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Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 01:08:19 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:         "Alexis W." <LoisLane9397@AOL.COM>
Subject:      "ADITLOM" (RPG), Twenty-third Installment, Week #24 (Part 1 of
2)
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
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This is the twenty-third installment of my rpg on yahoo called, "A Day in
th=
e=20
Life of Metropolis."  For more information, please go to: <A=20
HREF=3D"http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/adayinthelifeofmetropolis">Yahoo!
Clubs=
=20
adayinthelifeofmetropolis</A>=20

Public and private feedback is more than welcomed! =3D)

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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
Dan Scardino: Renda
Mayson Drake: Renda
Perry White: Renda
Anya Starr: Tabitha
Batman: Sam F.
Bruce Wayne: Sam F.
Sam Falcon: Sam F.
Nightwing: Dave
Dick Grayson: Dave
Jimmy Olsen: Tina T.

* * * *=20
WEEK #24
(3/20 to 3/26)

Re: Sam and Nightwing

Sam turned around and looked at him, shocked.=20
"What did you call me?" she quietly asked, with confusion=20
knotting her brow.

Nightwing staggered back, confusion in his eyes.
"Noth... Nothing!! I'm sorry... I..." he looked down.

Sam turned around and started pulling on the doors. They won't budge.=20
*Damn it!* She hit the doors in frustration and they opened. *Why in the=20
hell didn't I do this sooner?*  "Thank you for the daring rescue
attempt,"=20
she said as she walked off.

"Look, I wasn't the one that got you stuck in here in the first place!"=20
Dick watched Sam walk to a corner, and he turned away from her. "I don't=20
know what your problem is!"
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Jimmy

As Jimmy continued searching for his date, he remembered something.
"Actually Batman, the man who attacked me was named Mr. Lake, I=20
think...but that's the only thing that's coming to mind right now," the=20
cub reporter yelled over his shoulder.

"What?" Batman muttered to himself.  His mouth tightened slightly.=20
"Why does that sound familiar? Wait, I know why, I know his name."
He looked down the street and saw that the van had stopped.=20
"It can't hurt to see what they wanted with the kid, while I take=20
care of some unfinished business." He headed towards the van.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Sam and Nightwing

Sam made her way through the rubble and out of the building, quite=20
intent on keeping her promise to leave him alone. On her way out she=20
ran into Clark. Together they headed out to the limo.  Clark climbed in=20
first and she followed.
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Sam, Clark, Lois and the limo

Clark knew that the best thing for him to do at this time was sit in=20
between the two bitter women.

"Ah, now this is the life...I'm sitting in a limo, between two beautiful=20
ladies..." he sighed as he wrapped his arms around Lois and Sam's=20
shoulders.

"Oh shut up!" Lois snapped back.
Clark pretended to groan in pain after Sam jabbed him in the ribs with=20
her elbow.

The two women looked at each other in shock. They actually agreed on=20
something.

Alfred noticed the act play out through his dashboard mirror. He was so=20
amused that all he could do was chuckle to himself.
>tbc<=20
 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Wayne Manor

Sam led Lois and Clark to the libray in the manor. She thought they=20
should wait for Bruce to appear before they decided on sleeping=20
arrangements. Alfred offered the group some champagne.=20

"Champagne, sounds lovely," Lois agreed.
"Lois, I don't think so," Clark warned.
"Clark! Hush up!"
"Fine...but if you get yourself in trouble..."
"Shh..." Lois said as she laid her finger across his lips.
Clark took his wine glass and was about to sit next to Sam on the couch,=20
when Lois barged her way through and sat down instead. He then found=20
himself being literally smashed by Lois' body...something he was=20
actually enjoying at that particular moment. There was an awkward=20
silence that filled the room. Neither Lois nor Sam liked being there.=20
Suddenly Clark felt Lois' hand going up his leg. *What the heck?* he=20
asked himself as he felt his body twitch. He looked at Lois' hand on his=20
leg and then over at Sam. Lois was trying to bug Sam by getting close to=20
Clark. *A-ha! I know what game she's playing...* He was enjoying his=20
massage way too much to ask her to stop so instead he decided to humor=20
her.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

"Well looks like tonight is finally at an end!" said Anya as she watched=20
some of the last people leave the building. She sat down on a bench=20
tiredly. She had done a hundred years of photography and each one was=20
worth being on the front page of the Gotham Herald.  She thought about=20
calling a taxi and about how much money the fare would cost to take her=20
to her dorm. "Oh crap, my purse!" she yelled making some people turn=20
and stare at her. 'How could I have lost my purse?' she thought angrily.=20
"Looks like I am walking tonight." Her mind drifted over a little bit=20
and a picture of Dick formed in her head. "I hope he's all right," she=20
said out loud.=20
=20
"Miss Starr, are you all right?" Nightwing asked the young woman as he=20
tapped her on the shoulder from behind.  Dick hoped Anya couldn't hear
the=20
exhaustion in his voice, and couldn't see the weariness in his eyes
behind=20
the=20
mask. Did she recognize him?  Certainly, it wouldn't surprise Dick after
a=20
night=20
like this. What else could go wrong? After Sam had left the elevator,
Dick=20
crawled into a corner and tried to pull himself back together. What had=20
really=20
transpired between the two of them? What was going to happen now? After=20
a few short minutes of wallowing, Dick made his way out of the elevator=20
to continue the rescue operation and find Batman, with the resolve to=20
keep Sam Falcon as far away from him as possible.  And where was Clark?=20
Was he okay? Once Dick had made his way to the front lot of the
Observatory,=
=20
he could feel a wave of relief wash over him to see Anya okay, if=20
somewhat bruised and battered. He toyed with the idea of approaching=20
her as Nightwing, knowing full well the risk, and decided to chance it.
He=20
hoped that Bruce wasn't around, keenly aware that their conversation=20
from earlier was probably far from over. The episode with Sam would=20
probably only make things worse.  Dick tried to remain in the shadows as=20
he spoke to Anya...=20
=20
Anya just about jumped out of her skin when Nightwing tapped her=20
sholder. "I am fine, I just lost my purse so I'll have to walk home=20
tonight," she said. Something in his voice reminded her of...but she=20
pushed that thought out of her mind before it had chance to complete.

Dick backed up into the darkness slightly. "Stay here... someone will be=20
here to get you home safely... just as long as you're okay. Have you=20
seen Batman?"

"No, I've seen Batgirl but I think she left. You might want to find=20
Jimmy from the Planet, I heard something about him and Batman but it=20
might just be hear-say," said Anya simply.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Jimmy

Jimmy was searching for Lucy when he suddenly collapsed
He was coming to and found someone looking down at him
"I guess I am not as well as I thought I was. Maybe I need to go lie=20
down," Jimmy said to the person hoping he would help him.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Miss Starr

Nightwing smiled. "Okay... thanks. Stay put... I promise... someone will=20
be here to get you home safely soon."

Dick silently disappeared into the night fog, and hastily found his way=20
to a deserted cul-de-sac to change out of his costume.   *Please don't
leave=
=20
Anya... I'm coming...*=20
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

"No, thanks Al. You know me."
Sam sat there as Lois sat down before Clark. When Lois started running=20
her hand on Clark's leg the only thing it did was make her=20
uncomfortable, not because she was jealous, but it was . . .well it was=20
awkward.

Sam smiled as she stood up and said, "I'll let you two sit here, I've=20
always wanted to see what it would be like to sit in Bruce's chair."=20
She moved around the desk and sat down in the soft leather chair.=20
She quietly moaned as she settled back into the chair, the sweet=20
smell of Bruce=92s favorite cologne was incredibly strong.
>tbc<=20
=20

* * * *
Re: Jimmy

Batman approached the van just as someone stuck his head out.
"Mr. Lake I pressume." He grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him
 out of the van, andthen pushed him up against the side of the vehicle.=20
"What were you doing with Mr. Olsen?"

"Nothing," Lake replied.
"Sorry, don't believe you." Batman made a fist and hit Lake in the=20
gut. "Try again."

"We wanted some pictures he had."
"We?" Batman asked as he shut the door to the van, so whoever else was=20
inside remained there, or at least was somewhat delayed in offering Lake=20
assistance. "Who else is in there?"

"No one."
"You said we." He hit him again. "Try it again."
"My wife and . . ." he trailed off.
"And who?"
"She wanted the photos of Lane and Kent kissing."
"What? Who wanted them?"
"I don't know her name."
Batman hit him again. "Her name."=20
Lake didn=92t say anything. One of the vans doors=20
opened and closed.  Batman didn=92t move to follow,=20
that he can investigate further, after he took care of the current
crisis.=20
"Fine, I have other sources, and you're not worth the effort. If I ever
see=20
your face in Gotham or hear about you involved in anything like this
again,=20=
I=20
will make the effort. Give your wife the same warning." He hit Lake one=20
more time causing the jerk to fall to the ground.

As Batman walked away he muttered, "That felt good, not sure why though."=20
He raised his arm and had the Batwing move closer. He grabbed the rope
and=20
had the computer pull him up.

Once inside the vehicle, he contacted Commissioner Gordon and=20
checked in.  After finding out there was not much he can do, since=20
everyone was safe, he started back to the cave.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

As soon as Sam sat down in Bruce's chair, Lois' leg massage stopped.=20
Clark was a bit disappointed. He thought that Lois was pretty good at=20
giving massages when she was stressed out. He wondered what she would be=20
like when she was not...

"Um, Miss Falcon, you have a very lovely couch. It is so nice and big=20
that you could literally get lost within it, if you know what I mean,"=20
Clark commented as he winked at Lois.=20

Lois rolled her eyes.
"Ah sweetie, don't be so uptight..." Clark said as he wrapped his strong=20
arm around her shoulder. He and Lois were still pretending to be a=20
couple, so he needed to stay in character, or did he?

Lois was about to bat his arm away when something stopped her. She=20
started noticing Clark's huge fingers drapping off her neck. Lois=20
started touching these fingers and sighed. There was something about=20
Clark's hands that intrigued her. They intrigued her so much that she=20
had this sudden urge to lay her lips upon them. Or was that the=20
alcohol. Was the alcohol telling her to kiss them?!?
Clark let out a huge sigh as he felt Lois' fingers wrapped around his=20
own. If this was all a dream, he didn't want to wake up!
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Re: Wayne Manor

Alfred walked into the room again. "Miss Falcon, may I have=20
a word with you for a minute?"

"Sure," she replied as she stook up and moved over to the door to=20
join Alfred. "Thank you, you have impecible timing."

"The sleeping arrangements for the evening could get a little=20
complicated."

"How?"
"Several of the injured are staying here, Miss Lucy Lane and a few=20
others. There is one more who needs a room and there are few options."
"So you're saying you need another room?"

"Yes."
She sighed. "I suppose I could . . .but who knows what kind of mood he'll=20
be in, especially after he hears everything that happened."

"Are you refering to Master Bruce?"
"Yeah. He won't like that I got stuck in the elevator and he didn't know=20
about it. Then if he finds out about the conversation I had with Richard=20
. . .he may not be too happy. Then there's . . .."

"What?"
"Nothing."
"Something appears to have happened."
"He called me . . .Mom."
"Interesting."
She smiled. "It was a little more than that. It was incredibly awkward=20
and unnerving."

"You were perhaps thinking you could spend the evening with . . .."
"Bruce, yes. It will work even if he is somewhat preoccupied . .=20
.alright, you can use the room I'm in."

"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just let me get some stuff out of there."
>tbc<

* * * *

Re: Miss Starr
Dick ran to Anya's direction, bow-tie undone and looking sullen. "Anya?!=20
Are you okay? What happened?"

"Maybe the question is, are you ok? I=92m fine I just got caught in an=20
elevator and fell while trying to climb down the cable after an=20
aftershock. Batgirl managed to open the elevator doors to let me out.=20
But I=92m fine really, just a little tired. What happened to you?" she=20
asked.

Dick nervously reached to the back of his neck and looked down. "I...=20
ahhh... was helping some of the injured." Dick moved toward her. "I know=20
this is only the first night we've met, but if you'd like, you can come=20
back to my place, get you cleaned up and have Alfred tend to those=20
scraps."  Dick smiled sheepishly. "I don't want you to feel
uncomforatble,=20
though.   If you'd like, I can just drive you back to your place. I know
it'=
s=20
been=20
a rough night for you. I'm just glad you're okay."
He raised a hand to caress her face.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

Sam had left the room, so Lois could drop the act. She could drop the=20
act but for some reason she didn't want to.   With the two reporters
alone=20
in the library together, Clark thought it was an opportune momment to=20
stare into Lois=92 beautiful, doe eyes. Lois blushed as his other hand
cares=
sed
 her cheek.   Lois could hear the song "Take my Breath Away," running=20
through her head as Clark took her chin and brought her face near his.=20
She could feel his breath upon her mouth as their lips started to touch...
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Wayne Manor

After making it back to the cave, he decided to change and head upstairs=20
to make sure everyone was okay.  After stepping out of the clock he
started=20
searching the first floor. At first there was no sign of life, then he saw
a=
=20
light=20
coming from the library. "Sam?" he called out. When he didn't get an
answer=20
he walked into the room. He smiled slightly as he saw what Lois and Clark=20
were about to do.  "Have either of you seen Alfred or Sam?" he asked
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Wayne Manor

Sam thought she heard someone say her name. She didn=92t hear it again.
"Am I just hearing things?"
"No, it sounds as if he's home, at least for the time being."
"Yeah. I hope he stays home. If he doesn't I've always got my writing.=20
Although it's not my first choice. I was kind of stuck, but this=20
earthquake might work in what I'm trying to do."

"What's this story about?"
"A female computer hacker a little bit off in the future."
"Sounds interesting. Is this Nekita?"
"How do you know about her?"
"I read some of what you gave Master Bruce."
"He hasn't even read it. I know he's busy, but I . . .."
"It was very well written."
"Thanks! My editor likes it so far. He wants more though.=20
I better go find him."

"Of course, I'm sure he is quite worried about you."
"Oh god, I can only imagine."
She headed back to the library.
>tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Wayne Manor

"Bruce!" Lois exclaimed as she jumped way from Clark's body.=20

Clark gave Bruce a dirty look.

"Ah, I think Sam and Alfred are outside talking..." Lois suggested.
Bruce smiled more at Clark's look. *I owed him that one.*
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Miss Starr

Anya almost felt her knees give out from under her at Dick's touch. Her=20
palse quickened. "I think a rough night is an understatement," she=20
managed to say. "Well if Alfred doesn't mind I think I'll take you up on=20
your offer," she said with a laugh.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Diego and Cat caught on shakey stair

Diego threw the rope and felt it catch on a solid hold. "Catherine we=20
are going to swing up and through that open window." "What?" Cat asked
as they flew through the air and up onto the windowsill. "This building=20
isn't safe, and one more aftershock and it could fall down around us=20
Princess!" Diego told her as they looked at the street below. Deigo took=20
Cat's rope and tied it to one of the large iron drapery holders at the=20
top of the window. Then they gently dropped down slowly to the street=20
below. Diego turned to see his brother Ramone walking towards them.=20
"Ramone it is good to see you brother!" Ramone embraced his brother and=20
replied. "By all the Saints! It is good to see you also Diego!"
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

Sam walked up behind him. "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing important," Bruce replied as he turned around.
 "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."
"How come it took you so long to get back here?"
"What do you mean?"
"After I left, why didn't you go out to the car?"
"Let's talk about that later."
"We will talk about it," she nodded.=20
He turned around. "Are you two alright?"=20
he asked Lois and Clark.=20
=20
"I was fine until you interrupted us," Clark mumbled under his breath.
"What?" Lois asked.
"Um...uh...Lois and I are fine. Fortunately we got out of that crumbling=20
building in one piece!"
>tbc<
=========================================================================
Date:         Tue, 28 Mar 2000 22:14:40 -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:         TA Merrill <paounfiloun@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 21
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Carol,
  I've been closely following this story, but haven't commented yet. (I
know, bad me!) This is a great story. I love how you've pulled so many
people from all different seasons together: Trask, Zara, Ching and now
Claude! Nice to see Lois get a chance to embarrass him. ;) I can't wait
for Lois to get hold of those tapes. Boy is she in for a shock!

More please!
TerriAnn

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 02:13:11 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:         "Alexis W." <LoisLane9397@AOL.COM>
Subject:      "ADITLOM" (RPG), Twenty-third Installment, Week #24 (Part 2 of
2)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

* * * *
Re: Diego and Cat caught on shakey stair

Catherine looked at Ramone and smiled. "Glad that you are all right.=20
Where is Mayson and Perry?" Ramone looked at her and replied,=20
Diego and I left them at the Celtic Queen." "I hope they stayed there!"=20
Cat said to them. The Dela Vega brothers nodded at her statement.
Then lumbering towards them Cat saw a familiar limo. "Ye Gods! It better=20
not be!" Cat stamped her foot. "By all that is holy it is!" The trio=20
looked as Mayson and Perry stepping out of the limo.

"Well hello you all! Mayson and I decided you might need our help!"=20
Perry said and smiled. Cat smiled and whispered to Diego. "More like=20
they decided to disobey orders!" Diego nodded and smiled at Perry and=20
Mayson. "Well, since you are here you can assist the Guardsmen with the=20
injured people over in that tent!" Perry turned and started shouting.=20
"What in the Sam hill do you think? I am the Chief of the Daily Planet=20
and I have seen danger. So Diego you just keep in mind that I was the=20
one with you in that sewer with all those rats!" Perry huffed. Diego=20
nodded. "Si, Perry, but you are not a young man anymore and I know that=20
your wife would worry if she knew that you had placed yourself in danger=20
again." Perry looked at him and said, "I'll worry about Alice and I=20
thrive on danger." Cat rolled her eyes and said aloud. "Reminds me of=20
Lois just before she gets into really hot water!" Diego couldn't help=20
but laugh at that statement. "Catherine, they are here so we all must=20
work together."

Mayson looked at Cat and replied. "Cat! Perry and I just felt like we=20
needed to be part of this." "Okay! We are cutting you both in for a=20
piece of the action!"

Mayson looked at Cat as she finished the piece of the action statement.=20
"You are cutting us in on what action Cat?" Cat turned to her and=20
replied. "A piece of this dangerous action, Mayson! What else would I be=20
talking about?"
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Miss Starr

Dick winked at her. "Ever been on a motorcycle?"=20
"Much to my Dad's dismay, yes many times," Anya=20
replied with a smile.
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

"That was unbelieveable. Do they know what caused it?" Sam asked.
"No. Batman told Commissioner Gordon that he'll definately be looking=20
into it."

"There was no way that could have been natural."
"How do you know that?"
"I took Geology in college, I had to, to get my degree in Marine=20
Biology."

"What?"
"Didn't you know that?"
"I thought it would be something to do with writing."
"That was my minor. Well, enough about that. We should probably
discuss the sleeping arrangements while we're all here."

"What needs to be discussed?"
"Well I just gave up the room I've been using."
"Why?"
"One of the injured you invited needs it more than I do. I've got a few=20
options."

"Where were you planning on staying?"
"I hoped here, but I can always find a hotel."
"No! We'll work something out."
"I need to move my stuff out of the room, where should I put it?"
Bruce didn=92t answer at first. "For now, in my room."
Sam's eyes brightened a little. "Well I better go move it then,"=20
she said as she started to leave the room.

"No, wait."
>tbc<=20

* * * *

Re: Miss Starr

Dick reached out to take Anya's delicate hand into his own, and led her=20
away from the chaos that was the injured and the emergency vehicles and=20
sirens. He led her to an alleyway where his Vincent Black Knight=20
motorcycle waited in the shadows. Grayson bent to retrieve a large=20
dufflebag, and carefully placed it onto the back of the bike. Opening=20
the bag, he revealed two black helmets, one with the distinct red robin=20
adorning the helmet visor. Dick handed the spare helmet to Anya. "Ready?"=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Anya

Anya slipped on the helment. "Nice bike I must say," she said and=20
slipped behind him. "That's a cool helmet where'd you get it?" she asked=20
out of curiousity.

Dick placed his helmet on. "I made it... I've always been my family's=20
"Robin", I guess." Dick placed the dark visor over his eyes.
Reaching behind him, past Anya's slender figure, Dick felt for the=20
Nightwing costume in the large duffle bag. Dick winced as he realized he=20
had forgotten the spare Batman outfit in the limo with Alfred, sure to=20
have Bruce find it.  "Hold on tight, okay?" Dick revved the powerful
engine=20
as it roared to life.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
=93A piece of the action!=94

Mayson laughed and replied. "Cat, you know this has=20
been the wildest night that I've had in a few years." Cat smiled and=20
said. "Well, you stick around Ramone and Diego long enough and things=20
just start to happen." Ramone and Diego looked at her with mock remorse.=20
"Ah! Princess, we are not the one's who wear animal print, small dresses=20
to work just to cause a stir in the newsroom." Cat lifted one eyebrow=20
and fired off. "Well at least I know how to dress!" Diego took the=20
challenge. "Ah yes! You dress to kill! Men just look at you with their=20
mouth watering and their mouths open like cod fish." Cat smiled at him=20
and saultered up beside him. "Jealous? Why Diego you've never complained=20
about my haute coutour fashions before," Cat said and pouted her lips.=20
Diego looked deep into her lovely eyes and whispered in her ear. "I've=20
always been jealous of the way men look at you Princess. But I=20
understand why you play the role that you do. I mean look at the=20
Scarlett Pimpernal, he was dashing and handsome and rich and extremely=20
handsome. Yet he chose to play the fool, fop the silly poet spuer in=20
order to assist the people in France who were in danger of being=20
beheaded." Cat smiled at him. "Diego! I am happy that you understand why=20
I play the seductive, pampered Society Reporter. I really don't care=20
what people think of me or call me for that matter. I only know that=20
justice is a good calling." She walked away from him and looked around.=20
*Let them think me the cheap tramp! Serves them right, judging people by=20
the way they dress.*

Mayson walked over to Cat. "Are you okay?" Cat turned to her and=20
replied. "I am always okay."
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Jimmy

Jimmy had passed out again waiting for someone to help him. He was not=20
well enough to help himself and hoped that someone would come around=20
and help him. He was going in and out of consiousness and kept mumbling
to=20
himself.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Anya

"You are a great artist," Anya managed to say before they started. She=20
held on tight enjoying the wind and speed.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Dan Scardino!

Scardino saw Mayson talking to Ms. Grant and he made his way to them.=20
Cat saw him and made one of her pouty faces and walked down the side=20
walk. "Hi Mayson!" Mayson turned to see him and laughed. "Well you of=20
all people. And who are you pestering now?" Scardino looked injured and=20
with mock humilation replied, "Well one big Tom Cat but I can't say just=20
who." Mayson looked at him and replied. "You will never change."=20
Scardino smiled and said to her. "Well, neither will you."
>tbc<
* * * *
Re: Anya

The Gotham night air was chilled as it raced passed Dick and Anya=20
through the gritty urban streets. Dick could feel Anya's arms wrapped=20
around him as they sped down the highway toward the outskirts of the=20
city. He took a moment to look back at the shimmering vista that was the=20
Gotham skyline. He smiled beneath the helmet as his eyes fell on Anya.=20
He thought about everything that had happened this evening, through all=20
of the confussion, the emotion.   Wearing the mantle of the Bat was
nothing=20
less than a dream come true.   Even after some of the mistakes he had
made,=20
Dick still felt he had done the right thing. But, ultimately, Bruce would
be=
=20
the=20
judge of that.  Facing Sam again was something he dreaded. It was not
going=20
to=20
be easy.  And where was Clark through all of this? Before Dick left the=20
Observatory, he tried to locate Kent through the pandamonia that had=20
broken out in the wake of the tremors. The mild-mannered reporter was=20
no where to be found. But Dick was confident in the fact that if anyone=20
could handle himself, if was Superman.  Dick made a silent prayer that
Bruce=
=20
and Clark hadn't met... at least, in their alter egos.  But through it
all,=20
he had=20
met her... this extraodinary young woman named Anya. When Dick thought=20
about her, the problems of the rest of the evening seemed to melt away.=20
 >tbc<
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Re: Wayne Manor

Through his visor, Dick began to see the stark form of Wayne Manor on=20
the horizon. The manor was vast, the main house standing like a baston=20
to old money, harking back to the days of nobility.  The "museum", Dick=20
called it. With all of the money that seemed to drip from its walls, its=20
decore,=20
Wayne Manor was void of personality. In many ways, the house was the=20
ultimate expression of what Bruce Wayne had come to represent. The very=20
monument to extravagent wealth, a man with too much time on his hands,=20
and too little commitment to anything tangible.  Truly, there was only
one=20
place on the property Dick knew Bruce was truly at home in.
Dick pulled up through the main gate, and slowly drove the bike toward=20
the garage. Careful to be as silent as he could, he quickly shut the=20
engine down. He looked back at Anya, and raised his visor.
"They must have taken in more of the injured. We're going to have to be=20
on sneak time.. Alfred's a hard one to get past." Dick smiled at that.=20
"You okay with this?" Dick looked at her with concern. he could see how=20
weary she was, and wanted nothing more than to get her some place safe=20
where she could rest.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Re: Dan Scardino! The fight!

Mayson turned around and looked at Dan. "What was that last crack?" Dan=20
started backing up. "Now Mayson you know that you are stubborn as hell=20
and that you always have to have your own way. Look how you fell head=20
over heels for that Kent fellow." Mayson walked the two steps between=20
them and smacked his face with the palm of her hand. "You are one of the=20
rudest people. Dan the nerve of you! Like you=92re not drooling over Lois=20
Lane. And the way that you drooled when Diego was talking about Cat's=20
choice of work attire. Men!" Dan placed his hand on her shoulder and=20
squeezed until she cried out in pain. "Don't you do that you arrogant=20
beast!" Mayson took his arm and threw him to the sidewalk. Then=20
without looking back she walked off.

Cat and the others had not noticed their firey exchange because the were=20
too busy helping the National Guardsmen assist the injured into make=20
shift ambulance transportation.

Diego looked around about thirty minutes later and asked Dan, "Where is=20
Mayson?" Scardino snapped. "Hell if I know. She is an Irish Spitefire."
Cat turned around and replied, "Scardino, you are perhaps without a=20
doubt the biggest Male Chauvanist Pig I've ever had the displeasure of=20
meeting." Dan smiled and bowed slightly. "Wake up Cat Grant. Mayson is a=20
BIG GIRL!" Cat turned and swore to herself. "If Mayson is hurt because=20
of that jerk!"
>tbc<=20

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

Anya looked arounded her in amazement. Never in her life had she ever=20
seen such a big house. "Sneak in? Did you break your curfew or=20
something?" she teased playfully. "Sure I am game for sneaking in," she=20
said with a smile. This was very unusal but nothing that night had been=20
ordinary.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *

Mayson walking alone in Gotham!

Mayson had gotten so mad at Scardino that she hadn't realized that she=20
had walked away from the entire group. Totally alone. Mayson trudged=20
through the streets of Gotham cursing Scardino for making her so mad and=20
cursing the way that he could get to her. "He is the only man that I=20
know who can manage to push all of my buttons in a matter of seconds,"=20
Mayson said to herself as she walked along.=20

Headlights from an oncoming car blazed into her eyes and she threw up=20
her hand to shield them from the bright light. "Man! Don't people in=20
Gotham believe in using their low beams?" She asked no one. To her=20
dismay the car turned around and started pacing her. She glanced at the=20
car to see a young man smiling and asking if she needed a lift. "No I=20
don't thank you. I am just out for some fresh air," Mayson told him and=20
continued walking.
>tbc<=20

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

Dick laughed. "I did much more than break my curfew this time."=20
Slowly, he made his way to a doorway which led to the pantry, and into=20
the main Manor-house. Dick slowly peeked around the corner, and crouched=20
down. "When I was younger," he whispered to Anya, "I used to sneak out=20
of our trailer after my bedtime, and watch my mom and dad practicing on=20
the trapeze..." He smiled sadly. "I got caught once by Mr. Haly... but=20
he never told on me." He looked at her. "I'm sure you know what it's=20
like to have strict parents. Have you spoken to your dad recently?"=20
>tbc<

* * * *
Re: Mayson walking alone in Gotham!

The young man stopped the car and tried to take Mayson's arm. She turned=20
and side stepped him. It was obvious that he had been drinking. He=20
reeked of alcohol. Mayson managed to trip him up and leave him on the=20
street. She ran from him and reached in her handbag and got out her=20
District Attorney issued protection. Thinking to herself. *I am so glad=20
that I changed clothes at the hotel and remembered to wear my shoulder=20
holster.*
Mayson walked on down the street looking for a business that was open=20
and that looked reputable.
>tbc<=20

* * * *
Re: Wayne Manor

"Strict? That's the understatement of the year! My dad had problems=20
distingishing work and home sometimes. More then once I was threatened=20
to get court marshalled or KP duty," said Anya wrinkling her nose at the=20
thought. "He's very busy a lot but he calls often. He's probably=20
harassing my roommate demanding to know where I was. You should've=20
seen his reaction when I put temporary purple highlights in my hair after=20
losing a bet. I wish now I had a camera. My mom wasn't half as stict as=20
he was. I think I remind him a lot of her. I don't know really. Geez=20
this place is huge I'm half expecting to see a map that has a little=20
area pointing to a room saying,=92You are lost here=92 I think I am doing
to=
o=20
much talking considering the fact that we are trying to sneak in, " Anya=20
said with a quiet laugh.=20
 >tbc<

* * * *
Back at the Observatory!

Cat looked at Diego,Ramone,Perry and Scardino. "You know this night=20
seems like it will never end!" They nodded in agreement. Scardino looked=20
around and asked, "Where is Mayson?" Cat looked at him and replied.=20
"In case you didn't notice, Mayson left!" Scardino looked shocked. "I=20
thought she just went down the block to pout!" Diego intercepted Cat's=20
arm and replied. "It would seem that she went a bit further than a block=20
or two, Mr. Scardino." Perry looked at them all and said. "Do you think=20
that maybe we should go and look for her?" Cat nodded. "The limo is=20
over there!"=20
>tbc<=20

* * * *
Mayson finds a club hears familiar piano

Mayson found a club with indoor and outdoor seating. She heard a=20
familiar song. "Your love is the greatest of all!" The melody sounded so=20
pleasant to her ears and she stopped in to listen. The host smiled and=20
asked, "Inside or outside seating?" Mayson smiled and replied. "As close=20
to the piano as possible!" The host smiled and replied, "Well you know=20
who is here tonight and the place is packed, but if you'd like to stand=20
over there you can listen as long as you like!" Mayson nodded and took=20
her place in the crowded room to watch her favorite pianist play and his=20
guest singers sing. The next song was one from his Winter program.=20
Mayson ordered some hot coffee and drifted along with the romantic=20
music.  "Well, this hasn't been so bad afterall!"
>tbc<

* * * *
Cat and Diego see Jimmy!

Scardino and Perry started to the limo to go and look for Mayson. "Wait!=20
Perry it's Jimmy, and he looks like he needs help!" Cat and Diego ran to=20
Jimmy. Diego asked, "Jimmy are you okay?" He looked at Jimmy's eyes.=20
"Catherine he is still dazed and babbling something about the Batman and=20
Lucy." Catherine nodded and said, "I heard a Guardsmen say that Lucy was=20
taken to Wayne Manor, why don't we drop Jimmy there and then we can=20
search for Mayson, I know she is okay. But I just don't like the idea of=20
her being alone at night in a strange city." Diego nodded and helped=20
Jimmy to the limo. Cat looked at the driver and said. "To Wayne Manor=20
and step on it!" The driver nodded. *No use arguring with the Bosses=20
daughter, if I get a ticket she can talk him out of it or just pay it!"=20
So the limo sped off to the home of Bruce Wayne.
>tbc<

* * * *
Little Sister

Alfred approached Lois Lane sitting on the couch. "Miss Lane, your=20
sister, Miss Lucy Lane is coming to and she's asking for you..."

"Lucy?"
"Yes ma'am. I can take you to her if you like."
"Oh yes please, Alfred," Lois said as she followed him out of the=20
library.
>tbc<=20

* * * *
 Look for Week #25 coming to a PC near you! =3D)

Enjoy!

Alexis ;-.)
{"ADITLOM" arbitrator}

"Lois, what happened to that mood piece that I gave you?  The razing of
the=20
old theatre on Forty-second?" (Perry)
"I wasn't in the mood."  (Lois Lane)
{LnC, PILOT}

=20
=20

=20
=20
=20

=20
=20
=20
=20
=20
=20

=20
=20
=20

=20
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 08:38:45 +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:         Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: 2000 Kerths Ceremony Log (edited) Part 3/3
In-Reply-To:  <35.3148039.2612bb76@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

On Tue, 28 Mar 2000 20:50:46 EST Alicia Utowski <Alicia3456@AOL.COM>
wrote:

> In a message dated Tue, 28 Mar 2000 8:13:03 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Phillip Atcliffe <Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK> writes:

>> But would anybody _want_ to know Luthor's Young's Modulus? Or his
fracture toughness? <B-o> <<

> LOL or where he is plastically deforming or elastically deforming, or
his melting point, or his boiling point or anything else that I learned
in statics that I have forgotten. <

Oh, I reckon he'd go in brittle fracture if anything. One minute, the
same outward appearance as ever, or close to it; the next... SNAP! <g>
And, of course, brittle fracture is enhanced by cold conditions, and
just who do you think is the coldest son-of-an-icebox in the L&C mythos?

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:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 13:20:53 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:         Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi Everyone.

I was just catching up with the Kerth nominations and winners etc when I
stumbled on the nfic site.  Apparently Crystal wrote a sequel to Full
Circle,
Full Circle#2: Touch Football.  I wondered if anyone could tell me about
this
story and where I can find it.  I went to Annie's site but I couldn't see
it.

Many Thanks

Rowan :)
-- -- --
LaneKent@aol.com
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent
</A>
For news of updates to my site: <A
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
ity/LaneKent</A>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 19:05:03 +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:         Wendy Richards <w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
In-Reply-To:  <8a.206e2a8.2613a385@aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

>
> I was just catching up with the Kerth nominations and
> winners etc when I stumbled on the nfic site.  Apparently
> Crystal wrote a sequel to Full Circle, Full Circle#2: Touch
> Football.  I wondered if anyone could tell me about
> this story and where I can find it.  I went to Annie's site
> but I couldn't see it.

Rowan, 'Touch Football' is in Crystal's section at Anne
Ciotola's excellent nfic Archive, annesplace, which you'll
find at http://move.to/nfic. If you don't already have a
password, you'll have to sign up.

Wendy
----------------------
Wendy Richards
w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 10:45:05 -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:         "Irene D." <sirenegold@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Rowan,

Full Circle #2, Touch Football is considered nfic due
to its adult themes.  It's available, if you're over
18 in Anne's Little Corner of teh World archives.

Irene

--- Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM> wrote:
> Hi Everyone.
>
> I was just catching up with the Kerth nominations
> and winners etc when I
> stumbled on the nfic site.  Apparently Crystal wrote
> a sequel to Full Circle,
> Full Circle#2: Touch Football.  I wondered if anyone
> could tell me about this
> story and where I can find it.  I went to Annie's
> site but I couldn't see it.
>
> Many Thanks
>
> Rowan :)
> -- -- --
> LaneKent@aol.com
> <A
>
HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent</A>
> For news of updates to my site: <A
>
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
> ity/LaneKent</A>
>

=====
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:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 14:01:52 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:         Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Thanks Wendy and Irene.  I did have a password.  Will it still be valid as
this was some months ago? I signed up and then real life got in the way and
I
didn't have much time for fanfic other than the ones that came to the list.

Rowan :)
-- -- --
LaneKent@aol.com
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent
</A>
For news of updates to my site: <A
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
ity/LaneKent</A>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 14:41:09 -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:         kubitc <kubitc@KENYON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: season five episodes...
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Pam wrote (long ago):
>Sandy McDermin was severely disillusioned by a discussion last fall, and
>no longer wishes to have her words under anyone else's control, which
>means that "Charity Begins At Home" had to come down from the archive
>and the Season 5 site.  However, she has promised to e-mail it (and all
>the rest of her stories, if you like) to whoever requests a copy, so
>just send her a note. :)  Her address is posted on the archive and on
>the S5 site.

Is this was why Sandy's "Little Man, Super" was not eligible for the 2000
Kerths? I know it was released in 1999, but didn't see it on the eligible
stories list (which was quite sad, IMHO, because it is one of the best
fanfics
I've ever read). Just wondering...

Christy
kubitc@kenyon.edu

anonymous computer haiku:

The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao, until
You bring fresh toner.
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 12:18:56 -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: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Your password should still be valid.  If it's not,
it's pretty painless to sign up again.

Irene

--- Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM> wrote:
> Thanks Wendy and Irene.  I did have a password.
> Will it still be valid as
> this was some months ago? I signed up and then real
> life got in the way and I
> didn't have much time for fanfic other than the ones
> that came to the list.
>
> Rowan :)
> -- -- --
> LaneKent@aol.com
> <A
>
HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent</A>
> For news of updates to my site: <A
>
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
> ity/LaneKent</A>
>

=====
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:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 10:58:28 -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:         TA Merrill <paounfiloun@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Rowan, I just checked and "Full Circle #2: Touch Football" is on Anne's
nfic site. Maybe you just overlooked it? Were you looking in the
regular fic site instead of nfic?? It's a great story. Definitely worth
going back a second time to hunt for.

Happy reading,
TerriAnn

--- Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM> wrote:
> Hi Everyone.
>
> I was just catching up with the Kerth nominations and winners etc
> when I
> stumbled on the nfic site.  Apparently Crystal wrote a sequel to Full
> Circle,
> Full Circle#2: Touch Football.  I wondered if anyone could tell me
> about this
> story and where I can find it.  I went to Annie's site but I couldn't
> see it.
>
> Many Thanks
>
> Rowan :)
> -- -- --
> LaneKent@aol.com
> <A
>
HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent</A>
> For news of updates to my site: <A
>
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
> ity/LaneKent</A>
>

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 15:56:21 -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:      NEW: L&C&J&J (2/?)

(Lois & Clark & John & Joan, Part 2)

<Click... click... click... click... squeeeeeak!>

With relative ease and finesse, Lois Lane unlocked all four locks on her
apartment door.  Well, as much ease and finesse as it was possible with a
bag of groceries in one arm and her satchel hanging from her shoulder.
"Lucy?" she called.  "Are you home?"  Lois was closing the door with her
foot when a pair of hands grabbed the bag of groceries.  She jerked her head
around and found herself face to face with a tall and good-looking
dark-haired man.

"John!" she squeaked, and then found her voice.  "You scared me!"

John Bialzak made his way to the kitchen with the groceries and methodically
began to put them away.  "Sorry about that, Lois," he said over his
shoulder.  "Lucy let me in, and then she had to go out."

"Oh, that's all right."  Lois said, as she unceremoniously dumped her
satchel on the couch.  She then began to take off her shoes, letting out a
groan as she did so.  It had been a long day at the Planet.  There was the
routine trading of insults with Cat Grant, the Planet's Society columnist.
Then a madman had come to her in the newsroom and proclaimed that the
Messenger was going to explode.  Then there was the routine bursting into
Perry's office while he was talking to somebody.  'Probably an interview
with some new, green reporter,' she had thought.  Of course there had also
been the usual tasks of running around the city all day conducting
interviews and meeting with sources.  All in all, it was a normal day in the
life of Lois Lane.

As Lois sat down on her couch with a plop, her thoughts returned to the
scene in Perry's office, when she barged in to ask Perry to let her check
out the Messenger story.  She had concluded that Perry was conducting a job
interview with the guy, but there was something about the guy that she
couldn't place a finger on.  Then it came to her: the man had stood up when
she had entered Perry's office!  She couldn't recall any other man doing
that recently, although this was the 90s.  Instead she was beginning to
recall how devastatingly good-looking the bespectacled man was, much
better-looking than Claude, maybe even better-looking than... John?

What the heck was she thinking?  Fortunately John was still busy in the
kitchen and didn't notice the blush that was appearing on Lois' cheeks.  She
covered her face with her hands.  Here she was, daydreaming about some
good-looking guy she had just met, and John was standing no more than 10
feet away from her!  How low could she go?  How could she do that when she
has John?

But *did* she have John?  That was a question that Lois couldn't answer.
They had met in May while she was on a story; it had turned out that the
newly elected DA was accepting bribes.  John was a lawyer working at the
DA's office, though relatively low on the food chain.  He had helped her get
the evidence she needed, for he actually believed in justice, unlike most of
the other lawyers that she had met in the past.

After she had broken the story and the DA had resigned, and after John had
returned to his old law firm at Hunter and Bialzek, he and Lois began seeing
each other, less on a professional level, and more on a personal one.  They
had become fast friends.  Despite her vow never again to get involved with
men, she couldn't help but to say 'yes' when John had asked her out to
dinner.  She couldn't help but to allow him to see her again after the first
date.  And she couldn't help but to allow him to kiss her goodnight at the
end of each evening out.

John was a rather tall and slim fellow.  He was attractive and he *was*
nice.  Usually the two qualities were mutually exclusive; Claude was a prime
example of this.  But after three months of seeing him, nothing went beyond
a couple of make-out sessions on the couch.  Why was that?  Maybe it was
because of the fact that all of her previous relationships were federal
disasters, and that she was essentially afraid.  Maybe it was because John
didn't want to push her into anything.  Whatever the reason, neither one of
them had taken the initiative to do anything further, physically or
emotionally.

And yet, Lois did not want to break things off with John now.  She couldn't
imagine herself without him, especially with Lucy currently undecided as to
what she wanted to do with her life, especially with her mother nagging her
to settle down and get married when Lois wasn't sure that that was what she
wanted, and especially with her father still ignoring everyone for the sake
of his work.  John was the best thing that has happened to her so far, but
once in a while, she would think if this was the best there is...

Lois' thoughts were interrupted when two strong hands began massaging her
shoulders and neck.  She sighed as the tensions of the day began to leave
her body.

"Rough day at work?" John asked, sympathetic.

"When isn't it?" she quipped back.  "Don't stop.  This feels wonderful.  I
hope that your day wasn't as stressful as mine, though."

"No such luck," John said wryly.  "Connie Hunter is going to leave the
firm."  Constance Hunter and John were the junior partners at the Law
Offices of Hunter and Bialzek; their fathers were the senior partners.

Lois let out a low whistle.  "I guess I don't need to ask how your dad and
her dad took it."

"Actually, the dads have been suggesting that she go do something else.  She
hasn't been lucky in the courtroom.  In fact, she still hasn't won a case.
I think she had known that things weren't working out, because she told me
that effective next week she's going to be adjunct faculty at MetroU."  John
stopped his ministrations on Lois' shoulders and walked around to sit down
next to her.

"If the dads don't find someone to replace her right away, I may end up with
an increased workload," John continued, sighing.  "That will mean, then,
that we may see each other less.  And that's not good."  He draped Lois'
shoulders with his right arm and brought her closer to him.

Lois didn't resist the motion, for she was pretty tired.  She rested her
head on John's shoulder.  "I know, the past couple of weeks has been crazy
for the both of us, you at the firm and me at the Planet."  She let out a
long breath.  "We haven't done anything more than to visit each other for
supper.

John smiled.  "Well, tonight is going to change," he said, with a twinkle in
his eye.

"What do you mean?"

"The last time, we had tried to cook dinner, and let's just say I'm glad we
didn't have to call the fire department," John said.  Lois chuckled at the
memory.  Each had thought the other could cook when it was suggested that
they cook dinner together last Friday night.  The result looked as if a
tornado swept through John's kitchen.  They had spent the weekend cleaning
up the mess and eating Chinese takeout.  "How about we go for some Italian
this time?" John suggested.

Lois was sorely tempted.  "Oh John," she sighed.  "I'd love to, but today's
Monday.  I have a ton of work to do."

"I know, and so do I," John said.  "But look at us.  We've been crazy with
work.  Our work is demanding.  And we would rather die than to take vacation
time.  It's just Luigi's, Lois, right down the street from my place.
Besides, I know how much you love their Double Chocolate Cheesecake," he
added dramatically.

"Oooooh!" Lois cried.  She pushed John away and pulled a couch pillow over
her head.  "You sure know how to torture me, John Bialzak," she accused him
mockingly, her voice muffled.

"Please, Lois?" John asked gently.  "It'll just be dinner, because I've got
a lot of documents this high..." -- he indicated with his hands how high the
stack of papers was --  "...that I have to read over tonight."

Lois gave in.  With John, it was impossible to say no.  "Okay, okay, but you
have to massage my feet first."

John rolled his eyes.  "Deal," he said.  Lois swung her legs up and rested
them on John's lap.  "I'm starting to regret telling you that my sister is a
masseuse," he said, pretending to look remorseful.

"I'll make it up to you somehow," Lois promised, as she sighed at the
movements of John's hands on her stocking-covered feet.  "It's too bad that
Connie is leaving," she remarked.  "I like her.  Meanwhile at the Planet, it
looks like that Perry's hiring."

"Another reporter?"

"I think so.  I saw a small stack of newspaper clippings on Perry's desk
when I went in."

"You mean when you 'barged' in," John corrected her.

Lois made a face at him but didn't respond to John's comment.  "Anyway, I
glanced at the clippings.  Probably samples of this guy's work."

"Was the guy good-looking?" John asked.

Lois was about to counter with a retort when she saw the laughter in John's
eyes.  "Oh, you!" she admonished, swatting him with the couch pillow she was
still holding.

"Sorry," John said, clearly not meaning it.  He looked at his watch.  "Oops!
 It's 6:35.  We better get a move on.  I've got reservations at Luigi's for
7:00."  He pushed Lois' legs off his lap and got up.

"Wait a minute," Lois said.  John turned to look at her.  "You got
reservations before asking me to dinner?"

John grinned.  "Yep.  You have a problem with that?" he challenged.

Lois rolled her eyes.  'Some things never change,' she mused.  "Just give me
a couple of minutes to get ready," she replied.

Exactly four minutes later, John and Lois left her apartment, after she
locked the four locks on her apartment door.  This *was* Metropolis, after
all.

* * * * * * * *

--
Felix E. Sung
fsung@justice.loyola.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:46:29 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: season five episodes...
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 03/29/2000 2:43:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,
kubitc@KENYON.EDU writes:

<< Is this was why Sandy's "Little Man, Super" was not eligible for the 2000
 Kerths? I know it was released in 1999, but didn't see it on the eligible
 stories list (which was quite sad, IMHO, because it is one of the best
fanfics
 I've ever read). Just wondering... >>

Me too, cause I nominated it.

--Laurie
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:52:03 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (1 of 10)

"Hidden Treasures"
By Lara Blasingame larab@pwpl.com
Rated PG-13
Completed March 2000

***

This is my fourth attempt at writing a fanfic and is a sequel to
"Revisiting the House of Luthor." I suggest that you read that story before
reading this one.

I would like to thank Irene Dutchak and Karen Ward for taking time out of
their inordinately busy schedules to help me with this story. I would also
like to thank Rachel (AKA LittleOne) for transcribing a scene from Madame
Ex and Nancy for offering to Xerox the original script.

There was a point in the story when I needed to come up with some lame
excuses for Clark having to leave to do his super duties. I am indebted to
Melissa, Paul, Zoomway, Ultracape, Raconteur27, Tara, Lou and Anita. Some
of their excuses were downright hilarious. I urge you to all to hop on over
(after you've read my story... of course :)) to Zoom's message board and
take a look-see.

I mean no copyright infringement whatsoever... I wrote this piece for fun!
Please let me know what you think... good or bad. Feedback is good for the
soul :)

***

"Hmmm ... you, my own personal super man, are a very good kisser," Lois
Lane moaned as she broke off from the kiss.

Clark kissed his way around to her ear and whispered, "Thanks, you're not
so bad yourself."

Neither one could believe how their relationship had changed during the
last twenty-four hours.  It was amazing.

Before Luthor's proposal, Lois Lane and Clark Kent were the best of
friends.  Their working relationship had developed into a powerful
partnership. Yet, each was afraid to take their friendship to the next
level.

Lois's engagement had forced Clark's hand in the matter. He had made a
declaration of love in hopes of curtailing her plans to marry Luthor. Yet,
the only thing it managed to do was cause a rift between the friends.
Sure... he had meant it. But, it just hadn't felt like the right time to
say anything.

Unbeknownst to Clark, his declaration had caused Lois to rethink...
everything. She found herself in a deep depression not wanting to admit
that her decision to marry the billionaire might be wrong. Worst of all,
she had totally underestimated her feelings regarding her partner.

The two found themselves on an emotional roller coaster. Yet, in the end,
they found themselves in each other's arms.

"Lois?"

"Yes, Clark."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Not in the past fifteen minutes..."

"Well, I do love you." Clark enjoyed saying that declaration out loud. He
found himself wanting to say it all the time. "And... I'm so happy that you
know about my extracurricular activities.  No more secrets..."

Lois took a moment to look at her partner.  He looked so happy.  Clark
mirrored how she felt deep down inside, yet she couldn't let him get too
caught up in the moment. She wanted to take this newfound relationship nice
and slow. "YOU might not have any more secrets buddy. But, I've got one or
two minor indiscretions that I plan on holding onto."

She looked so happy. Clark had been having a hard time reining in his
emotions. He'd been waiting for her to reciprocate his feelings for the
longest time.  If truth were told, Clark had loved Lois from the
beginning... since that day they had first met at the Daily Planet. 'Thank,
Elvis for Perry White.'

"Hey! That's not fair. I shared my secret with you... my little..."

"Your 'little' what?"

"Give me a minute." Clark found himself in a very precarious position. But
this was too tempting a situation to pass up. "Tornado comes to mind. How
about my little hurricane?"

Lois's expression hardened. "You're comparing me to natural disasters.
Thanks so much."

Clark couldn't help but laugh. "I meant that in the nicest way. You just
seem to overwhelm people at times."

"Kent?" Lois's face turned sour. "I suggest you quit while you're ahead."

Clark had the decency to look shamefaced. "Okay... but you do overwhelm me
constantly, and I absolutely love it."

Lois's face softened and she found herself snuggling closer to her partner.
"Well, I guess that 'little tornado' nickname isn't too bad."  She found
herself lost in thought. Suddenly, she bolted upright. "Since we're handing
out names, how about..."

Clark quickly interrupted her. "I think that Kal-el, Clark Kent and
Superman are a few too many names for one guy to have."

"Kal-el?"

"Oh... yeah. You don't know about that one yet.  In fact, you don't know
much about my alter ego."

"I know he looks good... really good... in spandex and a cape." Lois
couldn't help herself.

Clark blushed. "Thanks, but there's so much I want to tell you. I don't
even know where to start."

"Well... you can tell me all about yourself tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight.  I expect my new boyfriend to take me out for fine dining
and entertaining conversation...our first official date!"

Her boyfriend? Clark found himself gathering Lois back into his arms. He
kissed her with all of the passion that he could muster.  It felt so right.
He had been waiting for this moment for his entire life. He had found
someone to love.

When they finally came up for air, Lois had a daffy expression plastered on
her face. "Wow, Kent. Where on earth did you ever learn to kiss like that?
And should I be jealous?"

"Well, Lane, let's just say that I've been inspired by a small brunette
with the prettiest brown eyes that I've ever seen."

"Oh." Lois found herself speechless.  Clark Kent had a way of doing that to
her.

"Why don't I walk you home, and we can both get ready for our big date."

Lois suddenly blushed and lowered her eyes. "Um... Clark? Could we take
another mode of transportation?"  Lois slowly looked up at his handsome
face.

"What do you have in mind?"

Lois made an 'up, up and away' motion with her right hand.  Clark found
himself laughing out loud, once again. "So, Ms. Lane, you'd rather be taken
home via 'Superman Express'?"

His stunned girlfriend broke out into a fit of laughter as well. "You have
a name for flying, too?"

"Why not! What's one more name...Not!"

***

Clark rushed around his apartment. He wanted this evening to be perfect.
After all, they would remember this date for the rest of their lives... he
hoped.

First thing on his agenda was to make reservations for dinner.  Clark's
first choice was a quiet, little French restaurant located not far from the
Planet.  The bistro was famous for its intimate lighting and its delicious
cuisine. Fortunately, the restaurant had a last minute cancellation.

Next, on his agenda was to do a super sweep of his apartment.  Clark was
already a neat person by design, but his nerves were on edge. He needed
some sort of release.

"I know... I'll call Mom and Dad."

***

Lois was a bundle of nerves. She wanted this evening to be perfect. After
all, they would remember this date for the rest of their lives... she hoped.

After Clark had left her apartment, Lois made a beeline to her favorite
boutique. She wanted to buy a new dress. Her intent was to knock his boots
right off.

The spending spree did little to ease her mind.  She was so excited about
the prospect of having Clark as a partner, a lover and a friend.

Yet, her recent engagement to a homicidal criminal had made her wary about
entering into another relationship.

But, to compare Clark Kent with Lex Luthor was like comparing a teddy bear
with a boa constrictor. There simply was no comparison.

In her heart, Lois knew how she felt, but her head kept throwing up caution
flags. She just wanted to take things nice and slow this time.

"This time everything will be okay."

****

"Mom!"

"Clark, I'm so glad you called."

"Me too. Things have just been a little hectic lately."

Martha could detect an amount of nervous enthusiasm in his voice. During
Lois's engagement to Lex Luthor, Clark had distanced himself from everyone.
He'd seemed almost lifeless, except for the underlying anger that simmered
beneath the surface.  She had never seen her son act like that before and
Martha's heart ached for him. "I've been worried about you, honey."

"I know Mom, and I'm really sorry about the way I've been acting. I know I
was a little despondent when you and Dad tried to help. I just had to work
things out for myself."

"Is everything okay now?" Martha didn't want to bring up Lois or the
incidents that had driven her son into utter despair. But, she couldn't
help but wonder about his sudden change in attitude.

"Mom, everything is wonderful! Lois said that she loves me... not
Superman... she loves me." His joy was evident.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so happy for you." Martha's heart leapt for her son. She
had always liked Lois and felt that the young lady would be a perfect match
for her only son. 'Lois has spunk... she'll keep him on his toes.' "How did
all this happen?"

"Well, it's a long story. How about I fly out next weekend and tell you all
about it?"

Martha immediately cleared her calendar. She had a feeling that this visit
would be worth the wait.

Clark continued. "Can I bring Lois, too?"

"Of course."

"Hey... I almost forgot why I called. We're going out on our first
'official' date tonight and..."

"You're about to burst. Right?"

"You have no idea! I just want everything to be perfect tonight."

"Clark, everything is going to be fine.  No matter what... she loves you
and sometimes that's enough."

Clark took a deep breath and thought about what his Mom had just said. No
matter what happened, they were in love with each other.

***

Continued in part 2 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:54:42 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (2 of 10)

***

Lois and Clark arrived at the bistro several minutes early. They had kept
the conversation light, allowing their individual nervousness to dissipate.

"I have reservations for two for eight o'clock. The name is Kent."

The hostess looked up for a moment to recognize the couple, and checked her
registrar for the reservation. "Yes, sir. You're a few minutes early. Why
don't you wait in the lounge? Your table will be ready shortly."

The couple made their way toward a booth in the back of the room.  The
restaurant had an old-world feel to it: very charming and elegant.

Lois sat down first and Clark made his way around the cornered booth so
that he could sit close to her.

"Lois..."

"Clark..."

They spoke simultaneously and immediately broke into a fit of soft laughter.

"I can't believe how we're acting. We're best friends. Why is this so
hard?" Lois couldn't help but feel a little chagrined.

"I don't know about you, but I just want everything to go well tonight."
Clark looked directly at Lois as he spoke.

"It will, Clark. We just have to relax and be ourselves."

The couple smiled and slowly leaned towards each other. The kiss was soft
and sweet, but a gentle reminder of how they felt about each other.

"Well, I'm glad we cleared that up. I was beginning to wonder if..."

The approaching waiter caught Clark's attention. "Would you like a
something to drink? We have a splendid house wine as well as some fine
examples of micro-brewed beers."

The couple placed their order, and the waiter quickly left.

"Well, let's see. Where was I? Oh yeah, I was beginning to wonder if..."
Clark once again stopped mid-sentence as a faraway look overtook his
handsome features.

"What is it, Clark?"

Clark looked stoic, determined, and very upset. 'Not tonight... please let
this be a quick rescue.'

He looked around frantically and tried to convey a quick message to Lois
before leaving her. "Lois, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go. Somebody
nearby needs help... sounds like a mugging. I'll be right back."

And with that said, he kissed her on the cheek and exited the restaurant.

***

Lois sat in the lounge... contemplating her situation when the waiter
approached. "Madam... your table for two is now available. Should I escort
you to the table or wait for your companion to return?"

"Um... yes... er... no..." Lois looked slightly disheveled as she tried
desperately to form a coherent sentence. "What I mean to say is that my
friend had to... had to... leave for a minute. Why don't you go ahead and
show me to our table. Will you be sure and tell him that I've already been
seated?"

"Certainly, madam. Follow me."

***

Superman flew towards the muffled cries for help. He wanted to help the
stranger in distress, but it was killing him to have to leave Lois right in
the middle of their first date.

Would she be mad at his early departure? Or had she already accepted the
fact that Superman saving the day might interrupt occasionally?

His thoughts were disrupted as the yells for help intensified. He augmented
his super hearing and flew as quickly as he could towards the scene of the
crime.

***

Lois was seated at a lovely table for two near an elegant indoor fireplace.
The warmth emanating from the hearth relaxed her weary mind and she found
the low illumination very romantic. 'What a perfect place for our first
date. Too bad Clark isn't here to enjoy it.'

She had half-expected her boyfriend to be called away during their date,
but she was not prepared to handle making excuses for his absence.

Lois took a sip of wine and began to replay in her mind some of the excuses
Clark had given for his continual absences during the past year. 'Most of
his excuses were so lame...' and Lois began to giggle out loud. She looked
around the room. Several people were trying not to look at her, yet found
themselves glancing her way. 'People are going to think that I'm nuts...'
This fact only made her laugh harder.

***

Superman made short work of dealing with the mugger. Fortunately, he had
arrived before any real damage could be done. The elderly couple was quite
shaken by their attacker's harsh words, but the criminal had not attempted
to hurt them physically.

The super hero intervened much to the dismay of the mugger. Superman first
made sure that the elderly couple had been unharmed and then easily
apprehended the crook. Luckily, the Metropolis Police Department had
received a 911 call from a concerned citizen and had immediately dispatched
a patrol car. Clark handed the criminal over to the police and made an
uncharacteristically hasty retreat.

Within seconds, Clark returned to the restaurant and super-spun back into
his charcoal suit.

***

Clark made his way back to the lounge, but found that Lois was no longer
seated at their table. 'I guess that she decided to leave after all.' With
slumped shoulders, he turned around to leave and bumped into the
headwaiter. "Excuse me Sir... but your table is available. I've already
seated your dinner companion. Please follow me."

The waiter led him toward the back of the room and the sight before him
nearly broke his heart. 'She is upset with me.'

Clark found Lois slumped over the table. Her shoulders were shaking, and
her eyes were red. She had been crying. Clark couldn't bear to see her in
such distress. "Lois... Lois... are you okay? I'm so sorry that I had to
leave."

Lois looked up at Clark and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she
produced a hundred watt smile. "Hi. You're back."

Clark stared at her with disbelief as her mood immediately brightened at
his arrival. He was totally confused... and sat down hesitantly. "Are you
all right?"

Lois assessed the situation quickly and realized why he seemed so upset.
She had been crying upon his arrival. "Oh... Clark. It's nothing really."
He didn't seem convinced. "Really... I was just laughing."

"Laughing?"

"Yes... laughing. After you left, I had to make up an excuse for your
absence, and I have to say that I failed miserably."

"What'd you say?" Clark found the entire situation amusing.

"I wasn't very clever! That's for sure. I babbled so much that the waiter
lost interest." Lois took a big breath and continued. "Then after I was
seated, I started thinking about some of the lame excuses you've used in
the past."

"Hey! They haven't been that bad."

"Yes, they have!" Lois started laughing again. "I used to think that your
short term memory was on the fritz. Returning videotapes, library books,
lawn equipment... You don't even have a lawn! That should have been clue
number one, but I missed it! And do you realize that you've been to the
dentist 7 times in the last year alone? You sure do have bad teeth
considering the rest of you is invulnerable."

"I have? Geez! I guess I'm not very good at lying. Now you know my other
secret."

"Oh, I figured out that you were a crummy liar by your second day on the
job. Too bad I didn't figure out earlier about the super hero thing. Just
think about the time that we've wasted." Lois reached over to grab Clark's
hand. She needed to reassure him that she had truly forgiven him for his
deceit. "But don't worry about it. I'm an expert at bending the truth. What
we need to do is come up with some sort of list. That way we can coordinate
our stories when you suddenly decide to disappear. We can also make sure
that we don't use the same story twice." Lois was on a proverbial roll.

Clark merely smiled at Lois during her ramblings. 'I love it when she does
that. I love the way she takes care of me. I love...'

"Clark?"

The mild manner reporter was abruptly brought back to reality. "Yes?"

"What's wrong? You kinda zoned out on me again. Is someone else in trouble?"

"No! No... I was just thinking about how much I love you." His grin
softened as he gently brushed back Lois's hair. "I love the way you want to
take care of me. I love the way that I can trust you with my most precious
secret. I love the way we work together... our partnership. I just love you
so much."

Lois's eyes began to mist over as Clark spoke. The love and devotion she
saw in his eyes almost made her gasp out loud. 'He is such a special
person...'

"Lois?"

"Clark, I love you, too. I just want you to know that I'm trying to get a
handle on being part of 'a loving relationship.' But, you're my best
friend, and I sincerely hope that this works out. You're my most favorite
person in the whole world."

"It will, Lois. It will. I've been searching my whole life for someone to
love. I've never really fit in. Always moving from place to place, but that
all changed the day I met you. You're my most favorite person in the world,
too."

Lois couldn't take much more of this. This incredible man was... was...
incredible!

If she didn't grab hold of this intimate moment, she was going to start
waxing rhapsodic. "I love you so much... even if you are a pathetically bad
liar," she mused. "But, in a way, I'm glad. You'll never be able to hide
anything from me ever again." Her soft smile turned into a full-fledged
grin.

Clark realized that she was trying to distance herself from their intimate
conversation... but at least she wasn't trying to hide behind the 'Mad Dog
Lane' persona. She just needed time.

"So what do you have in mind?" Clark had a feeling that she'd given this a
lot of thought.

"Just a second..." Lois proceeded to dig around in her small purse. She
managed to pull out a small note pad and pen.

Clark just looked at her. "You brought paper and pen on a date? Did you
think that the waiter might be involved in plot to rule the world... or
that the hostess might be plotting revenge on her evil nemesis, Sara Lee
or..."

"All right... all right... You've made your point. It never hurts for a
girl to be prepared." Lois leaned over and gently kissed his cheek.
"Besides we just so happen to need a note pad and a pen..." Lois trailed
off as a smug smile appeared on her face.

Clark laughed out loud. He loved it when they teased each other.

The waiter slowly approached the table. It was obvious that his presence
would not be appreciated. Yet, the young couple gladly placed their orders,
and the waiter scurried away.

"You start." Clark picked up where they left off.

Lois took a moment before she spoke. "Well, the excuses have to believable,
but our goal here is not to be too specific. Details can really screw up a
good lie."

Clark smiled. "Is that so?"

"Yes! For instance, you just remembered that you had to file your
delinquent tax return tonight or incur further penalties and interest.
First of all, who talks like that? Second of all, would you be able to
repeat that excuse to me verbatim? Remember, we have to stick to the same
story."

Clark chuckled. "Um... no. All I can remember is something about being
penalized by a ruthless tax collector."

"WRONG!!! Clark, you're not even trying!"

"Yes! Yes, I am. I understand... simple lies that even I can remember."

Lois took pity on him. "I'll start. You have an appointment to get your
allergy shots. Oh and don't forget to sneeze."

"Sneeze... gotcha. How about I forgot to turn off the stove."

"Now we're cooking..." Lois looked both shocked and a little embarrassed
that she could have come up with such a pitiful pun. "Sorry, I know that
was bad. How about...um... you promised your neighbor that you'd feed his
lawn and mow his dog. I mean... well, you know what I mean." Lois began to
giggle.

"OK... OK... How about I have to pay my utility bill or my electricity will
be turned off again?"

"That's pretty good. OK, I've got one. You forgot your press pass."

Clark smiled at her enthusiasm. "That's a good one. How about I suddenly
had the urge to put on some tights and go streaking."

Lois stopped writing mid-way through his fabricated lie. She knew that she
shouldn't look up at him, but she did anyway. Once eye contact was made the
duo broke into a hysterical bout of laughter.

"Wait... wait..." Clark stopped long enough to gain composure before he
continued. He held up his hand and tried desperately to wipe the ever-
present grin off his face. "I forgot that I promised Superman I'd get his
spare boots resoled and the shoe repair shop is about to close." Clark just
grinned.

All of the sudden the waiter approached carrying a tray full of delicious
cuisine. Caught off guard, Lois slammed her hand down on the note pad in
order to hide their handiwork and gracefully grabbed Clark's knee. The
couple resembled the proverbial cat that ate the cannery. The waiter
distributed the food and refilled the two wine glasses. It was the longest
ninety seconds in Lois and Clark's lives. The second that the waiter
departed, the couple broke into laughter.

"That was priceless." Clark bemused as they attempted to eat their dinner.

***
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:01:23 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (3 of 10)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

***

Clark and Lois literally tumbled into his apartment. Their joyous, booming
laughter could easily have been heard by the inhabitants of nearby homes.
The couple was so engrossed in their levity that they were only able to
focus on one another. Otherwise, they might have been embarrassed by their
total lack of decorum.

Lois took off her coat and sat down heavily on Clark's comfortable couch.
Clark made his way over to pick up her coat when she finally was able to
stop giggling enough in order to make a semi-coherent sentence. "Clark,
this has been so much fun! I don't think I've ever had this much fun on a
date before. I certainly didn't laugh this much with Lex..."

Before she'd even realized what she'd said, Lois saw a dark shadow pass
over Clark's beautiful facial features. "Oh Clark! I'm so sorry. I didn't
mean to bring up Lex. I just..."

Clark laid her coat across a nearby chair and immediately made his way back
to the sofa. The mood in the room had shifted dramatically. He didn't want
the mention of Lois's former fianc=E9e to impede upon their first date.
But... this particular subject had been discussed very little since her
aborted wedding. "Lois..." he gently picked up her hand and turned it over
in order to place a kiss on the inside of her palm.

Lois looked into the deep recesses of his soul and saw pain. She'd never
wanted to hurt Clark Kent.

They'd been avoiding this topic of discussion for quite some time. They
were going to have to put the past few months behind them... and the only
way to do this would be by talking to one another. "I'm sorry!" Lois
whispered yet another heartfelt apology.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. We've both made mistakes. Luckily the
outcome was more of a wish fulfillment than a Greek tragedy."

Lois smiled a small smile. "I just want you to know that I thought about
you the entire time I was with Lex; even before I'd admitted to myself that
I'd fallen in love with you. I was so depressed. I found no joy when I was
with Lex." She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "He was
charming and successful. I thought I should settle for that, but our
relationship never made me happy. I realize that now..."

Clark listened quietly to her admission. During the month that had followed
Lois's aborted wedding, the couple had spent most of their time keeping
conversations neutral and topical. But the second that Lois had proclaimed
her love for Clark, the stakes had risen considerably.

"Clark, you mean so much to me, and I'm sorry that I didn't realize how I
felt about you until it was almost too late. Truth be told, I was scared
about loving you."

That statement caught Clark off-guard. "You were scared about loving me?"

"Yes... weird, huh? You were too good to be true. You're sweet, kind,
loving, caring... and I was afraid that I might wake up one morning and
find out that you weren't that guy."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Well, I'd have to say that it was the time right after my wedding. You let
me cry on your shoulder. You took care of me in a way that no other man has
before. You never left me. I slowly began to realize that you weren't like
any of the men that came before you." Lois soulful gaze returned as she
stared deeply into Clark's eyes. "You loved me regardless of the
circumstances. It gave me a courage that I've never known before..."

"Lois, you are the bravest woman I've ever met. How can you say that you
lacked courage?"

"Oh Clark... I found the courage to love somebody completely. I've never
known that type of courage before."

Clark was floored by her admission and deeply touched that she wanted this
relationship as desperately as he did. He put his arm around Lois and
pulled her tiny body close to his.

She was bearing her soul to him. It was time for him to reciprocate. "I'm
sorry about the way I acted during your engagement to Luthor. I was an
idiot. I couldn't control my emotions when I was around you. I was so
angry... angry at you for not loving me... but mostly angry at myself for
not being the man that you wanted to love..."

Lois took a moment to pull back from his embrace. She looked at the haunted
expression that, once again, passed over his face. 'How could he think
that?  Maybe because you told him that you didn't feel that way about him'
her inner voice responded. It seemed that they both had made some foolish
mistakes during that period of time.

"Clark, about the day in park. I'm sorry..."

He gently placed his fingers on Lois's lips to silence her apology.
"Sweetheart, like I said, we've both made some huge mistakes. I've been
kicking myself daily about that lead-lined robe jab. I didn't mean that
either. I was just so frustrated!"

Lois remembered that conversation vividly. She'd just told Superman that
she'd love him even if he was an ordinary man. Hours earlier she'd told
that 'ordinary man' that she didn't love him. What a mess! They could
apologize for the next six months over past indiscretions, but that
wouldn't help their relationship to deepen and grow. "You're right. We've
both made some enormous mistakes, but I know in my heart that we wouldn't
intentionally hurt each other. We were both scared and hurt."

Lois took a small breath before continuing. "We just need to talk to each
other and make an effort to open up to each other, discuss our feelings,
good and bad.  Our so-called 'self-imposed borders' have not made our
relationship easy..."

"You can say that again..."

"But, I now know that adversity has only made us closer and that's the mark
of a good relationship. We don't want to run away from each other. We want
to protect. We want to clear the air. So, I guess all of the hardships have
been worth it. They made both of us re-evaluate what was really important.
I'm truly happy for the first time in my life. I love you so much, Clark
Kent."

And with that final remark, Clark leaned in for a kiss that expressed his
undying love for his partner and best friend. The kiss quickly escalated
from affirmation to desire, and Clark found himself losing control. He had
promised Lois, on numerous occasions, that they would take things slowly.
So, he pulled back gently in order to put some badly needed space between
himself and the beautiful woman beside him.

"Um... Lois? I need to take a little breather," Clark exhaled sharply. "If
we keep this up, I may ravage you at any moment."

Lois grinned as she released her anxious boyfriend. She couldn't get over
how wonderful if felt to be in his arms.

"How about something to drink?"

"Sure! Do you have any cream soda?"

The couple made their way into the kitchen. Lois sat down at the table to
watch Clark prepare the beverages. "How about hot chocolate instead?"

"You're actually asking me if I want chocolate? Let's see... I'd have to
say YES!"

Clark grinned at her flirtatious remark, but continued at the task at hand.
"I'm sorry I asked..."

He took crumbled bits of Hershey's chocolate and placed them into large
mugs filled with milk. Then he stared intently at the concoction.

Lois sat quietly watching Clark's graceful movements as he prepared the
beverages. She was immediately shaken from her reverie as steam began to
rise from the mugs. Clark was using his super powers in front of her. He
had no reservations about doing so. "One of these days you're going to have
to tell how you do that."

Clark's grin widened as he placed tiny marshmallows on the molten liquid.
"I never did give you that one-on-one interview. Did I?"

Lois stood up and made her way to Clark in order to hug him from behind. "I
think that sounds like a lot of fun." She placed a small kiss on his cheek
and reached around to take a mug of the homemade brew and made her way back
into the living room. Clark followed.

"I do have a couple of questions..."

"Yes?"

"Why did you leave Krypton? Why come to Earth? When did the Kent's adopt
you? Did you know that you were going to have super powers? When did you
decide to be a superhero? Was there one particular event that made you
decide to don the Suit? In fact, where did the Suit come from? Is it from
Krypton, too?"

The more questions that Lois threw out... the more she thought to ask.
Clark joined Lois on the sofa and pulled her within his embrace, again. He
quickly captured her lips and the inquisition stopped for the time being.

Lois slowly pulled back and all she could mutter was "Wow..."

"Wow... yourself," Clark leaned back slightly to study her slightly flushed
facial features. "Been giving this interview a lot of thought have we?"

"Actually... no. But since you asked..."

"How about I try to answer your first barrage of questions before we enter
round two. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Well, I came to Earth as a baby. Mom and Dad think I was about two to
three months old when they found me in my space ship. I landed in a nearby
field. At first, they thought that the flash of bright light in the sky was
a meteorite. I'm sure glad that they checked out the crash site. Who knows
what my life would have been like if they hadn't found me?"

"They really are wonderful people, Clark. You're so lucky."

Clark saw her eyes glisten as she spoke to him. 'Maybe they'll be your
parents one day, too.' He took her hand and interlaced their fingers as he
kissed her on the forehead. "I know I am, Lois. Jor-el and Lara..."

"Jor-el and Lara?"

"They are... were my biological parents. They sent me to Earth before
Krypton blew up."

"Your home planet was destroyed? How?"

"I'm not quite sure. The globe's holograms indicated that it had something
to do with Krypton's red sun and its gravitational pull. Jor-el really
didn't have a lot of time to go into details. He barely had time to build
my spacecraft."

"The globe? It was stolen from...you?" It suddenly dawned on Lois that it
had been his globe, too... not exclusively Superman's. She had separated
the two men in her mind for so long. At times it was difficult to merge the
two wonderful men into the one extraordinary man who now sat beside her.

"Yea! Right about the time it was taken I started visualizing wonderful
images of my Mom and Dad. They explained that they were sending me to Earth
because they felt like I'd be able to fit in... because I looked human.
Research also indicated that I'd be biologically compatible with an Earth
woman." Clark raised his eyebrow as he winked at a blushing Lois Lane.

"Compatible... huh? We'll have to test that theory out one of these days."

"I know I'm game!" Clark leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss before
continuing. "I'm kinda getting ahead of myself. When Mom and Dad... er
Martha and Jonathon... decided to adopt me they had no idea whether I was a
Russian experiment or a Martian. Neither one really cared. All they were
concerned about was giving me a loving home to grow up in... to take care
of me. Everything went well until I reached my teenage years."

"What happened?"

"I started getting my powers. It was really scary. I didn't know what was
happening. The ironic thing is that your teenage years are already supposed
to be confusing due to rampant hormones. I had to contend with an unruly
libido as well as super powers."

"I'll bet that was hard to deal with..."

"Yea, but Mom and Dad were great. The problem was that my powers appeared
sporadically. I hated not knowing what was going to happen from day to day.
By my tenth birthday, I was pretty fast and stronger than the rest of my
classmates. Then I got x-ray vision. Boy, that one freaked me out."

"What happened?"

"I was in my room. Mom had just sent me there. I was kinda in trouble..."

"The boy scout was in trouble?"

Clark eager to make his point ignored her query. "Anyway, she'd said 'wait
till your father gets home...'"

"Ouch!"

"I heard mumbled voices coming from the living room, and I stared at the
wall in hopes of concentrating on what the voices were saying. Well, you
can imagine how shocked I was when I could see through it. I freaked out so
bad that I ran into the den and started yelling at the top of my lungs..."

"Very uncharacteristic of you..."

"You can say that, again. Mom and Dad were shocked. After they calmed me
down, I told them what happened. Needless to say, they forgot all about my
punishment."

"I guess they'd have more pressing matters to contend with." Lois giggled
but allowed Clark to continue.

He described each power and what had occurred due to its unexpected
arrival. Lois found herself spellbound as he spoke about the development of
his abilities, but heartbroken at the lonely life he'd led as a child. But,
the special bond that this man shared with his earthbound parents had
helped them all deal with whatever life had handed them.

"After college, I decided to see the world. Being able to fly gave me an
amazing opportunity."

"It sure did! Imagine being able to fly anywhere... at anytime. Being able
to actually see the Seven Wonders of the World. Being able to visit lands
that mankind may have never seen before. What an adventure!"

"Traveling was fun. Don't get me wrong. I've got enough stories and slide
shows to keep you bored stiff until at least the turn of the century."
Clark grinned at as he played with Lois's fingers and gently placed a kiss
on one fingertip. "But the opportunity I was referring to was the chance to
find a place where I could fit in. Be myself. Find somebody to love. When I
came to Metropolis, I knew that I'd found my home."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'd found you."

Lois caught the gaze in Clark's eyes and couldn't help but be drawn into
its depth. She leaned forward slowly as their lips tenderly met. Clark's
declaration and the kiss that followed would always be one of Lois's
favorite memories... she had found her 'home' as well.

***

To be continued in Part 4
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:03:47 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (4 of 10)

***

One Month Later

Lois and Clark entered the newly renovated Daily Planet building a little
before 8am. The structure looked very much the same as it had before. But,
the fresh paint, pristine tile, and new vendors in the lobby were faint
reminders of Lex Luthor's destructive behavior and his obsession with a
certain female investigative journalist.

The ride up in the elevator was quiet and reflective. But, when the
elevator doors opened, the couple's nervousness was curtailed. This was
their 'home away from home.'

The newsroom was buzzing with activity as each employee scurried around for
the necessary supplies to make their jobs easier.

"Diane, do you have any pencils? All I have are erasers."

"No, I think there are some in the supply closet."

Hector looked around but only saw a computer terminal where the supply
closet used to be. "Where the heck is the supply closet?" He yelled to no
one in particular.

"Just follow Marty."

"Olsen!?!?" Perry bellowed from the confines of his office. "Does anybody
know who the new copy boy is? If you can't find out, guess what?"

"On it, Chief!"

Lois and Clark began to softly chuckle. Things were different... yet they
were still the same.

No one noticed the duo as they made their way down the ramp gently clasping
each other's hand. Lois made her way to her desk and sat down quietly as
Clark made his way to the makeshift break room.

Clark approached with two cups of coffee, but couldn't help but laugh at
the sight that greeted him. "I just have two questions for you. Why are you
hugging your computer? And should I be jealous?"

Lois's grin turned into a full-blown smile. She gave the keyboard one final
squeeze before placing it back down on the desk. "It's so good to be back
here! We're partners again. I'm in Heaven!"

Perry emerged from his sanctum to find his top reporting team making goo-
goo eyes at each other. "It's about time."

"Hi Perry."

"Hey Chief! What's about time?"

"It's about time ya'll figured out you're in love. I thought I was going to
have to..."

"Have to what, Perry?" Lois didn't trust her editor's mischievous look.

"You don't want to know, honey. My wife has been itching to work her match-
making magic on the two of you for quite some time."

Clark blushed at his editor but asked his question anyway. "Are we that
obvious, Perry?"

"Yes! Yes, you are and..." Perry loved funnin' with his kids, "I couldn't
be happier for the two of you."

Lois and Clark smiled at their gruff, old boss and simultaneously
reiterated that the editor-and-chief of Metropolis' most well respected
paper was nothing more than a sentimental softy. "Well, enough of this
mushy stuff. Let's get back to business. What have you got for me? A juicy
scandal? A Senator involved in an embezzling scheme? A maniac on the loose?"

Lois incredulously stared at her boss. Those employees who'd planned on
returning to the Daily Planet after its restoration had been writing for
the paper's weekly supplement via e-mail. Most of the news features covered
human-interest angles, sporting events and local business developments.
Perry had also used Associated Press articles in order to cover national
and worldwide events. But, the editor had yet to publish a daily edition
since the explosion... nearly three months ago. "What do you mean what do
we have for you? We just got back! I don't even have a pencil or I might be
tempted to..." Lois began to grumble to herself. "How are we supposed to
have a lead?" In a booming voice, Lois yelled in Diane's direction "Has
Hector found that supply closet yet?"

When Lois turned back around, she had a glint in her eyes. "It's so good to
be back, Chief."

***

By mid-afternoon, the newly re-instated employees began to feel more at
home. Many had brought back personal mementoes; pictures, personal
calendars, knick-knacks; in order to brighten up their sterile workstations.

Employees were required to familiarize themselves with new software,
interoffice e-mail... even a brand new database.

'How am I suppose to catch the bad guy if I can't even perform a simple
background check?' Lois was finding the 'familiarization' process very
frustrating.

Clark overheard his beautiful partner mumbling under her breath. He thought
that this might be the best time to retreat to safer territory. He made his
way to Perry's office and knocked gently on the door. "Got a minute, Chief?"

"Sure, son. Come on in. I'm just trying to figure out this new computer. I
could use a break."

"So could Lois, but I'm not about to see if she wants one."

"You're learning. I'll give you that much! What's up?"

"I was wondering if you had any leads?"

"Well, I don't really have much. Lex Luthor's will is going to read at 2pm
today. It's not exactly hard news, but it's still news. The man was worth
more than his weight in gold. Why don't you and Lois...?"

Clark's face turned ashen and his eyes darkened at the thought of Lois
having to endure one more ounce of pain. "How about I go solo on this one,
Chief? Lois is working with that new database right now. I'll go and get a
couple of quotes. I'll be back before deadline."

"Be back from where?" Lois Lane entered the room and sat down on the sofa.
"What's up?"

Clark knew that she would find out soon enough but it broke his heart to
have to conjure up Lois's past. "It's Luthor. They're reading his will
today."

"Oh!" Lois remained seated for a moment. She was glad that she'd been
sitting down. Her legs would have surely given out. "I forgot all about
that." The insecurity quickly passed, and Lois stiffened her shoulders
before standing. "Well, we better get going. Maybe we'll have time for a
little lunch before the reading."

Clark and Perry merely gazed at the determined woman that stood before
them. Her inner strength was an incredible asset to her overall personality.

"Excuse us for a moment, Chief." Clark gently guided Lois to the nearest
conference room before continuing. "Are you okay with this? I just thought
it might be easier if..."

"If you went alone?"

"Well, yea. I just didn't want that maniac to hurt you anymore."

"He won't, Clark. I have you now. Besides, I'm a big girl. You can't always
protect me. I know you want to but..."

"But talk to you before I do my 'boy scout' imitation."

Lois grabbed his hand before she finally spoke. "Honey, I've never felt
safer than when I'm with you. I secretly love the way you're always looking
out for me, but... I can't... won't have you making decisions for me
personally or professionally. We're a team, remember?" Lois realized that
her words were harsh, but she needed him to understand.

"We are a team. Lois. We always have been. I just worry about you
sometimes. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Clark." Lois kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his hand one
more time for good measure. "Now let's go get something to eat. I'm
starved."

***

Uncharacteristically for Lois and Clark, they chose to sit at the back of
the room to watch the lawyer, Sheldon Bender, continue to distribute the
criminal's wealth.

"... and Mr. Luthor bequeaths $50,000 to Metropolis' Children's Summer
Camp. In addition, the will instructs the Metropolis Summer Music Fair to
receive the sum of $25,000."

Sheldon stopped momentarily in order to read the next document. "Mr. Luthor
long ago established the ACL Corporation which administers a special
annuity for his ex-wife, Mrs. A.C. Luthor. His will bequeaths that the
endowment continue until her decease. It was his intention to provide his
former wife with the monetary means to live the life in the manner in which
she had become accustomed during their seven year marriage."

Bender took a moment to make eye contact with Lois Lane. He smiled smugly,
but continued the oratory.

"As you all know, Mr. Luthor had a special place in his heart for the arts.
He spent his entire life collecting rare works of art and contributing
millions to the restoration of antiquities that would otherwise be ravaged
by time and the elements. It was therefore his wish to..."

***

Clark realized that Lois needed air. She had become despondent during the
proceedings and the reporting team left before the reading was finished.
They walked for a while... each in deep thought. Clark slowly led Lois
towards a nearby bench at Centennial Park.

They had only been seated for a moment before Lois spoke. "Clark, he was
married before! He never told me! That... that... louse... that... snake..."

"Honey, are you okay?"

"Yes! No." Lois turned and looked into Clark's eyes. "He was just so evil
and manipulative. I mean we both know that already." She lowered her head.
"I thought he might have at least respected me, but..."

"But what?" Clark tilted her chin upward and caressed her cheek.

She seemed to gain strength from his touch. "He didn't. The bottom line is
that he never did respect me. I probably just presented some sort of
challenge for him, and he was never one to back down from a challenge.
Could you imagine what my life would have been like if I'd been stupid
enough to marry him?" Her eyes clouded over, yet she managed to continue.
"After the wedding... the only way I could deal with his deception was by
making myself believe that he was changing, bettering himself for me.
During our engagement, he had admitted to some wrongdoings. Of course I
never suspected him to have sunk to the levels that he had slithered to,
but somehow I thought he respected me enough to want to change. I know it's
silly..."

"It's not silly. Maybe subconsciously you knew that he wasn't a good guy.
Maybe you thought that your marriage to him might reform him. I don't
know..."

Lois took a moment to really look at Clark. He'd spoke as if he was really
trying to see the good in Luthor. But, he was unable to. She'd put Clark
through hell during her engagement. Yet, here he was trying to help her
come to terms with a past relationship. "You're a good man, Clark Kent."

Her comment broke him from his self-induced reverie. "Thanks. You're a
wonderful woman, Lois Lane, and I'm so honored that you want to be with me."

"Oh, Clark! If I... If I... ever do walk down the aisle, again... I hope...
I hope that you're at the end of it."

He knew how difficult those words were for Lois to say and smiled. "Lois,
there is no place that I'd rather be. You know that. And I promise, other
than the secret identity thing, what you see is what you get. I'm a better
person because I'm with you. I have absolutely nothing to hide from you...
no ex-wives... no criminal record. Wait a minute! That's not true. Superman
was arrested for supposedly causing that heat wave last year." Clark was
desperately trying to lighten the murky mood and smiled a small smile.

Over the past several months, Lois had figured out Clark's diversionary
tactics and she loved him even more for doing them. "That's right! I seem
to attract that type." Lois hesitantly smiled before responding. "Good
thing I fell in love with Clark instead."

It wasn't until that moment that Clark realized what he'd said. He'd
referred to himself as Superman. He was touched beyond words by Lois's
remark and gently pulled her within his embrace. She preferred him to his
alter ego. They sat on the bench for a long while... each comforted by the
other.

***

Lois and Clark made their way back to the Daily Planet forty-five minutes
before deadline. Lois immediately phoned Sheldon Bender in order to find
out what they had missed due to their early departure.

"Bender, why don't you just cooperate? You know I have ways of finding out
the information on my own..."

"Ms. Lane... Are you threatening me?"

"No! Of course not! I was just thinking that the police unmasked a vast
amount of information regarding Lex Luthor's private 'illegal' business
dealings. Dealings I might add that'd been covered up. Now I'm no legal
expert, but I'll just bet that it would've taken a team of lawyers to hide
all of Lex's ill-gotten gains. I wonder if I know any of those so-called
'lawyers'. Should my partner and I investigate these multiple cover-ups?"

"All right, Ms. Lane. You've made your point." With that said, Bender
proceeded to tell her what she wanted to know.

***

To be continued in Part 5 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:05:56 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (5 of 10)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

***

3 Weeks Later

"Lois! Clark! Get in here right now." Perry bellowed from his office.

They hurried to the editor's office. "Yes, Chief!"

"The Metropolis Museum of Fine Art has been robbed. The police just got
there. Apparently a member of the janitorial staff discovered the break-in.
Now get."

"On it, Chief."

The duo arrived within seconds via Superman Express. Bill Henderson and his
investigative unit were in the process of dusting for prints and gathering
forensic evidence.

"What happened, Bill?" Clark Kent asked as he extended his hand towards the
weary detective.

"Hey, Kent... Lane..." Henderson shook the extended hand before continuing.
"The museum was hit last night between midnight and 2am."

"What was taken?" Lois queried on behalf of the team.

"Picassos, Monets, the original Magna Carta... This has to be one of the
largest single heists in American history. He or she stole billions in
paintings, sculptures, and precious gems. Apparently this particular
exhibit had only been on display for a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks?" The time frame seemed oddly familiar to Lois. "Are
these the Luthor artifacts?"

"Yeah..." the detective was momentarily stunned by her assessment. "Um...
the museum's curator, Larry Neal, said that Luthor donated his collection
to the museum after his 'untimely demise.'"

"What else was stolen?" Clark finally asked as he discretely scanned the
premises for clues.

"Nothing, just Luthor's collection of antiquities."

"Henderson, how could someone have gotten away with something like this?
This is huge!" Lois exclaimed.

"Well, last night around 11:52 p.m., an entire city block lost all
electricity. Evidently the grid went down due to all the rain we've gotten
lately. At least, that's was what we thought."

Clark shared a glance with Lois. He'd left Lois's apartment the previous
evening in order to help out during the power failure. During his outing,
he hadn't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. No screams for
help... not even a silent alarm. "What do you mean that's what you
thought?"=

"Metropolis Gas and Electric called the MPD last night and asked for our
assistance. They'd said that until the problem was corrected, we needed to
help with traffic control."

"Traffic control at midnight?" Lois said in an exasperated tone.

"Yes... traffic control, Lane. This city never sleeps. You oughta know that
by now."

"Yeah... well, why didn't anyone have a clue as to what was going on in the
museum?"

Clark was asking himself that very question. How could he have missed a
robbery of this magnitude? He'd been helping out with crowd control and had
made sure that no looting was going on. 'No cars or personal property were
stolen... just some Picassos and Monets and...'

Lois witnessed the distant expression on her partner's face. He was
obsessing again. She'd have to be the one to break him out of his doldrums
in order for him to focus on the job at hand. She lightly touched his arm
and gave him a reassuring smile.

Henderson saw the mildly flirtatious interaction between the reporting
team, but decided it would be in his best interest not to comment on it.
"We were busy doing our jobs, Lane. No alarms were set off and the museum's
security personnel were found bruised, bound and gagged by a member of the
janitorial staff. This was the work of a professional."

"Do you have any leads?"

"No, but we're working on it."

"Can we speak with Mr. Neal?"

"Not right now... maybe later this evening... more likely tomorrow. We've
got a lot of questions and very few answers. If you'll excuse me, I've got
to get back to it."

Clark and Lois surveyed the scene before them. The main exhibit room had
been completely striped. The floors were bare and slightly scratched. A
light sheen of dust was all that remained. The showroom walls revealed
faint outlines of where the paintings had hung the evening before.

"Clark, this is amazing! How could anyone have gotten away with this?" Lois
found herself dumb-founded by the entire situation. "We need to find out
everything that was taken. We can get the list from Henderson later. Next,
we need to see whether any of the items show up on the black market." Lois
turned to Clark as she planned their next moves, but found that her partner
was not paying attention. "Clark?"

He shook his head and muttered, "Lois, how could I have let this happen? I
was right down the street, and I didn't hear anything!"

"Clark, look... no one got seriously hurt. Don't beat yourself up over
this. Just some artwork was stolen."

He looked at her incredulously.

"Okay... a lot of art work was stolen, but you can't be everywhere all the
time. You're only one man. You do what you can do. No one should ask
anymore from you than that. And if they do, they'll have to get through me
first!"

He smiled. That remark had broken him from his self-induced pity party. "I
wouldn't wish your wrath on anyone, sweetheart. I'm glad you're on my
side."

"I'll bet you are." Lois had pushed all the right buttons. Clark was
finally ready to investigate.

***

"Jimmy?!?!" Lois yelled as she made her way towards her desk.

"Yea?" Jimmy hurried over to Lois's desk. She had a glint in her eyes. When
Lois Lane had a glint in her eyes, Jimmy new something major was about to
happen... and he wanted to be a part of it.

"I need you to get a list of everything that was stolen from the museum.
Henderson should have the compilation completed pretty soon. Next, get me a
copy of Lex's will. Sheldon Bender should be more than happy to help. And
if he won't give us a copy of the actual will... just have him fax over a
list of who got what and how much. Got it? It's weird... but something
about this robbery seems familiar to me. I don't know why."

"Yeah? Well, where's CK?"

"Uh... he uh... left his press pass at the museum. He had to go back and
get it." Lois needed to cross that excuse from their list. She couldn't
tell Jimmy that her wayward partner had actually had the urge put on some
tights and go streaking. Lois giggled.

Jimmy was just about to leave when he heard Lois's soft chuckle. "What?"

Lois's laughter dissipated. 'Oops! I can't get careless.' "Just thought
about something Clark said the other day." Jimmy was a curious young man.
She'd have to stop his line of questioning... post haste. Her 'Mad Dog
Lane' persona momentarily resurfaced. "Get to work Jimmy! I needed that
information yesterday!"

Jimmy knew when to cut his losses. "Yes... Ma'am." He saluted Lois and
scampered away.

***

Clark re-entered the Planet a little after lunchtime and detoured toward
his favorite reporter's desk. "Hey, what's up?"

Lois put down the reading material and smiled. "You're back!"

"I'm back. By the mess on your desk, I'd have to say that the investigation
is going well! I hope?"

"It's going okay... slow... almost agonizing... semi-productive. How did
your hover mission go?" Lois smirked as she gathered up some of the reading
material.

Clark had stayed behind in order to do a quick scan of the museum and its
contents. "Well, I know how the criminal transported the artifacts out of
the building. The scratch marks indicate that the thief used several
dollies in order to move the merchandise. Probably had a couple of people
helping him. There were lots of muddy footprints leading to the back dock."
He stopped long enough to sigh. "There were tire tracks by the loading
dock, but they were hardly distinguishable. I didn't really find anything
unusual. I mean the police know all of this information already. It really
doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with this type of evidence. I x-
rayed the premises for about an hour. This, without a doubt, has to be one
of the most orderly robberies I've ever investigated. Almost too orderly."

Lois could hear the frustration in Clark's voice. "Clark... you're
obsessing, again."

He grimaced at her assumption, but also knew that she was correct. "I
know."=

Lois smiled at his admission. "Well, stop! We've got work to do." She
continued to organize the papers on her desk.

"What's all that?" Clark said pointedly as Lois thrust a folder into his
hands.

"Research... what else. I have to say that Jimmy has really outdone himself
this time. But don't tell him I said that."

This time it was Clark's turn to grin. "Oh... all right! What should we
start with?"

"Since the artifacts originally belonged to Lex, I thought we might
concentrate on his will." Lois handed Clark a photocopy of the
billionaire's last will and testament.

"How did Jimmy get a hold of this?" Clark somehow knew that Jimmy had had
help in inquiring this tidbit of vital information.

"You don't want to know, Clark." Lois smiled smugly.

"You're right... I probably don't." Clark looked at the document closely.
"It says here that the museum received most of Luthor's artwork. Some of
the minor artifacts were auctioned off. The proceeds went to various
charities."

"Yeah, I saw that. He also gave $100,000 to a local antique collector. What
was his name? I know it's here somewhere..."

Clark grinned as Lois rifled through the mounds of paper strewn on her
desktop. "It says here that the man's name is Henry Jarvis. Do we know
anything about him?"

"Here it is!" Lois exclaimed. "His name is Henry... wait you said that
already. Didn't you?" Lois put her hand up before Clark had a chance to
answer. "Don't answer that. Evidently Jarvis was one of Lex's favorite
antique dealers. He apparently procured some really rare artifacts over the
years... one in a million pieces."

"Who's Tim Matthews? He also received a hundred grand."

"He's an archeologist. Lex had been funding Matthew's archeological digs
for years."

"What was he searching for?"

"I don't know. He's still in town. Maybe we should ask him ourselves."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Were you able to get a hold of the museum
director?"

"Yeah, Henderson finally gave us permission to talk to him," her tone
mirroring a spoiled child who'd finally been given her way. "Unfortunately,
Neal can't talk to us until tomorrow after the museum closes."

"Well, let's start with Matthews and Jarvis tomorrow morning."

***

The next morning Lois and Clark made their way to the Lexor Hotel. Tim
Matthews had readily agreed to an interview. But, time was running short.
His itinerary dictated that he return to Egypt by the end of the week.

"I love the United States... don't get me wrong, but I'm eager to get back
to my dig site. I've only remained in the States long enough to take care
of some personal business. After all, there are very few phones in the
middle of the desert..." Matthews found humor in his situation.    "... and
I only have a short window of opportunity before the winds pick back up.
They're very seasonal... it's kind of hard to dig when you can't see your
hand in front of your face." Matthews laughed a hearty chuckle.

Clark smiled. "We appreciate you seeing us on such short notice, but we
really needed to talk to you. We're investigating the robbery that occurred
at the Metropolis Museum of Arts the day before yesterday."

"And you think that somehow I might be involved in the theft?" Matthews
smiled dissipated and was replaced by a glare.

Lois quickly responded. "No! No, we were just curious about your
relationship with Lex Luthor. You were mentioned in his will. We understand
that you two had a long-standing affiliation. What exactly did you excavate
for Luthor?"

Matthews sat back in the over-sized chair before side stepping her
question. "Yes... Lex and I go way back. I'm surprised he never mentioned
me. Weren't you two supposed to get married?"

The tables had been turned and Clark was quick to defend his partner. "Back
to Lois's original question. We noticed that Luthor had been financing your
excavations for years. What exactly were you looking for?"

Matthews' attention was drawn back towards Clark. "I looked for anything
that Lex wanted. We both had a passion for historical antiquities. We even
acquired Alexander the Great's sword. What a treasure! I understand that
the museum got that particular relic." He couldn't help but feel a little
bitter about the situation, but he knew that Lex had wanted it that way.
"That was one of Lex's most prize possessions. He proudly displayed it in
his penthouse office. Isn't that right, Ms. Lane?"

Lois was tired of Tim Matthews' games. He was having too much fun at her
expense. "Yes, Clark and I have both seen the sword." It was time for her
to get the interview back on track... no matter how much the man she was
interviewing was getting on her nerves. "What exactly are you excavating
now, Mr. Matthews?" Lois was a breath shy from losing control, but she
refused to give the archeologist the satisfaction.

"Well, if you most know, I'm looking for some ancient relics thought to
have belonged to King Thutmose III. The Egyptian Empire reached its height
during the king's reign and I, for one, intend to unravel the secrets
behind his success." Matthews smugly smiled at Lois before abruptly ending
the interview.

***

"Well, that was a waste of time!" Lois fumed as they exited the building.
"What an arrogant son of a..."

Clark cut her off before she could continue her tirade. He gently grabbed
Lois's hand and brought it to his lips. "I know. I didn't appreciate the
way her was treating you either." He placed a gentle kiss on the palm of
her hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Luthor may be dead, but he
still has a lot of supporters."

Lois knew that Clark was right. Even though the man had plummeted to his
death... his tyrannical legacy remained. "Clark, you have nothing to be
sorry about. I can handle weasels like Tim Matthews. He pledged his support
to Luthor for one reason... and one reason only... greed. That's what they
had in common." She paused briefly before continuing. "You know... I hope
that we find out that he had something to do with that robbery. That would
make my day."

Clark smiled at the determined woman that stood before him. She was brave,
tenacious... a force to be reckoned with. "Well, let's call Jimmy and see
what else he can dig up on our 'friend.' Mr. Matthews."

***

Jimmy Olsen derailed Lois and Clark's short trip back to the Planet. Henry
Jarvis had agreed to a meeting and was waiting for the reporting team at
his Hillside Place vintage antique store.

The store was located in an older, yet well maintained part of the city. A
heavy must had settled in the room due to the precious contents that it
contained... rich tapestries from the 18th century, vases from the Ming
Dynasty, sculptures created by the hands of craftsman...

The duo hesitantly entered the establishment. The high-ticket items were
proudly displayed throughout the gallery. "Boy, I'd hate to break anything
in this store. Jarvis would have to garnishee my wages for the rest of my
life."

Clark laughed at Lois's attempt at humor. "Try not to touch anything. I'd
hate to have Perry bail us out of jail for breaking and fleeing..."

The couple laughed as a small, plain looking man approached. "May I help
you?"

"Yes!" Lois curtailed her laughter in order to respond. "My name is Lois
Lane and this is my partner Clark Kent. We're reporters for..."

"... The Daily Planet. Yes, well, why don't we make ourselves comfortable."
Jarvis motioned towards the front corner of the store. There sat four,
uncomfortable looking chairs. Before allowing the trio to sit, the man
broke out into a dissertation regarding the chairs' origins.   ".... King
Louis XVI exhibited these extraordinary chairs in his foyer. Kings, queens,
dignitaries from nations all over the world may have at one time sat in
these luxurious examples of French craftsmanship."

He paused to take a breath, and Clark gently interrupted. "They're
really... nice." He didn't want to upset the man by saying that Louis'
chairs reminded him of upholstered rocks. "How long have you been
collecting?"

Jarvis smiled at Clark before motioning for the group to sit down. "For as
long as I can remember. It's a passion of mine... to possess riches beyond
my wildest imagination... too have the opportunity to touch a part of
history..."

'To boldly go where no man has gone before...' Lois thought to herself.
"Mr. Jarvis, we're investigating the robbery that occurred at the
Metropolis Museum of Fine Arts the day before yesterday. We were wondering
if you could tell us about some of the artifacts that were stolen."

"Well, I only know of some of the relics that were stolen. Lex Luthor
donated the more priceless artifacts to the museum. The lesser items his
estate sold. I believe the money that was collected from these auctions
went to several worthwhile charities."

Clark chimed in instantaneously. "Yes, we're aware of those provisions in
Mr. Luthor's will. Did you sell him any of the artifacts that were stolen
from the museum?"

"I suppose so. I've never actually seen a list."

Lois opened her attach=E9 case and pulled the itemized inventory out of an
unlabeled folder. "Here you go..."

The man took the list and squinted while attempting to read the document.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to get my glasses." He sauntered
toward the back of the building and disappeared behind a privacy curtain.

"What an odd little man! He certainly doesn't seem like a criminal. Could
he have been involved with the heist?" Lois voiced her reservations in a
soft tone, not expecting an answer to her question.

The minutes ticked by while Lois and Clark patiently waited for the man to
return. "Maybe he's made a run for it?" Lois gleamed as she looked at her
handsome partner. Clark discontinued 'casing' the joint in order to place a
small kiss on her cheek.

A few moments later, Henry Jarvis returned expressing his apologies. He was
wiping the paper with a dry cloth. "I seemed to have misplaced my
glasses... and I accidentally split my coffee on your fax while looking for
them. I'm terribly sorry." He smiled timidly at his guests. "But the good
news is I found my spare glasses." Jarvis took a second to put on the
bifocals. "Let me take a look at this list."

All in all, Jarvis had procured and sold Luthor approximately one-half of
the antiquities on the list.

***

To be continued in Part 6 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:07:45 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:      A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Well, I've decided to post the beginning of my next fic.  It's not
finished=20
yet, but I since I'm such a slacker, I need a little motivation in order
to=20
finish it.  So I'm hoping the knowledge that other people are waiting for
th=
e=20
next part will help me get moving on it! =20

About the story... I borrowed the title from a play by Sam Sheppard.  I=20
cannot tell you why I chose it without revealing some major plot points,
but=
=20
for those of you who haven't read the play, I'll explain why I used this=20
title later on.

I hope you enjoy my little story.  I promise (gulp) that I'll have the
next=20
portion posted soon.   Feedback, good and bad, public and private, is
always=
=20
welcome. =20

Rose
*****
A Lie of the Mind

Clark woke up with a start.  The sheets were glued to his body with sweat.
=20
His heart was hammering against his ribcage, he was gasping for breath. =20

*Lois.* =20

She was lying next to him, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of
what=20
had been going on beside her.  Clark listened carefully, checked her
pulse,=20
made sure she was breathing normally.  He x-rayed her.  She was healthy.
Sh=
e=20
was here.  She was alive.  Clark heaved a sigh of relief.

Clark crawled careful out of bed.  He couldn=E2=80=99t sleep with her
anymor=
e.  It=20
was just too dangerous.  He couldn=E2=80=99t take the risk of hurting her.
=20

He=E2=80=99d been having the same dream every night.  He and Lois
fighting.=20=
 Her=20
screaming that she didn=E2=80=99t love him.  And then...=20

It terrified him to even think of it.  How could he ever hurt Lois?  He=20
didn=E2=80=99t have a violent bone in his body, or so he thought,
*especiall=
y* when=20
it came to Lois.  He loved her more than anything in the world. =20

So why, then, was he having these dreams?

Clark grabbed his pillow and quietly left the bedroom.  He decided that
the=20
couch might be a more suitable place for him to be sleeping right now.  =20

Clark carefully fluffed his pillow and shifted around on the couch until
he=20
found a fairly decent position to sleep in.  He then drifted into a
fitful=20
sleep.

*****

She was having a wonderful dream.  She was wrapped in Clark=E2=80=99s
arms.=20=
 He was=20
whispering in her ear as they made love endlessly.  She loved his scent,
and=
=20
how she could smell him on the sheets after he had gotten up.  She loved
his=
=20
hands, how they caressed her body with the perfect combination of
gentleness=
=20
and aggressiveness, and in all the places that made her want to scream
with=20
pleasure.  She reached out to him.

But his place in bed was vacant.  Where was he?

Lois reluctantly emerged from her dream.  Clark=E2=80=99s side of the bed
wa=
s no=20
longer warm.  He obviously hadn=E2=80=99t been there in a while.  More
than=20=
likely,=20
he=E2=80=99d been called away as Superman to an emergency.  She hoped he
was=
 alright.=20
 He was physically invulnerable, of course, but Lois knew that the strain
of=
=20
witnessing so many bad things took its toll on Clark=E2=80=99s spirit.
For=20=
a man of=20
such strength, he had the most vulnerable heart of all.  She hated to see
hi=
m=20
feeling down.=20

Lois dragged herself out from under the blankets, and padded down the
stairs=
=20
toward the kitchen to make her morning coffee.  She stopped short when
she=20
reached the foot of the stairs.  In the living room, on the couch, was
her=20
sleeping husband, obviously distressed and in the throws of a nightmare. =20

=E2=80=9CLois...=E2=80=9D he was crying out.  His cry was so helpless,
like=20=
nothing Lois had=20
ever heard from him before.  She rushed to his side, and took his hand in=20
hers. =20

=E2=80=9CClark, honey, I=E2=80=99m here,=E2=80=9D  She cooed, brushing his
h=
air out of his face with=20
her fingertips.  =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m here, sweetheart.  Wake up.=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CLois... Lois, I=E2=80=99m sorry,=E2=80=9D Clark moaned in his
sleep=
. =20

Lois worried so very much about Clark.  He did so much, helped so many=20
people, and very rarely took time for himself.  She knew he was very=20
protective of her, which she had learned to live with, and sometimes even=20
enjoy.  It wasn=E2=80=99t uncommon for Clark to start fretting over her
safe=
ty when=20
Superman=E2=80=99s job was at it=E2=80=99s most stressful. =20

=E2=80=9CClark, wake up.=E2=80=9D  Lois rubbed his arm, trying to shake
him=20=
out of his=20
dream.  She finally succeeded.

=E2=80=9CWh- What?  Lois!=E2=80=9D Clark let out a sigh of relief.  He
squee=
zed her arms=20
gently, as if making sure she was real, and then pulled her into his
embrace=
.=20
=20

=E2=80=9CClark?  Are you okay?=E2=80=9D  Lois voice was muffled against
Clar=
k=E2=80=99s shoulder.

Clark was silent for a moment, just breathing in her sweet scent, and=20
reassuring himself that Lois was actually okay.  =E2=80=9CYes, Lois.  I=E2=
=80=99m fine.  Are=20
you okay?=E2=80=9D

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m fine.  Clark... you=E2=80=99re shaking.=E2=80=9D

Clark winced.  He didn=E2=80=99t want to worry Lois.  He hated when she
was=20=
upset,=20
and he didn=E2=80=99t want to be the source of her misery.  But he hated
lyi=
ng to=20
her. =20

=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m just a little tired still.  I haven=E2=80=99t been
slee=
ping much lately,=E2=80=9D =20
Clark said, pulling away from Lois and avoiding looking her in the eye at
al=
l=20
costs. =20

It wasn=E2=80=99t a total lie.  He really *hadn=E2=80=99t* been sleeping
wel=
l lately.

=E2=80=9CAre you sure that=E2=80=99s all it is?=E2=80=9D  Clark was out of
l=
uck.  Lois was worried. =20

=E2=80=9CYes, Lois, I=E2=80=99m sure,=E2=80=9D Clark confirmed.=20

Lois squeezed Clark=E2=80=99s hand.  She knew he wasn=E2=80=99t being
honest=
 with her, but=20
she trusted him.  If this was something that Clark felt he needed to deal=20
with by himself, then she had to respect that.  She just hoped
he=E2=80=99d=20=
come to=20
her if whatever was bothering him started to get too hard for him to
handle=20
alone. =20

=E2=80=9COkay,=E2=80=9D Lois said, trying to let the incident go.  =E2=80=
=9CCome on.  I=E2=80=99m going to=20
start a pot of coffee, then I=E2=80=99m going to hop in the shower.  Wanna
j=
oin me?=E2=80=9D

Clark grinned.  =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99d love to.=E2=80=9D

*****

(To be continued in Part 2)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:07:51 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (6 of 10)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

***

"What's our game plan, partner?"

Lois placed her attach=E9 next to her desk. "Well, I guess we should
compile=

the information we learned today with the research Jimmy did." She stopped
the compilation as a thought struck her. "Hey, after the interview tonight,
do you want to get some dinner and go through all this stuff? It might be
easier if we had a place to spread out...

Clark chuckled at her innuendo. "It has been a while since we've been able
to have a quiet night at home. My place or yours?"

"Well, that depends on what you want for dinner tonight... the Great Wall
of China or your wonderful stir fry."

'No one can ever excuse Lois Lane of being subtle.' Clark thought to
himself. "How about I stir fry? I haven't had a chance to cook very much
lately."

***

Lois and Clark stood in the Metropolis Museum of Fine Arts main gallery.
Only empty display cases and crime scene tape remained. The MPD supplied a
few of-duty officers in order to guard the remaining artifacts. There was
always a fear that the perpetrator might strike again and everyone
concerned wanted to prepare for that possibility.

The museum's curator, Larry Neal approached the reporting team. "Isn't it a
shame? The museum's loss is enormous. Those artifacts represented every
reason why we got into this profession in the first place." he sighed. "You
must be Lois Lane and Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. I'm Larry Neal."

They exchanged pleasantries... each one individually baffled by the
enormity of the robbery. "Mr. Neal..."

"Please call me Larry, Ms. Lane."

"Uh... okay... Larry... we have acquired a list of the stolen merchandise.
Has the museum's insurance company been able to estimate the actual net
loss?"

"Well, yes and no, Ms. Lane. You see many of the artifacts were priceless.
Their net worth couldn't be estimated. Our insurance policy compensated us
for those items as well as those items that had been insured for a
particular amount of money. As of right now, the museum has lost
approximately forty-nine billion dollars. Unfortunately, all the money in
the world will not be able to bring back the stolen relics."

The two reporters remained silent for an extended period of time. The
magnitude of the museum's loss made coherent thought relatively impossible.
Clark was the first to recover. "If the artifacts are irreplaceable, what
will the money be used for?"

Larry Neal contemplated his answer before replying. "We would be able to
use the funds for museum restoration. We could put aside a vast portion of
the funds in order to finance excavations of all types. The museum would be
able to acquire additional rare artifacts... that is, if the price is
right. Like I said, we won't be able to replace the items that were stolen,
but we might be able attain new ones."

"Mr. Neal... er...Larry... what can you tell us about the night of the
robbery?"

"I went home around 7pm. I stayed late to finish up some paper work. The
staff was at a bare minimum. The museum employs six nighttime security
guards. They make their rounds at regular intervals. Apparently, a city
power grid went down in the middle of the night. We lost power. A member of
our morning janitorial staff found the guards bound, gagged and stuffed in
the broom closet. Soon after, we discovered that we'd been burgled."

"What about your security system?" Clark quickly interjected.

"When the city grid went down so did the security system."

"Doesn't the museum have a backup generator?"

"Yes, we do. Detective Henderson said that it appeared to have been
tampered with..."

"Did your security cameras catch anything that might be considered
suspicious? Surely, you had one in the generator room?"

"Of course we did, Mr. Kent." Neal retorted. "We run a first class
operation here. We do not take security issues lightly and if you are
implying that we do then this interview can be concluded right now."

Clark knew that he had to pacify the director. "I wasn't meaning to imply
anything, Mr. Neal. I was just wondering how someone might have been able
to bypass security... that's all."

The museum's curator seemed to accept Clark's explanation at face value. He
decided to cooperate. "Mr. Kent, I'm sorry for my outburst. I have been
under an enormous amount of pressure lately. I only want to do what's best
for the museum. That's why I agreed to an interview with the Daily Planet
in the first place." His anger slowly dissipated. "The camera in the
generator room was disabled as well. We too are completely stunned by the
events that have occurred during the last several days." Neal grew tired of
answering the same questions over and over again.

Lois sensed that Larry Neal would only be useful for another few minutes.
His wearied appearance made that evident. "Is there any one you can think
of that might have been able to pull off this feat... a disgruntled co-
worker maybe... someone who wanted the collection all for himself. Any
one?"=

Neal's eyebrows furrowed. "I can't think of any one person, Ms. Lane. Many
people... high profile organizations and businesses... all expressed
interest in our Luthor exhibit. The number is, in fact, too high to narrow
down to possible suspects. I just don't know..."

***

"Well, all in all I think the interviews went pretty well." Clark said with
a certain amount of satisfaction. "At least we have enough information to
compare with the research Jimmy dug up for us."

"Yeah, but something about this whole robbery is bugging me. I can't seem
to put my finger on it though."

"We'll figure it out, honey. We're quickly becoming the hottest
investigative team in town... hey, what a great slogan!

Lois rolled her eyes. "It would take me about a day and a half to get tired
of it. If Perry ever does that to us... I'll..."

"You'll do what?" Clark was amused by this particular threat. At least this
time he wasn't on the receiving end.

Lois thought for a moment and her frown turned into a timid smile. "I... I
don't know. Maybe I'm losing my edge. Or maybe I'm just so hungry I can't
think straight." Lois giggled as a wayward oven mitten was thrown in her
direction.

The aroma of saut=E9ed onions filled the apartment. Lois sat at the kitchen
table enjoying their light-hearted conversation. "That sure does smell
good. I wish my kitchen smelled like this when I cooked."

"I could always teach you how to cook, Lois." Clark smiled as he placed
generous portions of raw chicken strips and sliced vegetables into the wok.

"Nah! I like it better this way... you cooking... me watching. It could be
like this forever."

"Forever? I like the sound of that..." Clark trailed off waiting for Lois's
reaction to his admission. For the past several weeks, Lois had hinted that
she might be ready for more out of their relationship. It had been three
months since her disastrous almost-marriage to Luthor. Clark knew how
difficult it was for Lois to trust people, but he was willing to wait for
her. She was his future.

Lois blushed at his statement, but knew in her heart-of-hearts that that
was what she wanted as well. 'So much for taking things slowly.' She slowly
stood up and made her way over to Clark. She wrapped her arms around him
and gave him a gentle squeeze. He clasped at her hands. The warmth
emanating from his body gave her a feeling of contentment that she had
never known before. "I love you so much, Clark. I can't imagine my life
without you in it."

"I love you, too. I wouldn't want my life if you weren't in it. You give me
stability both as Clark and as Superman. I've never thought I'd be able to
find someone that understands me like you do."

She hugged Clark one more time before releasing her hold on him. She
laughed. "I never thought I'd find someone willing to deal with my
temperament. If you haven't noticed... on occasion... I can get rather hot-
headed and stubborn."

Clark's lip curved into a sassy smile. "Really?"

The two laughed as they continued to prepare for dinner. Before being
seated, Clark drew Lois into his arms. "I love everything about you! The
good and the not-so-good because those traits are what make Lois Lane who
she is."

Clark lowered his head and gave her a kiss with as much passion as he could
muster. Moments later as the kiss ended they both came up for air. "If we
don't stop soon, I don't think that I'm going to be in the mood to eat
dinner... or do any research tonight." Clark's husky whisper nearly sent
them both over the edge.

Lois saw the passion in her partner's eyes. It both thrilled and scared
her... She gently kissed Clark's cheek and whispered in his ear, "I feel
the same way, honey."

He gently picked Lois up and cradled her in his lap. For a moment, they
were lost in each other's eyes. Clark broke the eye contact long enough to
pick up a nearby fork. He scooped up a small helping of vegetables and
gently placed the forkful into Lois's mouth.

Throughout dinner, the couple fed each other while exchanging brief kisses.
It was one of the most sensual and loving experiences that the two had
encountered in their lifetime and certainly since they had begun dating
several months earlier.

After dinner, Lois stood and took hold of Clark's hand. She guided him to
his bedroom where they made love for the very first time.

***

Lois awoke the next morning with a smile plastered on her face...
remembering the events of the previous evening.  They slept facing each
other, legs still intertwined from their last bout of lovemaking. She was
content studying Clark's finely chiseled facial features. 'He's so
beautiful... inside and out.'

In her entire life, Lois had always put her work and accomplishments above
all inter-personal relationships. Yet the passion she felt for her partner
transcended anything she'd ever known. It was almost as if they were 'soul
mates.'

Clark awoke from a wonderful dream only to realize that all his dreams were
slowly but surely coming true. He stared at the brown-eyed beauty that lay
beside him. She looked as happy as he felt. "Hi."

"Hi."

They slowly leaned towards each other as Clark gently cupped Lois's cheek
with his hand. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I can't believe it..."

"Can't believe what?"

Clark heard the gentleness in her voice, and it gave him the courage to
continue. "I can't believe that we're together... emotionally as well as
physically. It's the most perfect thing I've ever known."

Lois's eyes misted as she leaned in for another kiss. "I can't believe it
either, Clark."

***

The morning passed quickly for the reporting team. They combined Jimmy's
research material with the notes that they had taken during the interviews.
It was a rather daunting task, but a necessary one.

Lois looked up at her handsome partner. Ever since last night, neither one
had been able to wipe the silly grins off their faces. They were both
having a difficult time concentrating, but work was still work. It had to
be done. Lois tried to direct her attention back to the investigation. "I
know that we have a lot of background material on Neal, Jarvis, and the
others but maybe we're going in the wrong direction."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, something about this robbery seems familiar to me. Maybe we should
concentrate on the robbery itself." Lois paced around the room like a lion
trapped in a cage. 'A power grid... billions stolen... why does that seem
so familiar?' As recognition struck, Lois stopped dead in her tracks. "Do
you remember that movie 'Die Hard'?"

"Yeah, I saw it in college. Good flick. Wait a minute! When the FBI shut
down the city block's power grid, the terrorists were able to access the
electronically sealed vault locks."

"Did you know that the writers of that movie based the terrorist group on
an infamous criminal based here in Metropolis? He never pulled off a heist
of that magnitude... but... could it be this simple? Jimmy?!?!"

Clark grinned in Lois's direction, once again bowled over by her
brilliance.=

"What?" Lois couldn't help but grin in return.

"You my... little Tornado... are the most tenacious women I've ever met.
How on earth did you connect the museum robbery with a criminal from over
ten years ago?"

"I haven't connected anything, yet!" Lois bent down to place a kiss on his
lips.

"You rang? Uh... I can come back later... if you want?" Jimmy blushed as he
watched the reporting duo.

Lois and Clark smiled and gave each other one final, sweet kiss before
parting. "Jimmy... I need you to dig up anything you can on a string of
burglaries that happened about ten to fifteen years ago. The thief used
power outages to make his move."

Clark chimed in, "Next, I think it would be a good idea to check out
everybody associated with the Metropolis Museum of Fine Arts... from the
janitorial staff to the board of directors as well as a list of those who
have made financial donations."

Jimmy scampered off to fulfill his duties while Lois and Clark remained in
the conference room.

Lois took a seat next to Clark. "So, you think he needed inside help?"

"Well, yeah. Most security systems would necessitate that any unlocked
doors or entryways automatically lock in case of a power outage. Whoever
orchestrated this crime not only knew how the security system worked, but
would have needed someone inside to make sure that the door remained
unlocked. The thief had to have known where all cameras were located,
silent alarms; laser trip wires... the whole shebang. He'd have to know
that place inside and out."

"It looks like we still have a long road ahead of us. Maybe we should get
together tonight and try and figure this mess out."

Clark's eyebrows wiggled at her latest suggestion. "Sounds good to me!"

Lois blushed slightly at her faux pas but continued. "Well, I think it
would probably be in our best interest to actually work tonight. We're
already a day behind, now."

At Clark's hurt expression, Lois realized that he had taken her comment way
too seriously. "Oh, Clark! I didn't mean for it to sound like I didn't
enjoy last night. I did... very much. But, I'd still like to talk to you
about it later."

Clark understood her reservations. Where was their relationship going? He
knew where he wanted it to end up, but she probably wasn't ready for the
next 'big' step. 'I did promise her that we'd take things slowly.'

At Clark's silence, Lois panicked. 'Is he mad at me now? I told him that we
needed to take things slowly... and what do I do? I seduce him. He must
think I'm a flake... always changing my mind all the time.'

Clark was the first to break the silence that had settled over the
conference room. He needed to reassure Lois that no matter what he'd always
be there for her. "You're right, honey. First work, then we talk. Sound
good?"

Lois smiled timidly at Clark. "Sounds wonderful, partner."

***

To be continued in Part 7
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:09:51 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (7 of 10)

***

Papers were neatly strewn about covering the coffee table, the kitchen
table and part of Clark's couch. Yet, the two people sitting in the midst
of the mess knew exactly how everything had been categorized.

Lois leaned back against the sofa and stretched her arms above her head.
Clark noticed her fatigue and suggested that they might take a break for a
while. "How about something to drink?"

Lois agreed. Clark prepared some hot tea and brought the steaming beverages
into the living room. "Here you go."

Lois gratefully took the warm beverage and slowly blew on the surface to
aid in the cooling down process. She took a small sip and sat the mug down.
"Just what I needed."

Clark took his place at her side and used a little cooling breath on his
tea. He took a small sip before uttering, "Perfect."

Lois giggled, once again amazed at how Clark used his powers so freely in
her presence. "Nice trick."

Clark beamed at his ladylove and leaned in for a small kiss. "Thanks." As
he leaned in, he brushed the coffee table with his leg and proceeded to
spill a small portion of Lois's tea. "Oops! Better clean that up." He
picked up the soggy pile and realized that the facsimile of Luthor's last
will and testament was on top. "What is it with this document?" He held the
pieces of paper towards the best available light, in this case the lamp,
and proceeded to towel dry the evidence. Fortunately, the tea only smudged
the right hand corner of the will. However, Jarvis' coffee stain warranted
his attention.

Lois witnessed the changing expressions on her partner's face. "What is it?"

Clark continued to utilize his enhanced vision before answering. "I can't
believe I didn't notice this before. Come here and look." Lois made her way
over to the lamp. "See how the stain covers the last couple of items on
this page."

"Yeah, so?"

"One on the missing artifacts is a Monet's Water Lilies. It was one of his
last paintings, Lois. He was almost blind by the time he finished it. It's
worth millions and I saw it hanging in Jarvis' gallery."

"What? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It was hanging behind his privacy screen. I saw it as I scanned
for clues. It was the original artwork... subtle brush strokes, aged
canvas, slightly muted colors... it was breathtaking. But, so were all of
the other relics in his store. I can't believe I didn't put two and two
together. But, I guess we at least have some evidence, now. Not much. But
it's a start."

"Don't be hard on yourself, Clark. I've had my mind on other 'matters' as
well. I never thought I'd say this but work is no longer the most important
thing in my life."

"It isn't?"

"Well, no. I mean... I still want that Pulitzer and all the perks that go
with it." Lois sheepishly grinned. "But, I want so much more now."

They were just about to kiss when a faraway expression passed over Clark's
face. "Uh... Lois... I've got to go. There's a fire in Suicide Slum."

"Go. I'll stay here and keep at it."

"I love you, Lois." Clark said as he spun into the familiar red and blue
suit.

"Me too!"

***

'Could Jarvis be the mastermind behind the burglary?' Lois only had to
ponder that idea for mere seconds. Most likely he was involved. However,
he'd never impressed Lois as a leader... more of a follower. He was just a
small piece of a much larger network.

So who was the leader?

Lois decided to concentrate on the pile designated to Jarvis... personal
information, employment and financial records. Jimmy had done nice job
indeed.

She perused the information for the third time and was beginning to tire.
She wanted to wait for Clark to return. They had a lot to talk about. Her
mind was a whirlwind of activity, and her focus was beginning to wane.

Placing the papers down, she headed towards the kitchen for something to
eat. She found some salami and decided to make herself a sandwich.

Sandwich in hand and a glass of milk, Lois walked over to the kitchen table
and sat down... her mind drifting to thoughts of Clark.

'Maybe he wants to get married!'

Lois was both terrified and thrilled at the prospect of a more meaningful
relationship with Clark. For her, making love to him was more than just an
act of desire. Waking up in his arms had given her a feeling of contentment
that she'd never known before. Yet, she was terrified at the prospect of
commitment. Not because of the man, but because of the lack of commitment
shared between her parents.

Growing up in the Lane household had been an awful experience. Her father
had never been home and when he was there all he ever seemed to do was
criticize. It had hurt her a great deal to witness her mother falling into
a drunken stupor. She had promised herself that she would never again
endure the pain of a failed relationship. Lex Luthor had been the answer.

He was charming, cunning and enormously wealthy. Yet, she had felt no love
for him. He would never have been able to hurt her heart... her soul. Even
after discovering that Luthor was not the man he appeared to be, Lois had
not been... would not be... devastated. She'd been hurt by all of the lies.
Who wouldn't have been? But, it wasn't as if he had broken her heart.

Clark could one day break her heart.

But would he? Lois knew that he loved her... but was it a lifetime kind of
love. She continued to contemplate her situation as she took her dirty
dishes to the sink.

'What if he wants to buy a house with a white picket fence? Real estate...
there's a land mine... you spend the next quarter of your life paying off a
hefty mortgage. Buying a house is huge... it's colossal!' Lois stopped dead
in her tracks. 'Real estate?'

Lois made her way back into the living room and picked up Neal's file. She
quickly flipped through his financial records.

A very soiled Superman accompanied a whooshing sound and a thump. Lois
continued to scan the documents. Without looking up, she said, "How was the
fire?"

Clark smiled. "It was fine. I was able to cool it off before it got too
bad. Luckily the area was abandoned. Nobody got hurt." Clark would have
gone into more detail, but his audience was no longer paying any attention
to him. 'So much for Lois's fascination with the guy in tights.'

"I take it you found something?"

"Come look at this!" Lois waved the two documents in the air. "Neal bought
some property in the Cayman Islands for $750,000."

"Yeah, so?"

"Does Larry Neal strike you as someone that would be able to afford such an
extravagant purchase?"

"I don't know how much he brings down a year, but..."

"$75,000..."

"Then... No, I'd say he wouldn't have been able to afford an extravagant
island getaway. Do you think the real estate agency is a dummy corporation?"

"Yep! I bet he filtered the money through and someone was paid a nice chunk
of change for his thieving abilities." Lois's smug look turned into pure
glee. Cell phone in hand, she proceeded to call Jimmy at home. "Hey, it's
me. First thing tomorrow I need you to track down a company in the Cayman
Islands. Yes, the Cayman Islands. Oceanfront Properties. It's a real estate
company. What? Oh, I'm sorry. Go back to... err... what you were doing. See
you tomorrow. We'll be in early!"

As Lois hung up, Clark made his way over to the intrepid reporter. Before
she was able to speak, Clark pulled Lois into his embrace and gave her a
loving kiss. "You're so cute when you boss other people around."

Lois smiled and slowly pulled away in order to look at the soiled suit.
"You're a mess!"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm kinda grimy. Aren't I?" Their earlier embrace suddenly
embarrassed Clark. "I hope I didn't get you too dirty."

Lois made her way over to her dirty boyfriend and gently kissed his cheek.
"Don't apologize! You're the only man I'd ever want to get close to when
he's all stinky." She wrinkled up her nose and began to giggle.

"Why don't I go take a quick shower? Be back in a flash!"

***

Clark returned within a few moments and found Lois hard at work. "According
to Jimmy's research, Tim 'Blackout' Claver was, apparently, a highly touted
electrical engineer who had a problem with authoritative figures. He was
fired from numerous jobs over a short period of time... and decided to go
into 'business' for himself. He pulled off several difficult burglaries. He
was eventually caught by the Feds." She skimmed through the documents.  "It
says here that he was released from prison three months ago. Some high
power attorney was able to get Claver's sentenced reduced. Some of the
evidence appears to have been tampered with."

"Why now, though? He's been in prison for over ten years!" Clark said as he
made his way towards the couch. "Someone must have really wanted him out of
jail."

"Yeah... that's what I was just thinking."

"So... what've we got so far? An antique collector in possession of a rare,
stolen painting; a recently liberated professional burglar; and a $750,000
land purchase in the Cayman Islands."

"We need to find Claver!"

"How about the archeologist... uh...Tim Matthews? Have you uncovered any of
his secrets?"

Lois ignored the teasing tone in his voice and her expression immediately
soured. "I've got nothing on him so far. Unfortunately, his only offenses
seem to be arrogance and cruelty. Ooh!!! I wanted him to be involved just
so I could see his expression when we nailed him for the crime of the
century!" Lois attempted to stifle a yawn while maintaining the hard bitten
news woman exterior.

Clark smiled at the tenacious woman. He gently took the papers out of
Lois's hands and leaned over to give her a kiss. "I think we should stop
working on this... for tonight..."

Lois would normally scoff at stopping so early in the evening. It was only
10pm. But, she couldn't disagree with Clark either. She was getting tired.
"Well, I suppose. I guess I better get this mess cleaned up and head home."

Clark's smiled deflated a bit. "You could stay here... if you want to?"
Clark said softly.

He realized that they hadn't had their 'serious' talk yet, but the idea of
spending time without Lois saddened him. His solitary moments now seemed
intensified since they had started dating. Before Clark had met Lois Lane,
he had resigned himself to a life cloaked in secrecy. But now, he had had
the opportunity to discover the joy of companionship... of shared secrets.

Lois looked into his dark brown eyes. She saw love and desire. He didn't
want her to leave... but they hadn't had a chance to talk about their
relationship. "Oh Clark... I'm not sure if that would be a good idea."

"I know we haven't had a chance to talk... yet. If it makes you feel any
better, I'll take the couch and you can have the bed. Okay?"

"Clark! I'm not going to make you sleep on your couch. It's not like I live
that far away. I can just go home."

"But, I don't... I don't..."

Lois grabbed his hand and placed a gentle kiss on his palm. "You don't...
what?"

"I don't want you to leave." There... he had said it. "I like having you
here. I know that this may sound crazy, but I miss you when you're not
around."

Touched by Clark's words, Lois took another opportunity to kiss him. Within
minutes the kiss turned more passionate. Lois broke away first so that she
could replenish her oxygen supply. "Wow! That was what I was afraid of..."

"You were afraid of kissing me?"

"Of course not, Clark. It's just that... it's just that we are soooo
unbelievably compatible. I'm so attracted to you! It's just so hard not to
want to make love to you every time we're alone."

Clark smiled. "And that would be a problem because...?!?!" He knew that
something had been bothering Lois's and he was hoping that she might be
ready to confide in him.

Lois giggled. "Well, it's not necessarily a problem. In fact, last night
was one of the most amazing nights I've ever spent with... anyone." Lois
looked down as Clark tentatively grabbed both of her hands. "I'm just
scared, Clark."

This was what he'd been afraid of. He'd pushed Lois into something that she
wasn't ready for. He'd promised to take things slowly. "I'm sorry, Lois.
I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise about taking things nice and slow.
It's just that I have wanted you in my life for so long... I guess I've
rushed things a little bit. I'm just so excited that we're finally
together."

Lois finally looked up. 'What is he talking about?' For reporters, they
sure were having a difficult time communicating. "Honey, you have done
nothing to apologize for. It's all my fault. I keep sending you mixed
signals. One minute I'm saying let's take things one day at a time and the
next minute I'm attacking you."

"I don't mind... really." Clark chuckled. "Why don't we sit down and talk
for a little while? If you're not too tired?"

Lois saw the hopeful expression in Clark's gaze. Her heart leapt at the
sight. Still clasping his hand, Lois made her way back over to the couch.
Clark withdrew his hand and placed his arm around Lois's shoulder. She
snuggled into his warm embrace before speaking. "Clark, I can't get over
how good it is to be with you... both at work and at play."

Clark could feel her smile against his shoulder. "Me too. But I think we
better try to figure out where we go from here. Believe me, I haven't been
able to stop thinking about last night. But it wasn't just about sex, Lois.
I felt connected to you in a way I've never known before. I felt...
complete."

Lois understood that Clark was speaking from his heart and it was only fair
to him to try to do the same. "Last night was absolutely wonderful. It's
just that with every step we take... we're that much closer to... closer
to... marriage."

To say that Clark was stunned would be considered an understatement. He'd
known from day one that he was destined to be with Lois Lane... to love
Lois Lane... to grow old with Lois Lane.

Her engagement to Luthor had obviously derailed his plans. Yet, he'd never
given up hope that one day she'd be his... and he'd be hers. And even
though he thought about marriage, he'd never seriously discussed the topic
with Lois. He had no intention of scaring her off.

Marriage? He'd no frame of reference for his current situation. He'd marry
her right now if she'd let him. But somehow he instinctively knew that she
wasn't ready for the ultimate commitment between a man and a woman.

For a split second, Lois wondered if she was reading too much into their
one night of passion but her concerns were quelled by Clark's response.
"I'd love to marry you Lois, but I have no intention of rushing you into
anything you may or may not want."

Reassured by Clark's words, Lois explained her hidden fears. "I'll be
honest with you Clark. I've been thinking about it for a while now. It's
just that I've never had a successful relationship, and I'm afraid that I
may screw this one up too." Lois's babble gene kicked in and in a rush of
air, she continued. "And my parents... their marriage was filled with lies,
indiscretions, and affairs. They were miserable. Lucy and I were miserable.
I promised myself that I would never endure that sort of pain ever again.
That's why I agreed to marry Lex. Not because I loved him... but because I
didn't. He would never be able to hurt me because I'd never let him into my
heart. But you... but you..." Lois tried to regain her composure and smiled
timidly at Clark. "But you could completely devastate me. I don't think I'd
be able to handle it if you ever left me." As she spoke her final
declaration, Lois eyes misted over. One lone tear escaped and rolled down
her cheek.

Clark lovingly cupped her cheek and gently brushed away the tear. He'd
never leave her, but how was he ever going to be able to convince her of
that? All along, he had feared that she was afraid of commitment, and she
was to a certain extent. But first and foremost, she was afraid of
abandonment.

"Sweetheart... I may have to leave sometimes,but rest assured, I'll always
come back. You are everything to me. I would've hoped that you'd know that
by now. And as far as us being married... that would be a dream come true.
I haven't said anything because I wanted to give you time to warm up to the
idea." He smiled reassuringly before continuing. "I didn't make love with
you last night to rush you into matrimony. It just felt right somehow. It
was the most wonderful experience of my life... you have to believe that.
And if it makes you feel better, we don't have to make love again until you
feel more comfortable with our relationship. Like I said, I'm not going
anywhere."

His husky voice sent a shiver down Lois's spine. This man who sat beside
her was willing to give her time to sort out all of her emotional baggage.
He was giving her the gift of time.

Lois got up slowly. Without releasing Clark's hand, she directed him
towards his bedroom.

They changed into some more comfortable clothing and proceeded to climb
into bed.

Clark pulled Lois within his embrace. She gently laid her head down on his
chest. He kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her.
Within minutes, they both fell asleep.

***

To be continued in Part 8 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:11:19 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (8 of 10)

***

"How was your date last night?" Lois beamed at a very unamused Jimmy Olsen.
"Sorry... I... uh... interrupted." She shared a knowing glance with her
partner. It was about time that the young Mr. Olsen was interrupted for a
change.

Jimmy flushed at Lois's teasing remarks. "It was fine... a good date."
Wanting desperately to change the topic, Jimmy handed Lois a manila folder.
"Here's the information you guys wanted. Oceanfront Properties is owned by
a company called T.A.L.C."

Lois took the folder and scanned the contents. "No names... addresses...
nothing. Not much to go on, but definitely a dummy corporation.

Clark's eyebrows furrowed as he read the information. "Did you run anything
on Claver? What's he doing now? Do we know anything about the lawyer who
got his sentence reduced?"

Jimmy dug through the remaining documents. "Uh... yeah... three months ago
he started working for DataTrax. The company creates and develops
computerized layouts, blueprints, and conceptual art for architectural
firms. Claver apparently took some computer classes while in prison...
caught on real quick. Anyway, after he was released from prison he went to
work for them."

"What about his lawyer?"

Jimmy looked at his notes, but he'd forgotten to do a background check on
Claver's lawyer. "I'm gonna have to get back to you later about that, C.K.
I forgot to have him checked out."

Clark admired his honesty. Jimmy had done a great deal of work during the
past several days. "That's okay, Jimbo. We hadn't asked you to." Realizing
that Jimmy might need a little ego boost, Clark said, "You've done a good
job. I think you'll be a great investigative reporter one of these days."

"Thanks, C.K. You don't know what that means to me!" Jimmy trailed off
eager to fulfill his research assignment. "I better get started on the
lawyer."

Lois sat watching the interplay between the two colleagues... the two
friends. "That was really sweet, Clark. I think you've made his year. He is
a good kid, isn't he?"

"Yeah... and he had this deer caught in a headlight' look. I kinda felt
sorry for him. We don't always tell him what a good job he does. So, I
thought this might be the perfect chance."

Lois patted his arm as he sat down in the chair beside her desk. "So, do
you think that we should talk to Claver?"

"Yeah! We're kind of at a standstill right now."

"The calm before the storm?"

Clark laughed. "That's pretty much how we work. Isn't it?"

***

Lois and Clark arrived in the lobby of DataTrax only to be told, once
again, by the front receptionist that Mr. Carver was 'unavoidably detained
at this time'."

Clark pulled her to the side before leaving the building. "We'll come back
in an hour or so."

"Okay. Since Ms. Personable won't let us even leave a message for him to
call us. The nerve... doesn't she know who she's dealing with? I hate that!"

Clark broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Go get her, honey!"

Lois stopped mid-tirade and saw the teasing expression on her partner's
face. She giggled. "I... um... guess I... got a little carried away. Huh?"

"Nah,I've seen you much worse."

"Hmph! When?"

"Remember the Godzilla doll..."

Lois's eyes narrowed before she spoke. "Thanks for reminding me. I've been
meaning to talk to you about that!"

"Uh oh..."

***

They arrived at DataTrax (via Superman Express) by 4pm. Clark used his x-
ray vision to locate Claver's office. He and his passenger, the ever-
tenacious Lois Lane, gently floated through the fifth story window.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

Lois pulled open a filing cabinet and proceeded to thumb through its
contents. "I'm not sure. Why don't you try breaking into his computer? I'll
see what's in here."

Clark sat down in the plush office chair. He could figure out passwords
pretty easily due to the judicial use of super speed, but Jimmy was much
better at hacking into computer hard drives. He scanned the available
information. "Well, here's a Fortune 1000 client list. The document is too
big to print. I'll try to save it to a disk."

Lois made her way toward a large, lateral filing cabinet located behind
Claver's desk. Inside, she found stacks and stacks of blueprints. "These
must be some of the buildings that Claver's working on. Wow! These are
incredible!"

Clark continued to download various documents. He scanned the hallway.
Several employees were making their way down the corridor. "We've only got
a couple minutes... some people appear to be getting off work early."

"Let's get this room back to the way we found it and get outta here."

***

"We've got a problem and I'm not taking the fall for this." Claver
vehemently spoke into the telephone's receiver. "I didn't agree to this
just to get thrown back into prison. Now you fix this... or I will." He
slammed down the phone as he replayed the surveillance camera's footage
taken the evening before.

***

"I'm printing the client list, but It's gonna take a while." Clark stated
as he strolled over to Lois's desk.

"Clark, something about those blue prints have been bothering me since last
night. Would blue prints divulge a company's security system?"

"It might show some of the sensor symbols, but the plans wouldn't
necessarily provide anyone with a way to figure out how to navigate around
the system. Only the security company itself would..."

"... know what the symbols meant. Clark, I think we're heading in the wrong
direction. Maybe we should find out who had access to the museum's
schematics."

"Hey guys!"

The two reporters broke out of the investigative mode long enough to greet
their colleague. "What's up?"

Jimmy smiled smugly as he handed Lois a piece of paper. "I have only two
words for you... Sheldon Bender."

"Bender? Is he Claver's lawyer?" Lois glanced down at the document. "It
figures!"

"Hey Jimbo, can you do us another favor? It's, uh, not exactly 'legal' so
if you don't want to..."

Jimmy smiled at the mild mannered reporter. "What do you need, C.K.?"

"We need you to find out who has had access to the museum's security system
over the past several months."

"It might take me a while, but it's doable."

Lois took a few deep breaths. They were so near to having the answer and
yet so far away. "Clark, I feel like we're running in circles here. Whoever
is behind this sure did their homework. I'm just so frustrated! What are we
missing?"

Clark noticed that Lois looked rather tense. 'Sometimes it's more effective
to step back and take a moment to distance yourself from the problem at
hand.' They both needed some distance. "How about we grab some lunch and
tackle this when we get back?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

They were making their way towards the elevator when Clark's distracted
look alerted Lois that she would be spending lunch alone. "What do you
hear?"

"Gunfire... Where are you going for lunch? I'll meet you if I can."

"How about Gabby's Deli?"

"Okay... Gotta go." He kissed Lois before spinning on his heels and heading
towards the stairwell.

***

Superman arrived on the scene to find that the MPD had the situation under
control. He was flying back to meet Lois when a faint ticking sound
infiltrated his super hearing. The superhero scanned the affected area. His
face paled as a tiny brunette stuck her key into the driver's side door.

***

Lois made her way to the street level. It was a bright, sunny day. The
hustle and bustle of city-life penetrated her senses. She loved living in
Metropolis. Never a dull moment.

She made her way towards her Jeep Grand Cherokee.  She fumbled through her
purse and found the car keys. 'Maybe I'll go for a drive. The fresh air
could do me some good.' Lois bemused as she unlocked the car door.

The next few seconds passed by in a blur... literally.

Superman swooped down at breakneck speed and moved Lois out of harms way.
He picked up the Jeep and flew as high as possible making his way towards
the Atlantic Ocean. He watched as the car disintegrated into millions of
pieces.

Lois shook her head roughly. One minute she was opening the car door, and
the next moment the Jeep disappeared off the face of the earth. 'Clark must
have been here.'

She sat down on a nearby bench and impatiently waited for her boyfriend to
return.

Superman returned in short notice. Lois noticed that he was unable to make
eye contact with her, and she immediately pounced on him. "Where's my car?"

"Well... it... uh... kinda blew up. I'm so glad I was flying by." His face
dropped slightly at the thought of being too late to save Lois. She had the
panache for getting into trouble at the drop of a hat. Yet in this
instance, trouble had found her.

Lois face turned white as a sheet. "My car? I loved that car."

Superman witnessed a myriad of expressions pass over Lois's beautiful face.
He so desperately wanted to comfort her and was about to do so when he
realized that he was still wearing the Suit. He flew into a nearby alley
and changed back into his business suit. He quickly took the seat next to
Lois and placed his arm around her. "I'm sorry, honey. I know you loved the
Jeep, but I'd rather lose an inanimate object... thousands of replaceable
objects... to the alternative!"

Lois was still visibly shaken and it showed in her response. "The
alternative?"

Clark turned her head so that she made eye contact with him. "The
alternative is losing you, and I find that totally unacceptable." He gently
kissed her on the lips.

The kiss broke Lois out of her self-induced revelry. The color returned to
her cheeks and her eyes squinted due to the bright sunlight. "Clark,
someone blew up my car! Ooh! I can't wait until I get my hands on them. I'm
gonna make him pay!"

The fire in her eyes assured Clark that Lois was going to be okay. His
heart raced at the thought of losing her, but he hesitated showing Lois his
inner turmoil. He had to be strong for her. 'I can obsess about this
later.' And he would... he always did.

"We will, Lois. We're obviously on the right track in our investigation.
Someone went to a lot of trouble to plant that bomb. We need really watch
our backs. They're going to find out sooner or later that the bomb only
managed to blow up the car."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that we stick together. They're probably going to come
after us again."

"Not if we get them first..." a determined Lois Lane said as she marched
back into the Daily Planet building.

***

"Larry? Where are you?" Henry walked around the abandoned warehouse. The
musty smell and dust particles triggered his allergies. "Ah... choo!"

"Bless you."

"Is that you, Larry?"

Larry Neal stepped out from the shadows and approached the timid antique
collector. "Have the bosses contacted you yet."

"No! Should they have?"

"Well, maybe they didn't think you had enough spine to handle the latest
developments."

Henry Jarvis visibly cringed at the insult. "What are you talking about? I
thought this was over. The police are at a stand still and Lane and Kent
have..."

"... been snooping around in Claver's office. I heard through the grapevine
that someone tried to dispose of Lane earlier today. But surprise,
surprise... Superman showed up and saved the day." Neal moved closer to
Jarvis as he spoke in a hushed tone. "We've got to move to plan B. Take the
up front money and run."

Jarvis appeared shaken. He'd never wanted to hurt anybody. The entire
charade was getting out of hand. "I never wanted anyone to be killed. I
just wanted to..."

"What Jarvis?" Neal's tone heavily laced with sarcasm. "You didn't really
think that we'd be able to get away with this totally unscathed. Did you?"

"No, I suppose not, but what are we going to do?"

"Well as soon as we're contacted, we'll need to get a hold of Claver..."

***

A very gruff Lois Lane walked down the newsroom ramp. Her hair was slightly
ruffled and her clothes slightly askew. She was followed by a rather
haggard looking Clark Kent.

Jimmy bounded up the incline in hopes of finding out what was wrong with
the reporting team. "What happened to you guys? I thought you were going to
lunch."

Lois glared at the cub reporter as she made her way back to her desk.

"C.K.?"

Clark stayed behind to answer Jimmy's question. "Well, we were unlocking
the Jeep when suddenly Superman swooped in and commandeered the Jeep...
before it uh... blew up."

"Blew up? You have got to be kiddin' me, man." Jimmy shook his head slowly.
"Boy, you guys must be on the hit list of every major whacko in this city."
Jimmy noticed Clark's strange look and realized that he had, once again,
taken the wrong approach at being empathetic. "Uh... tell Lois I'm sorry
about the Jeep. She loved that car!"

Clark placed his hand on Jimmy's shoulder to stop the young man from
digging a deeper hole. "I'll tell her, Jimmy. I think the best thing you
could do for her right now is to find out who had access to the security
schematics."

"Sure thing, Clark." Jimmy left with his tail between his legs.

Clark found his partner rifling through mounds and mounds of documents.
'She needs to focus her energies on the case. She needs to forget about her
car... for now.'

"Lois?" Clark softly spoke in her direction. "Are you okay?"

She only nodded her head in affirmation.

Clark knew that she desperately needed to regroup yet still wanted to work
on the investigation. "How about we take all of this 'stuff' into the
conference room? Okay?"

Lois started gathering up the piles of data when Clark gently placed his
hand on top of hers. "How about I take care of this stuff and you get us
some coffee?"

She arrived a few moments later carrying two steaming mugs of office brew.
Clark closed the conference room door and lowered the blinds slightly. He
took both mugs and sat them down on the table and turned his full attention
towards his partner. She looked startled yet determined.

Clark approached her slowly... allowing her time to 'warn him off' if she
so desired.

She didn't!

Clark pulled her within his embrace and gave Lois a long, comforting hug.
They stayed that way for a while... each gaining strength and reassurance
from the other. Then he placed a small kiss on her forehead. "I'm so glad
that you're okay."

"Me too." She took a shuddering breath before continuing. "I don't know why
I'm letting this affect me so much. I'm angry! I'm frustrated, and it has
nothing to do with my Jeep being blown to smithereens..."

Clark raised his eyebrows at her latest admission. She smiled a small
smile. "Well, it bothers me a little. I guess." Lois took his hand and they
sat down.

"Over the past year, I've been held at gunpoint, kidnapped, trapped in a
vault with no oxygen, thrown out of an airplane... you name it and it's
probably happened to me." Lois giggled slightly in hopes of downplaying her
propensity for getting into serious trouble. "But this time it seemed
different. I mean, mind you, I wasn't even looking for danger. I thought I
was going to pick up some pastrami on rye..." She trailed off for a moment
realizing that she was still hungry. She shook her head to ward off this
current tangent.

"It's okay Lois. Just talk to me." Clark said in an encouraging tone.

"It's just that I have so much more to lose now... if something... were to
hap... were to happen to me. Before it was always about getting the story,
but now so many other areas in my life are worth living for, too. You are a
part of my life I'm not willing to give up."

Clark knew that she loved him, but he was totally unprepared for her
admission. "You are everything to me, Lois." His expression darkened and
his tone saddened. "I can't stand the thought of being too late to save
you. If anything ever were to happen to you, I don't know how I'd survive
without you."

Emotions were running rampant, and for once in their young lives, they
weren't trying to run from them. They were merely being honest with one
another.

They gave into the moment and kissed each other with such passion that they
almost forgot they were still at work. Almost...

The lovers pulled apart slowly. "Thanks! I needed that." Lois said as she
placed small kisses on Clark's jaw line. "Now let's find out who destroyed
my car and who robbed the museum. Then let's talk some more. Okay?"

Clark grinned at her renewed determination. "Yes, ma'am."

"But I want to make something perfectly clear! Just because I am planning
on being a little more careful in the future does not mean that I've given
up on getting my hands on the ever evasive Pulitzer." Her smile turned into
a full-fledged grin.

"Yes dear."

***

To be continued in Part 9 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:13:20 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (9 of 10)

***

Lois and Clark managed to find enough time to eat some lunch (thanks to
Superman Express). They spent the next several hours compiling information.

"So, let's see what we've got so far: a stolen Monet, an ex-con working at
a high tech architectural firm, three-quarters of a million dollars paid to
a dummy real estate company in the Cayman Islands, an attempt on my life,
the destruction of a beautiful silver Jeep Cherokee..." Lois grimaced.
"Lots of circumstantial evidence but nothing to tie it all together. I wish
Jimmy would..."

"...would what? Hurry up?" Jimmy Olsen entered the conference room with a
Cheshire grin on his face. He had information that Lois desperately wanted.

"Please, Jimmy. Tell us you found something."

Jimmy had both reporters full attention. "Well, it seems about six weeks
ago the Metropolis Museum of Fine Arts requested a duplicate set of
schematics. Apparently minor modifications had been made to the museum's
security system.

"Who made the request?"

"The museum's director, Larry Neal. The security company, Steel Bars,
provided the museum with a basic set of prints. These prints indicate
sensors, trip wires, laser placement, things like that... Apparently, the
museum's board of directors approved a major renovation and expansion
project."

"Did anyone else have access to Steel Bars secured information?" Lois
beamed at the newfound knowledge.

"Yeah! About a week later, a computer terminal located at DataTrax accessed
additional information. I'm talking heavy duty, ultra sensitive data..."
Jimmy trailed off clearly proud of his accomplishments. "Evidently,
DataTrax made a bid to complete the renovation." Jimmy referred to his
notes before continuing. "The funny thing is that DataTrax wouldn't have
needed this type of information in order to make a cost-effective proposal.
If you give me more time, I might be able to determine which terminal
accessed the information."

The three reporters left the confined space of the conference room and made
their way into the newsroom. Lois hypothesized. "If I were to make a guess,
I'd say that Neal was our man inside the museum. He probably went home that
night, but returned a few hours later. It was probably his 'carelessness'
that disabled the security camera in the generator room a few days before
the robbery took place. I'll bet that Claver, whose specialty is electrical
engineering by the way, most likely dismantled the generator ahead of time.
All he had to do was shut down the grid for the entire city block. Then
when the museum's security system automatically sealed all entrances and
exits, all Neal had to do was make sure that a back entrance... most likely
near the loading dock... was unlocked."

Clark carefully listened to her hypothesis. "But how would Claver have been
able to shut down an entire city block?"

Jimmy had been thoroughly enjoying watching the investigative team perform
as one cohesive unit... but now they were dabbling in his field of
expertise. "He's a computer genius, C.K. He did some pretty amazing things
when he broke into the security company's main terminal. He covered his
tracks pretty well. Fortunately, I have been doing this longer than he
has." Jimmy smiled. "But Lois is right. Most utility plants are hooked up
to some sort of mainframe. If he could access Steel Bars data, I guarantee
you that he'd be able to break into a utility company. I'm going to try and
find out whether or not he had access to Metropolis Power and Light. I'll
let you guys know if I find anything." Jimmy hurried off.

"Special delivery for Lane and Kent?"

"We're Lane and Kent."

A tall, slender deliveryman dollied a rather large wooden crate in their
direction. "Please sign here."

Lois signed on the dotted line while Clark judiciously scanned the crate.
"I don't believe it!"

Lois looked up sharply. "What is it? Is it a... a ... bomb?"

"No, it's the missing Monet and a letter from Jarvis." Clark muttered under
his breath.

"What?"  Lois exclaimed as adrenaline coursed throughout her body. "Let's
open it up!"

Clark carefully opened the crate. He was careful to ensure that the
painting remained partially wrapped... he didn't want anything to happen to
the masterpiece during its short tenure at the Daily Planet. He retrieved
the envelope and opened it.

 Attn: Lois Lane and Clark Kent
  Daily Planet

 From: Henry Jarvis

 October 24, 1994

I, hereby, admit to aiding and abetting Larry Neal and Tim Claver with the
Metropolis Museum of Fine Arts robbery. I provided a list of clients for
the merchandise to be sold to. In exchange, I acquired Monet's exquisite
magnum opus, Water Lilies.

Recent events have made me reconsider the crime that I've committed. I
never intended for anyone's life to be taken. That's why I am professing to
this most serious of crimes. In exchange for my testimony, I genuinely hope
that the justice system will be lenient in its sentencing.

I have also included, as a separate document, a master list of those who
moved and transported the artifacts from the museum to a temporary holding
facility.

I am meeting with Neal and Claver this evening at 9pm in order to discuss
the distribution of the artifacts. Our rendezvous is to occur at an
abandoned warehouse located on 4th and Junction. The establishment's
previous name was Hidden Treasures. Quite fitting... don't you think?

If you are to involve the police, I suggest prudence. These are dangerous
people.

I have signed this document in the presence of a notary public on this day
October 24, 1994.

Henry Jarvis
Harold Smith, Notary Public

The reporting team perused the letter. In their hands was the final piece
of the puzzle. It only took a few moments before they were in each others
arms. "We did it, Clark. This is amazing! Who would've thought that one of
the crooks would've cracked under the pressure? It's almost too easy..."
Lois trailed off as doubt suddenly surfaced.

Clark's furrowed brow didn't go unnoticed by Lois. "It could be a trap.
Someone's already tried to kill you once today. I'm not sure I like
this..."

Lois understood his caution, but barreled onward. "We can't let that stop
us! We'll just have to be extra careful."

"Okay. I guess, but I'm going to have Superman check on that warehouse
before tonight's meeting."

***

"Where the heck is Jarvis? He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago."
Lois Lane grumbled as she placed a tiny tape recorder into her jacket
pocket.

Lois and Clark had arrived early in hopes of speaking with Jarvis before
his meeting. However, the wayward criminal had yet to appear.

"I still think that we should've called Henderson this afternoon." Clark
reiterated. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!"

"You know how this works, Clark. If we'd told him about this meeting, he'd
have insisted that we stay out of it. Let Metropolis' finest handle
everything." Lois sighed heavily. They'd been rehashing the same argument
for the last two hours. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Have you called Henderson yet?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I was just about to call him."

Clark listened in as Lois briefed Henderson on tonight's meeting. The
detective was clearly angered by the duo's impromptu sting operation. He
expressed his concern over their safety and threatened them within an inch
of their life if anything went wrong.

"We'll be fine, Henderson. Superman won't let anyone harm us." Lois winked
at Clark, but continued to talk. "Listen, we don't have a lot of time.
Jimmy Olsen should be arriving any minute with a package. In it you'll find
copies of our research and a notarized letter from Jarvis. He's provided a
list of accomplices, implicates Neal and Claver, and admits to knowingly
abetting the thieves. Not bad for a couple of reporters, huh?"

"Not bad, Lane. You guys stay put. The troops should arrive in ten to
fifteen minutes..."

"Oh good! That'll give us plenty of time to get a confession out of them!"
Lois taunted the wary detective.

"STAY PUT, LANE. Do you understand?" The line abruptly disconnected. The
troubled detective stared momentarily at the phone before replacing it in
its cradle. "Simmons! Get in here..."

***

The duo approached a side entryway and crept slowly into the warehouse. The
exterior of the building was quite deceptive. The metal roofing and siding
was in need of repair, yet the interior was swept and dust-free. Wooden
crates of all shapes and sizes were neatly stacked, cataloged and ready for
shipping.

"Where the hell is Jarvis? He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."
Neal's anger was barely contained. "We can't do anything until we see the
shipping manifesto."

Claver looked up from his laptop only long enough to see Neal pacing back
and forth. "Relax, Larry. Maybe he had car trouble. Besides, we may not be
in need of his services any longer. I've just accessed his hard drive.
Won't be long before I find the client list."

Neal's pace slowed as he turned towards Claver. "How can you be so relaxed,
Tim? What if he went to the cops? He's always been a little too timid for
my taste. I'm not so sure that we can trust him."

"Well, it's a little too late to be second guessing his allegiance. We've
already committed the crime."

"I know, but I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Like you're about to go to jail for a very long time?" Lois Lane stood up
from behind the crates and slowly approached the shell-shocked criminals.
Clark stayed close by her side. "Now tell me something. Are you two really
art lovers or did you just do it for the money?"

"What are you doing here?" Neal quickly reached into his coat and retrieved
a 35mm gun. "How did you find us?" Sweat furrowed on Neal's brow as he
pointed the gun in their direction. Clark took a small step in front of
Lois's body in order to shield her from any gunfire. "Don't take another
step, pretty boy. Believe it or not, I know how to use one of these
things."

***

To be continued in Part 10 :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:15:34 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"
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From:         Rowan Fuller <LaneKent@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Question about Full Circle #2: Touch Football
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Thank you everyone for your help.

Rowan :)
-- -- --
LaneKent@aol.com
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/lanekent">http://members.aol.com/lanekent
</A>
For news of updates to my site: <A
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/community/LaneKent">
http://www.onelist.com/commun
ity/LaneKent</A>
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:16:25 -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:         Lara Blasingame <larab@PWPL.COM>
Subject:      NEW FANFIC: Hidden Treasures (10 of 10)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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***

The Metropolis Police Department lined the run down neighborhood with a
series of unmarked squad cars. Sharp shooters were positioned on the roofs
of several nearby buildings. Men and women alike double-checked their
ammunition stockpile and silently obeyed the order of wearing protective
gear.

Henderson surveyed the scene carefully. Lane and Kent's lives depended on
the precision of his tactical unit. He was determined that the reporting
duo come out of this unscathed.

'Then I can kill them! Nobody has that right but me.' He held a tentative
grasp on his anger. Lois' call had certainly ruffled his feathers. 'But if
they deliver the goods, I may let Kent live. He's never hung up on me
before.'

The museum robbery had placed the detective in a difficult situation. He
didn't have the manpower or the resources to concentrate on one act of
theft. Admittedly, the theft in question robbed the city, and the world for
that matter, of the ability to display various pieces of rare artwork. The
financial costs alone were in the billions. The pressure on him to solve
the crime had come from the commissioner herself. City officials feared
that visiting exhibitors would consider bypassing one of the largest cities
in America... all because of one burglary.

Henderson noted that his team was almost ready to storm the premises. He
refocused his energy on the task at hand. "Okay guys and gals. Let's get to
it!"

***

Without turning, Neal started shouting commands. "Claver, check out back
and see if they're alone. If you see that do-gooder, Superman, don't
hesitate using that green rock on him. Luthor seemed to think that it would
kill him."

Clark's eyes widened. It'd never occurred to him that there might be
Kryptonite in the warehouse. He'd naively thought that the deadly meteorite
was no longer in existence. He'd assumed that Luthor had used the entire
piece of rock in order to create the Kryptonite cage. After being alerted
to the fact that the cell had been used to trap the superhero, the MPD had
promptly destroyed the jail cell.

Lois placed her hand on the small of Clark's back reassuring him that
Superman would not need to make an appearance.

"I'll repeat the question one more time. How did you find out about this
warehouse?"

"Jarvis told us all about it. We have a notarized letter stating that he
merely provided a client list and that you and Claver committed the
burglary. He also mentioned the attempt on my life."

"He what?" Neal looked genuinely shocked.

Clark continued to shield his feisty partner as he spoke. "Who are your
clients, Neal?"

"I don't know!"

Lois rolled her eyes at his latest admission. "Don't play dumb with us. I
want to know who blew up my Jeep!"

"I don't know! Jarvis provided the funding and found us the 'clients.'
They've been orchestrating the robbery since day one." Neal's anger slowly
resurfaced. "I'm going to kill him... that double crossing, no good pansy
ass!"

The sounds of gunfire penetrated the quiet of the night. In an organized
rush of activity, the men in blue entered the old warehouse brandishing a
wide variety of weaponry and several protective shields. Neal saw that he
was considerably outnumbered and made a futile attempt at an escape. The
police force quickly apprehended the suspect and read him his rights.

"What took you so long?" Lois glared at the approaching detective.

"Well, we had a development. Claver tried to escape through the back exit.
We exchanged gunfire. Our sharpshooter hit him in the leg. He'll be
alright... a little sore... but he'll live."

"And the kryptonite?"

"What kryptonite?"

"Wasn't he carrying a lead-lined box with him?" Lois's anxiety over the
poisonous rock was affecting her more than she had expected.

"I'm not sure. Let me check it out. Simmons, get over here." Henderson
hurriedly explained the situation to the young lieutenant.

Clark's concern over the deadly rock was evident, but he also had a job to
do. "What about Jarvis? Did he ever show up?"

"Jarvis is dead."

"What? Are you sure? How?"

"Breathe, Lane. You're going to hyperventilate." Henderson found himself
somewhat overwhelmed by her tenaciousness. "He was traveling on interstate
180 when his brakes apparently failed. His burning car was discovered at
the bottom of the ravine."

"Are you sure it was him?" Clark questioned the gruff officer.

"Well, the car was registered in his name. The identification on the body
was Jarvis'. He was pretty badly burned. Forensics is ordering an autopsy
as we speak."

Simmons arrived a few moments later carrying a small metal box. Clark made
a hurried excuse and left the warehouse. Henderson opened the container and
a sickly, green glow emerged. Lois soft gasp at the sight alerted the
detective that in his hands he held the genuine article. "It's evidence,
Lane."

 "Yes, it is, Henderson, but we can't take the chance of this getting lost
in evidence lockup or getting into the wrong hands now, can we?")

Henderson's eyebrows furrowed... a worried expression darkening his
features. Superman had done nothing but help the city of Metropolis since
his arrival. It was vital that the superhero be allowed to continue to do
his job... more importantly... to live. He closed the box and reluctantly
handed it over to Lois. "I trust that you'll let the big guy get rid of
this stuff."

Lois smiled at the wearied detective. He was a good man despite all of his
attempts to remain gruff and unapproachable. "Thanks, Bill."

He slightly nodded an affirmation and quickly changed the subject. "Where'd
Kent go anyway?"

"He... uh..." Lois stalled for a moment before her wayward partner re-
entered the warehouse. Behind him trailed a wide-eyed Jimmy Olsen who
immediately began photographing the active crime scene. "He went to find
Jimmy."

"Don't go touching anything... or you'll have me to answer to." Henderson's
gruff attitude abruptly re-emerged.

"We know the drill, Bill." Clark said as he re-entered the conversation.
"Oh, and you might want to check Claver's laptop over there. He accessed
Jarvis' client list just before the raid."

"We'd like a printout of that document." Lois would not have information
withheld from her. "We want a copy of the tape recording as well. We'll
need it for our article."

"I'll just bet you do! Did you get their confessions on tape?"

"Yes and no. It seems that Jarvis had a larger role in the robbery than his
letter implied. Neal mentioned that someone else had coordinated the
robbery, but neither Neal nor Claver knew their identity. I'm assuming it
was one of Jarvis' high-powered clients. Whoever it was didn't leave any
traces of involvement. All of the evidence that we uncovered led back to
Jarvis, Neal and Claver."

"Clark's right. All of the evidence indicated that we had found our
culprits." Lois looked around at the room at the various wooden crates when
inspiration struck. "I'm assuming that you'll itemize all of the stolen
artifacts. We want that list as well."

***

Lois and Clark worked diligently with the police. They shared vital
information with each other in hopes of finding the mysterious 'client' who
had orchestrated one of the largest heists in American history. There was
still a danger that he or she might strike again at a later date.

Most of the artifacts had been accounted for and returned to the museum.
Unfortunately, some of the priceless relics were still missing. Neal and
Claver were held without bail awaiting their individual trials.

Jarvis' client list had not yielded any clues as to the whereabouts of the
stolen relics. The manifesto file had been erased... and even Jimmy Olsen
couldn't resurrect the deleted document. Throughout his lengthy career as a
highly successful antique collector, Jarvis had conducted business with
over ten thousand influential individuals and organizations. It was like
looking for a needle in a haystack.

So it was with mixed emotions, Lois Lane and Clark Kent wrote a series of
compelling front-page articles on the museum's robbery. It was a definitive
coup for the Daily Planet. The newspapers circulation more than doubled
during this period of time.

The book was never officially closed on this investigation. Congratulations
were given, yet the reporting duo instinctively knew that they would one
day discover the truth.

***

"Precious, you know it's really too bad that we weren't able to sell the
remaining merchandise." She leaned back on the couch and snuggled within
her husband's warm embrace.

"I agree, honey. It certainly would have been nice to have been able to add
money to our already vast fortune." He gently cupped his wife's face and
kissed her gently along the jaw line. "But, at least we were able to
augment our art burgeoning collection."

Amber laughed a sultry giggle before nibbling on husband's ear. "The arms
of the Venice De Milo, the original Magna Carta, Jimmy Hoffa... such one of
a kind treasures... and they're all ours."

"Yes they are, dumpling." Tim Lake's gaze fell upon his bride. "And I
promise further rare acquisitions in the future."

"Oh, goody..." A rapturous expression highlighted Amber's face. "Have you
heard from Jarvis yet?"

"Yes! He's safely tucked away in a small village in Colombia. Even if the
police realize that the body they found wasn't Jarvis', I understand that
extradition from South America is somewhat... complicated."

"We're so good..." Amber trailed off with a devilish giggle. "How about a
drink, honey... I'm buying."

***

A very different couple snuggled on Clark's couch, drinking wine and
listening to soft music. The romantic evening had begun with dinner by
candlelight and a chocolate mousse for dessert.

The last several months had been a grueling yet beautiful time for the
young couple. In the face of diversity and professional challenges, they
had become a team both personally and professionally. Their close
friendship had blossomed into love.

"Clark?" Lois broke the silence with a soft whisper.

"Yes, honey."

"I've been thinking..."

"What about?"

Lois took the opportunity to sit up and turn in Clark's direction. Their
eyes locked onto one another and she smiled a shy smile. "I know that the
past few months haven't been easy..."

Clark grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know."

Lois picked up his hand and brought it to cup her cheek. He gently caressed
her face and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She broke away
reluctantly, needing to confide in him while she still had the nerve to do
so. "I don't think that we need to date anymore."

Clark's face abruptly hardened as if he had been slapped in the face.

Lois suddenly realized how her statement could have been misconstrued. She
nervously took his hand as it dropped from her face and gently kissed his
palm. Grasping his hand tightly, she found the strength to continue. "What
I meant to say is that people date each other in order to find out how
physically and emotionally compatible they are. We already know." He solemn
expression disappeared instantaneously. "Over the last several months, you
have shown me through you actions and kind deeds that you are a strong,
caring, compassionate, loving soul. You've given me time to work through my
emotional baggage and never tried to rush me into anything I wasn't ready
for. But above all else, you have stood by my side through good times and
bad. I know that you will have to leave me on occasion, but I also know
that you will always come back. I'm secure in a way that I've never been in
my entire life... you complete me. It's almost like... we're soul mates."
Lois took a deep breath. "And I was wondering if you might want to spend
the rest of your life by my side." Tears of pure joy rolled down her cheeks
and a small smile played on her lips. "Oh, Clark... will you marry me?"

He pulled her within his embrace once again and hugged her fiercely. She
pulled back from him suddenly and their lips met in a tender kiss. Her
tears fell on his face as they held onto one another. "Oh, Lois... of
course I'll marry you!"

Lois giggled joyfully. "Really?"

Clark's inner joy was about to boil over. His fondest wish was coming
true... he was going to marry the woman of his dreams. His hearty laughter
filled the air. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask you?"

The man that sat beside her was raised in America's Heartland. His
traditional upbringing had always been an asset to his character... so...
"Okay! Ask away!"

Clark got off the couch and kneeled before his beloved. He took her tiny
hands and held on tightly. He already knew what her answer was going to
be... but he was surprisingly nervous. "Lois, I have loved you since the
first day we met. Your passion and strength gives me the inspiration to be
the best man that I can possibly be. I know that sharing your husband with
the rest of the world is not going to be easy... and there may be times
when I have to leave. But I will always come back... and I will always love
you... no matter what. You embody a stubborn, loving, caring, beautiful
soul." His words enlisted a smile from his intended. "And I would be
honored if you would agree to be my wife."

"Yes!" Lois abruptly stood. She hugged and kissed her fianc=E9. Their
passio=
n
for one another ignited quickly as they made their way towards Clark's
bedroom.

There would be time later to pick out the perfect ring... to buy a new
Jeep... to catch Jarvis' 'clients.'

What mattered now was that two soul mates had found one another. They had
been given a special gift... a lifetime kind of love.

The End :)

Authors Note: I hoped ya'll enjoyed my little story. I would really like to
know what you think... feedback is appreciated. E-mail me at
LBlasingame@cs.com or larab@pwpl.com . Thanks for reading :)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:42:41 -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:         Wendy Richards <wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: season five episodes...

>In a message dated 03/29/2000 2:43:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>kubitc@KENYON.EDU writes:
>
><< Is this was why Sandy's "Little Man, Super" was not eligible for the
>> 2000 Kerths?

My guess would be that it's because she never sent it to the Archive, or
otherwise asked the organisers to include it in the eligibility list. As I
recall it, those were the rules for eligibility. Likewise, BB Medos's
continuation of her NEBS series wasn't eligible. I think, in her case,
until her new URL was posted here a couple of months ago hardly anyone knew
she was still writing, which is a great argument in favour of telling FoLC
where your fic can be found!  <g>

Wendy

Find my fic at http://www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/juliefic/pgfic.html
and http://www.chantico.com/wendy/
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:03:26 -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:         Wendy Richards <wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1

Rose, glad to see you posting this here too. But unfortunately this is
coming through with the same formatting problems as your last story - I'm
reading this on the fanfic list archive, but reading it in my mailer had
the same problem (possibly because, at the moment, my work mailer only
works with plain text).

I wonder are you using 'smart quotes' or some such feature in your word
processor? If you switch these off, then any new work you type after
switching off the feature should be okay. And for any readers who have the
same problem as I do with the formatting, Rose is also posting this on
Zoom's boards, and it's coming through fine there.

Wendy
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:08:14 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:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ok, one more time!  I hope this time it comes through okay.  If not, let me
know.  I've got it on my hard drive as a plain text file, so I don't know
why
it's not working out for me!

Rose
*****

A Lie of the Mind

Clark woke up with a start.  The sheets were glued to his body with sweat.
His heart was hammering against his ribcage, he was gasping for breath.

*Lois.*

She was lying next to him, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of what
had been going on beside her.  Clark listened carefully, checked her pulse,
made sure she was breathing normally.  He x-rayed her.  She was healthy.
She
was here.  She was alive.  Clark heaved a sigh of relief.

Clark crawled careful out of bed.  He couldn't sleep with her anymore.  It
was just too dangerous.  He couldn't take the risk of hurting her.

He'd been having the same dream every night.  He and Lois fighting.  Her
screaming that she didn't love him.  And then...

It terrified him to even think of it.  How could he ever hurt Lois?  He
didn't have a violent bone in his body, or so he thought, *especially* when
it came to Lois.  He loved her more than anything in the world.

So why, then, was he having these dreams?

Clark grabbed his pillow and quietly left the bedroom.  He decided that the
couch might be a more suitable place for him to be sleeping right now.

Clark carefully fluffed his pillow and shifted around on the couch until he
found a fairly decent position to sleep in.  He then drifted into a fitful
sleep.

*****

She was having a wonderful dream.  She was wrapped in Clark's arms.  He was
whispering in her ear as they made love endlessly.  She loved his scent, and
how she could smell him on the sheets after he had gotten up.  She loved his
hands, how they caressed her body with the perfect combination of gentleness
and aggressiveness, and in all the places that made her want to scream with
pleasure.  She reached out to him.

But his place in bed was vacant.  Where was he?

Lois reluctantly emerged from her dream.  Clark's side of the bed was no
longer warm.  He obviously hadn't been there in a while.  More than likely,
he'd been called away as Superman to an emergency.  She hoped he was
alright.
 He was physically invulnerable, of course, but Lois knew that the strain of
witnessing so many bad things took its toll on Clark's spirit.  For a man of
such strength, he had the most vulnerable heart of all.  She hated to see
him
feeling down.

Lois dragged herself out from under the blankets, and padded down the stairs
toward the kitchen to make her morning coffee.  She stopped short when she
reached the foot of the stairs.  In the living room, on the couch, was her
sleeping husband, obviously distressed and in the throes of a nightmare.

"Lois..." he was crying out.  His cry was so helpless, like nothing Lois had
ever heard from him before.  She rushed to his side, and took his hand in
hers.

"Clark, honey, I'm here,"  She cooed, brushing his hair out of his face with
her fingertips.  "I'm here, sweetheart.  Wake up."

"Lois... Lois, I'm sorry," Clark moaned in his sleep.

Lois worried so very much about Clark.  He did so much, helped so many
people, and very rarely took time for himself.  She knew he was very
protective of her, which she had learned to live with, and sometimes even
enjoy.  It wasn't uncommon for Clark to start fretting over her safety when
Superman's job was at it's most stressful.

"Clark, wake up."  Lois rubbed his arm, trying to shake him out of his
dream.
 She finally succeeded.

"Wh- What?  Lois!" Clark let out a sigh of relief.  He squeezed her arms
gently, as if making sure she was real, and then pulled her into his
embrace.

"Clark?  Are you okay?"  Lois voice was muffled against Clark's shoulder.

Clark was silent for a moment, just breathing in her sweet scent, and
reassuring himself that Lois was actually okay.  "Yes, Lois.  I'm fine.  Are
you okay?"

"I'm fine.  Clark... you're shaking."

Clark winced.  He didn't want to worry Lois.  He hated when she was upset,
and he didn't want to be the source of her misery.  But he hated lying to
her.

"I'm just a little tired still.  I haven't been sleeping much lately,"
Clark
said, pulling away from Lois and avoiding looking her in the eye at all
costs.

It wasn't a total lie.  He really *hadn't* been sleeping well lately.

"Are you sure that's all it is?"  Clark was out of luck.  Lois was worried.

"Yes, Lois, I'm sure," Clark confirmed.

Lois squeezed Clark's hand.  She knew he wasn't being honest with her, but
she trusted him.  If this was something that Clark felt he needed to deal
with by himself, then she had to respect that.  She just hoped he'd come to
her if whatever was bothering him started to get too hard for him to handle
alone.

"Okay," Lois said, trying to let the incident go.  "Come on.  I'm going to
start a pot of coffee, then I'm going to hop in the shower.  Wanna join me?"

Clark grinned.  "I'd love to."

*****

(Continued in Part 2)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:09:35 -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:         Kathy Brown <kathybrown91@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: season five episodes...

On Wed, 29 Mar 2000 17:42:41 -0500, Wendy Richards <
wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK> wrote:
>><< Is this was why Sandy's "Little Man, Super" was not eligible for the
>>> 2000 Kerths?
>
>My guess would be that it's because she never sent it to the Archive, or
>otherwise asked the organisers to include it in the eligibility list. As I
>recall it, those were the rules for eligibility.

That's right.  The eligibility rules state that if a story is not on the
Archive, the author must write the Kerth committee and ask that it be
included.  Otherwise, we have no way of knowing that the story exists or
where to find it.  The same holds true for authors that post their stories
to
the MB or listserv late in the year, but don't have it uploaded to the
Archive until January -- they need to let us know in which year they want
the
story eligible.

We've tried various ways of determining eligible stories, but this method
seems to be the most fair since it puts the responsibility with the authors
instead of with the Kerth committee.  We try to be as objective as possible
and don't want to be accused of intentionally ignoring a story.

All that said, if Sandy puts her "Little Man, Super" on the Archive in 2000,
we'd be happy to include it next year on the 2001 Kerth eligibility list.

Kathy
kathybrown91@home.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:11:50 -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:         Kathy Brown <kathybrown91@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1

The punctuation came through fine on this second version, Rose. Whatever you
changed, stick with it. :)

I'm looking forward to reading more.

Kathy
Kathybrown91@home.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 18:20:54 -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:         Anne Gallagher <aggie918@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      test ignore

this is a test

lalalala

lalalalal

lalalalala

lalalalala

lalaalala
lalaala

hopefully it will let me post this time
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 19:03:32 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:         Singin Drew <SinginDrew@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Well, I think this story is excellent and I can't wait to read more of it!
Now why isn't there more posted? Hmmm???

Kristin
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:30:44 PST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "StarKitty :)" <starkitty__@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Threads of Confusion (9/?):  Metropolis
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Ok, here is the next part.  Remember, I want feedback of any kind (that
means, you can pick it apart, you can praise it, whatever)!!

You know, I just did a word count on this story, and it's already almost as
long as Black Circle is!  Weird, isn't it? :)  This is at about 16,000 and
Black Circle has about 18,000.

Threads of Confusion

        Maggie awoke to the smell of pancakes and bacon cooking.  It took
her a
minute to remember why she was sleeping on the Kent’s couch and not in her
own bed.  Then the reality of the situation set in and she sat up, blinking
the sleep out of her eyes.

        The night before, when she had gotten back to the brownstone to
report her
findings to the Kents, she had been exhausted.  She wasn’t sure if it was
the worry over Lois and Clark, the lightning, the reality ripples, her
situation with Jimmy, or a combination of the above and didn’t really care.
Martha had seen how tired she was and refused to let Maggie go home.  The
busses had stopped running hours before, and Martha wasn’t willing to let
her walk home alone in the state she was in.  So she ended up sleeping on
the couch while the Kent’s took the guestroom.

        She sat up and looked around.  From the angle of the light coming
through
the windows, it was still fairly early in the morning.  Doctor Bernard
Klein, from what she knew of the man, was probably already at STAR Labs,
though.  He was as much of a workaholic as Lois and Clark were.  That would
work to her advantage today, though.  She needed to get that soil sample
analyzed as soon as possible.  With that thought in mind, she pushed the
blankets down and got up.

        She was wearing one of Lois’ old nightshirts--a Superman nightshirt,
appropriately enough.  Maggie was pretty sure that Lois hadn't worn it very
recently, though, knowing the two reporters.  Maggie grinned a little at the
thought as she quickly folded her blankets and put them away before stepping
into the bathroom to change into her own clothes at regular speed.  The
smile faded quickly, though, when she caught sight of the news program that
was on the television when she re-entered the living room.

        Martha and Jon had come into the room and were seated before the
television, watching the news.  They were undoubtedly checking for anything
that might have happened during the night.  From their expressions, though,
she knew nothing had.

        Martha caught sight of her and lifted a plate from a side table.
“Good
morning, Maggie.  Have some breakfast.”

        Maggie went over to her, a grateful smile on her lips.  “Thanks,
Martha.
I’m ravenous and that smells delicious.”

        “Eat up,” Jonathon said.  “If you want more, there’s some in the
kitchen.”

        “Yum, delicious!” Maggie managed between bites as she worked her way
through the heavily loaded plate.  “I forgot to tell you guys last night,
Sara picked up a soil sample for me from the blast site last night.  I’m
going to take it down to Dr. Klein at STAR Labs today.  Maybe he can find
out what caused the explosion.  Sara didn’t spot anything unusual, but then,
she’s not Superman.”

        “I’m sure Sara is very good at what she does,” Jon said.  “There
might just
not be anything to find there.”

        “I hope there is,” Maggie jabbed a piece of pancake savagely.  “Lois
and
Clark are like family to me.  They’re pretty much all I have.  I can’t lose
them, too!”

        She looked up at the two, slightly surprised that she’d actually
said that
aloud.  Martha and Jon were giving her compassionate looks.  She swallowed
hard and put the plate down.  “I’ve gotta go.”

        She was out the door before they Martha had a chance to say more
than her
name.

        She paused in a nearby alley to change into her Sara costume.

I have got to find a new name, she thought to herself to distract herself
from what was happening.  Something a little more superheroish.  More
intimidating, maybe.  Or something more impressive.  It didn’t really matter
which.

When she arrived at STAR Labs, she was waved through security, as always.
Something about the way she came to an abrupt halt just before the security
gate always convinced the security guys that she was who she claimed to be.
Plus Dr. Klein had left orders with security that she was to be let through
anytime she showed up.

When she got to his lab, she was unsurprised to find him already hard at
work on an unidentifiable device.  She stepped carefully up to the table
across from him and waited for him to finish whatever it was that he was
doing before alerting him to her presence.

“Dr. Klein?”

He looked up at her.  “Sara!  Hi!” He gave her a sympathetic look.  “I heard
what happened to Superman.  I wish there was something I could do to help.”

Maggie smiled slightly.  Whatever else she had been told about Klein, she
knew he was a good man and a good friend.  “Actually, there is something you
can do.”

        She pulled out the soil sample.  “This is a sample from the site of
the
explosion.  I know STAR Labs is quicker than the police lab and I was hoping
. . .”

“Of course!” Klein accepted the container.  He started to turn away, then
apparently noticed her expression.  “Was there something else, Sara?”

“Actually, there was.”  She quickly unstrapped the inoperative signal watch
and held it up.  “Mr. Olson got this from you, right?  I borrowed it last
night to try and signal Superman with it.  When I was at the site I got hit
by lightning and the watch got fried.”

He accepted the watch from her, a puzzled expression on his face.  “That’s
odd.  You were wearing it at the time?”

“Yes, I was.  That was what was so strange about it,” Maggie said.  “I can’t
figure out why it got fried.”

“Has anything unusual happened recently that might have affected your aura?
Anything at all?”

“Well,” Maggie considered.  “It was a split second after one of those . . .
ripples, I guess I’d call them.”

“That’s exactly what they seem to be.  I’ve been trying to figure out what
caused them, here,” he said.  “How did you react to them?”

“Well, I know my reaction was stronger than  the humans I was with when they
hit.  Um, dizziness, vertigo.  It was really tired afterwards, too.”  She
raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

“The watch’s vulnerability and your reaction to the ripples are undoubtedly
connected.” Klein tucked the watch into a pocket.  “I’d like to run some
tests on your aura, Sara.”

Maggie shook her head.  “I don’t have time for that, Dr. Klein.  I have to
cover for Superman.”

“Sara,” Klein came around the table to stand face to face with her.  “If we
don’t find out what happened we may never get Superman back.”

“That’s assuming he’s still alive,” she said and sighed.  “All right.  Run
your tests.”

Over the next few hours, Dr. Klein ran every test that he could think of to
test the strength of her aura.  It might have taken less time, except that
Maggie got called away several times to deal with situations.  As she had
expected, the criminal element was trying to take advantage of Superman’s
disappearance.  For the most part, they were stymied by an increased
presence on the part of the Metropolis PD, but they did need her help a
couple of times.

“Well, Sara,” Dr Klein looked up from the results of the tests.  “Your aura
doesn’t seem to have weakened.  It’s possible that it’s only disrupted when
the ripples hit.”

“That’s good, right?” Maggie asked.  She took a long drink from the soda she
had bought at a nearby vending machine.

“No, it’s not!  It brings us no closer to understanding the cause of the
ripples or finding out what happened to Superman!” Klein sounded extremely
frustrated.

Maggie sighed slightly as her superhearing cut in.  “I’m sorry, Doctor, but
I’ve got to go.  Duty calls.”

He waved at her dismissively and she took off at a swift jog.

This time the emergency was on the Hobbs Bay Bridge.  A driver had managed
to flip her car onto one side and blocked traffic completely.  Maggie
managed to get the woman out of the vehicle and the car turned upright in
very short order.  Calming her down took a little longer and by the time she
had managed, the ambulance had worked its way through the now sluggishly
flowing traffic to them.  She reported to the EMT’s what she had done and
what her scan had revealed before backing away from the situation.

Her part of the situation taken care of, she turned and jumped onto the
concrete wall that had kept the woman from falling off the bridge to the
water far below.  There was no way she would be able to make good time going
through the backed up traffic without causing more accidents, and that was
the last thing she wanted to do.  That left using the cables that suspended
the bridge.  She had used them before to avoid traffic jams that hadn’t
broken up after dealing with accidents.

“Sara!”

Maggie paused at the sound of Jimmy’s voice.  She turned to see that he had
parked his motorcycle at the edge of the bridge and was running towards her.
  She waited, rationalizing that he might have found out something
important.  She dismissed the idea that he could be there for an
interview--this was a serious situation, surely he wouldn’t be looking for
something like that from her right now!

“Sara,” he said, coming to a halt beside her.  “I . . .”

It was then that the ripple hit.

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

        Far above the scene of the accident on a convenient ledge, Q sat
back in
his human form and observed.  He hadn’t caused the accident, but he knew
from the circumstances that this Maggie/Sara could not stay away.  It would
be the perfect opportunity to begin the test.

        He observed as she ran up to the overturned car and calmed the
driver.
This one definitely had potential.  Given time, she might even be able to
rise above the limitations of petty mortals, as a few humans Q had known had
been able to.  She just had to have the right stimuli . . .

        Q considered his options as the scene played out below him.  Sara
scanned
the woman for injuries then, finding no serious ones, righted the car.  The
ambulance, with assistance from the police, managed to make its way through
the traffic to the scene of the accident and Sara prepared to go.  Q grinned
as he saw the human male Sara favored drive up behind her, unnoticed by the
girl, and call out to her, making her pause and turn.

        The ripple was coming.  Q could feel the disruption in space/time.
This
would be a perfect time to put his plan into effect.

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

        Jimmy Olson pulled his motorcycle to a halt.  Maggie . . . no,
Sara--he had
to remember to call her Sara in public--hadn't yet left the scene.  He still
had time to talk to her.

        That morning, when he had reported in to the Planet, Perry had
called a
staff meeting.  He, along with everyone else, had been surprised to see that
Lois and Clark, crack reporting team and good friends to Superman, hadn’t
shown up.   Perry had gone ahead with the meeting, anyway.  He told them
they had to find out the cause of the explosion and what had really happened
to Superman as quickly as possible.  Since Sara was a Kryptonian, he figured
that she might know what had happened.  So, of course, the order of the day
was to find Sara and interview her.

        Jimmy wasn’t sure how she would take it.  He figured she’d probably
take it
better after a successful rescue, so had waited for an accident to take
place.  With the snow on the ground and the overnight freeze, one was bound
to happen sooner or later.  He just had to be near when it happened.

        As it turned out, he was actually going on to the bridge when a
woman
managed to flip her car on its side.  That had naturally slowed traffic to a
crawl as everyone slowed to gawk at the site.  Of course, none of them
thought to stop to help the woman.  Why would they do that?  She was a
complete stranger to them.   When Sara got there, traffic slowed even
further.  Fortunately Jimmy was on his motorcycle and managed to split lane
his way to her.  He made it just in time, too, because she was just getting
ready to leave when he pulled up.

        He parked his motorcycle out of the way and jumped off.  “Sara!”

        She paused and looked back.  She was standing on the concrete
railing,
obviously intending to use the cables to leave the bridge.  She’d told him
that was one of her route’s across the bridge when it was blocked with
traffic like it was now.

        He ran up beside her.  “Sara, I . . .”

        The ripple hit.

        Jimmy felt momentarily dizzy, and brushed it off.  Sara’s reaction,
however, was much stronger.

        She paled and staggered, eyes closing and hands going to her head.
Her
foot hit an icy patch on the concrete and she slipped.  She didn’t even try
to catch herself as she fell sideways off the side of the bridge.

        “Sara!”  Without thinking, he grabbed for her, then when he missed,
jumped
onto the railing and dove after her.  He hit the water just seconds after
her now limp body did and surfaced, looking frantically around for any sign
of her.  He dove under again at the spot he thought she’d hit and was
rewarded with a handful of long hair.  He grasped it and used it to pull her
to the surface.  As he did, a tingle like a mild electric shock ran over
him.  He brushed it off as irrelevant and pulled Sara’s head above water.
He couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not.  He hooked his arm under her
chin and swam sidestroke in toward the shore.

        As soon as he could, he stood up and lifted her out of the water to
carry
her the rest of the way in.  He was surprised at how light she felt--he’d
thought she’d weigh more because of her dense molecular structure.  He
lowered her to the ground just a short ways from the water and checked her
over.  She was limp and pale and her lips were tinged slightly blue.  A jolt
of panic went through him when he realized she wasn’t breathing.

        He gulped, now glad that he’d taken that CPR class a few years
before.  He
quickly checked her airway for obstructions, as he had been taught.  Nothing
there.  He positioned her head and gave her two quick breaths.

        She choked and gagged, spitting out water.  Jimmy turned her head to
the
side as she spit out what seemed an exorbitant amount of bay water.

        “Jimmy?” she whimpered.

        “It’s all right,” Jimmy told her.  He lifted her up slightly and
hugged her
close.  Now that the big emergency was over, he suddenly noticed that he was
soaked to the skin--but he wasn’t cold!  “It’s all over.  Let’s get you
somewhere warm.”

        He lifted her easily and hurried toward the nearby buildings.

to be continued . . .

note the new eddress
starkitty__@hotmail.com   Don't ask why I switched.

Lois leaned against her husband for the support he offered.  "Are you saying
that everything--Perry, Jimmy, the Planet, Metropolis--our whole lives--has
been a simulation?"---exerpt of Legacy, coming soon to a msg board--and
elist--near you.

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 19:58:14 -0600
Reply-To:     bbmedos@booksanctuary.com
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "B. B. Medos" <bbmedos@BOOKSANCTUARY.COM>
Subject:      Re: season five episodes...
In-Reply-To:  <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L%2000032917424183@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>

That'll teach me not to eat supper and read e-mails at the same time. Here
I am skimming through and deleting list posts when I see my name. I almost
choked on my pasta trying to juggle the fork, not accidentally delete the
wrong post and swallow at the same time. <g> Er, anyway . . .

Wendy wrote:
<< My guess would be that it's because she never sent it to the Archive, or
otherwise asked the organisers to include it in the eligibility list. As I
recall it, those were the rules for eligibility. Likewise, BB Medos's
continuation of her NEBS series wasn't eligible. >>

Well, considering the fact that NEBS isn't finished, period, I'm not sure
that story is a good example anyway. I can see where the confusion arises
regarding the individual parts, though. It was my original intention to do
each "season" as a separate stand-alone story and send each to the archive
as soon as they were finished, which I did with the first couple. Then I
realized I was very uncomfortable continuity-wise with not treating it as a
total story overall, so now I do not plan to post any more of it to the
archive or list until the whole thing is finished. Of course, a few "fans"
squawked at waiting that long, so I compromised and decided to post each
section up on my personal site as soon as initial editing was completed,
just for feedback if nothing else. Then I had so much fun setting that one
up, I decided to add the rest of them too. <G>

<<I think, in her case, until her new URL was posted here a couple of
months ago hardly anyone knew she was still writing, which is a great
argument in favour of telling FoLC where your fic can be found!  <g> >>

Of course, here, too, it's a matter of perspective. Up until a couple of
months ago, I WASN'T writing fanfic and wasn't sure if I was ever going to
get back it at all. Even now, sometimes life just doesn't leave much time
for "playing" with the characters. However, I will say that I usually tend
to miraculously "find" time right after receiving a sweet message from a
reader. It's truly amazing what that little dose of encouragement does to
that old sound asleep muse. <VBEG>

Beverly :-)
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 21:36:45 -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:         Anne Gallagher <aggie918@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New FANFIC: Wednesday's Child (intro)

*****************
Metropolis
May, 24, 1994
*****************

Lois Lane stared at her reflection in the mirror.  How had her life gotten
to this point?  All those rules she had set for herself, the goals she had
aspired to everyhting she had worked forand she had been willing to risk it
on a whim.  She would have sacrificed her world for a life she never wanted
and never would have been her own.

Lois turned on the water and began washing her face.  She had been crying,
again.  Not that her puffy eyes or tear - streaked face would shock anyone
anymore but she was sick of crying.  She felt tired and weak.  Both her head
and back ached.  The questions that continued to whirl around inside didn't
help either.

Why had she given in so easily?  Why had she succumbed to Lex's every wish
and desire?  Lex had only needed some hollow flattery, a clever turn of
phrase and that disconcerting smile and she yielded.  At every turn.  The
wedding plans, her career, her friends everything.  The night after Perry's
retirement party, the night she had accepted his proposal, had been one more
conquest.  One more victory for Lex.

Her solace in the weeks after had been believing that Lex hadn't won in the
end.  Lois' spurning him at the altar as well as being revealed for the
criminal he was had been a blow to Lex's pride.  And he killed himself.  On
what was to be the " happiest day of her life."

Lois turned, grabbed a towel off the rack and began to dry her face and
hands.  She had honestly believed that she would put the past behind her.
Oh it'll be hard she told herself but she'd do it, she had reassured
herself.  Lex didn't win in the end.

But now.....
=========================================================================
Date:         Wed, 29 Mar 2000 21:43:47 -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:         Anne Gallagher <aggie918@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New FANFIC: Wednesday's Child (intro's 2nd half)

Wednesday's Child intro continued

But now........

There was a timid knock at the door.  "Lois? Are you ok in there?" Lois took
one last look at her tired face and finding her voice replied, " Yeah, Luce.
Come in."

Lucy's blonde head peeked through, opening the door wider she stepped into
the bathroom.  " Hey,"  she said softly, touching her arm, "what'd it say?"

And Lois felt her resolve break as the tears came back.  She held up the
cheap plastic wand for Lucy to see.

" I'm pregnant."

To be continued.....
*********************************************************************
Sorry for the odd posting style.  This is my first time posting here (and my
first fanfic) so I made a few mistakes with posting. Constructive Criticism
Welcome!
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 06:34:25 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:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 21
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Thanks, TerriAnn.  <<Nice to see Lois get a chance to embarrass him. ;)>>  i
enjoyed writng that part .:)

Carol
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 07:53:09 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:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 22
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi -- Here's the next part.  I hope I'm not too far from finishing this
story
now.  Feedback always very appreciated.   I'm wondering if I should cut
Clark's memory of Jonathan in this sequence.  Is it redundant?

Carol
---------

Connections,  part 22

Clark didn't need to land in front of Bureau 39 to notice the unusual
pattern
of activity around the building.  The parked cars in what at this time of
night would be a mostly empty street, and the lights which illuminated the
whole first floor of the structure left him in no doubt that Trask had
alerted the hierarchy and was probably at this moment presenting his big
news
about the presence of two additional aliens.  Clark hated the word.

Swerving in mid air, he shot two blocks away from Bureau 39, landing in the
impenetrable shadows of a service laneway which ran behind a row of small
business that were, at this hour, mostly closed.  A quick whirl and he was
in
street clothes, running in a nearly invisible blur, like the wings of a
humming bird in flight, until he was once again at the back of the agency.
Spotting the window which he and Lois had used earlier, he was pleased to
see
that it had yet to be repaired by security.  Slipping in again, he floated
quickly, like a gust of air, through the building, looking for two people --
Trask and Lois Lane.

Lois, he didn't find, which both relieved and disappointed him.  He was
absolutely sure she wasn't here.  Probably, like him, she had spotted the
cars in the street, and changed her mind.  That was assuming she'd decided
to
come here in the first place.  Maybe she'd just gone out to a movie or
something completely innocent.  Nah, not Lois!  So where had she gone?  He
had no answer.

Trask, he found, sitting in a windowless room with men whom Clark figured
were military or agency although no one was wearing a uniform.  Standing
just
outside the room, he used his superhearing and X-ray vision to pick up what
was going on.  He'd never met Trask before today but his earlier impression
was confirmed: Trask was a determined bulldog of a man, urgently presenting
the facts of his encounter with the three aliens, making it clear he thought
Earth was facing a national emergency of the first order.  What he wanted
was
an Air Force alert.

Clark felt his heart thudding as he listened to Trask explain how he'd had
the alien under surveillance since his first appearance over a year ago.  He
had even discovered the ship in which the alien had come to earth.  Then
Trask explained how he'd figured Superman had spent the last year softening
up people with his rescues.  Now it was obvious he was about to connect with
his alien brothers as part of the advance force in conquering and then
colonizing Earth.  He finished dramatically, "And now the alien has abducted
one of my operatives."

Clark seethed as he heard that  -- he had not abducted Lois!  Then he heard
the reaction around the table as Trask finished.  They asked for
corroboration.  What was the name of the operative?  Had anyone else beside
Trask and the operative seen the other two?  Any photographs?  Too bad Trask
had called for back up rather than getting shots.  No reports that any
foreign aircraft had penetrated Earth's detection systems, the guy with the
laptop added. As Clark listened, he picked up the subtext too -- some of
these men were familiar with Trask -- he had a reputation as a loner,
obsessed with UFOs for years.

Clark let out a sigh of relief as it became clear that although these guys
had taken Trask seriously enough to come to the meeting, they wanted more
hard evidence than Superman's existence if they were to move to Red Alert.

Clark watched as they all rose from the table, listening as one of them said
that although Superman's existence had put an end to his skepticism about
the
possibility of UFOs, he still thought there might be other explanations for
Superman's existence.  As he reached for the door handle, a stocky man with
grizzled hair added a crack about Tempus's paranoid delusions about aliens
when he'd been running for mayor of Metropolis over a year ago.

Clark vanished into a back stairwell as the men filed out of the room,
waiting until they had left leaving Trask standing in the hall, defeated.
Then Clark, too, left.

Another quick fly-over of Metropolis produced no sign of Lois, at least in
the streets, or her hotel, or at the Daily Planet.  That unsettled him, but
he also knew he had to get back to Zara.  Lois could take care of herself --
she had been doing so for years.  She was in no danger from anyone.  But the
disappointment at not finding her encompassed him, pervading his soul.  He
would have to leave without seeing her.  Would he ever see her again?  Ever
get a chance to spend twenty-four ordinary hours with her?  Ever get a
chance
to wake beside her in the morning?

He veered back toward Zara's apartment.

*****

"The tapes are stored by category and by date starting back here," Sandi
Davidson said, as they walked through what at first glance seemed to be a
chaotic degree of disorder, tapes and CDs scattered at angles along a narrow
work table on which were situated a couple of computers terminals.  "We're
in
the process of reformatting some of our back tapes," she said by way of
explaining the clutter.  "Claude said whatever you'd like to see..."

"Thanks, Sandi," Lois smiled at the tall, fresh faced woman beside her.
"I'm
doing an article on Superman and so I thought I'd like to start at the
beginning, when he first showed up in Metropolis."

Sandi looked along the shelf, then put her fingers on a tape. "The first
thing we've got is footage from the mayoralty candidates' debate, you know
where Perry White was supposed to debate that weirdo, Tempus."  Then she
laughed briefly.  "No need to tell *you* that."  She pulled it from the
shelf, blowing the dust from the top of its case as she did.

Lois smiled, gratified by what she assumed was a reference to her past as a
reporter with Perry White. "Did you shoot these?"

"No -- not sure which of our guys did.  The next tape is Superman's press
conference the next morning.  They go in order," she added, sliding her
finger  along the shelf.  "Here, you can use this monitor.  Not sure you'll
find anything the media frenzy at the time didn't pick up."

"Thought I'd take the chance," Lois said.  "Thanks, for showing me, Sandi."

"No problem," Sandi replied as she took the chair next to where Lois was
sitting.

Dismayed, Lois said, "You don't have to stay.  I'm OK with this equipment."

"It's all right.  Claude said to give you all the help you need."

<Oh, he did, did he,> Lois thought. <And tell him if I find anything
interesting?>  She said nothing but concentrated on the first tape, fast
forwarding until she came to the image of Superman.  Then she slowed the
tape.  She'd hadn't seen this one before -- it wasn't part of Trask's
collection.

Now she watched, fascinated as a tall urbane looking man called Tempus -- he
didn't seem to have a first name -- ranted, boasting about how he would
expose the alien threat from outer space.  As if on cue, Superman landed on
the front of the stage carrying in his arms the unknown woman in white.
Both
their backs where to the camera.  Lois watched as the woman rushed to Perry
White while Superman dashed into the back room, returning almost immediately
with a short almost elderly man in old fashioned clothes.  The tape never
left Superman -- this was his first appearance in Metropolis and the
cameraman knew where the story was.

As Superman approached him, Tempus continued his rant, now histrionically
accusing Perry White, James Olsen, and Lois Lane of aiding and abetting the
alien. As she watched the video, Lois's eyes widened -- Lois Lane?  How
could
that be?  But before she had time to process this informatoin, she watched
as
Tempus produced a glowing green crystal from his pocket, and then,
hororified, she saw Superman collapse on the floor, grimacing in pain.

The woman in the white pantsuit, *Lois Lane*, Lois thought, rushed forward
to
crouch over Superman and Lois briefly caught sight of her face before
someone
yelled "there's a bomb."  All order broke down as people rushed everywhere,
panicking, including apparently the cameraman because the tape now turned
jerky, blurring the faces and bodies as people stampeded to get out of the
auditorium.  That was the end of the tape except for a brief bit which
showed
Tempus being subdued by security guards and then hustled off stage.

Lois was in shock -- she didn't get it, she didn't get it all.  She looked
at
Sandi who said, "I still find that bit amazing."  Lois could only nod, too
dumfounded to speak.  She reached for the next cassette, her heart thudding.

It was the press conference.  This was the one that she'd wanted Trask to
analyze.  This tape was a little different from what she'd seen at Bureau 39
-- they'd probably had their own people at the press conference.  Still, the
content was much the same.  Superman being introduced by Perry White, the
close-up of Superman's face and that look as if he were scanning the crowds,
looking for someone.  Then he stopped and she could tell he'd found who he
was looking for.  A brief nod of his head and a fleeting look of hope; then,
his head lowered and when he raised it again his face had taken on that
emotionless cast which she associated with Superman.  Hope gone.

This was what she wanted to look at -- the crowd.  She rewound the tape to
the beginning of the conference -- to some random crowd shots, none of which
were likely to have been used on news broadcasts, she imagined.  As the
camera panned across the faces, never coming to stop on anyone for more than
a second, Lois slowed the tape.  Then she caught her breath as she glimpsed
a
figure in white behind the mass of people, standing in the portico of a
building as though separate from the crowd.  Lois was looking at herself!
Or
at least someone who looked an awful lot like her.  *She* was the unknown
woman in white! How could that be?

Resisting the urge to rewind, Lois looked at Sandi to see if she'd noticed
but Sandi didn't seem to be paying close attention.  "Pretty boring, I
guess," Lois grimaced at the woman beside her.

"I don't know what you think you're going to find in these old shots," Sandi
said but she spoke without annoyance.

"Don't suppose there's any coffee around?" Lois asked.

"Good idea.  Down the hall.  I'll be back in a minute.  Whaddya take in it?"

"Black.  Thanks."  Lois had already started to rewind the tape as Sandi was
going out the door.  She found her spot, froze it, then magnified the image.
It couldn't be.  Lois knew the location where the press conference was being
held; it was across the street from the Daily Planet.  She also knew that
where the woman was standing was directly across from where Superman was
standing.  Was it she whom he had been looking for?  What was her
relationship with Superman?  Where was she now?

Lois looked at the woman carefully -- her face was thin, make-up immaculate,
and her short black hair professionally touseled; but still she looked so
much like Lois herself that she could have been her identical twin.  Well
her
identical twin with an image consult, she thought uncharitably.  What was
going on?   Lois rewound the tape a little looking for another shot of the
woman -- there were none but now she noticed the man beside her look-alike.
The same man whom Superman had brought from the back room at the
White-Tempus
debate.  Lois guessed he was the woman's companion and she wondered who he
was.  And, more importantly, who was this woman who was her double?  And why
had Tempus called her Lois Lane?  Why was she impersonating her?

Is that why Clark had been so interested in her, right from the beginning --
because she looked so much like this woman?  Then she remembered his odd
preoccupation with her hair colour the night they'd met and her heart sank.

"Sorry it took me a little longer than I expected -- Courtney wanted to
chat," Sandi smiled as she spoke.

The tape continued as Lois replied, "That's OK."  But her response was
automatic, unthinking as she tried to calm down, to think rationally, to
make
sense out of what made no sense.

So that was probably what Trask had discovered earlier, maybe had known all
along, and what had led to his demand that she return with him to Bureau 39
and that bizarre crack about fraternizing with the alien.  He must suspect
she had some long tern connection with Superman.

But to Lois Lane, it now looked like she didn't have any connection with him
at all.  She had never felt so alone.  She ejected the tape, handed it to
Sandi, and said, "Thanks for your help, Sandi.  I think you're right that
I'm
not going to find any news here.  I'll try a different angle.  Tell Claude
thanks."

*****

As he was on his way to Zara's apartment Superman was delayed by the distant
sound of sirens.  The wet snow which had been falling earlier had turned
into
freezing rain, probably catching many drivers off guard.  As he got closer
to
the source of the sirens, he saw that it was worse than he'd feared.  Two
trains had collided, one of them having jumped its tracks.  One was a
passenger train and the other a freight hauling consumer goods but, as Clark
learned once he landed, it was also carrying hazardous materials, in this
case chlorine gas.  The emergency rescue forces could use more help than
even
Superman could provide.

As he sped around assisting wherever he could, Clark thought about the times
in the next few months when he would not be available to do this.  There
were
people who would die because of his choice to leave.  He knew that this was
not in any direct way his fault, but still it did his spirit no good as he
gently flew a gurney bearing a severely injured old man to the nearest ER,
the icy roads now too treacherous for quick passage by ambulance.

When he returned, he landed next to the Chief of Rescue Operations who was
talking with the engineer of the train which had jumped the track.  He was
just in time to hear him say, "I don't get it.  We weren't having a problem
but I swear I saw two men land up ahead of us.  Next thing, we're on a
different track and I had no time to stop before the 42 from Boston came. I
know it sounds crazy, but I think they switched the track we were on."

The man who was with him said, "I saw them, too.  Check the track back there
for interference."

The Chief of Rescue Operations spoke quickly. "Jeff, Andrea, check it out.
If
you find anything, we report this one to the Military."

Superman heard it, and despaired.  It couldn't be Zara and Ching -- they
knew
of his decsion to leave.  Only Nor had a reason to keep him here.  Most
likely, these people tonight had been injured to keep him distracted, to
keep
him away from New Krypton.  He had to find Nor.  Zara was right -- the man
was ruthless.  Clark tensed, his anger building -- Nor had used other people
as hostages, toying with their lives.  His jaw clenched and he tightened his
fists wanting to strike, to stop this thug.

Then he had a quick memory of his father at the Smallville fall fair, facing
down a couple of half drunk jerks who'd been having some fun insulting, then
shoving, and getting increasingly violent towards a young newcomer who'd
said
something they hadn't liked.  Clark had been shocked by the anger on his
father's face.  He knew that his dad, who was a strong and powerful man and
who also had the advantage of sobriety, could take the two bullies easily.
For a moment he'd been sure that his father was about to hit one of them but
as he watched, his father brought his temper under control, then stepped
forward, standing in front of the larger of the two drunks, fixing him with
his eyes as he said to their target, "Haven't seen you around here before,
kid.  How would you like an old hand's tour of the place?"

End of crisis.  Until just before bedtime when Clark had asked, "You wanted
to hit that guy, Dad, didn't you?"

Jonathan had looked at him seriously, and suddenly Clark had felt grown up.
"Yes, I did, son.  But that's not the way I work."

As Superman continued to search through the wreckage of the two trains, he
hoped it wasn't the way he worked either.

*****
end, part 22
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 08:21:14 -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:         Yvonne Connell <yconnell@UKF.NET>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Intro and Part 1

Rose, that's a very promising start.  Looking forward to more!

Yvonne
(yconnell@ukf.net)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 09:07:29 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Pam Jernigan <jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 22
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi Carol,

I'm still reading and loving this, in case you were wondering :)

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

Whatever you do, do *not* cut the memory of Jonathan... it's a very
powerful moment.

Really enjoyed this, as per usual <g>  You're a good writer telling a
good story, and there seems to be no end to the twists and turns ...
loved the bit about the higher-ups being skeptical of Trask.  And Lois
just doesn't know what to think about that tape, does she... you have
certainly stacked the odds against these two.  Which I hope will make it
all the sweeter when they overcome the odds! <g>

Keep it coming, Carol...
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Pam Jernigan            |  jernigan@bellsouth.net
ChiefPam on IRC         |  ChPam on AOL IM
-------------------------------------------------------
"Well, I try to save a life a day.  Usually, it's my own."
--John Chricton, on Farscape.
"You have no idea how little I care about blown spume."
"Actually, it's 'flung spume' and 'blown spray', but I
think I like your version better."
--Dana & Dan discuss yachting, on SportsNight
-------------------------------------------------------
http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 06:54:24 -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: SIP: Connections - part 22
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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"C.C. Malo" wrote:

> Hi -- Here's the next part.  I hope I'm not too far from finishing this
story
> now.  Feedback always very appreciated.   I'm wondering if I should cut
> Clark's memory of Jonathan in this sequence.  Is it redundant?
>
> Carol
> ---------
>
> Connections,  part 22
>
> I've finally caught up on this one, Carol.  The only thing I can say is
Wow!
> Clark sure has a problem, doesn't he?  Trask, Lois *and* the New
Kryptonians.

Pam is right.  You should definitely not cut the memory of Jonathan.  It's
perfect as it is.  It shows where Clark got a lot of the attitudes he lives
by as
an adult.

Nan
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 17:20:23 +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:         Nicole Wolke <NKWolke@EIFEL-NET.NET>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 22
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Carol,
I'm still reading and still loving every bit of "Connections", even though I
don't find enough time to give proper feedback. Don't cut anything in the
story.
I love the part where Clark is remembering his father and don't find it
redundant
at all.

I can't believe you wrote that you're ready to finish the story! I don't see
the
silver lining yet but I trust you not to let us hanging in the end with
Clark
gone to NK!? You can't do that!

Nicole
--
AKA CKgroupie on IRC
NKWolke@eifel-net.net

Are you always searching for news about Dean Cain?
And don't you have the time to go and find them?
Here's your solution: Go to "The Dean Cain News Page"
http://members.tripod.de/CKgroupie/
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 08:21:54 -0700
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Vicki Krell <Vicki.Krell@ASU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 22
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Spoiler space....
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Hi, Carol. I agree with Pam and Nan (hey, that almost rhymed), I think that
you should leave Clark's memory of Jonathan intact - it's very appropriate
to the context of the story, and does establish the basis for Clark's
philosophy regarding the avoidance of violence in his own behavior.

I've also been wanting to tell you much I'm enjoying your story. I've always
thought that your stories are wonderful, and this one is no exception. :) I
get impatient waiting for more chapters, but I suspect that I'm not alone in
that! I'm intrigued to see what's in store with Lois and Clark, looking
forward to Lois and Clark's discussion about the image-consulted (loved that
part!) Lois Lane on the LNN tape, and curious to see what happens with the
New Kryptonians. More please!

Vicki

Vicki Krell
Sponsored Projects Officer
Office of Research and Creative Activities
Arizona State University
(480) 965-2171
(480) 965-1703 - fax
Vicki.Krell@asu.edu
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 10:30:47 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:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 2
MIME-Version: 1.0
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It was almost 9:30 when Lois and Clark finally walked in to the news room.
Perry noticed an extra little bounce in their step, and knew immediately why
they were late.  If they weren't the best news team in the business, he'd
never stand for this kind of thing.  But they kept bringing in Kerth after
Kerth, so Perry thought they deserved a little reward for all their hard
work.  And he loved seeing them both so happy.  He wasn't ashamed to take a
little credit for knowing a good match when he saw it.  He was just glad
he'd
recognized it the day Clark walked in with the story about the old theater
being torn down.  And the rest, as they say, was history.

Perry watched from his office as Clark led Lois to her desk, and she leaned
in for a kiss.  Clark held her gently around the waist, one hand meandering
up to her cheek, stopping along its way to caress her arm, then her
shoulder.
 Perry waited for a moment, allowing them to enjoy the intimacy, and then
made his way out of the office.

"Judas Priest!" he bellowed to Lois and Clark.  "If you two can't keep your
hands off each other, I'm gonna start charging rent by the hour!"  Lois
shifted slightly away from Clark, with a secretive smile, although she
stayed
in his arms.  Clark looked sheepishly at Perry, his face turning quite red
with embarrassment.

Perry plastered a stern expression on his face.  "Don't you two have a story
to work on?"

"Uh, yes, Chief," Clark said, still recovering from his embarrassment.

"Yes, Perry," Lois chimed in, a bit more cheerful.

"Well?  How is it going?"

"Pretty good,"  Lois answered.  "We've got a complete listing of all the
banks  and credit unions that have been hit in the past three months.  Now
we
just have to see what they all have in common."

"Any suspects?"  Perry asked.

"None yet.  Once we know what links all these banks together, we should be
able to come up with a list of possible suspects.  What I don't understand
is, who could be embezzling from all of these different credit unions?  Some
of them aren't even in New Troy, or even on this side of the country.
Money
is disappearing from people's accounts in over a hundred different credit
unions, all in apparently the same way.  It can't be a coincidence."

"Well, good luck," Perry said, and left Lois and Clark to their work.

"I can't help but wonder, assuming these incidents were all performed by the
same person... why credit unions?"  Clark sat on the edge of Lois desk while
he spoke.  "I mean, it must be an outside job, since one person can't
possibly work for a hundred different unrelated credit unions.  But why not
embezzle from a large, federal bank?  There are several that have branches
all over the country.  Wouldn't it be easier to embezzle from one large
corporation instead of several smaller ones?  Wouldn't it be much easier to
cover your tracks?"

"You'd think so," Lois sighed.  She looked up at Clark, who seemed lost in
thought.  He looked tired.  He rarely ever looked tired, unless he'd had an
encounter with Kryptonite.

"Hey," Lois placed her hand on Clark's knee.  "Are you feeling okay?"

"Huh?  Oh, yeah.  I'm fine, Lois.  Just thinking about the story."  He was
lying, Lois could tell.

"Are you sure?" Lois pressed.  "You look a little worn out today."

"Yes!  Yes, I'm sure!" Clark said, irritated.

Lois was stunned.  It was unlike Clark to snap at her over anything.
"Alright, Clark," she stammered.  "I'll back off."

Clark ran his fingers through his hair.  He squeezed his eyes shut, mentally
berating himself for his behavior.  "I'm sorry, Lois.  I don't know where
that came from.  I guess I really must be tired.  I'm sorry.  It'll never
happen again."

Lois rubbed his knee.  She looked up at the drawn expression on her
husband's
face.  "It's okay, sweetheart," she reassured him.

Clark sighed.  He really was tired, more tired than he could remember being
in a long time.  He'd been having the nightmares for three nights in a row
now, each one more horrifying than the last.  He'd hoped they'd pass like
any
other bad dream, but this dream clung to his subconscious, planted itself,
and had begun to grow.

Clark leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lois' forehead.  "I love you,
Lois," he whispered, before getting up and walking slowly to his desk.

"CK!"  Jimmy intercepted Clark at his desk, shoving a load of papers into
his
arms.  "I think I found something on that credit union story.  See this
bill?"  Jimmy held up an invoice for Clark to see.  "It's from VuCom
Technologies.  They specialize in information management, specifically COM
and COLD services."

Clark studied the invoice, then looked up at Jimmy.  He was pretty sure he
knew where Jimmy was going with this.  For as young as he was, Jimmy was a
lot smarter than he was often given credit for.  "COM and COLD services?" he
asked the younger man.

"Computer Output to Microfilm and Computer Output to Laser Disk," Jimmy
confirmed.  "Many credit unions send their records to companies like this to
have them written out to microfilm or CD Rom.  Anyone who works at these
companies has access to these records."

"So anyone at VuCom Technologies could look up any given statement, and get
any account number they want?"

Jimmy nodded.  "All they'd have to do is download the information from the
data tape onto a computer, run a search on a name, or a number, anything
they
wanted, and they'd come up with the information they needed."

"Are all of these credit unions clients of VuCom?"

"That's what I'm working on," Jimmy answered, "I haven't been able to get a
complete list of VuCom's clientele.  As soon as I can cross-reference
VuCom's
clients with our list of credit unions, I'll know for sure."

Clark patted him on the back.  "Thanks, Jimmy."

"CK, are you okay?  You look a little tired today."

Jimmy had noticed too, Clark thought.  These nightmares had to stop.

Clark shrugged.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  Just got to bed late last night."

Jimmy's dimples revealed themselves with his broad grin.  Gesturing to Lois,
he laughed and said, "Man, I understand."  Jimmy winked, and then walked
back
to his desk.

Clark sat down at his desk to think.  He looked at the invoice in his hand.
It gave a Metropolis address for VuCom Technologies.  *Well, first thing's
first,* he thought.  He gestured to Lois, who came to his desk and sat down
on the edge, just as he'd sat on the edge of hers moments before.

After hearing what Jimmy had told Clark, Lois offered Clark her hand.  "Come
on," she said.  "Looks like we're gonna have to pay VuCom a little visit."

*****

VuCom Technologies was not the clean, professional workplace Lois envisioned
it to be, but instead it was noisy, cramped, and most of all, busy.  To the
left of where she stood with Clark, Lois could see four large machines, all
clicking away, shaking with the force of whatever it was that it was doing,
and from underneath the formidable machines flashes of light reflected off
the tile floor with each loud click.  To the right, there was another large
machine, also clicking and flashing, but which spit out what appeared to be
small strips of blue plastic onto a conveyor belt and into small collating
bins every couple of seconds.  Lois took Clark's hand, and together they
entered the room, dodging scurrying employees carrying armloads of data
tapes, paper, and various other office supplies.

"Excuse me," Lois grabbed the first available scurrier.  "Could I possibly
speak to whoever is in charge here?"

"Oh, Mrs. Wolff isn't in today," the young man said apologetically.  "But
Mr.
Wolff is here.  He's the Vice President.  He ought to be able to help you."

"Thanks," Clark extended his hand for the young man to shake.  Clark saw the
young man's ID badge read "Tony Delancey."  "Mr. Delancey, if you could tell
Mr. Wolff that Lois Lane and Clark Kent would like to speak to him..."

"Absolutely, Mr. Kent.  If you two will just wait right over there," he
said,
pointing to a row of chairs by the enterance, "he'll be right with you."
With that, Tony disappeared into an adjoining room, which Clark, upon
X-raying it, concluded was Mr. Wolff's office.

"Not as big as I pictured," Lois said, peering around the shop.  "I wonder
what those machines do."

"If I had to guess, I'd say those large ones over there are the ones that
actually make the microfiche.  See?" Clark pointed to a reel of tape which
was loaded onto a drive.  It turned halfway, stopped, shifted, and began
turning again.  "That must be one of the data tapes Jimmy referred to.  The
computer must be reading the tape, and somehow translating it for that part
over there," he gestured to where the lights flashed most brightly, "must be
the camera that puts the information on film."

"Quite right... Mr. Kent, I presume?"  Mr. Wolff's entrance took Lois and
Clark by surprise.

"Mr. Wolff," Clark extended his hand.  "This is my partner, Lois Lane.
We're
reporter's for the Daily Planet."

"I'm aware," the stocky middle aged man smiled.  "I've read your work.  I
must say, I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Mr. Wolff," Lois interjected.

"Brent, please."

Lois smiled.  "Brent... we've actually come to ask you a few questions for a
story we're investigating."

Brent's eyebrows raised at the mention of the story.  Clark watched him
carefully, checking for signs that the man had something to hide.  His pulse
was normal, and while his gaze shifted back and forth between the two
reporters, he didn't appear to have trouble maintaining eye contact with
either one.  Brent was curious, but did not seem to be feeling guilty, Clark
decided tentatively.

"You see, over the past several months, money has been disappearing from
people's accounts in credit unions all over the country.  What we don't
understand is *how* is it happening?  We suspect that it is the same person
withdrawing the money from all these places, but we don't know how he is
doing it.  To do such a thing, a person would have to have a way of
accessing
the account information from over a hundred different credit unions."

"Which leads you to me," Brent said, thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Clark finished.  "The only way we can think this guy has been
pulling this off is through a place like VuCom.  I understand you get bank
records sent to you from all over the country to be put on microfiche or CD
Rom."

"We do, Mr. Kent," Brent confirmed.  "And it's quite possible that someone
did access the information this way.  Everyone on my staff has access to the
information that is on the data tapes that come in.  I don't know of a way
to
run a COM service without allowing your employees this access."

"Exactly what kind of information do these credit unions send you?" Lois
inquired.

"Everything, although what's on a specific data tape can vary, depending on
the needs of the clients.  We get their end of day statements, their month
and quarter end statements, the names and addresses of all of their
clients... anything you want to know about a person can be found on one of
these data tapes.  You've just got to know what you're looking for," Brent
answered quietly.

"What kind of security measures do you take to ensure this kind of thing
*doesn't* happen," Clark asked.

"Oh, we have a background check done one all of our employees before they
are
hired.  We have access codes for all of the computer programs, so no one can
access them without authorization.  And of course, we've got your standard
security cameras in case of any suspicious behavior."

"But once a person is hired and trained..." Lois prompted.

"Once a person is hired and trained," Brent admitted reluctantly, "it would
be very easy for them to find any information they wanted.  And it would be
very hard for us to catch them doing it."

*****

(To be continued in part 3)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 11:18:15 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:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 3
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Jimmy was hunched over Clark's keyboard when Lois and Clark returned from
VuCom.  He was typing rapidly and muttering to himself, squinting at the
screen to read the words that came up on the website.  "Man, now I know why
you need glasses," Jimmy muttered when Clark approached.  "These screens are
terrible.  Not that these websites make it any better... black print on a
dark blue background.  When will these people learn?"

Clark stood at the edge of his desk, his eyebrow raised questioningly.  When
Jimmy didn't take notice, Clark cleared his throat.

"Oh!  CK!  I'm sorry.  My computer crashed a little while ago, and I figured
you wouldn't mind if I used yours for a while.  I got the list of clients
you
wanted," Jimmy stammered, quickly moving out of Clark's way.

"Great," Clark said.  "Thanks, Jimmy."

"But it doesn't make much sense, Clark.  Not all of the credit unions are
clients of VuCom.  In fact, only about 20 of them are.  The others are
clients of Tronitech, Diversified Data, Datamail, and Fiserv Data."

"So, whomever is doing this couldn't have been getting their information
through a COM service," Clark concluded.

"I don't see how they could have been," Jimmy said, thrusting a small stack
of papers into Clark's hands.  "But here's the list.  I've got to get out of
here.  I've got a date with Brenda tonight."

"Have fun," Clark called to him, as he reclaimed his desk space.  VuCom's
website was still up on the computer screen, and Clark leaned in close to
read it.  Jimmy was right.  Even with Clark's supervision, reading the
website was a challenge.

He switched his monitor off and crossed the short distance to Lois' desk in
a
few paces.  He handed Lois the list that Jimmy had given him, and settled
onto his usual spot on the edge of the desk.

"I heard," Lois said, before Clark could explain to her what it was.  "But I
don't buy it.  There has to be a way that all of these credit unions are
connected.  Which means that there is a way that these COM services are
connected.  How else could it have happened?"

But Clark wasn't listening anymore.  His head was cocked to one side in a
way
that Lois recognized immediately.  Somewhere in Metropolis, Superman was
needed.

"Go," Lois ordered.  "I'll stick around here and see if I can find anything
that Jimmy missed.  You be careful, okay?"

Clark bent and kissed Lois quickly on the lips before moving swiftly out of
the news room, pulling on his tie.  Lois pulled her chair in closer to her
desk, and fired up her computer.  She'd start by finding out as much as she
could about all of these COM services.  There had to be something more to it
than what Jimmy had found; something that linked these places together.

Lois allowed herself a lingering glance at the picture of Clark that sat
next
to her computer, before setting to work.

*****

Clark flew slowly home.  It had gotten dark outside, and he knew Lois would
be wondering where he was.  He'd finished at the warehouse, caught the punks
who had started the fire- they were just kids, two teenagers looking to
start
trouble.  It hadn't taken long at all to extinguish the fire, see that
everyone was safe, and turn the arsonists over to the police.

But he hadn't been ready to go home.  Not just yet.

Instead, he flew as quickly as he could to Smallville.  His parents would be
home, he knew, but he didn't really want to talk to them.  He kept his
distance from the house, knowing that if his parents caught sight of him,
they'd ask questions, and he couldn't handle answering questions.  He needed
to think.  And so he went to the one place he always used to go to think.

The Fortress of Solitude was smaller than he remembered it being, and in far
worse condition.  The floorboards were worn and uneven, and the walls were
full of knotholes.  A small table stood in the center, warped and stained by
the years of rain that had leaked through the gaps in the wood and abused
it.
In the corner was a small self filled with mason jars he had used to catch
bugs when he was a boy.  Now they were covered with cobwebs.  Clark sat on
the floor of the dingy room, letting his blue-clad legs and red boots dangle
out of the door.  He was too tall to sit at the table, or do anything more
than crouch in the tiny space.

He wrapped his cape around his chest and closed his eyes.  He couldn't help
but think about the warehouse fire.  He'd caught the criminals, and everyone
was safe, but...  Something had come over him.

He didn't know how to explain it.  He'd been in situations like that a
hundred times before, he'd saved more people than he could count.  He tried
so hard to keep his feelings at bay.  It always bothered him when he had to
watch needless suffering, all because of someone's selfishness, or
carelessness, or plain misfortune.  But he'd always been able to keep up the
Superhero facade.  Superman was a kind man, but not an emotional one.  He
couldn't allow himself to appear soft; he still had to keep the criminal
element under control.  Yet, he couldn't be intimidating.  The last thing he
wanted to do was scare people.  Or hurt them.

But this time...  it was as if someone else had taken over his brain.  The
fire was small, he'd gotten there early.  But he'd not gotten there early
enough to save the people who'd been inside the warehouse the fear of
thinking they could die.  And when he saw the criminals... two kids barely
old enough to drive... He'd gotten so *angry.*

He tried to control it.  He thought he had done well, handing over the
little
punks to the cops.  They'd protested, of course, but Clark had said nothing.
But when the situation was under control, and he was about to fly away, he'd
looked back.  The younger of the two boys was looking at him with tears in
his eyes.  Not tears of regret, or even tears of fear.  He was looking at
Superman with tears of pain in his eyes.

It was then that Clark noticed the young man holding his arm.  He was
messaging in gently, either rubbing the feeling back into it...or rubbing
the
pain out.  And when the cop brought the young man's arms around to handcuff
him, Clark saw the bruises.  Big purple splotches circling his upper arms,
the shape and size of Clark's fingers.

He'd hurt someone.  He'd actually hurt someone; something he had sworn he'd
never do.  A *child* no less.

Sure, people had been accidently hurt during rescues, times when Superman
had
to move fast and risk injury, or risk death by being too slow.  But never
had
he hurt someone when it could've been avoided.  He'd never been so careless
and unfeeling before.

He'd never been so vengeful before.

Now, looking back, it left him cold.  Superman had become something Clark
never thought he'd be:  a monster.  He had abused his strength, and hurt a
child in the process.  He'd been neglegent and irresponsible.  He'd been
thoughtless and brutal.  He had become that fearsome invader whom Trask had
feared and hated.

And he'd never even seen it coming.

So, Clark flew.  He soared to the clouds, high enough not to be seen by the
people below, and looked down.  He followed the streets and highways, passed
the sleepy towns of Kansas where the people he'd grown up with lived their
simple country lives.  He passed the bright lights of the cities, where
people rushed around on cell phones, forever late for their next
appointment.
 He saw the buildings and the houses.  The homes of families who asked
nothing but to raise their children safely and to see them grow into happy
and healthy adults.

What damage he could do here, Clark realized.  He'd never considered there
would be a time when he could actually hurt someone, but now he feared
himself, feared what he was capable of.  He hadn't known what he was doing
when he'd bruised the young boy, but he'd obviously been so unaware of his
own power that he'd gotten carried away.  It wouldn't have happened if he
hadn't gotten so angry.

His anger at the boys had long since faded and disappeared, but as Clark
flew, he was once again flooded with the emotion, this time directed at
himself.  He'd come to Metropolis to help, he thought, but instead he'd
become a threat.  He would have to be extra careful from now on.  People
trusted Superman, and took for granted that he would never do them harm.
*He* had taken it for granted that they had given him this trust, this
strange visitor.  He'd become comfortable, too comfortable, with allowing
himself to believe he was one of them, just an overgrown farmboy forging a
life and a future for himself in the city.

But he wasn't one of them.  He could never truly be one of them.  And he
couldn't afford to forget that.

*****
(To be continued in Part 4)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 08:47:45 -0800
Reply-To:     creolel@ca.freei.net
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori Llorence <creolel@CA.FREEI.NET>
Subject:      Re: New FANFIC: Wednesday's Child (intro's 2nd half)
Comments: To: Anne Gallagher <aggie918@YAHOO.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Oh this has intrigued me!!  You have to give us more!  Don't leave us
hanging like this!! :-)  But seriously, this is a very interesting start to
a story that I'm sure will turn out to be great!!  I can't wait to read
more!

Lori

-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Gallagher [mailto:aggie918@YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 10:44 AM
To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net
Subject: New FANFIC: Wednesday's Child (intro's 2nd half)

Wednesday's Child intro continued

But now........

There was a timid knock at the door.  "Lois? Are you ok in there?" Lois took
one last look at her tired face and finding her voice replied, " Yeah, Luce.
Come in."

Lucy's blonde head peeked through, opening the door wider she stepped into
the bathroom.  " Hey,"  she said softly, touching her arm, "what'd it say?"

And Lois felt her resolve break as the tears came back.  She held up the
cheap plastic wand for Lucy to see.

" I'm pregnant."

To be continued.....
*********************************************************************
Sorry for the odd posting style.  This is my first time posting here (and my
first fanfic) so I made a few mistakes with posting. Constructive Criticism
Welcome!
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 09:14:12 -0800
Reply-To:     creolel@ca.freei.net
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori Llorence <creolel@CA.FREEI.NET>
Subject:      Re: L&C&J&J (2/?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Felix,

I am loving this!  Please keep it coming!

Lori

-----Original Message-----
From: Felix E. Sung > [mailto: <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 4:56 AM
To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net
Subject: NEW: L&C&J&J (2/?)

(Lois & Clark & John & Joan, Part 2)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 09:31:17 -0800
Reply-To:     creolel@ca.freei.net
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori Llorence <creolel@CA.FREEI.NET>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 3
Comments: To: Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Rose,
This is such a great start!  I can't wait to see where you are going with
this!  You've written Clark's emotions so well, that I could almost feel
what he was going through!  Well done!  Keep it coming!
Lori

-----Original Message-----
From: Rose Cookson [mailto:Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 12:18 AM
To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net
Subject: A Lie of the Mind- Part 3

Jimmy was hunched over Clark's keyboard when Lois and Clark returned from
VuCom.  He was typing rapidly and muttering to himself, squinting at the
screen to read the words that came up on the website.  "Man, now I know why
you need glasses," Jimmy muttered when Clark approached.  "These screens are
terrible.  Not that these websites make it any better... black print on a
dark blue background.  When will these people learn?"

Clark stood at the edge of his desk, his eyebrow raised questioningly.  When
Jimmy didn't take notice, Clark cleared his throat.

"Oh!  CK!  I'm sorry.  My computer crashed a little while ago, and I figured
you wouldn't mind if I used yours for a while.  I got the list of clients
you
wanted," Jimmy stammered, quickly moving out of Clark's way.

"Great," Clark said.  "Thanks, Jimmy."

"But it doesn't make much sense, Clark.  Not all of the credit unions are
clients of VuCom.  In fact, only about 20 of them are.  The others are
clients of Tronitech, Diversified Data, Datamail, and Fiserv Data."

"So, whomever is doing this couldn't have been getting their information
through a COM service," Clark concluded.

"I don't see how they could have been," Jimmy said, thrusting a small stack
of papers into Clark's hands.  "But here's the list.  I've got to get out of
here.  I've got a date with Brenda tonight."

"Have fun," Clark called to him, as he reclaimed his desk space.  VuCom's
website was still up on the computer screen, and Clark leaned in close to
read it.  Jimmy was right.  Even with Clark's supervision, reading the
website was a challenge.

He switched his monitor off and crossed the short distance to Lois' desk in
a
few paces.  He handed Lois the list that Jimmy had given him, and settled
onto his usual spot on the edge of the desk.

"I heard," Lois said, before Clark could explain to her what it was.  "But I
don't buy it.  There has to be a way that all of these credit unions are
connected.  Which means that there is a way that these COM services are
connected.  How else could it have happened?"

But Clark wasn't listening anymore.  His head was cocked to one side in a
way
that Lois recognized immediately.  Somewhere in Metropolis, Superman was
needed.

"Go," Lois ordered.  "I'll stick around here and see if I can find anything
that Jimmy missed.  You be careful, okay?"

Clark bent and kissed Lois quickly on the lips before moving swiftly out of
the news room, pulling on his tie.  Lois pulled her chair in closer to her
desk, and fired up her computer.  She'd start by finding out as much as she
could about all of these COM services.  There had to be something more to it
than what Jimmy had found; something that linked these places together.

Lois allowed herself a lingering glance at the picture of Clark that sat
next
to her computer, before setting to work.

*****

Clark flew slowly home.  It had gotten dark outside, and he knew Lois would
be wondering where he was.  He'd finished at the warehouse, caught the punks
who had started the fire- they were just kids, two teenagers looking to
start
trouble.  It hadn't taken long at all to extinguish the fire, see that
everyone was safe, and turn the arsonists over to the police.

But he hadn't been ready to go home.  Not just yet.

Instead, he flew as quickly as he could to Smallville.  His parents would be
home, he knew, but he didn't really want to talk to them.  He kept his
distance from the house, knowing that if his parents caught sight of him,
they'd ask questions, and he couldn't handle answering questions.  He needed
to think.  And so he went to the one place he always used to go to think.

The Fortress of Solitude was smaller than he remembered it being, and in far
worse condition.  The floorboards were worn and uneven, and the walls were
full of knotholes.  A small table stood in the center, warped and stained by
the years of rain that had leaked through the gaps in the wood and abused
it.
In the corner was a small self filled with mason jars he had used to catch
bugs when he was a boy.  Now they were covered with cobwebs.  Clark sat on
the floor of the dingy room, letting his blue-clad legs and red boots dangle
out of the door.  He was too tall to sit at the table, or do anything more
than crouch in the tiny space.

He wrapped his cape around his chest and closed his eyes.  He couldn't help
but think about the warehouse fire.  He'd caught the criminals, and everyone
was safe, but...  Something had come over him.

He didn't know how to explain it.  He'd been in situations like that a
hundred times before, he'd saved more people than he could count.  He tried
so hard to keep his feelings at bay.  It always bothered him when he had to
watch needless suffering, all because of someone's selfishness, or
carelessness, or plain misfortune.  But he'd always been able to keep up the
Superhero facade.  Superman was a kind man, but not an emotional one.  He
couldn't allow himself to appear soft; he still had to keep the criminal
element under control.  Yet, he couldn't be intimidating.  The last thing he
wanted to do was scare people.  Or hurt them.

But this time...  it was as if someone else had taken over his brain.  The
fire was small, he'd gotten there early.  But he'd not gotten there early
enough to save the people who'd been inside the warehouse the fear of
thinking they could die.  And when he saw the criminals... two kids barely
old enough to drive... He'd gotten so *angry.*

He tried to control it.  He thought he had done well, handing over the
little
punks to the cops.  They'd protested, of course, but Clark had said nothing.
But when the situation was under control, and he was about to fly away, he'd
looked back.  The younger of the two boys was looking at him with tears in
his eyes.  Not tears of regret, or even tears of fear.  He was looking at
Superman with tears of pain in his eyes.

It was then that Clark noticed the young man holding his arm.  He was
messaging in gently, either rubbing the feeling back into it...or rubbing
the
pain out.  And when the cop brought the young man's arms around to handcuff
him, Clark saw the bruises.  Big purple splotches circling his upper arms,
the shape and size of Clark's fingers.

He'd hurt someone.  He'd actually hurt someone; something he had sworn he'd
never do.  A *child* no less.

Sure, people had been accidently hurt during rescues, times when Superman
had
to move fast and risk injury, or risk death by being too slow.  But never
had
he hurt someone when it could've been avoided.  He'd never been so careless
and unfeeling before.

He'd never been so vengeful before.

Now, looking back, it left him cold.  Superman had become something Clark
never thought he'd be:  a monster.  He had abused his strength, and hurt a
child in the process.  He'd been neglegent and irresponsible.  He'd been
thoughtless and brutal.  He had become that fearsome invader whom Trask had
feared and hated.

And he'd never even seen it coming.

So, Clark flew.  He soared to the clouds, high enough not to be seen by the
people below, and looked down.  He followed the streets and highways, passed
the sleepy towns of Kansas where the people he'd grown up with lived their
simple country lives.  He passed the bright lights of the cities, where
people rushed around on cell phones, forever late for their next
appointment.
 He saw the buildings and the houses.  The homes of families who asked
nothing but to raise their children safely and to see them grow into happy
and healthy adults.

What damage he could do here, Clark realized.  He'd never considered there
would be a time when he could actually hurt someone, but now he feared
himself, feared what he was capable of.  He hadn't known what he was doing
when he'd bruised the young boy, but he'd obviously been so unaware of his
own power that he'd gotten carried away.  It wouldn't have happened if he
hadn't gotten so angry.

His anger at the boys had long since faded and disappeared, but as Clark
flew, he was once again flooded with the emotion, this time directed at
himself.  He'd come to Metropolis to help, he thought, but instead he'd
become a threat.  He would have to be extra careful from now on.  People
trusted Superman, and took for granted that he would never do them harm.
*He* had taken it for granted that they had given him this trust, this
strange visitor.  He'd become comfortable, too comfortable, with allowing
himself to believe he was one of them, just an overgrown farmboy forging a
life and a future for himself in the city.

But he wasn't one of them.  He could never truly be one of them.  And he
couldn't afford to forget that.

*****
(To be continued in Part 4)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 14:55:14 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kathybrown91@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 3

I agree ... good stuff.   I liked how Perry gave L&C some time to be
affectionate in Part 2, then he yelled at them for doing the same. <g>  I
think that's a good bet on how Perry thought during the show!

Keep the parts coming.

Kathy
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 15:05:12 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:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 4
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Lois was asleep when Clark returned to the house.  He floated upstairs to
the
bedroom so as not to disturb her, listening to the soft sound of her
heartbeat the whole way.  It had become a comfort for him, Lois' heartbeat,
and he had taken to listening to it whenever he needed solace.

In the bedroom, Lois was curled up in bed, sleeping peacefully, with one arm
thrown over his side of the bed.  She looked so small and fragile when she
slept, so unlike when she was awake and acting the part of a hard-bitten
newswoman.  When she slept, Lois' true nature shined through.  She really
was
this gentle, loving human being whom she'd hidden from the world for so
long.
 But somehow, Clark had gotten through that, broken through the Fort Knox
security walls she'd built around her heart, and for that he was rewarded
with the love of the most gentle, caring, generous woman he had ever known.

Clark knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.  The memory of what had happened
this evening was still fresh in his mind.  Part of him was afraid to slip
into bed next to Lois because he might inadvertantly hurt her.  He would
never be able to forgive himself if he ever hurt Lois.  He'd rather die than
do her harm.

So, he stayed awake, sitting cross-legged in the air, watching the rise and
fall of Lois' chest as she breathed.  He listened to the steady rhythm of
her
heart as it beat.  Every so often, her eyelids would flutter, and Clark held
his own breath until he was sure she was sleeping peacefully.

Finally, unwilling to get to near to Lois, Clark stretched out in the air.
He layed there, watching her sleep, until he could finally feel the weight
of
his own exhaustion pulling him into oblivion.

*****

She was there again.  Standing in the bedroom with her bags packed.  She was
leaving him.  Telling him she couldn't be with him anymore.  Telling him
that
she didn't love him.  Telling him that she never had.

He begged her not to go, asked her why she would want to.  He'd thought
they'd been in love.  They'd only been married for a few months, but they'd
been the most wonderful and perfect months of his life.  He was unwilling to
give that up.

But she was turning to leave, her face grim.

He reached for her, grabbing her wrist, pulling her back to him.  "Please,
Lois," he begged.  "Please tell me what's going on.  We can fix this, I know
we can."

But she wouldn't talk.  She only stared back at him, her eyes cold and
loveless.  Clark felt something inside of him die.

And felt something else come to life.

The room began to spin, teeter uncontrollably.  Lois' screams echoed in the
air, and everything turned red.  He couldn't see anymore, couldn't feel
anything but blind rage.

And somewhere underneath it- panic.

"Lois!!!"

*****

BAM!

Clark's large muscular body fell to the floor beside the bed.  Lois shot
upright in bed, suddenly awake from the sound of her husband's distress.

There it was again.  That helpless cry.

Lois scrambled out of bed and crawled next to her husband on the floor, who
was struggling to emerge from his nightmare.  She did the best she could to
pull his strong body into her small, though warm, embrace.     He was
trembling like a leaf.

"Clark, honey, I'm here," Lois whispered to him, smoothing his hair, kissing
his forehead.  "Honey, talk to me," she urged.

Slowly, Clark began to relax in her arms.  He was lying half on her lap,
half
on the floor, unable to get up.  His heart was pounding loudly, and he
struggled to catch his breath.  Lois' heart caught in her throat.  Never
before had she seen her husband looking so sad and frightened.  She wanted
desperately for him to tell her what was bothering him so she could do
battle
with his demons, make them go away and leave Clark in peace.

But Clark pulled away.  He wouldn't even look at her.

Frantically, Clark struggled to get up.  He disentangled himself from Lois'
arms, and crawled away from her.  He couldn't be near her.  He knew that
now.
 If he got too close to her, allowed himself to touch her, that thing inside
of him might come alive again.  He might hurt her.  Just like he'd hurt that
boy.  Only worse.

He was a horrible person.  A monster.  Only a monster could do what he'd
done.  And only a monster could think of, even dream of, hurting Lois.  He
couldn't stay in this room with her.  He had to leave.

"Clark!"  Lois reached for him as he pulled away, but he broke away from
her.
 "Clark, we have to talk about this.  Please."

But Clark couldn't talk to her about it.  What would she think if she knew?

"I'm sorry, Lois.  I'm so sorry," was all Clark said before he took off.

Lois sat miserably on the floor, staring at the spot where Clark had been
lying only a moment ago, and cried.

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 21:26:17 +0100
Reply-To:     "yconnell@ukf.net" <yconnell@ukf.net>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         yconnell <yconnell@UKF.NET>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 4
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Rose, you're killing me!  I need more of this - now! :)

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

Loved the scene with Clark gazing down at Lois while she slept - very
touching, and very Clark.  It's also very Clark to bottle everything up and
not tell Lois what's going on - but make him tell her soon, please?  Pretty
please?  She can't stand this, and neither can I!

Yvonne
(yconnell@ukf.net)
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:23:19 -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:         Kathy Brown <kathybrown91@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 4

On Thu, 30 Mar 2000 21:26:17 +0100, yconnell <yconnell@UKF.NET> wrote:

>Rose, you're killing me!  I need more of this - now! :)

I know ... if she keeps posting parts this short, I'm going to have to stop
reading daily, and wait until a couple of them build up.  Part 4 was so
short, it was cruel. <bg>

Kathy
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:28:02 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: A Lie of the Mind- Part 4
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In a message dated 3/30/00 8:23:57 PM Pacific Standard Time,
kathybrown91@HOME.COM writes:

<< >Rose, you're killing me!  I need more of this - now! :)

 I know ... if she keeps posting parts this short, I'm going to have to stop
 reading daily, and wait until a couple of them build up.  Part 4 was so
 short, it was cruel. <bg> >>

Well, I wouldn't want to be cruel... Part 5, coming right up! ;-)

Rose
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:28:48 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:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 5
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Lois walked into the news room slowly, her eyes red from crying.  She was
more than worried about Clark.  She was terrified.  He'd been reluctant to
tell her things in the past, due to some mixed up notion that he was
protecting her from pain.  But never before had he run away from her.

She couldn't think of why he would do that.  They'd been through the worst
together.  He'd seen all the worst parts of her, and she had seen his as
well.  But they had never given up on each other.  "Being with you is
stronger than me alone," he'd once told her.  That's what made their love so
special, Lois had thought.  They held onto each other for strength, and
together, there was nothing they couldn't conquer.

Until now.

Lois searched the news room for Clark, but he wasn't there.  He had been,
though.  His jacket hung neatly on the back of his desk chair, and his
computer was left on.

Maybe Superman was needed.  Lois silently reprimanded herself for hoping
there had been some emergency where Superman's help was essential.  She just
hoped he wasn't avoiding her.  But after this morning, she was pretty sure
he
was.

She made her way to her desk, and set down her belongings, wondering where
she should start today.  The last thing she wanted to think about was her
story, but she supposed she had to.  She looked around for Jimmy.  Usually
Jimmy would've found her by now, came to her desk to say good morning.  But
Lois was surprised to find Jimmy slouching at his own desk, staring numbly
at
a blank computer screen.

"Something must be going around," Lois muttered to herself.  "Everyone's
miserable today."  Lois approached Jimmy's desk, and waved her hand in front
of his face to get his attention.  "Earth to Jimmy.  Come in, Jimmy."

"Huh?  Oh, hey Lois," Jimmy said, not really looking at her.

Lois frowned.  This was really unlike Jimmy to be so down.  He was usually a
very optimistic person, even when things were at her worst.  But then,
nothing should surprise her today.  She pulled up a chair next to Jimmy.

"Hey... are you feeling okay?" she asked him.

Silence.

"Jimmy, if there is something wrong, you can talk to me about it."

Silence.

Lois covered Jimmy's hand with her own.  Jimmy flinched.

"Jimmy--"

"No offence, Lois, but I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"

Lois was taken aback.  It was bad enough that Clark was hiding his feelings
from her, but to be rebuffed by Jimmy too... It was too much.

"Fine," Lois said, pushing away from him.  "Fine."

Lois stormed back to her desk, and sat down hard on the chair.  She switched
on the computer, determined to get at least *something* done today, even if
everyone else around her was going to sit around and mope.  But once the
computer was started up and ready, she found herself right back where she'd
begun.  She didn't know what to do.

But it wasn't long before Clark returned, hurrying past her chair.  He hoped
that Lois wouldn't notice his return; that she'd be so focused on the story
that he wouldn't have to face her.  He knew she was upset about this
morning,
and when he thought about it honestly, he couldn't blame her.  But she'd be
much more upset if she knew what he had been thinking about, how he'd been
feeling.

He was torn.  He knew she hated it when he kept stuff from her.  He knew
that
married couples weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other.  But he
also knew that he was a dangerous person.  He was capable of hurting anyone,
and apparently of doing so at any time.  He was afraid to be near Lois,
especially *alone* with Lois, if he didn't have to be.  And he was afraid
that she would never want to be with him again, if she knew.   So he hurried
past her, wishing to be invisible.

No such luck.

Lois shot out of her chair the second Clark got near her.  She grabbed his
arm and steered him quickly into the conference room.

"Alright, Kent, out with it."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Clark, I'm in no mood for it.  I've been worried
sick about you all morning.  You left with no explanation as to what was
going on.  These dreams you've been having are bad, really bad.  I don't
know
what they are about, but whatever they're about, their bad enough to terrify
you.  I've never seen you so upset, Clark!  It even made you fall from
floating-"

"Could you say that a little louder please?"

"Don't interrupt me, or I will!" Lois shot back.  She froze for a second.
"Clark, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," Clark said testily.

Lois' eyes shined with tears.  She sank down onto one of the chairs, and
looked up at Clark desperately.  "Please, Clark.  I love you so much.  And I
want to help you, but I don't know how.  I can't help unless you tell me
what's going on.  Don't shut me out like this."

"You can't help," he said flatly.  He immediately regretted it.  Lois
crumbled, dissolved into helpless tears.

Clark silently reprimanded himself.  He had tried to avoid upsetting her,
instead he made her cry.  He swore he'd never make her cry.  He promised
himself that he would protect her from this, that he'd never allow anything
bad to get near her.  But suddenly *he* was that bad thing.  How was he
supposed to protect her from himself?

He didn't want to have to tell her about these dreams.  How was he supposed
to tell her that he'd been... beating her... in his dreams every night?  How
would she feel knowing she was sleeping next to a ticking bomb?  How could
she love someone who could hurt her?

She wouldn't.

But if he didn't tell her...  Clark reached out to Lois, put a comforting
hand on her shoulder.  She'd been holding her head in her hands, but at his
touch, she looked up suddenly, a whole new expression on her tear-stained
face.

"Fine," Lois said.  "If you don't want to tell me, I can respect that.  You
don't have to tell me.  In fact, you probably shouldn't tell me.  It would
only upset me, right?"

"Lois..."

"No, really, it's alright," Lois set her jaw.  She looked grim.  "Look, I'm
gonna get back to work."  Lois turned to leave.

Suddenly, Clark couldn't breathe.  What breath came, came in short bursts.
His chest tightened, the room was spinning.

"Dammit, Lois!"  Clark shouted.  Before he could think, before he could stop
himself, Clark picked up a stapler from the table and threw it.

Lois didn't have time to dodge it.  It flew past her shoulder, narrowly
missing her.  They stood in stunned silence for several minutes, staring at
each other.  Finally, Lois spoke.

"Clark, what's happening to you?"  She wished she could hold him.  He looked
like a frightened rabbit, and she knew if she approached, he'd run.
"Please,
Clark.  Tell me what's happening to you.  I love you-"

With a strangled cry, Clark flew out the conference room window, not
bothering to change into Superman, not caring if he was seen.

For the second time that day, Lois could only sit and cry.

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 00:45:15 -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:         Anne Gallagher <aggie918@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      HELP! Posting problems

For some reason I can not seem to get fifteen minutes into a story (about 2
or three paragraphs into a story due to my nonexisting typing skills)
without my "authentification ticket" expiring. No problem, I go sign in
again and pick up where I left off. 15 minutes go by, I type 2 or three more
paragraphs, I click send (since I figure I'll need to login again) and I do.
When I get back to my story instead of having 5 or 6 paragraphs I only have
the first 2 or 3.
Is there any way I can get around this? there is no way I can post a whole
story in 15 minutes.

Please help,
Anne
=========================================================================
Date:         Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:52:18 PST
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         "StarKitty :)" <starkitty__@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 5
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Yikes!  Clark's having a bad time of it, isn't he?  You're not going to keep
us in suspense for long, are you?  I don't know if I can stand it if you do!

I love this story, by the way.  I've just managed to catch up with a backlog
of email or I'd've responded to the previous 4 parts :)  This is great!

Tara

>From: Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
>Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
>    <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
>To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
>Subject: A Lie of the Mind- Part 5
>Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 23:28:48 EST
>
>Lois walked into the news room slowly, her eyes red from crying.  She was
>more than worried about Clark.  She was terrified.  He'd been reluctant to
>tell her things in the past, due to some mixed up notion that he was
>protecting her from pain.  But never before had he run away from her.
>
>She couldn't think of why he would do that.  They'd been through the worst
>together.  He'd seen all the worst parts of her, and she had seen his as
>well.  But they had never given up on each other.  "Being with you is
>stronger than me alone," he'd once told her.  That's what made their love
>so
>special, Lois had thought.  They held onto each other for strength, and
>together, there was nothing they couldn't conquer.
>
>Until now.
>
>Lois searched the news room for Clark, but he wasn't there.  He had been,
>though.  His jacket hung neatly on the back of his desk chair, and his
>computer was left on.
>
>Maybe Superman was needed.  Lois silently reprimanded herself for hoping
>there had been some emergency where Superman's help was essential.  She
>just
>hoped he wasn't avoiding her.  But after this morning, she was pretty sure
>he
>was.
>
>She made her way to her desk, and set down her belongings, wondering where
>she should start today.  The last thing she wanted to think about was her
>story, but she supposed she had to.  She looked around for Jimmy.  Usually
>Jimmy would've found her by now, came to her desk to say good morning.  But
>Lois was surprised to find Jimmy slouching at his own desk, staring numbly
>at
>a blank computer screen.
>
>"Something must be going around," Lois muttered to herself.  "Everyone's
>miserable today."  Lois approached Jimmy's desk, and waved her hand in
>front
>of his face to get his attention.  "Earth to Jimmy.  Come in, Jimmy."
>
>"Huh?  Oh, hey Lois," Jimmy said, not really looking at her.
>
>Lois frowned.  This was really unlike Jimmy to be so down.  He was usually
>a
>very optimistic person, even when things were at her worst.  But then,
>nothing should surprise her today.  She pulled up a chair next to Jimmy.
>
>"Hey... are you feeling okay?" she asked him.
>
>Silence.
>
>"Jimmy, if there is something wrong, you can talk to me about it."
>
>Silence.
>
>Lois covered Jimmy's hand with her own.  Jimmy flinched.
>
>"Jimmy--"
>
>"No offence, Lois, but I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"
>
>Lois was taken aback.  It was bad enough that Clark was hiding his feelings
>from her, but to be rebuffed by Jimmy too... It was too much.
>
>"Fine," Lois said, pushing away from him.  "Fine."
>
>Lois stormed back to her desk, and sat down hard on the chair.  She
>switched
>on the computer, determined to get at least *something* done today, even if
>everyone else around her was going to sit around and mope.  But once the
>computer was started up and ready, she found herself right back where she'd
>begun.  She didn't know what to do.
>
>But it wasn't long before Clark returned, hurrying past her chair.  He
>hoped
>that Lois wouldn't notice his return; that she'd be so focused on the story
>that he wouldn't have to face her.  He knew she was upset about this
>morning,
>and when he thought about it honestly, he couldn't blame her.  But she'd be
>much more upset if she knew what he had been thinking about, how he'd been
>feeling.
>
>He was torn.  He knew she hated it when he kept stuff from her.  He knew
>that
>married couples weren't supposed to keep secrets from each other.  But he
>also knew that he was a dangerous person.  He was capable of hurting
>anyone,
>and apparently of doing so at any time.  He was afraid to be near Lois,
>especially *alone* with Lois, if he didn't have to be.  And he was afraid
>that she would never want to be with him again, if she knew.   So he
>hurried
>past her, wishing to be invisible.
>
>No such luck.
>
>Lois shot out of her chair the second Clark got near her.  She grabbed his
>arm and steered him quickly into the conference room.
>
>"Alright, Kent, out with it."
>
>"What?"
>
>"Don't play dumb with me, Clark, I'm in no mood for it.  I've been worried
>sick about you all morning.  You left with no explanation as to what was
>going on.  These dreams you've been having are bad, really bad.  I don't
>know
>what they are about, but whatever they're about, their bad enough to
>terrify
>you.  I've never seen you so upset, Clark!  It even made you fall from
>floating-"
>
>"Could you say that a little louder please?"
>
>"Don't interrupt me, or I will!" Lois shot back.  She froze for a second.
>"Clark, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean-"
>
>"I know what you meant," Clark said testily.
>
>Lois' eyes shined with tears.  She sank down onto one of the chairs, and
>looked up at Clark desperately.  "Please, Clark.  I love you so much.  And
>I
>want to help you, but I don't know how.  I can't help unless you tell me
>what's going on.  Don't shut me out like this."
>
>"You can't help," he said flatly.  He immediately regretted it.  Lois
>crumbled, dissolved into helpless tears.
>
>Clark silently reprimanded himself.  He had tried to avoid upsetting her,
>instead he made her cry.  He swore he'd never make her cry.  He promised
>himself that he would protect her from this, that he'd never allow anything
>bad to get near her.  But suddenly *he* was that bad thing.  How was he
>supposed to protect her from himself?
>
>He didn't want to have to tell her about these dreams.  How was he supposed
>to tell her that he'd been... beating her... in his dreams every night?
>How
>would she feel knowing she was sleeping next to a ticking bomb?  How could
>she love someone who could hurt her?
>
>She wouldn't.
>
>But if he didn't tell her...  Clark reached out to Lois, put a comforting
>hand on her shoulder.  She'd been holding her head in her hands, but at his
>touch, she looked up suddenly, a whole new expression on her tear-stained
>face.
>
>"Fine," Lois said.  "If you don't want to tell me, I can respect that.  You
>don't have to tell me.  In fact, you probably shouldn't tell me.  It would
>only upset me, right?"
>
>"Lois..."
>
>"No, really, it's alright," Lois set her jaw.  She looked grim.  "Look, I'm
>gonna get back to work."  Lois turned to leave.
>
>Suddenly, Clark couldn't breathe.  What breath came, came in short bursts.
>His chest tightened, the room was spinning.
>
>"Dammit, Lois!"  Clark shouted.  Before he could think, before he could
>stop
>himself, Clark picked up a stapler from the table and threw it.
>
>Lois didn't have time to dodge it.  It flew past her shoulder, narrowly
>missing her.  They stood in stunned silence for several minutes, staring at
>each other.  Finally, Lois spoke.
>
>"Clark, what's happening to you?"  She wished she could hold him.  He
>looked
>like a frightened rabbit, and she knew if she approached, he'd run.
>"Please,
>Clark.  Tell me what's happening to you.  I love you-"
>
>With a strangled cry, Clark flew out the conference room window, not
>bothering to change into Superman, not caring if he was seen.
>
>For the second time that day, Lois could only sit and cry.
>
>*****

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 07:13:01 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: HELP! Posting problems
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In a message dated 3/31/00 12:45:35 AM Eastern Standard Time,
aggie918@YAHOO.COM writes:

<< For some reason I can not seem to get fifteen minutes into a story (about
2 or three paragraphs into a story due to my nonexisting typing skills)
without my "authentification ticket" expiring.
 Is there any way I can get around this? there is no way I can post a whole
story in 15 minutes. >>

Try typing your story in your word processing program, then highlight it,
copy it and paste it into your e-mail.  Don't save it before pasting,
though,
because sometimes that causes formatting problems.  Also, try to avoid
hitting return at the end of each line, because that also can cause
formatting problems.  Do hit return twice at the end of each paragraph.

Hope this helps.

Ann
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 08:03:01 -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:         Yvonne Connell <yconnell@UKF.NET>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 5

Well, Rose, thanks for posting Part 5 so quickly, but you didn't make
things any better - you made them worse!  Arrgh!  We need more again,
please :)
S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

You've really got the characterisation spot on, you know.  Clark knows he
should share, he even wants to share his problems, but how can he possibly
tell her the awful truth?  Of course, Lois would understand if he did tell
her, but he can't see that right now.

I'm guessing whatever's affecting Clark is beginning to affect Jimmy too,
right?

Oh, this is good!

Yvonne
(yconnell@ukf.net)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 07:44:38 -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:      New-7 Days of Superman Part 7
Comments: To: 7d <in-the-sphere@onelist.com>,
          7days FanFic <7DaysFic@onelist.com>,
          BackStep Fiction <Backstep-7Days@onelist.com>,
          Tad Flowers <tflowers@lrs.com>, Marc Gartin <mgartin1@juno.com>,
          Dave and Debbie Harrison <ddharson@aol.com>,
          Backstep Operation <OperationBackstep@onelist.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:Seven Days of Superman

Author/pseudonym:Mr. D8A

Fandom:Seven Days/Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of
Superman

Rating:PG-13

Status: PART 7

Archive: Yes

E-mail address for feedback:mr_d8a@yahoo.com

Series/Sequel: 7 Days/l&c:tTNAOS Crossover

Other websites:BACKGROUND INFORMATION.SEVEN DAYS
(Details supplied by
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/9329/SevenDays

Disclaimers: 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.

Notes: 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)

Summary:Superman fails to stop the nuking of
Washington DC and gets some help from Frank B. Parker
from Operation Backstep.

Part: 7

~ Never-Neverland ~

"SUPER-BRAT!?  You mean that Lois Lane Kent & Superman
had a CHILD TOGETHER?"  The right Tempus slapped both
sides of his face in mock horror.  “What about POOR
CLARK?"

"Duhh!  Clark Kent is Superman.  But you knew that, of
course."

"Of course.  And we have proof -- don't we?"

The TV screen switched to side by side pictures of
Clark Kent and Superman.  Both where pictures of the
men looking to the left.  As the viewer watched, the
pictures were morphed into each other in an unending
loop.  It was obvious to all that both the images were
of the same man with different hairstyles and a pair
of glasses.

As the pictures continued to change back and forth
Tempus started to talk again.

"You see if I just killed him he would have become a
martyr and Utopia could still come about by people
carrying on his ideas.  His half-breed offspring would
still be able to carry out Daddy’s deluded form of
morality thus condemning the future to order and
reason.  By showing that Clark Kent is Superman, I
destroy Superman's character by exhibiting his lying,
deceiving, manipulative side.  The god has fallen off
his throne and he can't get up!  With the death of his
wife and child I will have won!"

The screen faded back to the two of them, a smug look
on both of their faces.  The one on the right looked
at his watch.  "Gee, look at how times flies.  I have
an appointment to see me thirty minutes ago.  Gotta
run.  I wouldn't want to keep me waiting."

The Tempus on the left pulled the small metallic
object from his pocket punched a few buttons on the
side and tossed it to in front of the Tempus on the
right.  It immediately opened as before and the first
Tempus stepped right through.  But before stepping all
the way through Tempus turned around part way and wave
goodbye to everyone giving them a jaded,  "Tah."  He
quickly spun back around and went completely through
the rippling veil.  The time portal then shrunk into
nothingness.  Then there was one.  He turned and
contemplated the camera.  It seemed that he was
looking into the eyes of every viewer.  A mirthless
grin spread across his face.

"Well, I have places to go and people to kill.”  Then
the screen went dark.  Then Tempus' voice was heard
once more.  "I'll be back for the rest of you later.”
He laughed.  It was a cold humorless laugh that
chilled everyone’s spine.  It finally tapered off and
the latest news on the death toll and injured started
to scroll up the screen.

"Turn it off."

+++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, October 8, 1999
3:30pm EST
Metropolis
Star Labs
+++++++++++++++++++++++

Lois’ shoes were still trying to come out her mouth
when Dr. Klein’s assistant, Taylor Winslow, came
through at a full head of steam and showed extreme
agility by not killing himself on the chair in front
of the door.  Ivan startled, then realized who it was.
 He flashed a toothy grin and waved at the young man.
Taylor loved to play with Lois and Clark’s adopted son
during the rare times when they brought Ivan with
them.  Taylor took the whole office in and not finding
whom he was looking for turned breathlessly to Ivan.

“Say…where… is… Dr….Klein….or…your…Mommy?”

“Hi MISter TAYlor!  Mommy’s tummy was feelin’ sick so
she went to fro up in the baffroom.  DoC-TOR Klein
went to get her sompting to eat.  Did you know that
tummies can get sick without you being sick?  Why are
you breathin’ so hard?  Maybe you need to essorzize.
My Mommy sez…”

Taylor finally had caught his breath.  “I’m sure your
Mommy runs everyday.  I was running really fast.  Yes,
I guess your tummy can get upset even when you’re not
actually sick.”  **I can’t leave him here by himself!
Someone might try and take him.  ** He looked around
and decided on what to do.

“Ivan, do you know how to play hide and seek?”

“Da.”

“I want you to play a special kind of hide and seek.
I want you to hide underneath Dr. Klein’s desk and
hide from everyone but Mommy, Dr. Klein or myself.  If
anyone else comes in be very quiet and don’t move or
they might find you.  Then the game would be over.
Okay?  Do you understand?”

“Da!  I hide from everyone but Mommy, DoC-TOR Klein or
you.”

“Good boy!  I be right back.”

~*~

Taylor was about to knock on the nearest Ladies room
when Dr. Klein came around the corner.  He was
carrying an apple and some fruit bars and had the most
flustered look on his face.  He finally noticed Taylor
just before mowing him down.

“Whoa there Doc.  I take it that Ms. Lane is in here?”
 A horrid retching sound emanated from the room,
confirming Taylor’s assumption.

“Uh yes.  Could you stand guard while I go in and give
her this to eat?”

“What’s wrong with her?  Did she see what was on the
screen?”

“Yes!  It upset her terribly.”

“I’m sure it would.”

“What a terrible way to learn how Superman died!”

More sounds come forth from the bathroom.  Dr. Klein
temporarily remembered his current mission and headed
for the door once more.

“You mean her husband, don’t you?”

Dr. Klein stopped dead in his tracks and turned a pale
shade of gray.  He looked back at his assistant with
inquiring eyebrows.

“That Tempus guy.  Didn’t you see he show how Clark
Kent and Superman are the same person?

Dr. Klein shook his head.

“Man, everyone in the free world was just informed
that Clark Kent is Superman!  But for a time traveler
he didn’t have all his facts straight.”

“What do you mean?”

More retching.

“Hold that thought till I get Lois this food?

Dr. Klein barged through the door to the ladies room
and several minutes later trailed behind a very pale
but determined Lois Lane.  She turned straight away to
Taylor and demanded an explanation.

“I think we should collect Ivan and go someplace safer
before we say anymore.  This place won’t be safe very
soon!”

“WAIT!  Before we go anywhere I want some basic facts.
 What else did Tempus say and why is this place going
to become unsafe?”  Then a thought struck Lois.  “Has
the jet stream moved?”

Taylor gave into the fact that they weren’t getting
anywhere without spending valuable time bringing Ms.
Lane up to speed.

“No, it hasn’t shifted.  But after what Tempus showed
everyone no place is really safe for you.”

“WHAT DID HE DO!”  Lois’ color had rapidly returned to
normal and threatened to match her burgundy outfit.

“He showed that your husband and Superman are the same
person.”

“He’s tried that before!”

“Trust me it was very convincing.  But, like I was
telling Bernie, if he is a time traveler he doesn’t
have all the facts entirely straight.  He said that he
was going to kill you and your super-son.  Don’t you
think he would know that Ivan is not your natural
son?”

“He said son?”

“We’ll he said ‘brat’ but I was trying to be nice.”

“Yes, Tempus is a time traveler.  And yes he does have
his facts straight.  I’m pregnant.”

Taylor let out a low whistle.  “So you’re carrying
Superman’s child.  Cool!”  Taylor realized what he
said, “I sorry for your loss.”

Lois gave him a sarcastic, “Thanks.”  She heaved a big
sigh.  “This is not how this is supposed be.  This is
not the way Mr. Wells said it was going to be.”

“Mr. Wells?”

Dr. Klein grabbed Taylor by the shoulder and looked
him straight in the eye and said,  “Trust me, son.
You don’t want to know.”

=====
Mr. D8a -
Colossians 3:2 - Set your minds on things above not on earthly things.

Go to WWW.FREEWWWEB.COM for the best Free Internet access!

__________________________________________________
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=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 08:26:10 -0800
Reply-To:     creolel@ca.freei.net
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Lori Llorence <creolel@CA.FREEI.NET>
Subject:      Re: A Lie of the Mind- Part 5
Comments: To: Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I cannot believe you stopped at this point!! :-)  I am going crazy here!

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

S
P
A
C
E

You have written Clark so true to character!  It is so like him to want to
protect Lois from the bad and take everything on himself!  If only Clark
would learn that he has the most incredible reporter for a wife, and if he
just told her they could figure it out ...together!  But, I guess if that
were to happen, we wouldn't have great stories like this would we?  :-)  I
am guessing Jimmy is having the same type of problem as Clark, so I hope
they figure this out soon!  Keep it coming Rose!!  You've got me on the edge
of my computer chair!!

Lori (who is checking her e-mail every 2 min for the next installment!!!
:-)

-----Original Message-----
From: Rose Cookson [mailto:Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 12:29 PM
To: creolel@mail.ca.freei.net
Subject: A Lie of the Mind- Part 5
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 14:55:07 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"
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From:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 6
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Clark hurtled himself through the air, up into the clouds.  He finally
remembered to spin into the suit when he reached the stratosphere.  He had
to
get as far away from Metropolis as he possibly could.  But where could he
go?

He was shaking so violently he could barely fly.  He kept landing
periodically to collect himself before taking off again.  He wanted to
scream.  He wanted to cry.  He wanted to fly back to the Planet and beg Lois
to forgive him.  He wanted to make love to her, and tell her that everything
would be alright.

But he couldn't.  He couldn't tell Lois that everything would be alright,
because nothing was alright.  And he didn't know if it ever would be again.

He'd never been a violent person.  He was never the type to get into fights.
In fact, he avoided confrontations whenever possible.  But somehow, he'd
become so angry that he lost control of himself.  He lashed out at the one
person who he loved more than anything in the world.  And he didn't even
know
why.

Before he realized where he'd been heading, Clark found himself standing on
a
familiar doorstep.  His parents weren't home, so he let himself in and
collapsed facedown on the sofa.  Finally, the tears he'd been holding back
for days burst forth, and he sobbed into his mother's old afgan.  He
couldn't
remember the last time he'd cried.

It had probably been when he was a young boy, when his powers first began to
appear.  He always knew he was different from the other boys, but he didn't
realize how different until one day he accidently knocked over his father's
truck.  He was frightened then, and he'd come to his mother for comfort.  At
the age of 30, here he was again, frightened by his powers and looking to
his
mother for comfort.

He didn't know what time it was when his mother woke him up.  He only
remembered her sitting down next to him, holding him, and stroking his hair
while he cried and told her what he'd done.  He told her about his
horrifying
nightmares, and how real they felt to him.  He told her about the young boy
he'd hurt, and about him snapping at Lois in the news room.  And when he was
done, he whispered that he was sorry.

Martha didn't know what to say.  She'd been surprised when she and Jonathan
arrived home and found Clark asleep on the sofa, his face damp with tears,
whimpering miserably.  She'd rubbed his back, just like she used to when he
was a little boy.  He'd leaned on her and choked out his fears between
hiccups.  And when he was finished, she comforted him and told him that
everything would be alright.

After Clark had finally calmed down, Martha helped him upstairs to his
bedroom, where she stayed with him until she made sure he was sleeping.  She
was frightened, but did not want to let onto Clark that she was concerned.
Her boy was more upset than she had ever seen him, and so she provided the
maternal support she knew he needed.  And then she did what she knew Clark
couldn't do himself.

She picked up the phone and dialed Lois' number.

*****

Lois slumped in the conference room chair, her head in her hands, and tears
streaming down her face.  She was frightened, she was hurt, and she was
angry.  She hated feeling so helpless, and hated herself for not knowing
what
to do.  She should be able to help Clark.  He should be able to come to her
with his troubles.  But for some reason, he kept running away from her.

Maybe she was a bad wife.  Clark had hidden stuff from her in the past, in
attempt to spare her the worry, but she'd always been able to get him to
talk
to her.  He'd never run away from her before.  She'd failed him.  Whatever
was going on in Clark's head that was killing him, and she couldn't do
anything to stop it.  She couldn't get through to him.

Finally, Lois sat up in her chair.  Sitting here feeling sorry for herself
was not going to do Clark one bit of good.  She had to find him, face these
demons with him whether he liked it or not.  He couldn't have flown far, in
the condition he was in when he left.  She hoped against hope he'd gone back
to their brownstone.

Lois dragged her sleeve over her eyes, drying the tears that dampened her
cheeks.  Taking a deep breath, she got up and walked out of the conference
room, determined to find her husband.  But no sooner had she stepped out the
conference room door was she stopped by Perry.

"Lois!  There you are!  I found this on Jimmy's desk.  He must have found
this earlier, but with the way he's been acting today, I doubt he told you
or
Clark."

Lois looked impatiently at Perry, wanting to leave, but not daring to cross
her editor.

"Those companies that make the microfiche... VuCom, Tronitech, and all of
them... They are all owned by a national corporation called Anacomp.  They-"

"Thanks, Chief, I'll get right on it."  Lois grabbed the paper out of
Perry's
hand, trying to make a break for it as politely as she could.  It was
getting
harder by the second.

"Now wait a minute, honey.  Are you okay?"  Perry's paternal instincts
kicked
in.  Lois was like a daughter to him, and he knew when she was upset.  Not
that it was hard to figure out.  She looked like she'd been dragged through
the wringer more than once today.  Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Clark
at all today.  Where had that boy gone off to?

Lois sighed heavily, and the tears filled her eyes for what seemed like the
hundredth time that day.  Perry pulled her into his embrace and held her
there for a moment, before pulling away to look her in the eye.

"Did you and Clark get into a fight?" Perry asked her quietly.

"Oh, Perry.  I really can't talk about it right now.  I'm sorry."  Lois
sniffled and rubbed at her eyes.

"You're starting to sound like Jimmy."  Perry tried to smile.  "You promise
to tell me if there is anything I can do?"

Lois nodded weakly and moved toward the elevators.  Perry stayed with her, a
supportive hand on her back, seeing her out of the news room.  But when the
elevator doors opened, they were stopped by Sargent Zimac.

"I'm looking for James Olsen.  Is he here?"

"Jimmy? Yeah, he's right over there." Perry's brow creased with concern, but
he waved the young photographer over to him.  "Jimmy!"

Jimmy walked warily over to where the three of them stood.  "Yes?  Can I
help
you?"

"James Olsen?"  Sargent Zimac addressed Jimmy.  Jimmy nodded.

"Mr. Olsen, you are under arrest for assault and battery."

*****
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 12:57:23 -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:         Melisma <melisma@INTERGATE.BC.CA>
Subject:      Re: OT: Question: Truth or Dare
In-Reply-To:  <8e.2e424de.2610ac88@aol.com>
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Or mebbe its a high school reunion and one of the activities is to pretend
they are high school students again, so they play all the old high school
games :)

Melisma (breathing easier now that Kerths are done and she has time to read
all the OTHER excellent fic laying around her rock, that she was ignoring
in favour of the Kerth nominees - not that these other ones didn't deserve
a nomination either :) - Melisma gets off her soapbox now... )

At 07:22 AM 27/03/2000 EST, you wrote:
>In a message dated 3/27/00 5:12:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>NKWolke@EIFEL-NET.NET writes:
>
><< The only problem is how to bring
> my characters in a situation in which they will feel all back in
Highschool
> again <g>, without getting them drunk.
> take care >>
>
>Maybe Miranda could make a come-back with a different type of spray?  Sort
of
>a cross between Pheromone My Lovely and Seasons Greedings?  Or some new
>villaing with a new spray/
>
>Ann
>
>
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 16:03:03 -0500
Reply-To:     "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
              <LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
From:         Kathy Brown <kathybrown91@HOME.COM>
Subject:      Re: HELP! Posting problems

>Try typing your story in your word processing program, then highlight it,
>copy it and paste it into your e-mail.

I've never heard that saving it will mess up the formatting -- I was going
to
recommend being sure to save it frequently so you don't lose those
paragraphs
if you crash!

I absolutely agree that you should be composing your story in a word
processor instead of trying to write it on-line. That way, you can spell
check, review what you've written, make changes, etc., without having your
unedited draft on-line for all to see.  You can also review your previous
parts when it comes time to make final edits.

When you cut and paste into your email message (or onto the website posting
screen), be sure to limit the size of each part of your story to no more
than
20K.  Large size files can mess up some people's systems (either by taking
too long to download the email, or in the case of AOL users, by having the
email automatically convert the file into an attachment.)

Good luck.

Kathy
kathybrown91@home.com
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 23:08:43 +0100
Reply-To:     "yconnell@ukf.net" <yconnell@ukf.net>
Sender:       "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic"
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From:         yconnell <yconnell@UKF.NET>
Subject:      Re: OT: Question: Truth or Dare
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> Melisma (breathing easier now that Kerths are done and she has time to
read
> all the OTHER excellent fic laying around her rock, that she was ignoring
> in favour of the Kerth nominees - not that these other ones didn't deserve
> a nomination either :) - Melisma gets off her soapbox now... )
>

How do you stand on a soapbox *under* a rock, Mel? <g>

Yvonne
(yconnell@ukf.net)
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 19:58:20 -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:         "Felix E. Sung" <fsung@JUSTICE.LOYOLA.EDU>
Subject:      NEW: L&C&J&J (3/?)

(Lois & Clark & John & Joan, Part 3)

[Metropolis, Daily Planet]
[August 18, 1993]

It was 7:00 on Wednesday morning when Lois arrived at the Planet.  Normally
she would have arrived at 8:00, but she had wanted to do some checking on
the Messenger story.  Most of Tuesday was spent tying up loose ends on the
car theft ring story and attempting yet again to secure an interview with
Lex Luthor -- this time his personal assistant had returned her calls -- but
Lois was able to do some background checking on Dr. Samuel Platt.  What she
had found wasn't pretty.  When she talked to Perry about it later that
afternoon, she wasn't surprised when he didn't want to run the story.  How
did Dr. Samuel Platt know that the Messenger was going to explode?  Was he
even in sound mind when he made that announcement to the entire newsroom?
Now another question nagged Lois: what if Dr. Platt was *right*?

With a sigh, Lois turned to the heap of folders and papers that was sitting
on her desk.  Jimmy had brought her some research on the space program
yesterday, and it was going to take a while to go through everything.  About
an hour later, she was still at her desk, the size of the heap of research
not much smaller than when she had started.  Her coffee had also got cold,
and she was getting a bit sore in places.  God, she's *got* to go back to
her Tae Kwon Do class!

She was so engrossed in her work that she almost didn't hear someone
clearing his throat.  She jerked up, annoyed that she was being interrupted.
 "What?"

Jimmy held up his hands, placating her.  "Whoa, Lois, no need to bite my
head off!  Perry wants to see you."  With a grumble she followed Jimmy
towards the Editor-In-Chief's office.  When she entered, she stopped short.

Seated in Perry's office was Clark Kent, that man, that devastatingly
good-looking man in glasses.  'You've already used those adjectives to
describe him,' she reprimanded herself.  What was *he* doing back here?  Was
this another interview?  But she had heard that the interview hadn't gone
well.  'How can someone get hired based on an article from the Borneo
Gazette?  I mean, really!  What kind of newspaper is that?'

"What's up, Perry?" Lois asked, trying to sound calm.  She tried her best to
avoid looking at Clark, but she did notice that he stood up again when she
came in.

"I wanted you to listen to this," Perry drawled, holding a piece of a
computer printout.  "Mr. Kent here was interested in joining the Planet, and
he had given me this piece as a sample of his work."  He began to read
Clark's piece.  "Beatrice was eighteen when she made her debut.  Warren G.
Harding was President, the Unknown Soldier was interred at Arlington, and
Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees..."

Lois' eyes widened.  It was on the demolition of the Bernhardt Theater!  The
mood piece that Perry had assigned her Monday morning.  The article that
Lois wasn't 'in the mood' to do.  And now, apparently this Mr. Kent had
taken the liberty to write it.  When she began to actually listen to Perry
as he read (she has to check up on the potential competition, of course),
she was astounded.

Okay, maybe 'astounded' wasn't the word.  She was stunned.  She was
impressed.  She was... moved.  She was touched.  Whoever this devastatingly
good-looking man was, he had a way with words.  Not only did his appearance
disturb her equilibrium, but so did his words and his emotions.  She
suspected that Clark had felt this Beatrice's pain, a lady who would soon
never see that theater again.

But Clark wasn't the only one who had a way with words.  Lois Lane was a
heck of a writer herself.  After all, did she not win the Kerth award twice
(and for the first two years that she was eligible, no less)?  She was a
brilliant and a passionate journalist who didn't run away from adversity.
(At least, so she heard.)  If one had looked at the list of stories she had
written in the four years that she had worked at the Daily Planet, he or she
would notice, however, that virtually all of them were big, news-breaking
stories.  Once in a blue moon she would have a Page 8 mood piece like the
one on the Bernhardt Theater, but only because Perry would force her to do
it.

Lois focused her attention on Perry's reading of Clark's story, but a bit
too late, since Perry was almost finished.  "... She came to say good-bye,
as we all must, to the past, and to a life and a place that soon would exist
only in a bittersweet memory."  He smiled as he set the printout down on his
desk.

"Smooth," Jimmy quipped, with admiration.

Clark turned to Lois.  After hearing about Lois Lane from Joan, Clark had
visited the Metropolis Public Library yesterday to look at some previous
issues of the Daily Planet.  If anyone had asked why he was doing this, he
would have said that he had wanted to check on the quality of the writing of
the stories.  Never mind that all the articles he had looked at were written
by Lois Lane, Staff Writer.

Lois saw Clark turn to look at her, probably wanting to hear her reaction.
Lois had wanted to say something nice, something that would accurately
convey her thoughts on Clark's piece.  But despite her intentions, and
despite her being in a relationship with John for about three months, where
John had taught her to open up and to express her feelings, she couldn't.
In the most nonchalant voice she could muster, she said, "Uh, yeah, if you
like that sort of thing."

To Clark, however, it sounded like Lois was perhaps bored?  Uninterested?
Unimpressed?  A story which Clark took pride in writing, and it didn't seem
to faze Lois Lane.  He cringed inwardly.  Of course, she was the seasoned
reporter, someone who had written big stories, despite her age.  She could
probably write this piece in seconds if she wanted to, though Clark didn't
know why Lois didn't want to.  It looked like Clark would have to do more to
impress Lois Lane.

Impress Lois Lane?  Why would he want to do that?  He had Joan, for goodness
sake!  Well, sort of!  Anyway, he figured that Lois wasn't happy with him.
Maybe he stepped into her territory when he had written that article.  He
didn't know.  Besides, he had heard from Jimmy, the young man in the office
with him, Perry, and Lois ('what was Jimmy's job?' Clark asked himself), say
that Lois had always worked alone.  That suited Clark just fine.  Perhaps
they could be friends.  Perhaps they could be close friends.  But he hoped
that they wouldn't be enemies -- he could infer from what he had learned
that Lois was very competitive, and competition among reporters is a good
way to mess up a friendship, or a romance, or a marriage...

Then Perry spoke up, so Clark turned his attention to him.  "You know, Kent,
there's only one attribute I value more than experience, and that's
initiative." Perry stood up and offered his hand.  "Clark Kent, welcome to
the Daily Planet!"  They were about to shake hands when Perry seemed to have
remembered something.  "Whoops!" he exclaimed, and patted Clark's hand
instead of shaking it.

Lois was floored.  This devastatingly good-looking man (God, she's got to
stop using those adjectives to describe him!) was now her colleague.  A
potential friend.  A potential adversary (in her journalism career, of
course).  A potential... don't go there, Lane!  She mentally kicked herself,
thinking that she should know better.  There's more to a man than a pretty
face.  Look at Claude!  He had charmed her, wooed her, got into her bed, and
he had stolen her story.  But then again, there was John, who had also
charmed her and wooed her.  Of course, he made no attempts to get into her
bed, unlike the other men she had met in the past, and he can't really steal
her stories, since he wasn't even a reporter.  Okay, he could give one of
Lois' stories to another reporter at the Metropolis Star, for instance, but
he would never do that.  Yes, John Bialzak was one of a kind, and no man,
not even Clark Kent, would make her feel differently.  For now.

A commotion in the newsroom brought her back into the present.

"The Messenger's on fire!"

"Lois!  Get over here!"

Lois scurried out of the office, thankful for the interruption, thankful for
an opportunity to get away from Clark Kent.  A crowd gathered around one of
the monitors, which was showing the Messenger on the launch pad, in trouble.

Lois' heart sank.  This was what she had feared.  The prophetic ravings of a
madman had turned out to be true.  And she had done nothing about it.  Well,
she *couldn't* do anything about it.  As she was barely listening to Carmen
Alvarado's report on the tragedy, Lois sensed Perry next to her watching the
report.  "I knew there was something to Platt's story, I knew it!" she said
to him.

Perry sighed.  He tried to reason with her.  "Now, Lois, just because one
madman's prediction came true doesn't mean that there's a conspiracy to
sabotage the entire space program," he remarked.

"But with more than a hundred colonists going up on the next launch, are you
willing to take that chance?" she countered.  Perry sighed again.

Clark was distraught as his gaze alternated between Lois and Mr. White and
to the television screen.  This was terrible!  Clark had contemplated
leaving the newsroom and fly to EPRAD, perhaps to try to save the
astronauts, but he knew that was out of the question.  There were a lot of
people in the newsroom, and Mr. White would certainly notice his absence if
Clark left, especially since he had just got the job.  And probably Mr.
White would want him to start immediately, now that there's a lot of things
to investigate.

Clark's dream to work at the Daily Planet may not have gone up in smoke, but
his chance to avert a tragedy did.  Upset, he looked at the monitor again,
seeing the Messenger and the launch pad engulfed in flames.

* * * * * * * *
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 20:01:48 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:         "C.C. Malo" <Ccmalo@AOL.COM>
Subject:      SIP: Connections - part 23
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Hi -- Thanks very much for the comments on part 22  :) and the reassurance
about the part about Jonathan.   No silver lining yet but I do subscribe to
the Harper doctrine of fanfic.  I'll be away on Monday so this is Monday's
post.   Feedback, as always, is appreciated.

Carol

--------
Connections, aprt 23

Without thinking, Lois stormed from the lobby of LNN into the freezing rain,
oblivious to its stinging discomfort, and headed straight for Bureau 39,
furious with Trask.  Why had he waited until today to mention the tape?  She
had to know, had to settle this dark uncertainity which taunted her soul as
she thought about Clark and this woman.

When she got there, she saw the cars had gone -- did that mean that there
was
now an alert in place or did it mean that Trask had been left high and dry?
A few lights were still on but Lois wasn't too optimistic that Trask would
still be there.  It was getting late and even Trask had to call it a day at
some point.

Maybe me, too, Lois thought, but what was the point?  She knew she wouldn't
sleep tonight anyway.  Clark was never far from her mind and her thoughts of
him were chaotic.

She was battling her emotions, trying to forget that for a brief moment she
had let herself love him.  Part of her still wanted to trust him, to believe
that he hadn't misled her, not in the deepest sense of one person's
commitment to another.  But then, she reminded herself bleakly, he hadn't
told her about Zara, and he hadn't told her about this woman whom she so
closely resembled and who had been using her name.  Impersonating her.

Now he was leaving and she would never know what it had all been about.  She
would continue working, get in touch with her mother and sister, and try to
forget that for one incredible week she had known a man who had touched her
in a way that she had never thought possible.

Maybe Trask could help her sort it all out.  He must have seen what she'd
seen on the tapes.  She was dimly aware that she wasn't thinking too
coherently, but it was a sure bet that he knew more about what was on those
tapes than she did.  She wanted some answers and Trask was going to give
them
to her.

The entrance door of Bureau 39 was still open.  Lois flashed her security ID
at the night guy at the desk in the lobby, asking if Trask was in as she did
so.  The guard buzzed the switchboard, waited for a second, and then said,
"Lois Lane to see you, sir."  Then he looked at Lois.  "Go ahead."

"Thanks."  Lois pocketed her ID and walked around his desk down the corridor
which led to Trask's office.  Trask met her en route, firing questions
without waiting for her to speak.

"So the alien released you.  Why?"  He looked at her suspiciously.

Lois rolled her eyes.  "Trask, he didn't kidnap me."

"No?  I didn't notice him asking for permission before he grabbed you,"
Trask
said sarcastically.  "What'd he want?"

Lois met his eyes and said steadily, "He wanted to know what his partner at
the Daily Planet was doing with a guy who appeared to be a cop."

Trask seemed to accept that.  "I told you he wasn't alone, Lane."

"So what happened with the guys you just met with?"

Trask gave an exasperated snort.  "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you
know about the meeting.  The answer is nothing.  Squat."  Trask's tone was
bitter.  "I had no evidence other than my word.  My word.  The same guys who
wouldn't believe me years ago.  What will it take to make them believe the
threat is real, it's out there?"

For the first time, Lois felt sorry for him.  He had been obsessed with this
quest for years, she'd figured, and now when he knew he was not completely
wrong, no one would believe him.  "Trask, I'm here because you said you
wanted to see me."

"Yeah.  Follow me -- it's time you explained."  He turned back toward his
office.

Lois followed, guessing what it was that he was about to show her, not
surprised when Trask flicked on his computer and called up that portion of
the tape she'd been interested in.

As Trask zeroed in on the frame showing the woman in white, he said, "What I
don't get is why *you* pointed us in this direction.  At first, I thought
you'd been pulling something -- that you haven't been missing all these
years
and that you've been working with the alien all along.  Maybe even were an
alien."

Lois's response was an involuntary squawk.  "What?"  Then finding her normal
voice, she continued, "Trust me Trask, I'm no superwoman."

"No.  I don't think so, either.  We did an extensive check on you as soon as
you showed up in Metropolis last week.  I remembered you'd been with
Superman
at that debate but you never showed up again.  Always wondered what happened
there.  Olsen and White pleaded ignorance at the time.   Anyway, we couldn't
track all your movements over the last four years but we picked you up in
Ecuador.  But we couldn't find any reference to Superman type stunts there.
We've got an exhumation order on that coffin that supposedly has your body
in
it.  But the questions kept coming back -- about your disappearance last
year
and this tape.  Why would you point us in the direction of this tape?
Either
you didn't know what we'd find or you did, and for some reason, you wanted
us
to find it.  Which is it, Lane?"

There was no point in lying to him.   "I didn't know what you'd find, Trask.
Beleive me, that woman was an imposter.  *I* was not here in Metropolis last
year."

Trask continued without comment.  "We talked to a couple of people about
this... imposter," Trask pointed at the screen as he spoke and then reached
across to his desk, grabbing a copy of what Lois was looking at on the
screen.  Trask looked at the photo for a second before thrusting it at her.
"She could be your twin, Lane."

Lois took the picture, scrutinizing it carefully, still trying to make sense
of it, listening as Trask continued.

"Checked at the Planet and found a couple of people there who remember this
woman showing up at the paper a little over a year ago, a couple of days
before Superman appeared.  Guy called Bergman remembered her for the obvious
reason -- she's easy on the eyes.  Also because he watched her plant a kiss
on Kent as soon as she saw him."

"She what?"

"Yeah, just about the time Kent's main squeeze showed up."

"Lana Lang?"  Not that Clark had told her about Lana, Lois thought
uncharitably; it was something she'd picked up during her reasearch.  Still,
she hadn't told him about Claude either.

"Must've been tense," Trask grinned.  "Unfortunately, Lang's out of town --
on her honeymoon.  And Olsen's still reluctant to talk.  Said he didn't
remember much about her.  Short of getting a warrant, I had to accept that
little lie.  I'll get back to Lang after her week of wedded bliss is up.  No
reason she should want to protect Kent or the woman."

"Probably not," Lois agreed, but she was thinking of James Olsen,
remembering
his reaction when she'd first met him -- maybe not surprised, after all,
that
she was alive, the way Jocasta had been.  What was it he'd said?  "You're
back."  So he must have thought she was this other woman.  What had been
going on?  Lois rose from her chair.

"Where you going, Lane?"

He followed her as she walked down the hall.  "Home.  It's late."  All of a
sudden she felt overwhelmed by her confusion.  She was tired.  Clark had
said
he would see her before he left.  She hadn't much believed him, but now it
was her last hope.  So she'd better be where he could find her.

"You haven't told me what you think is up with this woman."

"I don't know.  I have no clue who she is or where she is now," Lois said
irritably.

Trask stood up, saying, "I'll walk you to the subway, Lane."  When Lois
raised her eyebrows at him, he added, "Rough neighbourhood."

They walked down the hall to the front lobby and out to the deserted street
without talking.  She was too tired, and Trask lacked the skill, for small
talk.

About a block and a half away from Bureau 39 he finally spoke, "You and I
should talk to Olsen in the morning."

Lois didn't like that idea although at this point she wasn't sure if it
mattered much if Trask found out whatever it was that James Olsen knew.
Still, she prevaricated.  "Let me talk to Olsen alone -- he probably trusts
me a little more."

Trask was about to reply when their route was suddenly blocked by two
muscular men in black who looked like they might be enforcers for a hockey
team or some even less respectable institution, and neither Trask nor Lois
had any illusions about the honour of their intentions.

"Shall we take him too?" the taller one asked.

"Why not?  Two hostages should be more use than one."

Before the man had finished speaking, Trask let fly a powerful swing of his
right arm while Lois's left leg knifed out in a vicious kick, aimed at the
groin of the goon in front of her.  Their attempts were futile.  Trask and
Lois quickly rebounded, feeling the pain of slamming against two bodies that
felt more like slabs of granite than human tissue.  Then they felt
themselves
being roughly grabbed and lifted off the ground as the men seemed to float,
carrying them into an adjacent parking lot, empty and hidden in shadow.

A moment later they were inside a small vehicle, a transporter craft which
shifted into hyperspace, shooting in a ball of white light toward a space
craft, controlled by Lord Nor.

*****

Once he was certain that he could do nothing more to help the victims of the
train collision, Superman took off, again flying by Lois's apartment, hoping
that she was there.  She wasn't.  Once more, he checked his place but she
hadn't gone there; neither had she gone to the Planet.  Still uneasy about
her whereabouts, he gave up his search and flew to Zara's.  He would have to
leave without seeing Lois again.

"All right, Zara, I'm ready to go," his tone was grim.  "But I want to make
it absolutely clear that I have no intention of staying on New Krypton.  My
home is here, on Earth.  Before I agree to go with you I want your word that
once Nor is defeated and your children safe, we will return."

Zara's shoulders relaxed imperceptibly as she sighed in relief.  "You have
my
word, Kal.  We would never keep you against your will."

"Let's get started then."

"Yes. New Krypton has long awaited you."  She nodded briefly to Vega to
signal their departure.

Moments later, they were aboard the NKSS Future.

*****

Trey and Ching greeted Clark and Zara as they stepped out of the transporter
craft onto the grey landing platform.  Zara they were pleased to see, Vega
as
well; but for Clark there was a deferential reserve, particularly from
Ching.

Trey bowed his head respectfully and then said, "Welcome, my lord, my lady.
It is late but we have all assembled in Hall A to pay our respects to Lord
Kal El."

As they proceeded along the corridor, Zara explained to Clark, "This is just
a formality, Kal.  It will not take long."

"How many people are on board, Zara?"

"Not many. The flight crew, some support staff, Trey and three other members
of the Council of Elders.  Given your importance, it was appropriate they be
here to greet you."  She didn't add that she believed they had also wanted
to
monitor what she did, not completely trusting her capability to carry out
this mission on her own.

"I see.  Is there anything I should know before I meet these people?"

Zara smiled, pleased at this small sign of his willingness to adapt to
Kryptonian custom.  "We will instruct you in our customs and language during
our journey back to New Krypton so do not worry.  Right now all you need to
be aware of is our form of greeting.  We don't shake hands as they do on
Earth; we turn both palms outward."

"You do?"

"It's an old custom, an ancient sign that we are unarmed."

"Ah," Clark said as he noticed that Ching now fell back a few paces behind
Zara, walking behind her as they got closer to the large double doors at the
end of the hall.  Then Zara, too, stepped behind him, as did Trey.

"It is custom for the highest ranking person to precede the others on formal
occasions such as this."

Clark groaned inwardly, envisioning a formality which he knew would make him
uncomfortable.  He could do this.  He had to be able to do this.  Yet no
matter how challenging his life had seemed to him in this past year, this
would be more difficult.  As he looked around at the heads bent respectfully
in front of him he thought, this is not what I want.  This is not what I am.
I am Clark Kent.  A slight grimace of distaste flickered across his face as
he listened to Trey's obsequious introduction, reminding himself that Earth
too had its Treys.  It was with relief that he heard Trey finally dismiss
the
assembled crew, wishing them good night.

It was with even greater relief that he heard Trey offer to show him to his
quarters. At last he was able to close the door, hoping for sleep which
would
not come as thoughts about the life he had lead and the one he was about to
lead whirled in his mind.  Would there ever be a time for him and Lois?

*****

Emotionally and physically exhausted, Lois slept like a log as soon as she
was shown to a small but not uncomfortable room.  At least she did for about
four hours, and then she was wide awake, snapped into unsettled alertness by
a wonderful, beautiful, sad dream about Clark Kent, herself, and her white
suit imposter.  Her dream had been of a wedding day, hers and Clark's.  He
had been at the front of the church, standing on the steps, waiting for her,
when she had arrived, her wedding gown held high in a covered garment bag in
one hand, as she hastily mounted the steps to go inside to change.  But it
hadn't been she who Clark had married -- it had been the other Lois Lane.

Trying to shake the dream's lingering malaise, and knowing she would need
all
her mental and physical reserves for what might possibly lie ahead, Lois
willed herself to return to sleep but failed.  Her mind kept going over all
that had happened since she and Trask had been kidnapped as she tried to
make
sense of it and figure out what these people were.  The guys who had
snatched
her and Trask were no different than a hundred other hard cases who'd
probably been out on the streets of Metropolis last night.  Except for one
little detail -- they were from outer space.

And one of them was named Nor.

She remembered his words once they were on board the transporter craft.  "So
this is Lois Lane."  He'd given her the kind of once over a lower order
knuckle dragger thinks is charming and then said, "Kal El's distraction."
He'd touched her chin, making her flesh crawl. "I wonder how much of a
distraction you can be."

At that point, Trask had come on like a defender of law and order and
snarled
a warning at Nor who looked at him as though he were an inconsequential joke
and hurled him against the cabin wall with one blow from his outstretched
arm.  Trask had slumped to the floor and Lois had quickly run to his side.

Nor had laughed in evident pleasure at what he had just done; then, without
speaking further to the two captives, he had taken his seat in the front of
the transporter, leaving Lois and Trask huddled on the floor.  One thing had
been clear -- Nor and his companion were more powerful than Earthmen but not
nearly as powerful as Superman.  Yet it was quite clear from their boastful
discussion that they expected they could become as strong as Superman.

Nor had been interested in that possibility -- very interested.

He had continued to ignore Lois and Trask until they boarded the larger
space
craft which was home base for Nor and his men.  Lois had helped Trask, who
was still not steady on his feet, out of the transporter, trying as she did
to observe as much as possible about the larger ship which they now were on.
The more she knew the better off they would be.

Nor had been immediately surrounded by others, all dressed in the same black
uniform and thick leather vest as their leader -- the costumes of fighters.
They looked like some kind of high tech street gang.  Lois took some comfort
in knowing that at least Clark had  picked the right side in this ridiculous
Kryptonian gang war.

Nor had issued a brusque order to escort their "guests" to quarters, adding
sarcasticaly that he was looking forward to talking in the morning to the
Lady Zara, and to finally meeting the famous Kal El.
-------
end, part 23
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 20:34:37 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:         Kate Crane <KCrane1865@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: SIP: Connections - part 23
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Carol,
If this is Monday's installment, does that mean we have to wait until Tues
for more?
Oooohhhh noooooooo.

spoiler space
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

 What a predicament....and I find it very intriguing how you have made Trask
into such a sympathetic character so quickly, just by having him try to
defend Lois.  At first I thought he was going to kidnap her himself!  Oh,
the
possibilities, now that his suspicions of alien invasion might pan out.
Can't wait to see how you resolve this.
(Just wish I had kept all the installments to print out and reread to remind
this over 40 brain about the details....I know, I know, I can go to the
fanfic archive)  Love the dream about the wedding and another Lois marrying
her Clark.  Oh, Carol, I love the way your mind works <g>.
Kate
=========================================================================
Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 23:30:03 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:         Rose Cookson <Rcpeaches2@AOL.COM>
Subject:      A Lie of the Mind- Part 7
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Lois manuevered the Jeep through Metropolis at top speed, swerving past
drivers who were going to slow for her liking.  She had tried calling home
several times from her cell phone and Clark hadn't answered.  But she didn't
expect him to, even if he was home.

She hoped ardently that he was home.  She needed him, but more than that,
Jimmy needed him right now.  No matter how angry with her Clark was, she
knew
he'd put his feelings aside to help Jimmy.

Jimmy.  She was completely bewildered about what was going on with Jimmy.
Yesterday he'd been the sweet, charming, optimistic young man she'd known
him
 to be.  And today... Today he'd been arrested for assault and battery.  She
couldn't even begin to imagine what caused Jimmy to hurt someone.  She
didn't
know the circumstances surrounding Jimmy's arrest, other than the charges
brought against him.  But he'd never been a violent person.  He would cut
off
his own hand before he'd ever hit someone.  He reminded Lois of Clark in
many
ways...

Clark.  She never thought he'd be violent either.  But he'd thrown a stapler
at her.  He'd thrown it so hard that it had gotten lodged in the wall.

Lois' thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

"Lois Lane," she answered it.

"Lois?  It's Martha."

Lois nearly stopped the car right in the middle of the street, but she
forced
herself to continue on.

"Martha!  Have you heard from Clark?  He was-"

"I know, Lois.  He's okay.  He's here.  I put him to bed a little while
ago."

"Did he talk to you, Martha?  What's going on with him?  I've tried to get
through to him, and he keeps running away from me..."  Lois had to pull the
Jeep off the road.  Fresh tears blurred her vision.

"Yes, he talked to me.  He told me everything."  Martha relayed what Clark
had confessed as gently as she could.  She wasn't worried that Lois would be
upset by Clark's dreams as he had feared she would be, but instead Martha
knew that Lois' concerns for Clark might overwhelm her if they weren't
handled delicately.  She'd come to know Lois very well in the past few
years.
 She knew how much Lois loved Clark, and she knew there was nothing Lois
wouldn't do for him.

"Why didn't he tell me?" Lois wept after Martha finished her story.  "I
would've understood, I would've helped-"

"The only thing Clark has ever truly been afraid of is losing your love,"
Martha whispered.  "He was afraid you'd fear him.  He dreamed that you
leaving him, and his dream became real in his mind.  I don't know why Clark
let it get as bad as it did.  But he's got this misguided idea that just
because he's Superman, he should be able to spare everyone hurt and
suffering.  Especially you."

"I love him so much, Martha," Lois whimpered.  "I wish he'd let me tell him
that."

"He knows you do, honey.  He's a little mixed up right now, and very afraid,
but underneath all that he knows."

"Thank you, Martha," Lois sniffled.

"And Lois... He loves you too."

"I know he does, Martha.  I know he does."

Just as she and Martha were saying their goodbyes, and Martha had promised
to
send Clark straight to her once he woke up and was in a better condition to
fly, Lois remembered Jimmy.

"Oh, Martha!"

"Yes, Lois?  What is it?"

"Jimmy was arrested.  The police came to the Planet today and arrested him
for assault and battery."

"Jimmy?"  Martha said, disbelieving.  "But he would never-"

"I can't explain it Martha, but something very strange has been going on
around here.  First Clark has been upset, and now Jimmy-"  Lois gasped.

"What?  What is it?"

"First Clark and now Jimmy...  When Clark wakes up, tell him that I
understand, and none of this is his fault.  I can't explain it, but it's not
his fault he's been feeling this way.  Tell him I need to see him right
away.
 It's an emergency."

"Okay, Lois.  Sure."  Lois' rapidfire commands made Martha's head spin.

"And Martha?"

"Yes, Lois?"

"Thanks, again."

*****

Lois felt better by the time she'd reached the brownstone.  She finally knew
what had been plaguing her husband for almost a week now, and she was pretty
certain she knew what happened to Jimmy.  What she didn't know was *why.*

She remembered overhearing Jimmy tell Clark that he had a date with his
girlfriend Brenda, last night.  Suddenly, the next day, Jimmy is walking
around the news room like a zombie, depressed over something he doesn't want
to talk about.  Then, he gets arrested for assault and battery.

Clark, had also been very depressed lately, and afraid to talk.  Lois knew
that he'd been having dreams that he was hurting her, and that he was having
trouble controlling his temper.

Neither man had a violent temper to begin with.

It was far too great a coincidence for both men to be suffering from the
same
affliction without it having an outside cause.  But what could possibly be
causing this?

Lois tried to remember times in the past where Clark's emotions or temper
had
been affected by an outside source.  There was that one time when Red
Kryptonite had been used to make him apathetic.  Maybe someone got ahold of
another piece and it--  But no, Red Kryptonite wouldn't have affected Jimmy.
Lois mentally scratched that possibility.

She moved to the sofa and pulled a scrap piece of paper out of her
briefcase.
 Leaning over the coffee table, she began to outline a list of
possibilities.
 She stopped abruptly when she heard a familiar *whoosh.*  Her list was
forgotten, as she raised her eyes to see her husband standing nervously in
the living room in front of her.  He was wringing his hands, a gesture she'd
never seen from him.  His eyes were red and puffy.  His hair was messy;
definitely not Superman's usual slick style.  But he was *here.*

"Clark!"  His name caught in her throat.  Before he could protest, Lois
leapt
from her seat and threw herself into his arms, raining kisses on his face.
Tears threatened to overflow once more, but this time from the happiness of
seeing her husband, kissing him, and holding him in her arms.

"I'm so glad you're home, Clark," she said, pulling away from him at last.

"Lois..." Clark seemed to dance around her a little bit, wanting to touch
her, but not wanting to.  Lois put her hands on either side of his face,
forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Clark, I want you to listen to me right now.  From now on, no matter what
is
going on, *no matter what*, I want you to tell me about it.  *Nothing* could
ever make me want to leave you.  I love you.  Do you understand what that
means, Clark?  It means that your happiness is my happiness.  Your problems
are my problems.  Your fears are my fears.  And I am not going to walk away
from you.  *Ever.*"

"But I'm danger-"

"I trust you."

"Lois, I could hurt you."

"The only way you could ever hurt me, Clark, is by shutting me out.  I don't
think I could live through it again.  I love you to much to be able to watch
you suffer alone.  You're just gonna have to learn to accept the fact that
no
matter what you do, and no matter what you think, you are not gonna get rid
of me!"  Lois laughed, trying to get Clark to laugh with her, or at least
stop looking so forlorn.

It worked, briefly.  But then Clark became serious again.  "Lois, we need to
talk about this."

"No kidding," Lois said, only half-joking.  "I'm glad you finally see things
my way."

"This thing, it isn't just a bad dream.  It's a feeling.  It takes over me
sometimes, and I don't know how to stop it.  I don't ever want to hurt you
Lois.  I couldn't take it if anything ever happened to you.  And if I lose
control again... it could be worse next time.  I might not be able to stop
myself.  Lois, you could be killed."

Lois clasped her hands over his.  She looked him directly in the eye.
"Clark, if you feel yourself losing control, if this *thing* takes over you
again, then you let me know.  We'll get through this together.  Now that I
know what's going on, I can help you through it.  Or I can know when to
leave
the room so you can scream without worrying about me.  But we *will* get
through this, Clark.  You and me.  Together."

Clark nodded, his jaw tense.  "Thank you, Lois."

"But Clark," Lois remembered suddenly, "this isn't you.  Whatever this thing
is, it's affecting Jimmy too.  Clark, Jimmy was arrested today, for assault
and battery."

Clark squeezed his eyes shut.  "Mom told me."

"I have a theory.  I think these dreams, these feelings, are being caused by
something outside of us.  Someone else is doing this to us, Clark.  And
Jimmy
too.  It's the only way I can imagine you and Jimmy are both going through
this."

"Someone is manipulating my feelings from the outside?"  Clark cocked his
head at Lois skeptically.

"It's happened before.  Remember when Red Kryptonite made you apathetic?"

"But Red Kryptonite wouldn't affect Jimmy."

"I know that.  Just follow me, here.  There has got to be other way someone
could get into your head like this, and Jimmy's too.  Like some kind of drug
or something.  Someone was targeting you and Jimmy.  But who would want to?"

"I think maybe we better start with who would have the ability to do it.
And
maybe we ought to work on getting Jimmy out of jail.  Have you talked to
Perry?  Has bail been set?"

"Guess we'd better go back to the Planet."

"You go ahead.  I'll meet you there.  I think Superman needs to pay Jimmy a
visit."

*****