From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG0012E" ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 18:08:16 +1100 Reply-To: "jenerator@ozemail.com.au" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jenny or Joe Stosser Subject: Re: Alt Awards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Perhaps the awards could be called the Merriwether awards? Wasn't there mention of awards by that name in the series? Jen jenerator@ozemail.com.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM -*- ICQ 11477318 Photos of David (8) and Megan (5) on the Stosser Family HomePage http//www.geocities.com/j_stosser Please sign our guestbook! -----Original Message----- From: Marilyn L. Puett [SMTP:no1supermom@HOTMAIL.COM] Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 7:32 AM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: [LOISCLA-GENERAL-L] Alt Awards Five minutes, huh? You gave it that much thought? Seriously, it sounds like a great idea to me. Of course I could be biased since I'm heavily vested in the Silly Revelations category! Also, what about a category for "Challenges" -- like that crazy one we did where Lois and Clark were shrunk (that was nfic) and then more recently there was the "LNC: The Musical" challenge which yielded some tremendous episodes. Shayne started a "155 words or less" thing, which has kinda stalled, probably due to the holidays; hopefully it will pick up again once folcs recover a little from all the good tidings and great joy. And for the time being, "Alt Awards" sounds good too. Unless you want to call them "Groanies" cause groan is what we usually do after we read these things! ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 07:32:11 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Alt Awards Some more information... I have now received sufficient Story Tank Endings (thanks, Pam and Ann) to make this worthy of a category on its own. If there are any more Story Tank Endings out there which were posted before the end of 2000, please let me have them by the end of January. I need the TE itself, the title of the story to which it refers, and information as to where readers can find the original. LabRat, someone reminded me of a Caped Fear TE... ;) Jenny, thanks for the Merriwether suggestion; Laurie also suggested that on IRC last night. The Management hasn't had a chance to discuss names yet, though personally I'd like to keep to the Kerths theme. But you never know... Wendy ------------ Wendy Richards wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 07:33:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Alt Awards - PS Completely forgot... Take a look here - http://www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/juliefic/tankending.html - to see what a great job Anne has done with the Tank Endings and Silly Revelations so far! Take a bow, Anne! Wendy ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 07:43:57 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Annette Ciotola Subject: Finally! annesplace.net back up and running! Comments: To: lcnfanfic@egroups.com, afolcslife@egroups.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit annesplace.net is finally back in business!! I received word this morning that the domain has been fully transferred to point to www.simplyorganized.simple.com. While both URLs will take you to the same place, I don't know how much longer the simplenet URL will work. Once again, I'd just like to thank you all for hanging in there through this whole process. Thanks Anne :) annesplace.net ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 07:48:23 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Appeal on behalf of Annesplace MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Appeal on behalf of Annesplace Many FoLC will be aware that, since the takeover of Simplenet by Yahoo, many of our favourite websites are running into difficulty due to the lack of availability of reliable free web-hosts. A couple of very valuable sites have already had to close. Annesplace (www.annesplace.net), maintained by Anne Ciotola, is - as most people will be aware - *the* archive for nfic, hosting 34 authors and over 270 nfics. On the PG side, there are 22 authors and over 250 stories; more authors and stories are being added all the time. Besides fanfic and nfic, Annesplace hosts a large number of Real Video presentations made by FoLC, and carries links to others. It is also the new home of the Writers=92 Showcase. This is a terrific resource for FoLCdom, just as the Fanfiction Archive and Zoomway=92s site and message boards are essential. However, since Anne now has to pay in excess of $30 per month to her new web-host, she=92s finding i= t difficult to keep the site going. Therefore we, the Friends of Annesplace, are making this appeal for donations to help pay the cost of maintaining the site. If just 70 FoLC donated the equivalent of $5 each, that would almost pay for an entire year. For anyone who would like to donate, we have some people who=92ve agreed to collect donations in their own countries and send them on to Anne. In the US, contact Missy Gallant at zoomer71@hotmail.com In the UK, contact Wendy Richards at wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk In Canada, contact sirenegold@yahoo.com And if anyone would like to offer to co-ordinate donations and currency conversion in Australia or anywhere else in Europe, let us know! Many thanks, >From the Friends of Annesplace. ------------ Wendy Richards wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 14:54:42 -0000 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Alt Awards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote: > LabRat, someone reminded me of a Caped Fear TE... ;) > They did? As far as I'm aware the TE to Lonesome was my first. I don't recall ever writing one for CF. I did pen a quick 'condensed version' of CF in that thread a time back where we were asked to do those for our fic. But that's all that I remember. LabRat :) (worried she's gone even more senile than she previously suspected...) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 09:57:59 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: Re: Alt Awards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Catching up on my mail ... > Also, what about a category for "Challenges" -- like that crazy one we did > where Lois and Clark were shrunk (that was nfic) and then more recently > there was the "LNC: The Musical" challenge which yielded some tremendous > episodes. Shayne started a "155 words or less" thing, We'll be happy to include the ones we can ... we just need them to be organized, the way Wendy fixed up the Tank Endings & Silly Revelations, and you're fixing up the Musicals :) The nfic story would qualify as a round-robin, so I suspect we could leave that for the nKerths... > Jenny, thanks for the Merriwether suggestion; Laurie also suggested that on > IRC last night. The Management hasn't had a chance to discuss names > yet, though personally I'd like to keep to the Kerths theme. But you never > know... Yes, the Merriwethers had occurred to me, too, although it seems a tad over-serious for these awards... but discussions are ongoing :) PJ who is happy to see Wendy taking point on this whole thing :) -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ "Hi, I'm Larry the Cucumber, and welcome to the very first VeggieTales success video! Are you ready to make millions of dollars in real estate with no money down? I know I am!" --Larry, misunderstanding a sing-along video ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 15:26:39 -0000 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Alt Awards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Wendy wrote: > > > LabRat, someone reminded me of a Caped Fear TE... ;) > > > OTOH... [g]...now that I've had a bath and 'breakfast' and woken up some...(Yes, I know it's almost 3.30, what can I say? I only went to bed at 7 this morning. :P)... ...I do vaguely remember doing two condensed versions of CF. The second of which did end in death and disaster. I may even have called it a TECV at the time. But it was barely five lines long, so I don't really think it qualifies as a true TE. Besides which, that particular thread seems to have vanished into the mists of the boards. Someone reminded me of it on irc the other evening and I tried for a time to find it and refresh my memory on some of the hilarious answers to the challenge which were posted. But I couldn't find hide nor hair of it. LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 10:27:31 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Alt Awards Well, LabRat, just because there isn't currently a TE for Caped Fear, that's no reason why there couldn't be one, now is it? Just make sure it's posted on the MBs by midnight on Sunday... and I won't even specify UK time-zone. ;) Wendy ---------- Wendy Richards wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 10:34:21 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Natascha Kortum Subject: Re: Appeal on behalf of Annesplace Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Hi guys, I think it is a great idea to donate money to preserve some of the greatest LnC sites, i.e. Anne's place. Therfore I offer to collect money from all the German FoLCs that would like to do a good deed and give back to the people that make our life so much more enjoyable. :) So if you are living in Germany and have a good heart (and I know you do! 'Cause all the FoLCs do ), please contact me at NataNH@hotmail.com Thank you, Natascha >From: Wendy Richards >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Appeal on behalf of Annesplace >Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 07:48:23 -0500 > >Appeal on behalf of Annesplace > > >Many FoLC will be aware that, since the takeover of Simplenet by Yahoo, >many of our favourite websites are running into difficulty due to the lack >of availability of reliable free web-hosts. A couple of very valuable sites >have already had to close. > >Annesplace (www.annesplace.net), maintained by Anne Ciotola, is - as most >people will be aware - *the* archive for nfic, hosting 34 authors and over >270 nfics. On the PG side, there are 22 authors and over 250 stories; more >authors and stories are being added all the time. > >Besides fanfic and nfic, Annesplace hosts a large number of Real Video >presentations made by FoLC, and carries links to others. It is also the new >home of the Writers’ Showcase. > >This is a terrific resource for FoLCdom, just as the Fanfiction Archive and >Zoomway’s site and message boards are essential. However, since Anne now >has to pay in excess of $30 per month to her new web-host, she’s finding it >difficult to keep the site going. Therefore we, the Friends of Annesplace, >are making this appeal for donations to help pay the cost of maintaining >the site. If just 70 FoLC donated the equivalent of $5 each, that would >almost pay for an entire year. > >For anyone who would like to donate, we have some people who’ve agreed to >collect donations in their own countries and send them on to Anne. > >In the US, contact Missy Gallant at zoomer71@hotmail.com >In the UK, contact Wendy Richards at wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk >In Canada, contact sirenegold@yahoo.com > >And if anyone would like to offer to co-ordinate donations and currency >conversion in Australia or anywhere else in Europe, let us know! > > >Many thanks, > >From the Friends of Annesplace. > >------------ >Wendy Richards >wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 15:47:19 -0000 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Alt Awards MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote: > Well, LabRat, just because there isn't currently a TE for Caped Fear, > that's no reason why there couldn't be one, now is it? > > Just make sure it's posted on the MBs by midnight on Sunday... and I won't > even specify UK time-zone. ;) > LabRat laughs hysterically......and thinks Wendy must have been enjoying just a little too much festive cheer to have even thought of suggesting that one. [g] ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 11:03:41 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Natascha Kortum Subject: Lonesome TE Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed > >Wendy wrote: > > > Well, LabRat, just because there isn't currently a TE for Caped Fear, > > that's no reason why there couldn't be one, now is it? > > > > Just make sure it's posted on the MBs by midnight on Sunday... and I >won't > > even specify UK time-zone. ;) > > > >LabRat laughs hysterically......and thinks Wendy must have been enjoying >just a little too much festive cheer to have even thought of suggesting >that >one. [g] Oh come on, Labby. I know you can do it! :) Your always cheerful fan, Natascha (who has been going to serious withdrawals since the end of Lonesome...) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 11:35:11 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Judith Williams Subject: Re: Finally! annesplace.net back up and running! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Okay, I've tried from 2 different messages and this new web address doesn't work for me. What am I doing wrong? :( Jude ----- Original Message ----- From: "Annette Ciotola" To: Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 4:43 AM Subject: Finally! annesplace.net back up and running! > annesplace.net is finally back in business!! > > I received word this morning that the domain has been fully transferred to > point to www.simplyorganized.simple.com. While both URLs will take you to the > same place, I don't know how much longer the simplenet URL will work. > > Once again, I'd just like to thank you all for hanging in there through this > whole process. > > Thanks > Anne :) > annesplace.net ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 13:15:28 +1100 Reply-To: Patricia Walpole Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Patricia Walpole Subject: Re: Appeal on behalf of Annesplace MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everyone I think this is a great idea to help Anne out. I am happy to organise it = here in Australia. Any Aussie FoLCs who would like to contribute please contact me. Tricia ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 00:14:17 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jill Melena Subject: Gotta love quickies ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Debby, I absolutely loved this story, especially the second part. > "Oh, don't go all innocent on *me*, Mr. I-know-you've-got-the-sport-section and we're not even in the same room Now there's an important use for superpowers! > "Red, green, this one's *larger* than a bread box, anybody could make that mis--" LOL - well, it's a mistake that Lois could make; and a cute one. < Don't giggle like a little child, you haven't even opened it half way yet..." < (Lois feigns stroke to the sound of Clark pleasantly humming "Grandma got run over by a reindeer") What a great ending! The only that's left me puzzled is, if the black lace isn't for Clark, who *is* Lois giving it to?!? Other than that, though, it was adorable and the character portrayal is gorgeous. -Lena _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 00:22:52 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jill Melena Subject: Collection MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I think this collection for Anne is a wonderful idea... and now I'm racking my brain trying to remember how much Zoom's now paying for her site. Think we could help her out, too? -Lena _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 17:03:27 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tank Wilson Subject: A LeXMAS Carol archive problem MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It was recently pointed out to me that last week's upload of my story A LeXMAS Carol suffered some sort of glitch and is pretty much a jumbled mess. Unfortunately, I don't remember who did the edits on the story for me since I sent it in a while ago, and Kathy had held it till Christmas to post. Since Kathy is on vacation till after the new year, correction of the archive version will have to wait I suppose. If there are any of you out there who desire to read this story, I can tell you it was originally posted to zoom's board back in december of 1999. I have no idea how to do any of those link thingies which would allow you to jump right to it. Normally I say that all you'd have to do is email me and I would be happy to send you a copy of the story, but I don't have one. A while back my hard drive crashed and had to be reinitialized with the original defaults. Needless to say I lost all my stories which were kept on my hard drive. I have been slowly trying to recover those stories using the copies from the L&C archives. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Tank ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 17:30:04 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: A LeXMAS Carol archive problem Thanks to the much-appreciated efforts of the Index Crew, I've located Tank's Christmas fic, A LeXmas Carol, on Zoomway's message boards. So anyone who would like to read this entertaining and very clever story can find it here: http://www.zoomway.com/boards/ubbhtml/Forum5/HTML/000929.html Wendy ----------- Wendy Richards wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 07:58:04 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Re: Gotta love quickies ;) In-Reply-To: <20001230051417.1666.qmail@web6101.mail.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 12:14 AM 12/30/2000 -0500, you wrote: >Debby, I absolutely loved this story, especially the >second part. > >> "Oh, don't go all innocent on *me*, Mr. >I-know-you've-got-the-sport-section >and we're not even in the same room > >Now there's an important use for superpowers! One should have fun with one's superpowers :) >> "Red, green, this one's *larger* than a bread box, >anybody could make that mis--" > >LOL - well, it's a mistake that Lois could make; and a >cute one. which threads to below... > >< Don't giggle like a little child, you haven't even >opened it half way yet..." > >< (Lois feigns stroke to the sound of Clark pleasantly >humming "Grandma got run over by a reindeer") > >What a great ending! The only that's left me puzzled >is, if the black lace isn't for Clark, who *is* Lois >giving it to?!? Other than that, though, it was >adorable and the character portrayal is gorgeous. As I don't feel like rewriting it a third time (this new comic book collecting project of mine is taking up *all* my time lately...) (read Kingdom Come if you haven't yet...) (probably the best comic in history), Lois mistakenly gave Clark a present to open that she thought was from her to him but was actually was actually one he got from her, thus the black lace. She's a busy woman and makes the occasional mistake. >-Lena Debby huitziln@cais.net ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 23:20:30 -0000 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Lonesome TE MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Oh come on, Labby. I know you can do it! :) > > Your always cheerful fan, > > Natascha (who has been going to serious withdrawals since the end of > Lonesome...) Awww, you are sweet, Tasha, and I appreciate your faith in me, but I suspect you've been at the same Christmas spirits Wendy's been imbiding. ;) LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2000 18:21:51 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: OT: Story question Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, I'm working on a fanfic that I need some legal advice on. I need this advice from someone who has seen Dean's movie, "No Alibi" and knows a bit about how the judical system works. For those of you that have seen "No Alibi," I was wondering if it would be justified for Bob to go after an annulment from Camille? I know Camille and him had definately "consummated" the marriage, but is there still a way for Bob to pursue an annulment considering how Camille lied to him about everything having to do with his brother, Phil? You can email me this information privately at LoisLane9397@aol.com since it is OT. Thanks, Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 02:00:21 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Tank Wilson Subject: Re: LeXmas Carol archive problems MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I just want to thank Wendy and Laurie for their help in this little matter. I'm sure that once she's back and has the time, Kathy will get the whole mess straightened out. For those who can't wait, here's a hint; Lex plays the role of Scrooge. Tank ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 08:41:48 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: lcfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Happy New Year, FoLCs! Quite a bit of activity this week to read over the holiday from Zoom's message board at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/7378/lnc.html New part(s) posted: LONG, STRANGE TRIP: THIRTYSOMETHING A NEW BEGINNING: PINTOFOLC TOGOM VERSION 487: TANK WILSON TRADING PLACES: IRENE DUTCHAK Completed stories this week: FAUX PAS: WENDY RICHARDS NEAR WILD HEAVEN: HALF A WORLD AWAY: KAETHEL New stories this week: CHALLENGE 155 WORDS SERIES OF FIC IN 155 WORDS OR LESS VARIOUS CLARK AND CAIN STEPPER HOME FOR CHRISTMAS WENDY RICHARDS HOME IV: PREVIEW NAN SMITH TRIAL RUN: STEPPER Added to the Archive this week: Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons of Smallville Phil Atcliffe Hearts and Diamonds Shayne Terry Home for Christmas Wendy Richards A LeXmas Carol Tank Wilson The Terracotta Soldier Amanda Leach Enjoy! Dawn & the Index Crew __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 19:27:13 -0000 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: New to list! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, Cat! Always good to welcome another UK-based FoLC to the fold :) Especially one who obviously shares the love of fanfic which many of us already suffer from ;) Happy reading! Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 19:25:14 -0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: JaT Subject: 7 Days of Superman Parts 32 and 33 Final Pieces!! Comments: To: 7days FanFic <7DaysFic@egroups.com>, BackStep Fiction , Tad Flowers , Dave and Debbie Harrison , Melanie , Backstep Operation , Vernon Terrell , Travel Time , Dad Tull , Danny Tull MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sorry if this gets to you twice. Bad connetion. Title:Seven Days of Superman Author/pseudonym:Mr. D8A Fandom:Seven Days/Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman Rating:PG-13 Status: PART 32 & 33 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. Summary:Superman fails to stop the nuking of Washington DC and gets some help from Frank B. Parker from Operation Backstep. Part: 32 Working - The End? +++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday, October 6, 1999 8:17:20pm EST Gulf of Mexico Isla de la Juventud beach +++++++++++++++++++++++ The time had almost come. The circle was nearing completion. Lex watched the portal from a distance. The time he had been waiting for all his life. He was going to save his Dad and Washington D.C.. The fate of the future rested on his shoulders. He was petrified. A bundle of mixed emotions. **What if I mess up? What if I don't remember the reprogramming sequence correctly? What if I end up killing Clark, myself and several million people? Then Keith and Lois will still die and Frank, Olga and my younger self will be marooned in the past.** These were the thoughts that tumbled around in his head as he heard the veil of time split and announce the impending traveler. The missile roared out of the portal with Clark riding on its back. It no sooner cleared the portal than Clark disappeared off the back of the missile. "We did it! We sent Clark back in time!" Then it dawned on him. "But...I'm still here!" Lex searched his 'alternate' memories and found no differences except the disappearance of Clark. "Clark didn't go back far enough! That means...Mom is still dead." Nothing had changed, except that he didn't know where his father was. Keith and Lois were dead. The Carper's were still in Kansas, and he was still the 'brother' of Clark Kent instead of his son. Lex turned his face toward the heavens, his voice raged with emotion. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!? WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NORMAL LIVES!? Why can't You leave us alone?" ~*~ While Lex railed against his Creator, the missile continued onward. Three sets of eyes watched as it streaked away, leaving the purple and green clad hero behind. Jel-Nor ran his hand through his red hair. **Oh, for a dose of the stoicism of my *pure* Kryptonian heritage!** "Now, I can understand why you are the way you are, Mateas. You're as much a nit-slog as your ancestor was. Andrus, activate the Subliminator and get his gluteus on track." The blonde-headed young man quickly retrieved the device from his utility belt. [[These messages are for Lex Kent. 'Mustn't forget about the missile.' Delay five seconds. 'I bet since this missile is from the far future it uses kilometers instead of miles.' ]] Lex shook himself out of his madness and knocked himself in the forehead. "I almost forget about that missile." He was nearly caught up with it when he had a sudden revelation. "I bet that sucker is set for kilometers instead of miles, being from the future and all." In the distance Jel-Nor smiled. **This is going to work out.** Andrus was distracted from enjoying his leader's smile by the sudden mental nudge of one of his instruments. {{TWO KRYPTONIAN META-BETAS ARE APPROACHING. ID SCAN IN PROGRESS.}} "Senior Peace Keeper?" Jel-Nor didn't like the tone in Andrus' voice. "Yes?" {{WARNING! WARNING! DIMENSIONAL INCURSION HAS OCCURRED! THE APPROACHING KRYPTONIAN META-BETAS ARE BOTH CLARK KENT. THE QUANTUM SIGNATURE, AS WELL AS THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AGE OF THE TRAILING ONE DIFFERS FROM THE FIRST.}} "We have a problem." +++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday, October 6, 1999 8:20:50pm EST Atlantic Ocean +++++++++++++++++++++++ The two Kryptonians sped, side by side, across the country and the Gulf in silence. Clark regarded his 'other' self. He hadn't noticed it before, but there were fine wrinkles around his counterpart's eyes and the brow had a few more worry lines than his. There was also an odd handful of silver hairs in among the black. It was obvious that his twin had lived a harder life than he had. Clark was unsure if he should ask what had happened. Of course, if they couldn't figure how to send him back, he would have a long time to find out. ~*~ Superman was flying on auto-pilot as he followed the younger version of himself. His life had become a Greek tragedy. He had waited so long to be reunited with his wife and child, only to have both of them snatched from him by a mad-man. He shook his head, hoping to sift all the pieces into place. To the rest of his world, Frank Parker had entered his life only two days earlier. For Superman, however, thirty years had passed by. But the Kryptonian could easily recall all the details as though it had all just happened. He remembered Lois telling him about her first encounter with Mr. Parker. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Thirty-eight subjective years ago, in a parallel universe. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ He'd been away in Japan when Frank arrived. Lois had been the first to find him. She had been eager enough when he told her that Superman was in danger, but had turned into a stone wall when he tried to convince her that he knew that Superman was also Clark Kent. "Mrs. Kent..." "That's Mrs. Lane-Kent." "O-Kaay. Mrs. Lane-Kent, everyone knows that your husband is Superman. Why are you trying to deny it?" Lois raised her eyebrows in apprehension. "Everyone knows?" Frank nodded his head up and down. She turned to the nearest passer-by that looked approachable. He was an average looking man with wire-framed glasses, short dark hair, and a well-defined beard with a tuft of white at the chin. "Excuse me, sir? But do you know who Superman really is?" "Sure." Lois looked stunned. Her thoughts were incredulous. **Did I miss something in this morning's newspaper!** "He's Kal El, from the planet Krypton." **Whew!** "Well, I guess everyone knows that. What I meant was, do you know his secret identity on Earth? Assuming he has one." The man raised his eyebrows. "Ma'am, if I could tell you that, I could probably become the richest man in the world. Assuming, of course, that he has a secret identity. But even if I did know, I probably wouldn't tell. It would serve no purpose other than ruin the good man's life." Lois smiled broadly. "Thank you." The man grinned back. "Have a blessed day." And so, Frank Parker realized he was in the wrong universe. Lois and Frank traveled back to Hyperion Ave in relative silence. Lois could he was more than a little shaken up by the revelation. Shortly thereafter, Lois paged her husband using the 911 code. Barely a minute later, he came through the French doors of the kitchen at such speed that Frank didn't have time to register Superman's presence before the chrononaut found himself suspended off the floor by the vice-like grip of the Man of Steel. Lois assured him that Frank was okay and that he was here to help. Frank related to them that on his world, Tempus had kidnapped their son and killed the bodyguards just shortly before launching a missile at the heart of Metropolis. The Defender had caught up with the missile before Clark and had attempted to disable it. He apparently jostled the missile too much in ripping the control panel off and caused it to explode over Washington DC. And Clark had witnessed it all from a distance. He had watched his brother, mother and father all killed with one errant flick of the wrist. The explosion propelled Clark halfway across West Virginia. A couple of days later Tempus twisted the knife even further by revealing that The Defender was actually Lois and Clark's kidnapped son, Alexander Kent, stranded back in the past and, for irony's sake, entrusted with the Kent's to raise as their own. ~@~ Frank's revelation gave Lois the impetus to tell her love that she suspected she was pregnant. She had been waiting until the morning of their anniversary, knowing that once she knew for sure there was no way she could hold out on him. The test was but a formality; women know these things. She was going to take the test and tell him during their anniversary dinner, but now seemed like a good time considering that her husband's spirits were bolstered by the possibility. And that's when the argument started. "Clark, I will not be treated as an invalid just because I am pregnant!" "Lois, you're not being reasonable!" "I'm not being reasonable? I'm not the one that wants to enforce ancient rural customs on me! Women, I'll have you know, usually work right up until the last week of pregnancy! Erin, down in legal, even went to an awards ceremony the day after she was due, and she had a beautiful baby!" "Erin was not contemplating tangling with a mad man, either." Lois got that determined set to her jaw. "*You* are *not* going against Tempus alone!" "Mr. Parker will be with me!" Lois' eyes targeted Frank's and dared him to open his mouth. Which, of course, he did. "I have to side with your husband on this one. You shouldn't go." Lois looked like she was going to pop a blood-vessel. "Of course! What should I suspect from a government agent." Frank knew that she would not listen to reason so he pulled an emotional rabbit out of his hat. "The baby could die." Lois didn't even bat an eye. "I could be struck by a car tomorrow, and the same result would happen. I refuse to be shackled by 'what if's!" "You don't understand. You are no longer immune to Kryptonite. In my universe, our Lois nearly lost her baby because of an exposure to Kryptonite. *You* are carrying a half-Kryptonian child! *You,* by virtue of the pregnancy, are becoming partially Kryptonian yourself. At this stage of the pregnancy, prolonged exposure to Kryptonite would surely kill the child growing inside you. And it wouldn't do much for your health, either." Frank paused for effect. "You can't afford to take the risk." The look of shock on their faces let him know that they had been unaware of the Kryptonian metamorphosis. Lois nodded her head in resignation. The Husband of Steel enveloped her in his arms and let her know, in more than just verbal ways, how much he appreciated her sacrifice. They agreed that Lois and Ivan would go to Star Labs for protection. ~@~ Superman's flight warbled for a moment as he regretted that decision. **HA! Fat lot of good that did! If only I had taken them with me, they would still be safe.** ~@~ Shortly thereafter, Superman and Frank traveled to the Isla de la Juventud and found a way to the time-portal. They found themselves back in 1962, in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The struggle with Tempus was brief, but unsuccessful. Tempus fired his needler at the same time Frank fired his gun. Both found their targets. Frank's bullet pierced Tempus' heart at nearly the same time that one of Tempus' needles slipped behind Frank's ribcage and punctured his aorta. Several needles struck Superman, as well. Tempus' death triggered the launch of the old missile, but the Man of Steel was in no shape to stop it. With his last remaining minutes, Frank carefully and quickly pulled out all the deadly spines from Superman's prone body and dragged himself as far way as possible. By the time Superman awoke, the missile was long gone, the time-portal destroyed. Frank breathed his last as Superman was being prodded by a Cuban soldier demanding to know what was going on. ~@~ It didn't take much to escape the Cubans. He allowed them to lock him up and in the middle of the night, he let himself out through the barred windows. The first thing he did was go to Smallville. It seemed the logical place for H. G. Wells to find him. But the time traveler never showed up. When he first arrived, he introduced himself as Jerome Lane. He kept to himself and did odd jobs for room and board for the first year. He even watched his parents wedding via X-ray vision. Eventually, when it was apparent that Mr. Wells was not coming, he moved on. He kept to out-of-the-way places so as to limit the chances of corrupting the time-line. He stayed away from big cities, especially Metropolis. He knew that he couldn't resist helping people in danger. He also couldn't bring himself to witness Lois' growing up years. That is, once she was born. ~@~ Time passed. Years turned into decades. True to Dr. Klein predictions, he didn't age much. He pointedly avoided being anywhere that his younger self would be. The last years were the hardest. He would be halfway around the world and feel Lois needing him and it took everything in him to ignore them. More than once he found himself nearly in the city before pulling out and leaving. Finally, the day came. Frank and his younger self had just left. He shadowed Lois and Ivan from the time she left Hyperion Ave. until she got to Star Labs. And then he waited. He had to know if time would repeat itself or if some twist of fate would eradicate the last thirty-eight years. It was not to be. He waited a mile above Cuban airspace, watching the time-portal. The missile erupted from its center right on time. He trailed it from about twenty miles out. When it reached it's zenith, he tried to super-cool it, but he was too far away. While it was still over the Gulf, he tried to vaporize it. It started to glow red, and as soon as the outer shell started to slag, it blew. The concussive force knocked him halfway back to the States. No cities were destroyed, but the radioactive fallout was starting to circle the globe. He went to Star Labs to get help from Dr. Klein. He found Trask instead. He couldn't bear thinking about it again. Better to think about the present, no matter where he was. ~*~ After determining that Lex was no longer near the Isla de la Juventud, Clark and Superman flew off toward Florida. In the distance Clark could see the missile avoiding the counter-measures. Lex was having a devil of a time catching it, just like the last time. Superman indicated the distant figure. "Your son? Clark did a double take. "How...?" Superman winked at his doppelganger. "I'll tell you later. Let's give *Lex* a hand. I'll run interference. And whatever you do, don't let him rip off the control panel. And for simplicity sake, just call me Jerome." Clark nodded and took off. ~*~ Lex felt like a pinball in an arcade machine. He jerked one way, then the other, trying to catch the missile. Every time he got close enough, it would change heading. But he couldn't afford to use super speed to catch-up to it. He couldn't afford to catch it at all. The smallest change in its trajectory that was not self-induced would cause it to explode. He had to use minimal force in order to accomplish his goals. He had to match its speed and trajectory if he was going to accomplish his task. Which would be easy, if the missile wasn't trying to line-dance with the counter-measures the military was throwing at it every few seconds. He was plotting his next approach when the missile's path leveled out. **What the...?** ((Thought you could use a little help.)) Lex swung around and spied Clark in the distance. ((Clark!)) Clark zipped to his son's side. "It's good to see you again...son." He smiled broadly and pulled Lex close. He didn't see Lex' expression. Lex pulled back. "You know?" Clark nodded. Lex thumped himself in the forehead. "Of course, you know! What happened? You were supposed to go back and stop all of this! What went wrong?" "I don't know. We must not have changed the temporal harmonics sufficiently to penetrate Tempus' temporal force field. I came her to warn you about the missile. It's set for kilometers, not miles. In the last timeline the missile blew at around thirty-two miles up." Lex looked confused. "But, I've already guessed that it would be set for kilometers. I plan to set it for one-hundred kilometers straight up from its current longitude and latitude." "Let's make it four-hundred, just in case." "Where are all the counter-measures?" "We have a friend helping us out." Clark twisted around and pointed back to a speck about two miles away. Lex zoomed in on it and gasped in surprise. He looked pointedly at his 'father.' Clark grinned. "Missile first, explanations later." ~*~ Together, the father and son team worked out a strategy. The trick was to be stationary as it passed by, then instantly match its course. Lex shot ahead about six miles and Clark herded it toward him. It worked like a charm. In short order, Lex had the control panel off and re-programmed the missile. Soon, it was on its way to the inner edge of space and oblivion, where none could be harmed. Several minutes later, a greenish ball of light lit the Northeastern seaboard and disappeared out of sight. Three sonic booms were heard heading west. Part: 33 Working - Resolution +++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday, October 6, 1999 7:45pm CST Smallville Kent Farm +++++++++++++++++++++++ Clark, Jerome, and Lex arrived at the small farmhouse on the edge of a fallow Kansas cornfield. Three individuals were waiting for them. The news of the explosion was still playing on the unattended television inside. Once again the Sons of Krypton were the heroes of the day. Nan, who had been rushing up to greet them, pulled up short when she saw the two Supermen next to Lex. It was only due to the aged condition of her companions that they didn't run into her. All three stared back and forth between the two for a moment. Fred summed it up in two words. "Oh, boy." ~*~ First Jerome told his story then Clark related everything he knew. The retelling didn't make it any easier for either of them. Olivia concurred with Clark's tale. "I knew something had gone wrong when the ring around my neck disappeared into thin air, but by then, Lex had already gone." Clark reached inside his suit and pulled out a thin silver chain. It held the white gold band and the diamond solitaire engagement ring he had given Lois so long ago. The sight of it still pulled at his heart. Lex reached out to put an arm around Clark's shoulder. Jerome hung back, nervous. The phone rang. They all stared at it like it was going to bite them. On the second ring, Clark picked up the phone. "Hello, Kent's Farm." Three sets of super-ears heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Clark? Oh, honey, I am so sorry. Jonathan and I will be there in just under an hour." "There's no need." "What? Surely you don't want to be alone at a time like this?" "It's kind of complicated, Mom. I don't know how much they told you but there's a still a chance to save her. We're getting ready discuss the options now." "We? I wasn't sure how to ask this, but there where three distinct blips on the radar screen over Kansas. You and Lex make up two of them. Who is the third? And what's this about Lex being your *son*! Clark gave the phone a wry smile. It wasn't the first time his mom had tracked him down using radar. He gave her the abridged version on what had happened and promised her that she would get a full explanation later. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday, October 6, 1999 10:17pm CST Smallville Kent Farm +++++++++++++++++++++++ "Okay, it's settled. We leave straight after Fred makes the call. Assuming he remembers what the number is. Do you still remember the number?" "Do *I* still remember the number? Apparently you have forgotten which of us has the photographic memory." "Then why did you forget our anniversary last year?" A frown passed across Fred's face. "Once! I forget one time, and do you forgive and forget? Nooooo. I'll have you kno...mph!" Olivia Carper shut her husband up with a kiss. After they separated, she grinned and said, "You've forgotten how to recognize a joke." "O-liv-i-a..." Most of the group was enjoying the married banter. Except Jerome and Nan. Both had been quiet for most of the discussion, but they became more restive with each passing moment. They both sat on the floor on the other side of the room: one, contemplating losing the man she loved; the other, the possibility of never getting home again. They already knew that for their timeline to return to normal, Tempus must fail in his attempt to kidnap Alex as a child and be stopped from firing the missile. They were pretty certain that the modifications to the temporal harmonics of the chrono-field had been accurate, but for some reason, they didn't work. They had compared the reading from the original Sphere with the one that Frank had arrived in and had extrapolated the changes necessary. They would know more when they got back to the base. What they weren't certain of was how to get Jerome back to his world. It was obvious that the changes made to his Sphere didn't allow him to stay in his universe. It had behaved like Frank's did the first time. They must not have found the dimensional shift mechanism, but again, they wouldn't know that without examining Jerome's Sphere. They hoped that by setting the Sphere up like the original one, he would end up back in his world like their original Frank Parker. The trick was whether Operation Backstep could handle a simultaneous launch of two Spheres. If it couldn't, then they where going to have to send Clark back alone and wait until Jerome came through again to send him. Assuming that Clark was able to accomplish his mission successfully. Jerome had reached his limit. "Just dial the number already. I want to get this over with and get home to Lois." Nan agreed, with a quiet voice. "Yes, let's get this over with." Lex was at her side in an instant, holding and comforting her. He assured her that he had not forgotten what he was losing. Olivia made her way to Nan. She gestured for the young people to stand up. "You're right. We should get on with this." Clark had a look of sorrow on his face. "This has to work this time. I don't think I could stand to break your hearts for a third time." Clark twisted around and addressed Fred. "Make the call." Fred reached for the phone but was stopped by another voice from outside the kitchen door "Don't pick that up, Mr. Carper. Or should I call you Mr. Parker?" Clark flipped on the porch-light and threw open the door. He found two strangely dressed men "Who...Andrus?" Andrus turned to Jel-Nor with a surprised look on his face. "How?" Jel-Nor ran his hand through his close-cropped red-hair and then shook his head in contempt, **Neophyte!** "Obviously, you will meet in at a later point in your life." "Oh!" "Yes, when Tempus tried to..." Jel-Nor thrust his hand up in a stopping gesture. "Don't! We will deal with it when the time comes. Foreknowledge can be a dangerous thing. Your past, his future. You understand?" Clark's smile quirked a little as he nodded his head in agreement. Jel-Nor paused for a moment as if waiting for something. It never came. "Well, are you going to invite us in or are you going to just stand there and gape at us?" Clark hastily moved aside and gave an exaggerated bow of entrance. The sarcasm was lost on Jel-Nor. Andrus tried hard not to smile. Clark quickly followed them in. "We have company." He continued on a more serious note. "First, who are you? Second, why should Mr. Carper not make that phone call? And third, how do you know how he really is?" "I assume that most of you already know Andrus?" A chorus of nods was his response. "Good. I am Senior Peace Keeper Jel-Nor..." "NOR!" Jerome reacted violently to the name. He super-sped at Jel-Nor, only to be stopped by the Peace Keeper's hand around the his throat. Jerome tried, unsuccessfully, to free himself for several moments. Both Clark and Lex tried, as well, to pry Jel-Nor's fingers from around Jerome's neck. They failed miserably. Jel-Nor stood there, the very definition of the immovable object, with a bored look on his face. He tired of the game and decided to put an end to it. "If you are quick finished making fools of yourselves...?" Clark and Lex stopped their efforts. "Good." Jel-Nor directed his next comments to Jerome. "Now, I can continue to hold you like this while I continue, but since I like to gesture with my hands that might prove uncomfortable to both of us. I suggest that when I let you go you explain why you were about to be rude to me and then we can get on with why we are here. Agreed?" Jel-Nor relaxed his grip enough to allow Jerome to nod, which he did. Jel-Nor dropped him. Jerome backed up several inches and rubbed his neck. "When the New Kryptonians arrived on my world, Lord Nor tried to kill me and conquer the Earth. He and several of his followers killed several people before they were stopped. Jel-Nor was totally amazed. "In this universe, the House of El and the House of Nor have always be been stanch allies." Clark looked confused. "The New Kryptonians?" Andrus jumped to the rescue. "According to history, Lady Zara and Lord Nor married and together ruled New Krypton in peace until..." Jel-Nor barked out a strange word, which Jerome recognized as the Kryptonian word for total silence. Andrus instantly stopped talking. "They don't need to know that. Anyway, my ancestors did not need to find the lost heir to the House of El at that time. But we are getting away from why we are here." "And that would be...?" "To stop you from using Operation Backstep to screw up our plans. We've worked too hard to get the timeline the way it is now and we are not letting you screw it up, again." Clark was indignant in his response. "We've lost people that we love and care about! We've jumped through hoops trying to restore it and you're telling me that you've been behind the scenes, stopping us at every turn. Are you going to tell me that you allowed Lois and Keith to die, robbed Lex of a normal childhood, and messed with Frank and Olga's life, just to have things work out the way *you* want it? What right do you have to mess with our lives?" "Before I explain, I have someone that you will want to see first." Jel-Nor touched a control on his wrist and stood back, gesturing the rest to stand back. A time window opened in their midst and three people stepped out. "LOIS!" "MOM! KEITH!" "Sir!" Mateas barely had time to get out of the way before his two charges were mobbed by the throng of people in the Kansas kitchen. If anyone had stopped by they would have swore a family reunion was going on. And they would be right. Clark and Lois grabbed one another and twirled around, completely unaware of the rest. They embraced and savored each other's presence. They kissed tenderly, yet passionately. Finally, Lois moved her head back and brushed the tears on her lover's face. "I missed you so badly." "I thought I would never see you again." "I'm here to stay." "I'll never let you go." Lex cleared his throat. "May I cut in?" At the sight of Lex, Lois burst out into tears. "Alexander! Oh, sweetheart! I've been as desperate to see you as I was your father. I'm so sorry, honey! I didn't want to leave you! I would never have left you if I could have helped it. Please, please, tell me you don't hate me." Lex swallowed hard and looked at her lovingly. To him it had been thirty years ago, but to her it had probably been days since his hateful outburst. He cupped her face gently in his hand. Words were not enough. He reached out and touched her mind, sending wave after wave of love, adoration and well-being at her. In his mind's eye he became the tiny little boy he once was and jumped up in her mental lap and threw his arms around her neck. ((Mommy, I love you. I'm so sorry for hurting you. It took me years to understand and by the time I met you as an adult, I had long since forgiven you. Will you forgive the frightened child I was?)) ((Yes, my little man. Of course I forgive you.)) Their mental hug melted back into reality. They both wiped the tears for the other's cheeks. There was only one dry eye in the room. The wet blanket scowled and muttered something about emotional drivel on this messy Terran world. ~*~ Nan, Fred and Olivia rushed over and talked to Keith. "What happened? The last time we saw you, you looked more like a piece of toast!" "I felt like one, too, Fred." "So what happened?" "After you 'buried' us and left, Jel-Nor and his team retrieved our bodies and took them to the future. "The 'poison' that Tempus was using was actually a stasis drug. It reduces the body to a barely-alive state and maintains it for a period of several days, depending on the dosage. But after a while it begins to wear off. "Tempus coated the needles with powdered Kryptonite so that it would penetrate Clark's and Lois' skin. Clark's body, being much denser than Lois', didn't allow the needles to penetrate far enough to allow a full dose to be injected. It *was* the Kryptonite, more than the drug, that affected Clark. If it had penetrated deeper or if more of them had hit him, he would have been unconscious for days. Lois' needle went all the way through, so she didn't get a full dose either, but she didn't have Clark's resistance. Her body is not fully Kryptonian, yet, so she succumbed to it after a time. "Tempus' intention was to inject both Clark and Lois with the drug and leave them. The powdered Kryptonite was held in place by a biodegrade adhesive that would last about a day or two. The Kryptonite would then start to circulate throughout the body. It would have killed Clark before the effects of the drug would have worn off. Lois would have survived, but the baby would have died. He was then going to take Alexander and raise him as his own. "Apparently, early in Tempus teen years, his younger brother, Alex, used to pretend that he was Superman. One day, he got it in his head that he could fly and so opened his second story window and jumped. Even though the Protectors heard the cry, they couldn't get there in time. The little boy's neck snapped, killing him instantly. Tempus witnessed the whole thing. They found him cradling his brother's crumpled body. He blamed the arriving Protectors for not being fast enough. Eventually, he focused all his hate on the first Protector, Clark Kent. "That's why Tempus hates Superman so much. H. G. Wells just happened to pop up in the wrong place and the wrong time. Tempus spun a tale of wanting to meet his famous, many times removed Aunt Lois and Uncle Clark Kent, and the rest is history." Fred and Olivia were still chewing on this when Nan asked her question. "But what about the damage to your body, Keith? You look better than you ever did!" "I wish I could tell you. The time travelers here have been rather close mouthed about the whole deal. I don't know." ~*~ Jel-Nor, Andrus and Mateas stood aside watching the whole thing. Jel-Nor shook his head at the sight of his two, teary-eyed, subordinates. It was enough to churn his stomach. "Alright. Alright. Enough already. Can we get on with the explanations?" he pleaded. Clark pivoted to regard the man the had saved his wife and friend, yet insisted that events remain as they were. "Thank you for returning our friends and family, but why mess with our lives? Why mess with the timeline in the first place? We're not pawns in some temporal chess game!" Everyone from the present was surprised when Lois came to the time traveler's defense. "Just hear them out. Their reasons are sound, if not justified." Jel-Nor gave a semi-gracious smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Kent. Why don't we all move to the living room. I'm getting tired of standing, and this is going to be a long story." ~*~ Jel-Nor regard his Padd. "It all started with Tempus. We had been just behind him for months and we were about to trap him when he somehow acquired another time window." His voice became shaded with sarcasm as he eyed Andrus. Then he continued. "But that also allowed us to track him whenever it was activated. He then instigated his most devious plot. To kidnap the first son of Superman. "In the original time line you didn't have a brother. Superman was created to save space shuttle, Prometheus. Over the course of the year your relationship with Lois became closer. Then Lex asked her to marry him. You foiled Lex Luthor's plan to blow up the Daily Planet and found Luthor's fingerprints all over the devise. He went to prison for life based on the evidence supplied by his cohorts. "Shocked that you came so close to losing each other, you, Clark, swallowed your pride and told her you were Superman and that you loved her. Lois forgave you for keeping the secret from her and several weeks later you got married in October 6, 1994. "Soon thereafter, Lois became pregnant with the first Krypto-Terran hybrid, Jonathan Kent..." "You mean Alexander." supplied Clark. "No, he means Jonathan. It will all make sense when he's finished." Lois admonished her husband. "As I was saying...Lois gave birth to Jonathan Kent nearly two years later..." Jerome's jaw dropped. "*TWO YEARS*!" "Actually, it's ninety Terran standard weeks, give or take a month. Can I continue?" Jerome, still mind-numbed by the information, nodded his ascent. "In October of 1999 Tempus knocked out Keith Jackson and Nan Smith, destroyed the house and kidnapped Jonathan, taking him back to the Isla de la Juventud, 1962. There he set up a missile and a temporal portal to October 6, 1999. He launched the missile. "He then dropped Jonathan off at the Kent's farm in 1962. Because Tempus is a lover of irony, he implanted in Jonathan's mind that his name was Lex and told the Kents the same thing. They raised him as their own. "Clark's ship arrived in May of 1966. 'Lex' is now seven years old. Clark has a big brother. "Fast forward several years. It's March 23, 1972. Can anyone tell me what is significant about that date?" Lex, Clark and Fred all three start to talk at once. Fred won. "Lex and Clark wanted to go fishing at the pond just off Schuster Road. Jonathan was busy and so he asked me if I could take them. Lex and Clark heard a car tire blow and a splash. There was an overturned car sinking into the pond by the time we got there. There were four people in the car. A husband and wife and their twin sons. The man and woman had been knocked unconscious, as well as one of the boys. The other boy was frantically trying to get out. "Between the three of us, we were able to get them out." Fred grinned at the two young men. "They were pretty strong even back then. "The last name of the family was Luthor. One of the boys was named Alexander." Jel-Nor nodded. "Right, except this time you weren't there, Fred. It was only Lex and Clark. Jonathan already knew that the boys were pretty special so he let them go on their own. Lex was nearly thirteen years of age and Clark was six. Lex and Clark were able to save them all by themselves. They were local heroes and had gotten their first taste of saving people. And their first taste of having to cover up for their special abilities." "So whatever happened to Lex Luthor. In my universe he was just as vile as the original one of this universe." Jel-Nor deferred to Andrus. "He lives in Metropolis. He is married and has five children. He works at the All-Saints Evangelical Free Church on Forsythe Street as the treasurer." "I know that church. Every year it runs a soup kitchen at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a very prosperous church with a tremendous outreach to the community." "In the original timeline, and I expect it to be so in your universe, Alexander Luthor was orphaned that day. He was thirteen. He had not yet accepted the faith of his father at that time and so turned bitter and self-independent. He swore that he would never depend on anyone or anything again. He took to the using the nickname 'Lex.' In the new timeline, Alexander gave his life over to Christ at the age of sixteen and dedicated his life to serving others and helping them find the faith that he had." Jerome started to laugh. "I find it hard to believe that Lex Luthor is a 'Holy Roller.' He can't be on the up and up." "Whether you believe it or not, it is true. Now, if Jel-Nor can continue." "Several more years went by. Clark arrived in Metropolis. With no Lex Luthor, Prometheus launched without a hitch. Lois began to suspect that there is something special about her partner and Clark tells her about the family secret. "With Lois and Martha's help, Superman and Defender make their first appearance with the advent of the Nightfall Asteroid. "And everything is as it was with the exception of naming their son Alexander Nathan Kent. This was to honor the sons of the first family they helped save. "October, 1999 rolls around again. Tempus again kidnaps Alexander, but this time Lex saves Keith and Nan and the house, but lets Tempus take the boy. "The missile launched back in 1962 finally arrives. Lex tries to stop the missile and dies trying. The resulting explosion decimates Washington DC and kills most of Congress and the President and the First Gentleman. The cycle is complete, except for one problem. Operation Backstep. "Operation Backstep is used to undo this kind of mess, but they didn't know about the temporal force field that Tempus was using. The Frank Parker of this universe switched places with the Frank Parker of Jerome's universe. "This set off another chain of events. This time Frank, Olga, Lois and Keith got trapped in the past with Alexander. Tempus was killed and Clark went riding through the time portal with the missile. Alexander was struck in the neck by one of Tempus' slivers. It lodges in-between the vertebra, nicking the nerve bundle responsible for walking. Alexander passed out, but Lois using her enhanced hearing is able to detect a heartbeat. "They tried to use Tempus' time window, but it was damaged when Tempus was killed. It only got them to Florida in the 1970s. They get help from a passerby and are airlifted to Miami, where they find out that the sliver cannot be removed without endangering his life. Fred just had to know something. "Why Florida 1970?" Jel-Nor sighed. "The power cells were damaged. It takes energy to move mass through time and space. There is a safety feature built into the device so that you will always land on land. It will sacrifice temporal energy to ensure this. Florida was the next piece of land in a straight line to Metropolis. It cut twenty-nine years off so that you could land on solid ground. "Anyway, the five of you made it to Smallville and found various jobs around the town and took pseudonyms. It was my understanding that Olga chose the names." "So that's why I ended up with the name of a call-girl out of some 70's song. Lola Ellison." Lois snorted. "It's better than Wanda Detroit." Jerome added. "You don't want to know." "Mrs. Kent, you're getting ahead of me." "Sorry." "To continue. Lois lost the second child due to a car accident early in the pregnancy. "Clark and Alexander became good friends. Clark was his 'official' protector. "1972 arrives. This time Fred and Andrew a.k.a. Keith go with the boys fishing and rescue the Luthors. "Lois and Clark met as before, only this time Clark is the only one to tackle the Nightfall Asteroid. They name their first-born son after Clark's best friend Alexander Nathan Ellison. "1999. Tempus kidnapped Alexander, but there is no Lex to save them this time. Keith jumped after Tempus and Alexander and gets plasma burned. Nan was killed, and the house was destroyed. "This is when we came in. We travel back to 1962 and cause the sliver to miss Alexander, hitting Clark. Lois and Keith get hit too. "The future changed. We spent most of our time trying to prevent the Carpers and Lex from fowling up the modified timeline." "Why is that? Why is it important that Lex and Clark grow up as brothers?" "In the distant future, having Lex and Nan marry in 1999 allows for at least one billion lives to be saved that weren't saved before. He and their descendants make that possible. Was the lack of a childhood worth the lives a billion?" That stopped everyone cold. Clark had come full circle. He had his soulmate for a wife, and Lex would have his. He looked at his son. Lex shook his head. He was satisfied with his sacrifice. "Go on." "Lex is able to rescue Nan. Lois and Keith are 'buried' and Lex has a horrible childhood. But because he was bathed in the energies of the time window at a crucial point, he now is able to tap into neighboring timelines and console himself. "Does this happen often?" Lex queried. Mateas spoke for the first time since he arrived. "More often than we like. It usually drives the individual mad." Realizing what he said, he amended his statement. "You have a very stable mind. As you say, 'Don't sweat it.'" Jel-Nor glared at Mateas and proceeded. "When Clark and the missile arrived, Clark fell off due to the effects of the Kryptonite, the drug and the fact that it was night on this side of the portal. "Lex tried to stop the missile, but because Clark was psionically present with Lex we couldn't use the Subliminator to warn him of the miles versus kilometer issue. So we got Kryptonite fallout over Europe and Asia. "Whoops. Sorry." Clark made every effort to look contrite. "This caused Operation Backstep to get involved again." Jel-Nor paused and etched a bow to Olivia. "Dr. Vukavitch, I salute you and your teammates. The settings for the temporal harmonics were flawless. It would have penetrated Tempus' force field if I hadn't modified it." Olivia grinned from ear to ear. "I *knew* that they were right! What about the dimensional shift mechanism?" "Unfortunately, you got that one wrong. He probably would have ended up in somewhere in Kala-El area of the paniverse if we had left it where you had it." "Thank goodness for that. One time in that world is enough." Jerome's raised an eyebrow. Lois responded for her husband. "If we have the time, we'll tell you later." Jel-Nor resumed. "After our 'modifications,' Clark ended up back here, with an unexpected guest. The rest you know. Any questions." Jerome stood up. "Yeah. How do I get home? By this time Metropolis is toast and my Lois is probably dead." "Getting *you* back is not in our job description." Lois marched up to Jel-Nor and stood right under his nose. "Listen, the least you can do is take him back home and help him out. He's waited nearly forty years to get back to his Lois and he helped Lex and Clark stop the missile. You *owe* him at *least a ride home!" Clark had telepathically brought Lois up to speed earlier about Jerome. She had felt so sorry for him. She gave Jel-Nor the 'look.' Jel-Nor thought, **She is everything that the history Padds say and more.** Andrus stepped up to. "Sir, I volunteer to take him back." Mateas did likewise. Jel-Nor knew when he had a full scale mutiny on his hands. "Alright, but you are not going alone." A small cheer went up from the gathering. It was decided that everyone needed a good night's sleep before they said their final good-byes. Epilogue 1 +++++++++++++++++++++++ Thursday, October 7, 1999 8:30am CST Smallville Kent Farm +++++++++++++++++++++++ After sunrise, the Kryptonian contingent spent the early morning reveling in the life-giving energies of the Sun. Once Jerome, Jel-Nor, and Mateas had fully recharged, they discussed strategies with how to deal with the missile in Jerome's universe. Lex and Nan had set a date to tie the knot on January 1, 2000. Lois and Clark and Fred and Olivia spent the morning talking over what their plans for the future. "Olivia and I will probably return to Operation Backstep, in about a month." They all laughed at that. No need to tempt the team to 'fix' things. "We're going to start picking out baby names. And help Lex and Nan with the marriage arrangements." "What are you going to tell the public about Lex and Alexander?" Lois laughed. "According to Andrus, we tell them the truth. Alexander was kidnapped by a time traveler and left in the past to become my brother. Considering our history, the public will take it well." Fred cast a look out the kitchen door. The time travelers and Jerome were heading back to the house. "I think it's time." ~*~ The group met out in the backyard. Lois, Clark, and Lex bid Jerome goodbye. Andrus waved goodbye. "See you earlier." Jel-Nor had worked most of last night on modifying his time window for dimensional travel. He tossed it in the air and it obediently opened. The center part was a swirl of purple and red that more closely resembled a vortex than a pool of water. "We need to go, now." The four of them walked through and the window disappeared. Nan turned to Lex and asked, "Do you think they will be okay?" Lex opened his mind to the myriad of temporal threads open to him. He traced their path and allowed the flow of that timeline to wash over him. "Yes, I think they will be." Epilogue 2 +++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanksgiving day, 1999 Hyperion Avenue Dimension down the block +++++++++++++++++++++++ Lois and Clark were putting away the dishes. The feast had been fabulous, he had cooked. "Lois?" "Yes, Clark?" "I just wanted to hear you call my name again." Lois grinned. "I will say your name as often as you want, Clark." "How do you think Alexander and Nan are doing?" Lois refused to call Alexander by his name. "From what their Andrus told me, I have a feeling they will live happily ever after." **At least until 2041 when the Last World War breaks out.** Clark reached around Lois and rubbed her abdomen. "How are you feeling *momma*?" "I would feel a lot better if I didn't know it was going to take ninety weeks to hatch this." Clark checked on the front room. Ivan was out like a light. "Ivan is asleep..." "Are you thinking what I think your thinking?" "Yes. I find pregnant women irresistible. Especially *married*, pregnant women." "Well, I'm married, pregnant and available." "O-oh, the perfect kind." Clark whisked her up in his arms and carried her away. Authors Notes. There are so many people I would like to thank for helping me with this. Especially my beta readers, Elisabeth and BethyEm. My loyal UBB readers and a myriad of FOLCs. I barrow several ideas from several stories. I have long since forgotten which ones. Some time during 2001 I will track you all down and add you to this section. Until then, you know who you are, and if you volunteer your id I would be most grateful. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/