat=20
only hoped that Diego and some of the other's would see the trio=20
carrying off poor dark haired man.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Back at Ellen=92s Place

After a while, Ellen pulled back from Sam and wiped her eyes.
"Thanks, Sam. I know it's hard with the divorce and everything, but I=20
really can't stand seeing the girls hating us for it. And since they=20
both don't like having me around, I don't stick around...and I hate it!"

Sam sighed. "I know, Ellen. It *is* hard. I miss my princesses. And my=20
work doesn't make it any easier."

"Why did you give it up, Sam?"
Sam turned and looked at Ellen. "What?"
"Why did you give up your career to make...cyborgs? You were a brilliant=20
surgeon...making a substantial salary, and yet you gave it up to do what=20
you call 'furthering the technology of America.'"
Sam didn't know what to say. Ellen was right. But wasn't he right, too?=20
How was he supposed to choose?
>tbc<

* * * *
Look for Week #18, coming to a PC near you! =3D)

Enjoy!

Alexis ;-.)
{"ADITLOM" aribitrator}

=20
=20
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 15:59:45 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Yael Kfir <zaglembia@MAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E

EXCERPT 1:
I think... Wendy Richard's 'A Conscious Choice'

EXCERPT 2:

EXCERPT 3:
Wendy Again?...

EXCERPT 2,4-8:
God, I'm so lame... not a clue.

Yael.

-----------------------
- Oh, god...
- Zod.

(Superman II)
-----------------------
______________________________________________
FREE Personalized Email at Mail.com
Sign up at http://www.mail.com?sr=mc.mk.mcm.tag001
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 16:08:34 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Story in Progress: Connections - explanation
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi,

This is still a story in progress and it's probably not a good time to post
it but I've been working on it since last August when I sent Labrat an
outline for it which she's probably forgotten. :)  Anyway,  many things have
kept me from adding to it since the middle of December and I was hoping that
posting it would help me to finish it.  (I've written about 90 pages)

A word of warning  -- it's yet another alternate story.  I posted the first
2
parts in October but I've revised those parts based on the comments I
received back then.

I'd like to thank Jenni Debbage and Wendy Richards for their encouragement
and helpful comments as I've sent them instalments of this story.  They've
been wonderful.

I thought I'd post one part at time except for today.  There's so much to
read right now and since I'm hoping for some feedback, I thought short
chunks
might be better.

Carol
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 16:08:59 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

CONNECTIONS: AN ALTERNATE STORY

It's tough finding a good place to hide -- especially one from where you can
watch, plan, wait for your opportunity to strike.  To make things right...
to
get even.  Justice and revenge.

It's even harder when you don't have any resources, any contacts, money, a
home.  When you're not sure if you're being watched.  She wasn't sure if she
could trust him not to betray her once again.  Wouldn't her disappearance be
big news?  At least for a few days, until the next big scandal or crisis?
At
first, this was all she could think of as she struggled through the dense
undergrowth, making her way across damp earth, trying to avoid the danger
that lurked in an unknown environment as well as the threat of armed bands
of
desperate men.  But as her flight continued and she became increasingly
exhausted, she began to dream of escape, escape from everything.

So she took advantage of a situation which implied her death and discovered
how tempting it was to stay dead once she'd found her way out of the jungle,
seduced by the chance to avoid responsibility, to slip into wanderlust and
fly away.

And she'd flown so far away.  Fleeing from the pain of a lover who had
betrayed her, of a family who'd pushed her away, fleeing from the pressure
of
being the best -- the best at school, the best at her job, the best at
everything.  Fleeing from the anger that she should have to be the best.

As she had twisted out from the jagged wreckage of the van, willing all her
reserve strength to drive her body through sharp, twisted metal and the
shattered shards of the rear passenger window, she hadn't thought of any of
that.  She'd just wanted to survive.  A quick glance at the van's interior,
at the blood and the gaping flesh, told her that her companions had not been
as lucky.  Except the boy.  Reaching in, she struggled to pull him to
safety,
smelling the fumes as she did, aware of the danger of the gas tank blowing.
Instinctively they'd both started to run, racing against the brilliant flash
of fire which engulfed the wreckage as the van exploded.  Horrorified and
gasping for air, they stood silently watching the flame, hypnotized by its
ferocity.

They waited there until nearly sunset, hoping that someone would have seen
the flame or that another vehicle might come.  Maybe a truck transporting
lumber or minerals.  Maybe a U.N. vehicle on patrol as peacekeepers tried,
against incredible odds, to build a semblance of peace in a land torn apart
by age old feuds which were no longer restrained by the rule of law.  This
was dangerous territory, controlled by gangs of bandit-terrorists.  Capture
by them would mean being held hostage, at best -- rape and murder at worst.

Slowly, on the horizon, a battered jeep carrying one too many men lumbered
and wheezed over the small rise in the rutted road.  It stopped several
yards
from the smoking wreck and, in a lithe, graceful motion, one of its
passengers swung his body out of the vehicle.  Grabbing a rifle from the
back
seat, he jogged the few yards to the wreckage, followed by one of his
companions.

Both the woman and the boy recognized the symbolic scarf that marked these
men as members of a renegade band of government militia.  The boy was not
one
of their tribe; he would be mutilated and killed.  She would be raped.

Without speaking, they both sank low to the ground, trying not to move, not
to breathe while the occupants of the jeep circled the skeletal remains of
the burnt van.  Realizing there was nothing there for them, the men walked
back to their vehicle and took off down the dusty road, disappearing as it
twisted into the lush green jungle beyond which lay the village from which
the woman and the boy and their companions had just come.

The boy tugged on the woman's arm. "We must go. Through the jungle."

She knew he was right. It was their only chance.

*****

Somehow they had survived.  She knew she wouldn't have made it without the
boy. Raised in a small village on the edge of the jungle, Nkwame knew it
well, at least well enough to keep them just this side of death as they
travelled one step ahead of renegade troops spreading through the equatorial
forrest, burning and terrorizing villages as they seized control of the
countryside.  Sometimes, the two were lucky and found a brief refuge in a
safe village for a few days.  More often they slept on the jungle floor.

Two months later, they reached a market town at the elbow of a muddy river
swollen by spring floods.  Kkwame left her there, going to search for his
family whom he hoped had stayed safe through the nightmare of this last
year.
 She never saw him again.

*****

That had been either the end or the beginning, depending on how you looked
at
it.  Exhausted and emaciated after her experience, Lois Lane, nevertheless
was exhilarated too.  She had survived.  She had been given a second chance.
And she knew that she was not going back. This was her chance to escape, to
be free, to find out everything she could about the world, to wander, to fly
away.

It had begun in a refugee camp, run by Catholic priests from Belgium, on the
outskirts of the town where she and Nkwame had found their way after
emerging
from the jungle.  Although Nkwame had left as soon as he felt strong enough
to tackle the next part of his search, she had stayed longer, at first
dwelling too much on thoughts of getting even with the lover who had
betrayed
her, but also slowly rebuilding her strength, finding satisfaction in
assisting the priests and in regaining her sense of the beauty of the land.
And finally she had buried her need to get revenge.  Still, for some reason
which she only dimly understood, she had not told the priests her real name
and she had been very careful to keep the passport which she always carried
in an inner pocket of her jacket, hidden.  Part of her escape.

After that, she had worked her way to the coast, finding temporary jobs with
businesses, staying long enough to save enough money to move on to the next
place.  Sometimes even saving enough to finance a rough trip to some long
lost ruin or remote destination she'd read about, seen documentaries on,
dreamed of.  And lost herself in the wonder of what man had constructed and
awe at the way time and nature had begun the relentless process of
reclaiming
those structures.  Or sadness at the way in which man had destroyed them.

She had seen and done so much in those years, driven by a restless curiosity
across three continents.  Gone hungry in Karachi, trekked in Nepal and
bathed
naked under a silver sliver of a waterfall, chauffeured a Bentley for a Hong
Kong millionaire.

It had been a rough time and she had thrived, except of course, for a couple
of inevitable, wrenching bouts of food poisoning.  Those adolescent
fantasies
she'd had of exploring her spiritual self and finding the true meaning of
life in some remote temple had turned out to be a joke.  Those isolated
communities clinging to the peaks of remote cliffs turned out to be just the
spiritual versions of old boys' clubs: the support staff were women --
cooks,
cleaners, laundresses, mothers of children.  Ah well.  Enlightenment was
probably over rated.  She'd pulled on her hard earned backpack and headed
east again -- always east, away from Metropolis.

This time south, across the Pacific on a freighter carrying cheap
electronics
to Ecuador.  And this time, she let herself be seduced once again by a city.
Quito was much smaller than Metropolis but combined its urban sophistication
with a polyglot of peoples, music, buildings -- the grace of Spanish
colonial
townhouses and old, decaying administrative offices nestling in harmony with
the elegant simplicity of small scale modern architecture.  Yet Quito was
still something of a frontier town, where guerrilla leaders and drug lords
rubbed shoulders with men in tuxedos roaring into town in their open jeeps
from the oil fields to spend an evening at a casino or club.

She'd allowed herself to be seduced by one or two of them, enjoying the
game,
telling herself that intimacy was a fantasy.  After all, what intimacy had
there really been with Claude Kendal?  She'd fallen hard for him.  He had
made her feel so special and she had been spellbound by his physical charm,
the suppleness of his slender, athletic body as he moved, and those blue
eyes
that sparkled whenever he looked at her.  Yeah.  If she'd been a little more
observant, she would have noticed that they sparkled for others, too, but
never so brightly as when he saw the chance of something that was good for
his career.  She'd felt dead inside when she'd learned the truth.  Never
again.

But the guys in Quito were different.  No promises, no lies. She wasn't
looking for anything long term and neither were they.  She never would
again.
 Fun.  She ventured to places she'd never been before and, at night, slid
into her one and only black dress to slink with new friends at the casinos.
Slot machines and the silliness of carrying a carton of coins around.  In
Quito, she was frivolous and for a brief moment she wondered if maybe Cat
Grant didn't have the right approach to life after all.

While she had been travelling, she'd avoided, as much as possible, "The
News".  Too much a reminder of her old life.  The real "News" was any
information that would get her the next job or a lift to her next
destination.  "The News" had been easy to avoid, too.  English language
media
were not readily available in the streets of most of the places she had
been.
 She would have had to actively seek those sources out.  But in Quito, it
was
harder to avoid the news because of the simple fact that she knew some
Spanish and the longer she stayed in Ecuador, the more fluent she became.
It
became harder to block out the rest of the world.

She wasn't sure when she'd first started to think about home.  Probably it
was the sisters.  The longer she travelled, the more she started noticing
people, watching them as she pulled into a train station or sat in an
outdoor
cafe.  She especially noticed women together; 'sisters' she began labelling
them in her mind.

The first time, she had been sitting in a tiny outdoor cafe on a dusty
street
in Nairobi when a small girl had raced across the road in pursuit of a puppy
on a leash which had just escaped her clutch.  An older girl followed her,
giggling as the two tried to grab the leash which was always just a little
too short.  It didn't matter; the girls were having so much fun pursuing it.
When the puppy gamboled her way, Lois had quickly reached for it, rising to
walk across to where the girls were standing, watching her.  She handed the
leash back to them, the older one thanked her with a shy smile, and then off
they raced again.

Sometimes it was older women, meeting at a bus station or a train station --
their family resemblance visible as they hugged and then shared the burden
of
luggage to be carried to some waiting vehicle.  Once it had been at the site
of a car crash where one young woman was crying, "My sister, my sister".
Lois had helped the woman rescue her sister and then watched as the two
embraced, tears streaming down the face of the one who had so nearly lost
her
sister. And Lois had cried, too.

That had been a couple of days ago.  Lois had lost Lucy in an acrimonious
fight over Lucy's fiance.  This guy had made a pass at Lois which she'd
deflected and then told her sister to dump him.  Lucy didn't want to be told
that, especially by her older sister.  The worst fight they'd ever had in
their lives ended with Lucy screaming that Lois was jealous, had led Ted on,
and that she was going ahead with the wedding, and she never wanted to see
Lois again.  Never!  Fine.

But it wasn't fine.  Lois missed Lucy and, besides, she thought, the
marriage
had probably turned out to be a disaster and her sister would need her.  It
was time to go home.

The first thing she did the next morning was to check her resources.
Minimal.
 How easy would it be to get her old job back?  Although she knew Perry
White, the editor of the Daily Planet, had thought highly of her work, she
also knew she'd only had a few years experience when she and Claude had
flown
to the Congo on that gunrunning story.  At that time, she'd definitely been
considered the junior partner and it was Claude who had delivered the story
in the end, using her research and even some of her prose, while she'd slept
in his bed in the Hotel du Sud.  Everyone at the Planet knew of her
relationship with Claude.  Now she looked like a gullible fool.  What little
reputation she'd managed to build had been shot down like a clay pigeon by
an
expert marksman.

Still, Perry had taken her under his wing when she had first started at the
Planet. Maybe he would give her a second chance, she thought, as she
prepared
a light breakfast in the tiny one room flat she rented in Quito.  She didn't
yet have enough money for the flight back to Metropolis.  She had no credit
cards, never having stayed long enough in one place to establish a billing
address.  Besides, she'd lived so close to the margin, that any cash she had
went on the basics.  No way she could pay off credit debt.  So she'd have to
work for a few months to save enough to get home unless she could somehow
get
back by different means.  After all, she'd got this far.

Once she got downtown, she stopped in the lobby of the Quito Continental and
did something she hadn't done since she left the Congo.  She bought an
English language newspaper, *the* newspaper -- the Daily Planet, took it to
a
large comfortable chair in the lobby, and examined the front page.  The
paper
had changed its format.  The headlines where in larger print and there was a
quarter page color photograph of a WWF wrestler on the front page. Oh, god,
she thought, the paper's been bought by Rupert Murdoch.  Without wasting any
more time looking at the front page, she flipped to the editorial page, to
the top left corner, looking  for the masthead.

Nowhere did she see Perry White's name. The publisher, and that meant owner,
was one James Olson.  She noticed that he was also the editor-in-chief of
the
paper.  What had happened?

She closed the newspaper, rolled it up and jammed it into her bag.  Later
today, after work, she would do a little research in the National Library
and
find out what had happened.  And also figure out how to get back to the
States.

*****

When Lois finished her research she pushed back her chair and tried to work
out what was going on.  Her beloved Metropolis sounded like a different
city.
 When she had left, the city had been in the midst of a surging crime wave
--
more drugs especially.  More violence.  She'd never been able to get a good
feel for who was behind the increase in crime.  Each time she'd got close,
the story had dried up, or remained small time.  Or a distraction had
appeared like the gunrunning story which had sent her to the Congo.  Now,
the
city seemed to be constantly fighting crime or corruption of some sort.
Incredibly, Perry White had become mayor of Metropolis but had, so far, been
unable to stem the rising crime and corruption plaguing the city.

She was also dismayed by what she'd found out about the Daily Planet's new
owner, James Olsen.  About five years younger than she, he had made
astronomical money designing and marketing computer software and then had
decided to cash in some of his chips and play boy editor with *her*
newspaper.  No wonder its format had changed!  Still, she had to admit,
music
coverage had improved.

But the thing that clinched in her mind that The Planet had ceased to be a
serious newspaper was the front page wrestler.  What was he, some kind of
stunt that the Planet was using to sell newspapers?  She looked at the
picture more carefully, this time not distracted by the red cape.  Although
his posture was that of a wrestler entering the ring, arms crossed, legs
planted firmly apart, and the too serious facial composure, his body was
not.
 It was -- less.  Not as much bulk; he'd be tossed out of the ring pretty
quickly.  And she didn't like his hair, slicked back like he lived his life
with permanent hat hair.

She read the story that went with the picture.  Incredible.  She didn't
believe any of it.  Tabloid stuff.  Cape Guy could fly and he was apparently
so strong he could lift a sinking ship out of the water.  Uh huh.  James
Olsen must've read one too many comic books.  *Superman*, for heaven's sake.
Didn't anyone read Nietzsche anymore?  Well, she could only hope this red
caped mascot had boosted the Planet's circulation.

She read the rest of the paper now, pleased to find the other articles were
in fact still up to the standard of the Planet she remembered.  Okay, so
maybe James Olsen was nine parts serious about the paper.  She spotted some
familiar names but more changes.  Claude Kendal was no longer on staff, nor
was Cat Grant.  Rather than writing the social column, Cat was, that day,
one
of its stories.  Alongside the short article, a photograph showed Cat, who
had aquired a new last name, presenting a small trophy to Metropolis
billionaire businessman, Lex Luthor, immaculately attired for a polo game.
He had, apparently, just played against the Prince of Wales.  Lois rolled
her
eyes as she read that caption.  Claude Kendal had made that column, too,
photographed with a beautiful woman clinging to his arm.  The caption below
did not say who she was but identified him as Pulitzer award winning
newsanchor, Claude Kendal.  Lois felt her blood pressure increase.

There was a new guy, Clark Kent, on staff.  She read his article, a column
on
the heroism of paramedics.  Not bad, she thought. Lacked  a little edge, but
not bad.

Okay, now to see if anything else was out there about the Caped Wonder.
There
was. Amazing information.  If these stories could be believed, he really
could fly.  Surely that wasn't possible?  There had to be some kind of
small,
hidden device behind the cape.  An anti-gravitational gizmo or maybe
something with miniature jets.  More incredibly, this superman was Clark
Kent.  Maybe it was part of a hoax then.  To sell newspapers, or maybe to
distract people in Metropolis from the real cause of crime in the city.
Lois
wondered how this Clark Kent was able to pull it off.

She'd only managed to find a few pictures of Clark Kent as she'd surfed the
various American newspaper websites and checked their back articles.  Kent's
hair was longer, he wore glasses and somehow his facial features seemed less
chiseled, less angular than Superman's, his eyes less narrow.  The
resemblance seemed superficial but the pictures had been badly focused so it
was hard to see what Kent really looked like.  James Olsen needed to hire a
better photographer.

*****

The next evening, as she was sipping coffee at a cafe with a group of
friends, just acquaintances really, Lois had a bit of luck in her plans for
returning home.  One of the people to join their table during the ebb and
flow of the evening was a Brit flight attendant on layover.  He knew a guy
who piloted cargo planes out of Quito who might be able to do her a favor.

Three days later, Lois Lane was in San Francisco, determined to return to
her
home town, to rebuild her reputation, and to expose the hoax that was
Superman.

*****
end, pt 1
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 16:09:22 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 2
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Connections, part 2

Clark Kent slipped in at the latest possible moment, furtively entering
through the basement door which had been left unlocked for him.  In a blur,
he ran up the narrow stairway that emitted into a tiny office in the east
transept of the huge cathedral, Metropolis's oldest.  Fervently he prayed
that he had avoided the paparazzi who had dogged his moves for the last
year.
 Today, especially, he hoped for privacy.  This day belonged to the bride.

One of the deacons met him and escorted him to the front of the church; he'd
made it with a minute to spare.  As he took up his position, he heard the
strains of Mendelssohn's Wedding March and smiled.  Lana had opted for the
whole traditional show.  Then he caught sight of her as she entered on her
father's arm, as beautiful as he'd ever seen her, her blonde hair bright in
the sunlight which streamed through the high clerestory windows.  The
radiance of her smile lit her eyes as she looked up and caught her first
sight of her future husband.

Clark smiled, feeling his spirits lift out of the darkness of the last few
months.  Lana's happiness touched him and for a moment he forgot Lois Lane.
He watched as she walked slowly up the aisle, turning at times to smile at a
friend or relative in the dark oak pews that lined the aisle.  He turned to
look at Pete Ross, waiting, looking awestruck in front of the altar as he
watched his bride's progression.  Then the two were standing beside each
other, and Clark knew, as Lana looked at Pete in a way that she had never
looked at him, that this marriage was right.

Subconsciously, he had always known that he and Lana had not really belonged
together; but, somehow, they had drifted into an engagement which had never
seemed to bring either of them the happiness that he thought couples were
supposed to feel.  Half in love, they'd tried desperately to convince
themselves that they were right for each other.  He couldn't even remember
proposing; he wasn't sure he had.  They'd attended a couple of weddings in
the year and a half since he had met up with her again and, somehow, they
seemed to be engaged shortly afterwards.

Lana had come to Metroplois when the corporation for which she worked had
offered her a promotion and job transfer.  Her engagement to Pete, her high
school and college sweetheart, had just ended and she'd jumped at the offer
for change.

Clark had been part of the change; on standby, as he'd often been when they
were in high school.  He'd been glad to see her again, the one person who
knew about his unusual abilities and whom he knew he could trust to keep
them
a secret.  And he was grateful for the way she helped him keep the powers
hidden, discouraging their use, reminding him of the threat if he should be
discovered, holding him back from the edge of public exposure.  She
protected
him, but at some point, he wasn't sure when, she started to control him,
too,
trying to make him something he wasn't.  In spite of Lana's determination,
he
wasn't, never would be, normal.

Lois Lane, at least the other world's Lois Lane, had made him, forced him,
freed him to be who he really was.  And he had felt exhilarated, free to
soar
without fear of being seen, and most of all, free to help when people needed
him, free to make a difference.  Furious, Lana had issued her ultimatum --
her or Superman.  Superman.  He hadn't hesitated, not really believing Lana
meant it, half hoping she did.  She did.  Later that day, Lois, too, had
left
him, alone, to try to figure out how to make it all work.

He and Lana had avoided each other for the first few months after their
engagement ended.  Then he'd accidently run into her with Pete at a movie.
Clark had been alone and they'd asked him to come with them for dessert and
coffee.  He'd been just scruffy enough to not be recognized and he'd enjoyed
the evening with them.  It was clear they were crazy about each other and
they told him, finishing each other's sentences as they spoke, the whole
story.  Their big fight, the broken engagement, the false pride, the "thing"
with Clark.  At this point, Pete stopped the story and glared at Clark who
had raised his eyebrows at his and Lana's engagement being relegated to a
"thing".  Or, Clark specualted, did Pete mean his and Lana's sex life?

Clark had felt a little uncomfortable -- after all he and Lana had been
engaged, it was only natural for engaged couples... Maybe he should mention
that he'd never felt the earth moved for either of them.  No, that wasn't
very gallant.  Instead, he diplomatically changed the topic and inquired
about Pete's business in Kansas.  Pete beamed, apparently forgiving Clark,
and, with Lana's help, told Clark all about Ross Inc.  Two months later,
Pete
and Lana were engaged.

Later, at the wedding reception, which was held at Metropolis' newest luxury
hotel, the Lexor, Lana managed to convince Clark that it was his duty to
dance with the bride.  After a few moments, he looked down into her laughing
eyes and said, "What?"

"You.  You haven't danced with any of the single women here.  Clark, there
are a couple of girls here tonight who could be right for you.  I'll
introduce you."

"Don't try to organize me, Lana," Clark laughed.  "I'm doing just fine,
thank
you."

"So why are you only dancing with really safe, unavailable women?"

"Lana, look at the people here.  That guy back in the corner, the one who
took our picture a minute ago.  Is he one of your guests?"  He knew the
answer before he asked the question.

Lana looked over at the slight, well dressed man.  "No, I don't know him."

"I do.  He works for the National Whisper.  Wanna bet what the caption is
for
the picture he just took?"

"Clark, that's awful.  How'd he get past Gary and Alan?"  She broke away
from
him, rushing over to one of her cousins, the big one who played tackle for
his college team.  Two minutes later, Clark watched contentedly as the
cousin
and a friend grabbed the guy's camera and hustled him outside.

Lana returned to his side, a triumphant look on her face.  "Okay, now will
you let me introduce you to Janine?  You haven't exactly been dating this
past year, have you?"

Clark shrugged his shoulders.  "Not exactly."

Lana patted his arm. "Janine's the tall redhead dancing with Uncle Jim over
there.  She's a model, Clark."

"Ah."  Why not, he thought.  Maybe he should start dating.  The love of his
life, or was she a substitute for the love of his life, was alive and well
and living in a different universe.  The love of his life was dead, a ghost
who haunted his nights.

"Come on."  Lana pulled his hand as the music finished, leading him across
the floor to where Janine was now sitting, chatting with an equally
beautiful
friend.

"Lana, come say good-bye to Grandpa," Pete intercepted them and took his
bride's hand.  "He's getting tired and he's about to go home."

"Of course, darling."  Lana turned to Clark.  "Don't *you* go way."  Lana
still expected Clark to do as he was told.

Clark watched them go, bemused by Lana's docility, at least where Pete was
concerned.  Then he looked across at Janine and her friend.  Aware they
they'd glanced a couple of times in his direction, he wondered what they
were
saying.  Briefly rationalizing that eavesdropping was okay if you were the
topic of conversation, he listened in on their conversation, focusing his
super hearing on the pitch of their voices.

"But he's not bad looking."

"Imagine the press coverage if you dated Superman.  Think of what it'd do
for
your career."

"Hmm.  And imagine what he would do for you if you were his girlfriend.
Think about the contacts he must have.  You could meet anyone you wanted."

"Yeah.  Plua, you could *have* anything you wanted.  Imagine the jewellery
he
could give you."

"Diamonds."  A sigh and a pause.  "And he must have a hideaway somewhere.  A
tropical island with a great beach."

Clark stopped listening.  He gazed across the room at laughing couples
flirting and dancing, at older couples, their affection glowing after a
night
of celebration, at children playing among the tables with cousins and
family.
 He was an outsider here.  He would always be an outsider.  Turning, he
slipped quietly out of the room.

*****

The toughest thing that Clark Kent did every day was to enter the newsroom
of
the Daily Planet.  Two years ago, it had been the thing that gave him the
most pleasure.  The job still did bring him great satisfaction -- in a way
more than what he did as Superman.  This job was what he was all about.  He
was determined not to lose it or to lose the comradeship that he'd found
here.  The first day after Superman appeared in Metropolis, Clark had shown
up for work as usual.  As he emerged out of the elevator, he heard the
silence: the newsroom was so quiet he suspected that no one was breathing.
He hadn't expected that.  He  tossed out his usual morning greeting, the one
that everyone started the day with, in  hopes of breaking the stillness.  It
didn't and he'd felt his gut lurch.  Then everyone started talking at once,
but not to him.

Since then, he'd tried one day at a time, to reclaim his life as Clark Kent,
reporter.  He hadn't succeeded.  The friends he thought he'd had dropped
away, either in awe of, or uncomfortable with, a superhero.  A couple of
them
had tried to capitalize on the relationship.  He'd accidentally overhead two
guys in the washroom talking about the "alien threat" and the other one
replying, "At least he's not green, " adding, "Do you think he morphs into
other creatures?"  And the two had laughed.

That night he reread "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".  The following night he
rented "The Wolfman."  Fortunately, the third night, he helped lessen the
impact of a hurricane off the east coast.  Easy.

Now, at least, the staff took his presence in the newsroom for granted,
slipping back into the old workplace relationship.  Never crossing it.
Except for James Olsen.  The two men had become closer in the last year.
Boy
genius whiz kid is not too far removed from superhero.  And since Clark
Kent's personal life was as exciting as reruns of an ABC sitcom, the
tabloids
had called off most of their goons.  Superman's feats were bigger news.

The morning after Lana's wedding, as Clark went about his routine at the
Daily Planet, he was unaware that he was being watched by a woman about his
own age, whose prettiness was obscured by the sensible skirt and sweater
that
hung loosely enough to render her voluptuous body respectable.  Her green
eyes watched him speculatively as he reached across his desk for a sheaf of
pictures which a staff photographer had just brought.  Waiting for him to
finish his conversation with the photographer, she hung back.  When, Clark
was free, she approached him, carrying a legal size file folder in her hand.

"Here's that research on the subway project you wanted, Clark."  She
extended
the folder, meeting his eyes as she did so, wondering as she had for the
last
month why he was content to be here.  It was so trivial, beneath his rank,
not worthy of his destiny.

Clark smiled at the Planet's newest research assistant as she handed him the
folder.  "That was quick."  She impressed him; she always delivered her
stuff
before anyone expected it; and, although she was always deferential to him,
she never appeared to be in awe of him.  A couple of times he'd had the
strange thought she was waiting for him to do something.  "Thanks, Sara."

She smiled in return, turning as someone called her name.  They'd been here
long enough.  It was time to see if Kal El was suitable.  She would talk to
Ching tonight.

*****

As Zara left the Daily Planet late that afternoon, she was surprised to spot
Ching striding purposefully across the main lobby of the Daily Planet, his
confident step that of a man used to command.  Her eyes lit up with that
secret pleasure she felt whenever he was near, but her words were formal.
"Ching, why are you here?"

"Zara, you've decided it's time."  His voice was eager as he came to a halt
in front of her.

She smiled at him, welcoming the proper pronunciation of her name. 'Sara'
had
such a soft sound to it, compliant, as though anyone with that name was
meant
to serve.  She didn't like it.  But it was the closest American variation on
her own name and so she had accepted it as a small but necessary part of her
camouflage.  As someone used to both status and a position of authority, she
had found it difficult to live for eight hours every day as a foot soldier
at
the Daily Planet; however, her personal feelings were unimportant compared
to
the desperation of their mission here.

"Yes.  So far Kal El has proved worthy, Ching."  Her voice told him of her
optimism as she continued.  "We know of his great courage from our research;
he has shown repeatedly that he is willing to make sacrifices for the good
of
society."  They walked together toward the revolving doors of the Planet's
front entrance, Ching falling slightly behind her to permit her to go
through
the door first.

His tone was derisive as they stepped onto the pavement.  "He takes no risk,
given this planet's sun has magnified his natural abilities to such an
extraordinary degree.  He's impulsive; he takes off at a moment's notice.
When he returns to New Krypton, he won't have that luxury."

Zara sighed.  They'd argued around these points so often in the month they
had been on earth observing Kal El.  "But he must come back, Ching.  The
spirit of our people must be renewed.  If they see Kal El, son of Jor El,
great-grandson of Zon El, returned as their leader, I know they will find
the
courage to defeat Nor."

"Remember, Zara, not all heirs are as strong as their forefathers. Nor's
grandfather was a great and honorable commander. It was his and Zon El's
vision and drive that created New Krypton out of that barren asteroid."  He
glanced at her briefly, his face grim as he continued.  "Tomorrow, we'll
find
out if Kal El merits the leadship of New Krypton."

"He will be, Ching.  He's an honorable man.  Don't you see, it would have
been so easy for him to succumb to all the pleasures that this planet offers
and he hasn't done so.  He's a true Kryptonian; he has self-discipline and a
sense of duty."

Abruptly, their discussion was interrupted by a small group of joking
teenagers pushing and jostling each other as they argued about the merits of
a couple of obscure bands.  The domino effect of their enthusiasm sent one
of
them spilling into Zara, pushing her momentarily off balance.

Ignoring her, the boys continued on their way, leaving a scowling Ching
muttering about the lack of social order and respect on this forsaken
planet.
 His hand waved in a sweeping gesture, an arc that took in the grimy streets
of the city, the rundown buildings that they now were passing, and the small
businesses with metal security grills across their windows.  His hand came
to
rest at his side, accidentally pointing at an abandoned syringe on the
sidewalk.  He seemed almost pleased.  "Kal El has had no impact on this
city.
 If he is to be any help to us in our struggle to defeat Nor, I fear he will
have to be firmly guided."

"Ching, if that's necessary we can do it."  She looked sideways at her tall
companion for a moment as they turned the corner leading to the tiny
basement
 apartment which was her residence in Metropolis.  She had needed an address
and this one was located in an obscure enough part of the city that any
strange happenings connected with it wouldn't be noticed by her few
neighbors, most of whom were fighting bigger demons than the aliens next
door.  "We need his stature and the aura of his heredity.  We," she
emphasized, "haven't been able to defeat Nor."  She unlocked the apartment
door.

Ching's voice was cold, betraying his anger.  "I know that.  If Trey and the
others weren't so indecisive; if they had just a minimal understanding of
strategy... But they'll accept Kal El -- the long lost son of Krypton," he
added with a trace of sarcasm.

He touched a small transparent cube hanging on a silver chain around his
neck.  For a moment, there was an energy surge, followed by shimmering waves
of light, like a mirage coming into focus, and then suddenly the room was
larger, stretching into inky shadows which reached beyond the limits of the
tiny apartment and then vanished.  Ching stood still, concentrating his
thoughts, and then, there in the somber blue haze of this room, two chairs
materialized, followed by a small round table on which rested two glasses
filled with a thick fluorescent blue liquid.

Both Ching and Zara were now dressed in black -- sleek uniforms that were a
reminder of their homeland.  Over her uniform, Zara wore a flowing knee
length coat, its lapels dark red, while on her right shoulder, beneath her
collarbone, was a small gold insignia, symbol of the aristocratic house of
Ra
of which she was her generation's only descendant.  Two green bands around
the wrists of Ching's uniform marked him as a lieutenant in the Kryptonian
military, his rank a reflection of the lesser nobility from whom he was
descended.

The two sat sipping the blue liquid in silence for a moment, both reflecting
on what they would do tomorrow.  Just recently, both Zara and Ching had
discovered that they too had acquired powers, the Earth's sun having
gradually enhanced their abilities as it had Kal El's.  These they had been
careful to use sparingly, not wanting to attract any attention.  Ching had,
however, on several occasions tracked Superman, observing him as he flew to
assist in some natural or man made disaster, watching him carefully to see
if
what the man was doing required anything much more than the application of
those amazing powers.  They had not, as far as he could see.  His actions
were always a quick response to physical danger, with no attempt to change
the underlying conditions that caused those problems.  Why didn't Kal El
take
control of this miserable city, this chaotic planet, and bring order to it?

That question bothered him more than he had admitted to Zara, deliberately
blocking his thought waves from her whenever they crossed his mind.  Ching
was a man of action.  But he also deplored wasted action when some good
solid
planning would get everyone much further.  He was worried that Kal El had
become too human, conditioned by his upbringing to give in to impulsive
behavior and to allow the emotional side of his nature to dominate as did
most of these Earthlings.  Kryptonian culture acknowledged this emotional
side of behavior and provided the necessary safety valves, but reason always
triumphed.  After all, that was part of what this struggle with Nor was
about.  Nor wanted power for the sake of power, and what it could give him
--
wealth and the gratification of all his pleasures.  If  Nor won, Krypton
would become even worse than Metropolis.  Kal El's failure to take
leadership
here worried Ching deeply.

As soon as possible, he and Zara would contrive a crisis to see how Kal El
would respond, to see if he was more than just a man with super strength.

* * * * *
end part 2
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 16:09:46 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 3
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Connections, part 3

Three thousand miles away, the day before Lana Lang's wedding, Lois Lane was
speaking eagerly into the mouthpiece of a phone in the lobby of the third
rate hotel in which she had spent her first night in San Francisco.  She had
arrived after midnight, cleared customs pretty quickly thanks to the pilot's
charm and the young clerk's late night fatigue.  Fortunately, Lois still had
a year to run on her passport, and after the obligatory search for any drugs
she might have been smuggling, she was on the home side of customs.  The
pilot of the cargo plane in which she'd been lucky enough to get a lift had
offered to let her spend the night at his place but Lois was wary.  No
strings, he'd said, but then he'd followed that by proposing some take out
and some good wine he'd been saving.  At two o'clock in the morning!  He was
a decent guy, so Lois grinned at him, patted his arm, said thanks, and
booked
herself into a small motel in the city.

She didn't have a lot of money and it would take some time to get a credit
card.  She knew a few people in San Francisco, but not really well.  Anyway,
she hesitated to call them before she got in touch with her mother and
sister, and, she admitted to herself, she was hesitant even to call them.
It
would be so much easier to reappear in person, rather than as a disembodied
voice over wire.  Anyway, she wasn't certain where they lived now or what
their phone numbers were.  She could call her father...  No.  Besides, she
wasn't really sure how her disappearance had been explained.  Was she
"officially missing"?  Probably.

Then she remembered Jessica.  They'd been roommates their first year in
college before Jess had switched majors and transferred to a different
school, got into software design, and then followed the Web to California.
They'd kept in sporadic touch up until Lois's disappearance.  They weren't
the closest of friends, but at the moment, there was no one else.  Besides,
Jess could be relied on not to alert the whole world that Lois Lane was back
in town.  For some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, Lois wanted
to return without being noticed, as an observer, until she could get her
bearings in a Metropolis that appeared to have changed substantially since
she had left four years ago.

But first she had to get there.  She had cash enough for about two days
expenses but not quite enough for a bus trip to Metropolis.  Maybe Jess
could
help.  Reaching for the phone book chained to the small shelf beneath the
phone in the motel lobby, she found her friend's name.  Different address
than she remembered, though.

"Jess.  Hi!  It's Lois."  A very long pause.  "Jessica?"

"Lois Lane?"  The voice on the other end of the line was shaky, higher
pitched than normal.

"Yeah.  Look, I'm in San Francisco and I was wondering if we could get
together."

"Omigawd!  Lois, they said you were dead.  That car crash...  Lois... "

"I'm not dead, Jess.  But I need a place to stay for a couple of days until
I
can get back to Metropolis."

"I can't believe it!  Lois!  You're okay?  You're really here?  Lois... you
have to come over here.  Where are you?  Look, I've moved.  I'll come and
get
you.  Where are you?"

Lois broke into her friend's tumble of words. "I'm at a motel downtown --
the
Carlington.  I can get a bus to your place."

"No, no.  That'll take forever.  I'll come get you.  Just don't move!  I'll
be there in twenty minutes."

*****

Lois dropped her shabby backpack on the satin hardwood floor of her friend's
loft and looked around her in surprise.  Tall windows which framed San
Francisco's grey sky dominated one wall, letting the vista of city and ocean
fill the room.  Floor to ceiling shelves laden with electronic components,
books stored at haphazard angles, and miscellaneous clutter, lined one wall
in front of which stood a thick mahogany slab mounted on iron construction
supports to form a desk.  On it was the latest, or what Lois thought might
be
the latest, in computer equipment.  The far end of the room sheltered a baby
grand piano while a couple of very good abstract paintings slashed the wall
behind it with vivid color.  The room was like Jess, both simple and
cluttered.  What was new was the level of affluence suggested by it all.

Lois grinned at her friend.  "So what lottery did you win, Jess?"

"The great internet sweepstakes, Lois.  I registered a few web domains which
turned out to be worth big bucks and then my stock options in Optera
Graphics
shot up.  I sold out, and here I am, a millionaire at thirty."  Jess smiled
as she gestured toward the wall of electronics.  "So now I play."

Impressed, Lois eyed the huge mahogany desk that supported Jess's computer.
"Looks like NASA control centre."

"Beautiful, isn't it."  Jess sighed with satisfaction as she picked up
Lois's
backpack and the duffel bag which she had also brought, and carried them
toward a door across the room.  As she deposited them on a low bench by the
side of the bed in the small guest room she said, "So where's the rest of
your stuff?"

"This is it, Jess."  Lois' eyes lit with mischief.  "Here I am, broke at
thirty."

The smile vanished from Jess's face and she hugged her friend.  "I'm so glad
you're alive, Lois. So glad."

"Me, too, Jess.  It was time to come home."

As the two women separated, it was Jess who spoke first.  "Okay, now I want
to know everything.  And most of all I want to know why you didn't come
back.
 Why, Lois?"  She searched her friend's face curiously.  "The last note I
got
from you, I got the feeling that things were pretty okay."

Lois sank into the chair in the corner of the spartan room while Jess
dropped
onto the bed, sitting crosslegged watching her friend as she waited for an
answer.  "I'm not sure I can really explain it.  A lot of things, I guess."
Lois shrugged her shoulders.  "There just wasn't anything much to come home
to and all at once it seemed such a relief not to have to come home."

"What about Claude?"

"Yeah, Claude," Lois paused before continuing, "I sure can pick 'em."

"And your mom and Lucy?"

Lois sighed and lowered her eyes, gazing at the fingers of her hands which
she had spread open.  "I need to see them again," she said slowly.

The room was silent for a moment as Lois was reluctant to continue and Jess
was unwilling to push her friend.  Unwinding her legs, she rose from the bed
and walked to the doorway.  "How about I make us some lunch and you can give
me all the details.  What happened in the Congo for a start."

******

Early the next evening, Jess and Lois swapped a quick hug at the airport and
then Lois was on her way back to Metropolis, wedged into an economy seat of
Fly By Night Airways beside a guy who was at least six feet four and built
like a tackle for the Buffalo Bills.  Carefully, she sipped some juice as
she
attempted to browse the latest edition of the Daily Planet without knocking
over Joe Tackle's coffee.  Giving up, she refolded the paper and limited
herself to the front page.

Again, one of the questions which had been on her mind since her decision to
come home, resurfaced.  How difficult would it be to get her old job back?
If she approached the new owner with a good solid story, she should have a
chance.  And she had already decided what that story would be.  She shuffled
the Planet under the copy of the Star which she had also picked up before
disembarking. Thoughtfully, she looked at a picture of Superman splashed
across its front page.  Okay, find the story there.  What was the real story
behind the Superman facade?

Last night, Jess had given her more to think about as they had moved onto
the
topic of Superman.  Lois had always regarded anyone who believed in UFO's as
one step removed from those people who dropped out and emptied their brains,
only to refill them with the mystical babble of some fuzzy cult leader.
Jess
had always been on the other end of that scale, always the skeptic.  The
basis of their friendship, in fact, Lois thought with a smile.

But Jess had become interested in UFO sightings, most of which she had
rejected as either hoaxes or delusions.  What intrigued her were the few she
couldn't explain, and she wondered how Superman might fit into all this.
And
she had no doubt that he could fly.

But Lois was more doubtful.  Maybe this guy was not an alien and perhaps he
was not fully human either, but instead was the product of some
bioengineering lab.  Private corporation or government, she'd wondered.
Jess
agreed Lois could have a point -- for a so called open society, the
government did seem to have a lot of secrets.

Given that Clark Kent was Superman, maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to
try to get her old job back at the Planet immediately, Lois thought as she
gazed out at the clouds through which the plane was climbing.  What she
would
like to do was to thoroughly check out Kent's background, watch him for a
few
days from a distance.  Tail him.  See what that told her about *him*.  She'd
always hated it when she'd been fooled by anyone.  And she hated it when
anyone tried to pull that kind of stunt on others. But what if she did prove
that "S" was really just a high tech marketing ploy?  Maybe, in fact, an
android?  James Olson had made his fortune in computers.  The "S" idea was
probably his.  So why would Olsen give her back her old job if she exposed
his mascot?  It would be like unmasking the guy who played Mickey at Disney
World in front of a street full of kids.  Not too bright.  But what if James
Olsen was not the mastermind, but a dupe?  Then it was absolutely her duty
to
defrock this caped guy.

Above all, Lois was convinced that this story was important, no matter what
she did find out.  More important than getting her job back at the Planet.
And she had loved working at the Planet, loved what the paper stood for.
Truth.  She had always believed it and Perry White had drilled her in it,
putting her through a journalist's basic training.  If only Perry were still
editor of the Planet.  Well, she would contact him when she got back.

Okay.  First thing, she had to get a job, whether at the Planet or not.
She'd borrowed money from Jess whom she wanted to repay as soon as possible.
She began thinking about her former financial life.  Did she still have a
bank account?  Not that there had been much money in it.  Credit cards?  As
the plane gained altitude and settled into its course, she found herself
succumbing to drowsiness.  She and Jess had stayed up late, talking well
past
midnight.  She could use some sleep.

*****

The next morning Lois Lane swung her backpack off the bus she'd taken from
the airport and hit the streets of Metropolis.  She grinned; she was home
and
it felt right.  She looked around for a phone booth to make that first call
which would reintegrate her into her old life.

She should have known it wouldn't be that easy.  No Lucy Lane was listed in
the Metropolis phone book.  That didn't surprise Lois too much, given Lucy's
marriage plans.  No listing under her fiance's, her husband's, Lois mentally
corrected herself, surname either.  Maybe Lucy had an unlisted number.  Lois
tried calling her mother's number, but it was no longer in service and she
was not listed in the directory either.  Lois felt a surge of
disappointment,
then bit the bullet and tried her father's number.  That one she didn't know
by heart but had to look up.

She got his answering machine and she left her message.  "Hi, Daddy. It's
me,
Lois."  She paused, trying to figure out what to say next to a man who'd had
little time for her, and whom she'd tried so very hard to please, and then
finally stopped trying to please.  "I've been away for awhile and I just got
back in town.  I'll call tonight."

Shivering, Lois stepped away from the phone kiosk, buttoning her thin jacket
against the biting January wind.  Her walk to the Daily Planet took her
through a grimy back street, past a couple of porn shops, a boarded up
business with its windows broken and hateful obscenities sprayed in
blood-red
letters across its facade, and then across a street with enough potholes to
challenge the best of drivers.  Next, she crossed into a wider main street,
noting with dismay more homeless huddled into door frames than when she had
left.  The greyness of the day did little to relieve her impression that the
deterioration of her city had accelerated over the last few years.  She
hoped
Perry's incumbency as mayor would change things but clearly he hadn't held
office long enough to make a difference.  As this thought crossed through
her
mind, she instinctively ducked around two angry men who were yelling at each
other, concerned their rage was about to erupt into violence at any moment.
It did.

The streets didn't change much in appearance as she continued her walk.  As
she got closer to the Planet, she thought the businesses seemed more
respectable until she looked in the window of one up scale shop and noted
the
tasteful display of designer guns.  As she peered through the glass, she
caught sight of a salesman reaching for one of the tiny guns and then
holding
it up so the light caught its enamelled handle while a sleekly groomed woman
inspected it.  Turning away, Lois continued her journey, noting as she
passed
by a construction site, that at least here, the streets were getting some
attention.  So was she -- two of the workers took the time to offer to
improve her sex life for her.  Well, some things hadn't changed.

Chilled from the cold, she was grateful when she reached the Planet.  For
the
second time since getting off the plane at Metropolis International Airport,
she felt she was home.  She grinned at her reflection in the glass door as
she pushed her way into the front lobby.  Next stop, the personnel office of
the Daily Planet.  Eagerly pressing the button for the seventh floor of the
Planet building, she felt the excitement mount in her stomach.  It was great
to be back.  This was were she belonged.  The  elevator doors opened way too
slowly for her state of mind and she had to hold herself back for a moment.
Then she was in the hall of the seventh floor, striding towards the door
marked 'PERSONNEL'.

Once inside, she looked around, noting that there were fewer staff than four
years ago.  Computers, she supposed.  No one there she recognized.  Three
women, all younger than she was.  How did that happen?  The first one looked
at her politely and then gave her the once over.  For the first time, Lois
was aware that she had rushed here in such enthusiasm that she had forgotten
about how she looked.  Jeans, an old jacket, and a nondescript backpack
didn't cut it when you were looking for a job.  Neat and clean made less
than
a bottom line statement.

Ah well, her name should make a difference.  It didn't.  The very pretty and
obsessively groomed woman to whom she'd been talking smiled at her and said
that she was sorry but she'd never heard of Lois Lane.  Quickly her fingers
tapped Lois's name onto her keyboard but no information came up on her
screen.

"We have no record of your being on the Planet's staff, Ms. Lane.  Which
department did you say you were in?  I'll try again."

"News!  I was... am a reporter.  Perry White was my editor."

The young woman smiled kindly. "Mr. White's the Mayor of Metropolis."

"I know."  She waited while the personnel officer finished inputting her
name
and department, watching in dismay as the screen again flashed no
information.  Lois' voice now was tinged with a little impatience.  "Look,
your records are wrong."

The woman bristled.  "Our records were updated and reorganized two years ago
when Mr. Olsen took over.  They are not wrong.  I oversaw the procedure
myself," she said with some pride.  "Look, what are you trying to pull?"

The rising tone of her voice triggered the attention of one of the other
women who rose and walked briskly to her colleague's desk.  "Is there a
problem here?"

"This person claims she used to work for the Planet but her name's not in my
data bank."

"My name is Lois Lane. I worked for the Planet four years ago."

The second woman smiled politely.  "I see.  I don't recognize your name but,
of course, I never read the Planet before I came here from Los Angeles.  I
guess you were just starting out then.  If you're looking for a statement of
your employment at the Planet, go down to Records.  We only keep data for a
three year period before outsourcing it."  She smiled helpfully at Lois
Lane,
former star reporter of the Daily Planet.

The younger of the two women's eyes lit up.  "Hey, you must have known
Claude
Kendal when he was here.  What's he like?"

"Claude Kendal!"  Lois mentally counted to ten as she pulled her frayed
composure back into line.  "Look, I'd like to work again for the Planet."

"Oh, you want a job.  Why didn't you say so?  Let me have your resume and
I'll send it across to Allison."  She gestured in the direction of the third
occupant of the office, a well dressed woman absorbed in a phone
conversation
at the far end of the office.  Lois wondered briefly why there were so many
desks in the room if only three people worked here.  Maybe everyone was on a
coffee break.

Resume?  "I, uh, don't have it with me.  Look, could I speak to Mrs.
Franconi?"

"Who?"

"Linda Franconi.  Your manager."

"Oh, yeah, she retired just before we reorganized the department."

Lois sighed impatiently. "Well could I speak to the new manager, please?"

"You are speaking to her," the second women said coldly.  "Ms. Lane, I
suggest that if you're serious about being rehired by the Planet you submit
your resume.  Now, if you'll excuse us..."  She turned and walked back to
her
desk.

The younger woman said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Lane.  We get a lot of applicants
for
jobs here and they're not doing much hiring right now.  Budget.  You know.
Anyway, good luck."  She turned to face her computer screen.

Lois turned on her heel, annoyed and angry, regretting her decision not to
go
to the newsroom first.  Just because I didn't recognize any names on the
masthead, that doesn't mean there isn't someone there who knows me, she
thought as she quickly clattered down the back stairs to the newsroom a
couple of floors beneath her.

A few minutes later, she entered the newsroom, slipping in by a door off to
the side, wanting first to see who was there, who she knew.  No one.  There
was no one there she knew!  Trying to reassure herself, she recalled that
many of the staff would be elsewhere, anyway, covering stories, doing
interviews, or meeting sources.  Her eyes swept the room appraisingly,
taking
in the changes made during her absence.  It all seemed more high tech, with
utilitarian furniture that looked like it had been bought from a
Scandinavian
fast furniture outlet -- sleek, laminated and replaceable.  But the layout
was much the same.  Her eyes came to rest at what had been her old desk.  At
least the desk was still there.  That was a good sign.

The door to Perry White's office opened and an expensively tailored man of
about twenty-five stepped out into the newsroom, his pleasant good looks
exuding confidence and efficiency.  James Olsen, she thought.  Then she
noticed the man behind him.  Taller, glasses which he was adjusting on the
bridge of his nose, dark haired.  Well dressed, too.  Must have established
a
dress code while I was gone, Lois thought.  Her heart accelerated for a few
seconds as she realized that she was looking at Clark Kent.  Instinctively,
she stepped back into the shadows cast by the broad leaves of the tall
plants
which demarcated the staff lounge area from the front lines.  She wanted to
watch, undetected, to see *him*, how he acted.

He looked liked a man -- all the parts of a man; although it was hard to
tell
for sure, given the sculpted tailoring of his suit.  Suits could hide a lot
and make a man look either more or less than he really was.  She liked the
way he moved, with an easy, natural grace.  Couldn't be an android.  Were
they that good?  Nice shoulders.  He had reached her old desk and he sat
down.  My desk!  He's taken my desk!  Her adrenaline level shot up for a
moment.  Then he removed his suit jacket and slung it over the back of his
chair and she was distracted again.  Ah, nice waist, too, and... the android
theory was losing credibility.  Surely an android wouldn't move that
smoothly, she thought as she watched him stretch for a pencil on the far
side
of the desk, noting with surprise that he pulled it from a very familiar
mug,
the one she'd be given in Ireland as an exchange student, the one she kept
her random, mostly borrowed, pen collection in.  He's stolen my mug!  The
android theory resurfaced.  The man has no personality; he can't even select
his own pencil mug.  They can do the body but not the soul, she thought
smugly.

Abruptly, he turned and looked her way and she panicked.  I don't want him
to
see me, not until I figure him out more, she thought.  His right hand
touched
the frame of his glasses, pulling them down along the bridge of his nose and
then he stopped.  A woman with long brown hair had approached his desk and
Clark swiveled to give her his attention, smiling at her and accepting a
file
from her.  "Thanks, Sara," she heard him say.

Lois took advantage of the moment to make good her escape.  Had he somehow
sensed that she had been watching him?  How could he do that?  Preoccupied
by
that thought, she didn't notice the brawny man in his late thirties whom she
bumped into in the hall.  This man, too, had been watching the newsroom.

* * *

end, part 3
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 16:10:08 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 4
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Connections, part 4

When Sara left, Clark turned back again to stare again at the staff lounge,
at the spot which had somehow alerted his senses.  He had felt like he was
being watched, not in the usual way of being noticed, but watched, observed.
Somehow, people have a sixth sense when they're being watched.  And somehow
he was sure he detected a range of emotions coming from that direction.
That's what he'd picked up on, the emotions.  He'd been about to use his
X-ray vision when Sara had interrupted him.  He didn't know if he was glad
or
sorry; he made a point of never using his unusual abilities when there was
no
emergency to deal with, so that the people he lived with, make that worked
with, he thought wryly, would stop thinking of him as being "different".
Still, he was sure there had been someone there, he thought, as he walked
over to the lounge area.  No one.  Must have imagined it.  But he had felt
the presence of whomever had been there so strongly.  Ya gotta get a life,
Kent, he chided himself...

* * *

"Sorry."  Lois' response was automatic as she stepped back quickly from the
thick set man with whom she'd just collided in the hall outside the
newsroom.

"I noticed you standing there.  You were watching him, weren't you?" the man
asked bluntly.

"What?" Lois looked at him more carefully, taking in his ill fitting suit as
well as the sturdiness of his body.  He looked like a nightclub bouncer.

"You were watching the alien.  Why?"

"The alien?"  Lois's eyes flashed in surprise then narrowed.  "Why is that
your concern?"

He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a
leather
wallet.  Flicking it open, he raised it so she could take a good look.

"Jason Trask," she read aloud.  "Special agent, Bureau 39, FBI."  She lifted
her eyes to search his face.  What she saw were small eyes, set impassively
above broad cheekbones.  Something about his demeanor suggested he had a
sense of humor deficit.  And somehow she distrusted him.  "Why are you
interested?" she asked.

"Let's just say the Government is interested, ma'am."

"Why?" she repeated her question. So the government didn't trust this
"superman".  That was interesting.  Perhaps Trask could be useful to her.
She wondered what he knew.  "My name is Lois Lane; I used to work here.
I've
been away for a few years."  She noted the brief flicker in his eyes.  Did
he
recognize her name?  For the first time that day she felt as though she
hadn't imagined her whole past life.  All of a sudden, she decided she could
like this man. Well, nearly like him.

"How about a coffee, Ms. Lane?"  He smiled at her.  "Maybe we could talk
about the alien."

That suited her fine.  She followed him down the stairwell to the next floor
where they picked up the elevator to the main lobby.  Moments later they
were
in a small diner drinking coffee and munching donuts.

"You going back to work at the Planet?"

"I don't think so."  Lois tucked a dark strand of loose hair behind her ear
and avoided his eyes. "There've been a lot of changes since I've been gone."

"So they wouldn't give you your old job back?" he guessed.

"It doesn't look like it."

"That surprises me.  You were a pretty good investigative reporter."  He
concentrated on biting into his jelly filled doughnut.

"I thought so."  She wondered where he was going with all this.

"Why the interest in the alien?"

"Why do you call him an alien?" she countered, still surprised at a grown
man's acceptance of what she had always regarded as lunatic fringe hoaxes.

He grinned at her, humouring her.  "Ms. Lane.  Lois.  The government doesn't
know much about him, except he's not human. That little fact interests us
very much.  We want to know what he's doing here.  And if he's alone."

"Maybe he's not an alien.  Maybe he's just James Olsen's publicity stunt."

"No.  That doesn't fit our profile on Olsen.  Besides the alien really does
those stunts you see on the news.  He can fly and he's got super strength."

"How come you're so sure he's an alien?"  Whenever she heard him use the
term, Lois felt he was speaking in large caps and probably bold type.

"We're sure, Ms. Lane."  Trask's voice was firm.  "What I want to know is
why
you were watching him.  What makes *you* suspicious of him?"

Lois raised her coffee mug to her mouth and took a slow sip.  "I'm just an
interested bystander, Mr.Trask.  I'd just like my old job back."

Trask paused for a moment, as though he was trying to figure something out.
"What happened to you, Ms. Lane?  The reports said you were dead."

Lois shrugged.  "As they say, reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.
I
travelled for a few years, lost touch with Metropolis."

"You could be useful to us, Lois."  He leaned forward across the table. "I
remember you were a top investigative reporter.  Keep an eye on Clark Kent
for us."

"You mean work for the FBI?"  Lois raised her eyebrows in surprise.  Never
in
a million years would she ever have seen herself as a government agent.

"Pay's not bad, and you look like you could use some money."

A persuasive  argument, she had to admit.  And working for Bureau 39 fit in
with her plan to expose Superman anyway; it just wasn't how she'd expected
to
achieve her goal.  And if she could find out something about Bureau 39's
alien file that would be a bonus.  Besides, she was broke and had no idea
where she was going to stay tonight.  She raised her eyes to his.  "Okay,
you're on.  What do I do?"

"Keep an eye on Kent, stick with him but don't get too close.  We don't want
him to think he's got a tail and you look a whole lot less like one than I
do.  It's important he doesn't see you."

"So you guys think he's some kind of threat?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Probably.  You ever hear of outsiders visiting a different civilization and
not trying to take it over?  Think about history, Ms. Lane -- the Chinese
and
the Koreans, the Greeks and the Slavs, the Spanish and the Aztecs, the
Europeans and the Africans.  Why should this guy be any different?"

Caught by his intensity, Lois said, "Okay, Mr.Trask, I'll work for you."

Maybe they would give her a dark suit and sunglasses.  She could use a new
outfit.

* * *

Clark slipped into his Clinton Street apartment late that night.  Or was it
early the next day, he wondered, as he took a quick look at the clock by his
kitchen counter and smiled.  The next day.

He was tired for which he was grateful.  The last twenty-four hours had been
demanding as he'd battled the relentless winds and torrential rains slashing
through the Caribbean.  A freak hurricane had ripped apart the homes of
thousands of people.  He'd done everything he could to rescue those who had
stayed too long in ramshackle homes, raced like a dervish to snatch
fishermen
caught at sea, and finally sped against swollen waters to sandbag small
towns
built too close to a merciless sea.  He hadn't triumphed completely -- even
a
superman couldn't defeat the forces of nature on a rampage, but he felt he'd
made a difference.

Nevertheless, he couldn't escape from the fact that there were people still
reported as missing.  He knew what that meant.  It meant he hadn't been fast
enough.  Like he hadn't been fast enough or strong enough to save his
parents
that night on the icy road home so long ago.  He looked around the darkness
of his empty apartment searching for something, he wasn't sure what.

Opening the door of his fridge, he pulled out a bottle of orange juice and
chugged about half of it.  Carrying the juice, he made his way to the area
which housed his bed just off his kitchen; it wasn't really a separate
bedroom.  He sank onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows.  His eyes
came to rest on the picture of his parents, lost to him when he was ten,
killed in that car accident which he had been powerless to stop.  He'd been
in the car, the only survivor, his life shattered by the random violence of
a
drunk driver on a treacherous road.  He'd saved the picture, even looked at
it a few times over the years, but he had never kept it displayed, open to
his daily view, a constant reminder of what he'd lost that day.  Now he did.

Since his visit to the other Metropolis two months ago, and his brief time
with the Martha and Jonathan Kent of that world, he had found himself going
back, remembering what it had been like to be part of a family.  When Martha
Kent, in that other universe, had enfolded him in her hug, he'd gasped with
both the emotional pain and comfort which he had felt.  The last time he'd
experienced that had been the day before the accident on that slippery road,
two concessions over from the farm.  He'd been in their old farmhouse
kitchen, fooling around, laughing with his mom about the weekend away they
were planning next month to celebrate his eleventh birthday.  He'd said
something, he couldn't remember what, and she'd laughed, impulsively hugging
him as she said, "Oh, Honey!"  And for a moment, in that other world, in
that
Lois' living room, he'd had it back again, the feeling that he belonged,
that
he was connected with people whom he loved and who loved him.

He took another swallow of orange juice and got up from his bed, walking
restlessly over to his phone.  His number was unlisted, a measure he had
turned to after he became "Superman" to give him some privacy.  He'd debated
moving but could never figure out where.  This place had been besieged by
reporters and the curious for a month or so after his big news was out but
gradually they had stopped coming.  After the first week, he'd refused to
talk with any of them.  His comings and goings were unremarkable --- Clark
Kent going to work; Superman, taking off; Clark Kent coming back from work.
Sometimes nothing at all.  Harder had been his decision to turn a deaf ear
to
the pleas of people to solve some personal problem.  At first he had
listened: Can you lend me some money?  Will you endorse my product?  Can you
find me a job?  Can you cure my child?   No, he either wouldn't or couldn't.
But he stuck to his guns; he would not be pushed out of his home.

Home, he thought, as he listened to the voice on his machine tell him he had
no messages.  Well, I live here.  That makes it home.  And the people who
lived in this run down and dangerous neighborhood had come to accept him
once
again as Clark Kent or to ignore him as they had done before.  Mostly they
ignored him.  The tenants in the building seemed to move frequently anyway,
so that there were really only two or three people who seemed as though they
lived there permanently.  He was pretty isolated here.

He suspected one of his neighbors was a petty thief but he wasn't sure.  If
he was, it took some nerve to live in the same building as Superman.  Then
the thought had struck him that that's what he had become -- a flesh and
blood robocop who moonlighted as a one man emergency unit.

He was very tired tonight, but sleep wouldn't come.  He felt desolate,
overwhelmed by the emptiness of his apartment.  And he felt unsettled.  Why?
He should feel good after the work he had done tonight.  There was always
that sense of exhilaration he experienced after saving someone's life, the
awareness that he could make a difference which alone made what he was doing
worthwhile.  But then he came home and there was no one there.

Still, it hadn't been better when he was with Lana.  Always feeling the
frustration of hiding what he was and watching when disaster hit, believing
he could help.  Increasingly, the guilt at his inaction had mounted and he
knew he had directed some of his frustration at Lana for holding him back.

He remembered his father's words to him when he had been so upset after a
close friend had lost the lower part of his leg in a horrific farm accident.
Clark had moped around, both listless and angry at what had happened.  His
dad had finally taken him aside and said, "Son, you can't change what's
happened.  But you can always do something besides watch."  He'd asked what
and his dad had touched his shoulder.  "That I don't know, son.  Only you
know what you can do.  But what you do will make a  difference."  His dad
had
been right.  Clark had got involved in Josh's rehabilitation, going first to
the hospital and then to his home every day as his friend learned once more
to walk.

But in Metropolis he'd allowed himself to become mostly a watcher again.
Hoping that he could build a life with Lana.

No, this was better, but not a whole lot more.  He lay back on his bed and
stared at the ceiling, watching the slow progress of a spider above him, his
spirits finally lifting when the high pitched scream of a siren called him
away.

* * *

Lois Lane began her surveillance and investigation of Clark Kent in earnest
the next day, in between checking ads for apartments.  They all wanted a two
month deposit which was beyond her reach at the moment and there was no one
in Metropolis she felt she could crash with until her first paycheck came
through.  At least Trask had advanced her some expense money.

She still hadn't been able to get in touch with her father and she balked at
going over to his office personally.  Anyway, he probably wasn't working at
the same place as he was four years ago.  Maybe there were other ways of
getting Lucy's new address.  Why didn't people just stay put, she thought
grumpily.  At least stay in the same city or be listed in the phone book.
She called the Mayor's office, too, hoping to talk to Perry White but she
missed him by hours.  He and Mrs. White were off to Mexico City for a one
week conference on "The City-State in the Next Millennium".  He should stay
home and work on *this* city, she thought as she looked at a vandalized
phone
both, its receiverless cord dangling limply beneath its dial pad.

She'd toyed briefly with the idea of showing up on the famous Claude
Kendal's
doorstep and saying he owed her but that could wait.  Wait until she had her
big story and was once again a star reporter for the Planet.  Success would
be the best revenge.  Besides, she wasn't obsessed with Claude the way she
had been as she'd fought her way out of the jungle.  In fact she probably
owed him her life (him and Nkwame, she thought wistfully).  Every day during
that struggle, she'd thought of Claude and that thought had always been
accompanied by "I will survive."  Although sometimes it had been, "I'll get
you for this, Claude Kendal."

So she'd spent last night in a cheap hotel which she realized, after she
checked in, was one which rented rooms by the hour to women who had quick
business to conduct.  Noisy business in rooms with thin walls.

The next morning, she again made use of the public library system to do as
much digging as she could on Superman.  That he'd only been "operable" for
slightly over a year  -- she still hadn't abandoned her android theory which
she found more believable than Trask's spooky alien theory -- made it less
time consuming.  She also liked her "Superman is a marketing device" thesis,
too.  All those Superman exclusives Clark Kent produced for the Planet
backed
that up.  After all, "exclusive" was just a euphemism for "uncorroborated".

There was quite a lot of information on Clark Kent -- where he lived (surely
he'd moved after all this, probably a penthouse high above Metropolis, she
thought), his early life on a Kansas farm (on a Kansas farm???  How
believable was that??), the death of his parents when he was ten (no
surviving relatives, either, which was convenient), his semi-distinguished
life at college where he played football (of course, he played football),
his
world travels, (he'd worked briefly at the Borneo Gazette -- hmm, so had she
but no one there had ever mentioned Clark Kent), the job at the Daily Planet
(*her* job at the Daily Planet), and his engagement to Lana Lang, hometown
girl (pretty but blonde).  Other than that, not much.  Clark Kent didn't
appear to have much of a life -- even his engagement to the bland blonde was
off.  Maybe the engagement had been part of the hoax, too.  She should talk
to Lana Lang.  So, who are you, Clark Kent? she wondered.

She read again the story of his first official appearance in Metropolis.  It
was accompanied by a picture of him, collapsed on the floor, with a woman
who
was bending over him.  She was thin, too thin, Lois thought as she looked
carefully at the picture, dark haired, wearing a white suit.  Her face was
not visible, only the back of her head.  Who was she?  Lois read the article
again and there was no mention of the woman's name, only the caption which
called her "an unidentified woman".  Is she his manager? Lois wondered.  Did
something go wrong with the experiment and he "wound down" so to speak?  The
woman must have some clout if she was able to keep her name out of the
paper.
 She added "Unidentified Woman" to her notes.  She would have to find her.
Maybe Trask had some idea of who this woman was -- no sense in wasting time.
But she would find that woman.

Lois logged off and pushed her chair back.  Before standing up, she flipped
back to the first page of her notebook to check again the address of a one
room apartment available on the east side of Metropolis. She had called
earlier but the manager had been on his way out.  By now, he should be back.
She consulted the city map she'd picked up in the reference section, checked
the address and smiled.  Two blocks east of Clinton Street.  Clearly this
was
a sign -- she was meant to find the real Clark Kent.

A half hour later she was standing before a rundown building not far from
Clinton Street.  It didn't look good, in fact it looked seedy, exuding a
grey
grunginess, but she also didn't have a whole lot of choice at this point --
an apartment hotel would at least give her a place to stay until she got
herself established.  Things were looking up, she thought with a grin as she
gazed at its sign -- The Apollo Hotel.

* * *

end part 4
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 00:09:35 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Story in Progress: Connections - explanation
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Carol wrote:

> This is still a story in progress and it's probably not a good time to
post
> it but I've been working on it since last August when I sent Labrat an
> outline for it which she's probably forgotten. :)  Anyway,  many things
have
> kept me from adding to it since the middle of December and I was hoping
that
> posting it would help me to finish it.  (I've written about 90 pages)

Have not! <g> Been checking the list daily for signs of it, eager to see
what happens next, and hey - look, here it is! <G> Just what I need to round
off my evening. Thanks.

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Sun, 6 Feb 2000 22:14:03 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Terry S. Horowit" <horowit@UMIACS.UMD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000206145526.008ff7e0@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

>"Superman was stuck in an elevator?"
Yes, I know - this is Labrat's "Caped Fear"!!!

>
>Quote 1: "Conscious Choice" by Wendy Richards
>
>Quote 2: "Recognition: The Only Way" by C.C. Malo
>
>Quote 3: "Dagger of the Mind" by Nan Smith
>
>Quote 4: "Heliophobia" by Yvonne Connell
>
>Quote 5: "Coming of Age: by Notrepooh
>
>Quote 6: "Caped Fear" by Labrat (again!)
>
>Quote 7: "Suffer the Little Children" by Jenni Debbage
>
>Quote 8: I know I've read it but can't place it from the quote.

>EXTRACT 8: Shoot, I have read this but just can't place it well enough to
>remember...

Oh well, seven out of eight from the quotes ain't bad!
Terry
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 05:09:19 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

s
p
o
e
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

>>>Special extra-credit to anyone who can name #6 from this quote alone,
>>>without checking the "official" quote and excerpt:

"Superman was stuck in an elevator?"<<<

Oh!  This is Lois talking, there was that dog that looks like the one from
_L’Etranger_, and a man with a gun…   huh.  I’m stuck.  Lemme go browse my
list of stories… okay, it might be… Got it!  LabRat’s "Caped Fear"

and from the "official" quotes, checking my answer on only one:
1. Wendy Richards "Conscious Choice"
2. CCMalo "Recognition: The Only Way"
3. Nan Smith "Dagger’s Edge"
4. Yvonne Connell "Heliophobia"
5. Notrepooh "Coming of Age"
7. Jenni Debbage "Suffer the Little Children"
8. I have no idea

so on to the excerpt for #8
8. Kathy Brown "Fatal Attraction" I had to look up title and author, but
recognized the story as one from S6 before I got to the part about Laura,
which is a good give-away.

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 06:45:36 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Fanfic questions
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hey guys!

Need a couple of answers from our American friends, thanks.

In the US what would a police unit dealing with spousal abuse be called?

And (VCR still on the fritz), in Madame Ex, were we ever told the name of
Lois' double? I have a feeling I've seen her named in previous fic, but I'm
pretty sure that was the author's invention.

Had another one, but darned if I can remember what it is. <G> Ah well.

Thanks again!

LabRat :)

LabRat :)
Doc. Klein's LabRat
labrat@starlabs.fsnet.co.uk

"A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known,
then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognised." -- Fred Allen

"Fame is being asked to sign your autograph on the back of a cigarette
packet." -- Billy Connolly.
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 08:28:06 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Kaethel <kaethel@CLUB-INTERNET.FR>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Wow, Labby's already at work at this time of the day :) Okay, for your
question about Lois' double in Madame Ex, I quickly checked the tape, but I
didn't find any name. There was no name on the patient file that Lois and
Clark found in the office of the doctor who had made the operation...
anyway, I don't think there was any name given so you might as well make it
up ;)

Take care :)

Hélène :)
------------------------------------------------------
Kaethel on irc / Kaethel79  on AIM
kaethel@club-internet.fr
"Clark, you have a little... schmutz on your... S"
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 02:29:41 -0500
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: New-7 Days of Superman Part 4 of ?
In-Reply-To:  <20000203200006.25986.qmail@web216.mail.yahoo.com>
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James,

Another strong post, and I like the tweaking. I will only mention that by
naming Clinton, you are effectively "dating" your story. Many people don't
mind this, of course, and you might be one of them. :)

I'm looking forward to the Tempi conversation -- and beyond to where we
haven't gotten yet!

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 02:30:04 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 1
In-Reply-To:  <6.1c8b28b.25cf3ceb@aol.com>
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Carol,

It's such a pleasure to see this story surfacing again! I remember when you
first posted it -- the laugh I got when I finally identified the "WWF
wrestler." How marvellous to hear that so much of it has already been
written!

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

(I've got to get a macro to do that for me...)

The idea of pairing Lois and *Trask* is a chilling one. Whoa! Ms.
Skepticism with Mr. Paranoia -- you like angst, don't you? :) I was
expecting Trask to apply a bit of governmental pressure to get James to
hire Lois -- that would be the best way to keep tabs on the "alien" -- but
the idea of Lois sneaking around Clark's life sounds even more intriguing!

My heart went out to her at the "out of sight, out of mind" of the DP
employees. One question though: it seems to be generally accepted that the
Congo incident took place some six months before Clark showed up at the DP.
I find it hard to believe that Lois developed her reputation -- *and* her
Kerths -- in only half a year. Yet you portray Lois as -- well, not quite a
second-stringer, but certainly a novice at the time of the Congo incident,
someone without much of a reputation and no real expectation of being
rehired on her name. How did she get from your point A to the point B of
the pilot episode? Of course, I might be wrong about the time frame -- it
could be fanfic myth, much like "CJ" or "Jon" for Clark's eldest son. :)

BTW, I liked Jess. It takes a *good* author to flesh out a "throwaway"
character like that, someone who won't appear again in the story -- or will
she? 90 pages written already, huh...?

<happy sigh>

Oh, this is going to be fun!

Hazel

(who is getting all her posts done this morning)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 02:30:09 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.6.32.20000206145526.008ff7e0@actcom.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Here are the answers to the Best Dramatic story:

Story 1: A Conscious Choice, by Wendy Richards
Story 2: Recognition: The Only Way, by C.C. Malo
Story 3: Dagger of the Mind, by Nan Smith
Story 4: Heliophobia, by Yvonne Connell
Story 5: Coming of Age, but Notrepooh
Story 6: Caped Fear, by Labrat
Story 7: Suffer the Little Children, by Jenni Debbage
Story 8: Fatal Attraction, by Kathy Brown

Pam gets 9.5 points: four quotes, one excerpt, and Jenni's name. ;) Enjoy
rereading Carol's story, Pam!

Guy or Leslie (sorry, I don't know which!) gets -- I think -- six points
for six excerpts. One story was marked "from the extract" instead of the
"from the excerpt," but I'm not sure what that means. :(

Wendy scores an amazing sixteen points: seven quotes, one excerpt, and
extra credit for recognizing "Superman was stuck in an elevator?" :D

Felix gets twelve points: five quotes and two excerpts. Go read "Caped
Fear," Felix. And start quick, because it weighs in at nearly a meg!

Helene gets five points: two quotes plus the extra credit for recognizing
Labrat's utterly classic line. ;)

Alicia gets 8.5 points: three quotes, two excerpts, and, like Pam, she
recognized Jenni's signature style (sorry for the pun!) in the children's
names.

Yael gets one point for one excerpt.

Terry gives a very strong showing with fifteen points: seven quotes, plus
extra credit. See, Labrat, I'm not the only one who liked it so much!

Dia, who seems to know fanfic better than some of the authors, ties for
first together with Wendy with sixteen points: seven quotes, one excerpt,
and the extra credit. Loved the thought processes there in remembering it.

Nine respondents! Is this a record, Wendy?

Wendy and Dia both get only one point below maximum, sharing the first
place spot. Well done, you two! Terry places a very close second with
fifteen. :)

Glad you liked the tribute, Labrat. I can send over a pencil with a
chocolate flavored eraser for you to chew on in your cage at STAR Labs if
it'll make your next archive-able story come out any quicker! :) :)

Over to you, Wendy...

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:57:46 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

For the UK FOLCs (especially Phil, given this category
<g>), who have a chance to get in early with their answers,
here is the Best Villain quiz. Again, there are quotes and
extracts; two points for a correct answer from the quote
and one point if it's from the extract.

Disclaimer: as before, these are a selection of eligible
stories in this category, and their presence in this quiz
is neither a comment on their suitability for nomination or
the suitability or otherwise of any stories *not* included
here.

Good luck, and remember the spoiler space!

Wendy
----------------------
Quote 1:
"Lex Luthor is dead.  You're nothing but a cheap copy."

Quote 2:
"I wondered what rat-hole you'd crawled into after Lex
Luthor fell from grace - literally."

Quote 3:
I saw you the other night when you flew off with Superman.
And when you came back.  I heard you call him Dad!!"

Quote 4:
"That is," Clark said,  "assuming that the three-headed
snake-men from Andromeda don't land  tomorrow, with the
express purpose of breaking up our wedding."

Quote 5:
'And so it begins,' he thought, steeping over to the
"telescope". 'Your death awaits, Mr Kent.

Quote 6:
"You are becoming far too much of a nuisance, Miss Lane.
You really should have died four years ago, you know; it
would have saved all of us so much trouble."

Quote 7:
"LOIS!  We are not doing this for the sake of a headline!"

Quote 8:
"Superman has his own life to lead, and I have mine, with
my wife Lois Lane."

Extract 1:
She dug in the bottom drawer of her desk for a moment,
muttering under her breath about interfering busybodies, a
description which she knew underneath didn't really fit
Jimmy at all; but just now it seemed as if that whole lousy
incident was being dragged back to haunt her.  Finally, she
turned up one, lone double fudge crunch bar and ripped the
wrapping off of it with vengeful fingers.  A huge bite of
the inoffensive candy bar made her feel better, however,
and she finished the chocolate with unladylike speed.

She was wiping her fingers on a tissue when the phone rang.
Hurriedly, she dropped the chocolate-smeared item into the
trash can and picked up the receiver.  "Lois Lane."

There was no answer.  Like the call last night, there was
complete silence on the line.  Lois frowned.  "Hello?"

No answer; then suddenly there was sound, as if someone had
released the mute button.

"Hello?" Lois said, again.

"Lois?"  The word was whispered.  Just the one word.  Then,
as suddenly, she was listening to a dial tone.  The caller
had hung up.

Extract 2:
Superman slowly turn his head back to face Nigel. He spoke,
in a rough, harsh tone which surprised Lois.

"Kill me - or leave me to die - if you must, St John. But
let Lois Lane go! She's done you no harm, and she did Lex
Luthor no harm either." He paused, breathing heavily, then
added, "Luthor loved her enough to want to marry her - do
you think he would have wanted this?"

Nigel laughed aloud, an incongruous sound in their
surroundings. "Love! You really believe Lex Luthor *loved*
that woman?" He snorted, a sound somewhere between
amusement and disgust.

Lois turned to face Superman. "Luthor wasn't in love with
me, Superman. He just saw me as a challenge and wanted to
possess me. And Nigel was jealous of Lex's interest in me,
so it's no use appealing to his good nature on that score."
She tossed her head. "Not that he has one, of course."

"Enough of this chit-chat; fascinating though it is, it is
getting late," Nigel drawled, then gestured towards the
open manhole again. "If you wouldn't mind..."

Extract 3:
The alarm bells of approaching fire and accident tenders
jangled the now still air and warned those few witnesses
who were now venturing out from the surrounding houses that
the city's help was now at hand.  Aware of how much damage
well-meaning but untrained rescuers could unwittingly
commit, Superman was forced to take time out to relate his
intentions to the four cops who thankfully obeyed his
dictates without question.  Two of the officers strode away
purposely to cordon off the area and hold back any
over-eager private citizens until such time as they could
be properly organized by the emergency services and their
efforts channelled into worthwhile actions.  Then,
accompanied by the other pair of uniformed police he flew a
few feet above the structure towards the place from where
he had heard his son's cry, telling the men that he had
heard voices and that his x-ray vision had revealed the
forms of three children who appeared to be alive but in an
extremely dangerous location.  If, way back in his
subconscious a nagging small voice questioned his ethics in
rescuing his own offspring first, he paid absolutely no
attention, reasoning that any normal man would do the same.
Besides, his little tornado would kill him if he allowed
their children to die.  Then too, these three were in a
position to be saved, a circumstance that he was not
certain applied to the others buried deeper at the centre
of the explosion.

Carefully lifting the chunks of shattered building from the
mound that encased the kids, he worked as swiftly as he
dared, all the while sending hushed comforting messages to
Joel.

Extract 4:
Lois's computer was on.  It  was possible she'd had Jimmy
get her a map of the way.  If his memories  were right,
Jimmy was into computers.  It seemed logical.

He tapped  a key on the computer and after a second the
screen saver disappeared, and a map  was displayed.  Thank
God they'd been in too much of a hurry to close the  thing
down!  He studied it for a moment until he was sure he
could find the  place, then grabbed his shoes and headed
down the stairs.

It wasn't until  he'd gotten out on the sidewalk that he
began to wonder how he was going to  follow.  Flying seemed
a little problematical at the moment, but the  difficulty
was resolved a moment later.  Lois's Jeep was parked across
the  street where they had left it a couple of hours ago.

For a moment he  hesitated.  Could his reasoning have been
wrong?  Surely Lois would  have taken the Jeep if she were
going to drive out of Metropolis.  Then he  backtracked.
If this place was as rural as they suspected, he couldn't
see  Lois risking her precious Jeep on possibly unpaved
roads. Most likely they had  taken Jimmy's car.

He reached into his pocket and removed the spare  key.  A
moment later he had pulled out onto the street and was
headed  north.

Extract 5:
He was wrong. It took a little searching, but there were
the codes he needed. He  recognised the handwriting and
smiled unpleasantly. 'Well done, Nigel. Efficient  as
always. What a shame your loyalty didn't match your
competence....'

Of course, since Nigel had been dead for... oh, four years
now, there was always  the possibility that his information
was obsolete. That could be a problem...  but it wasn't;
the bank's system accepted the codes with no hesitation. In
fact,  Luthor was astonished at the level of access that he
had; he made a mental note to get LexTronics and IT to put
in a bid to replace this antiquated, ridiculously insecure
system -- if, that is, either division still existed in the
future.

Meantime, having such a high level of access made tracing
the e-mail message to the White House simple enough. Once
again, an obscure e-mail account that normally saw almost
no traffic had been suborned to forward on the LIBerator
command file. And it was the work of but a few seconds to
find where the file had been sent from, to uncover the next
link in this chain of deceit; Luthor sat back with a small
smile of satisfaction as the origin of the incoming message
was revealed as....

...*daily-planet.metropolis.com?!?*

'Oh, my God....'

KENT!

Extract 6:
The Asian again made an impatient gesture. "You do not tell
us what is and what is not important! You failed in your
task - and we do not employ failures!"

"What? Oh, come on - she's back working at the Planet,
it'll be no problem to booby-trap her car or something.
Give me twenty-four hours - two days at the most, and I
promise you she'll be no further danger to anyone." The
wiry man appeared to realise that he himself was in danger
in this situation, and his voice grew more high-pitched and
urgent.

"Failures do not get a second chance."

The first man, realising his fate, turned and made a
frantic, hopeless attempt to flee. He had only taken three
running strides when his body jerked, contorted, and fell
to the ground, dust flying upwards as he landed. His arms
were outflung and his eyes, sightless, faced the roof as
his assassin strolled to his side. Blood was pooling around
the dead man's head as his killer carefully placed the
small revolver, silencer still attached, by his side. Only
then were the gloves the Asian had worn throughout visible
in the ray of dull light from a street-lamp which
penetrated through a small, very dirty window high up in
the wall of the warehouse.

"Time to leave, Asabi," the previously silent witness
commented, in a smooth cultured voice. An observer might
have thought that he was simply suggesting a trip to the
theatre.

Extract 7:
"The boy told you his name is Kent.  That's quite a
well-known name in my home city especially if it is
associated with the name Lane."

The viscount searched his memory for all he had learned of
Metropolis, the chosen home of Superman, and the reporting
team of Lane and Kent came to the forefront of his mind.
They were the two reporters who were the recipients of so
many Superman exclusives and, even more importantly, were
considered to be the hero's closest human friends.  It
would certainly be a stroke of good fortune and an
indication of the correctness of his cause, if such a lever
as Superman's 'almost' family dropped into his lap.  And
watching the looks of consternation that crossed the two
young faces, he knew that Klein's supposition was right.

"Now that we have been properly introduced," he addressed
the children in silky tones, "welcome to my home."

The old man's self-satisfied smile gave Joel the unpleasant
sensation of a fly being caught in a spider's web.  The
threat of a quick death for himself and his sister seemed
to have receded for the moment but he sensed that whatever
replaced it would not be agreeable.  The 'spider' continued
speaking.

"Superman will not contemplate the deaths of his favourite
children. He will most certainly agree to our demands in
order to save these two. Roger, inject them with the
poison."

Extract 8:

She slumped down on the sofa, still holding the phone. She
couldn't believe that Tempus had deliberately arranged the
crash, put innocent people in danger, just to pursue his
own warped plans. She had come across some cold-hearted
criminals in her career as a journalist, but this man was
truly amoral. Lex was ruthless and cruel, but at least he
could display love, even if it was only a twisted,
misguided love. Tempus didn't care about anyone but
himself, had no passion, no interests other than the
destruction of Utopia. His only weakness was his arrogance
and the sometimes over-elaborate nature of his plans. They
would get him, she thought, they would stop him this time,
but then would he reappear again...and again? Always there
in the background, ready to attack their way of living.

And now she had to put Clark back together again. She would
always do her best for him, but she was running short of
energy herself. The constant battle with the media, the
strain of maintaining an outward shell of tough capability,
having to come up with more and more imaginative ways of
keeping their secret, were all taking their toll on her,
and she wasn't sure how much longer she could carry on like
this. Something had to give, something had to go their way.

The phone in her hand rang, and she answered furiously.

"Tempus, you sick bastard! If you're ringing to gloat-"

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 05:56:41 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
In-Reply-To:  <SIMEON.10002070946.D@hrm17.hrm.keele.ac.uk>
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Wendy wrote:
>For the UK FOLCs (especially Phil, given this category
><g>), who have a chance to get in early with their answers,
>here is the Best Villain quiz.

Hey, it's even later in the day for me! And for the Aussie crowd, it's
early evening...

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Hm. I don't think I'm going to do that well at this...

Excerpt 1, even though I finally realized it from the quote: Nan's
"Doppleganger"

Excerpt 2: Wendy's "Ordinary Man"

Quote 3: Jenni's "Suffer the Little Children." Y'know, making up my own
quizzes does help me with this. :)

Excerpt 4: Nan's "Dagger's Edge," part 2 of her Dagger tril

Quote 5: Heh heh... Phil(e)'s "Preparations," and I am sooo disappointed
you didn't use the other quote from STMA. ;)

Excerpt 6: Er. I have to think about this one. Clearly an alt-ep, and I
thought I was up on all of those... Oh! I should've known: two Jenni
stories, two Nan stories, so naturally there would be two Wendy stories! :)
"Strange Visitor from the Congo."

Excerpt 7: Another Jenni story, the one that first introduces Julian...
um... <rummages through hard drive> ah! Here we are! "The Master Race."

Excerpt 8: Yvonne's "Fear of Discovery" -- the first one! We all adored the
second part so much we forget how good this one was too...

Not too bad, I spose. Good quotes, even if I didn't get most of them.

Hazel
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 05:33:26 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Well, Wendy, I hope we get bonus points for putting in
spoiler space because I'm going to need them!

I know I've read all these stories but for the life of
me, I can't remember too many of them.

These guesses are all from the excerpts rather than
the quotes.

#2 An Ordinary Man by Wendy Richards (One of my
favourite!)

#3 Suffer the Little Children by Jenni Debbage

#5 One of the early season 6 stories Strained
Relations, maybe? by Pam Jernigan

#7 The Master Race by Jenni Debbage

Irene

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
__________________________________________________
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=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 08:36:59 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Felix E. Sung" <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions

On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 06:45:36 -0000, LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
wrote:

>And (VCR still on the fritz), in Madame Ex, were we ever told the name of
>Lois' double? I have a feeling I've seen her named in previous fic, but I'm
>pretty sure that was the author's invention.

In "The (Mis)conception," I named her Lauren Loxley.  The double's name
wasn't mentioned when I had checked the tape.

Felix

--
Felix E. Sung
fsung@justice.loyola.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:43:10 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Hmm, villians... and Wendy, those of us on this side of the Atlantic who
stay home with our kids have a head start, too :)

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

Q1:  Doppleganger, by Nan Smith (?)
Q2:  okay, I don't know this...
Q3:  nope, don't know it
Q4:  LOL - but I still don't know it (this is getting pathetic!)
Q5:  This is S6, by Phil AtcliffE, the only question is whether it's
from "Preparations" or from "Stronger Than Me Alone"  (and the official
version doesn't say "steeping" does it?  I'll have to check my
copies...)
Q6:  Okay, obviously I don't read villain stories much...
Q7:  I'm starting to think I don't read many stories at all...
Q8:  I'm so pathetic.

Will I do any better with extracts?  Somehow I doubt it...

E2:  Ah, a manhole!  Must be by Wendy Richards, what's the title... An
Ordinary Man, that's it (had to look it up)
E3:  Must be Jenni Debbage, I recognized Joel <g>
E4:  Is this one of Nan's Dagger series?
E5:  Okay, this was Preparations, definitely.
E6:  Strange Visitor from the Congo, by Wendy
E7:  Another one by Jenni, I expect...
E8:  still don't know this :(

Well, I did better than I thought... <g>  Still not good enough of
course, but that's what I get for not reading long dramas...

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Not only was Ivan an idiot, but he generated a
telepathic damping field to turn the people nearby
into idiots, too."
--An exasperated Miles contemplates his cousin in
_The Warrior's Apprentice_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:47:16 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Kaethel wrote:

> Wow, Labby's already at work at this time of the day :)

Labby's sitting at her pc with insomnia. <G> Or was. Had a catchup nap now.
Sleepless nights. Can't beat 'em for writing inspiration. ;)

Okay, for your
> question about Lois' double in Madame Ex, I quickly checked the tape, but
I
> didn't find any name. There was no name on the patient file that Lois and
> Clark found in the office of the doctor who had made the operation...
> anyway, I don't think there was any name given so you might as well make
it
> up ;)
>
Felix wrote:

In "The (Mis)conception," I named her Lauren Loxley.  The double's name
wasn't mentioned when I had checked the tape.

Thanks, guys. Hmmmmm - free hand in the name department then, huh? Cool.

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:54:32 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
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Hazel wrote:

> Terry gives a very strong showing with fifteen points: seven quotes, plus
> extra credit. See, Labrat, I'm not the only one who liked it so much!

~~~LOL. Cheque's in the mail, Hazel and thanks for the kind words. :)~~~
>
>
> Glad you liked the tribute, Labrat. I can send over a pencil with a
> chocolate flavored eraser for you to chew on in your cage at STAR Labs if
> it'll make your next archive-able story come out any quicker! :) :)
>
~~~Ooooh, chocolate. Can you ask Superman to bring it round? That would be
even more inspiration. ;) Well, can say that my writing block has vamoosed
and I'm feverishly at work on a couple of fic at the moment. Or was. Then I
read Wendy's For The Greater Good, came to a screeching halt and all but
tossed everything on my hd into the trash can. <G> Anyone who hasn't read
this wonderful story yet - run to the archive! Now! You don't know what
you're missing. Definitely the best fic I've read this year, beautifully
written (but of course), wonderfully executed.~~~

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:48:32 GMT
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG (was: Re: Kerth
              categories quiz: B
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

>~~~Ooooh, chocolate. Can you ask Superman to bring it round? That would be
> >even more inspiration. ;) Well, can say that my writing block has
>vamoosed >and I'm feverishly at work on a couple of fic at the moment

Lovely!  Looking forward to a great read.

Or was. Then I >read Wendy's For The Greater Good, came to a screeching halt
and all but >tossed everything on my hd into the trash can.

LabRat!  Don't do that!  We want your stories, pleeeease!  If they're half
as good as your other three, you've got nothing to worry about.

<G> Anyone who hasn't read >this wonderful story yet - run to the archive!
Now! You don't know what >you're missing. Definitely the best fic I've read
this year, beautifully
>written (but of course), wonderfully executed.~~~

Absolutely.  In fact, this was the first story I gave to a friend (who is
not yet a FoLC and has never read amateur fiction let alone fanfic), because
I think it's such a good story.  Unfortunatly, I think she was kinda daunted
by the size (good thing I didn't give her one of yours, Labby <g>), so she
hasn't read it yet.  Maybe after she finishes moving, switching her kids to
a new school district, and getting married in two weeks...

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:28:19 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Becky Bain <rbain@USWEST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
In-Reply-To:  <001101bf7137$025db9a0$c43e883e@d9t5t7>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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LabRat asked:
>In the US what would a police unit dealing with spousal abuse be called?

Since nobody else seems to have tackled this one... <g>

I don't know that there are special units particularly devoted to this type
of crime.  If there are, I've never heard of them.  But if there were, the
words "domestic violence" would probably be in there somewhere.  Hope that
helps!

Becky

rbain@uswest.net

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
                                - Eleanor Roosevelt
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:05:41 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Wendy Richards wrote:

> For the UK FOLCs (especially Phil, given this category
> <g>), who have a chance to get in early with their answers,
> here is the Best Villain quiz. Again, there are quotes and
> extracts; two points for a correct answer from the quote
> and one point if it's from the extract.
>
> Disclaimer: as before, these are a selection of eligible
> stories in this category, and their presence in this quiz
> is neither a comment on their suitability for nomination or
> the suitability or otherwise of any stories *not* included
> here.
>
> Good luck, and remember the spoiler space!
>
> Wendy
> ----------------------
> Quote 1:
> "Lex Luthor is dead.  You're nothing but a cheap copy."

"Doppelganger" by yours truly.

>
>
> Quote 2:
> "I wondered what rat-hole you'd crawled into after Lex
> Luthor fell from grace - literally."

"An Ordinary Man" by Wendy Richards.

>
> Quote 3:
> I saw you the other night when you flew off with Superman.
> And when you came back.  I heard you call him Dad!!"

This one is by Jenni Debbage.  I'm not sure of the name, but it's the
one with the little boy from England, whom they adopted, and it's the
scene where Joel is holding up the--whatever it is--to keep his siblings
from being crushed, and Julian discovers that their Dad is Superman.

>
> Quote 4:
> "That is," Clark said,  "assuming that the three-headed
> snake-men from Andromeda don't land  tomorrow, with the
> express purpose of breaking up our wedding."

Yay!  Another one of mine.  "Dagger's Edge".

>
>
> Quote 5:
> 'And so it begins,' he thought, steeping over to the
> "telescope". 'Your death awaits, Mr Kent.

This has got to be "Preparations" by Phil Atcliffe.

>
>
> Quote 6:
> "You are becoming far too much of a nuisance, Miss Lane.
> You really should have died four years ago, you know; it
> would have saved all of us so much trouble."

I'm pretty sure this is "Strange Visitor From the Congo" by Wendy.

>
>
> Quote 7:
> "LOIS!  We are not doing this for the sake of a headline!"

Ah!  "The Master Race" by Jenni Debbage

>
>
> Quote 8:
> "Superman has his own life to lead, and I have mine, with
> my wife Lois Lane."

No question of this one!  It's one of my favorites.  "Fear of Discovery"
by Yvonne Connell.

Nan

>
>
> Nan
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 16:58:52 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG (was: Re:
Kerth
              categories quiz: B
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Diyan wrote:

> Lovely!  Looking forward to a great read.
>
> Or was. Then I >read Wendy's For The Greater Good, came to a screeching
halt
> and all but >tossed everything on my hd into the trash can.
>
> LabRat!  Don't do that!  We want your stories, pleeeease!  If they're half
> as good as your other three, you've got nothing to worry about.
>
I wasn't fishing for a compliment, Diyan. Honest! <G> But, thanks. I
appreciate the kind words. And don't worry. Not likely. <G> A renowned SF
author once said that fellow writers view the work of their peers with only
one of two emotions - grinding contempt or bitter envy. I don't really get
the chance in FoLCdom to experience much of the former, but the latter
happens quite frequently. And then I have a crisis of confidence and wonder
what the heck I'm doing trying to work in the same ballpark as these guys.
Ask Yvonne. <G> Her 'Trust Me....' was the culprit last week. ;) I get over
it. Usually. Which reminds me - if you haven't read TM either by this point
guys, do yourself a favour and go check it out. It's already in my Kerth
2001 folder under Best Episode Rewrite - among many other categories.

LabRat :) (back to the hospital where, even as we speak......nah. Teasing
readers is bad for the health. :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 16:48:45 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
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Becky wrote:

> Since nobody else seems to have tackled this one... <g>
>
> I don't know that there are special units particularly devoted to this
type
> of crime.  If there are, I've never heard of them.  But if there were, the
> words "domestic violence" would probably be in there somewhere.  Hope that
> helps!
>
Thanks, Becky. This confirms what someone mailed me privately to say. That
there are no such things as units specifically to deal with such matters in
the US. They are dealt with by police officers on the streets. And as I said
to that someone: Oh, spit. <g> Since this rather tears a giant hole in my
plot at the moment. Never mind. Already think I have the glimmerings of a
way around it. ;)

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:06:08 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Nan wrote:

> > Good luck, and remember the spoiler space!
> >
> > Wendy
> > ----------------------
> > Quote 1:
> > "Lex Luthor is dead.  You're nothing but a cheap copy."
>
> "Doppelganger" by yours truly.
>

Um, Nan.......forget something? <bg>
> >
LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:14:05 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Sorry about that.  I did this once, put in the spoiler space, messed it
up, redid it and forgot the spoiler space!  Sigh.

Nan

LabRat wrote:

> Nan wrote:
>
> > > Good luck, and remember the spoiler space!
> > >
> > > Wendy
> > > ----------------------
> > > Quote 1:
> > > "Lex Luthor is dead.  You're nothing but a cheap copy."
> >
> > "Doppelganger" by yours truly.
> >
>
> Um, Nan.......forget something? <bg>
> > >
> LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 10:18:58 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
In-Reply-To:  <002001bf718d$57f40300$8a3a883e@d9t5t7>
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>Becky wrote:
>
>> Since nobody else seems to have tackled this one... <g>
>>
>> I don't know that there are special units particularly devoted to this
>type
>> of crime.  If there are, I've never heard of them.  But if there were,
the
>> words "domestic violence" would probably be in there somewhere.  Hope
that
>> helps!

And LabRat replied:

>Thanks, Becky. This confirms what someone mailed me privately to say. That
>there are no such things as units specifically to deal with such matters in
>the US. They are dealt with by police officers on the streets. And as I
said
>to that someone: Oh, spit. <g>

No, no, no, don't believe it!!!  I just paged a very good friend on mine
right
now (still waiting for him to call me back when he gets out of his
department
meeting) who is on the police force, and he was transfered to just such a
division a coupe of years ago.  I think he referred to it as the "Domestic
Crimes Task Force," and he deals with spousal abuse, crimes to children in
the
home, etc.  So don't rush off too fast and change anything, Labbie! As soon
as
he calls me back to verify what his division is called, I'll pass on the
info!
;)

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:40:14 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG (was: Re:
Kerth
              categories quiz: B
In-Reply-To:  <002101bf718d$58ccafc0$8a3a883e@d9t5t7>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 16:58:52 -0000 LabRat
<labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK> wrote:

> A renowned SF author once said that fellow
> writers view the work of their peers with only one of two
> emotions - grinding contempt or bitter envy. I don't really
> get the chance in FoLCdom to experience much of the former,
> but the latter happens quite frequently. And then I have a
> crisis of confidence and wonder what the heck I'm doing
> trying to work in the same ballpark as these guys.

Rat: Since I, in company with many others, I am sure,
experienced *precisely* those feelings when I read Caped
Fear (which I've nominated for Best Fic, btw), I don't
think you've anything at all to worry about!!

Wendy
(always ready to beta-read any story by LabRat, any place,
any where... <g>)
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 12:40:46 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>>Thanks, Becky. This confirms what someone mailed me privately to say. That
>>there are no such things as units specifically to deal with such matters
in
>>the US. They are dealt with by police officers on the streets. And as I
said
>>to that someone: Oh, spit. <g>

>No, no, no, don't believe it!!!  I just paged a very good friend on mine
right
>now (still waiting for him to call me back when he gets out of his
department
>meeting) who is on the police force, and he was transfered to just such a
>division a coupe of years ago.  I think he referred to it as the "Domestic
>Crimes Task Force," and he deals with spousal abuse, crimes to children in
the
>home, etc.

I think it depends on the city. An urban area like Metropolis, for example,
might have one (or such a unit might be shared by an entire county), and it
would probably be called something like Erin suggested. I know that
Cleveland
(or perhaps Cuyahoga County) has a special unit which prosecutes child sex
abuse crimes. I took a law class in high school and we watched a trial and
talked to one of the lawyers working in the unit. One of the points he
stressed was the understandably high burn-out rate among lawyers in that
particular unit.

-Christy
 kubitc@kenyon.edu

* * * * * * * * * *

"Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply
disgraceful." -Aldous Huxley
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:40:23 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
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Erin (fearless rescuer of fanfic writers) wrote:

> No, no, no, don't believe it!!!  I just paged a very good friend on mine
right
> now (still waiting for him to call me back when he gets out of his
department
> meeting) who is on the police force, and he was transfered to just such a
> division a coupe of years ago.  I think he referred to it as the "Domestic
> Crimes Task Force," and he deals with spousal abuse, crimes to children in
the
> home, etc.  So don't rush off too fast and change anything, Labbie! As
soon as
> he calls me back to verify what his division is called, I'll pass on the
info!
> ;)
>
Hey, thanks for this, Erin! Yet again, I realise that the more people I ask
about how things are in the US, the more conflicting answers I get. <G>
Comes with being such a large country, I guess. Okay.....well, since the
Muse decided to spend the day working on 10 pages of SDB and not Ripples as
I'd planned (although she did also take time out to sort out a major plot
glitch in Ripples which has been tying me up a little, so I forgive
her)....I'll keep on with SDB and leave Ripples till I hear from you. <g>

Thanks again!

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:47:58 -0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG (was: Re:
Kerth
              categories quiz: B
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Wendy wrote:
>
> Rat: Since I, in company with many others, I am sure,  experienced
*precisely* those feelings when I read Caped Fear (which I've nominated for
Best Fic, btw), I don't think you've anything at all to worry about!!
>
I vote for a new Kerth category: 'Most Prolific And Dedicated Cheerleader'.
Wendy's a shoo-in. <g> It's my theory that the reason the Kerths are so
crowded with such excellent fic this year is half due to her doing just that
over on Zoom's mbs. Go, Wendy! Yes, and that *is* in addition to the
proposed 'Best Wendy Fic' category that we decided was an absolute necessity
on irc at the weekend. ;)

LabRat :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 18:05:16 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
In-Reply-To:  <004f01bf717b$8733d3a0$671a883e@d9t5t7>
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Umm... just reached the end of what came into my mailbox
while I was at a meeting and found this:

LabRat <labrat@STARLABS.FSNET.CO.UK> wrote:

>Then
> I read Wendy's For The Greater Good, came to a screeching
> halt and all but tossed everything on my hd into the trash
> can. <G> Anyone who hasn't read this wonderful story yet -
> run to the archive! Now! You don't know what you're
> missing. Definitely the best fic I've read this year,
> beautifully written (but of course), wonderfully
> executed.~~~

<blush> <blush>  Thank you!!!

Wendy

----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:09:11 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Petra Steudle <petrast@GMX.NET>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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LabRat wrote:

> Yes, and that *is* in addition to the
> proposed 'Best Wendy Fic' category that we decided was an absolute
necessity
> on irc at the weekend. ;)

Good idea! I wouldn't be too surprised if one of Wendy's biggest competitors
-
in no matter which category ;) - would be Wendy herself <g>.
I'm not done yet with my nominations for all categories but so far there
seems
to be only one category that Wendy doesn't qualify for: Best New Author. :)

Petra
(who is going back to "Kerths-Reading" now)

mailto: <petrast@gmx.net>
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 19:22:12 +0000
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
In-Reply-To:  <389F1857.9E6BCC0B@gmx.net>
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On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:09:11 +0100 Petra Steudle
<petrast@GMX.NET> wrote:

> I'm not done yet with my
> nominations for all categories but so far there seems to be
> only one category that Wendy doesn't qualify for: Best New
> Author. :)

Ummm.... a *very* embarrassed Wendy could point out that
she didn't write on S6 and barely wrote on any eligible
RRs, and that doesn't even raise the question of numerous
categories where she would not even begin to consider
herself in contention compared to the brilliant writers
around...

Wendy
(feeling flattered and embarrassed in almost equal measure
by this discussion and wondering whether we could pick [on]
someone else to embarrass now? <g>)
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 11:41:13 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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Well, we could pick on Irene.  Who'd like to be first?

Nan

Wendy Richards wrote:

> On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:09:11 +0100 Petra Steudle
> <petrast@GMX.NET> wrote:
>
> > I'm not done yet with my
> > nominations for all categories but so far there seems to be
> > only one category that Wendy doesn't qualify for: Best New
> > Author. :)
>
> Ummm.... a *very* embarrassed Wendy could point out that
> she didn't write on S6 and barely wrote on any eligible
> RRs, and that doesn't even raise the question of numerous
> categories where she would not even begin to consider
> herself in contention compared to the brilliant writers
> around...
>
> Wendy
> (feeling flattered and embarrassed in almost equal measure
> by this discussion and wondering whether we could pick [on]
> someone else to embarrass now? <g>)
> ----------------------
> Wendy Richards
> w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:51:09 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Amy Lauters <alauters@CSD.UWM.EDU>
Subject:      New Fic: Night Terrors (1)
Comments: To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@INDIANA.EDU
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Hi, all --
While I'm not precisely new to the boards or to the list (some of  you might
remember my asking research questions on the boards a few weeks ago) this is
my first post to the list and my first <gulp> attempt at any sort of fiction
for a long time. It's not quite finished yet, but I'd love some feedback on
what I've got. I hope to finish it by the weekend. Please be kind!
Harmony

Night Terrors Part 1

 Lois twitched in her sleep, the rumpled sheets twisting around her shaking
body.
 "You, see, Lois, how I always win," Lex whispered in her ear, twisting her
around to face him in the depths of her dream. "I always win."
 She mumbled unintelligibly.
 "Do you feel that Lois?" he asked, the snide, evil grin he wore so well in
place. "That's the loss. That's the sensation I promised you, darling. That
day you and that do-gooder Kent killed me."
 "But we didn't!" she tried to scream. "It was your fault . It was all your
fault."
 "Was it?" Lex leaned forward, pressing cold lips to her neck. "I think .
not."
 "Stop it! Stop it!"
 "Stop it!" Lois screamed, and sat straight up in bed. Silvery light flowed
from the full moon outside, highlighting the empty place beside her where
her husband usually lay. She shivered, uncontrollably, as a sudden "whoosh"
and thud signaled Clark's return.
 "Lois? Lois, are you all right?" he asked anxiously, crossing the room in
the suit to put his arms around her.
 "It was Lex," she whispered. "In my dream. Telling me . we killed him."
 He rolled her back down to the bed, cuddled protectively against his chest.
"You know that's not true, honey," he murmured. "He killed himself. Both
times. Once by jumping off LexCorp, and once by building the weapon that
brought down the tunnel. It wasn't our fault."
 "Wasn't it?" she asked. "If it hadn't been for me, he wouldn't have been in
either place."
 Clark frowned. "Lois, you can't possibly believe it was your fault that he
was obsessed with you! You didn't make him jump off that building; you didn'
t make him try to destroy us. Those were his actions, not yours."
 Lois sat back up, anger starting to bubble beneath the surface. "Why can't
I believe it's my fault? It is! A man is dead because of me. More than one!
The blood on my hands . it's real!"
 Clark sat up, too. "Only if you choose to see it that way. What brought
this on, anyway? It's not just the dream, is it?"
 Lois got off the bed. "I'm going for a drink of water."
 "I can get that for you," Clark said.
 "No, I'm perfectly capable of getting my own water, thank you," she sniffed
as she left the room.
 "Lois - "
 "Just leave me alone, Clark!" she yelled.
 "But, I - "
 "Go away!"
 "Fine!" he shouted back, finally giving in. "I'll be back later."
 "Suit yourself," she mumbled.
 He launched himself out of their bedroom window, to resume his patrol.
***
 "Why are you torturing me like this?" she whispered, "Why?"
 Lex smiled through the smoke of his cigar. "Torture, my dear? I believe it'
s poetic justice. You made my life a hell . now I'll make yours hell, too."
 "You won't get away with this," she said resolutely.
 His smile became a grin. "I already have."
 The shriek of the alarm clock next to the bed woke her from the nightmare.
 "This has got to stop," she mumbled.
 "If you mean these nightmares about Lex, I agree," Clark said from the
doorway, where he stood with a heaped breakfast tray. "They're taking a toll
on both of us."
 "What have you got there?" Lois asked, getting out of bed and heading
toward the bathroom.
 "Croissants, orange juice, scrambled eggs, fruit. I thought you could use a
little TLC," he said as he brought the tray in and set it on the bedside
table.
 "Tha wa swee o ou," Lois called out through a mouthful of toothpaste.
 "Ah, Lois? Translation?"
 She spit. "That was sweet of you, especially after I practically bit your
head off last night."
 Clark shrugged. "I'm used to it."
 Lois stopped short. "Am I really that bad?" she asked.
 "Sometimes," he said honestly. "But only when you're really upset about
something, or angry about something, or engrossed in a story, or -"
 "I get your point, Kent," Lois said, crossing to the bed and reaching for a
croissant. "Do I have any good points?"
 "Oh, one or two," he said teasingly.
 She licked her lips, getting all the crumbs from the buttery pastry. "Maybe
I could demonstrate some of my good points."
 "By all means," Clark said, reaching for her.
 She giggled, and the eggs got very, very cold.
***
 "Seriously, Lois, I think you should talk to someone about your dreams;
they just aren't healthy," Clark insisted as the pair walked into the
newsroom at the Daily Planet.
 "Clark, I'm fine. Really," she replied. "And we've got work to do."
 Suddenly, Clark's head tilted up, the familiar expression on his face.
 Resigned, Lois asked, "What is it?"
 "Sounds like a bank alarm," he said. "I'd better check it out."
 "See you later," she called back as Clark headed out.
 "Hey, Lois, where's CK going?" Jimmy bounced up to ask.
 "Oh, he had a meeting with a source," Lois lied glibly. "He might be gone
for awhile. What have you got for me?"
 "Well, I got that dream research you wanted," Jimmy said. "Are you sure you
don't want to let CK in on this one, Lois? He could probably give you some
help."
 "No, Jimmy; he'll just worry," Lois grabbed the files from him. "Thanks for
this."
 "You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else," he said, jogging
toward Perry's office.
 Lois settled at her desk and began to read.
 She was still reading, 20 minutes later, when Clark came up behind her and
asked, "What are you reading?"
 Startled, she slid the papers into her top desk drawer. "Oh, nothing, just
some background for a story I'm thinking about."
 "What story?" Clark asked.
 "Just something I was thinking about. What about the bank alarm? What
happened?" Lois asked, changing the subject.
 "Couple of guys looking for some fast cash. The police have them now," he
answered. "And don't think I didn't notice you changed the subject, either."
 "Look, Clark, I can work on a story without you, you know. We're not joined
at the hip," she started.
 He leaned forward. "We were this morning," Clark whispered in her ear.
"What's wrong, baby?"
 It was the "baby" that did it. It always did something to her. She sighed,
then opened the desk drawer and pulled out the file Jimmy had given her on
dream research.
 "Dream studies?" Clark asked in surprise. "I thought you said you weren't
worried about your dreams."
 "I lied." She got up suddenly, pacing in front of him. "These dreams are so
real. I'm tempted to wonder if there's something behind them. I never had
dreams like this before! Nightmares about Lex, yes. Especially right after
we tangle with him. But these, they're too real. And they started just a
couple of weeks ago. Believe it or not, I can go for weeks without thinking
about Lex. But now - "
 "But now, you're haunted by visions of Lex, who's trying to make you feel
guilty for his death," Clark nodded. "You're right. It wouldn't be the first
time somebody tried to hurt you by bringing up Lex. But tampering with your
dreams? That's pretty far out, Lois, even for us."
 "Don't you think I know how crazy this sounds?" Lois paced. "But there was
Ariana Carlin, remember? With her subliminal messages. And who knows what's
possible? That's why I decided to try and figure this out."
 Quietly, Clark said, "That doesn't explain why you felt you had to hide
this from me."
 She looked him in the eye. "That's not a discussion for the Daily Planet
office."
 He looked right back. "Then let's take this back home."
 "Perry's never going to let us go today, Clark. We've got too much to do."
 Grimly, Clark looked at Perry's office. "He will if we explain this."
 "Let it go, Clark. Let's just work on this today, and we'll talk about the
personal stuff later."
 We'll talk about the personal stuff later?  Clark thought. There's more to
this.
 As she turned away from him, he quickly slipped his glasses down his nose
and x-rayed her ankle. Nope, not a clone, he thought. But definitely not
behaving like my wife.
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:54:07 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Amy Lauters <alauters@CSD.UWM.EDU>
Subject:      Night Terrors (2)
Comments: To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@INDIANA.EDU
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 It had been some time since Lois had put these kinds of mental barriers
between them. With all the things they'd been through to get to this point -
clones, obsessed doctors, New Kryptonians - he'd thought those barriers well
and truly gone. Ok, he thought, time for some of my own investigating.
 Clark calmly walked over to his desk and tapped into his computer.
"Dreams.," he muttered. He accessed his search engine and went to work,
keying in searches on dreams, mind control, psychological meanings of
dreams, and anything else he could think of. Through the course of his
search, he turned up one site, and a posting on the Metropolis U psychology
department bulletin board. It was for a seminar on dream research, given by
a professor Michael Soppeland. Clark checked his watch. The seminar would
end in about half an hour.
 "Clark, what are you doing?" Lois demanded.
 He jumped up. "Since you won't talk about what's wrong, I thought I'd
better check some things out. There's a seminar over in about a half an hour
about dream research at Metropolis U. I'm going to go see if I can catch the
professor."
 Lois stared at him, dumbfounded. "Since when am I not capable of dealing
with things myself?"
 "Since you stopped being rational, partner," Clark said sarcastically.
 "Well, if you're going, you're not going alone," she replied grimly. "I'm
going with you."
 "Fine."
***
 Michael Soppeland held degrees in psychology, English and physics. He had
an eye for young coeds and a reputation for good research. He started his
closing speech to the seminar participants just as Lois and Clark slipped in
the back of the room.
 "Dreams are transitory, fleeting expressions of daily anxieties," he said.
"Through these methods, we can capture our dreams, remake them, and shape
them into expressions of what we want to occur. It's a power of positive
thinking, made fresh through our sleep.
 "When we learn to control our dreams, we have the power to remake our
futures, remove our stress, and excel intellectually. As this research
evolves, we hope to have the key to the door in our minds that will allow
this."
 Students in the room broke out in applause, as the day ended. The professor
made his way through the crowd of students, shaking hands and greeting the
more lovely young women with a shade more warmth than was professional. As
he worked his way toward Lois, she muttered to Clark, "And this is our dream
expert. Some guy who probably trades sex for grades."
 "Lo-is," he admonished. "We're not here to judge, just to get information."
 Grumbling, Lois extended her hand to the professor, who came to them at
that moment. "Professor Soppeland?"
 Baring his teeth in a lazy grin, he looked her up and down. "Who's asking?"
 Clark stepped in. "My wife and I are interested in your research. I'm Clark
Kent, and this is Lois Lane."
 "Ah, Lane and Kent. Call me Mike," he said. "It's not often I get news
coverage of my work."
 "Well, really, this isn't coverage," Lois hastily explained. "We just have
some questions about dream research, and your name came up."
 Mike sighed. "It's always doing that."
 Clark suppressed a grin. "Is there someplace we could talk, Mike?"
 "Sure," he said. "How about my office?"
 "Lead the way," Lois gestured toward the door.
 Mike thought about a comment, thought better of it, and led the way to his
office, two floors and several doors down. "They stuck me in the basement,"
he explained as they walked over.
 "I wonder why," Lois muttered drily, so only Clark could hear. With effort,
Clark kept a straight face as Mike continued to talk.
 "I think it has something to do with my research," he added. "I need to
sleep a lot. Hence the couch in my office."
 He unlocked the door to the dank office. Lois and Clark followed him in.
"So you want to know about dreams, huh? Have a seat," Mike nodded toward the
long leather couch in a corner surrounded by bookshelves.
 Clark sat down gingerly, and Lois followed. "Well, we have some questions
about dreams. Specifically, how to control them."
 Lois looked up, surprised at his statement. After all, he had already as
much dismissed the idea that someone was controlling her nightmares.
 Mike tipped his chair back. "Controlling dreams can be fairly easy, as
little as imagining what you want to dream about before you go to sleep."
 Lois leaned forward. "What about control from outside sources? Control that
comes from without?"
 Mike frowned. "From without?"
 "You know, like somebody else trying to control your dreams," she
persisted.
 "Well, there's been some research done in that area," Mike thought for a
minute. "One of my students, as a matter of fact, is working on that kind of
project."
 Clark looked at some of the titles on the bookshelf near him. "I didn't
realize this was such a big area of study," he commented, looking at the
wealth of materials surrounding him.
 "You'd be surprised," Mike said. "I guess as long as man has had dreams, he
's tried to control them, interpret them. Native Americans believed dreams
could hold omens of the future, and even the Bible makes reference to dream
interpretation. Freud was the one who got modern psychologists and
psychiatrists thinking about dream interpretation in a sexual way."
 "But this issue of control," Lois hesitated. "Has anyone come up with a way
to control the dreams of others?"
 Mike's eyes narrowed. "You're awfully persistent about that point, Ms.
Lane."
 "Just interested," she said lightly.
 "One of my students has been conducting research into the possibility that
subliminal messages can be channeled through dreams," Mike said. "Alexis
Turner. She's been working on a thesis that supposes we can suggest people
dream about specific things through the media they consume before they
sleep."
 "Through the media they consume ." Clark echoed. "In other words, watch
M*A*S*H, dream about Korea?"
 "Something like that." Mike stood up and looked at his bookshelves for a
minute. He grabbed a title from the shelf and handed it to Lois.
 "Dream watchers?" she asked.
 "It talks about this idea a bit. But you really should talk to Alexis,"
Mike said. "She's been working on the cutting edge in this field."
 Lois and Clark looked at each other. "Thank you, Mike," Clark said.
 ***
 "Well, that was interesting," Lois said as she and Clark walked back to the
Jeep.
 "Yeah, interesting," Clark replied absently.
 She looked at him a little more closely. "You're still mad I didn't include
you on the earlier research, aren't you?"
 He shrugged. "Not mad, exactly. I just thought we were past that kind of
stuff. Partners, you know? Married. In love. Stronger together than apart.
And yet - "
 "And yet I didn't tell you just how much I was spooked by these dreams, and
how much I wanted to get to the bottom of them," she finished for him.
"Look, Clark, sometimes I'm not sure how I should approach you when it comes
to talking about Lex. Just mentioning his name, sometimes, trips that old
reaction in you."
 "What reaction?" he asked, a muscle starting to twitch in his jaw.
 "That one," Lois stopped and ran a hand along his cheek. "The angry,
jealous, I-want-to-hurt-a-dead-man-but-that'
s-ridiculous-because-Superman-wouldn't-do-that reaction."
 Clark stopped, too. "Is it that obvious?" he asked. "I try so hard not to
let that man bother me. He's dead, for pete's sake. He can't harm us
anymore."
 Lois looked him in the eye. "I think we both have some unresolved issues,
here."
 "Maybe," he said. "Maybe we should talk this out further." The sound of
brakes screeching in the distance caught his attention. Lois sighed, spying
the familiar expression.
 "Go," she said. "We'll talk about this later."
 "Love you," Clark said, as he glanced around before spinning into the suit
and taking off.
 "Love you, too," Lois looked at the sky, knowing he could hear her answer.
***
 Back at the Planet, Lois started looking through Mike's book.
 "Judas Priest, Lois, this is a newsroom, not a library!" Perry roared. "Don
't you have a piece of political corruption to do?"
 She looked up as her editor approached her desk. "It's in the can, Perry; I
sent it to you about 10 minutes ago."
 "That's no excuse for reading ." Perry glanced at the book. "Dream
watchers?"
 Lois sighed. "Actually, Perry, I think there might be a story in this.
Apparently, we can control our dreams, and others can control our dreams,
too."
 "Come into my office," Perry said. "Let's talk about what prompted this."
 Lois slowly got up. "I don't know if you'll think this interesting, Perry."
 "Huh," Perry retorted. "Seems to me you'd better hope I think this is
interesting."
 They walked together to his office, where Lois shut the door. "I've been
having some disturbing dreams that started a few weeks ago. They're all the
same; Lex blaming me for his death."
 "Now, honey, that whole episode made a deep impact on you," Perry said. "It
wouldn't be surprising if some of that junk to come back to haunt you."
 "But just in the last few weeks? When I've never been happier?" Lois sat
abruptly down. "Why now? And why are the dreams all the same?"
 "I'm no psychiatrist, Lois, but maybe you feel like you don't deserve this
happiness. Maybe you're torturing yourself in your dreams because you're not
being tortured during the day," Perry reasoned.
 Lois looked at him as if he had grown a third eye. "Are you nuts? I'm not
that deranged."
 A tap at the door interrupted their conversation. Clark cautiously looked
around the edge of the door. "Is this a private conversation, or can I join
in?"
 "Clark, Perry thinks I'm having these dreams because I thrive on torturing
myself!" Lois raged. "That's ridiculous. Who would want to torture
themselves? That's not only masochistic, it's nuts, and - "
 "Slow down, Lois," Clark interrupted the babble before it could get well
and truly underway. "Perry's just trying to help. For what it's worth,
Chief, Lois has good instincts about stuff like this, and she seems to think
someone's trying to control her dreams."
 Perry sat back. "Dream control?" He rubbed his chin. "Stranger things have
happened to you, Lois."
 "Darned right," she hissed.
 "I still think, though, that you might check with a psychiatrist," Perry
added. "Even if it's not just in your head, there might be some insight to
offer." He turned to his computer. "You've got 24 hours on this story. Then
I pull the plug and you go get some help."
 Frustrated, Lois tried to object. "Perry -"
 Perry looked up. "That's the final word, Lois."
 Clark nudged his wife. "Come on, honey."
 "But Clark - "
 "Let's go," he said as he steered her out the door. "We've only got 24
hours. And I think we're on to something."
 Perry watched them go. If something was there, they'd find it that fast, he
thought. Of that he had no doubt. If not, well, Lois would get the help she
needed. Either way, his best reporters would be in better shape for coming
stories. Sighing, he turned back to his computer, resuming the editing for
page one.
***
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:55:58 -0800
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Subject:      Night Terrors (3)
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 Lois fumed as Clark forcibly escorted her out to the Jeep. "What does he
mean by pulling one of the best investigative - no, make that the best
investigative reporter in town off a story? And suggesting she's crazy? I
can't believe him, sometimes."
 "He didn't actually pull you off the story, honey," Clark said soothingly.
"He actually gave you some time to explore it, even though there might not
be a story here. And he doesn't think you're crazy, he just thinks there
might be other rational reasons for your dreams than dream control. You can'
t blame him for being rational."
 "Yes, I can!" Lois yelled, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God,
what am I saying? Of course he can be rational. Of course, it's rational to
think about what might be causing these dreams aside from dream control. But
Clark, the alternative . what if I am going crazy?"
 He pulled her close. "You're not going crazy."
 "Are you sure?" Her dark eyes beseeched him. "I've just never been happier
in my life than since I've been with you. I don't want to screw that up. I
don't want Lex to have a hold on me!"
 "He won't, and he doesn't," Clark whispered in her hair as he pulled her to
his shoulder. "It's because I know how much you want to be with me that I
know you're not crazy. And with Lex . well, who knows how many research pots
he stuck a spoon in? He might have dabbled with dream control." He pulled
back to look her in the eye. "But Lex is dead, Lois. So if someone is using
his research to control your dreams, it can't be him."
 "Then who?" she asked.
 "That's what we have to find out. And I think we'll start with Alexis
Turner."
***
 Alexis Turner looked more like a supermodel than a psychology graduate
student. At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, she looked most of her male colleagues
in the eye. Her lithe figure showed an athletic grace, and her long, blonde
hair was pulled back away from her face to show big blue eyes over a Nordic
nose. She looked up from a book when Lois and Clark walked into the office
she shared with six other graduate students.
 "Lois and Clark, I presume," she said as she stood, fluidly offering her
hand to first Lois, then Clark.
 "That's us," Lois said. "Alexis Turner?"
 "That's me," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
 "Professor Soppeland said you might be able to help us," Clark started. "He
said you were working on a project that might lead to a technique for
controlling the dreams of others."
 Alexis pulled up chairs from the empty desks surrounding her and motioned
them to sit. "I am working on such a project."
 "What can you tell us about it?" Lois asked.
 Alexis shrugged. "What do you want to know about it?"
 Impasse. Clark cleared his throat. "What is the substance of your theory?"
he asked.
 "Well, I think that messages we get through the media can control our
dreams," she answered. "It's really an extension of an old idea. What we
think about before we sleep, we dream about."
 "Professor Soppeland mentioned something about that," Lois said. "What have
you found so far?"
 "I'm having volunteers watch specific television programs before sleeping,
observed by me. When they wake up, they write down their dreams just as they
remember them. Some seem to have no connection to the television programs
they watched; some do," Alexis explained. "My goal is to find what triggers
those who do dream about the shows, their characters, or even their
 content."
 "Where did you get this idea?" Clark wanted to know.
 "From my father," Alexis said. "He was a researcher at Lex Labs, looking
into dream theories."
 "Was?" Lois asked.
 "He died five years ago."
 Lois paused. "Do you mind telling us how?"
 Alexis glanced at her calendar. "It's a long story, and I really don't have
the time right now to go into it. Suffice it to say, he's dead. And I'm
carrying on with his research, without the resources of Lex Labs,
 obviously."
 "One more question, Alexis," Clark said. "Do you think it would be possible
to control another person's dreams without their knowledge of it?"
 "That's what my father was working on," she said. "That's what killed him.
But there are no records of his research that I can find . and believe me, I
tried."
 "In what way did his research contribute to his death, Alexis?" Lois asked.
 Alexis smiled. "He died in his sleep." She stood. "I've got class in five
minutes. Sorry I can't show you out."
 "One more -" Lois tried to interject.
 "Goodbye, Ms. Lane."
***
 Clark's cell phone rang as they walked out the door. "Clark Kent."
 "CK, it's Jimmy. Man, when you guys get into something, you really get into
it, don't you?"
 Clark hung on to his patience. "You've got something for us, then?"
 "Yeah, there was a project at Lex Labs several years ago that looked into
dream control as a way to control behavior in adolescents. It was thought
that dreams could induce good behavior in a juvenile delinquent," Jimmy
said. "I found the abstract in an old defense system database."
 "Defense system?" Clark asked.
 "Yeah, it was a joint project with the U.S. government. The research
stopped about five years ago, though," Jimmy said. "The feds pulled the plug
when they found out about Lex and his bent to the criminal."
 Clark raised a brow at Lois. "They might have pulled the plug on more than
that, Jimmy," he said. "Thanks."
 "Well, what'd he say?" Lois asked impatiently.
 "Get this: Lex Labs researchers were working with the feds on a project to
control behavior of teens through dream control," Clark said. "The project
ended with Lex's first suicide attempt five years ago, when the feds found
out about his criminal dealings."
 "Then that means - "
 Clark grimly interrupted. "Someone killed Alexis' father."
 "And might be controlling my dreams."
***
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 14:59:49 -0800
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Subject:      New Fic: Night Terrors (1)
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Hi, all --
While I'm not precisely new to the boards or to the list (some of  you might
remember my asking research questions on the boards a few weeks ago) this is
my first post to the list and my first <gulp> attempt at any sort of fiction
for a long time. It's not quite finished yet, but I'd love some feedback on
what I've got. I hope to finish it by the weekend. Please be kind!
Harmony

Night Terrors Part 1

 Lois twitched in her sleep, the rumpled sheets twisting around her shaking
body.
 "You, see, Lois, how I always win," Lex whispered in her ear, twisting her
around to face him in the depths of her dream. "I always win."
 She mumbled unintelligibly.
 "Do you feel that Lois?" he asked, the snide, evil grin he wore so well in
place. "That's the loss. That's the sensation I promised you, darling. That
day you and that do-gooder Kent killed me."
 "But we didn't!" she tried to scream. "It was your fault . It was all your
fault."
 "Was it?" Lex leaned forward, pressing cold lips to her neck. "I think .
not."
 "Stop it! Stop it!"
 "Stop it!" Lois screamed, and sat straight up in bed. Silvery light flowed
from the full moon outside, highlighting the empty place beside her where
her husband usually lay. She shivered, uncontrollably, as a sudden "whoosh"
and thud signaled Clark's return.
 "Lois? Lois, are you all right?" he asked anxiously, crossing the room in
the suit to put his arms around her.
 "It was Lex," she whispered. "In my dream. Telling me . we killed him."
 He rolled her back down to the bed, cuddled protectively against his chest.
"You know that's not true, honey," he murmured. "He killed himself. Both
times. Once by jumping off LexCorp, and once by building the weapon that
brought down the tunnel. It wasn't our fault."
 "Wasn't it?" she asked. "If it hadn't been for me, he wouldn't have been in
either place."
 Clark frowned. "Lois, you can't possibly believe it was your fault that he
was obsessed with you! You didn't make him jump off that building; you didn'
t make him try to destroy us. Those were his actions, not yours."
 Lois sat back up, anger starting to bubble beneath the surface. "Why can't
I believe it's my fault? It is! A man is dead because of me. More than one!
The blood on my hands . it's real!"
 Clark sat up, too. "Only if you choose to see it that way. What brought
this on, anyway? It's not just the dream, is it?"
 Lois got off the bed. "I'm going for a drink of water."
 "I can get that for you," Clark said.
 "No, I'm perfectly capable of getting my own water, thank you," she sniffed
as she left the room.
 "Lois - "
 "Just leave me alone, Clark!" she yelled.
 "But, I - "
 "Go away!"
 "Fine!" he shouted back, finally giving in. "I'll be back later."
 "Suit yourself," she mumbled.
 He launched himself out of their bedroom window, to resume his patrol.
***
 "Why are you torturing me like this?" she whispered, "Why?"
 Lex smiled through the smoke of his cigar. "Torture, my dear? I believe it'
s poetic justice. You made my life a hell . now I'll make yours hell, too."
 "You won't get away with this," she said resolutely.
 His smile became a grin. "I already have."
 The shriek of the alarm clock next to the bed woke her from the nightmare.
 "This has got to stop," she mumbled.
 "If you mean these nightmares about Lex, I agree," Clark said from the
doorway, where he stood with a heaped breakfast tray. "They're taking a toll
on both of us."
 "What have you got there?" Lois asked, getting out of bed and heading
toward the bathroom.
 "Croissants, orange juice, scrambled eggs, fruit. I thought you could use a
little TLC," he said as he brought the tray in and set it on the bedside
table.
 "Tha wa swee o ou," Lois called out through a mouthful of toothpaste.
 "Ah, Lois? Translation?"
 She spit. "That was sweet of you, especially after I practically bit your
head off last night."
 Clark shrugged. "I'm used to it."
 Lois stopped short. "Am I really that bad?" she asked.
 "Sometimes," he said honestly. "But only when you're really upset about
something, or angry about something, or engrossed in a story, or -"
 "I get your point, Kent," Lois said, crossing to the bed and reaching for a
croissant. "Do I have any good points?"
 "Oh, one or two," he said teasingly.
 She licked her lips, getting all the crumbs from the buttery pastry. "Maybe
I could demonstrate some of my good points."
 "By all means," Clark said, reaching for her.
 She giggled, and the eggs got very, very cold.
***
 "Seriously, Lois, I think you should talk to someone about your dreams;
they just aren't healthy," Clark insisted as the pair walked into the
newsroom at the Daily Planet.
 "Clark, I'm fine. Really," she replied. "And we've got work to do."
 Suddenly, Clark's head tilted up, the familiar expression on his face.
 Resigned, Lois asked, "What is it?"
 "Sounds like a bank alarm," he said. "I'd better check it out."
 "See you later," she called back as Clark headed out.
 "Hey, Lois, where's CK going?" Jimmy bounced up to ask.
 "Oh, he had a meeting with a source," Lois lied glibly. "He might be gone
for awhile. What have you got for me?"
 "Well, I got that dream research you wanted," Jimmy said. "Are you sure you
don't want to let CK in on this one, Lois? He could probably give you some
help."
 "No, Jimmy; he'll just worry," Lois grabbed the files from him. "Thanks for
this."
 "You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else," he said, jogging
toward Perry's office.
 Lois settled at her desk and began to read.
 She was still reading, 20 minutes later, when Clark came up behind her and
asked, "What are you reading?"
 Startled, she slid the papers into her top desk drawer. "Oh, nothing, just
some background for a story I'm thinking about."
 "What story?" Clark asked.
 "Just something I was thinking about. What about the bank alarm? What
happened?" Lois asked, changing the subject.
 "Couple of guys looking for some fast cash. The police have them now," he
answered. "And don't think I didn't notice you changed the subject, either."

 "Look, Clark, I can work on a story without you, you know. We're not joined
at the hip," she started.
 He leaned forward. "We were this morning," Clark whispered in her ear.
"What's wrong, baby?"
 It was the "baby" that did it. It always did something to her. She sighed,
then opened the desk drawer and pulled out the file Jimmy had given her on
dream research.
 "Dream studies?" Clark asked in surprise. "I thought you said you weren't
worried about your dreams."
 "I lied." She got up suddenly, pacing in front of him. "These dreams are so
real. I'm tempted to wonder if there's something behind them. I never had
dreams like this before! Nightmares about Lex, yes. Especially right after
we tangle with him. But these, they're too real. And they started just a
couple of weeks ago. Believe it or not, I can go for weeks without thinking
about Lex. But now - "
 "But now, you're haunted by visions of Lex, who's trying to make you feel
guilty for his death," Clark nodded. "You're right. It wouldn't be the first
time somebody tried to hurt you by bringing up Lex. But tampering with your
dreams? That's pretty far out, Lois, even for us."
 "Don't you think I know how crazy this sounds?" Lois paced. "But there was
Ariana Carlin, remember? With her subliminal messages. And who knows what's
possible? That's why I decided to try and figure this out."
 Quietly, Clark said, "That doesn't explain why you felt you had to hide
this from me."
 She looked him in the eye. "That's not a discussion for the Daily Planet
office."
 He looked right back. "Then let's take this back home."
 "Perry's never going to let us go today, Clark. We've got too much to do."
 Grimly, Clark looked at Perry's office. "He will if we explain this."
 "Let it go, Clark. Let's just work on this today, and we'll talk about the
personal stuff later."
 We'll talk about the personal stuff later?  Clark thought. There's more to
this.
 As she turned away from him, he quickly slipped his glasses down his nose
and x-rayed her ankle. Nope, not a clone, he thought. But definitely not
behaving like my wife.
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:00:43 -0800
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Subject:      Night Terrors (2)
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It had been some time since Lois had put these kinds of mental barriers
between them. With all the things they'd been through to get to this point -
clones, obsessed doctors, New Kryptonians - he'd thought those barriers well
and truly gone. Ok, he thought, time for some of my own investigating.
 Clark calmly walked over to his desk and tapped into his computer.
"Dreams.," he muttered. He accessed his search engine and went to work,
keying in searches on dreams, mind control, psychological meanings of
dreams, and anything else he could think of. Through the course of his
search, he turned up one site, and a posting on the Metropolis U psychology
department bulletin board. It was for a seminar on dream research, given by
a professor Michael Soppeland. Clark checked his watch. The seminar would
end in about half an hour.
 "Clark, what are you doing?" Lois demanded.
 He jumped up. "Since you won't talk about what's wrong, I thought I'd
better check some things out. There's a seminar over in about a half an hour
about dream research at Metropolis U. I'm going to go see if I can catch the
professor."
 Lois stared at him, dumbfounded. "Since when am I not capable of dealing
with things myself?"
 "Since you stopped being rational, partner," Clark said sarcastically.
 "Well, if you're going, you're not going alone," she replied grimly. "I'm
going with you."
 "Fine."
***
 Michael Soppeland held degrees in psychology, English and physics. He had
an eye for young coeds and a reputation for good research. He started his
closing speech to the seminar participants just as Lois and Clark slipped in
the back of the room.
 "Dreams are transitory, fleeting expressions of daily anxieties," he said.
"Through these methods, we can capture our dreams, remake them, and shape
them into expressions of what we want to occur. It's a power of positive
thinking, made fresh through our sleep.
 "When we learn to control our dreams, we have the power to remake our
futures, remove our stress, and excel intellectually. As this research
evolves, we hope to have the key to the door in our minds that will allow
this."
 Students in the room broke out in applause, as the day ended. The professor
made his way through the crowd of students, shaking hands and greeting the
more lovely young women with a shade more warmth than was professional. As
he worked his way toward Lois, she muttered to Clark, "And this is our dream
expert. Some guy who probably trades sex for grades."
 "Lo-is," he admonished. "We're not here to judge, just to get information."
 Grumbling, Lois extended her hand to the professor, who came to them at
that moment. "Professor Soppeland?"
 Baring his teeth in a lazy grin, he looked her up and down. "Who's asking?"
 Clark stepped in. "My wife and I are interested in your research. I'm Clark
Kent, and this is Lois Lane."
 "Ah, Lane and Kent. Call me Mike," he said. "It's not often I get news
coverage of my work."
 "Well, really, this isn't coverage," Lois hastily explained. "We just have
some questions about dream research, and your name came up."
 Mike sighed. "It's always doing that."
 Clark suppressed a grin. "Is there someplace we could talk, Mike?"
 "Sure," he said. "How about my office?"
 "Lead the way," Lois gestured toward the door.
 Mike thought about a comment, thought better of it, and led the way to his
office, two floors and several doors down. "They stuck me in the basement,"
he explained as they walked over.
 "I wonder why," Lois muttered drily, so only Clark could hear. With effort,
Clark kept a straight face as Mike continued to talk.
 "I think it has something to do with my research," he added. "I need to
sleep a lot. Hence the couch in my office."
 He unlocked the door to the dank office. Lois and Clark followed him in.
"So you want to know about dreams, huh? Have a seat," Mike nodded toward the
long leather couch in a corner surrounded by bookshelves.
 Clark sat down gingerly, and Lois followed. "Well, we have some questions
about dreams. Specifically, how to control them."
 Lois looked up, surprised at his statement. After all, he had already as
much dismissed the idea that someone was controlling her nightmares.
 Mike tipped his chair back. "Controlling dreams can be fairly easy, as
little as imagining what you want to dream about before you go to sleep."
 Lois leaned forward. "What about control from outside sources? Control that
comes from without?"
 Mike frowned. "From without?"
 "You know, like somebody else trying to control your dreams," she
persisted.
 "Well, there's been some research done in that area," Mike thought for a
minute. "One of my students, as a matter of fact, is working on that kind of
project."
 Clark looked at some of the titles on the bookshelf near him. "I didn't
realize this was such a big area of study," he commented, looking at the
wealth of materials surrounding him.
 "You'd be surprised," Mike said. "I guess as long as man has had dreams, he
's tried to control them, interpret them. Native Americans believed dreams
could hold omens of the future, and even the Bible makes reference to dream
interpretation. Freud was the one who got modern psychologists and
psychiatrists thinking about dream interpretation in a sexual way."
 "But this issue of control," Lois hesitated. "Has anyone come up with a way
to control the dreams of others?"
 Mike's eyes narrowed. "You're awfully persistent about that point, Ms.
Lane."
 "Just interested," she said lightly.
 "One of my students has been conducting research into the possibility that
subliminal messages can be channeled through dreams," Mike said. "Alexis
Turner. She's been working on a thesis that supposes we can suggest people
dream about specific things through the media they consume before they
sleep."
 "Through the media they consume ." Clark echoed. "In other words, watch
M*A*S*H, dream about Korea?"
 "Something like that." Mike stood up and looked at his bookshelves for a
minute. He grabbed a title from the shelf and handed it to Lois.
 "Dream watchers?" she asked.
 "It talks about this idea a bit. But you really should talk to Alexis,"
Mike said. "She's been working on the cutting edge in this field."
 Lois and Clark looked at each other. "Thank you, Mike," Clark said.
 ***
 "Well, that was interesting," Lois said as she and Clark walked back to the
Jeep.
 "Yeah, interesting," Clark replied absently.
 She looked at him a little more closely. "You're still mad I didn't include
you on the earlier research, aren't you?"
 He shrugged. "Not mad, exactly. I just thought we were past that kind of
stuff. Partners, you know? Married. In love. Stronger together than apart.
And yet - "
 "And yet I didn't tell you just how much I was spooked by these dreams, and
how much I wanted to get to the bottom of them," she finished for him.
"Look, Clark, sometimes I'm not sure how I should approach you when it comes
to talking about Lex. Just mentioning his name, sometimes, trips that old
reaction in you."
 "What reaction?" he asked, a muscle starting to twitch in his jaw.
 "That one," Lois stopped and ran a hand along his cheek. "The angry,
jealous, I-want-to-hurt-a-dead-man-but-that'
s-ridiculous-because-Superman-wouldn't-do-that reaction."
 Clark stopped, too. "Is it that obvious?" he asked. "I try so hard not to
let that man bother me. He's dead, for pete's sake. He can't harm us
anymore."
 Lois looked him in the eye. "I think we both have some unresolved issues,
here."
 "Maybe," he said. "Maybe we should talk this out further." The sound of
brakes screeching in the distance caught his attention. Lois sighed, spying
the familiar expression.
 "Go," she said. "We'll talk about this later."
 "Love you," Clark said, as he glanced around before spinning into the suit
and taking off.
 "Love you, too," Lois looked at the sky, knowing he could hear her answer.
***
 Back at the Planet, Lois started looking through Mike's book.
 "Judas Priest, Lois, this is a newsroom, not a library!" Perry roared. "Don
't you have a piece of political corruption to do?"
 She looked up as her editor approached her desk. "It's in the can, Perry; I
sent it to you about 10 minutes ago."
 "That's no excuse for reading ." Perry glanced at the book. "Dream
watchers?"
 Lois sighed. "Actually, Perry, I think there might be a story in this.
Apparently, we can control our dreams, and others can control our dreams,
too."
 "Come into my office," Perry said. "Let's talk about what prompted this."
 Lois slowly got up. "I don't know if you'll think this interesting, Perry."
 "Huh," Perry retorted. "Seems to me you'd better hope I think this is
interesting."
 They walked together to his office, where Lois shut the door. "I've been
having some disturbing dreams that started a few weeks ago. They're all the
same; Lex blaming me for his death."
 "Now, honey, that whole episode made a deep impact on you," Perry said. "It
wouldn't be surprising if some of that junk to come back to haunt you."
 "But just in the last few weeks? When I've never been happier?" Lois sat
abruptly down. "Why now? And why are the dreams all the same?"
 "I'm no psychiatrist, Lois, but maybe you feel like you don't deserve this
happiness. Maybe you're torturing yourself in your dreams because you're not
being tortured during the day," Perry reasoned.
 Lois looked at him as if he had grown a third eye. "Are you nuts? I'm not
that deranged."
 A tap at the door interrupted their conversation. Clark cautiously looked
around the edge of the door. "Is this a private conversation, or can I join
in?"
 "Clark, Perry thinks I'm having these dreams because I thrive on torturing
myself!" Lois raged. "That's ridiculous. Who would want to torture
themselves? That's not only masochistic, it's nuts, and - "
 "Slow down, Lois," Clark interrupted the babble before it could get well
and truly underway. "Perry's just trying to help. For what it's worth,
Chief, Lois has good instincts about stuff like this, and she seems to think
someone's trying to control her dreams."
 Perry sat back. "Dream control?" He rubbed his chin. "Stranger things have
happened to you, Lois."
 "Darned right," she hissed.
 "I still think, though, that you might check with a psychiatrist," Perry
added. "Even if it's not just in your head, there might be some insight to
offer." He turned to his computer. "You've got 24 hours on this story. Then
I pull the plug and you go get some help."
 Frustrated, Lois tried to object. "Perry -"
 Perry looked up. "That's the final word, Lois."
 Clark nudged his wife. "Come on, honey."
 "But Clark - "
 "Let's go," he said as he steered her out the door. "We've only got 24
hours. And I think we're on to something."
 Perry watched them go. If something was there, they'd find it that fast, he
thought. Of that he had no doubt. If not, well, Lois would get the help she
needed. Either way, his best reporters would be in better shape for coming
stories. Sighing, he turned back to his computer, resuming the editing for
page one.
***
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:01:27 -0800
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From:         Amy Lauters <alauters@CSD.UWM.EDU>
Subject:      Night Terrors (3)
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Lois fumed as Clark forcibly escorted her out to the Jeep. "What does he
mean by pulling one of the best investigative - no, make that the best
investigative reporter in town off a story? And suggesting she's crazy? I
can't believe him, sometimes."
 "He didn't actually pull you off the story, honey," Clark said soothingly.
"He actually gave you some time to explore it, even though there might not
be a story here. And he doesn't think you're crazy, he just thinks there
might be other rational reasons for your dreams than dream control. You can'
t blame him for being rational."
 "Yes, I can!" Lois yelled, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God,
what am I saying? Of course he can be rational. Of course, it's rational to
think about what might be causing these dreams aside from dream control. But
Clark, the alternative . what if I am going crazy?"
 He pulled her close. "You're not going crazy."
 "Are you sure?" Her dark eyes beseeched him. "I've just never been happier
in my life than since I've been with you. I don't want to screw that up. I
don't want Lex to have a hold on me!"
 "He won't, and he doesn't," Clark whispered in her hair as he pulled her to
his shoulder. "It's because I know how much you want to be with me that I
know you're not crazy. And with Lex . well, who knows how many research pots
he stuck a spoon in? He might have dabbled with dream control." He pulled
back to look her in the eye. "But Lex is dead, Lois. So if someone is using
his research to control your dreams, it can't be him."
 "Then who?" she asked.
 "That's what we have to find out. And I think we'll start with Alexis
Turner."
***
 Alexis Turner looked more like a supermodel than a psychology graduate
student. At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, she looked most of her male colleagues
in the eye. Her lithe figure showed an athletic grace, and her long, blonde
hair was pulled back away from her face to show big blue eyes over a Nordic
nose. She looked up from a book when Lois and Clark walked into the office
she shared with six other graduate students.
 "Lois and Clark, I presume," she said as she stood, fluidly offering her
hand to first Lois, then Clark.
 "That's us," Lois said. "Alexis Turner?"
 "That's me," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"
 "Professor Soppeland said you might be able to help us," Clark started. "He
said you were working on a project that might lead to a technique for
controlling the dreams of others."
 Alexis pulled up chairs from the empty desks surrounding her and motioned
them to sit. "I am working on such a project."
 "What can you tell us about it?" Lois asked.
 Alexis shrugged. "What do you want to know about it?"
 Impasse. Clark cleared his throat. "What is the substance of your theory?"
he asked.
 "Well, I think that messages we get through the media can control our
dreams," she answered. "It's really an extension of an old idea. What we
think about before we sleep, we dream about."
 "Professor Soppeland mentioned something about that," Lois said. "What have
you found so far?"
 "I'm having volunteers watch specific television programs before sleeping,
observed by me. When they wake up, they write down their dreams just as they
remember them. Some seem to have no connection to the television programs
they watched; some do," Alexis explained. "My goal is to find what triggers
those who do dream about the shows, their characters, or even their
 content."
 "Where did you get this idea?" Clark wanted to know.
 "From my father," Alexis said. "He was a researcher at Lex Labs, looking
into dream theories."
 "Was?" Lois asked.
 "He died five years ago."
 Lois paused. "Do you mind telling us how?"
 Alexis glanced at her calendar. "It's a long story, and I really don't have
the time right now to go into it. Suffice it to say, he's dead. And I'm
carrying on with his research, without the resources of Lex Labs,
 obviously."
 "One more question, Alexis," Clark said. "Do you think it would be possible
to control another person's dreams without their knowledge of it?"
 "That's what my father was working on," she said. "That's what killed him.
But there are no records of his research that I can find . and believe me, I
tried."
 "In what way did his research contribute to his death, Alexis?" Lois asked.
 Alexis smiled. "He died in his sleep." She stood. "I've got class in five
minutes. Sorry I can't show you out."
 "One more -" Lois tried to interject.
 "Goodbye, Ms. Lane."
***
 Clark's cell phone rang as they walked out the door. "Clark Kent."
 "CK, it's Jimmy. Man, when you guys get into something, you really get into
it, don't you?"
 Clark hung on to his patience. "You've got something for us, then?"
 "Yeah, there was a project at Lex Labs several years ago that looked into
dream control as a way to control behavior in adolescents. It was thought
that dreams could induce good behavior in a juvenile delinquent," Jimmy
said. "I found the abstract in an old defense system database."
 "Defense system?" Clark asked.
 "Yeah, it was a joint project with the U.S. government. The research
stopped about five years ago, though," Jimmy said. "The feds pulled the plug
when they found out about Lex and his bent to the criminal."
 Clark raised a brow at Lois. "They might have pulled the plug on more than
that, Jimmy," he said. "Thanks."
 "Well, what'd he say?" Lois asked impatiently.
 "Get this: Lex Labs researchers were working with the feds on a project to
control behavior of teens through dream control," Clark said. "The project
ended with Lex's first suicide attempt five years ago, when the feds found
out about his criminal dealings."
 "Then that means - "
 Clark grimly interrupted. "Someone killed Alexis' father."
 "And might be controlling my dreams."
***
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:12:26 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Amy Lauters <alauters@CSD.UWM.EDU>
Subject:      Oops
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Sorry about the double posts. I thought I sent them to the wrong address at
first.
Harmony
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 16:29:02 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Hazel <zis-s@ACTCOM.CO.IL>
Subject:      Re: Night Terrors (3)
In-Reply-To:  <011701bf71bf$4430bc00$0f02000a@csd.uwm.edu>
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Okay, so where's the rest of it?

<looks around>

<taps foot impatiently>

An excellent beginning! The man who was "killed" in his sleep -- ooh,
that's chilling. Hurry up and post some more! :)

One suggestion: an extra return between paragraphs makes for cleaner,
easier reading. So let's have the rest of this! Unless Lex is somehow alive
again (he's worse than the Energizer Bunny!), I can't imagine who the
villain is here...

Hazel
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 13:30:36 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Question for a fanfic
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Did Miranda, in PML, have a last name?

Nan
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:35:06 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Question for a fanfic
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In a message dated 2/7/00 4:32:14 PM Eastern Standard Time,
deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET writes:

<< Did Miranda, in PML, have a last name? >>

I don't think so.  I believe when she showed up at Lex's, Nigel announced
her
as "Miss Miranda."

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 15:57:19 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      NEW:  The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn) part 24
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For those of you still interested <g>, here's the latest installment.  I'll
try not to keep you waiting as long for the next installment.  ;)

The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn)
by Erin Klingler
erink@ida.net
part 24

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

Clark glanced up at the waning daylight coming in through the high basement
window in a mixture of relief and anxiety.  On the one hand, he’d never felt
so glad to see approaching darkness since he didn’t know how much longer he
could stand sitting around watching Lois’ health dwindle.  But on the other
hand, he knew that everything with their escape had to go just right, or
else.
He didn’t want to think of the consequences if things didn’t.

Looking away from the window, he glanced down at Lois sleeping in his arms,
her head tucked into the crook of his elbow.  He was hurting, too, but at
least the burning in his ribs was diminishing to a dull ache, and the heavy,
tired, and overall weak feeling brought on by the Kryptonite in his system
didn’t seem as bad as it had before.  Or maybe he was just becoming more
accustomed to the feeling, he didn’t know.  But seeing Lois’ condition
worsening made his own pains pale by comparison since he knew he’d much
rather
be hurt himself than see someone he loved in so much pain.

His heart wrenching, he reached out to brush her bangs back off her
forehead,
worrying even further when he felt her hot, clammy skin, and noting how
vividly her dark hair and eyebrows stood out against her pale skin.

“It won’t be long, Lois,” he murmured quietly as he gently stroked her
cheek.
“Just hold on for a while longer.”

His voice caused her to stir, and a moment later her eyelids flickered open.
She looked up at him, disoriented, then realized where she was and slowly
sat
up.

“Take it easy, Lois,” Clark cautioned as he kept an arm around her to steady
her.  “Don’t try to move too fast.”

Lois closed her eyes and put a hand on Clark’s knee to steady herself as the
room around her swayed, then slowly came to a stop.  When she reopened her
eyes, she saw Clark watching her, his eyes filled with worry and concern.
“How long was I asleep?” she asked, her voice sounding gravelly and unused
to
her own ears.

“A couple of hours, I think,” Clark told her in a low voice.  He reached out
to brush her hair away from her face.  “How are you feeling?”

“Never better,” she replied with a touch of sarcasm.  “Have we had any more
visits from Trask or his thugs?”

Clark shook his head.  “Thankfully, no.  It’s been pretty quiet, and I’m
glad
since it gave you a chance to sleep.”

Lois nodded sleepily, then turned to look at the dimming light outside the
window.  “Looks like it’ll be dark soon.”

“I can hardly wait,” Clark agreed, his tone determined.

Lois looked back at him and reached out to carefully touch the purplish
coloring along his jaw.  “Ouch,” she commiserated, cringing.  “That doesn’t
look good.  How are *you* doing?”

“I’m sure I look worse than I feel,” Clark exaggerated, not wanting to
affect
her already fragile state by admitting his own aches and pains.  “Besides,
we’
ll be out of here before too long.”

“And maybe we can finally put this nightmare behind us,” Lois said with a
sigh
as she let her throbbing head fall against Clark’s shoulder.

Knowing there wasn’t much he could do for her besides comfort her, he slid
his
arm around her shoulders and rubbed his thumb lightly against her arm.  They
sat still for several minutes when suddenly they heard the sound of
footsteps
coming down the stairs.  Clark stiffened when the metal door was thrown open
and Trask came stalking into the room toward the cell.

“So, Kent,” he began, the familiar arrogant snarl on his face.  “Are you and
your girlfriend here ready to talk?”

Clark’s lips drew into a firm line.  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“So you keep saying,” Trask replied, his voice rising as he walked over to
the
cell and grabbed the cell’s bars angrily in his hands.  “But how much more
of
this do you think you can take, Kent?  Without your powers, you’re helpless
to
get out of here.  You’re completely at my mercy!  And you might think you’re
strong enough despite the liquid Kryptonite in your system to continue
resisting, but what about your little girlfriend here?  Without food or
water,
she isn’t going to last much longer,” he said, nodding at Lois still leaning
wearily against Clark’s shoulder.  “Why don’t you just make it easier on all
of us and tell me what I want to know, Kent?”

Clark finally lost what little control he had left and he began to yell.
“Like I keep telling you, if there was anything to tell, don’t you think I
would’ve said something by now?!” he raged.  “Do you think I enjoy sitting
in
this cell, watching Lois suffer from your inhumane treatment while you cling
to some ridiculous idea that I’m some part of an alien invasion?”

The muscle in Trask’s jaw flinched, and his eyes blazed with silent fury.
“I’
ve dealt with people like you before, who will do anything to hold onto your
secrets, no matter the cost.  But believe me, I *will* get this out of you,
Kent!  If it means I have to keep you and your girlfriend here until she
dies,
I *will* get it out of you.”

With one more glaring, impatient look at them, he released the bars angrily
and stalked to the basement door.  Wrenching the door open, he then stopped
in
the open doorway and turned back to them.  “Don’t plan on any meals until I
get what I want from you, Kent!  Until you decide to talk, you can both
starve
away in here for all I care!”  And with that, he turned and stormed out of
the
room, slamming the door with a loud clang behind him.

“I believe he means it, too,” Lois said solemnly when they were alone again.
“He’s obviously not a sane man.  I’d hate to think of what else he might do
to
us if we didn’t get out of here.”

“Yeah, I know,” Clark nodded.  “But we *are* going to get out of here.  That
much I promise you.”  He shifted his shoulder slightly, causing her to look
up
at him.  Her flushed cheeks and dull eyes made his heart ache, and his arm
tightened protectively around her.  “How are you holding up?  Can you stick
things out for a little while longer?”

“What choice do I have?” Lois said with a sigh as she lifted her head from
Clark’s shoulder.  Straightening, she reached up to brush her bangs back
from
her hot forehead and stretched her back and shoulders slowly.  “Besides, it
should only be a couple of hours before it’s dark and Trask’s men have
settled
in for the night.”

“Unless his men are on continual patrol around the cabin,” Clark pointed
out.

“I doubt it,” Lois answered.  “What do they have to patrol for?  I can see
posting a man or two, but we’re in the middle of the woods.  It’s not like
they’d have a ton of people nosing around.”

Clark sighed.  “I hope you’re right.”

“I have to be right,” Lois told him with determination.  “It’s our only
hope.”

*****

For the next couple of hours, Lois tried not to think about how hungry and
thirsty she was, or about the painful burning in her leg as she and Clark
kept
anxious eyes on the small basement window, eagerly watching the daylight
fade
steadily until all they could see was blackness outside their dimly lit
basement prison.

“How much longer do you think we should wait?” Lois asked in a hushed
whisper.

Clark twisted his hands in anxiously as he walked across the cell.  “I don’t
know.”  Standing at the door of the cell for a moment, he wrapped an arm
inconspicuously around his aching ribcage and stood stock still, straining
to
hear any possible sounds of approaching footsteps.  Nothing.

“I hate this!” he suddenly exclaimed as he forced himself to drop his arm
from
his torso and turned to pace back across the cell toward Lois.  “I can’t
hear
a single thing.  Do you have any idea how totally useless I feel?!”

Still sitting on the cot, Lois reached out to take his hand when he stopped
near her, and gave it a sympathetic squeeze.  “Clark, calm down.  You’re
making me a basket case.”  She gave his hand a slight tug, attempting to
pull
him down beside her.

But he refused to be comforted.  “No, Lois, I can’t,” he told her, pulling
his
hand out of hers and pacing back to the cell door.  “Do you realize how much
is riding on this?  We’re only going to get one chance at this, and if we
fail…” His voice trailed off.

“Clark, we’re not going to fail,” she told him, forcing herself to keep her
voice calm and steady.  “We just need to be careful and watch for our
opportunities.”  She watched him reached up to grab the bars of the cell
door,
and noticed his knuckles turning white as his grip on them tightened in
silent
anger and frustration.

When he spoke again, she had to strain to hear his voice.  “I just can’t
help
feeling so helpless,” he said in a strangled whisper.  “I’m so used to being
able to rely on my powers to keep the people I love save.  But now I’m faced
with something I can’t do anything about, and having to watch you suffer
because of it.  You have *no* idea how that eats at me.  If I had my powers,
I
’d just bend these bars apart and fly us out of here, but I can’t.  I can’t
do
*anything.*  I feel totally and completely helpless to do anything to help
you, to help *us*, and it’s tearing me apart.”

>From where she sat, Lois could see the tears glimmering in his eyes, and
her
heart immediately went out to him.  With great effort, she put her hands
down
on either side of her and pushed herself up from the cot, gritting her teeth
against the pain as she made her way over to where Clark stood.  When she
reached him, she put a hand on his arm.

“Clark, listen to me,” she said quietly, the firm pressure of her hand on
his
arm forcing him to look at her.  “We’re going to get out of here, with or
without your powers.  So there’s no reason for you to feel guilty about what
you don’t have.  I was getting myself out of bad situations long before I
met
you.  It’s not an impossible thing to do.”  She gave him a wry smile, which
he
returned hesitantly.  But she could still see the haunted look in his eyes,
so
she tried again.

“Clark, the bottom line is, none of this is your fault.  And feeling guilty
and continuing to blame yourself—like I know you’re doing—isn’t going to
help
get us out of here.  We need to stay focused on what we need to do to get
out
of here.  True, it would be much easier to get out of here if you had your
powers, but you don’t, so quit dwelling on it.  The way I look at it is it’s
like when a person loses their sight.  They have to learn to rely on their
other senses, and that’s kind of what *we’re* going to need to do.  We’re
both
resourceful people, used to thinking on our feet and making things happen.
Why should this situation be any different?  We’re a team, Clark.  As long
as
we remember that and continue to work together like one, it really won’t
matter if you have super powers or not.  We’ll get out of here, and we’ll
get
through this *together.*”

When she finished, Clark stared at her for a long minute.  She was
right--absolutely right.  Powers or not powers, they’d worked together for a
long time.  They were a team.  A great team.  They’d managed to accomplish
great things in the past when they’d worked together.  Why couldn’t they
now?

Staring down into her intense gaze, so brave in spite of everything she’d
been
through, and so sure of what they had to do to free themselves, he was once
again overcome by how much he loved her, and how lucky he was that he had
her
in his life.

Reaching out, he cupped her face in his hands and stroked his thumbs across
her cheeks.  “You’re an amazing woman, Lois Lane,” he told her, his voice
husky with emotion.  “What would I ever do without you in my life?”

She smiled as she reached up to put her hands on his wrists.  “Let’s not
find
out.”

He laughed softly.  “It’s a deal.”  Then his smile softened, and he looked
at
her lovingly.  “I love you, Lois.  No matter what happens, that’ll never
change.”

“I know, Clark,” she said.  “And I love you, too.  But the only thing that’s
going to happen is that we’re going to get out of here, and put *Trask*
behind
bars, once and for all.  Then we can get on with our lives.”

“You have *no* idea how great that sounds,” he replied earnestly.  His eyes
continued to search hers for long moment, then he lowered his face to hers
and
kissed her gently, telling her without words just how much he loved her.

When their kiss ended, Clark wrapped his arms around her tightly, nestling
his
face in her hair.  Lois sighed and let her head fall against his chest,
feeling immediately comforted by the solid, steady beating of his heart.
She
couldn’t help marveling at how much comfort she was able to draw from him,
from the feeling of being enveloped in his arms.  She almost felt as if she
could handle anything, as long as they remained together.  It was an awesome
feeling.

Long minutes passed before Clark finally released her.  “I think you should
get some rest,” he told her in a no-nonsense tone, helping her over to the
cot.  “We’re going to have a long night ahead of us.”

She sighed as she sank down onto the cot.  “I know.  That’s what I’m afraid
of.”

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

Erin  :)
__________________
erink@ida.net
Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
             *****
"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
__________________
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 18:10:40 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "Ann E. McBride" <Aerm1@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn) part 24
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In a message dated 2/7/00 6:01:26 PM Eastern Standard Time, erink@IDA.NET
writes:

<< For those of you still interested <g>, here's the latest installment.
I'll
 try not to keep you waiting as long for the next installment.  ;) >>

For those of us still interested?  You've got to be kidding!

This was terrific and well worth the wait.  I can't wait to see how they get
out of there.

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 18:23:17 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 1
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Hazel,

Thank-you for the feedback -- I really appreaciate it.   Your point about
Lois's background at the Planet is well-taken.   I never intended to portray
her as a complete novice so I'll rewrite a couple of things to convey that
she did have some solid  experience, etc behind her.   You wrote :  <<How
did
she get from your point A to the point B of the pilot episode? Of course, I
might be wrong about the time frame -- it
could be fanfic myth, much like "CJ" or "Jon" for Clark's eldest son. :)>>
No, I don't think you're wrong about the time frame.   In the 2nd season ep,
Lois has won 3 awards, so I think it's logical to assume she won a couple of
them before Clark showed up at the Planet.  So I'll have to get her from
Point A to point B. :)

Glad you liked Jess. :)

Carol
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 8 Feb 2000 00:26:55 +0100
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Petra Steudle <petrast@GMX.NET>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn) part 24
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Erin,

what are you doing to me? You can't just post the next part when it's
after midnight over here and I should go and see my bed for a change ;)
But I was right to read it now and not to get some hours of sleep first.

Thanks for feeding us with more <g>
This is another brilliant installment of DH.
I love the way Lois & Clark are drawing strenght from eachother no
matter how worse the situation is getting.
Please get them out of there soon! Poor, hurting Lois, poor Clark.

Petra
(who is going to take some print outs of "Caped Fear" and "The Healing
Time" to bed just in case she'll wake up in the middle of the night and
feel the urge to read more Kerth material <g>)

"Once burned twice shy
 I've learned I've cried
 And I never gonna hurt
 that way again"

mailto: <petrast@gmx.net>
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 19:31:06 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Amy Otto <sweetinnocentamy@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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*laugh*  Me me!  I want to be first!  Irene's just the most wonderful
writer.  I print out her stories before reading them, just because I know if
they're by her, they have to be good.  Keep writing, Irene!
~Amy
----- Original Message -----
From: Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 2:41 PM
Subject: Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG

> Well, we could pick on Irene.  Who'd like to be first?
>
> Nan
>
> Wendy Richards wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:09:11 +0100 Petra Steudle
> > <petrast@GMX.NET> wrote:
> >
> > > I'm not done yet with my
> > > nominations for all categories but so far there seems to be
> > > only one category that Wendy doesn't qualify for: Best New
> > > Author. :)
> >
> > Ummm.... a *very* embarrassed Wendy could point out that
> > she didn't write on S6 and barely wrote on any eligible
> > RRs, and that doesn't even raise the question of numerous
> > categories where she would not even begin to consider
> > herself in contention compared to the brilliant writers
> > around...
> >
> > Wendy
> > (feeling flattered and embarrassed in almost equal measure
> > by this discussion and wondering whether we could pick [on]
> > someone else to embarrass now? <g>)
> > ----------------------
> > Wendy Richards
> > w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 06:03:33 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Debby <Debby@SWCP.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
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At 08:28 AM 02/07/2000 +0100, Helene wrote:
>Wow, Labby's already at work at this time of the day :) Okay, for your
>question about Lois' double in Madame Ex, I quickly checked the tape, but I
>didn't find any name. There was no name on the patient file that Lois and
>Clark found in the office of the doctor who had made the operation...
>anyway, I don't think there was any name given so you might as well make it
>up ;)

Agreed, make it up. My script says "Lois II" no wonder the poor woman felt
no
self esteem.

Debby
Debby@swcp.com
write me for info on scripts
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 19:59:09 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         "Alexis W." <MsLoisette@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Night Terrors (3)
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In a message dated 2/7/00 4:07:46 PM EST, alauters@CSD.UWM.EDU writes:

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

<< Alexis Turner looked more like a supermodel than a psychology graduate
 student. At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, she looked most of her male colleagues
 in the eye. Her lithe figure showed an athletic grace, and her long, blonde
 hair was pulled back away from her face to show big blue eyes over a Nordic
 nose. She looked up from a book when Lois and Clark walked into the office
 she shared with six other graduate students. >>

LOL! I have to admit my mouth dropped when i saw my name!  This the first
LnC
fanfic what I've read with my name in it! LOL!  What's ironic is that the
last name you picked was the last name of my best friend.  <G>

Anyway I look nothing like this Alexis and I think i know where her
connection is in all of this.  I can't wait to read the rest of it and see
if
I'm right.

Super story!

Alexis W. ;-.)
{not to be confused with "Alexis Turner" ;)}
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:10:38 -0800
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From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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Amy Otto wrote:

> *laugh*  Me me!  I want to be first!  Irene's just the most wonderful
> writer.  I print out her stories before reading them, just because I know
if
> they're by her, they have to be good.  Keep writing, Irene!
> ~Amy
>

Oh, I agree whole-heartedly, Amy.  And Irene laughed when I told her that I
was
stunned to be compared with writers like her and Wendy, believe it or not!
When
I see an Irene story I can't wait to get at it, because I know without the
shadow of a doubt that I'm going to love it.

Nan (one of Irene's many fans.)
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:13:50 -0800
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: NEW:  The Darkest Hour (Before the Dawn) part 24
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Erin Klingler wrote:

> For those of you still interested <g>, here's the latest installment.
I'll
> try not to keep you waiting as long for the next installment.  ;)
>
> Erin!  This is the most agonizing way of dragging out a story that I've
ever
> seen!  I'm on pins and needles here!

Nan
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:44:18 EST
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              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
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From:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP - Connections part 5
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Hi,

Here's the next part.  Feedback would be very welcome.

Carol

-----------
Connections, part 5

Zara picked up the sound of Clark's footsteps as he walked across the
newsroom floor to his own desk.  She raised her head to watch him, trying to
calculate how he would react to the test which she and Ching had devised
last
night.  If he handled this test successfully, they could then inform him of
his origins, of his duty to return forever to New Krypton, and of his
destiny
to assume the mantle of his father's house.   After that, they could return
home and finally defeat Nor.  Rising from her chair, she approached Clark's
desk.

"Hi, Clark.  Did you get a chance to look at that material on Lex Luthor's
proposal for the Hobbs Bay housing project?"

"Yes."  He smiled at her.  "Great detail, Sara.  I appreciate the notations,
too."  He nodded towards his computer screen.   "I couldn't have produced
this article without your work."

"Is there anything else you'd like me to work on?"  Her voice was friendly
as
she asked the question.

Clark paused for a moment.  "Yeah.  I need more information on those Hobbs
Canal murders.  There's something I'm not quite getting -- something I can't
put my finger on.  How would you like to go over there with me and take a
look around?  I could use a fresh perspective."

Zara's face lit with a wide smile.  "I'm ready right now.   I'll just grab
my
sack."

"Sack?"  Bewilderment flickered across Clark's face for a second.

"Um... pouch, er purse," she muttered, leaving his side briefly to grab the
item with the elusive name.  Why did Earth women carry these things, anyway?
It was so much less efficient than the way in which Kryptonian clothing was
designed to carry any necessary peripherals within the garments themselves.
She picked up her purse and returned to his side, smiling brightly.  "Let's
go."

Lois Lane spotted them as they were leaving the main lobby of the Daily
Planet.  Now determined not to be recognized as Lois Lane, which, she
thought, based on her recent experience was probably not much of a problem
anyway, she'd tried to change her looks.  She had died her shoulder length
hair auburn and picked up a pair of horned rim glasses.  She was wearing her
usual jeans and her one and only jacket, no makeup.  She hoped she faded
into
the woodwork.

She managed to overhear some fragments of their conversation as they stood
on
the curb waiting for a taxi.  The woman's name was Sara and it sounded like
she, too, was a reporter at the Planet.  After the two of them had entered
the taxi, Lois thought for a moment that Kent looked back in her direction
but she wasn't sure.  Debating for a second whether to follow them to the
Hobbs Canal, she decided against it.  If he had any suspicion he was being
tracked, he would be more likely to spot her there, in that rundown area of
town, where even her nondescript appearance was a little too respectable.

Disgruntled, she sighed and decides to head for the Metropolis City Library.
More digging -- this time on James Olsen.  She still was serious about her
"marketing device" hypothesis.  And she also decided to read every article
written by Clark Kent before he surfaced as the caped wonder.  She would
find
out if there really was a Clark Kent.  The true Clark Kent.  What he
believed
in, what he cared about.  Or whether he was just some hack from
Nowheresville
who stumbled into *her* job and the boy genius in the head office decided to
use him to build his own action hero.  She decided to check the last two
years' circulation figures of the Daily Planet, too.  Do a before and after
comparison.

This afternoon, she had a meeting with Trask and then she planned to stop at
a hardware store to spend some of her very scarce resources on a cheap
lampshade to mask the minimalist statement made by the naked light bulb that
dangled above the narrow bed in her room.

And maybe call her father again.

* * *

Clark turned away from Sara to look out the window of the taxi as it
manoeuvred to rejoin the stream of traffic in front of the Daily Planet.
He'd had that same feeling again that he was being watched.  Looking back at
the crowded sidewalk he scanned the people there, but they all seemed to be
on their way to somewhere, not watching him.

A boy in his late teens, scowling as he walked, his shoulders hunched; an
old
woman, brisk in her stride, muttering to herself; a couple of people he knew
entering the Planet building; two women carrying shopping bags, chatting as
they walked; a young auburn haired woman in horned rimmed glasses and an old
jacket and jeans, a small tattered backpack slung across her shoulders, as
she walked away.  He smiled at her retreating figure, briefly admiring the
swing of her shoulder-length hair, feeling a connection with her for a
moment, thinking that could have been him three years ago when he returned
from his travels, seeking a job at the Planet.  Silently he wished her luck.
But no sign of a potential paparazzi.  He was getting paranoid.

Bemused, he shook his head slightly and turned back to Sara.  "Here's the
problem with those bodies that've shown up by the Canal over the last year
--
Henderson's guys say we're looking at three completely unrelated crimes.
They've only got a clear I.D. on one of the victims but no clue as to how he
came to be in the area in the first place.  Maybe if you take a look at the
site, you'll bring a different slant to it.  Spot something I've missed."

Zara was pleased that Kal El had decided she could be useful on this story.
These murders were a trivial distraction right now, but they did give her a
good excuse to get closer to him than she had been able to do so far.

* * *

Lois spotted Trask immediately as he entered the Library.  The strength and
energy of his sturdy body seemed to be constrained by the quietness of the
room in which she had been working, by the air of reflection suggested by
the
banks of bookshelves which dominated the space.  He looked out of place -- a
gunslinger in the front parlor.

Efficiently, she pulled her notes together, slipped on her jacket, and rose
to meet him.

"Nearly missed you -- was looking for a brunette," he grinned at her, the
first time she'd seen him smile.  "Find anything?" he asked.  "We've poured
over all those Superman stories, too.  Nothing useful."

"What would be useful?"

"Evidence that he's not on his own.  Something that clues us in to his
purpose."

"Have you ever thought that he just might not be an alien?  Maybe he could
be
the result of some government experiment?  I mean, you guys don't always do
a
lot of interdepartmental sharing from what I've heard.  And Bureau 39 was
downsized, gutted in fact, five years ago."

Trask's tone was tight-lipped, sarcastic. "You *have* been busy, Ms. Lane."

"Just want to know who I'm working for and if I'm going to get paid," she
replied lightly.  "So where are we going?" she asked as they trotted down
the
front steps to the pavement.

"Not too far from here.  My car's over there."

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in front of a large television in a
small room in a rundown building which, judging by the faded letters painted
on the building's grimy brick facade, had once housed a distillery.  Trask
pressed the remote control and Lois watched as images of Superman in action
played out before her.

"Some of this we got from LNN News; some of it our guys shot.  We've been
over it with a fine tooth comb, enhancing the images, looking for anything
we
 could find that might indicate what the creature is.  Nothing leads us to
think he's robotic -- no evidence of internal electronics -- we did a couple
of scans with an infra-ray camera.  Even got some satellite footage which
clearly differentiates biological, electronic, chemical data.  Both Superman
and Kent.  He's biological.  Show you that after this tape finishes."

Lois watched, astonished in spite of herself by the phenomenon of someone
who
could fly.  She'd read the stories that covered Superman's heroics and they
hadn't been helpful -- mostly golly-gee-whiz, able to leap tall buildings in
a single bound, bend steel in his bare hands stuff that read like the copy
of
an adolescent writing for his high school paper.  The feats were impressive;
there was no question about that.

"He's saved a lot of people's lives," Lois commented to Trask as she
continued to watch the tapes.  "I don't get why he should worry you."

Trask's voice was patient as though he were speaking to a child.  "Just a
cover to soften people up.  He's the PR, the advance man for the invasion...
Okay, here come the interviews."

Lois watched and listened as the first interview with Superman came up, the
press conference when he'd first "arrived" in Metropolis.

"Replay that bit for me, will you?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Notice how his eyes shift right there, shortly after he starts his speech.
He's looking beyond the crowd, as though he's searching for something or
someone on his left.  There, his eyes have stopped; it looks as though he
found who he was looking for.  Now his eyes have shifted again to the crowd
and his expression has changed.  He's very formal, proper."  Her voice was
soft, thoughtful as she spoke. "Do you have a crowd shot?"

"That's good, Lois.  We hadn't picked up on that.  I'll check.  If we've got
anything I'll get it to you as soon as I can."

"Thanks," she flashed him a quick smile.  "Okay, let's see the rest."

She listened carefully as Superman spoke.  He never seemed quite real and
that bothered her.  His words were that little bit more formal than those an
ordinary person would use, making him sound at times like the leader of a
Boy
Scout troop or her old high school principal.  There was never any sign of
the personal man -- but only earnestness instead of passion, good manners
unleavened by a sense of humor, and always that rigid body posture as though
he were playing a part.  She'd spent the morning reading Clark Kent's
articles, her mind both skeptical and critical to start with, but she'd
finished with a grudging respect for the man.  He could write, his work was
always well researched, but more than that, she'd come away with a feeling
that he was a deeply compassionate man to whom truth and justice mattered.
She would like to know Clark Kent.

Trask shut down the TV.  "Seen enough?"

"Yeah, thanks."  No, she hadn't seen enough.  After this morning, she was
more confused than ever about this Superman story.  "Still not sure I buy
your alien theory, though," she said lightly.

"There's one more thing you should see.  In the back."  He stood up,
assuming
she would follow him into the outer room where a small staff was busy
working
at whatever it is that people work at in government offices.  Trask stopped
for a moment in front of one desk and introduced Lois Lane, explaining that
she should give the woman her address and a few other bits of information
they needed in order to get Lois on the payroll.  This seemed to Lois to be
a
task of major significance and she gave the woman her full and best behaved
attention.  Never mess with the people who keep your records.  She'd learned
that yesterday morning.

Then she followed Trask through a narrow corridor painted some obscure dark
color, probably during the Nixon administration, just before they'd started
electing celebrities like Presley and Heston to the Presidency.  The hall
led
back into a large storeroom which now housed tall narrow rows of metal
filing
cabinets.  Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and the air was
musty.

"Through here," Trask said as he turned left at an intersection of olive
green filing cabinets.

She felt like she was in a poorly lit maze.  "Not a lot of visitors here, I
guess."

"Not in a few years.  Now our funding's back, we'll have soon have this
place
in shape.  Over here."  He walked across the grey concrete floor to a stack
of large wooden crates and a cluster of odd canvas shrouded forms.  He
approached one of these and pulled back its cover.

"What is it?"  Lois' eyes widened as she looked at a large grey metallic
object, shaped like an elongated egg with a frieze of incised characters
along one side of its smooth surface.  At its nose was the same shield-like
emblem that Superman wore.  Slowly she began to move her hand over its
surface until it came to rest in a small groove, a little bigger than her
thumb.  She gave a surprised gasp as the hood of the capsule flew open.

Trask grinned like a boy showing off his favourite toy.  "Neat, isn't it?
We
found it near Smallville, buried in a field not far from the Kent farm.  We
dug it up last year, just after Superman showed up.  We're less sure about
how long it was there and how it got there."

Fascinated, Lois looked at the sleek interior.  "What do you know about this
-- how it works?"

"Not much yet.  We haven't had it that long; but, it was this little baby,"
Trask patted the capsule affectionately, "that got us our funding back.  The
techies are slated to start work on it next week, once we get security
clearance on them."

"Did you find anything else in Smallville?"

"I'll get the file -- we've kept our field notes and photographs back here."
He headed off to the right, again assuming she would follow but this time
she
didn't.

Instead, she continued examining the interior of the capsule, wishing for
the
first time in her life that she had a degree in engineering.  Her hand moved
over an instrument panel, or what she assumed was one, touching small black
indentions as she did.  The interior was very  compact.  Had it housed an
infant, or something else?  A parasitic pod that sprang to life two years
ago
and took over the body of Clark Kent?  As her hand continued its random
exploration, her slender fingers poking around and below everything she
could
reach, a short, low frequency beep sounded and suddenly a sphere, about the
size of a large grapefruit sprang from a cavity on the panel.  She touched
it
with care and it wobbled, suggesting that it would release easily.  Plucking
it out, she regarded it briefly; then, hearing the distant squeak of Trask's
footsteps, she quickly popped the sphere into her backpack and bent over the
capsule, continuing her tactile investigation.

"Find anything?" Trask asked as he came to stand beside her.

"Nothing that makes any sense to me."  Lois straightened up and stretched
out
her hand for the folder which Trask held.  Flipping through it quickly, she
examined its contents while Trask repositioned the hood on the capsule.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Lois asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes.  It's classified information but you can look
through it here, in the main office."  After taking possession of the file
again, he led the way back to the main office where he escorted Lois to an
empty desk.  He pulled back a chair for her and then grabbed another one
from
an unoccupied desk nearby.  "Let me know if you got questions," he said as
he
stradled the chair, leaning his forearms on its back.

Great, she thought, nothing like having teacher hovering over me.  "Mind if
I
make a few notes?"

"Go ahead, Ms. Lane."

That was the last thing he said until she closed the file.  What she'd read
had been descriptions of the Kent farmhouse, interviews with several
townspeople, neighboring farmers, former classmates of Clark Kent -- every
one of them indicating an incredibly normal family shattered by tragedy when
Clark Kent was ten years old, but nothing more.  No suggestion of a Superman
connection at all.  Photographs of the field where the capsule had been
found
were equally uninformative.

Lois rose slowly and then turned to look at Trask.  "I'd like to go to
Smallville."

"A wild goose chase, Ms. Lane."

"Maybe, but I'll bring a new perspective to it.  There's a lot missing from
these files."

"And you think you can fill in the gaps?"

Lois grinned at him.  "Trask, you wouldn't have hired me if you didn't think
I could.  So how about expense money for a three day trip to Kansas?"

Trask grinned back.  "Okay, Lane, but find something our guys missed."

* * *
end, part 5
=========================================================================
Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:49:43 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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Well, I say we should all pick on Nan!  :)

Tara

------Original Message------
From: Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Sent: February 7, 2000 7:41:13 PM GMT
Subject: Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG

Well, we could pick on Irene.  Who'd like to be first?

Nan

Wendy Richards wrote:

> On Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:09:11 +0100 Petra Steudle
> <petrast@GMX.NET> wrote:
>
> > I'm not done yet with my
> > nominations for all categories but so far there seems to be
> > only one category that Wendy doesn't qualify for: Best New
> > Author. :)
>
> Ummm.... a *very* embarrassed Wendy could point out that
> she didn't write on S6 and barely wrote on any eligible
> RRs, and that doesn't even raise the question of numerous
> categories where she would not even begin to consider
> herself in contention compared to the brilliant writers
> around...
>
> Wendy
> (feeling flattered and embarrassed in almost equal measure
> by this discussion and wondering whether we could pick [on]
> someone else to embarrass now? <g>)
> ----------------------
> Wendy Richards
> w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk

"May the schwartz be with you!"  Yogurt, Space Balls
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:54:24 -0500
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From:         Tara Smith <jilectan@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth categories quiz: Best Dramatic Story
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Ok, maybe I can do better at this one that the last one :)

Quote 3: Dagger of the Mind by Nan Smith

Quote 4: Heliophobia by Yvonne Connell

Quote 5: Coming of Age by Notrehpooh

Quote 8: AAARGH!  I know this one!  I've read this one!  I can't remember
the name!

EXCERPT 7:  This *has* to be Suffer the Little Children by Jenni Debbage

Ok, I think I did a little better! :)

"Boom, baby, boom!  I am the evil midnight bomber that bombs at midnight!"
the Evil Midnight Bomber from the Tick
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 17:59:43 -0800
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From:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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Okay, I'm embarrassed now.  Please find someone else
to praise.  How about Nan Smith?

Irene
P.S.  Thanks :)

--- Nancy Smith <deimos1@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
> Amy Otto wrote:
>
> > *laugh*  Me me!  I want to be first!  Irene's just
> the most wonderful
> > writer.  I print out her stories before reading
> them, just because I know if
> > they're by her, they have to be good.  Keep
> writing, Irene!
> > ~Amy
> >
>
> Oh, I agree whole-heartedly, Amy.  And Irene laughed
> when I told her that I was
> stunned to be compared with writers like her and
> Wendy, believe it or not!  When
> I see an Irene story I can't wait to get at it,
> because I know without the
> shadow of a doubt that I'm going to love it.
>
> Nan (one of Irene's many fans.)
>

=====
Outside of a dog, a book is Man’s best friend. And inside of a dog, it’s too
dark to read.
Groucho Marx
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 21:27:20 EST
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From:         No Name Available <Larus2407@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: LabRat and Fanfic recomendation: Wendy's FTGG
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In a message dated 02/07/2000 2:22:35 PM Eastern Standard Time,
w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes:

<< Wendy
 (feeling flattered and embarrassed in almost equal measure
 by this discussion and wondering whether we could pick [on]
 someone else to embarrass now? <g>) >>

Ok, I'll take this one up! I've nominated (surprise surprise) Irene Dutchak
for Best New Author--the category Wendy doesn't qualify for. :)  (Well, OK,
I've nominated some of Irene's stories in other categories too.)

--Laurie (Irene's #1 fan)
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 21:33:49 EST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         Roseann Buonadies <Roseb11@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
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In a message dated 2/7/2000 12:22:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, erink@IDA.NET
writes:

<< No, no, no, don't believe it!!!  I just paged a very good friend on mine
right
 now (still waiting for him to call me back when he gets out of his
department
 meeting) who is on the police force, and he was transfered to just such a
 division a coupe of years ago.  I think he referred to it as the "Domestic
 Crimes Task Force," and he deals with spousal abuse, crimes to children in
the
 home, etc.  So don't rush off too fast and change anything, Labbie! As soon
as
 he calls me back to verify what his division is called, I'll pass on the
info!
 ;)
  >>

Erin's right, LabRat.  I've been serving on a Grand Jury panel since the
beginning of November (every Wednesday until March 8 -- my boss is not a
happy camper) and the police force in my neck of the woods (New Jersey) has
a
domestic violence unit.  They also have a unit specfically set aside for
"Megan's Law" cases.  They spend their time investigating convicted child
abuse offenders who haven't registered upon parole with the local police
force (which is an indictable offense here).  And within that domestic
violence unit, there appears to be some specialized units dealing with
specific crimes (like child sex abuse).  We've seen the same officers
testifying many times on different cases for that specific crime.  The same
seems to hold true for the Prosecutor's Office -- some prosecutors
specialize
in certain types of crimes.

Hope this helps.

Roseann Buonadies
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Date:         Tue, 8 Feb 2000 03:51:32 GMT
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From:         Diyan <zimri@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
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Hazel said, "Dia, who seems to know fanfic better than some of the
authors..."
Well, maybe if I’d spend less time reading, and try my hand at writing,
instead. . .   Seriously, Wendy, how do you manage to be our most prolific
author and still keep up with the reading?  Not to mention being a
quizmaster.

s
p
o
i
l
e
r

s
p
a
c
e

Quotes:
1. I’ve read this. . .
2. I’ve read this too. . .
3. Doesn’t sound familiar   Oh I know this one.  Duh!  It’s not a villain
talking at all; it’s Julian.  Jenni Debbage "Suffer the Little Children"
4. Yup, read that too. . .
5. Ah-HA! Finally a S6 story I recognize without research and/or a reference
to Laura: Phil Atcliffe, "Stronger Than Me Alone"
6. Must be an alt story.  And I have read it. . .
7. I don’t recognize it
8. This doesn’t sound familiar either

Okay, there are four that I recognize as quotes that I’ve read, but I’ve no
idea which stories they come from except that one is an alt story, probably.
  And three that I don’t recognize at all.  Let me go do some research
before looking at the excerpts (Wendy, you forgot spoiler space.  It’s a
good thing I have practice at *not* reading what’s on the screen (The object
is to copy all 8 or 9 or 20 parts from the emails or the boards and paste
them into Word without reading a single word.  (I learned the hard way that
one short four-word sentence can be a *huge* spoiler)))  ;-)

quotes + research:
1. found this one quickly:  Nan Smith "Doppleganger"  How could I have
forgotten?
2. could be Bender—the one with the ATM security camera and the van?  Or
Nigel maybe?
4. did I really read this one?
6. Wendy Richards "Strange Visitor"
7. okay, I think I’ve read it, but can’t for the life of me put it in
context
8. still no clue

Excerpts:
2. Wendy Richards "Ordinary Man"
4. okay, I’ve got 3 different stories in my head now, but only title and
author for one, so let me go check. . . yup, Nan Smith "Dagger’s Edge"
7. Jenni Debbage "Master Race"—one of my all time favorites, but even
knowing the story, I still can’t put the quote in context
8. Yvonne Connell "Heliophoia"

Okay, so villains aren’t my favorite. . .

-Dia
zimri@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 20:54:43 -0700
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From:         Erin Klingler <erink@IDA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Kerth-Category Quizzes: Best Villain
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>Hazel said, "Dia, who seems to know fanfic better than some of the
>authors..."

>Well, maybe if I’d spend less time reading, and try my hand at writing,
>instead. . .   Seriously, Wendy, how do you manage to be our most prolific
>author and still keep up with the reading?  Not to mention being a
>quizmaster.

I've often wondered the same exact thing!!  Not only does she write *and*
keep
up with her reading, but she finds time to help me edit my own fanfics,
along
with the stories of many other authors, I'm sure...not to mention work!
Maybe
we should start looking for any signs of frogs in Wendy's lunchbox.  <vbg>

Erin  :)
__________________
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Visit my LNC/Kerth Website:  www.ida.net/users/davek
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"It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they
happen."
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Date:         Mon, 7 Feb 2000 23:37:04 -0500
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From:         Juli Hale <jhale@PREFERRED.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fanfic questions
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LabRat,

There are special units within District Attorney's offices (at least in big
cities) that deal only with prosecuting offenders of domestic violence. My
cousin works for such a unit in Memphis, TN, btw.

Juli

At 04:48 PM 2/7/00 -0000, you wrote:
>Becky wrote:
>
>> Since nobody else seems to have tackled this one... <g>
>>
>> I don't know that there are special units particularly devoted to this
>type
>> of crime.  If there are, I've never heard of them.  But if there were,
the
>> words "domestic violence" would probably be in there somewhere.  Hope
that
>> helps!
>>
>Thanks, Becky. This confirms what someone mailed me privately to say. That
>there are no such things as units specifically to deal with such matters in
>the US. They are dealt with by police officers on the streets. And as I
said
>to that someone: Oh, spit. <g> Since this rather tears a giant hole in my
>plot at the moment. Never mind. Already think I have the glimmerings of a
>way around it. ;)
>
>LabRat :)
>
>