From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG0105A" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 11:36:07 +0100 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: Slightly ( or perhaps a lot ) Off-Topic-- Published fanfic? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ann wrote: > Fanfiction for Shakespeare > -- and no one is suing for copyright infringement. Though, of course, copyright in Macbeth would have expired fifty years after Shakespeare's death, if such a thing as copyright law existed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. ;) Looks interesting! Wendy -------------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 11:41:31 +0100 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: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bud, I think someone posted this link here before - at least, I know I followed it from somewhere, and I thought it was from here. It was interesting, though I've read considerably better fanfic. It was also written, I assume, with S1 canon in mind, though it seems that he wrote it shortly before S3 was shown, so - given that the story is written with Lois not knowing - I don't think it would really have fit in S3, even with revisions. Wendy -------------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Norman Mayes" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 7:11 AM Subject: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark http://www.fortress.am/Maggin/lnc/ Oh, Boy!!! I found an online script by Eliot Maggin, a well known Superman comic book/novel writer, featuring a script he wrote on spec for LNCTNAOS at the above link. Budmayes ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 07:46:24 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Re: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ah, I must have missed the previous posting. I haven't read it yet and I'd thought I had found something new. budmayes ----- Original Message ----- From: Wendy Richards To: Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 3:41 AM Subject: Re: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark > Bud, I think someone posted this link here before - at least, I know I > followed it from somewhere, and I thought it was from here. > > It was interesting, though I've read considerably better fanfic. It was also > written, I assume, with S1 canon in mind, though it seems that he wrote it > shortly before S3 was shown, so - given that the story is written with Lois > not knowing - I don't think it would really have fit in S3, even with > revisions. > > Wendy > > -------------------------- > Wendy Richards > w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Norman Mayes" > To: > Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 7:11 AM > Subject: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark > > > http://www.fortress.am/Maggin/lnc/ > > Oh, Boy!!! > I found an online script by Eliot Maggin, a well known Superman comic > book/novel writer, featuring a script he wrote on spec for LNCTNAOS at the > above link. > > Budmayes ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 07:58:09 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable For those with any interest, Superman, the Movie Special Edition DVD = comes out today. It has a lot of extra footage in it, and it is a = directors cut, (I think), along with documentaries, etc. I loved this = movie when it came out and plan to get it immediately. The special = effects alone are worth it. You DO BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY. Christopher = Reeves performance is wonderful. A widescreen version of it, the unextended version, has been playing on = TCM? or is it AMC? and I had a thought about it, How could this movie have been rewritten to make it more Lois & Clark? = Obviously, play down Otis's bumbling, play up Luthor's villiany and put = more Lois & Clark into it. But my question is : How would you write a = Lois & Clark Movie? Any fanfics get a nomination? budmayes ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 08:56:12 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Norman Mayes wrote: > > For those with any interest, Superman, the Movie Special Edition DVD comes out today. > I had a thought about it, > How could this movie have been rewritten to make it more Lois & Clark? Obviously, play down Otis's bumbling, play up Luthor's villiany and put more Lois & Clark into it. But my question is : How would you write a Lois & Clark Movie? Any fanfics get a nomination? Lois and Clark had its share of bumbling sidekicks, as well as over-the-top villains in some of its more cringeworthy and forgettable scenes. I suspect that one of the big problems with L&C as a television series is that many viewers (not *us* obviously) were unable to separate the frequently embarrassing A-plots from the more worthy B-plots. For my recommendation for a L&C movie, I'm going to reprise my role as a Lois and Clark Geezer, and recommend a classic. I think something based on Debby Starks "Dawning" series would make a great movie. For one thing, Hollywood would have a great opening scene showing Superman's fight with the slime-monster. (Swamp-monster? It's been a while since I've read it.) Debby didn't even describe this fight, choosing instead to start her story as Metropolis cleans up from the attack. Most of us fanfic writers don't bother with the action-type descriptions, which would be a problem in adapting a fic for a movie.) But I think the movie special effects gurus would have fun with Superman's battle against the evil from outer space. The twirls in mid-air with the Metropolis skyline in the background, the connecting punches, with their resounding thuds, the desperation of a close fight. And Lois, arguing with the military, would be a great introduction to Lois. And a great start to a movie. After that, the Hollywood producers would either pick one (or maybe two) of Debby's plots to continue a two hour movie, or, in the ways of Hollywood producers, rewrite the rest of the script. But following Lois once she Knows, and giving them one plot to interrupt Clark's attempts to Tell All, and ending with them in Smallville, somewhen around part nine. It might be that they would choose to develop a subplot that Debby hinted at buy never developed -- the Circus that might have been connected with the monster. Another classic fic that might be adaptable would be Chris Muldur's Love Beyond All Measure/Dimensions of Loving. Again, this would start out with a very suspenseful start, to lure people in and get their interest. After that, I think the story could be strucutred as a thriller -- who's behind it all, leading to the climax. In both stories we have the revelation and the love interest being shown. It's interesting that in the movies, we haven't yet seen the post-Byrne Superman -- the one where Clark is the real person and Superman the disguise. Superman the Movie is old-style Clark -- bumbling and existing for no particular reason. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genevieve The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone to find in five hours what a competent librarian can find in five minutes. :-) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 14:02:10 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: New: Only Superman 3/3 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ann wrote: > I loved this! It may be your best TOGOM rewrite to date! Can't wait to read > the next one. Thank you! :))) Ummm... the next TOGOM rewrite? Err... Well, if there's going to be one, that'll have to be next year! Wendy -------------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 14:04:53 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Bishop Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Fanfic challenge idea... write a Lois and Clark movie! James ----- Original Message ----- From: "Norman Mayes" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 3:58 PM Subject: Superman, the Movie, DVD For those with any interest, Superman, the Movie Special Edition DVD comes out today. It has a lot of extra footage in it, and it is a directors cut, (I think), along with documentaries, etc. I loved this movie when it came out and plan to get it immediately. The special effects alone are worth it. You DO BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY. Christopher Reeves performance is wonderful. A widescreen version of it, the unextended version, has been playing on TCM? or is it AMC? and I had a thought about it, How could this movie have been rewritten to make it more Lois & Clark? Obviously, play down Otis's bumbling, play up Luthor's villiany and put more Lois & Clark into it. But my question is : How would you write a Lois & Clark Movie? Any fanfics get a nomination? budmayes ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 10:16:23 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: REVIEW: TOGOM: The ep that launched a thousand fics ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a message dated 4/29/01 9:21:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time,=20 wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK writes: > Yet Another TOGOM > Rewrite, which, if listmembers are willing, I=E2=80=99ll post to this list= in a > little while. >=20 Wendy, need you ask? Please post as soon as you're ready. We are always=20 waiting for a new story from you. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 15:53:00 +0100 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: REVIEW: TOGOM: The ep that launched a thousand fics ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Charlotte wrote: > Yet Another TOGOM > Rewrite, which, if listmembers are willing, I’ll post to this list in a > little while. > >>>Wendy, need you ask? Please post as soon as you're ready. We are always waiting for a new story from you.<<< Charlotte, I posted the story on Sunday - didn't you get it? Wendy -------------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 11:21:17 -0400 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: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My husband, the long-time Superman fan in the family, got his copy of the new Superman: The Movie DVD yesterday, and watched it last night, or parts of it anyway, fast-forwarding to check various spots where the suit used to be green (now it's blue again), to see if the jokes about the 'peanut-eating' president were added back in (they weren't). There was a scene that was a complete surprise to him, following Superman's first night spent running around saving people and generally being a smart-alec ("something wrong with the elevator?") -- after all that frivolity finished, Superman went back to his fortress and turned on the Jor-El hologram -- who chewed him out for enjoying himself. Jor-El also told him to keep his secret identity. Superman seemed surprised by this -- why go back to nerdy Clark when he could keep having fun as Supes. Jor-El told him it was to give him a break, and to keep people from expecting too much of him (including solving problems they could solve for themselves), and because he would surely have enemies who would want to strike out at people Superman cared about, so he'd have to care about them in secret (there was no mention by either of them about half of a certain paycheck going to Martha in Kansas). That did answer one of my long-standing questions about the movie; Superman's motivation to keep up the pretense as Clark seemed odd to me, given that he didn't seem to enjoy it that much. > How could this movie have been rewritten to make it more Lois & Clark? Well, that would be difficult, because there's such a difference in emphasis. But I'd say, you'd have to start by ditching Jor-El (no matter how much you paid Marlon Brando) and connect Clark a lot more firmly to his *human* parents. Give him more of a real life as a 'regular guy', something worth protecting. If you make *Clark* someone Lois could respect, and eventually fall for, that'd make me a lot happier :) The a-plot stuff could stay fairly unchanged. Though I would love it if Lois were more instrumental to the plot resolution -- dying in an earthquake isn't very heroic. She's supposed to be such a good reporter... couldn't she have been investigating Luthor and fallen into a trap of some sort, instead? Like those testing chambers Superman went through earlier? You could still kill her and have Superman be all upset and turn the earth backwards, etc, etc, but at least she'd have been *doing* something. It doesn't take anything special to fall into a hole. Genevieve mentioned some good fanfics for adaptation to the screen ... Chris's LBAM/DOL could be terrific on the big screen -- we'd need something with a strong a-plot, which Chris did. Sheila Harper is great with action, too. I'd also look at CC Malo and Nan Smith. Personally, I'd love to see "Tryst" on the big screen -- it'd be a fun special-effects challenge, if perhaps not strongly plotted enough for a movie. Erin's "The Darkest Hour" could be fabulous, although maybe movie audiences wouldn't enjoy a Superman who wasn't so super for most of the story :) Lots of fanfic tends to be heavy on introspection, which does *not* translate well to the big screen. Anyway, those are my thoughts, fresh from seeing bits and pieces of the new DVD version :) -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 13:42:46 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gerry Anklewicz Subject: Re: Slightly ( or perhaps a lot ) Off-Topic-- Published fanfic? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Never thought that offshoots of Shakespeare's plays would be considered fanfic, but why not? Even he wrote fanfic since he borrowed plots and improved on them. And many times we improve on the stories told by the writers of the series. Some other Shakespeare fanfic includes "Gertrude Talks Back" by Margaret Atwood Claudius and Gertrude by ? A novel about the life of Lady Macbeth (I'd really appreciate it if anyone knows the title and the author of that book) A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley(?) writes a modern version of Lear from the POV of his daughters Forbidden Planet - a sci fi version of The Tempest Countless movies and stage plays about various plays In crossovers, Good Morning Juliet, Good Night Desdemona by Anne Marie Macdonald And someday, maybe, What A Web We Weave a Lois and Clark fanfic based on Shakespeare's Othello by Gerry Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 22:11:28 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: Slightly ( or perhaps a lot ) Off-Topic-- Published fanfic? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/1/01 1:46:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Gerry.Anklewicz@NTEL.TDSB.ON.CA writes: > And someday, maybe, What A Web We Weave a Lois and Clark fanfic based on > Shakespeare's Othello by Gerry > > Go for it, Gerry. Just don't have Lois meet the same fate as Desdemona. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 11:25:03 +0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jessi Mounts Subject: Question for fanfic: Chinese names Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MIME-Version: 1.0 I've got a minor character in a fanfic who's decided she wants to be Chinese. Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? Jessi -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.mail.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 21:31:39 -0700 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: Question for fanfic: Chinese names MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit How about Wang? :) Jude ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jessi Mounts" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 8:25 PM Subject: Question for fanfic: Chinese names > I've got a minor character in a fanfic who's decided she wants to be Chinese. Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? > > Jessi > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Get your free email from http://www.mail.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 00:18:53 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Adam Labotka Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Chen, Ling, Liu, Liao are all fairly common chinese last names (helps to have a Chinese roommate ;) ) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jessi Mounts" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 10:25 PM Subject: Question for fanfic: Chinese names > I've got a minor character in a fanfic who's decided she wants to be Chinese. Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? > > Jessi > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Get your free email from http://www.mail.com > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 22:52:08 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Betty Cheng Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names In-Reply-To: <20010502032503.30135.qmail@mail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, I believe the most common chinese last names are Wong and then Chan. Cheung, Cheng (my own last name) and Lee are also quite common. It might interest you that the same chinese last name, I mean the same chinese character, can translate into different last names in English because it is pronounced differently in Cantonese than in Mandarin. For example, the last name Wong is the same as Huang where the former is from Cantonese pronounciation and the latter is from Mandarin. So you might want to take into consideration which dialect your character's family speaks when choosing the last name. Hope this helps, Simba -----Original Message----- From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Jessi Mounts Sent: May 1, 2001 8:25 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Question for fanfic: Chinese names I've got a minor character in a fanfic who's decided she wants to be Chinese. Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? Jessi -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.mail.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 03:00:16 -0400 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: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >>But my question is : How would you write a Lois & Clark Movie? Any fanfics get a nomination? Personally I thought that Mxysplit should have been filmed (the, uh, *PG* version ) because it did such a fantastic job showing that Clark was really both Clark and Superman, which I found really worked well with the love triangle. -Lena _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 03:18:49 -0400 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: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Jude has a definite winner with Wang - it's probably the most common Chinese last name. In fact, most Chinese people have one of only about 100 super common last names! One thing to remember is that if your character also has a Chinese first name then the last name goes first, unless they're really Americanized. So if his first name was Peng then he would be Wang Peng. A common woman's name is You, and Li You was one of the characters in my Chinese textbook, who liked to have conversations with Wang Peng. Gao and Zhang also liked to chat in my textbook. Those are Mandarin names, though, so if you want Cantonese I work with a family by the last name Leung (though a lot of names work for both... I just don't know which ones). Just an interesting note; if you have two (fairly young) Chinese characters talking to each other, it's common to use the word Xiao which means 'little' before their last name. So Wang Peng would call his friend Xiao Gao (the 'x' sounds like a 'sh' sound at the very front of your mouth). Yes, this is more than you wanted to know, but it's after 2am and I'm rambling. Since I head to the airport at 5am, I think I'll head to bed. :) If I never come back to the list, one of my planes crashed. ;) -Lena (or Chen Milan thanks to my Chinese prof. ) _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 04:45:35 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/01/2001 11:25:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jessi914@MAIL.COM writes: << Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? >> Chin? --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 08:07:00 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gerry Anklewicz Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names In-Reply-To: <20010502032503.30135.qmail@mail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Try Lee, Chen, Shin, Wong, Wu, Leung (I've just gone through my class list) Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 11:07:51 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Roseann Buonadies Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated Tue, 1 May 2001 11:26:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Pam Jernigan writes: << My husband, the long-time Superman fan in the family, got his copy of the new Superman: The Movie DVD yesterday, and watched it last night, or parts of it anyway, >> Pam, could you ask your husband if the DVD contained the scene at the end of the movie where Superman flies with Lois to another iceberg and then destroys the fortress of solitude, and then they kiss. I remember seeing that scene in the ABC movie run of Superman, but not in the theatrical or tape versions. Thanks. Roseann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 23:50:34 +0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Dan Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names In-Reply-To: <20010502032503.30135.qmail@mail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 SSdsbCBzdWdnZXN0IHlvdSB1c2UgV2FuZyAoV29uZyksIENoZW4sIExpbiwgQ2hhbmcgKFpoYW5n KSwgb3IgTGVlLiBJIGJlbGlldmUgdGhlc2UgYXJlIHRoZSBtb3N0IGNvbW1vbiBDaGluZXNlIGxh c3QgbmFtZXMuDQoNCi0tLS0tT3JpZ2luYWwgTWVzc2FnZS0tLS0tDQpGcm9tOiBMb2lzIGFuZCBD bGFyazogVGhlIE5ldyBBZHZlbnR1cmVzIG9mIFN1cGVybWFuIEZhbmZpYyBbbWFpbHRvOkxPSVND TEEtR0VORVJBTC1MQExJU1RTRVJWLklORElBTkEuRURVXU9uIEJlaGFsZiBPZiBKZXNzaSBNb3Vu dHMNClNlbnQ6IFdlZG5lc2RheSwgTWF5IDAyLCAyMDAxIDExOjI1IEFNDQpUbzogTE9JU0NMQS1H RU5FUkFMLUxATElTVFNFUlYuSU5ESUFOQS5FRFUNClN1YmplY3Q6IFF1ZXN0aW9uIGZvciBmYW5m aWM6IENoaW5lc2UgbmFtZXMNCg0KDQpJJ3ZlIGdvdCBhIG1pbm9yIGNoYXJhY3RlciBpbiBhIGZh bmZpYyB3aG8ncyBkZWNpZGVkIHNoZSB3YW50cyB0byBiZSBDaGluZXNlLiAgRG9lcyBhbnlvbmUg a25vdyBhIGNvbW1vbiBDaGluZXNlIGxhc3QgbmFtZSBJIGNvdWxkIHVzZT8NCg0KSmVzc2kNCi0t DQoNCl9fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fDQpHZXQg eW91ciBmcmVlIGVtYWlsIGZyb20gaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYWlsLmNvbQ== ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 12:31:49 -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: Superman, the Movie, DVD On Wed, 2 May 2001 11:07:51 EDT, Roseann Buonadies wrote: >>>Pam, could you ask your husband if the DVD contained the scene at the end of the movie where Superman flies with Lois to another iceberg and then destroys the fortress of solitude, and then they kiss. I remember seeing that scene in the ABC movie run of Superman, but not in the theatrical or tape versions.<<< Roseann, this scene sounds to me as if it would belong in Superman 2; the DVD Pam has, if I understand correctly, is of Superman: The Movie, ie Superman 1. Wendy ----------- Wendy Richards wendy@lcfanfic.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 18:45:14 +0100 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It's been said before...I love how much you can learn from this list! Thanks for the interesting info, Simba :) Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ----- Original Message ----- From: Betty Cheng To: Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 6:52 AM Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names > Hi, > > I believe the most common chinese last names are Wong and then Chan. > Cheung, Cheng (my own last name) and Lee are also quite common. It might > interest you that the same chinese last name, I mean the same chinese > character, can translate into different last names in English because it is > pronounced differently in Cantonese than in Mandarin. For example, the last > name Wong is the same as Huang where the former is from Cantonese > pronounciation and the latter is from Mandarin. So you might want to take > into consideration which dialect your character's family speaks when > choosing the last name. > > Hope this helps, > Simba > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic > [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Jessi Mounts > Sent: May 1, 2001 8:25 PM > To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU > Subject: Question for fanfic: Chinese names > > > I've got a minor character in a fanfic who's decided she wants to be > Chinese. Does anyone know a common Chinese last name I could use? > > Jessi > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Get your free email from http://www.mail.com > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 14:03:29 -0400 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: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Roseanne, I forwarded your question to my hubby at work, here's what he said: > I didn't see that scene, nor do I remember it from the ABC run which > I do remember. It does sound like a possible ending for > Superman 2. 1 and 2 were filmed at the same time (maybe not all of > 2 but much of it) and the Fortress was needed for 2. > > P.S. Ask if anyone got side 2 to play on their DVD player Wendy's right, we've only got the first movie on DVD, although I think they're all available now, or will be soon. -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 14:49:00 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Gerry Anklewicz Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD In-Reply-To: <9b.144fba56.28217cc7@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit The DVDs for all four parts are out in the stores now. My husband bought me the set for Mothers Day/our anniversary. He's absolutely wonderful. But I can't answer your question because I just watched parts of Superman the Movie. The best part was the screen tests for Superman and Lois Lane. They used an early version of the honeymoon in Niagra Falls where Lois actually figures out that Clark is Superman. She fires a gun at him to prove that he is Superman. That's when Clark (Christopher Reeve) stands at his full height. He says to her that if she was wrong she would have killed Clark Kent. Her reply was that she used blanks. Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, Margot Kidder (of course), Stockard Channing and Leslie Ann Warren all tried out for the part. Interesting. They only showed Christopher Reeve's screen test. He was sooooo skinny when he started. Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 14:51:51 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: REVIEW: TOGOM: The ep that launched a thousand fics ;) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Yes, I read it today. I had sent the email before I checked that day's mail,(I download and read offline) then got the story. I didn't expect you to send it so fast. Having said that my only other comment is a great story - as usual. I can't think of anyone who can come up with so many stories and every one of them as good as the rest. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 13:23:16 -0700 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: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Fascinating stuff, Gerry. I tried to watch Superman the other night, and the wimpy, screaming, scaredy-cat character of Lois so disgusted me that I turned it off. I'll take LAC:TNAOS any day. I remember Christopher Reeve from an old soap opera (Brighter Day, Search for Tomorrow?) in which he played a smarmy lothario, and he was very skinny. I remember thinking, when I read he had been cast as Superman, that somebody must be nuts. As I understand it, he underwent months of body building to 'grow' into the role. :) Jude ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerry Anklewicz" To: Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 11:49 AM Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD > The DVDs for all four parts are out in the stores now. My husband bought > me the set for Mothers Day/our anniversary. He's absolutely wonderful. > But I can't answer your question because I just watched parts of Superman > the Movie. > > The best part was the screen tests for Superman and Lois Lane. They used > an early version of the honeymoon in Niagra Falls where Lois actually > figures out that Clark is Superman. She fires a gun at him to prove that > he is Superman. That's when Clark (Christopher Reeve) stands at his full > height. He says to her that if she was wrong she would have killed Clark > Kent. Her reply was that she used blanks. Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, > Margot Kidder (of course), Stockard Channing and Leslie Ann Warren all > tried out for the part. Interesting. They only showed Christopher > Reeve's screen test. He was sooooo skinny when he started. > > Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 04:47:48 +0800 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jessi Mounts Subject: Re: Question for fanfic: Chinese names Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MIME-Version: 1.0 Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Mrs. Wang she is. Simba said: >So you might want to take > into consideration which dialect your character's family speaks when > choosing the last name. Interesting information, but she only says about four sentences, so I don't think she's around long enough to pick a dialect. I'm not even sure why she's Chinese, other than she just appeared in my head that way. I'm wondering if I borrowed her from Dawning or something. :) Jessi -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.mail.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 17:45:23 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Norman Mayes Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I believe that scene came at the end of the extended showing of Superman 2 on ABC. The DVD set only has the first movie as an extended version.2,3 & 4 are the theatrical release versions. I will have to check my old tape of the ABC showing. ----- Original Message ----- From: Pam Jernigan To: Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 11:03 AM Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD > Roseanne, I forwarded your question to my hubby at work, here's what he > said: > > > I didn't see that scene, nor do I remember it from the ABC run which > > I do remember. It does sound like a possible ending for > > Superman 2. 1 and 2 were filmed at the same time (maybe not all of > > 2 but much of it) and the Fortress was needed for 2. > > > > P.S. Ask if anyone got side 2 to play on their DVD player > > Wendy's right, we've only got the first movie on DVD, although I think > they're all available now, or will be soon. > -- > > Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net > http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam > http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ > > The difference between journalists and other > people is that other people spend their lives > running from violence, tragedy, and horror > and we spend ours trying to get in on it. > --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 18:23:31 -0600 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: Superman, the Movie, DVD In-Reply-To: <3AEEB26C.16B764F9@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 08:56 AM 05/01/2001 -0400, you wrote: [snip] >For my recommendation for a L&C movie, I'm going to reprise my role as a >Lois and Clark Geezer, and recommend a classic. I think something based >on Debby Starks "Dawning" series would make a great movie. [snip] >Genevieve > Thanks so much for the mention and details! With this incentive and a 4-day weekend coming up for me, a lot of it probably spent at home (carpet being shampooed so I have to have the windows open... but the weather is turning poor so I may not get to go out shopping before the cleaners come)... so I may as well be writing. Not a movie though (heck, Dawning is practically it's only season with jam-packed 22 parts) (ftp://ftp.darkmage.net/pub/dstark). I'll either continue my reread to catch myself up, or write some outlines to convince myself I have enough ideas for some new stories. I want to have a little more than just a few "what if..."s. And I need some more ice cream to keep my strength up while I wait for the carpet to dry and for ideas to magically appear in my mind :) Debby dls@thuntek.net who got her copy of the Superman DVD today and will have to actually set up her DVD player eventually ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 22:49:47 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Roseann Buonadies Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/2/2001 1:32:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK writes: << Roseann, this scene sounds to me as if it would belong in Superman 2; the DVD Pam has, if I understand correctly, is of Superman: The Movie, ie Superman 1. >> You know, you're right, Wendy! It was the movie with Zod. Pam, did you also get the Superman 2? Roseann ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 07:58:10 EDT 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: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD - 4 DVD set MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I don't know if it was a local thing, as the store is having it's grand opening in my area, but .. There is a 4 DVD boxed set that is only available right now at Best Buy only for $49.95 (I think) I'm sure it will be available all over soon, but it was done for a special promotion for the Best Buy stores. My parents went to pick them up a Circuit City for me, I'm out of town for the week ) and they were told that the boxed set is not widely available right now. (I personally think they are full of it becuase the set is available on Amazon, along with the other movies - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000059Z8L/o/qid=988890982/sr=2-2/102-6 430214-8038547) :P~~~ So all four are out there ... Anne ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 22:30:59 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sara Miller Subject: OT Dean Cain MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey everyone! Yeah, I know, I'm always posting way off the wall things, but Dean Cain does have some sort of connection! :-) Anyway, I was in the kitchen during commercials and I think that I heard that Dean Cain was making a guest appearance on the NBC show "Just Shoot Me", but I may be completely psycho and just imagined the whole thing. If it does happen, it'll be this Thursday at 9, so all of you Dean Cain fans, be sure to tune in. :-) Also, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone that responded to help me with my essay, you all did a great job helping and I'm so grateful to all of you. You are such a great group of people and I'm glad to be apart of this list, even if I just lurk! :-) Have a wonderful day everyone! Sara Miller ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 09:43:12 -0400 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: Superman, the Movie, DVD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Pam, did you also get the Superman 2? Nope, at least not yet. We probably will, sooner or later :) My husband was a Superman fan long before I was -- it's really his fault that I started watching Lois & Clark! Or so I tell him, when he complains of how much time I spend on fanfic ;) -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 16:51:54 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: REVIEW: TOGOM: The ep that launched a thousand fics ;) In-Reply-To: <4.3.2.7.0.20010429184828.00aaaf00@actcom.co.il> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Thanks to all of you for your favorable response to my review. And if I served as a catalyst for Wendy to post her story a little sooner, so much the better. :) I hope Wendy won't mind my commenting on her story in this fashion. I wrote: Clark acted needlessly macho in this scene. Lois can take very good care of herself, yet Clark became the big strong protector guy. Here's a challenge: was there *any* instance in all of canon when Clark acted "he-man" and actually improved matters? :) Marilyn responded with the following scenarios: In "Witness" ... Clark shoves Lois to the ground and catches the bullets, and then blows the wheelchair into a fast turn... Wasn't that earlier in the same episode when the guy on the skateboard pushed her out into the street? Would rushing out into traffic be considered "he-man?" The only other Clark "he-man" instance I can think of right now was when he took on the clone in "Vatman" -- the scene in Lois's apartment when the clone was getting fresh with her and Clark burst into the room. I guess I wasn't all that clear with the usage of the term "he-man." I meant unnecessary male posturing, not Superman deeds done in Clark Kent clothing. All of the scenes that Marilyn references refer to Clark *saving* Lois' life on the sly. That's not any he-man than carrying the shuttle up into orbit. :) A better example of what I meant was Clark's childish behavior in following Lois and Patrick during WIEAK and tossing the dart into the bullseye over his shoulder. At any rate, I found it interesting that after that my observation regarding Clark's unnecessary reactions, Wendy chose to rewrite TOGOM by keeping LnC apart during the confrontation and upping the ante on the danger. (I understand Wendy wrote her story first, but it was interesting to see her rewrite after I'd highlighted that point for myself.) If the scenario as presented by Wendy -- that Lois was actually in danger of being shot, especially after she'd been specifically harassed (the ep only has the guy touching her shoulder) -- had been the same one that was aired, Clark's behavior would have made much more sense. As it is, though, he unnecessarily provoked a confrontation. If he'd let Lois fend for herself (possibly less agressively than Wendy had her! But then, Wendy also made Dillinger much more aggressive), the whole thing might never have happened. Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 12:31:23 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD In-Reply-To: <002d01c0d345$ba641820$c9fafd3f@v1t9j4> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Hi Jude: I think Chris was on Love of Life. His character got written off the show to go to prison and when he returned, he was played by a different actor who was not nearly as handsome, because Chris had moved on to Sman:) carolyn >Fascinating stuff, Gerry. I tried to watch Superman the other night, and >the wimpy, screaming, scaredy-cat character of Lois so disgusted me that I >turned it off. I'll take LAC:TNAOS any day. I remember Christopher Reeve >from an old soap opera (Brighter Day, Search for Tomorrow?) in which he >played a smarmy lothario, and he was very skinny. I remember thinking, when >I read he had been cast as Superman, that somebody must be nuts. As I >understand it, he underwent months of body building to 'grow' into the role. >:) Jude >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Gerry Anklewicz" >To: >Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 11:49 AM >Subject: Re: Superman, the Movie, DVD > > > > The DVDs for all four parts are out in the stores now. My husband bought > > me the set for Mothers Day/our anniversary. He's absolutely wonderful. > > But I can't answer your question because I just watched parts of Superman > > the Movie. > > > > The best part was the screen tests for Superman and Lois Lane. They used > > an early version of the honeymoon in Niagra Falls where Lois actually > > figures out that Clark is Superman. She fires a gun at him to prove that > > he is Superman. That's when Clark (Christopher Reeve) stands at his full > > height. He says to her that if she was wrong she would have killed Clark > > Kent. Her reply was that she used blanks. Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, > > Margot Kidder (of course), Stockard Channing and Leslie Ann Warren all > > tried out for the part. Interesting. They only showed Christopher > > Reeve's screen test. He was sooooo skinny when he started. > > > > Gerry ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 12:43:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Comments: RFC822 error: Incorrect or incomplete address field found and ignored. From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: OT: Fwd: nice ways to say someone is stupid Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" A friend forwarded these to me and I thought some might be borrowed or paraphrased in future fanfic:) Carolyn > > >37 Kinder, Gentler Ways to Say Someone is Stupid > >1. A few clowns short of a circus >2. A few fries short of a Happy Meal >3. An experiment in artificial stupidity >4. A few cans short of a six-pack >5. Dumber than a box of hair >6. A few peas short of a casserole >7. Doesn't have all his Cornflakes in one box >8. The wheel's spinning but the hamster's dead >9. One Froot Loop shy of a full bowl >10. One taco short of a combo plate >11. A few feathers short of a whole duck >12. All fizz, no pop >13. The cheese slid off the cracker >14. Body by Fisher - Brains by Mattel >15. Has an IQ of 2 and it takes 3 to grunt >16. Warning: Objects in mirror are dumber than they appear >17. Couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the >heel >18. He fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way >down >19. An intellect rivalled only by garden tools >20. As smart as bait >21. Chimney's clogged >22. Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash >23. Doesn't know much but leads the league in nostril hair >24. Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor >25. Forgot to pay his brain bill >26. Her sewing machine's out of thread >27. His antenna doesn't pick up all the channels >28. His belt doesn't go through all the loops >29. If he had another brain it would be lonely >30. Missing a few buttons on his remote control >31. No grain in the silo >32. Receiver is off the hook >33. Several nuts short of a full pouch >34. Skylight leaks a little >35. Slinky's kinked >36. Too much yardage between the goal posts >37. Surfing in Nebraska ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 12:44:30 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Comments: RFC822 error: Incorrect or incomplete address field found and ignored. From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: OT: Fwd: REASONS WHY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS HARD TO LEARN Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" A friend forwarded these to me and I thought this list would get a kick out of them:) Carolyn REASONS WHY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS HARD TO LEARN 1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) The farm was used to produce produce. 3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 10) I did not object to the object. 11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. 13) They were too close to the door to close it. 14) The buck does funny things when the does are present. 15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. 16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 18) After a number of injections my ! jaw got number. 19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. 20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 21:17:22 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Fwd: TOGOM review Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Forwarding for Diane, who sent her reply to me: >Hazel: > >I thought your review of TOGoM was right on. I can't >tell you how much some of the items you pointed out >nagged me to death! > >However, Clark's protective move of Lois in the >gambling den didn't bother me as much as his falling >asleep in Lois's Jeep did. He would have NEVER done >that--not in the middle of her confessional. No way. > >My husband and I watched The Eyes Have It last night >and I just have to get this off my chest--that scene >where the evil optometrist comes in as Dr. Bannerjit >is all wrong. 1) Clark should have heard the >side-kick, "Mr. Gomez," rummaging around more in the >kitchen and known something wasn't right. Maybe he >was deep in self-pity, but he should have heard the >microwave open, etc. 2) Lois wimped out. Superman >had apprehended "Dr. Bannerjit" and she just let the >two bad guys out of her apartment without much of a >fight at all. Then she turns around and starts to >gripe about Clark leaving for a weekend with Mayson! > >Maybe this has all been discussed in previous reviews, >but I'm new to the list and I just had to vent to >someone who seems as critical as I am! > >Diane Responding to Diane's comments, I wondered if she meant to imply that Clark fell asleep on purpose. I agree that the timing was horrific, but even Superman gets tired sometimes. :) Of course, I know I've read at least one fic where Clark was deliberately shamming because he didn't think it was the right time for such an emotional confrontation, but I'd think much less of him if that was true. As to Diane's problems with TEHI: Well, until I get the chance to *see* the ep in question, I can't comment. :) But why not review it for the list? Even if you're not a first-timer like me, it seems clear that everyone enjoys the trips down memory lane. Hazel ____ "To me, the eps are merely fanfics that are *exactly* in canon." ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 17:56:24 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: OT: Fwd: nice ways to say someone is stupid On Thu, 3 May 2001 12:43:01 -0400, Carolyn Schnall wrote: >>10. One taco short of a combo plate Isn't this one said by Lois in some episode that escapes me right now? >>22. Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash Is it just me, or does this one scream Perry White? I can just hear him using this with that great roll of the eyes that he does. LOL!! Cute, Carolyn. Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 19:00:49 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Merckle Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 2 May 2001, Sara Miller wrote: > Yeah, I know, I'm always posting way off the wall things, but Dean Cain does > have some sort of connection! :-) Anyway, I was in the kitchen during > commercials and I think that I heard that Dean Cain was making a guest > appearance on the NBC show "Just Shoot Me", but I may be completely psycho > and just imagined the whole thing. If it does happen, it'll be this > Thursday at 9, so all of you Dean Cain fans, be sure to tune in. :-) I just heard on the radio that Dean Cain will be on NBC tonight, so I thought I'd post so Sara wouldn't think she was totally off the wall. Nancy -------------------------------------------------------------- nancym@charm.net ..... (future) http://www.charm.net/~nancym/ The Kitties Page ........... http://members.aol.com/Mysnats/ My Sister's Karaoke Site ............ http://karaokeklub.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 09:21:09 +1000 Reply-To: "jenerators@optushome.com.au" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jen Stosser Subject: Re: New: Only Superman 3/3 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Couch potatos? Jen -----Original Message----- From: Phillip Atcliffe [SMTP:Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK] Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 7:10 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: New: Only Superman 3/3 Curses! There goes the rework of TOGoM that _I_ was going to do, some year or other... Not that I would have done it exactly that way -- for I start, the episode's A-plot would have been wound up then and there -- but Wendy's come up with the same idea that I had to protect Clark's secret... except that I'd've had _Clark_ think of it in the casino, not Lois later. Oh, well... I have enough other stories to work on at present... Phil ------------------------------------------------------------ "I think... I think I am! | I think _I_ am: Therefore I am... I think?" | Phil Atcliffe -- The Moody Blues | (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 18:31:37 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark ** Spoilers for the script below ** :) On Tue, 1 May 2001 11:41:31 +0100, Wendy Richards < w.m.richards@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK> wrote: >It was interesting, though I've read considerably better fanfic. It's hard to compare fanfic to scripts, since fanfic prose has so much more opportunity for emotional descriptions and introspection. Also, it's hard to think of this as "our" L&C because I kept thinking of all the things that wouldn't work between this script and the TV version. But as an S1 story, it could have been interesting. >It was also >written, I assume, with S1 canon in mind, though it seems that he wrote it >shortly before S3 was shown, so - given that the story is written with Lois >not knowing - I don't think it would really have fit in S3, even with >revisions. Agreed! The place it would fit would have been very early on, in the fall of S1. Though I guess it could fit in fall of S2 with revisions ... there are definitely "Mayson" elements, don't you think? With Clark interested in another woman (though he's much more taken with Angela than he ever was with Mayson, but considering there is obviously magic involved, we can hardly blame him for that ), and Lois being jealous. But certainly no later than early S2 -- before TOGOM -- because Lois is still fixated on Superman more than Clark. But as written, there just wasn't enough of a bond between L&C for this to take place anywhere but early S1. The only problem with setting it during S1, though, is that the "magic" elements weren't introduced into L& C (time travel, other aliens) until the end of S2. During S1, the writers were still trying more for a bit of realism. There were some good elements in this story, though. The "write in" mayor campaign was very clever. This could have worked nicely as an a-plot in any season. It was funny to see elements of later episodes in this story, though -- I kept flashing on the "Meet John Doe" stuf with Tempus, between the "brainwashing" and the political agenda. I also really liked the way Lois told off Superman ("blew off", might be a better term) when he called her his "friend". It would need revisions to make it sing on screen, but I would have loved to see Teri and Dean in that. Lois's "strong even when vulnerable" side was captured well there. Of course, there was not nearly enough Clark in this episode (you can tell it was written by a Superman comics person), though I loved Clark getting the scoop on the winning candidate -- I'm a sucker for seeing Clark show his talents as a reporter and writer. I don't like the way the author handled the villian in the end, though -- definitely a comics "open ending". I guess you could say the writers ended Baron Sunday in the same open way, but somehow, it felt different. OK, that's what I can think of after reading ... anyone else? Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 18:35:00 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: The Ghost of Superman Future - An Untold Tale of Lois & Clark On Thu, 3 May 2001 18:31:37 -0500, Kathy Brown wrote: >Of course, there was not nearly enough Clark in this episode (you can tell it >was written by a Superman comics person), though I loved Clark getting the >scoop on the winning candidate -- I'm a sucker for seeing Clark show his >talents as a reporter and writer. Responding to my own post ... sorry. To clarify, I should have said there wasn't nearly enough *Lois and Clark* in the script, not Clark himself. Actually, there is a lot more Clark than Superman ... but Clark is with Angela, not Lois, which is entirely unsastifying. ;) I like the way the writer used Clark -- but you can't write an L&C episode with this little "L&C". Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 18:44:06 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight On Wed, 2 May 2001 22:30:59 -0700, Sara Miller wrote: Anyway, I was in the kitchen during >commercials and I think that I heard that Dean Cain was making a guest >appearance on the NBC show "Just Shoot Me", but I may be completely psycho >and just imagined the whole thing. If it does happen, it'll be this >Thursday at 9, so all of you Dean Cain fans, be sure to tune in. :-) You didn't imagine it, Sara. :) Of course, this poses a most serious problem for those of us addicted to Survivor and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ... all three networks have blocks someone in my house wants to see. Let's see ... taping Survivor (2-hour finale) ... me upstairs watching Friends (and Just Shoot Me, later in the same block) ... Amy downstairs watching Millionaire (you know the early questions are easy when your nearly- six-year-old can almost always get to $500 ) Geez, considering I don't watch much TV anymore, since L&C went off the air, there is a lot of competition! ;) Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 20:28:15 EDT 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: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit LOL! I have the same problem Kathy! I love Survivor but then there's Dean and that goes without saying. So I will have one VCR going for 3 hours so i can watch Survivor at a later time and then I'll have my other VCR going when I watch Just Shoot Me so i can tape it too! ;) Last year, I had the same problem! The Survivor finale aired on my first night of seeing Catch 22 (Dean's brother, Roger's band) live! I choose to come to the gig late and watch Survivor. I'm not going to make the same mistake again! LOL! ;) Alexis ;-.) "I always wanted to, but was too chicken, but once I did I wanted to kiss her again!" - Dean on his first kiss. ;) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 08:04:08 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Vicki Krell Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Since I must be the *only* person who has never watched Survivor (or has any interest in doing so!) OR Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, my VCR was busy taping NBC and WB, for the Gilmore Girls and Charmed. ;) And was it just me, or did Dean's arms just not look as muscular as they used to? Still hate the spiky hair. :) Vicki -----Original Message----- From: Kathy Brown [mailto:kathybrown91@HOME.COM] Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 4:44 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight On Wed, 2 May 2001 22:30:59 -0700, Sara Miller wrote: Anyway, I was in the kitchen during >commercials and I think that I heard that Dean Cain was making a guest >appearance on the NBC show "Just Shoot Me", but I may be completely psycho >and just imagined the whole thing. If it does happen, it'll be this >Thursday at 9, so all of you Dean Cain fans, be sure to tune in. :-) You didn't imagine it, Sara. :) Of course, this poses a most serious problem for those of us addicted to Survivor and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ... all three networks have blocks someone in my house wants to see. Let's see ... taping Survivor (2-hour finale) ... me upstairs watching Friends (and Just Shoot Me, later in the same block) ... Amy downstairs watching Millionaire (you know the early questions are easy when your nearly- six-year-old can almost always get to $500 ) Geez, considering I don't watch much TV anymore, since L&C went off the air, there is a lot of competition! ;) Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:25:57 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicola Baker Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Since I must be the *only* person who has never watched Survivor (or has any > interest in doing so!) OR Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, my VCR was busy > taping NBC and WB, for the Gilmore Girls and Charmed. ;) You're not the only person! Of course, I don't know if we even HAVE Survivor over here in England, but we do have Millionaire, and I don't watch that. Charmed is much better! :o) Nic ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 21:02:02 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Melisma Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 08:04 AM 04/05/2001 -0700, you wrote: >Since I must be the *only* person who has never watched Survivor (or has any >interest in doing so!) OR Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Not so, Vicki. Those shows *sound* boring, and the few times I've flipped channels past them, it just confirmed it. Last night I lay down for a nap for a little bit before I planned to do my homework, and the next thing I knew it was 3:30 am. So I missed all the evening shows... (Good thing I had set my VCR to catch Travels in Europe, the only show I'd planned to watch last night - Rick Steves is *hot*! :) Anyway, I got most of my assignment done and caught an early cab to the Skytrain station since the buses are on strike here in Vancouver, only to discover that the (*&^%%$$%^^&&^%$#@@#$%&(()) drivers had picked the Skytrain and there was *NO* way to get downtown to school... So I'm skipping school today and hopefully I won't fall too far behind, since it's only a 12 week course. Stupid transit strike!!!!!! Melisma (totally pissed off under her Rock) Visit my rock at http://www.intergate.ca/personal/melisma/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 11:58:54 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Rachel Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Melisma To: Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 12:02 AM Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight > Not so, Vicki. Those shows *sound* boring, and the few times I've flipped > channels past them, it just confirmed it. But, oddly enough, they're addicting. I wouldn't touch the first 'Survivor', and refused to touch the second one, until my roommate became addicted due to her family and forced me to watch it (yes, literally dragged me over there and sat me down). I'm still embarrassed about watching the show, but I *had* to know who won On the plus side, I picked the winner so I'm feeling clever today (and a t-shirt richer from having entered a contest :). Nonetheless, none of those survivors looked nearly as good in the bush as Clark and Lois would have :) Rachel ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 12:40:41 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight In-Reply-To: <00fc01c0d4b3$1f6dd4e0$8738fea9@rae> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Since this particular post hasn't been following the previous posts with this topic, I'm not replying to anything in particular. But did you guys see the ep? It was hilarious! S P O I L E R S P A C E It was kinda fun to see Dean playing a character I wanted to smack repeatedly. I have to admit, though, to doing a double take when I saw him naked in bed with Maya. It made me realize that it just seemed weird seeing him in bed without Lois next to him. :) And did you guys catch that hilarious inside joke when they showed the magazine cover (as they always do before starting into the next segment of the ep) and it read, "Clark or Superman? Who would you choose?" I totally cracked up. Anyway, I loved the ep, and the acting he did. It sure is great to see him on the tube again. :) Erin __________________ erink@ida.net erink@lcfanfic.com Visit my LNC/Kerth Website: www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "It's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." __________________ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 15:00:41 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Rachel Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: Erin Klingler To: Sent: Friday, May 04, 2001 2:40 PM Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight > Since this particular post hasn't been following the previous posts with > this topic, I'm not replying to anything in particular. But did you guys > see the ep? It was hilarious! > > S > > P > > O > > I > > L > > E > > R > > > S > > P > > A > > C > > E > > > It was kinda fun to see Dean playing a character I wanted to smack > repeatedly. I have to admit, though, to doing a double take when I saw > him naked in bed with Maya. It made me realize that it just seemed weird > seeing him in bed without Lois next to him. :) I'm not the only person that had that surreal feeling then, I guess. I realised, after the scene in bed, that I had been unconsciously expecting Lois to materialise next to him. Maya just wasn't what I was hoping to see Rachel ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 16:35:22 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/04/2001 2:42:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time, erink@IDA.NET writes: > > S > > P > > O > > I > > L > > E > > R > > > S > > P > > A > > C > > E > > > It was kinda fun to see Dean playing a character I wanted to smack > repeatedly. I have to admit, though, to doing a double take when I saw > him naked in bed with Maya. It made me realize that it just seemed weird > seeing him in bed without Lois next to him. :) Yeah, I wanted to smack him... but he did a great "sweet and innocent" act. You could really fall in love with that guy. He seemed so genuine! No wonder Maya fell for it . I would have, too... repeatedly . When he made the "two condom" crack I laughed until my sides hurt... it was just the *way* he said it . Too bad they fired him... I would have loved to have seen him sent to another office somewhere (or maybe on assignment) so he might pop up occassionally as Dean had time . Yeah... wishful thinking... but a girl's gotta dream. > > And did you guys catch that hilarious inside joke when they showed the > magazine cover (as they always do before starting into the next segment of > the ep) and it read, "Clark or Superman? Who would you choose?" I totally > cracked up. > Oh yeah... I caught it. Hubby thought I was crazy. Me? Clark every time ;) > Anyway, I loved the ep, and the acting he did. It sure is great to see him > on the tube again. :) Yes, it was... and while the guy might have been slime, he wasn't unlikable . I mean, we're not talking Ralph here... just playboy. And that smile, even when he was getting *caught*. Gosh, he's gorgeous!! Okay... enough drooling... my keyboard's getting wet. Damn, it was good to see him in something light and cute, again. -Crys- ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 18:20:08 EDT 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: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I thought Dean looked absolutely gorgous...spikey hair and all! Sometimes, I don't understand why some don't like it. I think anything looks great on the guy. ;) Another thing...and this is just something that irks me...is when people say how less muscular he looks or how he's putting on weight or whatenot. Of course Dean is less muscular! He's been like that since LnC ended! It's only natural. IMHO, the man doesn't have to work himself out to death anymore and he is a bit older than when he started on the show. 27 to 34 is kinda a big difference! LOL! I'm not saying all this to be rude...I just thought I would express the thoughts from the other side of the spectrum. I'm also not complaining about anyone on this list...I was just making an observation since it was brought up. :) On the subject of Lois though....i wasn't like the rest of you were. I had no problem seeing *Dean* in bed with another woman. I've seen all of the movies he's made since LnC was canceled so by now I'm used to seeing him in a bedroom like situation with different women. Of course, at first it was weird...but it's been 4 years now...so i've moved on. ;) I'll tell you one thing though, I would have been more shocked if Lois had popped her head out from under the covers, instead of Maya! LOL! All in all, I'm very glad that I chose to watch this instead of Survivor! I do not regret taping Survivor and chosing to watch it later. I know my little sister isn't on this list and frankly she can't stand Dean (I don't know why??!) but I do have to thank her for sacrificing her "Will and Grace" so i could tape "Just Shoot Me." I'm very happy I was able to. I also hope to see Dean in other future sitcoms. Sitcoms seem to be his niche...along with other media type things. :) Alexis ;-.) "Excuse me, do you have the time?" Chris Williams (aka: Dean Cain on JSM) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 20:12:42 EDT 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: Question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit For those of you who have written fanfic...how do you give credit to songs that were quoted within the story. I want to add something at the end of my fic, letting the readers know what the songs were and who they were credited to. Do you call them "acknowledgements" or is there another name for them? Thanks, Alexis ;-.) "I love the smell of fear in the news room." (Perry) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 20:15:16 EDT 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: Fanfic guidelines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have a nfic that I'm editing into a PG-13 fic so I can post it here for those under age or people who aren't interested in reading nfic, in general. I need to know if there is a certain format or font I have to use to post it here? I had a problem like this arise on the nfic list and I want to avoid it this time around! :) Thanks, Alexis ;-.) "I love the smell of fear in the news room." (Perry) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 20:49:17 -0400 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: Fanfic guidelines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey Alexis :) Always good to ask these sorts of questions. I think this list has a FAQ that you can reach from the archive; there's a header format that we like to use. Make sure you specify what kinds of feedback you want -- public or private, editing or not, etc. Make sure you save your fanfic file to plain text (MS-DOS text or ASCII text, they're both the same thing) so no one gets garbage characters (we don't all have html-compatible mail programs :) I think you're supposed to keep each section at or under 20k in length (copy the section to a new page, save it as text, then check Windows explorer to see how big the file is; if it's over 20k, you'll need to rearrange your text). I know that sounds complicated but it's not so bad once you get used to it :) I know your story is pretty long, Alexis. You can post it all at once if you like, but you might want to break it up, at 5 posts a day or something ... I think you posted it that way to the nfic list, right? Happy posting :) -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 21:02:31 EDT 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: Re: Fanfic guidelines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/4/01 7:51:25 PM EST, jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET writes: << I know your story is pretty long, Alexis. You can post it all at once if you like, but you might want to break it up, at 5 posts a day or something ... I think you posted it that way to the nfic list, right? >> Hi there Pam! :) Thanks for the guidelines. I just wanted to avoid the mess on the nfic list, if you know what i mean. :) LOL! And don't worry...for those of you who are also on the nfic list, I have NEVER posted this story or this version here before, so it's okay. ;) Yeah, I was posting 5 parts a day or so. The annoying part is AOL though. They wouldn't let me email anything over 5 pages so that's why the posts seemed like a lot on the other list. :( Alexis ;-.) "I love the smell of fear in the news room." (Perry) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 11:28:03 +0100 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Alexis wrote: > For those of you who have written fanfic...how do you give credit to songs > that were quoted within the story. I want to add something at the end of my > fic, letting the readers know what the songs were and who they were credited > to. Do you call them "acknowledgements" or is there another name for them? > Call them whatever you want, Alexis - or nothing at all. Some authors simply list songs and titles at the end of their fic and leave it at that. If you want to be posh though , yeah, heading them acknowledgements is just fine. :) LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 12:59:01 +0100 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Fw: Re: Question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Fwding for cerise - L ----- Original Message ----- From: To: LabRat Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 1:36 PM Subject: Re: Re: Question > At 5/5/01 11:28:00 AM, you wrote: > >Alexis wrote: > > > >> For those of you who have written fanfic...how do you give credit to songs > >> that were quoted within the story. I want to add something at the end of > >my > >> fic, letting the readers know what the songs were and who they were > >credited > >> to. Do you call them "acknowledgements" or is there another name for > >them? > >> > > > >Call them whatever you want, Alexis - or nothing at all. Some authors simply > >list songs and titles at the end of their fic and leave it at that. If you > >want to be posh though , yeah, heading them acknowledgements is just > >fine. :) > > > >LabRat :) > > In another fandom that I read in, there are authors who simply put: > Soundtrack: at the beginning of their fic and list songs that are mentioned in > the story, as well as others that may have inspired them. > > Just an idea > cerise > > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 10:14:12 -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: Fanfic guidelines Alexis, Pam's already summarised most of the relevant information for you. However, take a look here: http://www.lcfanfic.com/faq_listserv.html - this is the FAQ for the fanfic list, and there are some fairly straightforward guidelines for posting stories to the list. Having had a hand in writing this FAQ, I hope it's helpful! Wendy -------- Wendy Richards wendy@lcfanfic.com ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 11:43:17 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ren Carr Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Alexis: I thought Dean looked like his muscular self. I know that in Superman, they used makeup on his body to enhance the look of his muscles. Because he was after all Clark/Superman! I too have no trouble seeing Dean Cain with another Woman, because Lois and Clark is just a TV show, it was not real and it never will be. I can't wait to read you fic! From what you have told me it sounds great! Alexis, I have a question! Did they ever mention Starr's last name in the show? I can't remember and I've been looking through all the LnC 411 that I have, and I just can't find it. Thanks! Ren C. ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 12:38:27 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kristin Olsen-Molnar Subject: Looking For A Fic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit DOes any one know the title and author of a fic in which Lois gets raped by a guy that Clark thought was his friend? THanx :) Kristin (teri44isme) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 17:49:40 +0100 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: Looking For A Fic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Kristen wrote: > DOes any one know the title and author of a fic in which Lois gets raped by a > guy that Clark thought was his friend? THanx :) > > Sounds like Karen Ward's Nightmare on Hyperion Avenue. Available at the Archive. LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 13:59:17 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: OT: Fwd: nice ways to say someone is stupid In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Hi Kathy: >On Thu, 3 May 2001 12:43:01 -0400, Carolyn Schnall >wrote: > > >>10. One taco short of a combo plate > >Isn't this one said by Lois in some episode that escapes me right now? Perhaps that is why I seem to hear her saying it in my mind's ear..? > > >>22. Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash > >Is it just me, or does this one scream Perry White? I can just hear him >using this with that great roll of the eyes that he does. LOL!! I agree! >Cute, Carolyn. > >Kathy So glad you liked them:) Carolyn ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 17:33:56 EDT 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: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks Ren for your comments. I don't really expect everyone to share my views, but it's nice to see someone agrees with me. Also, if you want, I can send you the nfic version of my story. I already have that ready to send out to anyone who wants it. I don't think Star's last name was ever mentioned because she didn't have one. I dunno...maybe someone else knows more. Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 20:24:25 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Heather Whalen Subject: Re: [Article] Stranger Than Fiction Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html

Demi, thank you so much for emailing out that article.  It really was interesting and applies to my studies.  I read a book called, Television Fans, Poachers, Nomads by Henry Jenkins.  It was a study on fan culture and fan fiction.  There is no way I can type the whole thing out for you guys, but I had to write a response paper to it so I'll let you guys read that.

 

 

"Because popular narratives often fail to satisfy, fans must struggle with them, to try to articulate to themselves and others unrealized possibilities within the original works. Because the texts continue to fascinate, fans cannot dismiss them from their attention but rather must try to find ways to salvage them for their interests." P. 508  Television Fans, Poachers, Nomads

If a narrative fail to satisfy a fan, then why does the fan continue to be fascinated by the text? That is, if the fan has specific interests that are not being addressed in the text, why does the fan continue to read it? The original text might suggest an interest that is either not delved into by the original text in depth, but only touched upon or it delays the resolution to a problem that is of interest to the reader. Then the fan is either fustrated by the lack of resolution, or the inability of the original text to develop a particular thread.

It is no coincidence that television and movie series attract more fans than television shows and movies that are not series or serials. Fans grow like (or dislike) characters with a passion. They become connected to characters within the text because they are acting out an faultline issue that applies to a fan. Whether the issue is attentionally or unattentionally in the text, the fan wants to continue watching to see if the fault line is somehow closed. The very nature of the series is to deny resolution. This is one reason fans are inspired to write. Fan fiction could have two purposes and they depend upon how the interest is part of the original text.

If the issue is intentionally part of the text, the fan is impatient to see the issue resolved. They want to jump the shark. They write fan fiction which could be part of the actual storyline. They are, in essense, writing what they think the last episode would be. However, they are not sure how the series will really end and so continue to be fascinated by the text and continue writing possible series endings.

If the issue is not intentially put in the text by the producers of the show, then the writer becomes impatient to see their issue take center stage. Whatever their fault line or issue is, it is most likely not dealt with directly in any television show, leaving the fan with mere tidbits in a show or shows. The fan then writes to try to bring there interests to the foreground. Instead of simply writing the last episode, they are rewriting the series. They will most likely rewrite the characters and change them in a more conscious way from what the original text is clearly trying to get across.

The actual reason a fan starts to write fan fiction is probably not one, but both of these reasons to varying degrees and probably aren't limited to these reasons either.

 

Since a lot of you on the list *are* fan fiction writers, please tell me if I was totally off-base or if I was on to something. 

 

Heather

 


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========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 22:20:50 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Rupps Subject: Question for fanfic about bullet-proof vests MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm working on a fanfic and I need to know how effective bullet-proof vests are. If someone is shot (by a handgun) at relatively close range, how badly would they be injured? Would the vest keep the bullet from penetrating the skin or does it just slow it down? Thanks! Amy ______________________ rupp@netsync.net "Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity." -Christopher Morley ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 22:32:58 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Marnie Rowe Subject: Re: Question for fanfic about bullet-proof vests MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bulletproof vests will stop the bullet from going thru you i think but they still let you get cracked ribs and horrible bruising and they will not stop the majority of the *kick*, you will still get knocked off your feet and most probably out cold for a while...that is what I know. and there are some guns that will penetrate a bulletproof vest too i just don't know the caliber.. Marns ~Pobody's Nerfect ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Rupps" To: Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 7:20 PM Subject: Question for fanfic about bullet-proof vests > I'm working on a fanfic and I need to know how effective bullet-proof vests > are. If someone is shot (by a handgun) at relatively close range, how badly > would they be injured? Would the vest keep the bullet from penetrating the > skin or does it just slow it down? > > Thanks! > Amy > ______________________ > rupp@netsync.net > > "Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, > something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else > would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part > of unanimity." -Christopher Morley > ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 5 May 2001 21:53:03 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! On Sat, 5 May 2001 11:43:17 EDT, Ren Carr wrote: >Hi Alexis: I thought Dean looked like his muscular self. I know that in >Superman, they used makeup on his body to enhance the look of his muscles. Are you talking about the CR movie Superman, or L&C? Using make-up to enhance Dean's muscles on L&C would be news to me ... that's all him up there. Kathy ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 00:21:44 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: OT - JTF Sponsoring Dean Cain MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Since everyone is currently talking about Dean's appearance on Just Shoot Me, this post isn't that much Off Topic, however, this has nothing to do with fanfic. Attention all Dean Cain Fans: I am starting a campaign to raise money from Dean's on-line fans to donate to the Joe Torry Foundation in Dean's name and to sponsor Dean at the 4th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game. My goal is to raise at least $2,000. With this donation, Dean's on-line fans would be a Diamond Host Patron Sponsor and we would get a 1/8 page ad in the Program Book. However, I will need to raise the $2,000 before June 10, in order to get the ad in before it is printed. If anyone has any ideas for this ad let me know. The basketball game is scheduled for July 14th in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Savvis Center (formerly the Kiel Center). Dean has been invited. If anyone is planning on going to St. Louis for the game, please let me know. For those of you not familiar with the JTF: The Joe Torry "Giving Back the Love" Foundation is a spiritually based, non-profit, charitable organization in St. Louis founded in 1996, whose mission is to assist individuals from all walks of life. Dedicated to assisting needy families, organizations and youths; their focus is to enhance the educational, emotional, cultural and social needs of community, reflecting sound belief systems and values based on a belief in God's principles... "and the greatest of these is love". 1 Corinthians 13:13 The Foundation is the result of Joe Torry's vision of giving back to the community that supported him since his departure for Los Angeles more than 10 years ago. It is a vision he embraced the moment he was in a position to make a difference. Joe's commitment to providing stimulating and healthy programs that encourages young children of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area is directly addressed through the foundation. Please see their wedsite at www.joetorryfoundation.com for more information. For those of you that don't know me personally, I am the lady that, two years ago, arranged for 50+ of Dean's fans to come to St. Louis and also helped in arranging and conducting a meeting with Dean and his fans. You can see pictures from this event by following favorite links from the TCC website (www.thecainconnection.com). I am not planning to do anything like that this year, I want only to do something to help Joe's efforts in helping the kids. I really like what Joe is doing and how he is doing it, and I want to be a part of it. Since I don't live in St. Louis and can't volunteer on committees for the foundation, raising money for the foundation is one way I can help. So, if you are a fan of Dean's and want to help sponsor him at this basketball game, and, thereby, be helping a very worthy cause, I know that Dean would appreciate it very much. I will see that Dean receives a listing of everyone who donates money and that everyone receives a thank you note from me. If Dean does happen to participate in the game, and I get some good pictures, I will pick the best one and send a copy of it to everyone who donates $10.00 or more. All donations must be in US dollars. All checks must be paid to the order of: The Joe Torry Foundation. I have set up a special email box for correspondence for this campaign. Please contact me privately at melrayJTF@aol.com Send donations to: The Joe Torry Foundation PO Box 10966 St. Louis, MO 63135 Thank you. Melody Raymond AKA melraymond/MRlovesDC/Addalia ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 00:56:36 -0400 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: Re: OT Just Shoot Me - Vancouver MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Melisma, I didn't even know that Vancouver public buses were on strike until I got there at 8 in the morning, having not slept at all the night before and just caught a 6am flight. So I ended spending a good 12 hours in the Vancouver airport hoping that I would be able to get onto my 8pm flight to Sydney via Honolulu (where I could also get stuck) because I was flying standby. Very frustrating when I could have checked my bags and gone to a movie or something. :P Fortunately, I made all my flights, and am having a great time in Sydney until my next flight to Perth... for which I have to catch a taxi at 4:45am (*grumble* trains not running until 5:30am *grumble*). -Lena _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 15:55:33 +1000 Reply-To: "jenerators@optushome.com.au" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jen Stosser Subject: Re: OT Just Shoot Me - Vancouver MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What? No visit to Melbourne? Jen -----Original Message----- From: Jill Melena [SMTP:melenajill@YAHOO.CA] Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2001 2:57 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: OT Just Shoot Me - Vancouver Melisma, I didn't even know that Vancouver public buses were on strike until I got there at 8 in the morning, having not slept at all the night before and just caught a 6am flight. So I ended spending a good 12 hours in the Vancouver airport hoping that I would be able to get onto my 8pm flight to Sydney via Honolulu (where I could also get stuck) because I was flying standby. Very frustrating when I could have checked my bags and gone to a movie or something. :P Fortunately, I made all my flights, and am having a great time in Sydney until my next flight to Perth... for which I have to catch a taxi at 4:45am (*grumble* trains not running until 5:30am *grumble*). -Lena _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 02:36:21 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 1a MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR By Alexis Waters Private Feedback requested! Nfic version on request. Premise: A Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, else-world nfic, set after "AKA: Superman." All Lois and Clark characters are copyrighted by DC Comics, Warner Brothers and December 3rd Productions. All other characters are owned by me. I would like to thank my editors Mar Brian (Mar Brian@aol.com) and Nancy (DNCPNissen@aol.com). I would also like to thank my best friend Tina (ringowolf1@aol.com) for giving me the opportunity to bounce ideas off her even though she didn't start watching Lois and Clark until 1998! :) I would also like to thank LnC fanfic lists in general. If it wasn't for these venues, then I wouldn't have started writing fanfic in the first place! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lois fumbled for the keys in her purse while Clark gave his commentary on the night's events. "Well, that was one of the more interesting birthdays I've had." "I'm sorry Clark...I really tried to pull off a party for you." "That's okay. I like this anyway." Clark Kent put his arm around his beautiful and vivacious wife, Lois Lane. "You're sure?" she asked. Lois almost sounded disappointed as she got lost looking into her husband's chocolate brown eyes. "Yeah. Just you and me." "Ha! Alone at last!" Suddenly it dawned on them. This was the first time in eight days when they were finally alone. No one was calling Superman for help. Tonight Superman could take a siesta. With the clink of the door keys, husband and wife propelled their bodies towards one another. They were two trains on the same track ready to collide. Clark ran his tongue along the roof of Lois' mouth. Boy, did it feel good to be back in her arms. He couldn't wait to take her upstairs and make love to her. Eight days had been way too long for him. Hell, it was way too long for any newlywed couple to wait. All he could think about was the smoothness and contours of her unclothed body. He loved the way her heart beat in time with his. Clark wanted to get her into bed as soon as possible. But with all of the kissing and groping that was going on, it was making it hard for even Superman to turn the doorknob. Since the doorknob didn't want to turn, Clark decided to use his super-strength to open the door. He grabbed Lois around the waist and took a giant leap forward. The door flew open with a BANG! *Yes!* he thought to himself. Clark would have raised his arms in victory, but Lois was unbuttoning his shirt. Just when Lois and Clark thought they were going to have their first sexual experience on the living room floor, light exploded from above. "What the..." muttered Clark under his breath. Before Clark could get off the floor to investigate, he heard the word that he most feared in a situation like this: SURPRISE!!!! Clark couldn't believe it. There was the Chief, Jimmy and most of their coworkers from the Planet, basically watching him make love to his wife. Clark was very embarrassed. He knew this would be the office gossip for weeks to come. *Okay Kent....just act normal. Act normal and keep cool.* "Ha, ha!" Perry chuckled. By this time Clark helped his half-clothed wife, put her jacket back on. The cheering continued while the clearly bewildered couple stood. Perry was the loudest of them all. His deep belly laugh overpowered everyone else. "I figured the only way to throw a surprise party for you was to surprise both of you. So did it work? Are you surprised?" Perry inquired. Lois and Clark looked at each other. Each hoped the other one would speak. "A-ha! Well...yeah, yeah," mumbled Clark. "Stunned!" Lois answered sheepishly. Applause erupted at her outburst. * Another two hours had passed. Lois and Clark were clearly aroused from their brief roll around the living room floor, that they tried to find little corners of their house where they could get away with having some sex. They tried behind the stairs, behind the kitchen door, in the closet, under the table. But no success. Just when they thought it was safe to go to the next base, someone would interrupt. That someone was either Jimmy asking for another beer or Perry trying to introduce them to another one of his peculiar friends. Lois and Clark counted the minutes until this surprise party would FINALLY be over. * * * * It was approaching midnight when the last of the guests left. Just as a precaution, Superman made sure that no one was left lurking in the brownstone. "All clear for takeoff!" Superman shouted. Lois giggled at his obvious pun. "Let's say you and I get into our...or should I say out of our clothes and into our birthday suits," Lois purred. "Did I ever tell you how naughty you can be sometimes, Lois?" "I don't seem to recall that Superman. Maybe I need you to remind me?" With a reckless whoosh, Lois and Clark vanished into the bedroom. As Lois laid on the bed, her mind wandered. She couldn't wait to wake up next to her husband's muscular body. Even after a couple of months of marital bliss, she still couldn't get over how well defined he was. She loved the way the bed sheets clung to her body. The static cling from the fabric created electrical sparks that tickled her legs. Those same sparks were created in bed each time she and Clark made love. Tonight she and Clark would try out some new satin bed sheets. She saw them on TV the other day and she just had to buy them. The satin sheets were red, the perfect color for Clark's skin tone. "Oh Clark!" Lois moaned as she was gasping for air. "Shh Lois, shh..." Clark covered her mouth with his. His breathing quickened. His blood was pumping. He could feel every last muscle in his body tense with excitement! Clark's strong index finger outlined the curve of Lois' spine. She felt an excited shiver running down her body. "Do it again Clark..." she whispered in his ear. Just as Clark let Lois' bra fall to the floor, he heard a noise. "Oh my God!" "What Clark? What?" Lois scurried to find the nearest pillow to cover her naked chest. "There's been a major explosion in Honolulu. The whole city is burning! I have to go!!!" "But...but..." "I'm so sorry Lois! I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't wait up for me too late, okay?" WHOOSH!!!!! Lois started to cry as she put her bra and shirt back on. * *Why does this always have to happen to us?* Lois asked herself between sobs. *I mean Clark and I are married now. Superman takes up so much of his time, that we barely have time to ourselves. Tonight! Tonight, was supposed to be OUR night! It was OUR night to hold each other in the darkness. Is it too much to ask for one night of uninterrupted passion?* *Oh Clark...* Lois burst into tears. She was laying face down in Clark's pillow, her chest heaving with sorrow. *I miss you already.* "Sometimes I wish there wasn't a Superman!" Lois said between sniffles and sighs. CLICK! "Oh my God! Clark is that you? Clark???" Lois was worried that Clark heard her sudden outburst. The handle on the window was jiggling. Lois got off the bed to take a look. If Clark was in trouble she wanted to be there to comfort him. "Hello? Is anybody out there? Clark? Are you hurt, do you need help?" Lois opened the window. The air was quiet. Her husband in the red and blue tights, was not waiting for her. Lois thought it must have been a twig or something that brushed up against the window. But something else happened. "What the hell? What's going on here?" Lois couldn't close the window. It was like an outside force equal to Superman prevented her. "WOW! Sheesh! I thought I would never get out of there! Do you know how screwy those 5th dimension vortexes can get?" "Wha.who.?" Lois asked, startled at the visitor. "Oh, I'm sorry. We haven't been formally introduced! My name is Mxyzptlk," as he extended his hand. "But you can call me Mxy." "Oh, no! Don't tell me you are another leftover of Lord Nor's scraggly army?" "Heaven's no, my dear! I'm an imp from the 5th dimension. I have more power then any one of those Kryptonians and your "overgrown muscle," of a husband, put together!" "You mean you know that Clark, I mean uh, Superman comes here often?" "Of course I do! I've been observing you and SUPER Clark for quite a while. In fact I witnessed a very interesting display of affection that took place on that bed a few moments ago!" Mxy winked. "Oh God!" Lois' face turned a shade of pink. She felt this overpowering urge to fall back. If it wasn't for Mxy's quick reflexes, Lois would have knocked herself out on the bedpost. Mxy gently set her on the bed. "I think I need some water; cold water!" She tried to stand up. "Please, Ms. Lane, sit back down. It would be my pleasure to get you that glass of water." Mxy took a perfect glass of water out of his shirt sleeve. Lois' mouth opened in disbelief. "Umm.thanks I think?" Mxy had strategically placed Lois next to Clark's pillow, the man she could trust. He hoped Clark's scent would put her at ease. Mxy's plan seemed to be working. Her face was no longer pink and her breathing slowed. "Well, Mr. Mxy..What did you say your name was?" "Oh, it's Mxyzptlk but you can call me Mxy." "Ah, yes. Mxy. Well, Mxy, I hope you're not here to take over the world, because if you did you picked the wrong house to." Mxy interrupted her. "Oh, but I would if I could. I admit I used to be a bad imp, a very, very, bad imp. But I have seen the error of my ways. And if I can't take over the earthlings of this planet, then I might as well join them. That's where you come in Ms. Lane or Mrs. Kent! Hehe." "Me?" "Yes. I'm here to help you. I was sent here to grant you your wish!" "My wish?!? I don't have a wish." "Oh yes you do, Ms. Lane. Remember your wish for a life without Superman? Well I'm here to grant it." "Oh, goodness! I didn't mean anything by that. I just yelled it in a fit of frustration. I mean you of all imps should know how crazy us earth women get! Ha ha ha..." Lois felt really uncomfortable. There was no telling what this guy would do. *Maybe he has a secret stash of Kryptonite up his sleeve. Literally.* "Now I think you'd better just go back to where ever you came from Mxy or whatever you are! If you stay any longer I'll be forced to yell for Superman!" "Temper, temper, Ms. Lane. I'm here to grant your wish and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" "But... NO! You can't! You don't understand!!!" "Hush now, Ms. Lane. You've had a long day. It's time for you to rest." * It was a beautiful spring-like morning in Metropolis. The sun shone through the brownstone, bedroom window. Lois felt her body tingle. *Shoot, I must have left the heat on when I fell asleep and had that very weird dream!* The alarm started blaring, BEEEEEEP!!! and her thoughts about her weird dream dissipated. *Oh, jeez! I must have set the alarm so I could be awake when Clark returns.* "Okay, okay. I'm coming!" Lois tried to open her eyes but the sunlight blinded her. "Arrggh!!!!" The alarm kept blaring. "Okay, okay! Hold on just a second." Lois tried once more to open her eyes but she couldn't. Suddenly the alarm stopped. *Hmm...it's quiet and the alarm has stopped. I guess the battery ran out or something. Oh well, that'll just give me a few extra minutes to wake up, here!* Lois stretched her arms out. It was going to be a long night. "Mmm..." Lois pulled her arm back. *What on earth was that? It's not me. Unless I'm sick or some...* "Mmm..." *There it is again! Things have been awfully weird lately!* Lois let her fingers wander across the bed sheets. She was startled when she came across something that she didn't remember being in the bed with her. She ran her fingers across a smooth and very muscular surface. "Mmm..." The loud groan freaked Lois out. Her body shot straight out of bed. "Oh my God! Clark???" The man in bed with her leaned up against the bed post and kissed her hand. He looked at Lois with his sleepy, chocolate brown eyes. "Mmm...good morning." "Clark??? What on earth are you doing home?" "What do you mean?" "What do I mean, what do I mean???" Lois was frenzied. Her arms were waving. "Clark, Honolulu is burning! I know you're Superman, but even YOU can't be that fast! I mean you were only gone for ten minutes." "Man, I knew this was worse than I thought." "Clark? What is it? What's wrong?" Lois almost hit Clark in the head with her arm. Clark grabbed her arms forcefully. Lois wanted to break away but she couldn't. Lois knew there was something wrong with her Clark but he just wasn't listening. "LET ME GO! You're scaring me Clark!" "No, you're scaring me sweetheart." Clark's grip lessened and he started massaging Lois' hands. "Okay, first of all Lois, I need you to calm down and take a deep breath." "But I don't want to..." "Hush Lois! Just do it okay? When you calm down I'll explain to you what's going on." Lois found Clark's behavior to be extremely odd but she decided to do as he said. "Last night after the surprise party that Perry threw for me, you and I went upstairs and while we were in the middle of undressing each other, you accidentally bumped your head on the bedpost. You developed a bad headache and fell fast asleep. That's why you woke up with your clothes on." "A bump on the head, Clark? You're going to have to give me a better story then that! I mean, hello, you're talking to Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet. I think I would've remembered a bump on the head!" "Not necessarily," Clark interrupted. "Clark, stop it! You're really scaring me here! If this is some idea of a joke then it's not funny!" "It's not a joke Lois! I mean come on it makes perfect sense. First you wake up and yell at me and accuse me of being Superman and then the next thing..." "Clark, did you just hear what you said? You just said you're not Superman! Are you nuts?!? You've been Superman all of your life!" "No, I haven't and you know it Lois." Clark's voice took a somber tone and his eyes looked down at the bed sheets. "Clark? What on earth is that supposed to mean? You're not Superman...Do you think I'm that stupid!" "Lois, please don't put me through this again. I beg of you." "Put you through what Clark? What on God's green earth is going on here???" "It's a long story Lois and it will soon come back to you once I nurse you back to health." "Clark???" "Oh, Lois, I'm so sorry I had to drag you through all of this!" Clark cried as he pulled Lois into a strong embrace. "Drag you through what Clark? What do you mean?" Lois' voice had softened. She had never seen Clark break down like this before and it alarmed her. "Clark? Are you okay?" There was no response. Clark buried his face in her shoulder and continued to cry. All Lois could do was run her fingers down his face and wipe his tears away. This proved to be too much for Clark. Suddenly he laid Lois down upon the bed and engulfed her mouth with his. Lois tried to break free from his passionate embrace, but it was all too much for her. She enjoyed the feel of Clark's lips brushing up against hers. She groaned for more. Clark's hands went under her shirt and undid her bra strap. As Lois and Clark continued to make love, Clark inadvertently hit the radio with his arm. "Clark!" Lois giggled as the song on the radio was blaring. "Well, think of it this way, we can have some unexpected background music while we make out," Clark winked. His winks always made Lois melt. "Mmm..." Lois groaned as Clark playfully nipped her ear. THIS JUST IN: A bomb has gone off in the city of Bakersfield, 50 miles north of Metropolis. Thousands were evacuated and there is no word on casualties. Stay tuned to this radio station for further details. "Mmm...Clark? Shouldn't you go?" "Go where Lois?" Clark asked between kisses. "You know, to Bakersfield to help in the recovery." "Oh, that! Yeah, that's really sad." Clark cupped Lois' chin in his hands and he kissed her passionately! "Mmm.NO! Clark. Stop it! You're acting really weird here. Now go out there and fly! I'll still be here waiting for you, I promise." "Lois, I never thought we would have to relive this nightmare again, but if it helps you remember. Then we'll have to." Clark took a deep breath and held onto Lois' hands as he spoke. "If you recall, a couple of years ago there were those crazy Newtrich sisters who used the Red Kryptonite laser on me. The laser hit me and transferred my powers to you. After that you became Ultra Woman to help me out." "How could I forget," Lois remarked. "Well unfortunately the powers were then transferred from you to Lucille Newtrich. I tried using a replica laser that Dr. Klein made, but all it did was remove the powers from Lucille and it malfunctioned before I could transfer them back. If it wasn't for you, I don't know how I could have gone on. You were a tower of strength. You promised to love me no matter what and we were married two months later." "This has got to be quite a nightmare. In a few minutes I'm going to wake up and find Superman standing above me." "It's no dream. I'll prove it." Clark took his wrist and smashed it on the night stand. He grimaced with pain. Blood trickled from his wrist. "Clark! You're bleeding! Superman doesn't bleed!!" Lois grabbed her robe and put it on. Her body shook and she ran her fingers wildly through her hair. "I can't take this anymore. I have to get out of here!" Lois got off of the bed and walked to the window. Clark tried to stop her but she was too fast for him. Lois threw open the blinds. "Aack! It's light outside." "Of course it is Lois. What did you think it was, the dead of night?" "Well, I just figure if I'm going to have this dream with my husband in it, then it should at least take place during the night because I miss..." Lois stopped in mid-sentence. It was like a light had turned on. "Oh my gosh, Mxy!" "Huh?" "Oh! Uh, I said, oh my gosh, I'm missing something at the Planet. I need to get there as soon as possible!" Lois tried to get back to the bed so she could get dressed, but she felt a wave of drowsiness sweep over her. "Lois!" Clark rushed over to his wife. She was lying in a heap on the floor and Clark went to the ground to cradle her. "Lois, honey? Lois, please wake up!" Clark stroked his wife's face and rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Please come back to me! I can't live without you Lois." "C-l-a-a-r-k..." "Thank you!" Clark said while he looked up to the sky as he hugged his wife. "Clark, I need to go. I need to get ready to go to the Planet." "You'll do no such thing. You need to rest. I won't let you out of this house until you at least take a nap." "But, Clark, I need..." "Shh!" Clark hushed Lois as he picked her off the floor. He carried her in his arms and laid her on the bed. Although Clark was definitely different now, Lois still loved the secure feeling she got whenever he carried her in his arms. She let out an unexpected sigh as he helped her out of her robe and covered her with the bed sheets. "Now Lois, you get some shut eye while I go and take my shower." Clark bent over and kissed her forehead before he headed off to the bathroom. * {continued...} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 02:45:13 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 1b MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Clark let the water droplets rush down his body. He loved how the hot water hit his skin. Since he couldn't go flying off into the clouds anymore, he looked forward to his daily shower. The shower was the only place where he could unwind and let his cluttered mind clear. He especially loved it when Lois joined him, but that would have to wait. Lois wasn't tired so all she did was stare at the ceiling. She wanted to get to the bottom of the mess that Mxy had put her in. She looked forward to going to the Planet. There might be something there to focus on so she wouldn't go completely insane. Clark stepped out of the bathroom clad only in a white towel. *Darn!* Clark looked so good to Lois that she wanted to undo the towel and take a test drive. *Stop it Lane! You need to focus on what's more important here! You need to remember that Mxy put you in this mess. There's no time for test drives!* Clark's worried voice broke up her forbidden thoughts. "Dangit! Now where did I put it? Ahh, here we go!" Clark held out a pair of black shorts and waved them around like a flag. "I can't forget my lucky shorts and lucky briefs! Hehe...It wouldn't be right for me to workout without them!" Clark stepped back into the bathroom. "Workout?" "Yeah, Lois, workout. Jimmy and I go to the local gym together. Jimmy works out to pick up babes and I workout to keep up with you!" Clark stepped out of the bathroom again and winked. Lois almost swallowed her saliva the wrong way! Now her husband was clad in only black shorts and he looked even better. *Please God, let Clark put a shirt on before I do something I don't want to do!* Her prayer was only half answered. Clark put on a muscle shirt. His well-defined muscles shone in the sunlight. Lois wanted to reach out and rub her fingers across them. "I should be home sometime this evening. I need to stop by the Daily Planet before I leave for the gym. Please try to get some shut eye when I'm gone, okay?" Clark leaned over and kissed Lois lightly on the lips. "I love you." "I love you too," Lois said breathlessly. * * * * [Inside Menken's Gym] "I just don't get it Jimmy. I mean how could a bump on the head cause her to act so weird? I mean she was acting like Lois and then in a way she was not acting like Lois. Right when things started to get hot and heavy, she would pull away and try to pull off some excuse for why she or I had to go somewhere." Clark babbled while he pumped iron. Jimmy pedaled his heart out on the stationary bike. Clark was careful with his words since he still didn't want Jimmy to learn that he once moonlighted as the "Man of Steel." Clark grimaced with pain as he brought the dumbbells up to his chin and back down again. He often spent hours at the gym improving his physique. A lot of those times were spent after a long, hard, day in the news room. It wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do but if he could maintain Superman's well-defined muscles, then that made him happy. Plus his workouts were also keeping him healthy after snacking on Twinkies and Ho-Ho's for many years. "Well, C.K., a bump on the head can be pretty traumatic sometimes. I mean people can have amnesia. Just be happy that you don't have that problem." "Yeah, I guess." "Give Lois time. Maybe her head hurts and she needs some time to rest. Or better yet, go home early and accompany her to the Planet. The Planet always helps her bounce back!" * * * * A yellow, Metro taxi cab pulled up in front of the Daily Planet. A man in his middle 30's stepped out of the car. He was a tall man about 6' 3" and he had black hair and brown eyes. He resembled Clark Kent except for the fact that he didn't wear glasses and that he had a small body frame. The man walked through the revolving doors of the Planet and headed straight for the information desk. "Excuse me miss, but where can I find a Mr. Perry White?" "Oh! Just go up the elevator to the 3rd floor. That should bring you to the news room. You should find Mr. White either roaming around the Pit or in his office. Someone will direct you to him once you exit the elevator." "Thank you, miss." "You're welcome, sir." * * * * [Inside Lois and Clark's brownstone] Clark walked up the stairs to his bedroom. "Lois? Oh, oops!" Lois was snuggled in the sheets fast asleep. Clark couldn't help but smile when he noticed her hugging the teddy bear he won for her back in Smallville a few years ago. He kissed her forehead and pulled out a chair. He decided to work on an upcoming article for the newspaper while Lois slept. * * * * [Inside the Daily Planet] The elevator opened and the man stepped out. The Pit wasn't its usual bustling self since it was a Saturday. He walked up to a man in his early 30's. The man had on the weirdest colors he had ever seen put together. He was wearing a purple shirt, pink tie and gray pants. His name was Ralph and he was the goofiest reporter within those walls. "Oh, hi bro! How's it going?" Ralph slapped the man on the back. The man looked puzzled. "Excuse me, but am I supposed to know you?" "Oh jeez man, sorry! For a moment there, from your profile, you looked a lot like a coworker of mine, Clark Kent. But the more I think about it, you look nothing like him. I mean you're skinny and he's buff!" Ralph flexed his muscles to illustrate his point. "And he's much better look... " The man gave him a dirty look as Ralph rambled on. "I uh, well....I...Uh, yes! How can I help you?" "I'm looking for a Mr. Perry White." "Ah, yes, Perry or the Chief as we like to call him. Well, actually he's Mr. White to most of us but he's the Chief to important reporters like Lois and Clark and myself!" Ralph flashed a sleazy grin. He noticed the man roll his eyes as he rambled on. "Well, um to get to his office all you need to do is walk straight through the Pit, past Lois Lane's desk and take a right. That should take you to his office. You can't miss it!" * * * * [Back in Lois and Clark's brownstone] "Lois? Wake up. Lois, sleepyhead...?" "Hmm?" Lois rolled over and stretched. Clark thought that Lois was her sexiest when she woke up. He never understood why he thought that, but maybe it had something to do with her eyes. Her eyes shown like "perfect pools of light," pools that Clark could drown in. Clark flashed back to the first time he and Lois shared living quarters. It was during their first stakeout for the Planet. They posed as a newlywed couple in the Honeymoon suite, of the Lexor Hotel. Lois was a knockout. He wanted to tell her that morning, but instead he said some lame comment about her looking "pretty decent." Lois' groan brought him back to reality. "Lois, honey. It's time to wake up. You need to get ready before we go to the Planet." "The Planet?" Lois asked sleepily. "Yeah. I came home early so you and I could go together. All I need to do is finish up this article and then we can be on our way." * * * * [Inside Perry White's office] A gray-haired man in his middle 50's sat at a desk strewn with papers. The middle-aged man was "up to his armpits in red ink." In the corner of the room hung a portrait of Elvis. It looked like the picture was taken sometime in the 1970's. The younger man tapped lightly on the door. "Excuse me, Mr. White?" "Ah, yes, that would be me. What can I do for you, son?" "I'm looking for a job." "Well, uh, what kind of job are you looking for?" "A reporting job." "A reporting job? Well son, we have all the reporters we need." "Oh please, sir! Just give me a chance before you write me off!" The man handed Perry a folder. Perry opened it up and inside he found examples of the man's work from very prestigious institutions. "The New York Times, The Seattle Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine? Wow those are some pretty highbrow places. What makes you want to write for a "little" newspaper like the Daily Planet?" "Well sir, I heard all about Metropolis while I was abroad so I wanted to take a look for myself. There were so many exciting Superman stories floating around, that it sounded like the place to be." "Ah, yes, Superman. He's been gone for almost two years now." Perry was almost in tears. "It's a shame that he had to go back home to New Krypton. But, uh, well uh, enough about that! If you truly want to work here at the Daily Planet, then I have a reporter's position just waiting to be filled, Mr. uh?" "Damian Johansen," he said while he shook Perry's hand. "Well, uh, Damian; you can just call me Perry. I think what I'm going to do is team you up with one of my favorite reporters, Lois Lane. She's married to the other half of Lane and Kent, Clark Kent. Lois will be able to show you around the Planet and tell you how things get done. I might even team the both of you up for your first story." "Oh! I've heard a lot about Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent. I can't wait to meet them." "Well then, Mr. Johansen, welcome to the Daily Planet!" * {continued...} * It was 5pm when Lois and Clark walked out of the famous Daily Planet elevators. Lois wore a white sweater and blue jeans while Clark wore a tan sweater and blue jeans. Lois and Clark were a very attractive looking couple walking arm and arm into the Daily Planet news room. Lois was very excited about getting back to the news room. The closer she got to the news room, the closer she felt to being able to crack the problem that Mxy had thrown at her. If this was the way her husband was going to act, then she felt she could put up with it for at least a couple of days. That was assuming if the world could go on without Superman's assistance for a while. "Oh, hey! Come over here you two! I have someone I would like you to meet." Perry motioned them to his office. "Lois and Clark, I would like you to meet Damian Johansen." "Hi. It's nice to meet you." Clark shook Damian's hand. "And you must be Lois Lane." Damian kissed Lois' hand that caused Clark to wrap his arm around her waist in a possessive gesture. Perry could sense the tension in the room. He tried to break the deafening silence. "Well, Damian here is going to work along side you two. I'm even thinking of pairing him alongside with Lois for his first story." "What???" Clark's mouth dropped. "Well, uh, of course with your help, son. I mean we can't have Lane without Kent! Ahem..." Clark's grip tightened on Lois. "Ow!" "Sorry..." Lois slapped his hand off her thigh. "Quit it, Clark! My gosh you're acting like a little boy who doesn't want to give up his toy!" "Okay if you really feel that way..." Clark mumbled. His head lowered as he walked back towards his desk. "Oh, Clark! I'm so sorry!" Lois ran over to her husband and threw her arms around him. She started to sob as she apologized to Clark. "All I do is snap at you because my head hurts and I'm exhausted. There's no excuse for my actions. I should never take out all of my frustrations on you." Whatever Mxy had done to the world, it had started to temporarily take over Lois' mind. Lois no longer remembered why she wanted to go to the Planet. "Lois, it's okay. I understand." "No, you don't Clark." Lois laid her hands on his cheeks and brought his face forward. "I mean if I ever lost you...I would...well...I..." "I know Lois. I know. I feel the same way." Their lips met for a kiss. As the kiss got deeper and deeper, the rest of the world melted away. Things were heating up! "AHEM, um folks?" Their lips parted and Lois and Clark looked at Perry with sheepish grins. "Oops," the lovers said in unison. "Well, uh, that's okay. I just wanted to get us all back on track if you know what I mean." Lois and Clark, held hands as they rejoined Damian and Perry outside of his office. "Well, why don't you folks get aquatinted while the night is still young." Clark piped in. "Hey, why don't we go out to dinner!" "That sounds like fun," Damian remarked. "You can join us too, Chief." "Well, Clark, I would love to but I have tons of editing to finish before I put the Sunday Morning edition to bed. Plus I promised Alice that when I get home, we'll curl up on the couch together and watch, 'Jail House Rock.' " * * * * Lois, Clark and Damian, chose a tiny Italian restaurant. Clark ordered pasta. He gave Lois a sexy smile. He hoped Lois was thinking the same thing. "So Damian, tell me a little about yourself." Clark frowned. "I was born in New York. After high school I attended Oxford University where I got my journalism degree." "Journalism degree?" "Yes. When I attended Oxford, I studied English and I took part in a pilot journalism program." "Oh." "Journalism worked well with me, so I decided to travel abroad and work for newspapers like the New York Times." "So let me get this straight. You're a Rhodes Scholar and you're in Metropolis. May I ask why?" "I was curious about Superman. I was hoping to meet him and then interview him, Ms. Lane." Clark cleared his throat loudly. "I count you extremely lucky, Ms. Lane. You were able to get to know him on an intimate level before he had to leave." "Leave?" "Yes, Mr. White told me all about it. About two years ago, Superman left for New Krypton. Don't you remember? If I recall, you were extremely upset along with the rest of Metropolis." "He di..." Lois looked over at her husband. He was mouthing something to her and he looked distressed. It looked like he was trying to say, drop the subject! Lois assumed Clark didn't want his secret identity exposed. "So Damian, do you have any ideas on what you want to write about?" "You'll have to excuse me Ms. Lane, but that will have to wait," Damian stood up. "I have a previous engagement scheduled for tonight. But I would love to meet you guys for coffee or something tomorrow morning. Is that all right with you?" "It's fine with me. Is it all right with you, Clark?" "Sure." At this point Clark would say anything if it meant getting rid of Damian and getting Lois home ASAP. The pasta started to take effect on him and he felt this sudden urge to go underneath the sheets with Lois. "I'll call you guys tomorrow morning at 10am and then we can go from there. Bye!" "Bye!" the couple said in unison. "Well he's gone, so let's go!" Clark was trying to push Lois out the door. "Clark? Why the big hurry?" "Hurry? I'm not in a big hurry!" "Clark...I mean come on, you're practically trying to shove me out the door!" "Well it's getting dark out there and I just want you to be safe. There are so many weirdoes out there, that I think the best thing for us is to go home." "But we haven't had dessert yet!" "We can have dessert at home..." "But...I..." "Come on Lois, let's go!" Clark hurried Lois out of the restaurant and they both got into the Jeep. Clark decided to drive because he wanted to get home fast. It took them ten minutes to get home. Lois headed straight for the couch. "Uh Lois, I was thinking of serving dessert upstairs." "I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll rest on the couch for a while." "Well Lois if you come upstairs, I can make you feel better! I know just the thing!" "Clark, that's nice but not tonight!" Lois left her husband's side and plopped down on the couch. She let out a sigh as she stretched. Clark started wringing his hands as he watched her sitting there. He didn't know how long he could last. He sat down next to her and started kissing her neck. "Clark!" Clark groaned and continued necking her. "Clark! I told you not tonight and I meant it!" "Lois, relax, I'm only trying to make you feel better." "I know you are Clark, but I have a headache and your constant necking is not helping. I'm going to go upstairs and turn in early." "But Lois I thought..." "I'm sorry Clark." Lois kissed Clark on the cheek and walked upstairs to the bedroom. * A dim light illuminated Mazik Jewelers. The light was left on for security reasons. A black shadow passed by the store. It seemed to stall in front of the doorknob. It was like it had a mind of it's own. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The air was still, so one can imagine how odd it would be to see a black shadow spin around like a twister. The twister thinned and passed through the keyhole. * * * * "Ah, Ms. Lane. It's very nice to see you again." "Mxy?!?" "Why yes. Who else would be floating in midair besides Superman. Oh, whoops! My bad. Superman doesn't exist. But enough of that. I didn't come here to sling Superman insults. I came here to express my deepest condolences." "Condolences?" "Of course my dear and may I add 'you make a very attractive widow.'" "Widow??? Wh-a-a-at...I...am not a, I...am.not..." Lois stepped backwards. The room was dark except for the light that shined on Mxy's face. "A widow. Now who's being stupid here? You're Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet! I can't believe that you don't remember your own husband's passing!?!" "Clark isn't gone! I left him sitting on the couch." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Ha, ha, ha, ha...." Mxy's maniacal laughter echoed. With one flick of his wrist, light filled the room. Next to her feet laid a body, Clark's body. Lois felt weak and she fell to the floor. She immediately flashed back to the time when Clark took the bullet for her at the gangster club. Clark had faked his own death to save her life. She hoped Clark was doing the same thing now. "Clark, honey, please wake up? Lois is here. It's okay. I'm right here." Lois' tears fell like raindrops across Clark's face. He didn't move. "Oh, Clark!" Lois laid across his chest and sobbed. As she touched his face, Clark started to fade away. Everything faded. Clark was disappearing. "Oh my God! What's going on here? What's happening?" Lois stood up and violently shook Mxy by his shirt collar. "TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!!!" "Ms. Lane it's very simple. Clark doesn't exist anymore. You got rid of Superman, so Clark can't survive! Without Clark there can be no you and without you there can be no Utopia. And without Utopia there can be an earth just waiting for me to inhabit." "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" * Clark was asleep on the couch when he heard Lois' blood curdling scream. "OH MY GOD, LOIS!!!!" Clark quickly ran up the stairs to his bedroom and kicked the door down. He found Lois kicking and screaming on the bed. He went over to her and held her in his arms. She continued to kick and scream loudly, as he held her tightly to his chest. "Lois! Calm down. It's okay, I'm here." "Noooo, Clark...I want Clark!!!! Noooooooooooo......" Lois went on with her struggle. Clark tried calming her down. "Lois, wake up! You had a bad dream. Everything will be okay. Please wake up!!! LOIS!!!!!!" Suddenly her eyes opened and she looked up at Clark. "Oh my God, Clark!!!" She grabbed him in a teary embrace, soaking the front of Clark's shirt, but he didn't care. "I had this dream and you weren't there...I called and you and you and I..." Lois was in a frenzy. She violently shook as she cried and clung to Clark's body. "Shh, Lois it's okay. I'm here now. You had a nightmare. It's all over. Shhh...." "No, Clark, you don't understand. I called for you and you weren't there!!! I mean..." Lois screamed again. Clark didn't know what to do. He continued to hold her tightly as she struggled to break free. Lois was hallucinating. She was awake, but something from that dream still haunted her. Eventually Lois became exhausted and her struggling stopped. Clark sat on the bed with her cradled in his arms. He stroked her hair and assured her that everything would be all right. "But Clark, I..." "I know honey, it was a nightmare. It's all over now. I'm not going anywhere. Shh..." * ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 02:48:45 EDT 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: Re: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 1b Please Delete! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oops! Please disregard the first 1b post! I made a mistake! Sorry! :) Thanks, Alexis ;-.) "I love the smell of fear in the news room." (Perry) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 02:54:14 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 1b MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Clark let the water droplets rush down his body. He loved how the hot water hit his skin. Since he couldn't go flying off into the clouds anymore, he looked forward to his daily shower. The shower was the only place where he could unwind and let his cluttered mind clear. He especially loved it when Lois joined him, but that would have to wait. Lois wasn't tired so all she did was stare at the ceiling. She wanted to get to the bottom of the mess that Mxy had put her in. She looked forward to going to the Planet. There might be something there to focus on so she wouldn't go completely insane. Clark stepped out of the bathroom clad only in a white towel. *Damn!* Clark looked so good to Lois that she wanted to undo the towel and take a test drive. *Stop it Lane! You need to focus on what's more important here! You need to remember that Mxy put you in this mess. There's no time for test drives!* Clark's worried voice broke up her forbidden thoughts. "Dangit! Now where did I put it? Ahh, here we go!" Clark held out a pair of black shorts and waved them around like a flag. "I can't forget my lucky shorts and lucky briefs! Hehe...It wouldn't be right for me to workout without them!" Clark stepped back into the bathroom. "Workout?" "Yeah, Lois, workout. Jimmy and I go to the local gym together. Jimmy works out to pick up babes and I workout to keep up with you!" Clark stepped out of the bathroom again and winked. Lois almost swallowed her saliva the wrong way! Now her husband was clad in only black shorts and he looked even better. *Please God, let Clark put a shirt on before I do something I don't want to do!* Her prayer was only half answered. Clark put on a muscle shirt. His well-defined muscles shone in the sunlight. Lois wanted to reach out and rub her fingers across them. "I should be home sometime this evening. I need to stop by the Daily Planet before I leave for the gym. Please try to get some shut eye when I'm gone, okay?" Clark leaned over and kissed Lois lightly on the lips. "I love you." "I love you too," Lois said breathlessly. * * * * [Inside Menken's Gym] "I just don't get it Jimmy. I mean how could a bump on the head cause her to act so weird? I mean she was acting like Lois and then in a way she was not acting like Lois. Right when things started to get hot and heavy, she would pull away and try to pull off some excuse for why she or I had to go somewhere." Clark babbled while he pumped iron. Jimmy pedaled his heart out on the stationary bike. Clark was careful with his words since he still didn't want Jimmy to learn that he once moonlighted as the "Man of Steel." Clark grimaced with pain as he brought the dumbbells up to his chin and back down again. He often spent hours at the gym improving his physique. A lot of those times were spent after a long, hard, day in the news room. It wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do but if he could maintain Superman's well-defined muscles, then that made him happy. Plus his workouts were also keeping him healthy after snacking on Twinkies and Ho-Ho's for many years. "Well, C.K., a bump on the head can be pretty traumatic sometimes. I mean people can have amnesia. Just be happy that you don't have that problem." "Yeah, I guess." "Give Lois time. Maybe her head hurts and she needs some time to rest. Or better yet, go home early and accompany her to the Planet. The Planet always helps her bounce back!" * * * * A yellow, Metro taxi cab pulled up in front of the Daily Planet. A man in his middle 30's stepped out of the car. He was a tall man about 6' 3" and he had black hair and brown eyes. He resembled Clark Kent except for the fact that he didn't wear glasses and that he had a small body frame. The man walked through the revolving doors of the Planet and headed straight for the information desk. "Excuse me miss, but where can I find a Mr. Perry White?" "Oh! Just go up the elevator to the 3rd floor. That should bring you to the news room. You should find Mr. White either roaming around the Pit or in his office. Someone will direct you to him once you exit the elevator." "Thank you, miss." "You're welcome, sir." * * * * [Inside Lois and Clark's brownstone] Clark walked up the stairs to his bedroom. "Lois? Oh, oops!" Lois was snuggled in the sheets fast asleep. Clark couldn't help but smile when he noticed her hugging the teddy bear he won for her back in Smallville a few years ago. He kissed her forehead and pulled out a chair. He decided to work on an upcoming article for the newspaper while Lois slept. * * * * [Inside the Daily Planet] The elevator opened and the man stepped out. The Pit wasn't its usual bustling self since it was a Saturday. He walked up to a man in his early 30's. The man had on the weirdest colors he had ever seen put together. He was wearing a purple shirt, pink tie and gray pants. His name was Ralph and he was the goofiest reporter within those walls. "Oh, hi bro! How's it going?" Ralph slapped the man on the back. The man looked puzzled. "Excuse me, but am I supposed to know you?" "Oh jeez man, sorry! For a moment there, from your profile, you looked a lot like a coworker of mine, Clark Kent. But the more I think about it, you look nothing like him. I mean you're skinny and he's buff!" Ralph flexed his muscles to illustrate his point. "And he's much better look... " The man gave him a dirty look as Ralph rambled on. "I uh, well....I...Uh, yes! How can I help you?" "I'm looking for a Mr. Perry White." "Ah, yes, Perry or the Chief as we like to call him. Well, actually he's Mr. White to most of us but he's the Chief to important reporters like Lois and Clark and myself!" Ralph flashed a sleazy grin. He noticed the man roll his eyes as he rambled on. "Well, um to get to his office all you need to do is walk straight through the Pit, past Lois Lane's desk and take a right. That should take you to his office. You can't miss it!" * * * * [Back in Lois and Clark's brownstone] "Lois? Wake up. Lois, sleepyhead...?" "Hmm?" Lois rolled over and stretched. Clark thought that Lois was her sexiest when she woke up. He never understood why he thought that, but maybe it had something to do with her eyes. Her eyes shown like "perfect pools of light," pools that Clark could drown in. Clark flashed back to the first time he and Lois shared living quarters. It was during their first stakeout for the Planet. They posed as a newlywed couple in the Honeymoon suite, of the Lexor Hotel. Lois was a knockout. He wanted to tell her that morning, but instead he said some lame comment about her looking "pretty decent." Lois' groan brought him back to reality. "Lois, honey. It's time to wake up. You need to get ready before we go to the Planet." "The Planet?" Lois asked sleepily. "Yeah. I came home early so you and I could go together. All I need to do is finish up this article and then we can be on our way." * * * * [Inside Perry White's office] A gray-haired man in his middle 50's sat at a desk strewn with papers. The middle-aged man was "up to his armpits in red ink." In the corner of the room hung a portrait of Elvis. It looked like the picture was taken sometime in the 1970's. The younger man tapped lightly on the door. "Excuse me, Mr. White?" "Ah, yes, that would be me. What can I do for you, son?" "I'm looking for a job." "Well, uh, what kind of job are you looking for?" "A reporting job." "A reporting job? Well son, we have all the reporters we need." "Oh please, sir! Just give me a chance before you write me off!" The man handed Perry a folder. Perry opened it up and inside he found examples of the man's work from very prestigious institutions. "The New York Times, The Seattle Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine? Wow those are some pretty highbrow places. What makes you want to write for a "little" newspaper like the Daily Planet?" "Well sir, I heard all about Metropolis while I was abroad so I wanted to take a look for myself. There were so many exciting Superman stories floating around, that it sounded like the place to be." "Ah, yes, Superman. He's been gone for almost two years now." Perry was almost in tears. "It's a shame that he had to go back home to New Krypton. But, uh, well uh, enough about that! If you truly want to work here at the Daily Planet, then I have a reporter's position just waiting to be filled, Mr. uh?" "Damian Johansen," he said while he shook Perry's hand. "Well, uh, Damian; you can just call me Perry. I think what I'm going to do is team you up with one of my favorite reporters, Lois Lane. She's married to the other half of Lane and Kent, Clark Kent. Lois will be able to show you around the Planet and tell you how things get done. I might even team the both of you up for your first story." "Oh! I've heard a lot about Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent. I can't wait to meet them." "Well then, Mr. Johansen, welcome to the Daily Planet!" * It was 5pm when Lois and Clark walked out of the famous Daily Planet elevators. Lois wore a white sweater and blue jeans while Clark wore a tan sweater and blue jeans. Lois and Clark were a very attractive looking couple walking arm and arm into the Daily Planet news room. Lois was very excited about getting back to the news room. The closer she got to the news room, the closer she felt to being able to crack the problem that Mxy had thrown at her. If this was the way her husband was going to act, then she felt she could put up with it for at least a couple of days. That was assuming if the world could go on without Superman's assistance for a while. "Oh, hey! Come over here you two! I have someone I would like you to meet." Perry motioned them to his office. "Lois and Clark, I would like you to meet Damian Johansen." "Hi. It's nice to meet you." Clark shook Damian's hand. "And you must be Lois Lane." Damian kissed Lois' hand that caused Clark to wrap his arm around her waist in a possessive gesture. Perry could sense the tension in the room. He tried to break the deafening silence. "Well, Damian here is going to work along side you two. I'm even thinking of pairing him alongside with Lois for his first story." "What???" Clark's mouth dropped. "Well, uh, of course with your help, son. I mean we can't have Lane without Kent! Ahem..." Clark's grip tightened on Lois. "Ow!" "Sorry..." Lois slapped his hand off her thigh. "Quit it, Clark! My gosh you're acting like a little boy who doesn't want to give up his toy!" "Okay if you really feel that way..." Clark mumbled. His head lowered as he walked back towards his desk. "Oh, Clark! I'm so sorry!" Lois ran over to her husband and threw her arms around him. She started to sob as she apologized to Clark. "All I do is snap at you because my head hurts and I'm exhausted. There's no excuse for my actions. I should never take out all of my frustrations on you." Whatever Mxy had done to the world, it had started to temporarily take over Lois' mind. Lois no longer remembered why she wanted to go to the Planet. "Lois, it's okay. I understand." "No, you don't Clark." Lois laid her hands on his cheeks and brought his face forward. "I mean if I ever lost you...I would...well...I..." "I know Lois. I know. I feel the same way." Their lips met for a kiss. As the kiss got deeper and deeper, the rest of the world melted away. Things were heating up! "AHEM, um folks?" Their lips parted and Lois and Clark looked at Perry with sheepish grins. "Oops," the lovers said in unison. "Well, uh, that's okay. I just wanted to get us all back on track if you know what I mean." Lois and Clark, held hands as they rejoined Damian and Perry outside of his office. "Well, why don't you folks get aquatinted while the night is still young." Clark piped in. "Hey, why don't we go out to dinner!" "That sounds like fun," Damian remarked. "You can join us too, Chief." "Well, Clark, I would love to but I have tons of editing to finish before I put the Sunday Morning edition to bed. Plus I promised Alice that when I get home, we'll curl up on the couch together and watch, 'Jail House Rock.' " * * * * Lois, Clark and Damian, chose a tiny Italian restaurant. Clark ordered pasta. He gave Lois a sexy smile. He hoped Lois was thinking the same thing. "So Damian, tell me a little about yourself." Clark frowned. "I was born in New York. After high school I attended Oxford University where I got my journalism degree." "Journalism degree?" "Yes. When I attended Oxford, I studied English and I took part in a pilot journalism program." "Oh." "Journalism worked well with me, so I decided to travel abroad and work for newspapers like the New York Times." "So let me get this straight. You're a Rhodes Scholar and you're in Metropolis. May I ask why?" "I was curious about Superman. I was hoping to meet him and then interview him, Ms. Lane." Clark cleared his throat loudly. "I count you extremely lucky, Ms. Lane. You were able to get to know him on an intimate level before he had to leave." "Leave?" "Yes, Mr. White told me all about it. About two years ago, Superman left for New Krypton. Don't you remember? If I recall, you were extremely upset along with the rest of Metropolis." "He di..." Lois looked over at her husband. He was mouthing something to her and he looked distressed. It looked like he was trying to say, drop the subject! Lois assumed Clark didn't want his secret identity exposed. "So Damian, do you have any ideas on what you want to write about?" "You'll have to excuse me Ms. Lane, but that will have to wait," Damian stood up. "I have a previous engagement scheduled for tonight. But I would love to meet you guys for coffee or something tomorrow morning. Is that all right with you?" "It's fine with me. Is it all right with you, Clark?" "Sure." At this point Clark would say anything if it meant getting rid of Damian and getting Lois home ASAP. The pasta started to take effect on him and he felt this sudden urge to go underneath the sheets with Lois. "I'll call you guys tomorrow morning at 10am and then we can go from there. Bye!" "Bye!" the couple said in unison. "Well he's gone, so let's go!" Clark was trying to push Lois out the door. "Clark? Why the big hurry?" "Hurry? I'm not in a big hurry!" "Clark...I mean come on, you're practically trying to shove me out the door!" "Well it's getting dark out there and I just want you to be safe. There are so many weirdoes out there, that I think the best thing for us is to go home." "But we haven't had dessert yet!" "We can have dessert at home..." "But...I..." "Come on Lois, let's go!" Clark hurried Lois out of the restaurant and they both got into the Jeep. Clark decided to drive because he wanted to get home fast. It took them ten minutes to get home. Lois headed straight for the couch. "Uh Lois, I was thinking of serving dessert upstairs." "I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll rest on the couch for a while." "Well Lois if you come upstairs, I can make you feel better! I know just the thing!" "Clark, that's nice but not tonight!" Lois left her husband's side and plopped down on the couch. She let out a sigh as she stretched. Clark started wringing his hands as he watched her sitting there. He didn't know how long he could last. He sat down next to her and started kissing her neck. "Clark!" Clark groaned and continued necking her. "Clark! I told you not tonight and I meant it!" "Lois, relax, I'm only trying to make you feel better." "I know you are Clark, but I have a headache and your constant necking is not helping. I'm going to go upstairs and turn in early." "But Lois I thought..." "I'm sorry Clark." Lois kissed Clark on the cheek and walked upstairs to the bedroom. * A dim light illuminated Mazik Jewelers. The light was left on for security reasons. A black shadow passed by the store. It seemed to stall in front of the doorknob. It was like it had a mind of it's own. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The air was still, so one can imagine how odd it would be to see a black shadow spin around like a twister. The twister thinned and passed through the keyhole. * * * * "Ah, Ms. Lane. It's very nice to see you again." "Mxy?!?" "Why yes. Who else would be floating in midair besides Superman. Oh, whoops! My bad. Superman doesn't exist. But enough of that. I didn't come here to sling Superman insults. I came here to express my deepest condolences." "Condolences?" "Of course my dear and may I add 'you make a very attractive widow.'" "Widow??? Wh-a-a-at...I...am not a, I...am.not..." Lois stepped backwards. The room was dark except for the light that shined on Mxy's face. "A widow. Now who's being stupid here? You're Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet! I can't believe that you don't remember your own husband's passing!?!" "Clark isn't gone! I left him sitting on the couch." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Ha, ha, ha, ha...." Mxy's maniacal laughter echoed. With one flick of his wrist, light filled the room. Next to her feet laid a body, Clark's body. Lois felt weak and she fell to the floor. She immediately flashed back to the time when Clark took the bullet for her at the gangster club. Clark had faked his own death to save her life. She hoped Clark was doing the same thing now. "Clark, honey, please wake up? Lois is here. It's okay. I'm right here." Lois' tears fell like raindrops across Clark's face. He didn't move. "Oh, Clark!" Lois laid across his chest and sobbed. As she touched his face, Clark started to fade away. Everything faded. Clark was disappearing. "Oh my God! What's going on here? What's happening?" Lois stood up and violently shook Mxy by his shirt collar. "TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!!!" "Ms. Lane it's very simple. Clark doesn't exist anymore. You got rid of Superman, so Clark can't survive! Without Clark there can be no you and without you there can be no Utopia. And without Utopia there can be an earth just waiting for me to inhabit." "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" * Clark was asleep on the couch when he heard Lois' blood curdling scream. "OH MY GOD, LOIS!!!!" Clark quickly ran up the stairs to his bedroom and kicked the door down. He found Lois kicking and screaming on the bed. He went over to her and held her in his arms. She continued to kick and scream loudly, as he held her tightly to his chest. "Lois! Calm down. It's okay, I'm here." "Noooo, Clark...I want Clark!!!! Noooooooooooo......" Lois went on with her struggle. Clark tried calming her down. "Lois, wake up! You had a bad dream. Everything will be okay. Please wake up!!! LOIS!!!!!!" Suddenly her eyes opened and she looked up at Clark. "Oh my God, Clark!!!" She grabbed him in a teary embrace, soaking the front of Clark's shirt, but he didn't care. "I had this dream and you weren't there...I called and you and you and I..." Lois was in a frenzy. She violently shook as she cried and clung to Clark's body. "Shh, Lois it's okay. I'm here now. You had a nightmare. It's all over. Shhh...." "No, Clark, you don't understand. I called for you and you weren't there!!! I mean..." Lois screamed again. Clark didn't know what to do. He continued to hold her tightly as she struggled to break free. Lois was hallucinating. She was awake, but something from that dream still haunted her. Eventually Lois became exhausted and her struggling stopped. Clark sat on the bed with her cradled in his arms. He stroked her hair and assured her that everything would be all right. "But Clark, I..." "I know honey, it was a nightmare. It's all over now. I'm not going anywhere. Shh..." * {continued...} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 03:21:08 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 2a MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The phone rang. Clark groaned while it continued. He wanted to pick it up but Lois was asleep in his arms. He didn't move because he was afraid she would wake up and scream again. Fortunately, Lois didn't fall asleep on his legs. Clark really wanted to get the phone, so he used his foot. He took his right leg and swung it over the bed. His toes were used to grab the phone chord and pull it on the bed where his hand waited. "Hello?" "Oh, hi Clark! It's Damian." Clark rolled his eyes. "It's 10 AM and I was just checking in. Are you and Lois available for a cup of coffee?" "Well, uh, normally I would say yes, but something happened last night and now I'm in a position where I can't really get up and leave." Damian's first reaction was that he had just got a firsthand account on Lois and Clark's love life. But maybe Clark was an open book and Damian just had to get used to it. "Oh, well... I..." "Oh, no!" Clark chuckled. "It's not what you think! Lois had a nightmare last night." "Wow! Is she all right?" "Yes. She's sleeping peacefully in my arms right now, but I don't want to disturb her. So until she wakes up, I won't be going anywhere." "Oh, well I completely understand. I mean if I had a wife like Lois, well heck if I even had a wife, I would do the same thing. I'm at the Planet right now and Perry just gave me a beeper, so why don't I give you the number and you can page me when you two are ready." * Damian hung up the phone and walked over to the information desk. The woman whom he talked to yesterday, was there again. "Excuse me miss? But I couldn't help but notice how pretty you look this morning." "Me?" the woman blushed. "Yes." Damian grabbed her hands and brought them next to his lips. "I have a confession to make. I was instantly attracted to you. I'm new in town so I was wondering if you would like to show me around, maybe tonight?" "Well...I..." "Oh, please say yes! I'm lonely and I'm looking for some companionship. You strike me as a nice, young woman, who knows her way around Metropolis. You don't have to worry. I won't bite!" Damian and the woman laughed. "Well when you put it like that, I guess I can't refuse." "Great! I'll pick you up at 8. We can go out to dinner and take it from there." Damian let go of her hands and leaned over the desk and kissed her lips. The woman almost lost her footing as he walked away. "WOW!" * * * * Clark felt like he was burning up. Lois fell asleep before he had a chance to take off his clothes. His tan sweater was soaked with sweat and tears. It clung to him like a second layer of skin. Lois squirmed. "Clark?" "Oh, thank goodness you're awake! Now don't take this the wrong way but I really need to take this shirt off!" Clark peeled his sweater off while Lois grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Ahhh...now I feel better. Sorry about that." "Honey?" Lois started laughing. "There's no need for you to apologize. Besides I like it better this way." Lois leaned over and made a trail of kisses on his stomach. "Actually sweetheart, I need to take off all of my clothes. I'm sweating up a storm here and I feel like a walking sauna." Clark moved Lois off his chest and stood up. "So if you want, maybe you could finish your 'little Safari,' in the shower with me. We could be each other's tour guides." "Okay!" Lois said as she leapt off the bed and landed in Clark's arms. Clark grinned. His wife was acting like her old self again and they were about to rekindle the love they shared. Things couldn't get any better then that. It was going to be a wonderful day. * * * * Lois and Clark grinned as they entered the news room. Lois wore a short, one-piece, white dress, for Clark's behalf. She loved the look on his face when he stared at her long, shapely legs. Clark wore nice slacks and a dark, blue button-down shirt. Lois undressed him with her eyes. "Hi, you two!" Perry walked up to Clark and patted him on the back. "Damian told me that you had a nightmare last night, Lois. Are you all right honey?" "I'm fine Chief. Thanks to my doctor here," Lois purred as she nipped at Clark's ear. "Well, uh, honey, that's more then I needed to know! Hehe...But I'm glad to hear that you're okay. Damian is in the cafeteria waiting for both of you. Oh, but before you go, I have something to tell you. There's been a robbery at Mazik's Jewelers. And get this--the security cameras saw no one. All they saw was some gold jewelry floating out of the door." "Jewelry, floating? I wonder if this has to do with that story Clark and I worked on a couple of years ago, you remember, the invisible suits?" "I dunno Lois, but it might be." "Well I for one don't care how it happened. This sounds like front page news to me!" Lois was excited. She finally had a breaking news story to focus all of her attention on. "That's exactly what I was thinking, Lois! You and Clark get on it as soon as possible!" "Got it Chief!" Lois and Clark chimed. Perry walked back to his office. *You know I'll never get used to that.* Lois and Clark found Damian sitting at a table in the cafeteria. "Wow! Lois. You look great!" "Yes, she does, doesn't she!" Clark pulled her to his waist. "Clark...I can speak for myself." Lois smiled at her husband. "Thanks Damian." "Uh, guys, about this first story thing..." "You want to work on the robbery story." "Well, yes. I was just about to say that." "I knew it! Ha, ha! I can see that determined look in your eyes. It's the same look I had when I started at the Planet. So don't worry, I have everything covered!" "You do?" "Of course Clark. Well, okay, I don't, but all I have to do is tell Perry and he'll be all for it. I mean what a better way for Damian to make a name for himself, than with this story!" "Uh, Lois?" "Yes, Damian?" "Thanks for being so nice. I mean you don't have to do this." "Oh, it's no problem. Why don't you and I go tell the Chief that we will be at Mazik's Jewelers. Clark, you can stay here and call our sources." "But I thought you and I would go together like we always do?" "I know Clark. But this is the perfect opportunity for Damian to be in the midst of the action and I don't think it would be right for a crowd to follow." Lois was excited. She practically jumped up and down in the middle of the room. She grabbed Damian by the sleeve and ran out of the door. Clark yelled after her. "Hey, Lois!" "Yeah?" "I love you." "I love you too! We'll keep in touch by cell phone!!" * "C.K., are you all right?" Jimmy found Clark staring at a blank computer screen. "Hey! C.K., are you okay?" Clark continued to stare at the screen. He slid his glasses down his nose to rub his eyes. "Clark!" "Huh? Oh, hi Jimmy." "C.K., are you all right? I called your name a couple of times and you didn't respond. You looked like you were on another planet." "Oh, sorry about that. I have Lois on my mind." "When don't you!?" Jimmy laughed and Clark gave a small smile. "No Jimmy, this is different. It's a guy problem." "A guy problem?" "Yeah, a guy problem named Damian Johansen." "Damian? Oh, you mean that guy who looks a lot like you from the back." "Well, uh, I never really noticed that, but okay, if you say so." "C.K., you and Damian are almost like twins. I mean you have the same hair and eye color..." Clark shook his head. *Where is a gag when I need one?* He looked up at the Daily Planet clock. It was going to be a long day. "Man, I'm sorry." Jimmy looked over at Clark who was staring at the bay window. "Here I am rambling about this guy who seems to have charmed Lois somehow." "Charmed?" Clark's voice grew louder. He took his wrist and banged it on the table. Unfortunately this was the same wrist he used to prove to Lois that he was no longer the "Man of Steel." Jimmy backed away. Clark was a pretty strong guy and he wasn't sure what Clark would do next. "OW!" "C.K., are you all right?" "Yeah, yeah. I think I just hit my funny bone." "C.K., you look wound up. Maybe you should take a break or something?" "I can't Jimmy. I promised Lois that I would stay here and call all of our sources." "Oh, come on, C.K.! A group of us are heading on over to my pad to watch the Metropolis Metros vs. the Seattle Mariners game." "Um Jimmy, I'm sorry but I can't. I promised Lois I would stay here." "Aww, C.K., you know Lois. She's an independent news woman. She'll be okay without you. Anyway, didn't she tell you she would keep in touch?" "Yeah, by cell phone." "Well, there you go. So come on. We can take my motorcycle." "But Lois..." "C.K.! You're too wound up to focus on anything. If I were Lois I would be happy that you went off for a bit to clear your head." * * * * [Inside Mazik's Jewelers] Lois was frustrated. Damian wasn't paying attention to anything she said. He spent his time staring at all of the jewelry. He acted like he was taking a leisurely stroll through a jewelry store instead of trying to cover what might be the crime of the century. Lois' arms waved in the air as she let out a couple of "OY's!" *Where is Clark when I need him? Oh, yeah I left him back at the Planet...* Lois cupped her forehead in the palm of her hand. What on earth was she thinking? She left her life-long partner, her best friend, Clark at the Planet. Lois looked down. Her dress had hiked up about an inch. Lois blushed. She had no clue how long it had been that way, but without a second thought, when no one was looking, she pulled her dress back down. Lois then went to the back of the store and pulled out her cell phone, to call Clark. * It was the bottom of the 3rd and the Metros were down by one. Clark wasn't sure if he should be hanging out with Jimmy, but he couldn't help but enjoy it. The game got really exciting. While Clark was watching the game, he flashed back to his Superman days. He used to enjoy playing baseball against himself. He could zip from base to base in the matter of seconds. No matter what the score was, he always won. He thought if he ever wanted to relive the fun of playing baseball, he would have to relearn the game as a "normal human being." Maybe Lois could give him a few pointers... CRACK! Jimmy's bachelor pad erupted with cheers. The Metros had hit a home run and they were up by three. "Yes!" Clark yelled as he gave Jimmy a high five. A humming noise broke up the yelling. "Hey, C.K.! What's wrong with your pants?" "Huh? Oh! I guess I left my phone on vibrator." Clark took his cell phone out of his back pocket. "Hello?" "Hi, Clark. It's Lois." "Lois?" "Clark, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. I don't know what I was thinking. I ditched you, my life-long partner." "Lois, I..." "No, Clark. What I did was inexcusable and I apologize..." "Hey Clark, is that Lois?" Jimmy leapt over the couch and grabbed the phone out of Clark's hand. "Uh, Jimmy, I ..." "Hey, Lois!" Jimmy yelled. "Uh, hi Jimmy!" Lois held the receiver away from her ear. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you? How's that story going? Do you have any good leads yet?" "Jimmy!" Lois laughed. "One thing at a time. I'm doing fine. Are you helping Clark on the robbery story?" "Actually, no, I..." Lois didn't hear Jimmy finish his thought as a choir of male voices filled the air. "Oops Lois, I gotta go. The Metros just hit another home run." "Baseball?" "Yep. The guys and I thought we'd spend our Sunday hanging out at my place." "You did huh?" "Yep, but like I said, I gotta jet so I don't miss the rest of the game. Do you want me to put Clark back on?" "Yes. Please do!" Lois said in a clearly agitated voice. Jimmy handed the phone back to Clark. "Lois wants to talk to you and she sounds kinda upset." "Oh jeez..." Clark answered as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Good luck, man." Jimmy patted Clark on the back as he went back to join the others. Clark reluctantly brought the receiver to his ear. "Umm Lois, I..." "CLARK JEROME KENT!" "Uh oh." "Why on earth are you watching a baseball game when you should be working on this breaking news story!" "I, uh well, I..." "Arggh! Clark! You really frustrate me sometimes! I was holding out against all hope that you of all people would be working on the story! You know, you and Damian are so alike!" Clark was usually in control of his temper but this was the final straw. "Okay, now you've gone too far!" "You should talk! I mean you...you...Oh I don't know..." Lois slammed her cell phone closed. "Shoot!" Clark muttered as he put his phone back in his pocket. He climbed off the couch and got ready to leave. "C.K., where are you going?" "I'm sorry Jimmy, but I gotta go to the jewelry store and talk with Lois." "Okay, whatever. It's your loss," Jimmy replied as he turned his back towards Clark and starred at the TV screen. Clark walked out the door and whistled for a cab. He found Jimmy's behavior to be extremely rude. Out of the few years that he had known Jimmy, he never once remembered Jimmy snapping at him. It was as if Lois' coldness towards him was rubbing off on all of the people she came in contact with. In a matter of minutes, Clark was being dropped off at the jewelers. He got out of the cab and paid the driver. Clark had been sweating a bit, so he had to push his glasses back up on his nose. He wished he could just throw them away but ever since he lost his superpowers, he actually found that he needed to use them. He walked inside the store and found Lois talking to Inspector Henderson. "Hello Lois," Clark said as he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "What? Oh gee, it's my husband, Clark. Now the party can begin," Lois remarked in a sarcastic tone towards the Inspector. The Inspector looked away from the angry couple. He tried to look busy because he wanted no part in this silly, little, lover's spat. "Lois, I think we should talk. And I think it would be best for all of us if we talked outside." "Okay, whatever," Lois said as she rolled her eyes. "Inspector, if you would please excuse us." Clark grabbed onto Lois' arm and walked her out the door. "Okay Clark. You can let me go now! We're outside." "I don't think so Lois. We need to talk and if I have to do it by force, then so be it." "Getting tough now are we?" Lois smirked as she looked into his eyes. "LOIS!" "What?" Lois asked slyly. She tried to break free but as she struggled, Clark's grip tightened. "You know what I mean Lois. I came here to apologize for going off and watching the game." "The apology isn't necessary Clark. Instead of working on the story, you went off to watch a baseball game. It's obvious to me that you don't care, which is fine by me, because I have everything under control." "Lois..." "Clark, like I said, everything is under control, so if you would kindly let me go then I can continue to talk to my sources." "Actually I think the best thing for us to do is to go back home and talk. You and I, especially you, have been acting quite odd for the past couple of days." "Me? You're the one that acts like an overprotective freak whenever Damian is around!" While Lois struggled to break free from Clark, Damian watched from the store's front window. He couldn't help but smile as Lois defended him to Clark. But he couldn't dwell on that too long, since he had a date to prepare for. He decided it was time to make an exit. "Damian!" Lois said as she broke away from Clark. Damian walked towards Lois. "Guys, if I'm the cause of this fight, I want to apologize. I didn't mean to come between you and Clark." "Oh no, Damian. I'm not mad at you. I'm just trying to explain to Clark here that he's keeping me away from my sources. Isn't there a phrase that says: 'Time is of the essence?'" "But Lois, if I..." "Damian, you're doing no such thing!" Lois grabbed his hands. "Okay, I admit, you weren't focusing a lot on the story, but that's understandable since you're a beginner. Hopefully, I'll be able to help you along." "Well, thank you, Lois. Now if you would please excuse me, I need to go get ready for a date." Damian slipped his hands out of Lois' and started to walk away. "Damian!" Lois said as she ran up to him. "I'll see you tomorrow." Lois leaned over and gave him a prolonged kiss on the cheek. Clark's mouth dropped. He didn't know whether to punch Damian out or grab Lois and throw her into the car. "Um...okay." Damian's voice sounded shaky as he left. "LOIS LANE KENT!" Clark yelled angrily. Lois tried to ignore him as she walked towards the Jeep. "And may I stress the name, KENT!" Clark added. "What are you doing? You did that on purpose! I'm your husband Lois. Your husband!" "Clark, it was just a peck on the cheek. Don't get so huffy about it." "Not from where I was standing! Heck, you even shocked Damian. The guy could barely talk straight!" "Well, can I help it if men can't resist my lips?" "Um...well...Okay I guess I can't argue with you there. But I guess I'm just upset that Damian gets a kiss on the cheek and I get nothing!" "Okay, here." Lois leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Are you happy now?" "Lois, quit with the sarcasm because it's not helping!" "Sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood." Lois pulled her car keys out of her purse. She unlocked the front door and climbed inside. "Now if you would please excuse me, I'm late for an appointment. I'll see you later." Lois pulled the door shut. "Lois...Don't do this!!! Lois!" Clark frantically banged on the door. "Lois open the door now!!! Lois!!!" Lois rolled down the front window as the motor started. "Unless your feet are made of steel, I suggest you get out of the way!" Clark moved back as Lois stepped on the gas pedal and sped away. "DARN IT!" Clark yelled as he kicked at a garbage can. "Hey now! I'd advise you to stop that before you get arrested." Inspector Henderson walked out of store only to find Clark kicking at garbage cans in a fit of anger. "I'm sorry Henderson, but Lois is just making me so mad! Arrgh!!!" Clark kicked at another garbage can. "Okay Kent. Just calm down." Inspector Henderson grabbed Clark by the shoulders and moved him away from the cans. "Kent. You don't stay married for 25 years without learning a few things. I could see this coming from miles away." "You did?" "Oh yeah! It's so obvious that it's almost laughable! I mean it's obvious that you two haven't well, uh, how can I put it? You two haven't had a 'romantic evening,' in quite a while." "Well...yeah," Clark answered as he looked down at the ground and shuffled his foot. "Well, there you go Kent! Go out there and buy things she likes! Shower her with love and affection. Tell her that you're sorry. Surprise her when she comes home." * {continued...} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 03:32:34 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 2b MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lois drove down the street towards the Morris home. She was going to revisit the inventor of the "invisible suits." She turned on the radio. Ricky Martin's song, "She's All I Ever Had," played. #...it's the way she understands. She's my lover, she's my friend. When I look into her eyes, it's the way I feel inside, like the man I wanna be. She's all I'll ever need." "Oh God!" Lois remarked as she quickly turned off the radio. Lois pulled up to the house. The Morris family still lived in the same white picket fenced home located on the same quiet street. It amazed Lois how nothing had changed since she and Clark had walked down that same street just a few years ago. Lois rang the doorbell. A little boy answered the door. He was about three feet tall and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He wore blue jeans and a red T-shirt. The little boy looked up at Lois and smiled. In a weird way he reminded her a lot of Clark. "Hellwo." "Uh, hi. Is Mr. or Mrs. Morris there?" A shadowy figure appeared behind the boy. It was Helene Morris. "Welcome, Ms. Lane," Helene said as she leaned over to shake her hand. "Honey, this is Ms. Lane. She's friends with Superman." "WOIS!!!" The boy yelled her name as he grabbed onto her legs. "Well, he's certainly friendly." "Oh, Ms. Lane, he isn't that friendly with just anyone," Helene laughed. "But please come inside and make yourself comfortable. Alan is waiting for you in the living room." Helene led Lois and the little boy into the living room. Alan welcomed Lois. "Hello, Ms. Lane. It's nice to see you again." On Alan's lap sat a little girl. "Ms. Lane, I would like you to meet Tara." She slid off his lap and curtsied. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Lane." Tara was around nine years old. She had wavy brown hair, that fell just below her shoulders. She wore a pink, frilly dress. Lois couldn't help but flash back to the time when she was a little girl. It reminded her of all of the times her mother tried to force her into those nasty things. And that was only on days when she was sober. Lois shuddered at the thought. "And this cute little boy here..." Alan continued his introductions; "his name is Dean." "Hi, Wois!" Dean waved his little hands in the air. Lois forced a smile. "Why don't you go sit over there so we can begin the interview," said Helene who led Lois to a white couch. She joined her husband in a chair of the same color that was located across from the couch. Tara and Dean joined Lois on the couch. Tara was on her right and Dean on her left. "A-ha. Well okay, I...Mmph. Excuse me?!?" Lois was interrupted when Dean tried to sit on her lap. "Oh, don't mind him," Helene stifled a giggle. "Dean looks towards you as some sort of super hero. Whenever I talk about Superman, your name seems to pop up. He wants to be near anything and everything that comes in contact with Superman." Her voice lowered. "But we'll never tell him that Superman is no longer living in Metropolis. It would break his little heart if he found out Superman doesn't hang out in the clouds while keeping an eye on the city." "Oh." *Not the nonexistent Superman, junk again!* Lois thought. Lois wasn't sure what to do next. She wanted to get this interview over and then go home. She preferably wanted to get home before Clark, so she had to think of something fast. "Well Dean," Lois looked into the child's brown eyes. "If you're a good boy, I might give you something I know that Superman has too!" "Really?" Dean's eyes sparkled. "Yeah. Oh, wait a minute! I might have it with me." Lois unzipped her purse and searched through the clutter. "A-ha! Here we go!" She pulled out a Daily Planet business card and handed it to the boy. "Now I'm positive that Superman has one of these!" "Kewl! Look! Look! Look!" Dean ran around the room and waved the card around, until he settled himself in the corner of the room and pulled out his crayons. The biggest smile crossed his lips as he scribbled on the Daily Planet design. Lois looked over at Tara. "I suppose you want one too?" "Oh, no, Ms. Lane. Coloring is for babies. I'm nine years old. Definitely not a baby!" Lois couldn't help but smile. Tara exhibited many of the same characteristics she had at that age. "Well your children are certainly outspoken." "Oh, no, Ms. Lane. They aren't our kids," Helene remarked. "Tara and Dean are our niece and nephew. They live in California and occasionally they like to stop by Metropolis for a visit. Dean has a fit every time we drive by the Daily Planet. He always points to the Daily Planet globe and yells, 'big gwobe! Supaman! big gwobe!' It's like he thinks Superman lives there or something. Alan and I can actually picture Dean working there someday. Tara too." "Actually, Auntie Helene, I want to be President of the United States. Although being editor of the Daily Planet wouldn't be so bad either." "Speaking of the Daily Planet, we heard about you and Mr. Kent. Congratulations!" exclaimed Helene. "Thanks." "We were hoping Mr. Kent would be with you this afternoon. Where is that wonderful husband of yours?" "He's, uh...working on a story." *Yeah right!* "Oh, that's too bad because I was hoping to congratulate him also. I think it's great you and Mr. Kent got together. I could tell when I first met you a couple of years ago, that it was meant to be! Now you two are planning a future together! Have you..." "Oh, no. We don't want kids. Well it's not like we don't want kids, we're just waiting," Lois blushed. "With our careers being so busy as they are now, we just want to enjoy each others company." *When we're not at each other's throats!* "We basically want to live alone for a while. Take a few years to discover and learn new things about each other. Do what newlyweds do." "Ah, I completely understand," Helene winked. "A-ha. Yeah." Helene could sense that something else was on her mind. She noticed Lois kept pulling on her dress while fidgeting on the couch. This was highly unusual behavior for the Daily Planet's top investigative reporter. "Well, Ms. Lane, how about we get started. You probably have a lot of things to ask Alan and I know how busy you investigative reporters can get." "Uh, yeah. Okay. Well let's get started then. Last night Mazik's Jewelers was robbed. No one saw the culprit and the weirdest part was that technically no one was seen. My editor told me that the surveillance tape only showed a bunch of gold jewelry floating out the door. There were no hands or wires involved. It was just floating on its own, out the door. I hope to talk to Inspector Henderson again and get a copy of this tape. Maybe analyze it, piece by piece. But for now all I have to work with is what Mr. White told me. That's why I'm here. I wanted to ask you about those invisible suits you made a few years ago. Are any of them missing again?" "Well, Ms. Lane, I don't think that could happen since I destroyed all of the suits and the blue prints to them, after Superman brought Helene and me back together." "Oh." "Actually according to what you've told me, I kinda wished it had been the case. Without those suits it makes things more complicated, huh? I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help." "Don't feel so bad Alan. Your information is very useful. It'll help the police narrow down suspects and motives for the crime. It has also caused me to realize that this story is bigger than I thought. This might just be the story that gets me that Pulitzer!" BOOM! "Uh, oh!" Dean said as he pointed to the window. Uh, oh, was right. Outside, the heavens had opened and they were pouring tons and tons of rain. So much rain fell that in a matter of seconds, the streets started to flood. Lois got off the couch and walked to the window. Alan and Helene followed. "Well Ms. Lane, I guess you better get going," Alan suggested. "It sure is pouring out there and I don't want to see you get wet." Helene agreed. "You can do what Alan and I do. Go home and watch the rain fall as you cuddle with your honey on the couch." Helene started to giggle as Alan playfully kissed her cheek. *Ahhh! Get me out of this nightmare!* Lois turned away from that unnecessary display of affection and watched the water running down the window pane. Her mind wandered... The melodic sound of raindrops fell upon the roof. Lois let out a sigh as Clark ran his fingers down her leg. She felt the shift of his weight as he moved to other parts of her body. They were on the floor making love by candlelight. Body upon body... Lois ran her fingers down her lips as she continued to stare out the window. *Oh my God! What am I doing? I'm supposed to mad at Clark!!! Not lust after the man!?! Sheesh, I really need to get out of here. I mean get a grip girl!!!* Lois turned away from the window and walked towards the front door. "Well I guess I'll be going now. I want to send my notes to Mr. White before it gets too stormy." "Okay," the Morris' said between kisses. Lois rolled her eyes. "Buh, bye, Wois!!" Dean waved his hands wildly as Lois turned the doorknob. She had no clue why she did this, but before she stepped out the door, she blew Dean a kiss. "I can't believe those two. I mean of all the nerve. Especially when I'm supposed to be mad at Cla.Arrgh!!!" Lois had been so worked up about the Morris' that for a moment she had totally forgotten about the rain. Unfortunately, the only thing she was wearing at that time was the white dress. If there had been a 'wet T-shirt contest' going on right at that second, Lois would have won first prize. She quickly got into the car and put the key in the ignition. The car wouldn't start. "Come on! Come on!" It still wouldn't start. "COME ON!!! ARRGH!" Lois slammed her fists on the steering wheel. "Okay, okay. Just calm down. You have your cell phone with you. Now would be a good time to call your husband." She dialed the number. No one answered. "Hmm, there's no answer. Maybe I dialed the wrong number?" Lois dialed the number again. Still no answer. She hit redial again. Still nothing. "What the heck?" She hit the redial button yet again. This time there was a click "Finally! Clark?" NO ONE CAN ANSWER YOUR CALL RIGHT NOW. SO LEAVE A MESSAGE, WHEN YOU HEAR THE BEEP. "Darn it!!" she yelled as she slammed the cell phone shut. "Where is that man? Okay that's it Kent. No second chances! You just overstepped your boundary. I was going to forgive you, but now I'm not quite sure how long it will take!" Lois was so desperate to get back home, that she grabbed the sunshield to use as a cover for her head and exited the Jeep. * It took Lois a little over an hour to reach the brownstone. She was so wet and so tired that all she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower and go straight to bed. Gone were the thoughts of making love to Clark, while the rain fell outside. She actually found herself cursing all rainstorms. Lois turned the doorknob, relieved to see the lights were still off. Clark wasn't home. #Here I am on broken wings. Quiet thoughts, unspoken dreams. Here I am alone again. I need her now to hold my hand. Lois dropped her bag, as her mouth fell open. She must have been too distracted to notice it before. There was Clark surrounded by candlelight, dressed in black silk boxers and waiting for her on the couch. "Lois," he remarked as he flashed her that famous Kent grin. He got off the couch and walked towards her. Everything moved in slow motion. Lois stood in awe at the sight before her. He touched her slightly on the shoulder. Lois jumped. "Huh?" "Sorry, Lois. I." Clark searched for his words. Lois was soaked. Her clothes were so wet that he could see the outline of her shapely figure. "Lois, I.I.Aiyiyiiii!!!" *Okay Clark, get it together! Your wife is soaking wet. You need to make sure that she's okay. There will be enough time to stare at her figure later.* "I, um, uh...Lois, you're all wet!!!" "Of course I am Clark! I mean, duh!" "Well, here let me..." "Clark! Take your hands off me! All I want you to do right now is turn off that annoying song!!!" "Not much of a Ricky fan, huh?" Clark chuckled. "Clark, just do it okay!" "Okay, okay. Hold on just a sec." *And I thought this CD promised to bring couples together, so to speak.* "I don't want to anger you any more than I have." He grabbed the remote and turned off the stereo. Lois stood there for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. The water dripping from her clothes was creating a puddle under her feet, but she didn't care. She had more important things to worry about, one being what was going through her husband's mind. He actually thought he was going to make it up to her with a night of romance. *Ha! Well, he's got something else coming!* Lois tried to look away from what Clark was wearing, well, more like the lack of what he was wearing. Clark returned to the couch and Lois followed. "Lois, the couch!" "Okay, okay, Clark. I'll just sit on the floor." "But Lois you're..." "Enough of that Clark. Right now I don't care. What I want to talk about is all of this!" Sitting on the coffee table were a dozen red roses and a bowl full of chocolate covered strawberries. "Clark, do you really think these temptations would make me forget about today?" Clark slid off the couch and joined Lois on the floor. "Actually Lois I didn't. I was hoping that being with me would help. Those things on the table are merely decorations. I love you Lois and I want to show that to you. The love that we share is something really special and I don't want to lose that. If I had my way, you and I would go far away from this place. We would be together, away from the rest of the world. We would get lost within ourselves." Clark reached over and brushed her cheek. Lois remembered the first time Clark touched her that way. She had this sudden urge to melt into his arms. She experienced that same feeling every time he touched her. It was like the first time, over and over again. As Clark caressed her cheek, shivers went down her spine. "Lois you're shivering! That's a good reason why you should get out of those wet clothes. I can warm you up in no time. I also brought down your favorite blanket." "What?" Clark reached behind the couch and brought out the blanket. He brought it near her face. "See? So here let me help you with your dress." His body drew closer to hers. He wrapped his arms around her and reached for the dress zipper in the back. Lois pulled away. "Clark, no." "Shh, Lois," Clark silenced her with his soft lips. "Mmm...Clark." Lois' groan was an invitation to him. Clark's kisses grew deeper. He tasted the sweetness of her mouth. It was a taste he was longing for. He was apologizing to Lois without words. "Clark..." Clark reached behind Lois and unzipped her dress. He slipped the dress off her shoulders and rubbed his hands across her back. Lois groaned for more as she leaned into his muscular body. While Lois physically wanted to make love, she wasn't mentally ready to jump into the sack with Clark. *Lois! You need to focus here. You didn't become the strong news woman you are by submitting to someone you didn't want to.* Lois pulled away from him. "Clark, no." Clark wasn't listening. He grabbed Lois and brought her near his chest. She could feel the sweat dripping off of him. *Come on, Lois! This is your husband here. Just walk away, Lois. Shove him away from you and yell NO!* "Clark. NO!" Lois put both her hands on Clark's chest and pushed herself off the floor. "What?" "I said no, Clark! I can't do this anymore." Lois had one hand on her dress as she tried to keep it up. She almost stumbled backwards as she tried to back away from Clark. Clark tried to get up to help her. "Clark, stay where you are. I don't want you to be anywhere near me." "Lois?" "Clark, I know what's on your mind and I just don't want to do that." "Um, honey, I don't know what to think. But you sure fooled me on the floor about 30 seconds ago." "I know that Clark. Physically I want to make love to you, but mentally I'm not ready to move on from what happened today. You really ticked me off and I don't think you realize that. You think making love to me will make everything better. Well, it won't! I don't want to make love to a man when I don't mean it." "Any man?" "Come on, Clark. You know what I mean! See this just proves my point," tears were welling up in her eyes. "You can't accept that Damian and I have a strictly professional relationship and it's driving you nuts!" "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I should never say that. I know you would never do anything like that to me." "You got that right! That's why I have to walk away. I can't make love to you Clark, when I don't mean it! I would only be doing it out of guilt. And that's just not right." "Lois..." Clark pleaded as a tear fell down his cheek. "Oh, my God, Clark. You're crying! I actually made you cry." Seeing Clark crying caused Lois to really lose it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Lois, it's not a tear, it's just sweat." Lois knew that Clark was lying. She could see it in his eyes. Lois stood there for a moment and just looked at her husband through her tears. She had been crying so much it looked as if Clark was being covered in a thick fog. It reminded her of the nightmare she had last night. "Obviously you and I need to talk. But right now is not a good time. I'm sorry!" Lois remarked. Clark picked up the remote and turned on the Ricky Martin CD. He laid on the floor and held the blanket close to him as he watched Lois run up the stairs. * * * * Damian took his date to a small Irish pub, located in the heart of Metropolis, "Casey's Pub." "Bree, what a beautiful name." "Yeah, well I come from an Irish family. This is our favorite pub. They have the best Irish food. Damian looked into her eyes. Her voice put him in a trance. He was in love. "Why are you looking at me that way?" Bree inquired. "What look?" "You keep staring at me. I bet you're shocked!" "Shocked?" "I bet you don't believe me when I say I'm Irish. Most people expect the red hair and green eyes. I have blonde hair and green-gray eyes." "Actually I wasn't really thinking that. I was wondering what it would be like if I had my way with you." "Damian!" Bree blushed. "Just kidding," Damian said as he kissed her left ring finger. * The dessert tray passed the couple. Bree eyed it like a cheetah after its prey. "Well, how about some dessert?" "Actually I was hoping we could have it in my apartment," Damian smiled. "Well, I don't know." "You might not know this Bree, but I'm actually a great cook and I'm not talking about the kind of cook you're thinking of." Damian touched her on the nose and they both laughed. "Okay, your apartment sounds lovely." Damian hailed a cab. The two of them were sitting in the back of the car holding hands. For the first time in her life, she was truly happy. This just might be Mr. Right. No more lonely nights for her. It took them only 20 minutes to reach his apartment. Damian lived in a studio apartment. It was more appropriate for an artist than a newspaperman. He walked over to his refrigerator and took out some chocolate mousse. Before he joined Bree on the couch, he picked up a spoon. "Here you go my dear," Damian said as he brought the spoon up to Bree's red lips. "Mmm...this is really good!" "Thanks I made it myself." Damian brought the fork back to her lips. As she was savoring the second serving of cake, Damian slipped off her jacket. "Damian, what are you doing?" "Hush," Damian said as he leaned over and engulfed her mouth with his. As the seconds passed, the kisses got deeper and deeper. Bree reached over to the buttons on his shirt. "Oh my gosh!" "What? Did I do something wrong?" "Oh, no darling. I just remembered something. That's all." "What?" "Actually it's something I want to give you. I want to give it to you before we go any further." "You got something for me?" "Yeah. It's crazy but every since I saw you behind that information desk, I instantly thought that you were the one!" "It's not so crazy, because I feel the same way." Damian reached over to the table next to the couch and pulled out a tiny box. "Bree, I would like to give this to you as a token of our 'newfound' love." She opened the box and inside she found a tiny gold bracelet. "Wow, Damian. It's so beautiful!" "It's a beautiful bracelet for a beautiful woman. Here let me help you put it on." "Wow." The bracelet shone on her wrist. "You look so beautiful my dear, that I think I want a picture of you to capture this moment." "Okay." "Just stand over there and I'll get everything ready." Damian took a tiny black contraption out of his back pocket. The black object looked a lot like a garage door opener. "Okay. Now just stand over there and look really pretty." Damian hit one of the buttons on the black device and a blue light shone all around her. "Wow, Damian. That's so cool! How do you do it?" "It's magic my sweet. Now hold still." He hit another button and all of a sudden it became really windy. The blue light turned into a funnel cloud. The funnel cloud was trying to pull Bree inside. It was so strong that it ripped the blouse right off her. "DAMIAN!!! Is this your idea of a joke?" "No, no, sweetheart. I just want this picture to be dramatic and seductive. So just hold still." Damian hit yet another button and the funnel became even stronger. It held Bree by both of her legs. The funnel was pushing her. "DAMIAN!" she wailed. "Just one-second my dear. I have to find the camera. Ah, here it is." "Damian! Please help me! Can't you see I'm in trouble here?" Bree cried. "Camera shy, eh? Just smile pretty for me and it will be over real soon." "DAMIAN!!!" By now the only thing apart from the funnel was her head. "Okay, sweetheart, say good-bye as I snap the picture!" "Good-bye???" Damian, I'm scared!" "No, Bree, I'm not going to help you." "What? I thought you said you loved me?" "I lied. Sorry." "You lied?" "Yes, I lied. Now say good-bye." "No, please Damian. Please help me out here." "I have no more use for you. So if you don't say good-bye Bree, I will." Damian brought his finger near the last button on the device. "No, Damian! Don't touch that! Damian!!!! NOOOOO.." Bree's screams filled the room as Damian hit the button. Then there was silence. Bree and the blue funnel were gone. "Oh goody, it worked!" Damian said happily as he returned the black device to the table drawer. The only signs that Bree had been in the room, were her jacket and blouse. He picked up the jacket and then the blouse. He brought them up to his nose. "Hmm...if only I was human and had a heart like Clark Kent's, we might have had a future together. Oh well," Damian remarked as he mashed the clothing together. He was so strong that he got it to the size of a ping pong ball and threw in the garbage. His apartment only had one window. It was a bay window. Damian walked up to the window and looked at the dazzling city below. "Lois. Lois. Lois." he cooed. "Lois, you're making this waaay too easy for me!" * {continued...} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 04:05:44 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 3a MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Face it Ms. Lane. He's gone," Mxy stated. "Clark? Clark? Clark???" Lois called out for him. "Your precious Clark is gone. This is what you wished for, am I right?" "NO!" "Well, my dear, you did wish for Superman to go away so to speak. So in essence your wish was granted." "No...No..." Lois repeated as she slumped to the floor of the windowless room. "You know I was going to kill you, but I've reconsidered. I'm going to let you live so we can be together." "I'd rather be stuck in this windowless room forever, than to be with you!" "Oh, I know right now it doesn't sound like much. I mean I'm just a simple imp. But think of the possibilities. Once I take over the world, you and I can rule together. I may have superpowers, but one thing I can assure you is that I would never run away, or should I say, fly away to help some stupid human in need! Especially if we were in the middle of something important," Mxy winked. Lois had a look of disgust on her face. "Well, that's where you and Clark differ." "I know. Isn't it great?" "No." "Okay, I admit I don't look like flyboy, but I think you could grow to love me, especially if I look like...Well I better stop there. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." Mxy moved closer to Lois and ran his finger down her cheek. Lois slapped his hand. "Ooh, feisty are we? I love that in a woman. Nonetheless I'll eventually tame you. We must get going now." "NO!" "Ms. Lane, there's no choice. You must come!" "No! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" As Mxy drew closer to Lois his body turned into a huge black fog cloud. The cloud started to overcome Lois. "No!!! Clark? Help me! Clark, where are you??? Clark!!!" Suddenly Lois shot out of bed. "Oh my God! It was just a dream." Lois looked over at her husband sleeping peacefully beside her. She took her right hand and ran it down his cheek. "Oh Clark..." Clark shifted unconsciously towards her. Startled, Lois grabbed part of the quilt and handed it to him. Clark hugged it tightly to his chest. * Monday morning was breaking in Metropolis. Early morning traffic was atrocious at the beginning of the week, so Lois and Clark liked to start out early. The bedroom was quiet except for the sound of Clark's heavy breathing... "Lois, I'm so sorry..." "Shh, Clark. It's okay. I completely forgive you." "Lois, I..." "No, Clark. No, no, no! Just shut up and kiss me." Lois stood up and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. Clark reached over and touched her legs. He made a trail of kisses that started at her feet. As he went farther and farther up her body she sank lower and lower to the ground. Pretty soon Clark was watching the candlelight playing upon Lois' stomach. Watching Lois' body glowing in the candlelight only fueled his desire. He climbed on top of her and kissed her mouth, with a fury like a desert-dweller who had just found a reservoir. He then traveled down her neck and to her shoulders. Lois groaned in appreciation. "Lois..." "Clark..." "Lois..." "Mmm...Clark..." "Lois, Lois...LOIS!..." Clark sat up straight, rubbing his eyes. He had yelled her name so loud that it had startled him out of bed. *Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that alarm going off today. I just hope Lois slept through it.* Clark opened his eyes and looked down. He was hugging Lois' pillow but there was no Lois. On the night stand was a note: I went to the auto body shop to get the Jeep fixed. Lois "Arggh!" Clark yelled as he crumbled the note and then threw it across the bedroom. * * * * Clark left the brownstone around seven but didn't get to the Planet until nine. He was so depressed that he decided to walk. Why bother get to work on time if Lois wasn't going to be there. He did a lot of thinking on his long walk, coming to the conclusion that Lois' distanced attitude towards him, was eating him up inside. He no longer cared about the Daily Planet and his career. If Lois didn't care about him, then he didn't care about himself. He was only going to the Planet in hopes of seeing his wife. He stepped out of the elevators and into the Pit. No one seemed to notice that Clark was running an hour late. It was Monday morning, so news was breaking all over the place. Part of Clark was disappointed that no one noticed him walking into the Planet. He could really use the attention. Clark headed on over to his desk, when he did a double-take. "Lois?" Lois sat at her desk, answering email. "Lois, what are you doing here?" "Oh hi, Clark," Lois didn't even glance at him. She continued answering email. "I thought your note said you would be at the auto body shop?" "It did. And I was heading there until I bumped into Damian. He gave me a jump-start." "I bet he did," Clark muttered under his breath. "What was that?" "Oh, nothing." "Whatever Clark. Since I know you, it was probably an insult towards Damian and frankly I don't give a damn what you think." "Lois, instead of answering your email, I think you and I should talk." "For your information, this happens to be more important then arguing about something petty with you!" Things were heating up. Clark took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. He didn't want to make a spectacle of himself, especially in front of his colleagues. Fortunately for Lois and unfortunately for Clark, Damian came running out of the Conference Room. "Hey Lois! Perry told me that he would meet with us in about a half an hour to discuss my theory. He would have made it earlier despite the fact that he's arguing with the printers. It has something to do with a possible union strike." "You have a theory?" Clark inquired. "Yes, he does and a very intelligent one if I might add," Lois answered. "Thanks Lois. I have a theory about the robbery at the jewelry store. Around the same time the store was robbed, a couple of prison inmates broke out of jail. I think they might be involved." "Oh?" "Clark, don't treat him that way! He spent a long time working on this. I bet he came up with more then you did!" "Well..." "Clark, you're welcome to join us in the Conference Room. I can give you more details in there." "Hold it right there Kent," Lois' hands brushed Clark's chest. Clark wanted her do that all day, if that meant he could have some physical contact. "Before you go charging into our meeting, I need to know what you got." "Got?" "Yeah, what have you learned so far about the robberies?" "Um, nothing." "Nothing. Well it's been nice seeing you..." "Lois..." "Clark, you know my rule. If you don't have anything to report, then you can't join my conferences." "But Lois..." "Yeah, Lois. Maybe you should let him join." "No, Damian. I try never to break any of my rules. In this case I'm not going to make an exception, even if he is my husband. So let's get going before Perry wonders where we are." Lois walked towards the Conference Room and Damian followed. She looked back at Clark, who was clearly angry. His whole body shook as he sat down at this desk. "I guess I'll be seeing you sometime at home." Clark was resting his face on the desk and didn't look up. * A half an hour had passed. Perry was still on the phone. Clark looked up and stared into the window. Lois looked up at the same time and stared at Clark. After a few seconds, she turned away and moved closer to Damian. They both started to laugh. Lois and Damian were enjoying themselves at Clark's expense. "DARN IT LOIS, what am I going to do with you?" Clark cried as he threw the computer keyboard to the ground. The buzzing stopped. Everyone in the Planet turned around to look at Clark Kent, who was clearly having a mental breakdown. He stood up and threw his chair across the room. It almost hit someone in the head. "Darn it, darn it, darn it!" he yelled. He dropped to the floor as tears started to stream out of his eyes. "Lois, no. Lois! NO!!!" he covered his ears as he yelled. No one came to assist him. They were all too shocked. Lois looked out at Clark, like a deer caught in headlights. She stood frozen like a statue. Perry came charging out of his office. "What in the Sam Hill, is going on here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of a really important phone call, folks?" The room remained still except for the sound of Clark on the floor. He was mumbling something to himself. "Judas Priest! Kent, are you all right?" Perry noticed Clark lying on the floor. He walked over to him and tapped Clark on the shoulder. Clark jumped like a frightened animal. "Uh, hey, it's okay. It's just me, Perry. Is everything all right, son?" "Lois..." "Lois? Well she's in the Conference Room right now. Would you like to talk to her?" "Lois...She doesn't love...She doesn't love me anymore. So I can't go on..." "Kent! Where did you go off and get a cotton picking idea like that? The woman is madly in love with you, son. I knew it from the first day she met you!" "She told me she doesn't care..." Perry looked up at Lois. All she could do was shrug her shoulders. "Okay, well it looks like something is clearly bothering you right now. So why don't you pick yourself off the ground and we can talk in my office." Clark got up off the ground while Perry patted him on the back. "Now that's good son. Just follow me and if you want to, you can talk to Lois a bit later." While Perry led Clark to his office, Clark looked back at Lois. They both stared at each other with blank eyes. Clark looked away from Lois when Damian came up behind her and gave her a hug. * "Kent? Is everything okay? You're acting mighty peculiar. You're not yourself." "No, Chief. I'm not okay! I'm having major problems with Damian Johansen! That man has practically ruined my life since he joined the Planet and he has charmed his way into Lois' life. He's trying to take her away from me and he's doing a DARN good job of it! Did you know that Lois and I haven't.well you know in quite a while now! Heck, I don't even remember the last time we did. All I can say is that we haven't done much of anything since he's been here! GOD, he's making me so mad!!!!" "Okay, okay, Kent. Now we don't need to go around using those kind of words." "Well, I'm sorry Chief, but he is!" "Kent. I think your problem is that you're not giving him a chance. Damian can be really nice once you get to know him. But son, you immediately went off the deep end, once he showed any attention towards Lois. Damian and Lois are just friends. Heck the boy even went on a date last night and from what I've heard, it went really well. So don't worry Kent. It's not like he's Lex Luthor or something." "This is exactly what I mean Chief! He has everyone duped, including you! That's it. I gotta get out of here." Clark walked over towards the door. "What the heck? The doorknob won't turn." "I thought it would be best if you stayed in here for a while, son." "No, no, no..." Clark started running his fingers wildly through his hair. He started pulling on his clothes. Clark pulled so hard on his shirt that he ripped it open. "Oh great! Now look what I did. My shirt is ripped!!! Darn it, I can't take this much longer..." A crowd of people gathered outside of the office. When Clark started tugging on the door, most people fled in fear that he was going to break a window. Only Jimmy and Lois remained. Clark wasn't in control of himself and there was nothing she could do about it. Lois almost regretted not making up with Clark last night, but she had to do it. She was relieved that Clark was sensible enough to keep his superpowers from getting the best of him. Although she found it odd that Clark wasn't wearing the suit under his clothes. Maybe he forgot it as a result of all of the confusion. That confusion was probably a blessing in disguise. People would have definitely figured out who Clark Kent really was, if they had seen the 'S' on his chest. Perry looked over at Jimmy and mouthed the words, "call the police." Henderson and his men were there in less then two minutes. It was almost as though they were waiting for Perry's call. They burst into the office. Inside they found Clark beating on the garbage can. Perry was in the corner of the room, hugging his Elvis picture. Clark could destroy anything in that room, except for Elvis. Nobody touched that picture except for Perry himself. "Clark Kent, this is Inspector Henderson, from the Metropolis Police Department. You're under arrest for disturbing the peace and destroying public property." "Excuse me?" "You heard me buddy. Now put your hands behind your back!" "Hey!" Clark yelled as one of Henderson's men pinned him down and slapped the handcuffs on. "You have the right to remain silent...Anything you can say will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one it will be appointed for you..." "You can't do this to me Henderson! I need to talk to Lois!" "I don't think so. You need to calm down before you go scaring Lois half to death." "No!!!" Clark screamed. "Take him away fellas..." Clark was being dragged out the door. He tried to break free but to no avail. Clark's flailing around made it hard for the police to get him out the door. "Clark?" Lois watched her husband being dragged off in handcuffs and she started to cry. "I'm sorry honey," Perry remarked as he walked up to Lois and gave her a hug. "Clark!" Lois yelled as she broke way from Perry. Clark looked up at her with reddened eyes. She ran up to him and gave him a prolonged kiss on the lips. "Lois you took quite a chance there. Are you nuts???" Inspector Henderson inquired. "I know Henderson. I really don't know why I did it. I guess I just hoped it would calm him down." "Well, I would love to stay and chitchat but I've got a man to book into jail. Good day Ms. Lane, Mr. White." "NO DON'T TAKE ME AWAY!!!! Lois needs me. She just said so, with her kiss. Please let me go!!!" Lois wiped the tears from her face and returned to the Conference Room. * When they got to the police station, Henderson locked Clark up in an empty cell. "Clark, I'm not really going to arrest you. I just had to say that because it's standard procedure. Perry and I thought it would be best if you 'cooled your heels,' at the police station." "Whatever." "Seriously, Clark. I'm sorry this is happening to you. You're usually a pretty cool-headed, mild-mannered sorta of guy. So this must be a pretty major thing between you and Lois. I just don't like seeing any of my colleagues hurt, especially you." Clark wasn't in the mood to listen to Henderson's sympathy violins so he turned around and stared at the wall. "Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'm going to leave you at the station for a couple of hours. I was going to bring you back home by squad car, but I don't think that would be a good idea. I don't want to ruin your wonderful reputation that you have within our community." * {Back at the Planet} "Can you believe it, Damian? Clark was arrested! I can't believe that Perry would do something like that." "Well, Lois, he was disturbing the peace while harassing you. I mean the guy almost hit someone in the head with his chair! I know it wasn't on purpose, but I think sometimes he underestimates his own strength." "Clark wasn't harassing me." "He wasn't? Then what do you call his constant calling out of your name and his need to get near you?" "I call that desperation, not harassment. Clark was desperate to talk to me." "Oh, come on Lois. Even Perry felt it was best to lock him up. He looks toward you as his daughter. He wanted to make sure you were okay and he wasn't going to take a chance with Clark. "I know..." "I usually don't like to get involved in personal affairs but I can't believe you've totally forgotten about last weekend. The way Clark was watching some stupid baseball game instead of working on the story." "I haven't forgotten!" "As I said, I don't want to get involved, but you might want to remind yourself what got you there in the first place. But instead of wallowing in our own misfortunes, why don't we do some investigating?" "Well..." "Come on Lois. We can stop by the prison and check things out. I might not be Clark, but I would be honored if you'd be my partner." * * * * {Inside the Metropolis Police Station} "Okay, John. I'll get on it right away. But next time remember to bring a three-layer cake instead of a one-layer cake. The more frosting the better!" The cake man turned around and noticed Clark staring at the wall. "Clark? Hey Clark, it's me, Bobby Bigmouth." Clark turned away from the wall. "Bobby?" "Yeah, bud. Long time no see!" "Yeah..." "I heard you and Lois got hitched a while ago. Congrats! So how are you? Oh, wait a minute. What am I saying? Here you are, stuck in a jail cell and I'm asking you how you feel! Sorry man." "That's okay." "By the way, why are you stuck in the slammer? Is it for a story?" "Not exactly. Besides it's a long story and you probably don't have time" "Lucky for you, Clark, I just ate some cake, so spill it." * * * * {Inside the prison} "Damian, this isn't worth it. Let's go." "Ah, come on Lois, we just got here. We haven't even begun our investigation and we have so many inmates to talk to." "Well, I don't want to talk to them, so let's go and we can pick up the police report on the way out." "Lois, why are acting so weird? Are you afraid?" "Yes." "Well, don't be. You have me to protect you," Damian remarked as he pulled Lois to his waist. "Well, that's easy for you to say." Lois pushed herself away from him. "You don't have men staring at you like a play toy!" "Lois, what's up with you? I thought you were the world's best investigative reporter? The woman who took risks, who wasn't afraid of danger." "Well, that's because I have Clark with me. I feel safe with him. I know that nothing bad will ever happen to me. He gathers me up in his strong arms and I just want to stay there forever...Obviously I didn't know it at the time, but meeting Clark was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Falling in love with him has been so easy, I don't know why I fought it for so long..." Lois looked out a window and sighed. Her fingers brushed the glass. * "Jeez, that's quite a story." "You believe me, don't you?" "Oh yeah, man. You're my friend. And I take your word over his. Personally, Damian sounds a little psycho to me." "Tell me about it." "Tell you what, I'll keep close tabs on this Damian character and I'll do it for free. I really want Lois and you to make up. Plus there's something about Damian I just don't like." "Wow, thanks a lot!" "No problem. Just think of this as my way of paying you back for all those meals!" Bobby and Clark chuckled, as Inspector Henderson returned. "Hey Bobby! I just came back to tell Clark that he's free to go. But before I let you go, why don't I take a quick trip to the Planet and find Lois." "Actually, Inspector, you won't find her there." "Why Bobby?" "Well, I tried calling down there because I had some news on the robberies but Lois wasn't there. Jimmy said something about Lois and Damian heading down to the prison. "WHAT?" The men looked over at Clark who started tugging on the bars. "Okay, okay, Kent. Calm down. It's going to be okay," Inspector Henderson reassured. "Yeah, Clark. I'll go find her and bring her back here!" * "Lois!" "Bobby? Oh my God! I haven't seen you in months! Come here..." Lois gave him a big hug. For the first time in a few days, Lois actually looked truly happy. "Bobby...I'm so glad to see you! This place is weirding me out so much! Oh, how rude of me. Bobby Bigmouth, this is Damian Johansen. Bobby, Damian. Damian, Bobby." "So this is Damian, hmm..." Bobby said as he shook his hand. "What?" Damian asked. "Oh, nothing. It's just that I've heard a lot about you." "Good things, I hope." "Um, yeah. Hey Lois, I was looking for you because they're ready to release Clark from the police station. "They are?" Lois' face lit up. "Yeah, so let's get going." "Okay, good. I'm so excited about seeing Clark again. Um Damian if it's not too much trouble..." "Yes, I can finish up here. No problem, Lois. You go have fun with Clark!" Damian leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Tell Perry I'll see him tomorrow. And thanks again. You're such a lifesaver!" * "Clark!" He looked up and his eyes widened. Lois was reaching through the bars to get to him. He saw true love reflecting in her eyes. "Can someone please open this annoying piece of junk! Inspector?" "Okay, okay, Lois! Between you and Clark, I've had my hands full!" The Inspector unlocked the prison door and Lois rushed in. "Oh, God, Clark! Oh, Clark, oh, Clark, oh, Clark!" She repeated his name as she madly kissed his face. At that moment Clark wanted to collapse into her arms. "Come on let's go home. I have so much to say. And you don't have to worry about the Planet because I told Perry we would be taking the rest of the day off!" Lois smiled as she ran her finger down his chest. * On the way home, Lois kept rubbing her right hand up and down his leg. Clark leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He felt her hand travel up to his crotch and he jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry, Clark!" Lois blushed. "No. There's no need to apologize. I was just a little startled. I mean you haven't touched me there in quite a while. That's all..." "Well, hopefully that'll change," Lois said huskily. Clark looked up to the sky and whispered, "Thank you!" Lois giggled. * When they got home, Lois led Clark to the couch. "Okay Clark. Now I think we should talk before we go any further," Lois said between kisses. "Although my hormones think otherwise. I'm willing to forget everything that happened in the last couple of days if you're willing to do something for me..." "What is it, sweetheart?" Clark asked her as he pressed his lips hard upon her shoulder. "You have to tell Damian that you're sorry." "What?" "Come on. The guy has apologized constantly for moving in between the two of us. The least you could do is say you're sorry that you went off the handle towards him." "Lois...I can't believe you're actually suggesting this!" "Well, if we want to put this far behind us, this what we have to do." "I can't believe I actually have to pull a 'Lois' right now!" "Excuse me?" "I'm going to get up and walk out! That's pulling a 'Lois.'" "Clark!" "Lois, you know I can't apologize to him. So if you can't accept that, then forget it!" "Damn it Clark! You're making it so hard to move on. I want to move on from here. I want to turn on some soft music and make love to you." "Lois, you know I would make love to you in a heartbeat, but I can't go against something I believe in." "Clark..." Lois reached out to Clark who was now standing. "Lois, I really don't want to travel down this road again. If today is any indication of how unstable I am, then it's best that I leave now. Excuse me." "But Clark..." He walked up the stairs as Lois was pleading for him to stay. He headed straight for the bedroom. Lois put her hands to her eyes and sobbed. * Clark closed the bedroom door and flopped on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed. *What am I going to do? Maybe I should have just said I would apologize. No, I can't do that! That would be lying and I can't lie! Arrgh! I need to get out of this nightmare!!* Then a light bulb went off in his head. He was going to call the two people who could help him in any situation. The people he had been meaning to put on the bedroom phone speed dial. Clark was going to call his parents. "Hello?" "Mom!" "Clark!" "Hi, son!" "Hello, Dad!" "It's so nice to hear your voice again." "I know Mom. I miss you guys too, now that I can't you know, anymore..." "Yeah..." Martha's voice took a somber tone. The day that Clark lost his powers was a sad day for the Kents. It hit them like a ton of bricks. It felt like they had lost a beloved member of the family. "Son, you sound a bit agitated. Are you okay?" "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. Actually, no I'm not! I'm having major problems communicating with Lois." "Aww, that's too bad honey. Just remember that married couples go through this a lot! Heck your father and I went for days without speaking to each other." "But Mom, it's not like that. There's another man who's coming between us." "Oh no!" "That's not the half of it! She's dumped me as a partner and gone off with this character!" "Oh, honey...Do you want me to fly out there and go talk to her?" "No, Mom. I think we're okay." "Do you think she's in love with him, son?" "No! No...I mean the Christmas tree lights are still working. Except for a few times when we have tried to plug the lights in and things went POOF!" "Well, has Lois been under a lot of stress?" "Yeah, your father makes a good point. Is she under a lot of stress, Clark?" "Perry did assign her to a jewelry break-in story and she can't seem to find any leads. But what I don't understand is why she leans towards this inexperienced reporter, when she and I have been together for years! So I make one mistake and go off and watch a baseball game when I should have been working on the story! What else was I supposed to do when Lois was ignoring me? Because of the distance she's creating between us, I was arrested! Well, not exactly arrested, but I was still thrown into jail!" "Yeah, we heard about that. Mr. White called us about it. I hope you know that your father and I are very disappointed in you! But now it all makes sense." "Excuse me?" "Well it's obvious that Lois is angry at you and frankly I don't blame her. You left her alone with the story. She was left with the other guy who knew nothing..." "But Mom..." "Hush, Clark. Lois is mad at you because you were watching sports instead of working. With both of you on the case, you could have solved it in a matter of hours. That way you could have had more time with yourselves and you wouldn't be experiencing this Christmas light problem." "Your mother does have a good point, son." "Um, who's side are you on here? I thought you were on my side. I mean I'm your son!" "Yes, but Lois is our daughter now and this time we support her." Clark punched the mattress. "Well, I better go...I just realized I have an article to work on. Bye." Clark hung up the phone before his parents could respond. Clark picked up his black gym bag from off the floor. He started filling it with clothes. He was determined to get out of the brownstone as soon as possible. When Clark finished packing his bag and swung it over his shoulder, he walked downstairs and found Lois busily taking notes while she watched the 5'o'clock news. "Lois?" "Yeah..." Lois hit the mute button on the TV. "Wait a minute, why the bag? Are you on a stakeout?" "No, not exactly. Lois, I'm leaving you..." "What?" tears started spilling out of her eyes. "No, no, no. Please don't cry. I didn't mean it like that, sorry! What I meant to say was that I'm going away for a while, temporarily. Well at least for tonight." "Oh." "You and I have been fighting so much that I think the best thing right now is to have some time apart. I'll be at the Lexor if you need me." "Okay." "See you tomorrow sweetheart. I love you." Clark leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips. He wanted to carry her off to the bedroom but he painfully controlled his hormones. * {continued...} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 04:13:53 EDT 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: Be Careful What You Wish For (PG-13 version), Part 3b MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Lois, can I speak with you?" "Yeah, sure Chief. Let me just finish sending this email." "Okay, honey." Lois hit the enter button on the computer keyboard and walked into Perry's office. "Lois, honey. Are you all right? You're dressed all in black." Lois looked down at her sweater and skirt. "Hey, yeah! I guess not having Clark next to me in bed can do that to me!" Lois chuckled. "Honey, it'll get better I swear. You don't need to fake happiness with me. I know how much you're hurting inside." Perry gave Lois a big hug. "Thanks Perry for caring so much." "It's no problem. I like to look after my top reporters!" The phone rang. "Ah, Lois, I'd better get that." "Yeah, Chief. I think I'll call Bobby and ask him for an update." Lois walked out of Perry's office and headed for her desk. "Hello?" "Perry?" "Oh, hi, son! How's it going?" "It's okay. I'm just about to leave for the Planet. I'm at the Lexor right now." "Yeah, I heard. Lois was devastated last night..." "What?" "Lois called Alice and me last night in tears. She told us that she couldn't sleep because you weren't next to her." "She had that problem too..." "I mean you should have heard her, Kent. She was heartbroken. Alice and I offered her our guest room, but she refused. We figured she probably cried herself to sleep." "Is she still at home?" "No, she's here at the Planet, but she doesn't look so good. I mean the woman dressed in black and she didn't even realize it until I pointed it out to her." "Oh." "I think Lois could really use the company if you know what I mean." "Oh...okay. Well, anyway I'll be at the Planet in about ten minutes." "Okay Kent. See you then." * Lois sat her desk and stared at her screensaver, a flying Superman cape. She really missed Clark, but she didn't know how to tell him. She figured he wanted nothing to do with her. Lois heard the elevator doors open and her face lit up. *Clark?* It wasn't Clark. It was Damian. Lois quickly grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil. She wanted to look busy. "Hey Lois!" She didn't answer him. *Hmm.she must be busy.* Damian walked off in the direction of the cafeteria. The elevator doors pinged again. Lois was afraid to look up. But much to her surprise, it was Clark. He was wearing his typical Daily Planet attire, along with one of his goofy ties. Lois missed tugging on one of those goofy ties whenever she wanted a 'quickie' in the middle of the day. She couldn't help but smile when she thought about that special little corner in the Planet that only they knew about. Clark walked up behind Lois and touched her shoulders. "Hi," he said as he kissed her cheek. Lois felt a tingle go up her spine. "Hi." The air was quiet for a few minutes until Perry yelled out of his office door. "Lois. Clark. Could you please come in here for a minute?" They walked towards his office. This would be the first time in a while since they had actually been in a room together. Damian was eating a doughnut, when he saw them walk by. He smiled but Lois didn't respond. Clark wondered if Damian had done something to Lois that upset her. He shot Damian the evil eye. Damian quickly went back to eating his doughnut. "Hey, you two, I'm going to re-team you guys on the robbery story. I'm going to reassign Damian to another beat with Jimmy. "Okay..." Lois' voice trailed off. "Inspector Henderson says that he looks forward to working with you both again. He's the one who suggested this partnership. Even if you're at each other's throats!" Lois snickered. "What's so funny?" Clark asked. "Oh, nothing. I just had this really funny mental picture." "Oh!" Clark and Lois were both laughing now. Their hands brushed and they smiled. "Well, if you two are totally against this then I won't force you to do this! I just think that having Lane and Kent on the case would move the investigation along quicker. But please don't do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable," Perry babbled. "It's fine Perry. We're on the case!" Lois and Clark said in unison. Their eyes widened. "Well, I guess we've still got the magic!" Clark remarked as he brushed her cheek with his finger. "Hmm..." Lois answered. "Great! Then why don't you two kids, go compile your notes, while I call Inspector Henderson and tell him you two are on the case!" Lois and Clark walked back to her desk. "Lois..." "Clark..." They could hold back their emotions no longer. They grabbed onto each other for a huge embrace. "I missed you so much, Clark!" "I know..." "Let's never fight again!" "Mmm..." Lois could clearly tell that her husband was thinking the same thing she was, so she leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Clark smiled and grabbed her hand. They walked out of the Pit together. They walked down the hallway until they came to a door marked: STORAGE ROOM. This wasn't the same room that Perry caught Clark trying to go out the window, a few years ago. This room was never used, except when Lois and Clark needed a little private time. Clark took a little key out of a nook inside the wall. When he unlocked the door, Lois shoved him inside and slammed the door shut. She shoved Clark all the way to the wall and then she started feverishly kissing his mouth. Clark returned the kisses with just as much passion. He started loosening his tie as Lois went for his pants. The pants made a whooshing noise as they fell to the floor. Clark groaned as Lois reached for his briefs... "You know, you guys really should remember to lock the door." Lois screamed and Clark almost lost his footing as he scrambled to button up his pants. The embarrassed pair turned around to see Jimmy standing in the doorway. "JIMMY!" they both exclaimed. "Ha-ha! I figured you would both be in here!" "Huh?" Clark remarked. "Excuse me?" Lois asked. "Lois, don't assume that we all don't know where you and Clark go. The whole news room knows, except for Perry." "OY!" "I mean at first we weren't quite sure what was going on, but we caught on real fast! I mean you go down a hallway that's rarely used. The only thing down there is that storage room that hasn't seen the light of day in years! What really gives it away is when you come out, twenty minutes later with the biggest grins!" Jimmy started cracking up. Their faces turned a deep shade of red. In all of the confusion, Clark had forgotten to zip up his fly. The sound of his zipper broke up Jimmy's laughter. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find a better hiding place, won't we?" "Uh, yeah. Well, if it's so important to come in here and interrupt us, then spill it, Jimmy!" Lois said in an agitated voice. It took Jimmy a few seconds to actually respond. It finally dawned on him what he had just witnessed. It actually turned him on a bit. Then he felt bad. Clark was clearly about to 'get some' and he ruined it by opening the door. "Wow..." Jimmy muttered to himself. "What?" Lois asked. "Oh! Well I...um...I was just reacting to this note Perry wanted me to give you." Lois took the note from Jimmy and opened it. "Oh my God!" "What?" Clark asked as he looked over her shoulder. "It says here that Bree from Information, has officially been listed as missing. Also someone from Lulu's old hangout was put on the 'missing persons' list. I guess that means we better give these people a visit." "Sounds like old times again," Clark grinned. "Yeah, to a point." Lois shot Jimmy a look. "What? I'm sorry, but you two were the one's who left the door unlocked!" Clark shook his head and chuckled as he patted Jimmy on the back. * "Damian, did you hear the news?" "No, what happened?" "Your date, Bree from Information, is reported missing." "Oh no!" "When was the last time you saw her?" "When I took her to my place." Damian looked towards Clark for the international sign for 'oh you scored!' But instead Clark rolled his eyes. "Well, uh...She left soon after!" "Okay, Damian. Clark and I are going to look into this." "Hey, can I help?" "No, Damian, not this time. Perry is going to reassign you to a different story. He figures that this story is a little too complicated for a new reporter to deal with." "Oh." "Plus, I want to spend more time with my husband. We're partners and I think lately I've been forgetting that." Perry stuck his head out of the door. "Damian? Could you please come here for a minute?" Damian turned towards Perry's office. "Well, it looks like Perry needs me, so I better get going. I hope your investigation is successful." "Arrgh!" "What is it sweetheart?" "It's just Damian. You know Clark, you're actually right! That guy is getting so clingy. And do you know how much I want you right now?" "A little louder, Lois...sheesh!" "Well, I'm sorry but I do! If I could, I would take you right here!" "Hehe Lois...you have no clue what this conversation is doing to my, well you know...But why don't we go investigate now and then play later, before we embarrass ourselves again!" Clark winked. "Okay. But not before I do this!" Lois pulled Clark by the tie and kissed him full on the lips. Clark had this sudden urge to rip her clothes off. It took a lot of control for him not to put his hand up her shirt. *Man...Lois. Sometimes you make it really hard to control myself!* Their smooching was interrupted by someone in the back of the Pit yelling, "Get a room!" "Ah, shut up!" Lois answered back as she and Clark laughed. * "Ah, that's so sad..." "I know." "I have this really weird feeling that Bree is dead or that they'll never find her." "Yeah." "What really got to me was seeing her mother and sister break down in tears over the thought of Bree being gone." "While they were thinking of that, I was thinking of a life without you Lois..." "Oh, Clark...I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Lois quickly kissed his lips and continued driving. They were going to Lulu's Place. Lois parallel parked the Jeep. She was one of the best parallel parkers in the city, besides Clark. Clark could just use his body to move the stubborn vehicle. Lois couldn't help smiling as she thought about the little dance his butt did every time he hit the car. She looked over at her husband. Her eyes seemed to wander to his belt buckle. She started to mentally undo it as a smile spread across her face. Her thoughts were broken up when she heard Clark's voice. "Are you okay?" "Hmm.yeah, I'm okay." "Okay. It just looked like for a moment there that you were on another planet." "Oh, I was! I was on the planet of Clark!" "Uh, huh." Clark said as he raised an eyebrow. "I just can't stop thinking about tonight," Lois added as she leaned over the passenger seat to play with Clark's belt buckle. "I know. We haven't done this in a lifetime!" "I want this so bad, that I'm even considering playing hooky!" Lois said as she started blowing in Clark's ear. "Lois and hooky!?! Hmm." "Hey cowboy! I've been known to play hooky occasionally." she purred. Lois took her index finger and ran it slowly down Clark's chest. This caused Clark to shift uncomfortably in his seat. It wasn't because he didn't like it. His problem was that he was really liking it and he was having problems within his pants. "I...um...I." "Really Clark. You're so tense. You need to sit back and enjoy the ride." "Now, now, Lois. We promised Perry we would do this. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can go home and play 'hooky!'" "Yeah, I know. It's just I can't get you out of my mind." "Same here. But I think I found a way to temporarily cure us of this problem." "Okay, anything." "On the count of three, let's both close our eyes and think of the person that annoys us the most!" "Okay?" "Well, do you have a better idea?" "No." "Well?" "Oh, what the heck! I guess it's worth a shot." "Good. Okay on the count of three, 1,2..3." The couple closed their eyes for about ten seconds. "Okay, I'm cured!" Lois exclaimed. "Me too!" Clark added. "Who did you think of?" Lois asked. "Lex Luthor and you?" "Cat Grant." Lois and Clark laughed. 'Well I guess that tells us something," Clark, commented. "Yep, it certainly does! But let's get going. The hookers await us! Jeez that sounded so bad!" "Yep," Clark laughed loudly. * * * * "I figure you've heard the news already." "Yes sir." "I'm sorry about Bree missing. She was probably someone special." "Yes she is Mr. White and I won't give up until she's found!" "But you'll do it from a distance. I'm sorry but I can't have you work on the case with Lois and Clark. You're just too close to the victim." "I understand." "I promise you, Lois and Clark will let you know if any new information breaks. But until we hear anything, I'm going to team you up with Olsen. You guys can work on a lighter story. It'll be something to get your mind off the fact that your girlfriend is missing." "Okay." "I think Olsen said something about a motorcycle convention. Does that sound like something you would like to cover?" "Yeah. I actually own a motorcycle, so I was thinking about heading down there anyway." "Great! I'll sign you two up for that story. You should find Olsen in the dark room." * {continued in next part...} "I love the smell of fear in the news room." (Perry) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 15:20:50 +0100 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Question about Utopia MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This is a question for Fear of Discovery 4. Do L&C know about Utopia, and the fact that they and/or their = descendents are responsible for its foundation? Because if they did, = why did they get so despondent at the end of the series when Klein told = them they couldn't have kids? If they knew about Utopia, he was = patently wrong... Or did they conveniently have it erased from their memory banks at some = point? Thanks, Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:41:37 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Question about Utopia In-Reply-To: <001901c0d638$4f5ecf20$afad883e@91bb00j> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Yvonne, Good to know you're working on FoD4! Can't wait to see what Lex does next. :) (BTW, I got your addy in the "to" field... looks like it plays up with everyone.) >Do L&C know about Utopia, and the fact that they and/or their descendents >are responsible for its foundation? Because if they did, why did they get >so despondent at the end of the series when Klein told them they couldn't >have kids? If they knew about Utopia, he was patently wrong... The "conveniently erased from their memory banks" could easily serve you if you want it to be that way. Herb did restore Lois' memory, but not Clark's IIRC. It could have been partial or whatever you'd like. Of course, you know *my* feelings towards Herb. ;) The guy is not only a meddlesome idiot, but his ideas could easily be wholly off-base. Who's to say that the descendants in question weren't adopted? That's just as likely as any other scenario; as Clark himself says, his own experience has shown that adoption can work out really well. :) Bottom line: Yvonne, work it out however it will suit your fic best. You know that we'll read it. :) Hazel _______ "Lots of little Bigwigs, Hazel! Think of that, and tremble!" ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 16:04:10 +0100 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: Question about Utopia MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ***SPOILERS FOR FOD4 COMING UP *** Thanks for replying, Hazel. > (BTW, I got your addy in the "to" field... looks like it plays up with > everyone.) Almost everyone - I hit reply to your email and got the ficlist addy. > >Do L&C know about Utopia, and the fact that they and/or their descendents > >are responsible for its foundation? Because if they did, why did they get > >so despondent at the end of the series when Klein told them they couldn't > >have kids? If they knew about Utopia, he was patently wrong... > > The "conveniently erased from their memory banks" could easily serve you if > you want it to be that way. Herb did restore Lois' memory, but not Clark's > IIRC. It could have been partial or whatever you'd like. Herb *restored* Lois' memory?? So she *doesn't* remember about Utopia? Whereas Clark does? (I can't remember what IIRC stands for, btw) It doesn't really matter to the story whether or not they remember, I just wanted to get it right. Basically, Wells and Lois are having a conversation about Clark2. Wells is a bit fixated on ensuring Clark2 sticks with the Superman work, and is using the foundation of Utopia as one of his reasons why this is important. Lois is picking holes in his argument - but obviously I can't take this line of discussion if she doesn't even know about Utopia. Also, when Clark arrives back from the rescue he's on, I need to know whether he can take the same tack with Wells. > Of course, you know *my* feelings towards Herb. ;) The guy is not only a > meddlesome idiot, but his ideas could easily be wholly off-base. Who's to > say that the descendants in question weren't adopted? That's just as likely > as any other scenario; as Clark himself says, his own experience has shown > that adoption can work out really well. :) Very true! Thanks for that little gem, which may well find its way into the fic . Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 11:07:31 EDT 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: Utopia MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Being a person who firmly believes that Lois and Clark could NEVER have children naturally, I worked out my own way for Utopia to come into existance without birth children in the event that I should ever need it. (I never did use it in a story) My take is basically, Utopia came into existance due to a movement inspired by the ideals and values exhibited by Superman and his wife Lois Lane. It could have been named something like the "Sons and Daughters of Superman and Lois". This would give it the psuedo aspect of Utopia being brought into being by the 'children' of Lois and Superman. Anyway, that was what I had worked out, since I still believe that an alien being is not going to be able to procreate with a woman from another species. (And don't give me that horse + donkey = mule example as we all know that mules are sterile, so what good would that do). Tank ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 09:49:05 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: lcfic Subject: Message Board Index Update through May 4 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi FoLCs! Posting on the list and both boards again this week to catch everyone. A new story and a new vignette, lots of new story parts, and a completed story all this week on Zoom's message boards! Links at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/7378/lnc.html New stories this week: DANCE WITH ME COMPLETE VIGNETTE TRACEYLYNN ONLY SUPERMAN: WENDY RICHARDS New part(s) posted: CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING CLARK, THE: CAROL MONCADO CHARADE: NAN SMITH FUGUE II - FUSION: SHAYNE TERRY HAND THAT ROCKS, THE: PINTOFOLC HYSTERON PROTERON: ATTALANTA (AKA CHRISTY KUBIT) PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, THE: ZOOMWAY SERIAL VENGEANCE: TANK WILSON STRANGERS III: MISSY GALLANT SURVIVAL OF THE SIGNIFICIANT: MANOFSTEEL30 TIME ELAPSED: HARMONY UNIVERSAL UNION: JENNI DEBBAGE Completed stories this week: PURITY: YVONNE CONNELL New TOC's none Added to the Archive this week: Lois's Cooking Diary by Unknown and SuperMom Superman's Shower by Carol Moncado Enjoy! Dawn & the Index Crew __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 12:03:15 -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: Question about Utopia Hi Yvonne! And YAAAYYYYYY for FoD4!! You wrote: >Herb *restored* Lois' memory?? So she *doesn't* remember about Utopia? >Whereas Clark does? No, you've misunderstood Hazel. At the start of Tempus, Anyone? Lois is puzzled by Tempus and HG Wells, both of whom she vaguely remembers in a very fuzzy way. Wells then restores her memory so that she remembers what happened when she and Clark went back to 1966 in search of Tempus. Thus, you're quite right: she is certainly likely to remember what was said about their descendants and Utopia. In fact, the two-parter MJD/L&Cs certainly suggests that, since they know Andrus comes from Utopia. (As for whether or not Clark's memory of their trip into the past is restored, surely one of the first things Lois would do on returning at the end of T,A? is tell him all about it? So he'd know, I would think). > (I can't remember what IIRC stands for, btw) If I Recall Correctly. :) s p o i l e r f o r F O D 4 >>>Basically, Wells and Lois are having a conversation about Clark2. Wells is a bit fixated on ensuring Clark2 sticks with the Superman work, and is using the foundation of Utopia as one of his reasons why this is important. Lois is picking holes in his argument - but obviously I can't take this line of discussion if she doesn't even know about Utopia. Also, when Clark arrives back from the rescue he's on, I need to know whether he can take the same tack with Wells.<<< Well, see above. Whether or not they remember the specific point about their descendants founding Utopia, they both certainly know about Utopia's existence. So they can both certainly talk about it with some degree of knowledge. Remember, also, that Clark2 was with Lois in her universe during MJD (when Tempus was running for President), and so it's quite possible that Lois may have told Clark2 some of what she knew at that time about Utopia, as well as something about HG Wells - about whom Clark2 is bound to have been curious. Happy writing! And don't forget eager beta-readers... ;) Wendy --------- Wendy Richards wendy@lcfanfic.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 20:05:43 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Question about Utopia In-Reply-To: <002f01c0d63d$ceb82e60$afad883e@91bb00j> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Yvonne wrote, re LnC's knowledge of "Utopia": >Herb *restored* Lois' memory?? So she *doesn't* remember about Utopia? >Whereas Clark does? (I can't remember what IIRC stands for, btw) IIRC=If I recall correctly Herb reminded Lois of TF at the beginning of T,A? I, of course, managed to write him out of the story, which just goes to show how I feel about the guy. :) So I would say if anyone remembers Utopia, it would be Lois, not Clark. On the other hand, surely Lois would *tell* Clark after the dust settled. (spoiler for FoD4) >Wells is a bit fixated on ensuring Clark2 sticks with the >Superman work, and is using the foundation of Utopia as one of his reasons >why this is important. Lois is picking holes in his argument - but >obviously I can't take this line of discussion if she doesn't even know >about Utopia. Also, when Clark arrives back from the rescue he's on, I need >to know whether he can take the same tack with Wells. Yvonne, *please* have them tear Wells apart. This is exactly what I dislike so much about Herb: his infuriating tendency to play creator and make all universes in his own image. How dare he dictate the lives of others? It's bad enough he does it with "our" LnC, but he surely has no right to do with the alt ones! BTW, there's always Sandy McDermin's version of the "utopia" that lies in LnC's future: it's the suburb of Metropolis where they live in "Little Man, Super" and her other stories. > > Who's to > > say that the descendants in question weren't adopted? That's just as >likely > > as any other scenario; as Clark himself says, his own experience has shown > > that adoption can work out really well. :) > >Very true! Thanks for that little gem, which may well find its way into the >fic . I believe Pam has also advanced the theory in the past, so she gets credit too. :) Hazel _______ "Lots of little Bigwigs, Hazel! Think of that, and tremble!" ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 13:55:58 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Rose :)" Subject: OT: Looking for an author Comments: To: loiscla-general-l@indiana.edu MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi :) Had to come out of lurkdom for a while here to ask if anyone has a = current address for Marns? I was going to give some fdk, but the addy = bumkin@ibm.net bounced on me. Anyways, thanks :) Rose ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 11:27:31 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: OT: Looking for an author MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I don't know if this is current, but the addy I have for Marnie is: Bumpkin@CGOCABLE.NET Nan Rose :) wrote: > Hi :) > > Had to come out of lurkdom for a while here to ask if anyone has a current address for Marns? I was going to give some fdk, but the addy bumkin@ibm.net bounced on me. Anyways, thanks :) > > Rose ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 15:00:51 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Rose :)" Subject: Re: OT: Looking for an author MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks :) Rose ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 13:15:49 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Heather Whalen Subject: Questions Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Could you guys answer a few questions for me? What is you favorite kind of L&C fanfic (comedy, revelation, etc) and why? What is your biggest motivation when writing a story? I'm curious, have any of you read Henry Jenkins' 'Television Fans, Poachers, Nomads?' Heather _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:03:17 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Utopia (Science Warning!) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Warning: heavy science follows, for those of you uninterested... Tank wrote: << Anyway, that was what I had worked out, since I still believe that an alien being is not going to be able to procreate with a woman from another species. (And don't give me that horse + donkey = mule example as we all know that mules are sterile, so what good would that do). >> I know your beliefs about Lois and Clark not being able to have biological children together and I'm not meaning to start a fight here... but I'm wondering why you say that Clark and Lois are not of the same species (unless it's been established somewhere in the show that I've missed...) According to my biology texts (and, with a BA in molecular biology, I have several), species are simply groups of individuals who cannot interbreed with members of other species. So, if you don't define humans and kryptonians as members of different species, then there's no reason to assume they can't interbreed. If you argue that they have different abilities and physical characteristics, I would argue that there is a lot of variation among humans, too (such as the difference between one person with an IQ of 75 and one with an IQ of 200). One could argue that kryptonians and humans have a common ancestor and somehow came to inhabit separate planets and therefore may be able to interbreed. I have also heard the argument that, while all humans and kryptonians cannot interbreed, mutations in the genomes of Lois, Clark, or both allows their interbreeding. In studying for an exam a few weeks back, I found the following interesting biological reasons why two members of different species cannot interbreed (I've only included reasons that may be applicable to L&C). I'll share them here in case they spark any fanfic ideas: 1. Temporal Isolation: Two species may be fertile during different seasons or during different times of the day, preventing interbreeding. (This reminds me of the excellent idea in S5 where Clark has his own cycle ;) 2. Reproductive Isolation: The genitalia of the species are incompatible. (An interesting but perhaps unsatisfying explanation...) 3. Gametic Isolation: Intercourse can occur, but fertilization cannot. (Probably what Tank is thinking of??) 4. Hybrid Invariability: Genetic incompatibilities between two species stop the development of hybrids, even if fertilization can occur; hybrids occur, but they are not viable and die before birth. (This could also support Tank's argument.) 5. Hybrid Sterility: Hybrid offspring can occur but are sterile, and thus incapable of reproducing. (Tank's mule example). 6. Hybrid Breakdown: First-generation hybrids (L&C's children) are viable and fertile, but second-generation hybrid offspring (L&C's grandchildren) are inviable and/or infertile. Considering Tank's mule example, to me, that doesn't completely rule out L&C having children. So they have children who are sterile. Who knows where science will be when these kids come to reproductive age? Considering our current capabilities to clone, perhaps science can overcome some of the barriers to inter-species reproduction. (I can give examples of such barriers that perhaps can be overcome, but it's probably more biology than you can stomach :) Christy attalanta@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:12:52 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Marnie Rowe Subject: Re: OT: Looking for an author MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Heyya Rose, Ahhh... well my two email addy's are bumpkin@cgocable.net and bumpkin-is@home.net :) bumkin@ibm.net has been defunct for a couple of yrs now I did not know that it was still around on any of my stories, thanks for the heads up Rose.. Marns ~Pobody's Nerfect ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rose :)" To: Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2001 10:55 AM Subject: OT: Looking for an author Hi :) Had to come out of lurkdom for a while here to ask if anyone has a current address for Marns? I was going to give some fdk, but the addy bumkin@ibm.net bounced on me. Anyways, thanks :) Rose ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:55:02 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Re: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/06/2001 4:32:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Irishflour@EXCITE.COM writes: > Could you guys answer a few questions for me? What is you favorite kind of > L&C fanfic (comedy, revelation, etc) and why? Lately, comedies... I'm rather burned out on the relevation stories . > What is your biggest > motivation when writing a story? Real life. Whatever is happing around me is what normally makes it into my stories... whether it's funny, sad, annoying... writing helps me put things in perspective and get the "happy ending" that I need (unlike real-life). Anne is always teasing me that my characters spend so much time in the hospital, but the truth is that's where *I've* spent a good deal of my life... both as a professional and as the relative of a patient. I write what I know, and the best compliment that I receive is that it's believable, and that people can relate. I like to make my readers "feel". I'm really looking forward to seeing the other authors respond to this question :) -Crys- ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 18:19:56 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Question about Utopia MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/06/2001 10:21:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time, yvonne@YCONNELL.FSNET.CO.UK writes: << Do L&C know about Utopia, and the fact that they and/or their descendents are responsible for its foundation? >> Yes, they knew. But who's to say that their descendents were gentically their descendents and not adopted? --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:33:24 -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: Questions Hi Heather! >>> What is you favorite kind of L&C fanfic (comedy, revelation, etc) and why?<<< Well, my favourite probably encompasses just about everything, since I really love the long, satisfying fics which are closer to novels. They usually have drama, humour, lots of character interaction, and my favourites: angst and romance. I love revelations, but OTOH if the rest of the story is to my taste I don't mind if it's pre- or post-revelation. To give an example, recent favourites have included the Fear of Discovery series, Are You Lonesome Tonight, The People v Clark Kent, Near Wild Heaven, Dear Lois, Tryst and A Love Well Worth the Wait. >> What is your biggest motivation when writing a story?<<< Well, usually just to *tell* a story. Sometimes, though, I have a premise in mind which I want to test out - can I write this story convincingly, for example? In Faux Pas, recently on the archive, I wanted to test whether I could win back readers' sympathies for Lois, after she'd behaved pretty badly. So it's often a question of whether I can take what might be a difficult premise, or an unpopular choice, and make it work. I'd have to say that feedback is another motivation of sorts; it's great to get emails or posts on the message boards complimenting something I've written. I can't tell anyone who hasn't experienced it just how good it feels. And I keep writing because I love writing, but also because I want to know whether I can maintain a standard. (Awards don't motivate me to write; it's wonderful to be nominated, but I'd write anyway ). I suppose what makes me want to write, most of all, is that for *years* I've made up stories in my head and never been able to do anything with them. Now I can write them down; and what's more, people want to read them! :) Great question, Heather; I can't wait to read what other people say! Wendy --------- Wendy Richards wendy@lcfanfic.com > ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 18:39:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/06/2001 6:33:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, wendy@KINGSMEADOWCR.FREESERVE.CO.UK writes: << and what's more, people want to read them! :) >> an understatement! People are clamoring for wendy to do nothing but write more! and I totally agree with: <> --Laurie (who should also recommend anything Irene Dutchak wrote, but particularly her Firestorm series...) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 19:30:35 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit fics that have A plots that are intriguing and imaginative as well as B plots that are both thoughtful and are advanced by the implications of the A plot. Plus the characterization has to be right on. Some insight into the L & C's motivations as well. Like a little humour weaving through, too. :) I'd agree with most of Wendy's list and I'd add her For the Greater Good. Dear Lois is also a great story! Perfect. If I were less tired right now, this would be a more thoughtful response.:) maybe tomorrow. Carol ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 17:26:43 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Heather Whalen Subject: What I'm writing on Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Labrat has generously allowed me to us her story, ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT...? for my paper. I picked it because I thought it was a good story, it won a Kerth, and because its an episode adaptation. Since we spent a good deal of time discussing what is good narratives and what are bad narratives, I plan to explore how you all judge good stories to be. Then I'm going to apply it to some standards talk about in class. I'll probably tie it in to other things from class as well. I would like you to know, right off the bat, that I personally, think that the stories I've read from lcfanfic.com are good, many of them really good and my teacher is herself interested in studying fanfiction. I just want you all to know that I respect your work a lot and am not going to 'trash it.' Unfortunately, I know there are people that don't respect fan fiction and I want you to konw I am not one of them. I also plan on sending a copy of my essay when its done on the list. As I am writing my paper, I'm beginning to realize that it I have more information than will fit in the 10 page length its supposed to be. I'm also really interested in studying fanfiction. The work I do in my English class, you do in your stories. Many stories are created from close reads of the show. A lot of stories come from elements in the TV show that aren't explored to the length that they deserve and you do that in your works. You also work out problems from the show (like no blood on Clark in TOGOM) and curiousities like Clark's pink shirts (I absolutely loved the story were Clark tells Jimmy and Lois that Superman did the laundry and mixed his white shirts in with the Superoutfits.) Hm, I think I'm starting to babble now... Hazel, I would like to use the episode review you did. I was delighted when I saw it. It really ties into my paper. Thank you again for all your help. When I'm 'done' writing my paper for class, I'll be glad to share it with you all. I will also like to continue working on it this summer. Heather _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 20:06:34 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jacalyn Sue Newman Subject: Re: [Article] Stranger Than Fiction In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" >The actual reason a fan starts to write fan fiction is probably not >one, but both of these reasons to varying degrees and probably >aren't limited to these reasons either. You've right in some regards. I do think we are trying to beat the series to resolution in some cases. In other cases, we are dissatisfied with how things are handled and KNOW we can do better. Wanting to bring minor issues to the forefront is also part of it. For me, a big draw is the "what if" scenario. What if one thing had been done differently? What if Clark has stayed awake in the car while Lois bared her soul? What if Clark had told Lois he loved her, then told her who he was.... Fanfic gives us a way to explore these possibilities. In real life, we never get the chance to hit the rewind button. Fanfic lets us do just that. I first got involved fanfic to fix mistakes of paid writers. I also enjoyed playing in a sandbox with known toys and playmates. I didn't have to start from scratch. I wrote totally for myself. I never dreamed anyone else out there had the same nasty habit I did... then I found zines. :-) One thing you didn't touch on was the instant audience fanfic writers have. If I write an original work, I have to convince you to give my ideas a try, as well as convince you I know how to put sentences together in a somewhat coherent fashion. To keep your interest, I better have believable characters and an interesting premise. Compare that with fanfic. To keep you coming back, yes, I better know how to write. But to get you to give my work a chance, we already have the theme and topic in common. You know the main characters. You know the universe. Now all I have to do is build an interesting story in that framework. The skeletal structure is there, allowing plenty of space for creative development. The audience can be more forgiving as I perfect my craft. If I don't explain how Perry White looks, you draw on your memories of the show. You don't rely on me to have everything in place. It helps, sure, but I have more freedom to make mistakes. There is a tremendous appeal, as a writer, to know that I have a built in audience. We share a common interest and they are willing to give me a chance. I also can get feedback. While I don't have a publisher depositing money in my back account, I do get email from readers. Believe me, it can make your day! Knowing you touched someone with what you wrote is a feeling that is hard to describe. I must say it's as addictive as chocolate and has the benefit of being non fattening. :-) As far as articulating all the reasons why we write fanfic-- that's impossible. It's sort of like asking a mountain climber why he risks life itself to scale to the top of Mt. Everest. Because it's there? The challenge? The sense of accomplishment? I can't understand that desire, nor do I share it. But I realize it is valid and occurs in some people. I suspect fanfic writing is much the same way. In the end, we write because the stories ask to be told. --And we find ourselves helpless to explain exactly why that is so! Jackie -- Jacalyn S. Newman jacalynsue@earthlink.net ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 19:57:20 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Dennis Arendt Subject: Re: Question for fanfic about bullet-proof vests MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit It depends on the caliber of the weapon and type of bullet. A regular 38 will make you extremely sore and probably bruise you and there is a small possibility of a cracked rib. A 9mm will hurt really bad and will definitely break your ribs, knock the breath out of you and make you think the bullet has penetrated the skin. Hope this helps some Brenda ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Rupps" To: Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 7:20 PM Subject: Question for fanfic about bullet-proof vests > I'm working on a fanfic and I need to know how effective bullet-proof vests > are. If someone is shot (by a handgun) at relatively close range, how badly > would they be injured? Would the vest keep the bullet from penetrating the > skin or does it just slow it down? > > Thanks! > Amy > ______________________ > rupp@netsync.net > > "Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, > something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else > would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part > of unanimity." -Christopher Morley > ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 21:07:44 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: What I'm writing on MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/06/2001 8:27:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time, irishflour@EXCITE.COM writes: << The work I do in my English class, you do in your stories. >> Heather says this not even aware of some of the threads we've had here on the finer points of grammar and how phrases vary from country to country in the same language. (The "do you write the narration and/or the dialogue in American English because that's where the show's from or do you write it the way you speak if you're not American"?) --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 04:19:49 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: John Debbage <106532.433@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Universal Union Book3/Part19 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 19 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 ~~~~~~~~~~ Within minutes the two were escorted into the room and Trey immediately gave up his seat to the Lady, causing Jen-Mai to frown at thi= s piece of ill-conceived courtesy. Quickly he returned to his seat on the bed. This whole thing was starting to feel very threatening and he wasn'= t certain that he could stop his knees from beginning to shake. The First Lord was talking once again and for the sake of his own survival Jen reluctantly turned his attention to what was about to take place. "As you might be aware, Mai, the latest convoy to leave Krypton was attacked by the space-marauders." Actually, Jen didn't know of this. Hi= s fellow conspirators hadn't yet informed him. But this was welcome news a= nd he speedily tried to hide his smugness as he concentrated on Kal-El's revelation. "However, these pirates didn't get exactly what they were looking for... you see, we had set up a little ruse and, fortunately, the= real convoy made it's destination safely this morning." "Yes, I know! You used a decoy!" Jen boasted impulsively. Yet something was wrong here.. . Slowly he was realising how shaky was the ground on which he stood. "But how would you know that, Lord Mai?" asked Prime Councillor Tre= y. "It wasn't discussed in an open Council meeting." Jen-Mai shrugged, feverishly trying to backtrack; he really had to b= e more careful. "Then perhaps I overheard it or perhaps it just seemed lik= e the obvious solution, if the convoy made it through." "Oh it was overheard but not by you." Kal offered. "Commander Jace= , play us the scene in the conservatory, please!" The tiny, overcrowded room dimmed as above the table a hologram formed. With the exception of the accused and his advisor everyone was familiar with the holotape, and so were more interested in assessing the accused's reaction. Jen-Mai sat mesmerised as the little incident unfold= ed and, as he watched the First Lady prattle on about this silly plot concerning decoys, his confidence came surging back. Was this all they had? But this didn't prove anything... or it incriminated another party!= = What idiots they were! They had played right into his hands! = "Well there you have it!" Jen-Mai scoffed. "Lady Lois-El is the blabbermouth! Chattering away to her empty-headed friends about state secrets in a public place... where anyone can eavesdrop. I always knew s= he wasn't to be trusted." "But Lady Lois and her friends were acting under my orders... and, before you accuse me of giving away state secrets," Kal enunciated slowly= for emphasis, "Lady Lois-El was not in a public place; the incident occurred in the garden-room in the Palace of Elvar and the only person eavesdropping was a certain lady. Perhaps you recognise her Lord Jen-Mai= ?" At his words the hologram replayed, only this time the camera panned= around the area showing that the three girls by the pond were alone, exce= pt for a shadowy form hidden in the shrubbery. The shot zoomed onto the fai= nt quivering of a bushy tree and as the large plate- like leaves parted some= way, the silvery tresses and the pouting beauty of a very familiar face came into view. That stupid, stupid woman! What had she done, allowing herself to be caught spying!? But all was not lost. He could repair the= damage. "Yes, Minerva-Mai did tell me about all of this. My Lady was very worried that such an important secret should become public knowledge and that's why I knew about the decoy." "But if you were both so worried, why didn't you bring it to the attention of the council?" Remy's question was voiced without confrontation. "Surely, that would have been the correct thing to do und= er the circumstances." = Now that would be more difficult to explain but Jen proceeded, neve= r daunted. "I didn't want to upset the First Lord by informing on his wife= and, as no-one else was there to overhear and neither Minerva nor myself would ever betray the plan, we agreed to keep quiet and not make trouble for Lady Lois-El." "That was uncommonly thoughtful of you Jen-Mai," Remy agreed nodding= airily. "But if neither of you passed on the information and no-one else= overheard, how do you explain the fact that the pirates attacked the deco= y which they supposedly knew nothing about?" Was the air in this room growing thinner? "How should I know? = Perhaps, Lady Lois spoke out of turn somewhere else." = "But I didn't, Lord Mai!" Lois spoke up for the very first time sin= ce entering the room. "So you say! But why anyone should believe you, I have no idea!" "Because, Jen-Mai, she is my wife and because we were very careful n= ot to let her out of our sight from the moment she left that conservatory. = And that's not because I distrust her but because I was fairly certain you'd try to push the blame onto Lois." = "What were you doing out at the old Kan-El mine?" Interposed Lord Trey, breaking into an atmosphere that was charged with the contempt that= these two men bore each other. "And before you seek to deny it...." Tre= y clicked his fingers and another hologram shimmered into being. This time Jen-Mai saw an aerial view of his house and with a sinking= feeling he watched as the camera depicted himself and Minerva climb into = a transporter and follow them as they made their way to the disused Kryptonite mine. = "The holotape is logged at a date and time directly after you return= ed home from the palace, supposedly to check up on a sick wife, who, incidently, had also rushed home immediately after eavesdropping on the First Lady. Yet, here we see that the lady doesn't seem at all unwell no= r do you look very concerned, though you do appear very intent on some task= or other... something that had to be done in an out of the way spot like the Kan-El mine." "That holotape could be a fake!" "No it's not! Commander Medi, could you give us your report?" "Yes, First Lord." The Security Chief stepped forward from his position by the door. "On the day and hour in question I personally witnessed a hired transporter draw up to the Mais' house. The defendant and his lady wife boarded the vehicle and proceeded from their house in t= he city to the mine where they entered the old mine workings. There I waite= d until they came out and followed them back to the city. The dates and times are officially documented in my log." And at that, the trustworthy= soldier placed his vidpad on the table. "I also would like to authenticate the holotape," Commander Jace entered the conversation. "From my control room I witnessed these events= ." "As did I." Stated Kal. "And I!" Lois confirmed. "Also, during the time that the couple were inside the mineshaft, I picked up a signal being transmitted from the mine to Space Station Caytan." "You can't know that!" Jen-Mai was shocked into replying to Jace's statement. "Indeed I can! I can even tell you which satellites you routed it through." "Do you have a recording or a transcript of this alleged message?" t= he professor of law enquired mildly, being perhaps the only neutral person i= n the little room. "I'm afraid not, sir," the communications officer admitted reluctantly. "The message was encrypted and the radiation from the remaining kryptonite was enough to distort my equipment." The accused man immediately seized on that piece of information, relief secretly blooming in his soul. "But if you don't know what was in= the message you can hardly prove that I sent it. Someone else could have= been in that mine." "Yet you were in the right place at the right time!" Lois exploded angrily; she refused to contemplate that Mai could wriggle out of the charge. "Nevertheless, I would have to concur with Lord Jen-Mai on this," Doctor Jobe pronounced. "Although the defendant has been seen to act ver= y suspiciously this is not conclusive proof." Most everyone in the tiny cell looked downcast, except for Jen-Mai w= ho was smiling in a very superior way and the law-giver who really didn't ha= ve a motive for wishing to convict the man and was more interested in sticki= ng to the stuffy letter of the law. = Lois' disgruntled thought broadcast to her husband and he bestowed on her a sympathetic glance. = "If only I could get my hands on that transmitter!" Jace was hardly= aware that he had voiced his thoughts and was surprised to find himself t= he object of everyone's scrutiny. "Most of these devices have a memory chip= and often the receiver's position coded in. Even if they've been deleted= I might be able to retrieve them." Jen-Mai blanched. Technology wasn't his strong point and he'd only used the thing as he'd been instructed. Could this expert really do what= he was claiming? "Medi?" Kal's one word was strident with anxiety. "I'm sorry, my Lord, my men have been searching through the Mais' house all morning and the device hasn't been found . . . nor have we foun= d any other incriminating evidence." A frown hovered on the troubled First Lord's face but only momentari= ly as inspiration struck. "Medi! You were there! Did you see the Mais bri= ng that box out of the mine with them?" The policeman had been trained in a profession where observation was= the key and he let his mind dwell on what he had witnessed that day. = "No... I don't believe I did!" = A surge of energy enlivened the group once more as Kal asked for the end of the tape to be replayed. And there was the answer for all to see = -- the couple had left the mine empty handed! Medi anticipated the command. "I'll send my men out to the Kan-El mine. If it's there, they'll find it." = Blind panic was threatening to consume Mai and his voice rose almos= t to a shriek. "It's a damned conspiracy and everyone of you are up to you= r necks in it! You always disapproved of me; treated me like I was a secon= d class citizen." "I very much doubt whether you're in a position to accuse anyone, Lo= rd Mai." Trey's voice was cold but it held an underlying trace of despair. = The elderly minister had spent his life in the service of his world and h= e was finding it difficult to conceive that a fellow councillor could so betray everything that he believed was just and true. Meanwhile a small whispered conversation was taking place between th= e First Lord and his Lady and Commander Medi, who had just returned to the room having passed on his instructions to a search team. The man carried= another vidpad which he handed to his leader. Sitting further back in his chair and appearing more confidant than earlier, Kal again addressed the alleged traitor. "It seems Jen-Mai that= this just isn't a good day for you. Thanks to a suggestion by Lady Lois-= El we've just acquired further information that ties you into this crime. D= o you know a gentleman called Danius?" If it were possible, Mai turned an even whiter shade of pale. That meddlesome female had decided to look into his accounts and, although he hadn't been so foolish as to deal with the established financial houses, she had somehow found her way to Danius. For the first time, Jen-Mai seriously considered that he would be revealed as the spy who had sold hi= s planet's secrets. "I assume from your silence that you know of whom we speak but let m= e enlighten the rest of our gathering. Danius is an off-worlder of unknown= origin who runs a highly successful gambling establishment in this city. = His last known abode was on Caytan which, I'm sure you'll agree, Jen-Mai,= has a habit of cropping up in this case. Lady Lois and I spent a very interesting morning in his company. The gentlemen isn't very conducive t= o receiving morning calls, for all the obvious reasons, and he didn't seem very happy to answer our questions. Did he, Lois?" = "No he didn't. I believe his attitude could be described as... truculent." Lois replied conversationally. "Truculent! Oh, I'd say something stronger... downright hostile!" = The little byplay was wearing on Mai's nerves and Kal adjudged it time to= continue. "However, when it was pointed out to him that, if he were foun= d to be involved in a crime of conspiracy, not only would his licence be revoked and he would be exiled from Krypton but the position of his fello= w club-owners would also be called into question. These establishments are= tolerated under very strict rules and the fact that one of their number w= as acting as paymaster for a set of space-pirates would be considered a violation of these rules; the council would have to look very closely at the operating of these clubs before allowing them to continue to ply thei= r trade." The inference was clear; if the gentleman refused to co-operate, his= associates might just hold him responsible for the closure of their extremely profitable businesses. A highly precarious position to find oneself in and one which Danius hadn't at all relished. After a short period of reflection, he had appeared at Security headquarters with his law-advisor and dictated and signed the affidavit that Kal now held withi= n his hands. "It appears that Danius saw the wisdom of our suggestions and I have here a copy of his statement which I will now relate to you all -- if tha= t is considered within the law?" Kal raised an eyebrow in question at the studious professor who was beginning to feel somewhat out of his depth. = Nonetheless he gave the question due consideration before answering. "If the statement is pertinent to the charge against Lord Jen-Mai th= en it is permissible; this is only a preparatory interview and not a court o= f law where the witness would be required to appear in person." With a slight bow of his head in recognition Kal-El began. " I, Danius, owner of the gambling establishment Club Danius' do swear that at= the end of the previous year, I had reason to visit Space Station Caytan= -- these were business requirements and in no way were involved in the following happenings. While there, I was approached by a Taurean named Ballen-2...." "Wait a minute! Ballen-2!" Lois was completely astounded. "What! = Ballen's that guy who kidnapped me and he's dead. Is this some kind of clone or something?" "You could say that, Lois. Taurean's aren't exactly a homo-sapien race -- they're a bit of a mix between the human and the animal kingdom .= . . ." "Now that doesn't surprise me! I'd say he kinda resembled a pig but= I wouldn't want to insult the whole community of swine." Muffled snickers emanated from various members of the group, though Kal stifled his own and explained. "Female Taureans are subject to multiple births -- sort of like a litter and, not being the most imaginative race in the universe, they just give the members of the litte= r the same name and number them in the order they were born." "Hmph! Sounds logical in a weird sort of way," the Lady conceded an= d having said her piece she gestured for Kal to go one with his reading. " ... I was approached by a Taurean named Ballen-2. At first, I was= reluctant to accept the proposition he offered but it soon became clear t= o me that, if I refused, I would be done away with and another patron from Elvar would be recruited. Not wishing to die, I agreed to do his bidding= , which appeared to be to pay a Kryptonian nobleman named Lord Jen-Mai certain sums of money when requested by Ballen-2 or his subordinates. Th= e payments were to be made under the guise of winnings' made at the tables = in my club and for this I would receive a commission, paid into my account o= n Caytan. But, I swear, I wasn't told what these payments were for and I just did as I was told. Every so often Lord Jen-Mai would appear at the club and when directed I would ensure that he won heavily at whatever gam= e of chance he chose to participate in. And that's all I did.' This missive is duly signed by Danius and witnessed and is entered a= s evidence into legal records." = Silence fell as all those perused the information they had heard. = Mai's demeanour had slumped as he listened to the words that incriminated= him in his traitorous crime but he wasn't prepared to surrender quite yet= . "And you would take the word of a dubious off-worlder against that o= f a Kryptonian nobleman." "I don't think it comes down to that, Jen-Mai," Kal explained with distaste. "These establishments are required to keep records for legal a= nd taxation purposes and I'm fairly positive that if we investigated we woul= d see that your lucky winning streaks' regularly occurred after a successfu= l attack on our convoys." The jig was up! Mai knew that Medi had, in all probability, alread= y ordered the seizure of Club Danius' accounting books and besides, there had been witnesses to his visits. No doubt some upstanding member of the= community would give evidence to his unusual good fortune'. The disintegration chamber loomed larger and Mai couldn't suppress the quivering that seemed to be involuntary affecting his limbs. = With a gruff clearing of his throat, Doctor Jobe addressed his nobl= e' client. In truth, the elderly academic was affronted by this man's alleg= ed treachery and yet, by law, he was entitled to his advice. "You are not required to comment at this point, Lord Mai, and if you wish a private consultation with me, the authorities are duty bound to adhere to your request." The Lady of El considered this strange. When the charges had been brought against her, she had not been given access to a council for the defence but then Jen-Mai had not yet been formally accused in an open meeting and she understood the need for doing everything in this particul= ar case by the strict letter of the law. Besides, she reminisced with a fai= nt smile, there had been a number of people who were willing to rush to her defence in her time of trouble. It was doubtful that Jen-Mai would find himself so fortunate. "But," the scholarly voice droned on, "if you have any knowledge of these perfidious acts then I would advise you to unburden yourself and throw yourself upon the mercy of your superiors." Trey leaned closer to the palsied lord. "I think it only fair to wa= rn you that the attack on the convoy failed and that although most of the opposing ships were destroyed a number of the renegades were captured. Th= ey are now being held by Dax-Ver and on their way to Krypton where they will= stand trial for piracy in deep space." Lord Remy steepled his fingers and spoke to the empty air above him.= = "I wonder how Ballen-2 feels about the greedy imbecile who gave him false= information that led to his capture and his certain future spent in limbo= ?" Regarding the same spot high on the ceiling, Lois answered. "I'm no= t sure, Lord Remy, but I'd be willing to hazard a guess that the piglet' is= as mad as fire...." "Almost mad enough to incriminate his informant, would you say?" "Oh yes. I'm sure he'll want to see this person share his punishmen= t and it isn't true what they say.... There isn't any honour among thieves= ." "Another highly apt Earth saying!" Remy grinned in approval. "I lo= ve your language, Lois; it... it just 'hits the nail on the head' every time= ." And the two went off into peels of laughter. "Enough! Enough," screamed Jen-Mai as he jumped up, his hysteria building apace. "This is my life, my future you're making fun of." "Lois! Remy!" Kal offered a slight reprimand then turned his disapproval on the white- faced Mai. "You should have thought of that wh= en you embarked on your traitorous course. You have only yourself to blame for your predicament. And I don't believe that you gave much considerati= on for the men whose deaths you caused. Are you aware of the numbers who lo= st their lives or were injured because of your greed? I suggest that you gi= ve some thought to their sad plight before you make any decisions about your= future... or lack of one, if you're found guilty of this charge, which is= looking highly likely." The First Lord rose to his feet and the two combatants regarded each other across the small space, Kal with disdain a= nd Mai with a helpless hatred. "This interview is terminated. I think we should give Lord Mai some time to reflect on his fate and we can resume first thing tomorrow morning." = The group filed solemnly out of the narrow door, Medi being the last= to leave. The three extra chairs shimmered out of being and Mai was left= to the silence and the dusk. Unnoticed, the afternoon had waned during t= he heated exchange and the sun had shifted in its perpetual orbit about the sky and no longer shown its friendly light into Jen-Mai's cell. Outside in the corridor Kal turned to the weary professor. "Doctor Jobe, thank you for your assistance. It can't have been easy for you, being involved in this case. It must be a long time since you've been ask= ed to counsel an accused in such a heinous crime." "Try never," came the tired reply. "And I hope I never have to again... but it was necessary. And I suppose it's making me sharpen old skills. Since Elvar has become such a law-abiding city my services have been directed to academia." Kal returned the older man's smile. "And I'd rather keep it that way-- you employed in the University rather than in this place of detention. However, I have to ask you to hold yourself in readiness for = a return visit; I have a feeling that Lord Mai might be requesting your assistance sometime before tomorrow morning." "I'm sure you're right, sire. And if my client seeks clemency for co-operation, am I free to advise him to take that course?" With gritted teeth Kal answered. "If both you and he believe it to = be in his best interests then please do so." = The First Lord was not about to influence the traitor in any way. T= oo many criminals had walked free in the distant past because their convictions had been challenged on a technicality. For so many years, Krypton had been free of these expensive and time consuming criminal case= s. Mostly these days, the courts presided over petty offences and civil actions which were normally resolved without much hassle. Lois' trial ha= d been a shocking anathema which thankfully had been swiftly concluded. = Now, it seemed, they were about to embark on another and all because a power-seeking individual was dictating the prose. Kal had the dread feeling that there might be more blood shed before the concluding chapter= . "I'll bear that in mind, my Lord. See you in the morning." Jobe offered his clasped hands to his young sovereign and then turned to go, h= is assistant quickly falling in behind him and taking charge of the now stooping old gentleman. ***** = tbc in part 20 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 04:20:02 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: John Debbage <106532.433@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Universal Union Book3/Part20 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 20 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 ~~~~~~~~~~ In the Security Chief's more spacious and pleasant room on the top floor of the Civil- Defence Headquarters, Kal-El and his supporters gathered to review the continuing developments. Medi had served some refreshments to his guests and the atmosphere though convivial was solemn= . = Their complicated plot was coming to fruition and no-one doubted that Mai= would be found guilty when brought to trial, if indeed it came to that. = Most believed that the sly quisling would eventually plea bargain -- his own worthless neck in exchange for renouncing his partners-in-crime. "Does anyone feel like me that's its a pretty depressing thought tha= t we have to make a deal with that lowlife?" Lois asked of no-one in particular. "I agree, dear Lady." Trey's silver-haired head nodded sorrowfully.= = "It pains me greatly to know that . . . lowlife' will get away with murder." = It amused Kal to hear Trey's Kryptonian courtesy melded with his wife's more earthy utterances. Lois might be adapting to the way of life= on her new home but she also was rubbing off on the people with whom she came in contact. Uncle Remy had already fallen under her spell and it seemed that the more sedate Trey was no less susceptible to her acerbic charm. "That was a stroke of genius -- questioning Danius. That was the turning point. How ever did you find out about him?" Trey asked the question that was on everyone's minds. "Actually that stroke of genius came from Lois. As you know, ever since we visited Maison last year, Lois has been convinced that Mai must have an alternative source of income." "I did warn you about him, my Lord, when you first came to the thron= e. I always knew the man wasn't to be trusted." "I remember, Trey, and I did appreciate the warning but I was too ne= w at the job -- just finding my feet, I suppose, and so many other things were happening that I didn't feel confident enough to address the problem= . = Besides, Lois and I did feel that we should keep the Mais close enough to= keep an eye on what they might be up to...." "Back then we only suspected that he was using his position to accep= t bribes for services rendered." Lois' shoulders lifted in a shrug as she took up the tale. "Selling information to the enemy was a bit of a stretch." "But since the attacks on the convoys started, the Mais have had eve= n more money to burn. So Lois suggested that we look into his financial records." "We did check that it was within the law," Lois assured with a sheepish grin. "And when we couldn't find any legitimate accounts belonging to Jen-Mai or his wife we started looking for other sources....= " "And found our way to Club Danius' where it appeared that Jen-Mai ha= s been a very regular and big winner since the turn of the year." "We confronted Danius and the rest as they say is history." "Well done, Lady Lois!" Uncle Remy was quick to congratulate. "Kal= , my boy, you picked a right one' there for your wife. Life would be so du= ll without her." "And I couldn't agree more," Trey added in his more understated way.= Lois smiled at her admirers while tears shimmered behind her eyes. = She had come such a long way from her beginnings, and her life here on Krypton had not always been easy but she was feeling less and less of an incomer and these people were now her family and her friends -- her very dear friends. = The herbal tea was drunk; opinions were exchanged and conclusions drawn and as the talk wound down the meeting ended. Goodbyes were said with clasped hands warmly given and, though all were content with the outcome of this day's interrogation, sadly, each was left with a nasty taste within their mouths. Lady Lois, hailing from a world where corruption was not so uncommon, was little fazed. Not so the others. Th= ey had all had their suspicions; had even worked to bring this man down. = Nonetheless, it had been a salutary and disquieting experience to learn, without a shadow of doubt, that in their supposedly ideal civilisation ha= d lurked a dangerous canker. = ***** Another interminable night stretched out before Jen-Mai and this tim= e without the comfort that his accusers didn't have enough concrete proof t= o warrant his arrest. The evidence continued to pile up against him. Once= the transmitter was retrieved, Jace would verify that he was responsible for contacting the pirates. And he had no doubt that what those two thoughtless lunatics had been laughing about earlier was in fact true. = Ballen-2 would have little compunction in spilling all that he knew about= his informant, especially if the creature thought he could buy himself a little clemency. = He was routed! Mai had sought the downfall of this insufferably goo= d Lord of El and he had failed miserably. There was only one price for failure and being held in custody wouldn't protect him from a madman like= Nor. The containment chamber wasn't his only terror; disintegration coul= d be reversed. His fate at the hands of his boss would be terminal. And yet, two could play at the Taurean's game. What if he offered t= o co-operate in return for his own skin? After all, he had been merely a puppet in the hands of a master. Rad-Nor was the one who had set the who= le thing up, who had tempted him with promises of reward and with threats --= that mustn't be overlooked -- to become involved in this crime. Rad-Nor was the orchestrator of all that had befallen and so it ought to be he wh= o paid the highest price. And if Nor was trying to save his own neck he would have less time to exact revenge on his underlings. His blind panic was subsiding as he reached a decision. Jen-Mai would ask for clemency in exchange for turning state's evidence. Once Rad-Nor had been taken into custody, Mai would allow himself to be exiled= from Krypton and somewhere he would find a way of starting over again; somewhere where no one could ever find him. He'd risen from nothing befo= re and he could do so again. = And one more thing; he'd be damned if he'd make his confession in front of that trumped up do-gooder and his common-as-muck wife. There wa= s no way he would allow them the satisfaction of seeing him admit to his crimes. It was only a small triumph but one that brought comfort to his troubled mind. Feeling a little more optimistic, he pressed the buzzer t= o summon the guard and when the trooper appeared(the drone had taken his time), Jen demanded an interview with Doctor Jobe. The wrinkled old professor wasn't exactly his first choice of counsel but he would have to= do. Jen-Mai settled down to wait. ***** Far distant, in the southern hemisphere of the planet, while Jen-Mai= 's deliberations were reaching a conclusion, the early morning sunshine glinted off the golden hair of a lone figure, trudging along a leaf-strew= n road. The cloak was dragged tightly around the body in an attempt to kee= p out the chill air. In this quadrant of the world, autumn was almost over= and the traveller was inappropriately dressed for spring. Minerva-Mai was surprised at how easily and swiftly she had reached her goal. It was only a little over twenty-four hours since she had hidd= en in the night shadows and watched as her husband was arrested by Elvar's police force. The task to convince her lovesick swain to offer his help had been so simple. What had been more surprising and gratifying was tha= t his help should prove so effective. Assuming that word of Jen's arrest would soon be made public (in thi= s society of open government the authorities would have no option but to broadcast the information) she had decided that honesty was the best poli= cy or, at least, bending the truth to gain her own ends. As early morni= ng newsflashes were beamed throughout Elvar, detailing the fact that her husband was helping the security forces with their investigation into the= attacks on the convoys, she cast herself sobbing onto the broad chest of her youthful admirer and played the shocked and put-upon wife to the hilt= . How could the man with whom she had lived for so many years have don= e something so despicable, and how could she have been so fooled by him? S= he had been completely in the dark about his dealings with these terrible criminals. She was innocent of any wrong doing, and yet she would be implicated in his crimes simply by the fact that she was his wife. = What could she do? Of course, the proper conduct would be to go to t= he authorities and cast herself on their mercy. But she had no helpful information to give them and how would she bear the shame of being marrie= d to a traitor? And how would her sensitive soul withstand the trauma of perhaps being locked in a small cell, away from the light and warmth of t= he sun? = If only she could get away from Elvar; back to the bosom of her own family who loved her and who would offer her comfort and understanding. = Perhaps with their support and a little time for reflection, she would fi= nd the courage to return to Elvar and do the right thing. If only she had some way of getting out of the city unawares. No doubt the security forc= es would be checking all the public means of transport and she would be arrested and have to face the spotlight of public scrutiny and censure. = She just wasn't sure if she was strong enough to endure it all. Her young man, the silly fool, had shown himself to be sympathetic a= nd extremely resourceful. He had contacts with merchants and builders who frequently plied their trade throughout Krypton. Every day haulage orb ships left the city for all points of the planet. There was no doubt one heading in whichever direction she wanted to go and he would be able to g= et her on board -- for a fee, of course. Not for himself, her ladyship woul= d understand, but for the folks who would take her to her destination. Giv= e him a few hours and he would arrange everything. And he'd been true to his word, for here she was almost at the doors= of Norden. The last short stage of her journey had been the most tedious= but her transporters had been adamant; they had fulfilled their contract = by setting her down in the small town nearby. Minerva wasn't used to walkin= g and she was not dressed for it. Her high-heeled sandals kept slipping on= the fallen leaves and her light wool cloak was soaking up the damp that permeated the morning air. She shivered. It was a pity that she'd be arriving on this particular doorstep in such an untidy state of dress but= she had little option. Soon she would be relaxing in a hot tub and enjoying a hearty breakfast. An appreciative purr sounded in her throat = as she contemplated the scene. She was also certain that Rad-Nor would be able to supply her with something more fitting to wear... but not too soo= n. The feral growl deepened. She might even get round to eating... breakfast... later. = The large turreted house at the head of the drive grew closer; she hadn't much further to go. Two large orb ships sat on the lawn off to th= e side of the grey stone building and the activity that was going on around= them seemed unusual for this early morning hour. A stream of military me= n and servants scurried back and forth between the ships and the house like= a swarm of worker ants. What was happening? Minerva-Mai quickened her ste= p. The dark bulk loomed large as she approached. Great, almost black towers rose from each corner of the edifice and blank-faced soldiers stoo= d on the battlements watching her progress. She shivered, and this time no= t from cold. She had never visited Castle Norden before, though she had spent sometime as a guest in Rad's townhouse both publicly and privately.= = This gloomy building with its cyborg-like guards was not exactly to her taste though it did ooze an aura of power and menace. = At last she reached the end of her road and stood before the door of= the fortress. For the first time she wondered with mounting unease if perhaps her visit would be received with the enthusiasm she had envisaged= . = But Minerva-Mai wasn't given to introspection; at least, not when it was = a question of her sexual powers of persuasion. Shrugging off the traces of= doubt, she placed her palm upon the scanner. = = ***** Lady Mai rushed nervously into the great hall -- she'd been left kicking her heels in a small, chilly room for what seemed like hours and her long, lonely wait had rendered her more unsure of her welcome. = Nothing, though, had prepared her for the dark frowning stare that was bestowed on her, or the icy cold in the voice of the man whom her Lord intended to betray. "What do you want, Minerva? I can't say it's a pleasure and, as you= see," Nor's hands displayed the boxes and crates that filled the room, "we're packing up and we don't have much time. Thanks to your husband, f= or the sake of my health I find that I have to flee my home. Because of yo= ur family's meddling I'm soon to be a proscribed traitor." Rad-Nor bore dow= n menacingly on the small blond woman. "So make it quick, Minerva. My tim= e and patience are swiftly running out." The Lady of Mai shrunk a little. Matters had clearly moved on since= she'd been incarcerated in the hold of that ship. It seemed as if her husband had chosen to plea-bargain. But surely she could deflect this man's ire onto Jen-Mai. Swallowing her fear, she continued with her appeal. "I'm sorry, My Lord; I did try to warn Jen not to go ahead with the last part of our scheme without first consulting you. He should have= known they were onto him. I'm sure someone of your wit and intelligence would have smelled a trap," she purred sexily then pouted prettily. "But= my husband wouldn't listen to me . . . ." "Probably the only sensible thing that the fool's done in his entire= life!" Ignoring the barb, yet with a little less certainty, the woman persevered. "You can't blame me for my husband's trespasses. You know that I would never do anything to harm you." Lady Minerva lowered her he= ad and stared at the man before her through long-fringed lashes. No man cou= ld resist her patented combination look of helplessness and seduction. Only= this man appeared to be doing just that. But she needed his help. "Take= me with you, Rad." And she attempted to throw her arms about his neck. Nor fielded her off with a less than gentle shove. "What on Krypton makes you think that I would do that?" His voice retained the chill of winter. With growing shock the Lady steadied herself. "Because you like me.= " = The closed face above her showed no emotion. "And I know that you're attracted to me." Here she allowed her voice to melt a little with a remembrance of times past, spent in this man's arms. "You can't deny wha= t we've been to each other." For the first time since she'd entered the room a faint smile touche= d the haughty face and Minerva-Mai allowed herself to relax; unfortunately,= prematurely. "Oh yes, I remember! I did find your sexual attributes a little stimulating at one point. Regrettably for you, dear lady, I find that my interest has a very short lifespan -- once I've been there, I really don't want to return." "But we had an understanding!" Lady Mai burst out in mounting dread= and desperation. = "You must have misunderstood, Lady Mai. Why would I be interested i= n you? I already have a wife." = "Keira-El! That milksop!" "The Lady is soon to be the mother of my child. If you're going to insult my wife then I must insist that you leave!" "But you'd do much better with me!" Rad-Nor raised his eyebrows and stared at the woman before him, rath= er like studying an insect beneath a microscope. "You! Don't be ridiculous= ! = My wife is of royal blood! *I* am of royal blood! While you are a cheating, self-serving nobody! A product of an unremarkable and impoverished family, clinging to the vestiges of nobility. I can buy whatever attractions you have to offer in any care-givers' establishment = on Krypton! And at a much cheaper rate!" An arrested look bloomed on his face. "I have a thought -- we're bound for Space Station Caytan and I fi= nd I've reversed my opinion and I can give you a lift. I hear there are man= y opportunities for someone in your profession on Caytan, granted at a much= lesser rate of reward than you're used to, but, dear lady, beggars cannot= be choosers." A slender finger drew its way down Minerva's cheek. "And,= if you would accept a word of advice; don't be greedy. The atmosphere on= Caytan is not so conducive to a long and healthy life style as here on Krypton." Minerva-Mai stepped back in horror. She had come here for just that= purpose -- to beg him to take her away, but this wasn't what she had in mind. "No! You're insane!" The now frightened woman began backing towards the door. "I won't go with you." Nor regarded his unwelcome visitor with amusement, terrifying his victims was something he enjoyed. "As you will, Lady Mai, as you will." = Then his whole being took on a more sinister aspect and the menace return= ed to his voice. "But remember, my influence is far reaching. Whatever revenge you are planning, I suggest you forget it. A harlot with a ravag= ed face will make no living at all!" The Lady had heard enough. There was no succour for her here. She whirled and headed out of the room, out of the castle, stumbling down the= road in her tattered high-heeled shoes. Angry, terrified tears streamed from her eyes, making a mockery of her once perfectly painted face. She had no idea where she would go, but one thing she was sure of, to stay he= re in the vicinity of Rad-Nor was not a healthy option. = She couldn't return to Elvar. If Jen-Mai was singing his head off' the powers that be would know of her part in the conspiracy. Minerva harboured no silly romantic notions about her relationship with her spous= e; theirs was a marriage of convenience -- of mutual usage. Now that the ga= me was up, Jen was more likely to incriminate her for this crime than to protect her. And to tell the truth, he had a point; she always considere= d that she was the stronger and more intelligent partner. After all, she'd= found her way to Norden without the aid of either Mai or Nor. Mind you, the trip down here had depleted her meagre funds. So wasn't it providential that even in her pell-mell scramble from Nor's lair that she= 'd kept enough of her wits about her to snatch a jewelled figurine from a side-table in the great hall? As she slowed her flight, Minerva fingered= the precious artifact now residing in the deep pocket of her cloak. She considered it poetic justice that Nor should in some measure support her continued survival. And survive she would. She just had to leave this self- righteous planet and find some other place that appreciated her man= y talents. Her tears dried and, wiping the back of her hand over her smudg= ed cheeks, she gazed more optimistically up into a clear, crisp lilac sky. = Minerva-Mai could suffer reversals and she would find somewhere out there= to begin again. Cold, calculating eyes closely followed her exit. Rad-Nor had watched on the close- circuit vidscreen as his unwanted visitor had pilfered the expensive ornament from his house, and found himself unexpectedly reversing his opinion. A grudgingly admiring grin crossed h= is face at the audacity of this treacherous woman. She really was without principles; a twin soul in evil. What a pity that she was also superfluo= us to his current plans. However, he didn't begrudge her a last desperate attempt at freedom and if the theft of his property should enable her to escape from Kal-El then so much the better. Who knew, perhaps someday th= ey would meet up again and if she had survived reasonably intact then he mig= ht have a use for her again. Dismissing the inconsequential woman totally from his mind, Rad-Nor returned to the more important business of organizing his own escape. = According to the warning from his source in Elvar, Kal-El did not yet hav= e proof to demand that he, Rad-Nor, appear in front of the High Council to answer for his crimes. Yet there was no doubt that it was just a matter = of time before Mai led them straight to his door. Moreover, there was a distinct possibility that the foolhardy boy-king would forgo protocol and= simply appear with a warrant for his arrest, as if Nor were a common criminal and not the second most important Lord in the kingdom. If such a thing were to occur he was prepared to fight it out. But t= he time was not yet right. An expedite and strategic withdrawal was called for. So much better to fight later on his own terms when he had joined forces with his allies. Besides, his spy had passed on a very interestin= g though mightily incredible piece of information. If it were true, Krypto= n wasn't the only world ripe for taking. = ***** tbc in part 21 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 04:19:32 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: John Debbage <106532.433@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Universal Union Book3/Part18 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 18 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 Comments: I hope you are all ready for my next installment of UU3. For those who are asking me to post quicker I would like to offer my apologie= s. My time spent on writing this story is limited and I like to keep a buff= er between my writing and posting. I'd also like to thank those of you are sticking with UU3 as it grows ever longer. This wasn't my original intention, though I always knew that I had quite an intricate story to tell. My charaters seem to keep inventing other plot devices and, as I'= m just the writer, I have to go where they take me. Once again, I'd like t= o ask you wonderful readers to send fdk, public or private, I don't mind which. As this is a longer chapter I've split the posting into three parts. ~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Nine Said the Spider to the Fly In the velvet dusk of a soft spring night, a small hooded figure watched as her home was invaded by men dressed in dark uniforms which looked remarkably like those worn by the security forces. Lady Minerva-M= ai was returning from an evening spent with an illicit, though most definite= ly able and spectacularly handsome young acquaintance. The hired transporte= r which had brought them from his small abode in the tradesmen's district o= f the city had dropped them at the end of the street and there she had take= n her last passionate leave of her well- proportioned beau. The Lady frown= ed in distaste. She really didn't enjoy slumming but in this case her forbearance had been certainly worth it. From the moment she had spotted= the young builder as he had gone about his job of renovating a neighbouri= ng townhouse, she had been sure that his prowess at work would be mirrored b= y his efforts in bed. And so it had proved. Of course, she wasn't about = to repeat the experiment but, not knowing that piece of information, the man= had happily gone on his way, pleased that he had pleasured the noble lady= and thoroughly content with his prize -- a jewelled bracelet which had adorned the unknown lady's wrist. = This second job could become quite a lucrative trade, thought the youthful adonis as he sauntered off whistling, back to his own neighbourhood. It was a pity that she hadn't held the transporter for hi= m, though. He would have quite a long walk back to his more lowly part of town. = Minerva couldn't suppress a throaty chuckle as she watched him strol= l into the night. Poor boy! He would get such a shock when he tried to ca= sh in on his reward. The bracelet was a fake and not even a very good fake = at that. Not that she didn't have the real thing, of course, but she wasn't= about to wear them to the rough part of town that she'd been forced to visit. Unlike Jen-Mai, a lady couldn't invite her casual paramours to he= r house -- at least, if she didn't want to become persona-non-grata. It wa= s such an unfair society! Such were her ruminations as she turned the corner to her house. Th= e sleek black fleet of official transporters passed her by at the head of t= he lane and drew to a halt before her front door; the last two drawing round= the broken wall that served as a boundary to the Mais' property -- their intention, evidently, to cover the rear exit. Scurrying back into the shadows, firstly in fright and then in shock= as she sought an explanation for the presence of a security squad breakin= g down her front door. What could they want? It wasn't illegal to enterta= in care-givers in one's own home. But then, there was always the possibilit= y that something unexpected and inconvenient had happened. Jen-Mai did so like his little perversions. Minerva wasn't averse to a little sexual experimentation but Jen, on occasion, did overstep the mark and thus his need of professional care-givers; she refused to take part in his offensi= ve fantasies. = Was this what had happened here? Had he actually injured one of his= little playmates? But surely, if that had been the case, it would have been easily covered up. A bribe here and there to the other women and th= e servants and no-one need ever have known. And damn Jen- Mai for getting into this predicament where they had to use their limited cash supplies t= o silence some bothersome underlings. But while she hid in the shadows, her husband was escorted from the house by no less personage than Commander Medi, his subordinates bundling= their semi-clothed charge into a blackened-out transporter and within seconds most of the team had disappeared into the night -- as speedily an= d unobtrusively as they had appeared. Two officers crossed the street and stealthily entered the adjacent house -- a surveillance crew, perhaps? = What were they watching for? And how long had they been hidden there? With dawning horror, Minerva concluded that her first assumption was= incorrect. Commander Medi, the head of security, did not attend arrests for grievous-bodily-harm or even for murder, assuming that Jen-Mai had completely lost his mind. This fact was borne out momentarily when three= brightly dressed and painted females were quietly shepherded off the premises by yet another uniformed man and driven off in the last remainin= g vehicle. In the yellowing light of the street lamps she noted that, whil= e the women might look fairly surprised by events, none of them appeared particularly traumatised, which meant that there had to be another reason= for detaining Jen-Mai. There could be but one other cause and these guards left behind were= lying in wait for her! They probably had a warrant for her arrest! But how could the authorities have discovered their complicity in Nor's crime= s? She hadn't the time to waste on speculation -- she had to get out of he= re but where would she go? Minerva was aware that she wasn't very popular amongst the ladies of the court. Many were jealous of her beauty and her successes with their menfolk, and she certainly wouldn't be welcome in an= y of their homes when it became known that her husband had been arraigned f= or treason. Still, there was one place where she would be welcome. A sly smile spread over Minerva- Mai's pale face as she slid along in the shade of th= e buildings, hurrying after her erstwhile paramour. The poor fool would be= so grateful to have the pleasure of her company that he wouldn't ask awkward questions, and who would think of searching for a noblewoman in such a slum district. Thankfully, she had some money with her; it didn't= pay to go off on her little sexual jaunts without some funds to bail her out if she got into difficulties and she was most definitely in difficulties now. It wasn't the perfect solution and it wasn't one she would be prepared to tolerate for long, but it would give her breathing space until she could contact Rad-Nor and have him arrange her escape. = With a determination, borne in a belief in her own infallibility, Minerva-Mai faded into the night. = = ***** Jen-Mai had spent a more uncomfortable and decidedly more nerve-wracking night than his spouse, locked up in a small and sparsely furnished cell. There was a narrow bed and a table with one unadorned metal chair; a window high in the wall was his only source of light and h= e had watched the dawn creep in a narrow shaft of weak sunlight slowly acro= ss the opposite wall. In a volatile state of mind, he had veered from tossing and turning = on the lumpy mattress, as he unsuccessfully sought sleep, to pacing back and= forth in the confines of the cramped room. And that insolent Commander had not even allowed him time to dress. The rude clothes they had given him to wear were ill-fitting and the rough material chafed his sensitive skin. Didn't they know he could only wear silk? I arrest you on a charge of high-treason,' The stiff-necked Medi had= informed him in blunt tones. You might wish to remain silent until you ha= ve conferred with a professor of law on the nature of your alleged crime but= you would be advised to answer our questions.' He had been formally charged; his rights protected. But he had refused to talk to the head of security, demanding instead that he would answer only to his peers -- the High Council of Krypton. And thankfully,= Medi had concurred and he'd been left to sweat the night away in this abominable cell. = Jen-Mai wracked his brains for a clue as to what proofs they might have managed to accrue about his participation in the attacks on the merchant convoys. Surely he had been more than careful. No doubt his arrest was merely a ruse, hoping to rattle him enough into confessing to the crime. Well, they would discover that a Mai was made of sterner stuf= f. He was the Second Councillor of Krypton and they would learn to toy with= him at their own peril. Medi would be arresting pick-pockets and prostitutes before this day was out! A nameless and silent guardsman entered his cell and placed his breakfast-tray upon the table and, having nothing better to do, Jen-Mai seated himself in front of it, jumping uncontrollably as the door slammed= shut once more. Almost absentmindedly he played with the food on his plate. But what if they could prove that he had provided the enemy with information that had led to the destruction of the merchant ships and the= deaths of their crews? Suddenly, Jen-Mai had no appetite for food. He felt the gorge rise in his throat and he rushed into the tiny washroom th= at occupied one corner of his prison. His morning passed in a solitary state as his mood swung from angry indignation to abject terror. The punishment for treason was disintegration! Oh Zor! How would he bear it! They said that once the initial pain of the body's molecules being torn apart was over, one wasn'= t even aware of what had occurred. Small comfort that was! And how did th= ey know? Had any of them actually experienced the process? Jen-Mai was afraid. He wasn't brave or strong in the physical sense= ; for instance he'd never served in the armed forces. His forte had been i= n the art of politics -- of pitting his wit and his powers of persuasion against others in the council chambers. And he'd been successful too, wooing his superiors and back-stabbing those who stood in his way. Who ever would have thought that a boy from his modest beginnings amongst the= noble classes could rise to a position of great importance in the High Council? His adversaries didn't know with whom they were dealing. = Whenever this mistake' was sorted out, he vowed to take his revenge. An= d once again he was on a high, willing to take on all-comers -- even the First Lord himself. Jen-Mai was about to get his wish. = ***** Shortly after noon the door to Jen-Mai's cell opened and Commander Medi stepped inside, standing to attention as he addressed the accused. = "Lord Jen-Mai, you refused to talk to me but perhaps you would be more willing to answer the questions of these noblemen." As he spoke the Commander stood aside and the others filed into the room. First through the portal was Lord Trey, followed quickly by Lord Remy and by a less familiar personage who, nonetheless, Mai identified, from the robes he was wearing, as a professor of law. Lastly, as they al= l squeezed themselves into the narrow space, the First Lord of Krypton stro= de with his easy grace into the cell. The room was suddenly very crowded an= d Jen-Mai concluded that the ploy was intimidation and, though he hated to admit it, the manoeuvre was succeeding. But they were fools if they thought he was about to give into their games! Bristling with bravado, h= e squared himself off. "I said I would answer to the High Council -- the full Council! Thi= s is only a chimera!" "Come now, Jen, calm down," Lord Remy smiled soothingly as he seated= himself in the chairs that had re-integrated into the room, causing even more congestion. "You know that in cases of emergency, as long as the First Lord and Prime Councillor are present along with one other Councillor," he touched his chest as he helpfully went on, "which is me, = of course, a council meeting can be held to deal with that emergency. And there is yourself. Seeing as you have not yet been convicted of any crim= e, you're still a member of the council. So you see we're acting well withi= n the law." "Indeed you are, my lords, well within the laws of Krypton." The on= e unknown personage laid his techno-books upon the table, which had been cleared of the breakfast crockery sometime ago while Jen-Mai was attendin= g to his needs in the bathroom. "And I'm sure that you'd consider this an emergency, Lord Jen-Mai," argued Lord Trey. "I know that I wish to have this matter concluded with= all haste and I'm sure you must agree." That said, he too sat next to hi= s fellow Councillor. Kal-El remained tight-lipped but he took his place at the head of th= e small table and immediately the law-advisor slipped into the last remaini= ng chair, leaving Commander Medi standing sentinel by the door. = "I suggest, Lord Jen, that you sit down and listen to what we have t= o say," Trey uttered on a longsuffering sigh. "Besides, this is merely a preliminary hearing; you will have your day in court, believe me." = Jen-Mai gave into the inevitable, plumping himself onto his cot, the= only place left for him to sit, and stared ungraciously at the opposite wall. He would not remain standing before them like some naughty schoolb= oy while they sat in judgment, but he was not about to participate in their charade. So decided the defiant part of him while inside the coward wondered what proofs they were about to reveal. "Good," continued Trey. "This is Doctor Jobe. He is a professor at= law and head of that particular faculty at the renowned University of Elvar. He is here to ensure that your civil rights are not impinged upon= and that everything that takes place within this room adheres strictly to= the code of Kryptonian law. In accordance with that law and for your own= protection, the proceedings will be holotaped. Do you understand?" The accused forbore to answer and Doctor Jobe spoke up. "I must advise that it is in your interests to answer the questions." Lord Jen-Mai cast a baleful glance over the tableau before him, but,= nevertheless he did answer. "Of course I understand! Do you think I'm some kind of fool!" "If the cap fits!" Remy scorned in a whispered aside. The old man did so like Lois' Earth expressions and used them whenever he found them applicable. For his pains, he received a kick underneath the table from his unappreciative grand-nephew, though he could swear, the boy's eyes twinkled. Choosing to ignore the by-play, Trey carried on. "You are here toda= y because we believe that you have been passing information to the enemies = of Krypton, thus enabling them to attack our merchant fleets and to destroy them." "That's nonsense!" Mai was tempted to jump up and start pacing abou= t the room but he determined not to give them the satisfaction of knowing they had him rattled. "If there is such a traitor -- and I'm not about t= o concede that there is -- I'm most definitely not he. I'm the Second Council...." "The Second Councillor of Krypton!" Remy mimicked. "Yes we know! = And as such you are in the perfect position to learn all the relevant information and to pass it onto your partners in crime." = "As are you," Mai threw at him challengingly. "Maybe! But I haven't been arrested.... You on the other hand...."= "You can't prove anything!" "But we can!" Finally, Lord Kal-El entered the conversation. "We have managed to collect quite a body of proof and I'd say we have a very= good chance of a conviction." The inward craven swelled within Jen-Mai, yet he clung desperately t= o the hope that they were bluffing. "Then show me the evidence and once it= 's proved to be nothing more than a sham you can let me go." This time he d= id give into the nervous urge to stand, although he passed it off as playing= the part of the unjustly defamed defendant. "And I'll expect nothing mor= e than a public apology and monetary compensation for this terrible insult upon my person." "In your dreams!" "Lord Remy!" "Sorry, Kal!" Remy blushed angelically and clasped his hands in his= lap. "You asked to see our proofs, Mai, and, if you'll sit down, that's exactly what we intend to do." Kal gestured imperiously at the red-faced= man. "This might take some time and afterwards we'd be interested to hea= r what you have to say in your defence. Medi, please ask my wife and Commander Jace to join us." tbc in part 19 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 11:15:37 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicola Baker Subject: Re: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > What is you favorite kind of L&C fanfic (comedy, revelation, etc) and why? What a question! Something with a good A and B plot, dramatic and suspenseful, with a touch of comedy to lighten the tone. And if there is a revelation, so much the better, especially if the writer describes the looks on people's faces as they find out the big secret. > What is your biggest motivation when writing a story? Hmm. To escape from real life, particularly when it comes to things like essays and revision... ;o) Though I have to agree with Wendy when she says > I'd have to say that feedback is another motivation of sorts; it's great to > get emails or posts on the message boards complimenting something I've > written. I can't tell anyone who hasn't experienced it just how good it > feels. First story I ever showed anyone, I was hooked! Nic ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 06:25:00 -0400 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: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey Heather ... I picked up a book by Henry Jenkins about 9 years ago, "Textual Poachers" I think it was called. I tried to read it but honestly it was a little overly academic for me :) so I ended up skimming in various places. I liked his ideas, though. My favorite type of fanfic? I don't really have a favorite genre. I like stories that are well-written, of almost any type. I prefer not to see L&C in too much emotional anguish but moderate amounts do add to a good drama. Your article was interesting to read, and I think you've got the idea. By the end of second season we were frantic for Lois and Clark to get together and for her to know his secret -- and we still do a lot of stories involving "revelations". Obviously we like to explore the different ways this crucial event could have happened. There have always been trends in fanfic -- as I said, during first and second season, especially, revelations were popular. Then once the show had covered that ground, we started writing stories where Lois knew, and played with how that could work. We wrote wedding and amnesia stories before the series got there. We've written plenty of baby stories, and the series never will get there. Now that we're a few years past the end of the series, I think we're branching out and getting more creative. Stories have definitely been getting longer, too. I write fan fiction because I am fascinated by the characters that the series created, but in many cases, I was disappointed by the plots they were given to deal with. It's easier to dispense with a-plots altogether :) and focus on the relationship stuff that's far more interesting to me, but I've also tried my hand at writing decent plots -- the plot, however, is always there to move the relationship along. I rewrite episodes because I think the show missed opportunities to explore possibilities that were brought up in that episode. I write elseworlds (where I change the backstories and the universe) because it's just a lot of fun to play with the possibilities. Anyway, that's my take... -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 06:41:08 -0400 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: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Replying again now that I've seen other people's answers ;) Wendy brought up FDK: > I'd have to say that feedback is another motivation of sorts; And I'd have to agree with her on that. It's a terrific feeling to know that people out there (all around the world!) are reading what I've written and enjoying it. I don't usually write anything very life-changing but I'm quite happy if I've just made someone laugh :) I've had periods in my life where I've been too busy to write, or haven't made it a priority, and I find I eventually start feeling almost depressed ... the positive feedback I get when posting a story really encourages me. Actually, the effort of writing helps me, too. I'm an at-home mom, and much of my life is spent reacting to other people's actions; when I plan time to write, I'm taking charge instead of drifting with the flow, and that feels good. Jackie had a *great* response, and summed up with: > In the > end, we write because the stories ask to be told. Yes, that's a big part of it. I've been writing for nearly 20 years now, and once I get an idea, really the only way to get it out of my head is to write it down. I started out by writing scraps of stories (just the good bits); knowing that I have an audience has encouraged me to write the *whole* story. It gets frustrating, sometimes, when I have more ideas to write than time to write them in :) Unwritten fanfic is scratching and whining to get out of my brain Heather, your paper sounds interesting and I'm looking forward to reading it :) PJ -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 09:15:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carol L Moncado Subject: Re: Universal Union Book3/Part20 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jen - this is great. I am glad that things aren't going well for Mai's and Nor's . I do wish there were more time spent on bplot with Kal and Lois - but I always wish that! More soon please! CM ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 12:56:48 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ren Carr Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Send it ta me! I'd love to read the fic. And I didn't think Starr's last name was mentioned, but I thought it might be. And you know me. If someone has a last name, LOL! Thanks! Ren ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 12:59:47 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Ren Carr Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Kathy: Coming from a family of Production and make-up folks, I can tell you that with a camera certain oils or makeup's can enhance the look of a muscle. All that I said was, if Dean didn't looks as muscular in Just Shoot Me! It could have been the angle of the camera or perhaps they didn't want to "Enhance!" the look of his muscles like they did play to them in Lois and Clark!!!! That is all. I Know that the muscles of Dean's in Lois and Clark are all Dean's!!!!! I was just making an observation because someone thought that Dean looked less muscular on Just Shoot me, and I thought he looked just as muscular as ever! Ren C. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 20:37:32 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicole Wolke Subject: LAFF2001 - Join us in LA, FoLCs! Comments: To: Loiscla , Dean Cain Fan List , nfiction Liste MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi FoLCs, sorry to everyone who gets this more than once :-) As many of you already know, we're going to have another "Los Angeles Folc Fest" this year. Date is July 31st to August 4th 2001 in Los Angeles, California. FoLCs of all countries and ages are invited to join us in the "Beverly Garland Holiday Inn" for a great little vacation. FoLCs under the age of 18 have to be accompagnied by an adult. Some of the planned activities for the Folcfest include a visit to the WB-lot were Lois&Clark was filmed, an auction of Superman Memorabilia, a costume party, a beach party, and a visit of the Hollywood All Star Celebrity Baseball game. Furthermore there's always the opportunity to see Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and maybe visit Disneyland or the Universal Studios. Most of all it's a wonderful opportunity to meet other FoLCs from all over the world. If you are interested, send an email to Chris Paterson at CP13607@aol.com. She'll be adding you to her list of (potential) attendees. Even if you don't know yet if you will be able to attend, email her anyway so she can keep you posted on all news concerning LAFF2001. For those, who already know they're going to attend, please contact Natascha, especially if you're searching for roommates. Her email is natanh@hotmail.com. For those, who want a room of their own, or have already found people to share a room with: The hotel will take reservations at 1-800-Beverly or 818-980-8000. The LAFF rooom rate is $119 per room per day (not per person!). It is extremely important that at time of reservation you mention that you will be attending LAFF 2001. The cost of the meeting rooms as well as the guest rooms depends on this. Some of you guys on Chris' list haven't sent back their questionaires yet! /me looks around sternly Please do that as fast as you can, even if there are some things you can't fill out yet. They're essential for a good organization. Once again we're having a T-Shirt contest this year, too. The deadline for sending in the entries for possible designs has been postponed to May 31st. We have only two contestants so far, so people get to work soon! You can send in a design no matter if you're going to attend or not and the winner is going to get a free T-shirt. That's all for now, FoLCs, hope to see ya all soon in sunny California! You can find all information about LAFF2001 at the official webpage: http://www.geocities.com/aviatiko.geo/LAFF2001.html Nicole and Natascha -- AKA CKgroupie on IRC/AIM NKWolke@t-online.de "The Dean Cain News Page" http://members.tripod.de/CKgroupie/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 22:56:30 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: What I'm writing on In-Reply-To: <32852727.989195203516.JavaMail.imail@pugsly.excite.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Heather wrote: >Hazel, I would like to use the episode review you did. I was delighted when >I saw it. It really ties into my paper. My pleasure, Heather! I did two other reviews recently of UW and MoSB: http://listserv.indiana.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0103B&L=loiscla-general-l&P=R7065 and http://listserv.indiana.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0103E&L=loiscla-general-l&P=R1047 Genevieve also posted a review of BftB: http://listserv.indiana.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0103D&L=loiscla-general-l&P=R32 Of course, I can't give you permission for Genevieve's review, but you're more than welcome to use mine. Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 17:01:54 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 05/07/2001 6:42:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET writes: << Unwritten fanfic is scratching and whining to get out of my brain >> I like this--that means we have many more stories yet to come. :) --Laurie, a faithful reader :) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 21:55:08 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: NEW: Hearts Divided (3/?) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Hearts Divided Part: 3/? Author: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) Rating: PG-13 (mild language) Feedback: All comments welcomed, either public or private. Summary: An Elseworld tale about the conflict between competing loyalties, duty and love. **** Lois longed for nothing more than to be home, in a comfortable, schlumpy robe, eating chocolate ice cream and watching the Ivory Tower. Instead, she was standing on the street wearing a leotard and feathers, waiting to see if the Metro Club was going to burn down. She hoped the guy who'd so rudely ordered her outside would hurry up. She couldn't go home until she'd gone back inside to change clothes and collect her things. "Lola, there you are!" Lois turned to see Melanie approaching her, relief written clearly on her face. "Are you all right?" Melanie asked anxiously, then relaxed as Lois nodded. "I didn't see you come out at first, and I couldn't find you, and when I tried to go back in to check, Toni *yelled* at me!" she concluded, pouting slightly. "I should think so!" Lois replied, torn between concern that Melanie would so heedlessly risk her life for her, and wary that she'd blown her cover. "I just saw a fire extinguisher, and, you know, once a Girl Scout..." She smiled brightly. "But then this guy wanted to take over." No doubt he wanted to be the hero, an attitude which normally grated on her last nerve, but tonight, it had probably been a good thing. 'Lola Dane' could not afford to stand out too much. She looked around the few clumps of employees still keeping vigil outside the club. "So, um ... where's Brenda and Francine?" "Brenda's over there." Melanie pointed to a small knot of people surrounding Tanya, who was having loud hysterics. "I don't know about Francine; I can't find her." "She took a cab home," a new voice said, and Lola looked up to see a professional-looking blonde. "Hi, I'm Toni Taylor," she introduced herself briskly. "You're Melanie and ... Lola, right?" Melanie smiled. "That's us." Lois raised an eyebrow. "She took a cab dressed like this?" A gesture indicated the garish, skimpy costumes worn by both dancers. Toni smiled wryly. "Apparently, at the first sign of trouble, she headed for the dressing room, collected her things, and left the back way. I'm glad I spotted her, or I'd worry. Anyway, I wanted to let you know, I'm sorry the evening ended like this. I want you ladies to take cabs, too." She offered them both a thin collection of bills. Lois was reluctant to accept, but Melanie had no such qualms, grabbing the proffered cash with alacrity. More slowly, Lois took her share. "Come in tomorrow at the regular time; we'll do our best to get the damage repaired before tomorrow night." She glanced back at the doorway to the club, a slight frown crossing her face. Lois voiced the unspoken thought. "Assuming the place doesn't burn down." Melanie shook her head firmly and announced, "It won't. I *know* these kinds of things." Toni shrugged. "Well, whatever happens, I'll deal with it." Lois fingered the cab money, wondering what exactly had prompted the offer. And Toni's wording tickled her curiosity. Looking around, she asked, "Where is Johnny, anyway?" Toni's smile flattened. "He and his cronies have gone to find someplace to recover from their ordeal. But don't worry, ladies," her tone sharpened slightly, "he'll be back tomorrow, no doubt in fine traditional form. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She nodded curtly, then moved away to check on the next group of employees. "My goodness," Melanie murmured, "you should just *see* her aura right now. She's really wound up." Before Lois could do more than mumble polite agreement, the club door opened, and the stranger emerged. He looked a little tired, but with no damage, or even dirt that she could see. He sought out Toni in the crowd, and headed to her with a grim look. They conferred for a moment in low tones, hugged once, and then he simply walked away. Toni faced her employees and announced, "The fires are out, people. Go back in to collect your belongings, and then go home. But we need to see you all tomorrow, right on schedule. Good night." Lois turned to re-enter the club and nearly ran into a dreamy-eyed Melanie. "Oh, sorry!" "Oh, it was my fault," Melanie said immediately. "I was just watching Kal." Trying to make the inquiry seem casual, Lois asked, "Kal? Was that the guy who put out the fires?" Melanie smiled. "Kal Lewis, I think Brenda said his name was. Isn't he dreamy? He has the most marvelous vibrations, you know." "I'll just bet," Lois answered sourly, feeling unaccountably grouchy. "He's friendly with Toni," Melanie chattered on as they made their way to the dressing room. "But I've never seen him bring a date, and Brenda said he's never been a pest to the dancers -- you know, trying to get in anyone's pants. And *you* talked to him! I wish he'd talk to me...." She sighed, her wistful words in stark contrast to her brisk movements as she stripped out of her costume and quickly dressed. Lois smiled, her mood considerably lighter. "I'll see if I can introduce you." Grabbing her belongings, she retreated behind a privacy screen to change. Time to put this ridiculous evening into proper perspective. She hadn't made much progress on her case, but neither had she blown her cover. True, Kal Lewis was very attractive, and she counted it in his favor that he hadn't stayed around to soak up any offered adulation. She frowned, however, when she thought of him hugging Toni Taylor. Not that she wanted to see him again -- he might ask too many questions -- and not that she was interested in dating anyone who would patronize the Metro Club. Of course not. Still, a tingle of anticipation ran through her as she wondered if she was likely to see him again. **** In the pre-dawn dimness, Ching used the homing beacon to expertly land the ship. The landing zone was not overly large, requiring some tricky maneuvering between local buildings, but it was perfectly flat and reassuringly solid under his landing gear. He was unsure what to make of the pattern of straight yellow lines covering the black surface, but so far as his instruments could discern, they were harmless. The camouflage force screen seemed to be functioning; the only way the humans would discover the ship would be for them to run into it, as Lord Kal-El had pithily suggested. Ching devoutly hoped that this area would remain undisturbed. The Council had been most emphatic about avoiding discovery. When the ship's engine was cut and the systems locked down, Ching leaned back in his chair, and saw his subordinates relax as well. "Good work, men," he praised them, rather perfunctorily. Whatever else they might be, they were a competent team, honing their skills over the past half-cycle in space. **My Lord Kal-El?** he sent telepathically. **I am here,** came the instant reply. **We have landed at the appointed place. Are you prepared to board?** Part of Ching hoped that the answer would be no; he had been on duty for the past eight hours already, which had disturbed his rest cycle; and by his calculations Kal-El must have had a short night, also. The lord's mental voice was disappointingly strong and steady. **I am ready. Open the main hatch.** At Ching's nod, Sev keyed the appropriate control, which both opened the hatch and made it visible. Ching stood, stepping aside from the command chair, and assumed a review stance. It was mere moments before Lord Kal-El entered the command deck, holding a small bag. Sev and Zak stood and saluted. "Brother in service, I greet you." Lord Kal-El honored Ching with the most respectful of several traditional noble-to-officer salutations. Ching bowed. "My lord Kal-El. We are yours to command." "I accept the burden of command." Formal phrases dispensed with, Kal-El seemed to relax somewhat. "Introduce your crew, Lieutenant Ching." "They are Helm Officer Sev, and Engineer Zak. We have spent half a cycle charting new territories and were on our way home when a courier intercepted us and redirected us here." Kal-El tossed his small bag at Zak, who looked startled but managed to catch it against his chest. "Take that to my cabin, please." After Zak bowed and left, Kal looked back at Ching. "Why did they send you? I expected a normal courier ship, but this vessel seems larger than necessary." Ching remained impassive. "I only obey, my lord. However, you were sent a sealed message. Perhaps that will explain." He picked up the packet from the console and handed it over. Kal-El frowned at the sealed missive, and sat down in the command chair to open it. The message itself appeared rather short, but Kal-El's face darkened as he read it. The word he muttered was not familiar to Ching, but from stray telepathic leakage he deduced that it was an obscenity. Kal-El looked up, the message crumpling slightly from the pressure of his hand. "Bad news," he reported succinctly. "And, I think, a change of plans. The Lady Zara has been kidnapped." Ching instinctively clamped a firm lid on his emotions; this news was horrifying, but he would not allow his reaction to betray him. He kept his voice steady as he asked, "Who would do such a thing?" "The Lord Nor," Kal-El replied, looking grim. "Or so the council believes. She was last seen five days ago, which, coincidentally, was the same time that Nor's ship departed for an unknown destination. They suggest several possibilities for search." Ching forced himself to think strategically. "That would be why they wanted our ship, then. This is the fastest in the fleet, with ample quarters and cargo space. We will have the capacity for an extended search." He hated to think of Zara in Nor's power; he didn't know the noble personally but his reputation was not good. Nor had courted Zara's hand for years, not surprisingly as Zara was the last of the royal house, and whoever she married would become the new First Lord of New Krypton, displacing the current council. As long as she had delayed formalizing her birth-marriage to Kal-El, Nor had seemed content to wait, and press his suit. Apparently his patience had deserted him. "I trust our search won't be too extended," Kal-El mused absently. "But we should be prepared. How are we fueled and provisioned?" "Our fuel storage is full, m'Lord -- this ship harvests the atmospheres of gas giants, and this system has supplied us amply. Our food supplies, however, are running low." "Hmm. Well, there's no help for it, we'll have to remain here another day." Kal-El seemed to come to a decision, and looked up abruptly. "When did you and your crew last sleep?" Ching blinked at the unexpected question, then began mentally calculating. "If you have to think about it, it's been too long," Kal observed dryly. "We have time, and I'll need to obtain more of the local currency before we can reprovision. As soon as the ship is secured, you are all relieved of duty -- I advise you to get some rest. When I return, I will have your assignments." **** The dressing room was abuzz with excitement when Lois entered it, early the next afternoon. That suited her; she was excited, too, so she'd fit right in. Her long-standing request for a few week's leave had been granted at last. As soon as she wrapped up this case, she could begin packing for a trip to the beach. She didn't even particularly care which beach it was, although she'd asked the travel agent to investigate airfares to Tahiti. It was just as well that planning a vacation would take a few days, though; she couldn't afford to be distracted on the job. She'd already reported her meager progress to the colonel; he'd been quite encouraging. He'd also cautioned her to take measures to protect herself, just in case. With some reservations, she'd slipped a nine millimeter pistol into her oversized purse. The weight was reassuring on her shoulder, but she was careful to swing the bag under the dressing table, out of sight; she didn't want anyone here to know she had a weapon. She could hardly produce the proper permit as 'Lola Dane.' Not that proper permits would likely be the main concern of any Metro Gang members. She supposed she could always fabricate some story about a harassing ex-boyfriend, if need be. With any luck, however, the subject would not come up. And so far, her luck was holding -- none of the men on base had made jokes about chicken costumes, or at least not in her hearing. Things were looking as bright as they could, she supposed. "Hey there," she called out, as she slipped into an empty make-up chair. "Hey, Lola," Brenda greeted, almost bubbling with excitement. "Did you hear that Tanya quit?" "Yeah, I heard," Lois commented slowly, not really surprised. "She seemed pretty freaked by the fires last night." Brenda shrugged. "Well, I guess I can't blame her for that -- a girl's got a right to her phobias. But she was the singer! Now she's gone, they've got to get somebody else -- this could be my big break!" Francine snorted derisively, hardly looking up from her newspaper. "You're not the only one here who sings, you know." "No, but I'm good," Brenda insisted with a spark of determination. "And I've been telling Johnny he should give me a chance." Lois caught her eye in the mirror. "Good luck," she said softly. "You deserve it." Belatedly, she wondered if she should have said 'break a leg' instead, though Brenda didn't seem to mind. Lois smiled slightly; she wasn't very good at acting the part she'd created for herself. Well, it only had to last another day or so. "Thanks, Lola." The dressing room door opened again, and the fourth dancer breezed in. In her gauzy top and multi-colored skirt, Melanie did almost seem to float, and she bore a wide smile. "Peace and greetings, girls!" "And where have you been?" Francine demanded grumpily. "You're even later than usual." "I was meditating with my crystals group," Melanie explained, settling herself into her seat and starting to look through her small costume rack. "We were calling interstellar visitors -- to come in peace, of course." "Of course," Brenda chorused, with only a hint of rolled eyes as she moved into some warm-up type stretches. "So which did you ask for -- ET, or the kind from Aliens?" Melanie smiled serenely. "Neither, silly. We want the real kind. You know there has to be other intelligent life in the universe -- somewhere. We just want to get in touch with them -- there's so much they could teach us!" Lois smiled at the young woman's enthusiasm. Had she ever believed in anything that whole-heartedly? She loved her country, of course, and had gladly followed her father's footsteps into the army, but she was not unaware of the flaws in either of them. "So what are we rehearsing today, and what do we have to wear?" "They haven't said yet," Francine said, obviously unworried. "They'll need to pick a new singer first," Brenda agreed, moving into leg lunges. "Maybe I should go talk to Johnny." "I wouldn't," Francine cautioned. "He doesn't like it when women take the initiative." Brenda scowled. "You're the one sleeping with him, you should know." Francine snorted. "I'm hardly the only one, but yeah, trust me, I know." A knock at the door drew all their attentions; after a short pause, perhaps to allow half-clad dancers to cover up, the door opened and Johnny Taylor poked his head in. "You all here? Good." Lois turned back towards her make-up table, keeping an eye on him in the mirror. "You probably heard that Tanya took off ... good riddance to bad rubbish, right? Well, we need a new singer...." His gaze wandered the room, touching on each of them briefly, then he smiled. "Lola, here's the sheet music, be ready to sing tonight." He tossed a file folder across the room; startled, she failed to catch it. As the papers fluttered to the ground, Lois looked anxiously at Brenda. Brenda was standing, staring at Johnny in shock that rapidly turned to rage. "Johnny, why her? Why not me?" Johnny shrugged. "I like her looks." That only served to further inflame Brenda's temper. "Damn it, Johnny, is this because I'm black? Is that it? You think the customers won't want to see a black body out there? Because I've got a few names for you -- Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin!" She sputtered for a minute, and Melanie helpfully supplied, "Tina Turner." Brenda picked up on the suggestion with a bare nod in her friend's direction. "Exactly! Those sisters had soul." "Those sisters could sing," he retorted brutally. "You never even heard Lola sing!" Brenda fumed. "I've heard you. No, don't throw anything, girl." Johnny moved his hand towards the inside of his jacket, and Francine and Melanie moved hastily to the sides of the room. Brenda stood still, breathing heavily, staring stormily at her boss. Then, with an obvious effort of will, she put down the hair brush she'd grabbed. "That's a girl," Johnny crooned. "You're a good dancer, Brenda, just concentrate on that." Her eyes narrowed, and he gave up. "After Lola's number, we're doing two dance routines -- the details are in the folder. I want to see all of you tonight, you hear?" With one final glance around the room, he retreated, closing the door behind him. Brenda's shoulder's slumped as he left. Lois tentatively approached her. "Brenda ... I'm so sorry." The black woman glared at her for a moment, then closed her eyes. "I know it's not your fault, Lola. That SOB isn't ever going to give me a chance, and it's time I realized it." An angry glare in Francine's direction defied comment. "I'll dance tonight, and then by God, I'm finding a better job." Lois watched Brenda storm out of the dressing room, and reminded herself to relax. This drama was entirely unrelated to her mission. She made it a rule to never get personally involved in her cases, and she couldn't break that rule for a woman she hardly knew. The important thing here was, as always, the mission. After all, she had a reputation to maintain. When Lois had first discovered that she had been, however inadvertently, named after a character in a comic book, she had been embarrassed -- and reluctantly enthralled. Secretly, she'd devoured each weekly chronicle, hiding under the blankets with a flashlight. She'd thrilled to her counterpart's adventures, and sighed dreamily over the relationship that the fictional Lois Lane had enjoyed with Clark Kent, AKA Superman. Theirs had been a true partnership, and Lois had always hoped to one day achieve a similar union. It had taken several disastrous relationships to extinguish that dream. Since then, she had thrown herself into her work. Perhaps she was destined to go through life alone, without a personal Superman -- she certainly wasn't eager to risk her heart again. But she was determined to match her counterpart's successful career. That would have to be enough. **** -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 21:55:18 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: NEW: Hearts Divided (4/?) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Title: Hearts Divided Part: 4/? Author: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) Rating: PG-13 (mild language) Feedback: All comments welcomed, either public or private. Summary: An Elseworld tale about the conflict between competing loyalties, duty and love. **** Kal made his way back towards the ship, struggling to concentrate on the tasks of the day. The first task had been to reacquire local currency; he'd discreetly disposed of his remaining cash yesterday, thinking he would no longer need it. Accordingly, he had pawned his two remaining gemstones. The pawnbroker/fence had offered him a ridiculously low price for the gems, had they been real, but it was enough for his purposes. They would need time to re-supply, and the supplies would have to be purchased at several different markets to remain inconspicuous. Remaining here, however, had a deleterious effect on his concentration. He found his thoughts slipping back to the dancer from last night with dismaying frequency. She had been beautiful, and brave, but thoroughly un-ladylike ... and the thought of never seeing her again was tearing him apart. He was baffled by it. He'd found women attractive before, both here and at home, but had always been able to keep his feelings under proper control, deciding whether or not it would be prudent to explore the attraction. Perhaps this was merely pique, because she was unavailable -- a perverse longing for what he could not have, simply because he could not have it. If that were true, though, he would be very disappointed in himself. He'd known for some years that physical satisfaction was fleeting, leaving him emptier afterwards than before. What he really wanted was a deeper connection ... the last thing he could expect with a professional dancer. And yet, the fascination remained. Making his way through the busy mid-morning crowds, Kal acknowledged that he wasn't entirely happy to be leaving Earth. He had come to enjoy this bustling Metropolis with its carefree, emotional inhabitants. Very likely his subconscious was using this dancer as a symbol of all he was leaving behind, and his strange feelings were just a manifestation of his deep ambivalence. It made no difference in the end, of course. Duty was duty. Glancing casually up and down the busy street, Kal slipped into the alley that took him to the ship's landing zone. The parking lot had been empty for weeks, but as a precaution, he'd added a chain and padlock to the already-closed gate. He wasn't happy with this delay, but it was necessary, if they were to be prepared for a long search. As he approached the ship, Kal carefully controlled his thoughts, unhappily reminded of their mission. He was not emotionally attached to his birth-wife, but he did value her as a friend and ally. And if Kal hadn't volunteered for this observation assignment -- if he had formalized their birth marriage earlier, instead of following some inchoate restlessness -- Zara would not now be so vulnerable. If Nor mistreated her in any way, Kal would make him pay for it, and pay dearly. **Lieutenant Ching,** he sent as he arrived at the ship's position. There was a slight shimmer visible in the air, betraying an active cloaking field, but the locals wouldn't understand what it meant. If they could see it at all. Kal reminded himself of the need for caution. He felt more comfortable back among his own people ... but concealing his strange powers was even more important among the people able to take advantage of it for their own gain. Not that he doubted Lt. Ching's honor, but the crewmen were another matter. For the first time, he wondered if these powers would fade, away from Earth. He had assumed it was a local condition, but what if a permanent change had been affected? Resolutely, he shook his head. That was a problem for another day. In silent answer to his query, the ship's hatch opened, making a startling hole in the apparently empty parking lot. Kal walked inside quickly, checking behind him for witnesses, then closing the door, making the ship disappear once more. On the flight deck, he found the entire crew waiting, looking more rested. "Greetings." He sorted through the lists in his hand. "Who among you can speak the local language?" "I have some proficiency," Ching replied gravely. "M'lord, I learned it too," Sev volunteered in broken but passable English. Kal raised an eyebrow at this show of initiative. "Good work, crewman." He turned his attention to the last member of the crew, who blushed and hung his head. "Well, you can take Zak with you; perhaps he'll learn on the job." Learning the language should not be difficult; telepathy offered a strong advantage in matching familiar concepts to unfamiliar words. "Crewmen, you are in charge of food stocks. I have listed local merchants and written detailed lists." He passed the list to Sev. "We need enough food for at least six weeks. We do not want to attract undue attention, however -- you'll need to spread your purchases out over three or four establishments." Kal handed over a large bundle of bills. "This is the local currency, and it should be sufficient. You will appear to blend in with the locals, and you are to do nothing that would reveal our existence, understood?" They nodded submissively and Sev began pouring over the long list. Kal switched his attention to Ching. The lieutenant was looking dubious. "Six weeks, m'lord?" Kal sighed. "I trust this mission will be over quickly, but I would not be caught under-prepared. The Lady Zara is depending on us." Ching nodded gravely, maintaining his bland image. "You and I, Ching, have our own mission. I do not know what weaponry you have on board--" Kal paused, expectantly. He feared he knew the answer, and he did not look forward to challenging Nor on an unarmed ship. Very few New Kryptonian vessels had weapons, preferring to concentrate on passive defenses, such as the ship's cloak. "Why, none, other than the ship's mining equipment." Kal cheered slightly at that. Mining lasers could be used against ships as well as against asteroids -- though with unpleasant consequences for the inhabitants of the ship. "Well, we won't use that except as a last resort. But it's something. What we really need are some hand weapons, and I know where we can procure some." He wasn't sure if they could manage to actually practice using the weapons, but if they were careful they might be able to extract some relevant information from the dealer, reading his memories to learn his skills. "We will have to leave the city, so it will take some time. Fortunately, the crew can be purchasing the food stocks while we're gone." Kal looked up to see that crewman Sev was no longer perusing his long list; he was watching his superiors carefully. Seeing that he had his lord's attention, he lowered his eyes. "Begging your pardon, m'lord ... but what, exactly, are ... Ho-Ho's?" **** "We're taking this organization to the next level. Out of the back room, and into the boardroom." Eavesdropping from the closet, Lois couldn't help feeling a small surge of admiration for Toni Taylor. She had coolly faced down her brother and taken command of the Metro Gang. Not quite single-handedly, of course; Lois had been able to see some of the men backing Toni, with their guns drawn. Luckily, Johnny had had the sense to surrender peacefully, and two of Toni's new 'associates' had already escorted him out. She supposed the Metro Police would be interested to hear of the gang's ambitions; they would all have to wait and see if it were possible to transform a bunch of petty criminals into legitimate businessmen. Toni was now receiving updates on the gang's various enterprises, and Lois took desultory notes. The police would like to know this, but it wasn't getting her any closer to the source of the fires. Unless of course, the fires *had* been a weapon against Johnny, in which case they should stop. There was noise of movement in the meeting room, and Lois returned her eye to the peephole. She saw Toni raise a hand before the first man reached the door. "One more thing, people ... what happened in this room is private, at least for now. I don't want wild rumors flying around." "Word won't leave this club," a beefy man rumbled. "That's not good enough," Toni snapped. "I don't even want club employees to know. Especially not the girls." She smiled derisively. "They're all either sleeping with Johnny, or want to, and if they knew he was out, who knows what would happen. Let's not screw up tonight's show." Lois rolled her eyes. Either Toni had an extremely poor opinion of her lower-status sisters, or Johnny's inflated opinion of himself had been catching. Probably both. There was a murmur of agreement from the men in the room as they filed out of the meeting. Lois relaxed away from the peephole, stretching and rolling her neck to recover from the awkward position. It seemed that she was no closer to discovering the truth behind the fires, or the source of the Toaster's technology, and she was no longer certain that she was spending her time profitably here. Trapped in her "Lola Dane" persona, she could hardly start asking questions around the neighborhood. Of course, she'd already asked around, to no avail. And now that the Metro's little internal quarrel was solved, the next meeting might be more informative, so perhaps it was worth one more day. She grimaced. Realistically, if she left the club now, she'd be leaving the neighborhood, and unable to make any further progress, no matter what name she used. That was unacceptable. The Metro Club might be a slim chance, but it was better than none. And if she were going to stay, she'd better go practice her solo. The glittery white gown she'd be wearing was hardly her typical wardrobe, but she knew she would look good in it. She couldn't help but wonder if Kal Lewis would be in the audience. She refused to entertain the suspicion that he was a factor in her decision to stay. **** When the New Kryptonians rendezvoused back at their ship, night was falling, further disguising their vessel. The hatch opened by remote telepathic control, briefly rousing Kal-El's curiosity. The transport pod that had dropped him off, three years ago, had had permeable walls that opened wherever necessary. Then again, the interior of the pod had been small and open, with nothing dangerous waiting if one chose the wrong section of wall to open. So perhaps a designated entry made sense. Even if the stairs descending from nothingness did look a trifle bizarre. "Crewmen, report," Kal ordered, as they entered the ship and made their way to the command deck. "Mission accomplished, m'lord," Sev replied proudly. "It took five merchants and more time than it ought, but we purchased everything on the list. We've filled an entire cargo hold, but there's another available if you need it, m'lord." Kal shook his head. "Our purchases today were not bulky." He and Lieutenant Ching had each acquired a handgun, and he'd even been able to find a gun range where they could practice aiming the weapons. They were unfamiliar to him, but that meant they would be unfamiliar to Nor, as well, and hopefully unexpected. "Are we ready to depart, m'lord?" Zak asked, almost shyly. "No, Zak," Kal replied. "We need to wait until the air traffic eases up, another ten hours or so. Do you need another rest period?" The young navigator blushed, and shook his head. "No, m'lord, thank you, m'lord, it's just... well, I was thinking, and Sev and I got to talking, and well..." Kal arched an eyebrow and glanced at Sev, who was looking embarrassed as well. "Would you care to translate?" he asked sardonically. "Women, m'lord," Sev said succinctly. "We've been out on this mission for a very long time. Lieutenant Ching said this wasn't to be shore leave, but we expected to be long gone by now." Kal grinned, suddenly remembering Toni, the night before, telling him to bring his friends to the club. The temptation to see his dancer again was too strong to resist. She had freely wandered around his mind all day, and he only hoped that Ching hadn't picked up on her echoes. Perhaps if he saw her again, he could satisfy his curiosity and exorcise her from his thoughts. Besides, they had the time, and the crew had requested it, so this wasn't mere self-indulgence. "We weren't planning this, but..." he turned to his executive officer. "Lieutenant? Have they performed their duties adequately?" "Yes, sir," Ching replied, his face still as closed as it had been all day. Kal was beginning to wonder what it would take to provoke a reaction from the impassive officer. "In that case, I know the perfect place to visit. This is entertainment only," Kal stressed, belatedly remembering that the crew were probably thinking of concubines rather than floor shows. "You may look, but not touch or interact. We cannot risk our presence becoming known." Sev looked at the floor and mumbled, "Yes, m'lord." **** [i]"The world will pardon my mush, 'cause ... I have got a crush, oh my baby ... on you." [/i] As the last note died away, Lois nodded to the bandleader; this last try had worked much better. "I think we've got it. Just keep an eye on me and follow my lead, okay?" He nodded agreement, then turned back to his band members, critiquing their individual performances. Lois stepped down off the stage, pondering her options. The club would open soon, and she was expected to work as a waitress for a few hours, before show time. She didn't mind dancing, and she found that she actually enjoyed the singing, but waitressing seemed too demeaning -- especially considering the absurd costume. She reminded herself that it was all in a good cause. Still, there was a little time before the club opened; perhaps she could have another look around. Wandering through the kitchen and storage rooms gained her nothing; no board meetings to eavesdrop on, and no incriminating evidence left lying about. She was about to give up when she caught a glimpse of Toni heading out a door that led only to a back alley. Her curiosity was definitely roused, but caution held her back. She needed a plausible excuse for going out that door. Looking around, Lois spotted a pack of cigarettes sitting at an unmanned guard station. She grabbed it, pulling one out and using the nearby lighter to ignite it. Trying to act normally, she headed for the door and exited the building. The back alley was small, and the fading sunlight still illuminated the few flapping newspaper scraps. A few steps away from the door, Toni was speaking on a pay phone, her back to the door. Lois made a show of looking the other way, which both concealed her interest in Toni, and hid the fact that her cigarette never actually touched her lips. With any luck, Toni would assume she was merely on a smoke break. Lois stood very still, waving the cigarette occasionally, and strained to hear what Toni didn't feel she could say in her own office. "Yes, you've done very well ... You screwed up the objective last night, but I managed anyway. No," her voice dripped sarcasm, "why should I blame you? Johnny's out of the picture and the club didn't burn down -- no thanks to you, of course, but never mind ... you've served your purpose." There was a brief pause, then Toni spoke again, her voice harder. "I need to meet with you -- all of you. Midnight tonight. The usual place." Another pause. "Yes, fine ... but this will be the final payment. And I don't want any more fires, understand? Good." Toni hung the phone up roughly, and after a moment, Lois could hear her footsteps approaching. "Lola?" Lois couldn't help flinching, but she tried to make it work for her. "Ms. Taylor!" she squeaked in simulated surprise. "I, um, didn't see you ... uh, I was just ..." She waved her cigarette around, then threw it down on the ground, crushing it with her shoe. "I've been trying to quit, but sometimes ... well, I was nervous about tonight and all, and ..." She let her voice trail off guiltily, keeping her eyes downcast. Toni snorted. "Smoking is a very bad habit for a singer." "Oh, I know," Lois said, raising rueful eyes. "And mostly I'm fine, honestly, but ... I'll do better from now on." Toni studied her for a moment, clearly trying to work out whether Lois had heard anything, or whether to take her story on face value. "See that you do. I'll be keeping an eye on you." "Yes, ma'am," Lois nodded humbly, fully aware of the double meaning. She let herself be maneuvered back inside, then left Toni to head for the dressing room. It was empty, and from the main room she could hear the sounds of the dancers rehearsing their routine for the night. She sat down in her chair, glad for the respite. So, Toni Taylor had been behind the Toasters all along -- as part of her plan to take over the Metros, apparently. Lois was pleased that her speculation along those lines had been correct. She considered then rejected the idea of reporting to the Metro Police; if the Toasters were using stolen technology, that needed to be kept quiet. A quick call to the Colonel would set things in motion; he could arrange for a small squad to follow Toni to her midnight meeting -- Lois was technically only responsible for intelligence gathering, not arrests. She was tempted to keep it all to herself until she could deliver the whole case tied up with string, but military discipline had taught her to share vital information. Sometimes another player on the team was in a better position to score, so it made sense to pass the ball. It took only a few minutes to revisit the pay-phone in the alley and report in to her Colonel. He had been very pleased at her progress, and she smiled to herself with justifiable pride. She had done a good job, under demeaning conditions, and as soon as the loose ends were wrapped up -- hopefully at midnight -- she would be free to concentrate on her vacation. It occurred to her that she could leave the club now, as the mission was all but finished. She could still follow Toni later with the tactics squad, properly dressed in uniform. She didn't have to demean herself serving drinks. She didn't have to display herself on stage. She didn't have to see Kal again ... She scowled. What was it with that man? Why did she keep thinking of him? He's nothing special, she told herself sternly, and if you saw him again you'd realize that. She would stay at the club and do her job because she had agreed to do so; it was a matter of honor, nothing more. Besides, her practical side whispered, Toni and the Toasters hadn't been arrested *yet.* Toni had been suspicious of her earlier; if she disappeared, it might spook Toni into rearranging her plans. Okay, so she'd also see Kal Lewis again, but seeing him under such seedy circumstances would show his true character and allow her to dismiss him from her mind once and for all. A patron of the Metro Club was not worth mooning over. Nodding briskly, she rose, and began dressing for the evening. **** Kal and Ching sat together, leaving the lower class crewmen to the relative social comfort of a separate table. Kal noted that Sev was enjoying the attention of his waitress, and using his new proficiency in English to attempt a clumsy flirtation. Ching followed his glance. "I'll keep an eye on him, m'Lord. Zak should not be a problem, but Sev ... gets carried away." There was an element of distaste in the Lieutenant's voice, leading Kal to wonder just what Sev had done to annoy his superior -- aside perhaps from being too obsequious. Kal had been annoyed by the man's bowing and scraping, but he realized he was far from an objective observer. Three years of being treated as nothing special, of no favor being unearned, had been strangely refreshing, and it felt decidedly odd to return to a system of enforced adulation. Whatever the offense, however, it couldn't have been too serious, and it seemed that Ching had the situation, and his feelings, under control. Kal glanced around the club. It was strange to return to this place, when he thought he'd said goodbye forever. There were hasty repairs and re-decorations to cover the scars of last night's fires, but all in all the club looked the same. The band was playing something soft and jazzy. Kal was disinclined to make conversation, and Ching seemed equally quiet. It was impossible to avoid thinking about the dancer. He wondered why she had become a dancer; it was not a high status profession, at least not as practiced at the Metro Club. She had the body for it, but she hadn't seemed very comfortable on stage. That awkwardness had stood in stark contrast to her confidence later, coolly putting out those fires. Kal had seen many dancers come and go, and while they were generally decent people, this one was just different, somehow. If he had only seen her a year ago, he sighed. He sensed that she would not have been easy to seduce, which would have been a fascinating challenge. Kal had never really had to work at getting a woman into his bed, starting with the concubine who had been a coming-of-age present from his foster-father. Although he had tried to be considerate, he knew that his position in New Kryptonian society had guaranteed him access to the lower classes. But each coupling had meant less than the last, until he'd been nearly celibate. He had hoped that his liaison with Toni Taylor would have been different, made more meaningful by the fact that she was his social equal and a voluntary partner, but it still hadn't been enough. If a business executive had fallen short, he had no reason to suspect that a mere entertainer would be a more fit partner for him ... but something within him longed to make the experiment. The house lights dimmed and the band began a flourish. Very carefully, Kal set down his drink and angled his chair slightly away from Ching, clamping even stricter control over his conscious thoughts. He and Ching had not communicated telepathically since the ship's arrival, but Kal was taking no chances. The stage was set only with a microphone, and Kal relaxed; he could easily ignore Tanya. But the figure that moved forward, in a glittering white gown, was not Tanya's. "Ladies and Gentlemen," the speaker system announced, "The Metro Club is proud to introduce ... Lola Dane!" Without waiting for a reaction, Lola began her song, crooning huskily about a lover's pursuit and her glad acquiescence. She was smiling as she sang, using subtle body language to express the joys of being in love. Kal was unexpectedly touched. Love had never been a feature in his relationships, and he'd never realized the lack of it before. Lola's gaze moved around the room as she sang, and as she began the first chorus, her eyes locked with his. Was it his imagination, or did the song falter for a moment? He felt his heart stop, and even as some distant part of his brain told him how ridiculous it all was, he knew that this woman touched something deep inside him, a part of him that no woman had ever before been able to reach. He watched in rapt fascination as she finished her song. After the first long look, she had broken eye contact with him, to scan the room again, but he noticed smugly that her gaze returned to him, over and over. Beneath the facade of portraying a woman happily in love, he thought he saw puzzlement in her eyes. He would have to tell her that he didn't understand, either, but there was clearly a connection between them. Once her song was finished, he would seek her out, backstage; he knew the layout well enough, and the bouncers would allow him access, he felt sure. He needed to know everything about her ... her background, her training, her views ... how her mouth tasted, how her body felt against his ... he was consumed with a need to get close to her, and to stay there forever. The song finished, and with one last look in his direction, Lola Dane left the stage. Kal shifted in his seat, ready to follow as soon as the lights came up. "M'lord?" Ching's voice broke into Kal's thoughts, an unpleasant reminder of reality. Kal blinked once, trying vainly to clear his head. When he felt he was somewhat under control, he turned to face his subordinate. "Yes, Lieutenant?" Ching was regarding him carefully, with a hint of censure in his eyes, and Kal fought the stirrings of shame. No doubt his reaction had been clear, telepathically or not. "M'lord," Ching spoke mildly, "we have a mission to prepare for. Perhaps we had best retire to the ship. To plan our strategy for rescuing the Lady Zara." Part of Kal raged and wept internally at the thought of leaving, but his training and duty were unrelenting. "Of course. Lady Zara is our first priority." He forced a smile. "I'll return to the ship." Ching smiled back, just as falsely. "I'll accompany you, m'lord -- if I may." Kal nodded, accepting the hint of rebuke. After all, he'd earned it. As he rose, he spotted Zak and Sev, engrossed in the show. Zak wore an expression of almost child-like delight, and even Sev seemed to have toned down his earlier exuberance. Kal was tempted to order them back to the ship, as well -- if he couldn't enjoy the show, none of them could -- but he restrained himself. "The crewmen may remain for the rest of the show, don't you think?" Ching shrugged, his attention clearly centered on Kal. "As you say, M'Lord." Kal sighed, giving in to the inevitable. His duty was clear, and his future was set. And that future most assuredly did not include Lola Dane. **** -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 22:00:54 EDT 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: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, I don't know if Dean ever wore make-up his arms to make his muscles stand out more...but I do suspect they used special lighting so we in TV Land could definitely see why Lois thought "he was so well defined!" :D Alexis ;-.) "It's not coming out." (Clark) "Clark, is it a dirt stain, or an oil-based stain?" (Martha) "I don't know, Mom. It's a bomb stain." (Clark) "The important thing is: blot, don't rub." (Martha) {LnC, Neverending Battle} ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 22:02:30 -0400 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: Questions MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > << Unwritten fanfic is > scratching and whining to get out of my brain >> > > I like this--that means we have many more stories yet to come. :) LOL, Laurie -- I haven't found a way to quit yet :) So I'll probably keep writing until everyone tells me to shut up about it already ;) -- Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ The difference between journalists and other people is that other people spend their lives running from violence, tragedy, and horror and we spend ours trying to get in on it. --P.J. O'Rourke ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 23:10:00 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Demona (Angel Of The Night)" Subject: Re: OT Dean Cain on "Just Shoot Me" tonight/Fic Question Alexis!!! In-Reply-To: <61.ddcd5f1.2828ad56@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed >..but I do suspect they used special lighting so we in TV Land >could definitely see why Lois thought "he was so well defined!" :D >Alexis ;-.) Lighting?! You think that was lighting?!! ;) And all that time they were wondering where the set's spare fresnel disappeared to... Demi (*yanked* out of lurkdom and into the harsh *light* of reality ;) ___________________________________________ Demi aka Demona nightangel@home.com "Time is a finite concept borne of physical mortality and fear. It swallows up entire generations of dreamers; falls with harsh revenge upon the minds of those who dare to see beyond such linear boundaries. But time means nothing to the living spirit. Pushed against such infinite awareness, the ticking melts away; liquid and pliable as the fluid of inspiration." ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 22:09:01 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carol L Moncado Subject: Re: NEW: Hearts Divided (4/?) [PG-13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Excellent Pam! My guess - Lois somehow ends up on the ship with Kal (ie: Star Trek IV - where they return to 1986 (I think) to save the Humpback Whale) or something along those lines. Either that - or Kal gets stuck on Earth. Of course this little tailing assignment could always end up in a certain parking lot... Anyway - MORE SOON! CM ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 23:39:28 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Re: What I'm writing on MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hazel wrote: > > Heather wrote: > > >Hazel, I would like to use the episode review you did. I was delighted when > >I saw it. It really ties into my paper. > > My pleasure, Heather! I did two other reviews recently of UW and MoSB: > > > Genevieve also posted a review of BftB: > Of course, I can't give you permission for Genevieve's review, but you're > more than welcome to use mine. I have a number of reviews up on my website, so I consider them "published." Follow the basic guidelines for "fair use", use footnotes, and quote what you like. (Though I doubt it'll be much use if she's writing about TOGOM. ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genevieve The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone to find in five hours what a competent librarian can find in five minutes. :-)