From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG0105E" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 02:35:05 -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/Part26 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 26 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 Comments: Hope you like this part. And I'm sorry but I won't be posting= next week as I'm off on a short vacation. Besides, I'm very quickly eati= ng into my cushion and as real life has been a bit of a pain in the past wee= k, I haven't been able to do much writing. I'll post again in two weeks tim= e. ~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Twelve Mr President A hastily convened council of war met in the palace, and alongside t= he councillors, Commanders Jace and Medi awaited the presence of the First Lord and Lady. Jace had indeed had more information for the First Lord's= party on the planned assault on Earth. Apart from the fact that he'd plotted the position of the armada on its course for Earth, there were th= e substantiating rumours which had reached his communications centre to be passed onto his friend and colleague. The undercover policemen that Medi= had left behind on Caytan had reported in with the news that the talk on the space-station was all about a massive attack-fleet which was on its w= ay to Earth where, it was reported, the Kryptonians would be as powerful as Gods and the population wouldn't stand a chance against them. = There could no longer be any doubt -- Rad-Nor knew! And he and his troops would use their powers to conquer Earth. The shocking news had finally penetrated Lois' numbed senses and for the first time in her youn= g life she fainted clean away. A combination of fear for her family and people had merged with the weariness of pregnancy and Lois had for once sought refuge in the strange twilight world of unconsciousness. Lois awoke to the quiet of her bedchamber. The room was completely still but was there the faint breathing of one other close at hand? "Kal?" Even to her own ears her voice sounded shaky and thin. "Lois?!" Kal's strong arm slipped behind her swollen body and aided= her in her quest to sit up while his other hand brought a small glass of some elixir to her lips. "Drink this! Tamar says it will clear your hea= d and make you feel better." "Tamar was here?" "He just left a moment or so ago. He scanned you and said that everything was fine and that you were just shocked... which is hardly surprising." Kal slipped closer to Lois on the bed and supported her wit= h his body. "Now drink!" And he brought the glass to her lips. Lois surveyed the amber liquid suspiciously. "Well it might chase t= he fog away from my brain... and that would be a good thing, but I doubt it'= ll make me feel any better. What are we going to do, Kal?" There was the hint of tears behind those dark lovely eyes and they went straight to Kal= 's heart. "I've called an emergency council meeting to work out our strategy. = Don't worry, Lois, I don't intend to let your home face the threat of Nor= and the Taureans alone." "A council meeting?! Do you think they'll agree to help Earth? And= when is it?" The questions tumbled one after the other in their rush to = be aired. "About an hour from now. I had to give the councillors time to get here and to organise a holo-communication for Dax-Ver and some other head= s of houses who might be involved." "Good! Then help me up! I can't lie around all day while my planet= is under attack." "Lois! Drink! Then we'll talk about the meeting." At last Lois did his bidding but with a certain amount of aggravatio= n. Was this potion really what Kal said or would it send her into a dreamle= ss sleep for the good of her health and the baby? After a few moments, however, she did feel a little calmer... sharper too... the room was comi= ng into focus. "See!" Kal exclaimed. "It did exactly what I said." "Hmph!" The First Lady gave a very unladylike grunt but she sat up straighter on the bed. "Admit it Lois.... You thought it was a sedative." "Well, Tamar might have just persuaded you that I needed the rest." "Oh, he knows you need the rest! But he also knows you, Lois, and h= e thought the best thing for you was to be in the thick of things. Otherwi= se you'd just fret and that wouldn't be good for either you or the baby." "He's a very wise man, that Tamar." Lois smiled smugly but slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, never letting go of her hold on Kal's arm. Tentatively she stood... but the room very kindly stayed in place and it was only a little difficult to place one foot experimentally= in front of the other. With Kal by her side she made it all the way over= the room to the window and back, then to the chair by the fire which she sank bonelessly into. Lois' solemn gaze rose to meet her husband's concerned stare. "Don't hover, Kal, I'm fine!" And with a lightning change of direction she asked the question that had been hovering, for so= me time, like a spectre in the shadows of her mind. "Do you think Poli coul= d have told Nor?" "Poli! Lois, whatever are you talking about?" "Does Poli work for Nor?" The words echoed like a tolling bell in t= he silence of the room. "No! Of course not! Poli?! Why would you think that?" "Someone had to have told Nor. And it wasn't you or me! And I don'= t believe it was Ching... so that only leaves Poli." "Lois no! We talked about this, remember. In fact, Poli was the on= e who brought it up. It could have been anyone on board the ship. Why would you suspect Poli? I can't believe you suspect Poli." Kal marched off across the room his head shaking in puzzlement. Lois shrugged. "I don't really know why.... And, yes, Poli did mention it but that doesn't prove a thing.... It's just something that's= been buzzing around in my head lately. I just don't think he's very happ= y inside or that he's everything he appears to be." The worried pacing stopped and Kal turned to Lois incredulously. = "Wait a minute.... Are you saying what I think you're saying? That Poli= has been working for Nor the whole time.... But that would mean that Poli= is the... assassin?" "No.... Yes.... I don't know! I just think that perhaps you don't= know him as well as you think." Lois sighed into the heated atmosphere o= f the room. "And no, I don't really think that he's a murderer... but I think he might be a little jealous of your friendship with Ching." "And you think that would be enough for him to break his oath to me.= .. to betray me?!" "It might! People can do very weird things when they're consumed wi= th jealousy." "But Poli is my friend! I'd trust him with my life! I already have= !" Kal squatted down and made himself comfortable by Lois' chair, taking he= r hands into his clasp. "You couldn't know because it happened before I ca= me to get you and Poli doesn't like to talk about it... says it embarrasses him... so we don't... talk about it; though I did want to reward him somehow but he wouldn't have that either... just said he was doing his job." For some moments Kal's eyes glazed over in reminiscence while Lois= sat quietly waiting. "Poli had just been assigned as my second bodyguard= for my proposed visit to Earth. At that time it hadn't been sanctioned wholeheartedly and Zor sent me with Ching and Poli to Scheih-Ellion while= he tried to persuade the council to grant me permission to woo you. It w= as almost the end of autumn but the weather had been unusually mild and like= any normal energetic men we didn't like to spend much time in doors. I remember there were a number of young unicorns waiting to be broken to th= e saddle so we offered our services to the head groom and he was quite happ= y to put us to work. It seemed that one particular mare had proved to be a= little feisty and had tossed a couple of riders and broken a few of their= bones which left him short handed. She was a beautiful animal though... = a chestnut, fine boned but with a promise of developing strength and a coat= that gleamed with warmth and colour... and she had fire in her eyes..." "Sounds like she made a deep impression on you. This wouldn't be Firefly we're talking about?" Lois smiled. She'd seen the lovely unicor= n in the stables at Scheih-Ellion. Firefly was Kal's chosen mount while there and no one else could master her. Sitting on the floor, Kal smiled up at his wife. "She's mellowed quite a lot since that day." "What happened?" "We worked hard on the training and finally, the time came to take them for their first ride. I remember, it was a lovely day... a little cold but the sun was shining. Anyway, we went a little further than we intended and into rougher pathways than we ought to have gone. Firefly p= ut a front leg into a snakehole and was bitten. Being so inexperienced and skittish she threw me... hard. She was terrified and though the bite wasn't deadly it must have been excruciatingly painful. She kicked out a= t the nearest thing around her which happened to be me. The first kick connected and with that and the fall I was totally winded.... I couldn't= move. I lay frozen on the ground and saw her lower her head. I waited f= or the attack, thinking that it could be my last moment on Krypton and that I'd never get to meet you. Then she charged; it all happened so fast and= Poli was there... throwing himself over my body. He took the horn thrust= that was meant for me. He saved my life." "Was he hurt badly?" "He was gored in the shoulder... it was bad enough. Ching caught Firefly and managed to calm her down and we brought Poli back to Scheih-Ellion where he was taken care of. But the important thing is tha= t he didn't take time to think of his own safety. He put his own life in danger to save me. Does that sound like someone who would go over to the= enemy whenever the going got tough?" Lois studied the clasped hands in her lap. "No," she volunteered on= a whisper. "You're right.... It was a crazy idea." Disengaging one of his hands, Kal tilted Lois' face towards him till= he could look into her hauntingly troubled eyes. "But you're right about= one thing. I have been so preoccupied with other things that I've totall= y forgotten about Poli's career. He has a right to be upset; after all Ching's a Major now, though he does have more years in service. The leas= t I can do is ask the military to give him his captaincy. Poli's now in charge of your safety and so he's entitled to the promotion.... Unless, = of course, you're still uncomfortable with Poli as your personal guard. I could find another post for him... somewhere where he wouldn't feel dismissed." "No!" Lois could see the uncertainty and the dismay hidden in the depth of Kal's gaze. Clearly he trusted Poli and it seemed he was right = to do so.... The Lieutenant had quite probably saved her husband's life and= that meant a great deal to her. Lois buried her niggling suspicions for the present and hurried to make amends for the doubts and added anxieties= she'd placed in his soul. "No, Kal. I don't know what got into me.... = I'm just clutching at straws. I like Poli and he's almost as much of a worry-wort as you when it comes to taking care of my health. Leave thing= s as they are and make sure you promote Poli, though, no doubt he'll be as proud as a peacock with his new rank... there'll be no living with him." = The thought made her laugh and Kal was quick to join her. For a second o= r two both forgot the terrible news.... But only for a second. "What will= happen to Earth, Kal?" Her laughter ended on a choked sob. "My family...." "Lois, they're not alone. Just as soon as we can organise the fleet= we'll be going to their aid. Meanwhile, though, there's something that y= ou can do." "Me!" Lois sat up eagerly, pleased that there was something she cou= ld do to help. "What?!" "Warn Earth!" ***** = It was a very pale First Lady who was escorted by her husband into t= he crowded council chamber. The edgy whorls of conversation ceased at the opening of the door and hung heavily in the air as all eyes regarded the rounded, tired figure of their young consort with, it had to be said, a great deal of sympathy. Lady Lois had made her home with them here on Krypton but that didn't mean that she shouldn't feel anguished for her ho= me planet which found itself in imminent jeopardy. Lord Kal-El settled Lois into her chair as comfortably as he could,= then turned to address his councillors and staff. "Gentlemen, please be seated!" He waited with as much patience as he could muster while his request was obeyed and a hurried shuffling and scraping of chairs filled the room as everyone hurried to comply. "As you know this is a dire emergency and so I will dispense with any time-wasting protocol and get straight to the point. The outlaw Rad-Nor," he would not dignify the man= 's position by giving him his title, "has persuaded the Taureans and some of= their more predatory allies to assist himself and a number of Kryptonians= who remain loyal to his lordship, to attack my wife's home, the planet Earth." "And this news has been verified?" From the darkened part of the ro= om at the end of the long council table came a disembodied voice, the forerunner of a hologram which scintillated into life with Dax-Ver stridi= ng to the forefront of a similar, though far-off gathering. Kal looked up and addressed the figure which slowly took on a more substantial shape before him. "Glad to see you could join us, Lord Dax-Ver. I think that Krypton will be in need of your expertise once mor= e and we'd be glad of your input into this meeting on strategic planning." The holo-figure clasped his hand and bowed his head in greeting. "I= t is my pleasure to serve you, sire, and Krypton. As you see," and at that= he turned and gestured to the noblemen seated around his table, "I have taken the liberty of bringing together the family leaders in this quadran= t in order that we can address this situation with as much urgency as it demands." "Thank you, Dax. It is good to have you with us and my thanks to al= l of your guests." Kal let his eyes trail over the gentlemen in the hologr= am with a faint smile of gratitude, yet his mind never strayed from the gravity of the crisis. "As to your first question... there can be no dou= bt of Rad-Nor's intentions. Commander Jace has tracked the flotilla heading= towards Earth's solar-system and, as Earth is the only habitable world there, it would seem the most likely destination. Even as we speak he ha= s probably entered that solar-system.... So we don't have much time." "But why would Nor attack Earth?" asked a curious councillor seated near the end of the table, voicing the thought that was concerning most o= f his peers. "I would assume that being forced to abandon his claim on Krypton, N= or has substituted Earth for his plans for world domination." Kal allowed a= few moments for this piece of information to sink in. "Earth is a fair planet, with rich mineral deposits and natural bounty; its atmosphere is= conducive to our physiology and would make an excellent home for exiled Kryptonians. But it already has an indigenous population, and one whom I= 'm certain Nor hopes to enslave. Unfortunately, while Earth's fields of technology and science do have a great deal of potential, they are still fairly primitive when compared to the weaponry of the Kryptonians and Taureans and the people of Earth will be subjugated if we do not put a st= op to Nor." = "But should we interfere with a world so far away?" That came from the newly appointed Second Councillor. = Beside him, Kal could feel Lois bristle. He didn't blame her but he= prayed that she would restrain herself... an argument at this point wouldn't help persuade his council that aiding Earth was the best procedure. He also hoped that the Second Councillor's opinions weren't endemic throughout his council. Kal hurried to cut in before Lois had a chance to speak.... Only to find that an other voice had beaten him to i= t. "I find that question rather unsavoury, Lord Dinzi," said Trey as he= rose to his feet, hoping against hope that he hadn't been saddled with another Mai as his deputy. "Earth is a totally innocent planet which is completely unaware of its vulnerability. If it hadn't been for the laws = of our world demanding that the heir be married to an off-worlder and our subsequent invitation to Lady Lois to be our First Lady, the planet Earth= would probably never have been brought to Nor's attention. Inadvertently= perhaps, but nevertheless Krypton is responsible for the attack by our renegade Lord on this blameless world. And I wholeheartedly agree with t= he First Lord that it is our duty to deal with the consequences." "I second the motion!" Remy rose to all of his inconsiderable heigh= t. "I also," floated Dax's voice from the holoscreen. Around the table both in Elvar and Veren Lords were standing or nodding their heads vigorously in agreement. The Second Minister looked = a trifle shaken at the force of the response and he gulped nervously before= adding an amendment to his earlier statement. = "I didn't mean to suggest that we as Krytonians shouldn't bear responsibility; I was just wondering what Lord Kal-El's plans were." The= man almost trembled with nervousness. He was making such a mess in this his first important council meeting. Dinzi was also aware of what the others were thinking.... After all, he'd stepped straight into the shoes= of a man who'd proved to be a spy and a traitor. He needed to gain his First Lord's trust and that of his senior. "If we intend to help Earth then this is a very big undertaking and as Nor and his allies are already= approaching their target, shouldn't we formulate our attack plan as soon = as possible." Phew! Heads were nodding again and Trey and the old nobleman= settled back into their places. "Sire, you wish to continue?!" "Yes, indeed!" The Lord of El regarded Dinzi with puzzlement, his thoughts very similar to Trey's. Surely, they couldn't have been landed with another mole? As a councillor, Dinzi had always seemed to be serious-minded yet unbiased; he had been an acceptable candidate for all councillors as Mai's replacement... and until today, Kal had been quite satisfied with the man's performance of his duty. But there was no time for worrying speculation. In that, Dinzi was correct... the question of Earth's fate was paramount. "I propose that a rescue fleet should be sen= t to Earth, forthwith; I intend to personally take charge of the mission wi= th Dax-Ver as my advisor and in actual command of the fleet. If, of course,= he will agree." Kal looked towards the holoscreen and was relieved to se= e Lord Ver smiling. "I do, my Lord!" His attention fixed on Dax, Kal didn't immediately see the shocked faces around the table. "My Lord?" Trey queried. "Do you think that's wise?" "Excuse me?!" Kal's wandering attention returned to those nearest him. "For you to go with the fleet? I mean, it's a battle fleet and the= re will no doubt be fighting. Should you place yourself in danger?" Taking a deep breath, Kal prepared to fight the objections... objections that he had known would arise. "Trey, gentlemen and my Lady..= . I chose Lois. I asked her to come here and for me, she agreed to travel the length of the galaxy to become my bride." Kal appropriated his wife'= s hand and absentmindedly drew soft circles on her smooth skin. "For that she became the target of an evil villain and now her home world has been drawn into the net of this vile monster.... And so, I feel, in some way,= personally accountable for Earth's plight. I couldn't equate it with my conscience if I sent my soldiers... to ask them to put themselves in jeopardy, to do what I believe is my duty. I would have no right to be First Lord if I stayed safe at home while my people fought a battle which= I unwittingly caused. And as my High Council, I would expect no less than that you support me in the fulfilment of my coronation vows." At some point during the speech, Kal had risen to his feet and now a= ll eyes were fixed on his person. There could be no doubt in anyone's mind that they had indeed chosen well when they had anointed this young man as= their ruler. They were afraid for him; sending him to a war zone was an onerous undertaking, but somehow no one in either council chamber had the= heart to deny him his rightful place at the head of his armed forces. Wi= th heavy hearts each voiced their acquiescence. tbc in Part 27 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 02:35:19 -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/Part27 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 27 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 ~~~~~~~~~~ The rest of the meeting was made up of discussing strategic plans an= d configurations of the fleet which would chase after Nor's invading force.= = Thankfully, because of the volatile nature of the worlds that made up thi= s galaxy and all the ones beyond, a large spaceforce was always on standby and it wouldn't take much time and trouble for them to be mobilized for t= he mission. Kal gave the floor over to Dax-Ver who was obviously the most experienced in military manoeuvres of all the councilmen and very deftly = a plan began to take shape. Within the hour the meeting was about to be brought to a close with everyone who had been given a specific task hurrying to do their duty. = However, before the lords had a chance to go, Kal stopped them with a word.... There was something else that needed to be said... two things, actually. "As I'm sure you all appreciate, Nor and his men have a head start o= n us and I doubt that he'll be so accommodating as to wait around for us to= show up before he begins his colonization of Earth. With that in mind I'= ve asked Jace to open a transmission with Earth and I intend that Lady Lois should warn them of the danger they face and that help is on the way. An= d that meanwhile, they should stall for time and do nothing to antagonise their attackers." "I think that would be good." Once more Trey sought to support his leader but he couldn't hide his scepticism and his next question was directed at the First Lady "But do you think that you can persuade them not to fight back. Given Earth's history, I doubt that they'll take bein= g conquered lying down." "I very much doubt that also, Trey... but knowing what Kal and I know... I'm afraid resistance will be useless...." Lois faltered to a halt, unsure of whether Kal intended to reveal the 'secret' or not. = Surely, if the Kryptonians -- good or bad -- landed on Earth that would n= o longer be a secret. Lois' eyebrows lifted at Kal in a silent question an= d in return she received a small, yielding smile. Lois was right. "What my wife has quite correctly refrained from telling you is that= certain things happen to Kryptonians on Earth. I've known about this sin= ce living there myself but swore Lois and my bodyguards to secrecy because o= f the dangerous temptation it might present to less scrupulous members of o= ur society. On Earth our race develops certain powers... certain super powers. I'm not clear about the reason for this but Ching, Poli and I di= d surmise that it had something to do with Earth's weaker gravity and the fact that their sun is yellow and not red like our own... perhaps it give= s off some other kind of radiation. But all that is for the scientists to discover. I only know that in Earth's atmosphere, we can fly, are very strong and fast and all our senses become acute... hearing, seeing, touch= and smell. And then there's heat and x-ray vision.... Oh, and our bodies= become invulnerable to injury. With all these attributes, Kryptonians don't need weapons to take over Earth, they can easily kill with a glance= or a blow. The people of Earth have no defence against such things and they should be told what to expect." An awed silence had filled the room= and Kal slowly realised that he was being regarded with some incredulity.= = "I know that all this is hard to believe, but it is the truth. It took m= y bodyguards and me a little by surprise when we found ourselves floating a= nd hearing distant conversations." Still his lords were watching him with eyes widened in shock. "I made the decision back then that only we three= should spend anytime on Earth so that no one else should be affected, and= that the knowledge should be kept in strict confidence. I'm sorry if you= should disagree with my choice of actions but I still believe I was right= to say nothing and I would've continued to keep this secret had not Nor forced my hand." "I agreed with my husband," Lois' clear young voice rang out in the charged air and it was her turn to seek Kal's hand. "I believed that my people should be better protected if no one knew of this strange phenomenon." "As has been proved by the detestable actions of one of Krypton's mo= st noble lords, Lady Lois." The wise words of Remy sank like a blanket over= the seated men as each acknowledged with some feelings of guilt that thei= r noble' society was less altruistic than they had believed. Yet feelings of guilt wouldn't save the planet Earth and Dax-Ver, being a man more prone to action than introspection, quickly reminded the= gatherings that speed was of the essence and everyone hurried away to do their respective tasks. Apart for preparing and provisioning a large battle fleet in a very short space of time, there were a great many other= jobs to be taken care off. Medical facilities and support ships for the fleet had to be organised; communication channels had to be opened and th= e news had to be broken to the populous of Krypton... both the word of Nor'= s dastardly declaration of war on the planet Earth and Lord Kal-El's subsequent rescue mission. And there was also the imminent assembly of the Federation of Planet= s. Trey had been elected to contact all members and give them the unwelcome= news that the conference had to be postponed. It was very regrettable bu= t unavoidable under the circumstances. The trouble was that some of the representatives were already on their way and a number of governments cho= se to come regardless... deeming that if one member of the Federation were involved in an armed conflict then technically they were too. Perhaps, a= s allies, they could aid Krypton in its struggle. It was good to see that the concept of the United Planets actually worked when faced with a real life situation. Kryptonians faced the future with grim yet stoical determination as they prepared to loose the one thing which had been thei= rs for so long and which they now realised they had come to take for granted... the state of peace. ***** = Far across the galaxy in a king-sized bed a lone man lay slumbering = in a deep and peaceful sleep. It was a quiet summer night and a tiny breeze= lifted the edges of the gossamer white curtains that covered the open window. The open window that so annoyed and frustrated his security people. But regardless of the breach in security which the agents maintained it presented, President Owen West was not about to give up a habit he had acquired during his boyhood spent in the wide countryside of= Montana where he roamed wild as a young boy and questions of security and= bodyguards were a hypothetical thing of the future. = The President of the United States was justly tired having returned earlier that day from a meeting with the world's heads of government regarding the economic crisis facing the third world. It had been a long= hard slog but eventually a consensus had been reached by the leading countries on a policy to aid these struggling nations which hopefully wou= ld not beggar the developed world.... The problem for the future would be h= ow well these countries obeyed the letter of the treaty. Getting agreement was less difficult than making sure that those involved lived up to that agreement and so often the US was expected to police these treaties... with, it must be added, a few of their allies. The United Nations had be= en formed for just this purpose but it relied on the strength of its more important members to give its resolutions teeth. But President West had put all work-related' problems behind him for= a few hours as he spent the early evening having dinner with his family. I= t was a pity that his wife had to fly off to Metropolis to preside over a charity auction on the next day but it was for disadvantage and disabled children and that was his wife's favourite hobby horse; she couldn't leav= e the last minute preparations to her assistants even for a husband who had= just returned home. And besides, she wanted to catch up with her old friend Lex Luthor who was the co-organizer of this bash. For some moment= s as he'd said goodbye, he'd wondered if he should be jealous of the guy. = Luthor was certainly good-looking, charming and very, very rich.... But= no, Lex was an old friend and, even if his wife was still an attractive woman, she was a little too mature. Owen West had noticed with a feeling= of vague disapproval that Lex's tastes ran to something a little younger.= As his wife had left some hours previously, West had chosen to reti= re early and was now sleeping the sleep of the just. The clock by his bedsi= de glowed redly in the darkness, showing that the midnight hour had past a f= ew moments ago. "Mr President! Mr President!" The anxious and slightly timorous voice was accompanied by a stealthy knocking. "Are you awake, sir?" The hushed voice was replaced by a deeper and more urgent one. "Get= out of the way, Jenny. I hardly think that tiny falsetto of yours could = be heard behind a sheet of paper let alone a thick door and this could be urgent." A heavier knock fell on the door. "Mr President!" "Urgent! Hah! I hardly think so," the female whispered. It was a very good thing that she'd decided to stay-over to get a jump on compilin= g the minutes for the tax-cut meetings. Jenny Fisher had been with the President for a very long time, much longer than he'd been president, and= , when Mrs West was out of town, she always stepped into the breach to defe= nd the poor man from young, over-eager whipper-snappers like this boy. = "You're waking the President up for someone's sick joke!" "We don't know that! And if it's authentic...." The noise of the hushed quarrel had penetrated Owen West's sleep and= he dazedly pushed himself upright, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes = as he did so. "Harry! Jenny! Get in here! And this better be good!" Wes= t glanced at the clock.... "It's just gone twelve, I've only been a sleep for just over an hour!" The door opened a crack and two white faces peered around the edge, ghostly in the moonshine sifting through the window. "Sir," said Harry a= s he insinuated his way into the room past the thick and dressing-robed bod= y of the president's secretary. "Something very strange is happening and I= thought it should be brought to your attention..." But the young aid seemed unable to continue under the sharpening stare of his president. "What?! Has war broken out or something.... Has there been some so= rt of disaster.... My wife! Has something happened to my wife?!" "Oh no, sir!" Jenny bustled into the room cinching her belt tighter= round her fleecy robe which was probably a bit warm for this time of year= but the elderly secretary chose modesty above comfort or fashion. "You mustn't think that. It seems you have a phone call and I don't see why y= ou have to be disturbed when you've just gone to bed but this fool of a boy here thinks that it might be urgent." = "But it could!" A fully dressed fool of a boy came further into the room and his indignation leant him courage. "You do have a phone call, sir, and we felt that you should take it sir." "Who thought I should take it?" "Johnstone... the National Security advisor," Harry added. "I know who Bert Johnstone is, Harry!" "Yes, sir.... And the caller said it was an international emergency.... And we're still trying to get hold of the Secretary of Defence, sir." "The Secretary of Defence! You think he's needed here?" The Preside= nt regarded his aid with something akin to awe. "You took it on yourself to= call the Secretary? Harry, you have hidden depths." "Not personally, no sir! Please sir, the phone call." And Harry pointed to the phone on the President's bedside cabinet. "Ah, yes, the mysterious caller." West wriggled across the bed and dropped his feet to the floor, eyeing the phone like it was a predatory insect. "Is he some illusive bomber or a terrorist holding hostages who will only speak to the President?" "No, sir!" For the first time Harry's eyes wouldn't meet his president's. He dug his hands deeper into his pockets in an effort to ke= ep them still.... What if he was wrong and this was a hoax? "It's not a he... it's a she and she says she's Lois Lane!" "Lois Lane!" Now it was Harry's turn to feel like an insect under Owen West's stare. "Who is Lois Lane and what does she want?" "She says she used to live in Metropolis but that she now lives on Krypton!" "Krypton!" West reviewed his school day geography for a moment and his more present day international briefings. His head shook from side-to-side as he came up empty. "Never heard of it! Remind me! Which= country is that in?!" Harry's teeth ground together... he'd reached the hard part. "Huh, = it isn't actually a country...." "Then what is it?" His chief's head was making even wider movements= . "It's a planet," the thoroughly uncomfortable aid rushed out. "A planet!" "Yes! And it is in our galaxy but way cross the other side!" The President's gaze was like a microscope with Harry on a slide und= er it's baleful eye. "Harry, have you been drinking?" "No, sir! And I'm not on any medication. I'm just repeating what this Lane woman told me and if you'd just pick up the phone then she'd te= ll you too!" "Harry, maybe she's been drinking or on medication! The woman is clearly a nut! How could you let her get through this far?" "My sentiments exactly, Mr President!" Jenny huffed. "Sir, I haven't completely taken leave of my senses. The FBI are trying to track down this Lois Lane even as we speak and we have put a trace on the call!" Harry announced slightly piqued. "And that's where = it starts to get really weird." "Can it get any more weird?!" But at the crestfallen look from Harr= y, Owen West, mellowed a little. After all, the young man had never shown a= ny signs of insanity in the past. "Go on! What have you got?" He rose fro= m the bed and, slipping on a robe for the sake of Jenny's sensibilities, = crossed to seat himself on a more comfortable sofa. Somehow he just knew= this was going to be a long night. Harry, appearing somewhat mollified, came to stand before his leader= . = "Like I said, we requested a trace to be put on the call and we couldn't exactly pinpoint it as being from anywhere on Earth. The technicians at the listening station at St Salvador's say that it's coming in via one of= our military satellites but that its origins are somewhere out there." = Harry's hands gestured airily towards the window and the sky beyond. = "They've checked and double checked and they say there's no doubt... this= message is from outer space!" "Could this be some elaborate hoax?" This was certainly looking mor= e interesting and Owen edged forward in his seat. "Could this be the resul= t of some computer hackers?" "I suppose it's possible but the communication experts don't think so." West changed course. "Did this woman say why she was calling?" "I'm afraid so, sir." Harry's head and voice dropped. "According t= o her we're about to be attacked by aliens." "What! You have to be kidding me!" "Maybe you should talk to her, Mr President! She did say she wanted= to talk to you!" Mr President, jumped up from his seat and took a quick march about t= he room. He threw a beseeching look at his aid and his secretary and heaved= a giant sigh. "Okay! But I have a very bad feeling about this!" tbc in Part 28 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 02:35:40 -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/Part28 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Title: Universal Union Book3/Part 28 Author: Jenni Debbage Rating: PG-13 ~~~~~~~~~~ Crossing to the phone, he picked it up gingerly, almost afraid that = it might burn him. "Miss Lane, this is the President of the United States speaking, what is it that you want to tell me? But I warn you, if this i= s some kind of sick joke, you will be dealt with very severely." "Huh! You'd have to catch me first," came the distant voice of the caller. "Excuse me!" Light years away in Jace's communication basement, an impatient elbo= w was dug gently into Lois' side and she sent an apologetic glance at Kal. = "Sorry, Mr President! This really isn't the time for humour. I've been trying to get through to you for ages and every second counts... Nor coul= d get there at anytime now." "Nor? Is that a name? What or who is Nor?" "Well, his full name is Rad-Nor, Lord Rad-Nor, actually, and he's an= enemy of my husband, who is the ruler of Krypton, and he was exiled becau= se he tried to take over the throne... but you don't need to know that... so= I'll just tell you that he's now on his way to Earth with an invasion for= ce and you have to warn everyone that he's a ruthless killer and that he mea= ns to make all of you his slaves and that on no account should you try to fight him!" "Miss Lane, if what you say is true and Earth is under attack from some alien entity then you can hardly expect us to just sit around and do= nothing. Not unless you're in cahoots with these aliens' and don't want = us to defend ourselves." "I am not!" Lois' indignation threatened to choke her but she swallowed hard and continued. She had to get through to him, otherwise t= he consequences were unthinkable. "Mr West, sir, these entities as you call= them are incredibly strong and powerful... they can even fly....." "Fly! Like a bird, you mean?! This is some kind of joke!" West wa= s tempted to slam down the phone. This woman could not be for real! Yet, members of his security team were filing into the room and gesturing that= he should keep on talking. "I only wish it were, Mr President. But the good thing is that we doubt that all the invasion forces will have these powers... only the Kryptonians. The Taureans will have to rely on weapons but their weapons= are vastly superior to your own and we just want you to stall for time until help arrives." "Taureans! Don't tell me... they're the bull people!" "Funny, that's just what I thought when I heard about them... but, i= n my opinion, they look more like pigs.... Though they are human... in a manner of speaking." "Lo-is!" Kal's voice was rising in desperation. The man on the oth= er end of this communication must be totally confused by now, given the fact= that he wasn't used to Lois' tendency to babble. "Sorry! My husband's just reminded me that I tend to ramble on a bi= t when I'm nervous." Lois offered Kal an apologetic shrug. "So, I'll get right to the point. I know that you find this very hard to believe but Earth is in great danger... the greatest danger it's ever known. Very so= on now a flotilla of spacecraft will enter Earth's orbit and you'll be faced= with an enemy that you have little chance of defending yourselves against...." Into the president's quickly filling bedroom came a tall, craggy-fac= ed man whose pale blue eyes held the shades of experiences which most ordina= ry mortals would rather be without. "Owen, Mr President," Bert Johnstone ha= d known the president for many years and his familiarity was not only tolerated but welcomed. "We've found Lois Lane!" The president's expressive eyebrows shot up and he injected a conciliatory note into his voice. If this poor woman was crazy then it w= as probably best for the moment to play along with her. "Excuse me for a minute, miss, I have to confer with one of my advisors." "He put me on hold!" Lois' shoulders lifted and her hands turned palm-wards to the heavens as strains of the Battle Hymn of the Republic drifted aetherially through the eons of space. "Can you believe that guy?!" President West beckoned Johnstone further into the room. "So if you've found Lane then this woman is an imposter!" "Not necessarily, sir. We haven't actually, physically found Lane."= = The security chief watched as his friend and boss dropped back into the sofa. "We know that a Lois Lane lived in Metropolis and was a student at= Metro U's school of journalism... seems she was a real bright kid.... Wo= n Lex Luthor's award for excellence. Then one day, around two years ago, s= he just packed up a few things and vanished." "Vanished?!" "Yeah! Her family filed a missing person's report and the police looked into it but found nothing suspicious. Her room-mate said she'd be= en dating Luthor, so the police checked in with him, very discreetly, of course, and he told them that he had taken her out to dinner, in the role= of mentor, as it were. It appears the last he saw of Ms Lane was when he'd dropped her off on campus and she'd walked of with this young guy. = The next day she packed a bag and left a note for her friend saying goodb= ye and that she wasn't to worry. The sergeant in charge of the case put her= down as a runaway and it turned out to be so as both the mother and siste= r reported that she'd phoned them sometime later.... Only thing was, Lane never revealed her whereabouts." "You're not suggesting she could be in outer space?" "Normally, I wouldn't suggest anything so incredulous." The president's sigh was heartfelt. "What do you want me to do?" "Keep her talking. They're rerunning the trace on the call." "Is that really necessary? I mean this can't be for real!" The craggy-eyebrows drew into a frown. "Mr West, sir, are you willi= ng to take the chance if it is?" "You have a point, Bert. Okay, but tell them to be quick. I really= want to get back to bed. This has been one helluva day!" West composed himself and returned his attention to the phone call. "Miss Lane, it see= ms that my people confirm that you lived in Metropolis until a couple of yea= rs ago and that you were last seen in the company of a young man." "You're back at last!" Lois' exclamation was a mixture of thankfulness and frustration. "Yes, that would be Kal-El my husband." "And the two of you were abducted by aliens?" "No! Kal-El is an alien," Lois mouthed the word sorry' to Kal. "An= d, before you ask, no he didn't abduct me. I went of my own free will." "Well, each to his own, I suppose." The president was clearly mystified why anyone would want to leave Earth. Oh, my god! He was starting to act as if this woman was telling the truth. She was talking again and it was only common courtesy to listen to her. "I've been on Krypton for most of these two years and I'm married to= their leader." "Is he like a president or something?" Visions of himself saying ta= ke me to your leader' to some tinny looking robots flashed through his mind and he suppressed a slightly hysterical laugh. "Actually, he's more like a king. Kryptonians have hereditary rulers...." "Oh, a dictatorship?" "Indeed it is not! Kal has a council and he must rule within the strict confines of the law. Besides, he wouldn't ever do anything that wasn't in the best interests of his people. Kryptonians aren't like that= ." "And yet, the purpose of you're communication is to warn me that a Kryptonian is about to attack Earth." President West's voice cut like a razor. "Unless that is in Krypton's best interests." "No, sir, I can assure you that it is not." A new deeper-timbered voice could be heard in the president's bedroom. A voice soft yet anchor= ed with power. "As my Lady has just explained, the Kryptonian who is on his= way to Earth is an exile. Believe me, my people mean you and yours no harm." "And you, I take it, are this Kalel person?" demanded the president.= "I am. I'm also aware how sceptical you are but my wife and I are telling the truth which regrettably you'll find out all too soon." While= Kal was speaking, Jace began furiously signalling his leader. "Excuse me= , Mr President, but it's my turn to ask you to hold. Please, I beg you, do= not hang up!" = The words might have been a request but the tone was commanding and,= strangely, West found himself waiting while back in the communications ro= om Kal redirected his attention. = "What is it, Jace?" "Sire, I think that I can project a holo-image along the communication's beam. I'm not completely sure that it would work. Earth= technology might not be up to it... but it's just possible that I can boo= st it from here." "And they would see the image in the White House?" Lois asked in wonder and as Jace nodded in agreement. "Geeze! That should give them something to think about!" "Go ahead, Jace! And Lois, not a word to anyone on the other end fo= r now. No use telling them that they're about to see something that might not happen." Lois laughed. "No point in making them think we're bigger kooks tha= n they already do, huh?" "Exactly!" Nevertheless, Kal found himself standing taller and taki= ng Lois' hand into his own. If this did get through then they might as well= give something of a show. "President West, my purpose and my lady's was = to try to persuade you not to antagonise your attackers but to wait until I and my fleet can come to your aid. Then I'd be extremely grateful for an= y help that you and the forces of Earth can provide." "Hey, wait a minute, you're intending to come here? Who's to say th= at you're not the invader and that this Nor guy is just a myth?" A hazy transparent cloud started to form in the busy bedroom and people started falling back, struggling to get out of its way. Within seconds the cloud started to form shapes, shimmering, slightly translucen= t yet very recognisable shapes. Two people, two young people. A man and a= woman with others around them in a dimly lit room. "That's Lois Lane, Owen," Johnstone gestured toward the female image= . "My god! Where is that coming from? Who is doing this?" The leade= r of the free world looked round in some sort of shock at his staff. "Is that a hologram? Who ever is doing this step forward!" = The deep voice was speaking again only this time it was issuing from= the dark-haired man in the apparition. "I'm afraid that's our technology= . = We would have warned you but we weren't totally certain that we could project so far." The couple stepped further into the president's bedroom= . = "My name is Lord Kal-El and this is my wife Lady Lois-El. We greet you."= "Hallo, Mr President, nice to meet you," said the lady with a tiny twinkle in her eye. "I can't see you, but I just bet you're tongue-tied.= = I know I've been that way myself a time or two since coming here." = Lois was right. The president was speechless as was everyone else. = There was total silence in the room which suddenly ended when the presidential staff began versing their concerns all at once. On Krypton the background babble sounded almost hysterical. This was not going well= . "President West," Lois called. "Mr President, we didn't mean to startle you, we just want to warn you." The heavily pregnant young woman in the hologram leaned forward anxiously. "You have to believe us. We mean you no harm but we are from= a planet far away." West's dropped jaw closed. "Yes, I think I'm beginning to believe that you are a little... unusual." "Mr President, I think we have to believe them." The Secretary of Defence burst into the already crowded room followed closely by a heavily= decorated General, the appointed chairman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. = "There are reports coming in from various points of the world. UFOs have= been sighted over Beijing, Paris, Sydney and New York. The world is unde= r global assault, sir." "And this has been confirmed?" "We don't really need confirmation; just switch on the TV." Harry sidled forward, passing through the airy hologram on his way. = He felt a slight tingle sweep through him, though he couldn't be certain whether it was from his touching the vision or just plain nervousness. = Quickly he reached down and turned on the TV. Everyone watched as the international broadcasters and cameramen told of the plight of their citizens in word and picture, leaving no doubt that their holographic visitors had spoken the truth. "What's being done about this?" President West demanded as the broadcast cut to familiar scenes of a busy night in New York; only this time the crowds had received much more than they could ever have expected= . = "Our forces are fighting back?" His voice tailed away as he watched a beam of fiery red light emanate from an alien craft and take out a whole building. In the streets below people ran screaming as they tried to avo= id the flying debris. Many were unsuccessful and they perished under the flaming rubble. "Dear God! Where are our defence forces?" "We're doing our best, sir, but they took us completely by surprise.= = We immediately answered with a full-scale attack but we're losing fighter= s quicker than we can get them in the air." This time the General replied.= = "As you can see, these aliens have superior fire- power." = A sudden thought hit West. "Can they fly?" "Fly, sir? Who can fly?" "These Extra-terrestrials!" The defence secretary shot his companion a surprised look. "I don't= believe that's been reported, sir." "Huh!" West exclaimed in some satisfaction. He really hadn't swallowed the super powers thing. "No beings who can fly!" "If I might speak?" Kal-El raised his hand to gain the alarmed Earthlings' attention. "That would be correct. The powers take a short time to develop but after that the Kryptonians amongst the attackers will= become invincible." "How long do these powers take to manifest themselves?" West wasn't= quite ready to accept all that this young couple inferred yet it was best= to learn as much as possible about the enemy. "Around three days or so." The First Lord of Krypton was just as determined to prove his point. "Then we have to stop them before that can happen." "President West, I sincerely wish that you could do so but Earth jus= t doesn't have the capability. And the reason you're radar didn't pick up the space fleet is because of the cloaking devices. I'm sorry but Earth doesn't have the technology to fight these people." Kal softened his voi= ce to show that he meant no disrespect. "Sir, I don't know anything about super powers," the Secretary of Defence added, "but this young man is correct. These space invaders don'= t need anymore powers. They're swatting our fighters like flies." His eye= s darted to the TV screen as the one-sided battle was depicted from all ove= r the world. "What about our missile-systems?" Again Kal answered. "Exploding harmlessly against the force-fields.= = There's no way your weapons can penetrate the invaders' shields. Even a concerted strike couldn't dent the Taurean defences." "A nuclear strike?" "Mr President, these spaceships are in your atmosphere," Kal sounded= slightly horrified. "Are you prepared to expose your own population to t= he fallout from such explosions. And I very much doubt that it would have much impact on your enemy. Your own people would be the losers." A very subdued and troubled President watched the graphic scenes unfold on the television screen when unexpectedly the picture blinked the= n disappeared leaving behind a flicker of snow. Slowly he raised his stricken eyes to meet the compassionate gaze of the dark-haired handsome youth before him. "What was it you wanted me to do, Lord Kal-El?" "Persuade the rest of Earth's governments to parley with the invader= s until we can get there to rescue you. In Rad-Nor you're dealing with a power-crazed megalomaniac. Stall for time and do nothing to antagonise h= im into destroying you. My forces will make all speed. May your God be wit= h you." The hologram began to pulsate gently and it was clear the transmissi= on was ending. "Lord Kal-El," West called into the dimming glow. "Are your forces more powerful than his?" "I certainly hope so, Mr President." "So do I, son, so do I!" The stunned occupants of the room still stared at the now empty spac= e till, finally, the General shook himself from his stupor. "What happens now? We can't just sit around and do nothing? Our people are being slaughtered!" West walked over to his open window, raising his eyes to the night sky, fearful that one of the great spacecraft would be hanging in the darkness, ready to wreak death and destruction on his beautiful capitol city. Yet, thankfully, all was quiet and only the night stars twinkled unconcernedly back at him. His shoulders slumped as he relived the scene= s he'd witnessed on the TV screens. "What do you suggest, General Broderic= k? Have we any way of defeating these aliens?" For some seconds it seemed as if the General would bluster with some= ill-conceived jingoistic nonsense but common-sense won out. "No, sir, no= t at this present time." "Then we do what this Lord Kal-El suggests... we stall." Owen West turned back to his people. There was a grim but strongly determined set = to his features. "These aliens might have us out-gunned but that's not the only weapon in our arsenal. The boy said that this Nor was a megalomania= c and usually these people are fairly susceptible to a little flattery. Se= e if you can open a channel to these invaders and get me the heads of government for the countries under attack and our allies. If we can't out-gun him let's see if we can outwit him." A whole different atmosphere pervaded the room as people hurried to carry out the President's requests. The world might be in greater danger= than they'd ever faced but they weren't dead-in-the-water yet.... And, i= f the hologram thing was for real, they'd just acquired a pretty powerful ally. This Nor guy had better watch out. ***** tbc in Part 29 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 08:25:11 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: NEW: Imbalance -- Prologue In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Fri, 25 May 2001 15:43:44 EDT "Alexis W." wrote: > This might be a stupid question... but I'm so behind on my reading that I needed to know this. Does this particular fanfic have a series of stories we have to read before it, in order to follow along?!? < No, Alexis, this is neither a stupid question nor do you need to have read anything else. "Imbalance" takes off, so to speak, after the episode "Lois and Clarks", although there's a gap of unspecified duration between AltClark going home at the end of the episode and the start of the story. 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: Tue, 29 May 2001 09:05:38 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wingate Subject: my own request MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hiya I'm going to be starting a Lois & Clark section on my fanfiction site, and I was wondering if I could get submissions from the people here on the list. I'd really appreaciate it. If you do, just get back with me and we'll go from there. :-) Crystal AIM/AOL=CRSunrise Yahoo=CRSunrise_98 ICQ=93224161 ~~Life's a constant roadway. There are many twists and turns. You also have to watch out for the potholes~~ ~~Take one step at a time or you'll fall flat on your face~~ A League of Their Own http://members.tripod.com/~CRSunrise_98/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 11:07:55 -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: The Case of the Disappearing Clark, 12&13/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Okay - so it's been while! RL has been a pain in the rear, but here is the next two parts of the story. Hopefully the rest of it will be done sooner! ** indicates journal entries ***** >From Part 11: (After the kidnapping is over) Lois just let her head sink to the steering wheel, her body wracked with sobs. Clark's tortured move to comfort her was stopped by a rap on the glass. Dr. Klein had arrived. The Kents exited the vehicle, but Martha had to help the distraught woman out. She put a supporting arm around Lois as her husband helped her son. ***** Parts 12 and 13: "Let's get you inside, Superman." Dr. Klein was going to remain in the dark for now. Clark had slicked his hair back and taken off his glasses in the Jeep. They weren't ready to disclose the big secret to anyone else just yet. Once Clark had painfully seated himself on the exam table, Dr. Klein began to question him. "Now, Superman, what happened?" "I was helping Lois and Clark on an investigation. We felt that the suit and the cape were a bit obvious so Clark loaned me some clothes. Some guy jumped me and before I could do anything about it, someone opened the case with the Kryptonite in it. They beat me up." Clark tried to shrug it off. "Do you have any idea how long you were exposed?" "Not really. The first time was long enough that, combined with the concussion I think I have or had, that I passed out for several hours. They didn't know I was Superman, just some guy that they thought they could get Superman to save. They exposed me to it a couple more times threatening me and trying to get me to call for... well, me. When I didn't, they'd hit me and leave me locked up again. I wasn't strong enough to get away. Lois and the others found me." Dr. Klein gave Clark a check-up and then discussed the findings with him. "Well, Superman, it seems that you are already starting to recover from the effects of the Kryptonite. Some of these cuts should have needed stitches, but they are already starting to close up. I would think that you'll be fine in a couple of days, but I don't know how long it will take for your powers to come back. Long story short - no permanent damage." "Well, that's good." Clark stood carefully. "I'll get out of your hair. And thank you, Dr. Klein." "Anytime - but I'd rather not see you under these circumstances again." Clark smiled. "Understood. You got the Kryptonite from Lois?" "I did. I'm keeping it in a safer place this time." "Thank you." ***** "Come on, Perry. Please." Lois didn't like begging. "Clark's getting a week off." "Oh, fine. But only because I can't get you to be quiet any other way. Take a week. Spend it in Smallville with the Kents. And if you see Superman, tell him to check in on Metropolis as soon as possible. Don't want the criminals getting the wrong idea." "Yes, sir. And thanks, Chief." Lois smiled and hung up the phone. She turned to the Kents. "It's all set. Off to Smallville for a week." "This was a good idea, Lois." Martha packed some more of Clark's things. "Getting Clark out of town so no one realizes that he and Superman are all beat up at the same time was a stroke of genius." "I'll just have to make sure that Superman gets back a lot sooner than Clark does." Martha rolled her eyes. "What, Mom?" "You're talking about yourself in the third person again." "Does he do that often, Martha?" Lois wanted to know more. "Usually just when he's talking about you." "MOM!!!!" "We're going to miss our flight." Jonathan walked in to pick up another set of bags. With that, they left Clark's apartment and headed to the airport. ***** "I hate flying." "Really? I never knew that. I thought you would enjoy it. You certainly seem to." "Oh, I enjoy flying, but there's something *wrong* about flying inside a machine." Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Lois laughed. "Only you would think that, Clark. Here, does that help?" Lois picked up his hand and cradled it gently in her own. Clark smiled at her. "Yes, it does help." He took a deep breath. "I haven't had a chance to thank you, Lois." "For what?" "For saving my life. For not giving up when you couldn't find me. For not hating me." "Anytime." Clark smiled at her. "Just not anytime soon. PLEASE!" Clark's grin started to grow, but quickly changed to a yawn. "I didn't think you needed sleep." "I do." Another yawn. "Just not as much as most people." Another yawn. "But I am pretty wiped out from the last few days. The exposure didn't help." He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. Lois looked at their hands. They looked so right together. "Clark, before you go to sleep, you never answered my question." Lois opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud snore. Clark was already asleep. Lois sighed. She was going to have to wait a little while longer for that answer. She moved the armrest out of the way and snuggled up against Clark and was soon asleep as well. ***** Clark opened his eyes as the aircraft touched down in Kansas, puzzled by the weight on his arm. He looked to see the chestnut brown hair of his best friend on his shoulder. He smiled. He had dreamed of this moment for over a year, being close to this amazing woman. Of telling her everything. It wasn't the way that he would have chosen, but at least it was done. "Lois." He shook her gently. "We're here." "Huh? What?" Lois shook her head. "I had the weirdest dream. You were missing and when we found you there was Kryptonite..." She looked at her partner and best friend, surprised to see the black eye and cut on Clark's forehead. "It wasn't a dream was it?" Clark shook his head. "I wish it had been. My head wouldn't hurt so bad right now if it had been. I don't get headaches very often, you know." "So... none of it was a dream? What Perry said was real?" Clark nodded. Lois let her head fall back against the seat and stared at the ceiling. "I need time to absorb this." "I know. I think that's part of the reason Perry gave you the week off. He knew that you, and we, would need some time to deal with everything." "Come on, kids," Martha cut in, standing up across the aisle. "We want to get home before dark." Lois stood and moved out to let Clark out of the aisle. Clark retrieved their carry-ons and they moved slowly at times, not at all at others, towards the exit. There wasn't an opportunity to talk on the drive to Smallville. Clark shared the front seat with his father while Lois and Martha sat in the back. Clark and Lois both dozed off again on the drive. As they followed the elder Kents into the farmhouse, Clark put his hand on Lois' arm. "Lois, we need to talk." Lois smiled at him, a sad little smile. "It can wait, Clark. We're both tired and we have all week together. Let's just get a good night's sleep, okay?" "Are you sure?" Clark's concern was evident in his battered eyes. Lois nodded. "Yes, I am." And she turned to walk inside. ***** "Lois, you'll be in Clark's room and Clark you'll be on the couch - unless you two..." Martha trailed off as she pointed the two of them. "MOM!" "WHAT?!" "Mom, we" Clark pointed to himself and Lois, "are not..." "Well, I'm a progressive mom. What do I know? I thought you two would be together by now." She shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Clark shifted uncomfortably as he was left alone with Lois. "Uh, I'm sorry, Lois. I don't know what got into her." "It's okay. Don't worry about it." Lois moved awkwardly towards the stairs. "I'm, uh, going to call it a night." "We'll talk tomorrow." "Right. Tomorrow." Clark took a deep breath and crossed the room in one large step. "Lois?" Lois stopped on the first step and turned to look into Clark's eyes. She was almost as tall as him now. Before she knew what was happening, Clark's hands were holding her arms gently and was coming closer. She closed her eyes. She wasn't ready for this, but it was going to happen anyway and she was powerless to stop it. Clark didn't know what possessed him to move to her side, but he couldn't stop himself. She was so close to him, just a few inches away. And then was like a magnet had magically been flipped and they were drawn together. All time stopped as their lips touched. The living room faded into blackness and suddenly they were surrounded by stars, fireworks and a meteor shower rolled into one. Lois' arms snaked around Clark's neck and her hands found their way into his thick dark hair. Clark's arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her closer to him. The kiss intensified until even Clark was out of breath. Finally, Clark pulled back. The living room walls miraculously reappeared and Lois gasped as she realized that she was in Clark's arms, floating several inches off the floor. "Uh, Clark?" she whispered. "Yes, Lois," he whispered back. "Are your, uh, powers back?" "I don't think so. Why?" "I think we're floating." Clark looked down and then smiled at her. "So we are. Being around you is good for me." Lois reached up and took off his glasses. "How did I ever think your eyes looked like mud?" "What?" "Nothing." And her arms moved back around him. "I was really wanting some more of this." And she kissed him again. This was the more reasoned kiss. They both knew it was coming and both wanted it desperately. They knew they still had things to work out, but for now it was enough to be together, to lose themselves in the kiss and forget about the rest. Martha walked in, mouth open to say something, but it snapped shut quickly when she saw her son and Lois floating, heads almost touching the ceiling, wrapped in each others arms. She smiled as she turned and left them alone. She had known it would happen soon. ***** Lois was a pacer. She paced when she was worried. She paced when she was scared. She paced when she was trying to think something through. She paced a lot. She was pacing now. Clark had walked her to his room after they had shared a few more kisses. He had kissed her softly goodnight and closed the door behind her. Lois had changed into her nightshirt and laid down, more than ready for sleep, but it hadn't come. Finally, she rose and started pacing around Clark's room. She looked at the pictures and trophies from his high school years, the mementos of days gone by. She wandered aimlessly through the room, randomly opening drawers and poking through the closet. She didn't know what possessed her to look under the bed, except that she had looked everywhere else. There was nothing there so she paced some more. She explored every nook and cranny of the room and even the closet. She couldn't explain why she did, but she was driven by some inexplicable force. In one corner of the closet, the carpet was loose. She carefully pried it up and found a little hole in the floorboards. Stuck down in the hole was something wrapped in burlap. Lois pulled out the object and when she unwrapped it, she was surprised to see that it was a book. A journal. Clark's journal. ***** Clark's powers were slowly returning. His super-hearing wasn't up to par, but it was better than that of the average human. He could hear Lois pacing around his old room. He sighed. He had hoped that she'd be able to get some sleep, but apparently she was having as hard a time as he was. The kisses they had shared had been incredible. He had never imagined that he could feel the way he felt about Lois. And to have those feelings returned was astounding. He lay on the couch with his eyes closed and tried to make sense of all that had happened over the last few days, the last few hours. He didn't intend to fall asleep, but he did anyway. ***** Lois debated whether or not to read the journal for all of about three seconds. She opened the book and started skimming. The first few entries were pretty boring. Just a kid who liked to write, that much was obvious, talking about the days on a farm and in junior high. About half way through the journal, she started to read more carefully. This entry looked interesting. **I've known that I'm different for a while, but things just keep getting worse. Dad keeps telling me not to tell anyone or they'll come and dissect me like a frog. I'm not sure who "they" are, but it doesn't sound good. It's a good thing no one was around this afternoon. It was kinda cold today and I was sitting in the yard thinking how nice a fire would be. The next thing I knew my eyes felt like they were burning and the shed was on fire. Dad came running, and just looked at me. He went to go get the hose and I didn't know what to do. I took a deep breath and let it out real slow, wishing that the fire would go out. The inside of my mouth was freezing and suddenly the fire started to die down. I tried it again and sure enough, by the time Dad got back, the fire was out. I don't understand what happened. I wanted a fire and got one. I wanted it out, and it went out. Maybe it has something to do with what makes me weird. I mean, I can run faster than anyone, and I don't even feel like I am running as fast as I can. I don't know how fast I could really run. Sometimes it seems like I can hear things that I'm not supposed to, but I don't understand why. I can't ever tell anyone about any of this. TJ and Joey can't ever know; Lana can't; I can't even tell Matt, my best friend in the whole wide world. I don't know what do to. I feel bad not being able to tell them. I've always been raised to tell the truth and to be honest with my friends and the people that I care about. I'm all alone here in this world. I have my folks, but that's it. There's no one else for me to talk to. They try to understand, but they just don't. Dad told me last week how they found me. I haven't even been able to think about it until now. It is so out there that I'm not even sure that I believe it. I know Mom can't have kids - I'll never have any brothers or sisters - and I've known my whole life that I was adopted. I knew my adoption wasn't normal - I thought I was the son of one of mom's cousins - but I never knew how odd it was. They were driving past Schuster's Field one night and saw something in the sky. Dad's curious nature wouldn't let him pass it by without looking closer. They found a... well, a spaceship with me in it. They had no idea where it came from. For all they know I'm some kind of experiment from the Soviet Union. Our sworn enemies. And I could be some kind of experiment that went wrong. Or I could be a U. S. experiment. Or I could be from outer space. Wow. That was really hard to write. I haven't even admitted to myself that it was a possibility. Dad never mentioned it, but it's possible. I could be an alien.** Lois could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. It was obvious the young Clark had cried some as well. In a couple of places on the page, the ink was a bit smudged where the paper had gotten wet. He had been so lonely. It was obvious how he felt that there wasn't really anyone that he could turn to. Lois slowly turned the page, wondering what was the next power to develop. To her surprise, the next entry was dated just a few months earlier. **I haven't written in here in years. Mom got it for me because she knew how rough growing up would be for me. And it wasn't easy, but after finding out that I could be an alien - and now I know I am - I just couldn't bring myself to write anything down. It seemed too dangerous, so I hid this in the back corner of my closet and haven't looked at it since. Now I need help working through things. Lois is getting married to Lex Luthor, Superman's sworn enemy. She can't see that. As awful as that is, that's not the problem. The problem is that I love her. I love Lois Lane. There, I've said it. I love her, more than life itself. There would be nothing better in this world than to be the one she was going to marry. To spend my life with her. I even told her that I love her and she blew me off. She asked to see Superman and wanted me to get a hold of him for her. When I showed up at her apartment, she told me that she loved me and that it wasn't the powers or anything else. She said she would love me even if I was just an ordinary guy. I wanted to believe her, but I don't see how I could. She had just finished rejected me as Clark and then turned around and told me she loved me as Superman. More than anything, I wanted to tell her that I loved her too and to fly away with her. I wanted to take her to some little island in the Caribbean or to go see a priest that I know who knows the secret - at a little monastery in North Africa - who would marry us. Anything to get her away from Luthor. I couldn't do it. I couldn't let her love Superman without loving Clark, too.** The next entry was a few days later. **Lois called off the wedding at the last minute - while they were at the altar. Luthor jumped off the top of the building and I couldn't save him. I wanted to - I swear I did - but I couldn't. I told Lois that I really didn't love her - that I would have said anything to keep her from marrying Lex. I lied to her again, even though I did have my fingers crossed. The one thing I never want to do is lie to her about anything. I've made such a habit of it the last year that it is almost becoming second nature and I hate it. I guess I know that she could never love me back and I don't want to lose her friendship, so I told her I don't really love her. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I love Lois with all my heart, but I don't know how to tell her the secret. I don't know how to tell anyone. I think Perry might suspect, but no one knows except for me, Mom and Dad and that priest, who has taken a vow of silence. I want to tell her everything, but how? I've been alone way too long. I don't know how to be honest with her. I just don't know what to do. But I do know that I love Lois Lane.** By now, tears were running down Lois' cheeks. It was obvious the older Clark had cried some too. Again there were blurry spots on the page. She had always thought that Clark really loved her, but now she knew. She knew how torn up he was about his feelings for her. About wanting to be honest with her, but not really knowing how. And now she understood Clark a little bit better. And she loved him all the more. Finally, she laid down, ready at last to sleep. ***** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 13:10:40 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: NEW: Imbalance -- Prologue MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/29/01 2:11:15 AM EST, Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK writes: << No, Alexis, this is neither a stupid question nor do you need to have read anything else. "Imbalance" takes off, so to speak, after the episode "Lois and Clarks", although there's a gap of unspecified duration between AltClark going home at the end of the episode and the start of the story. >> Thanks so much Phil!!! I was beginning to think if anyone got my email. ;) LOL! Alexis ;-.) "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to freshen up first?" (Cat) {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 13:23:04 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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Once the papers for the divorce have been signed...how long does it take for it to offically become offical? Like if someone wanted to get re-married, basically how long would they have to wait before they could do that? Thanks, Alexis ;-.) "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to freshen up first?" (Cat) {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 13:29:36 -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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I think it varies from state to state. I know in lots of places it is six months or a year from the time it is finalized - which takes about 6 months unless it's a big messy divorce - at least from what I've heard from friends and family. Hope that helps! CM On Tue, 29 May 2001 13:23:04 EDT "Alexis W." writes: > Once the papers for the divorce have been signed...how long does it > take for > it to offically become offical? Like if someone wanted to get > re-married, > basically how long would they have to wait before they could do > that? > > Thanks, > Alexis ;-.) > > "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to > freshen up > first?" (Cat) > > {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 13:59:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LaNita Cornwall Subject: Re: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" When a divorce is 'finalized' and all the papers signed, you aren't married anymore. So that means you can go out and do it again immediately, if you want to. Been there, done that, not sure I'll ever do it again. -----Original Message----- From: Carol L Moncado [mailto:cmoncado@JUNO.COM] Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2001 1:30 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: OT: Question about Divorce I think it varies from state to state. I know in lots of places it is six months or a year from the time it is finalized - which takes about 6 months unless it's a big messy divorce - at least from what I've heard from friends and family. Hope that helps! CM On Tue, 29 May 2001 13:23:04 EDT "Alexis W." writes: > Once the papers for the divorce have been signed...how long does it > take for > it to offically become offical? Like if someone wanted to get > re-married, > basically how long would they have to wait before they could do > that? > > Thanks, > Alexis ;-.) > > "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to > freshen up > first?" (Cat) > > {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:43:18 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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/29/01 1:23:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, LoisLane9397@AOL.COM writes: > Once the papers for the divorce have been signed...how long does it take for > it to offically become offical? Like if someone wanted to get re-married, > basically how long would they have to wait before they could do that? > > It depends on which papers and what state you are in. In Kentucky, once the divorce decree has been handed down by the judge, I think it's at most 10 days until it's final, but it might be sooner. In some states, I think it can take a month or two. If you mean the filing papers, it takes at least a couple of months in most states, but in Nevada, it takes less time, hence "quickie divorces" in Reno. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 18:47:37 -0500 Reply-To: bbmedos@booksanctuary.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "B. B. Medos" Subject: L&C fanfic archive url? In-Reply-To: <26.161dec91.28458e16@aol.com> Help. What is the current URL for the archive? I want to double-check the submission guidelines and can't seem to find the URL. Oye. Beverly :-) bbmedos@booksanctuary.com http://www.booksanctuary.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:59:34 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Laurie Dunn Subject: Re: L&C fanfic archive url? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive: 1,500+ fan-written stories or http://www.lcfanfic.com/ should do it. LaurieD ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:10:41 -0500 Reply-To: truitt22@flash.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: timothy truitt Organization: tnt technical services Subject: Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This is off the L & C subject and for that I'm sorry. But I have emailed on this list, and I thought this would be the quickest way to reach people. I received a virus alert from a friend of mine. The virus will become active June 1, 2001, at which point it will be too late. The virus wipes out all files and folders on the hard drive. The virus travels through the emails and migrates to the C:\windows\command folder. Virus detector programs like Norton etc... won't be able to detect it because it doesn't become a virus until June 1. To find and delete the virus off your computer do the following: go to START, FILES & FOLDERS. do a search on the C drive for file SULFNBK.EXE. If it is on your computer delete it, and then empty your recycle bin. You should be safe after that. My friend says she doesn't know how long the program has been around - but it will affect all the people you emailed in the last several months. WHATEVER YOU DO - DON'T OPEN THAT FILE. I apologize if this inconveniences any of you. I don't mean to be an alarmist. merry ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:16:55 -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: HOAX -- Virus Alert Comments: To: truitt22@flash.net In-Reply-To: <3B143A80.EEB05D52@flash.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part of the operating system. Here is the official statement from Macafee.com: Virus Name: SULFNBK Hoax Date Added: 5/10/01 10:34:10 AM Virus Characteristics: AVERT HOAX Notice!! McAfee AVERT Labs would like to inform you of a new email HOAX. This email message is just a HOAX. Although, the SULFNBK.EXE file may become infected by a number of valid viruses, the details of this message are not based on actual events. We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates. At 07:10 PM 29/05/2001 -0500, timothy truitt wrote: >This is off the L & C subject and for that I'm sorry. But I have emailed on >this list, and I thought this would be the quickest way to reach people. > >I received a virus alert from a friend of mine. The virus will become active >June 1, 2001, at which point it will be too late. The virus wipes out all >files and folders on the hard drive. > The virus travels through the emails and migrates to the C:\windows\command >folder. >Virus detector programs like Norton etc... won't be able to detect it because >it doesn't become a virus until June 1. > >To find and delete the virus off your computer do the following: >go to START, FILES & FOLDERS. >do a search on the C drive for file SULFNBK.EXE. >If it is on your computer delete it, and then empty your recycle bin. >You should be safe after that. >My friend says she doesn't know how long the program has been around - but it >will affect all the people you emailed in the last several months. > >WHATEVER YOU DO - DON'T OPEN THAT FILE. > >I apologize if this inconveniences any of you. I don't mean to be an >alarmist. >merry ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:59:29 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: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I talked to one of my friends today and she said it should only take 3 days considering the circumstances of how the divorce in my story is going to go. Does 3 or 72 hours seem a bit out there?!? Alexis ;-.) "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to freshen up first?" (Cat) {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 21:13:04 -0500 Reply-To: cdcherry@bestweb.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: cerise Subject: Re: OT: Question about Divorce Comments: To: Lois@bestweb.net, and@bestweb.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I did a little research on the web, and what seems to be the procedure is that you file for divorce, and then it takes a certain length of time before the divorce decree is finalized (and you only file after having already hashed out the property division, custody, etc). In some states the required period between filing and finalization is very short--I know that in Nevada it at least used to be just six weeks; in some, like Maryland, where you have to wait a year, it's longer. When my parents divorced it was at least a matter of months, not days. Three days between filing and getting the final divorce decree seems very, very quick to me. Just my opinion though :) cerise At 5/29/01 8:59:00 PM, you wrote: >I talked to one of my friends today and she said it should only take 3 days >considering the circumstances of how the divorce in my story is going to go. >Does 3 or 72 hours seem a bit out there?!? > >Alexis ;-.) > >"Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to freshen up >first?" (Cat) > >{Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} > > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 21:42:18 -0500 Reply-To: truitt22@flash.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: timothy truitt Organization: tnt technical services Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks - I wasn't sure - I'm glad. merry "Demona (Angel Of The Night)" wrote: > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part of > the operating system. Here is the official statement from Macafee.com: > > Virus Name: > SULFNBK Hoax > > Date Added: > 5/10/01 10:34:10 AM > > Virus Characteristics: > AVERT HOAX Notice!! > McAfee AVERT Labs would like to inform you of a new email HOAX. > This email message is just a HOAX. Although, the SULFNBK.EXE > file may become infected by a number of valid viruses, the details > of this message are not based on actual events. > We are advising users who receive the email to delete it and > DO NOT pass it on as this is how an email HOAX propagates. > > At 07:10 PM 29/05/2001 -0500, timothy truitt wrote: > >This is off the L & C subject and for that I'm sorry. But I have emailed on > >this list, and I thought this would be the quickest way to reach people. > > > >I received a virus alert from a friend of mine. The virus will become active > >June 1, 2001, at which point it will be too late. The virus wipes out all > >files and folders on the hard drive. > > The virus travels through the emails and migrates to the C:\windows\command > >folder. > >Virus detector programs like Norton etc... won't be able to detect it because > >it doesn't become a virus until June 1. > > > >To find and delete the virus off your computer do the following: > >go to START, FILES & FOLDERS. > >do a search on the C drive for file SULFNBK.EXE. > >If it is on your computer delete it, and then empty your recycle bin. > >You should be safe after that. > >My friend says she doesn't know how long the program has been around - but it > >will affect all the people you emailed in the last several months. > > > >WHATEVER YOU DO - DON'T OPEN THAT FILE. > > > >I apologize if this inconveniences any of you. I don't mean to be an > >alarmist. > >merry ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:42:39 -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: HOAX -- Virus Alert In-Reply-To: <5.0.2.1.2.20010529201420.0341e3a0@mail> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Demi wrote: > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part of > the operating system. Oh, man. LOL. That's one virus hoax I haven't heard of. Talk about self-fulfilling. :) Pretty clever, I must admit. 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: Wed, 30 May 2001 00:13:09 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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/29/01 9:00:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, LoisLane9397@AOL.COM writes: > I talked to one of my friends today and she said it should only take 3 days > considering the circumstances of how the divorce in my story is going to go. > Does 3 or 72 hours seem a bit out there?!? > Yes, that seems to be a bit out there. For one thing, I know of no jurisdictions where you can get a case on a court docket that fast. For another, if one party files for divorce, the papers have to be served on the other party. That takes several days. Then that party has to find a lawyer, if they don't already have one. Divorce, even uncontested, no fault divorces, is not a 3 day event. It is a civil lawsuit and takes a bit of time. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 11:43:45 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy S." Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed >From: Erin Klingler >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert >Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:42:39 -0600 > >Demi wrote: > > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and > > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system > > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part >of > > the operating system. > >Oh, man. LOL. That's one virus hoax I haven't heard of. Talk about >self-fulfilling. :) >Pretty clever, I must admit. > >Erin Pretty clever indeed! I fell for it, and the file's gone... So, does anybody know how I can get it back? -Kathy- _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 12:44:30 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Wed, 30 May 2001 11:43:45 +0200 "Kathy S." wrote: >>Demi wrote: >>> Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part of the operating system. >> Oh, man. LOL. That's one virus hoax I haven't heard of. Talk about self-fulfilling. :) >> Pretty clever, I must admit. > Pretty clever indeed! I fell for it, and the file's gone... So, does anybody know how I can get it back? Well, the obvious questions to ask are what OS are you using, and if it's Windows 95/98/ME, have you emptied the Recycle Bin lately, i.e., after sending the relevant file to it? If the answer to the latter is yes, things become more difficult... Phil ------------------------------------------ (Dr) P.A. Atcliffe Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering University of the West of England, Bristol Phone: +44 (0)117 344 2496 Fax: +44 (0)117 344 3800 Email: Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 08:28:04 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Clemens Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit "Kathy S." wrote: > >Demi wrote: > > > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and > > > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system > > > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part > > >of the operating system. > Pretty clever indeed! I fell for it, and the file's gone... So, does anybody > know how I can get it back? For information on this recent virus hoax, check out the following web site: If you have deleted the file, and have Windows 98 or Windows Me, you can go to the following web site to guide you through reinstalling it. -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: Wed, 30 May 2001 16:11:39 +0200 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kathy S." Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Thanks alot for your quick help! It worked, I got tha file back!!! :) *happy* -Kathy- >From: Genevieve Clemens >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert >Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 08:28:04 -0400 > >"Kathy S." wrote: > > > >Demi wrote: > > > > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file >and > > > > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating >system > > > > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's >part > > > >of the operating system. > > > Pretty clever indeed! I fell for it, and the file's gone... So, does >anybody > > know how I can get it back? > >For information on this recent virus hoax, check out the following web >site: > > >If you have deleted the file, and have Windows 98 or Windows Me, you can >go to the following web site to guide you through reinstalling it. > > >-- >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >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. :-) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 10:29:26 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: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What do you think? It's not too original. ******** Yesterday, Upon the Stair by Carol Malo --------------------- Sometimes things are not what they seem. It wasn't until it was all over that Lois understood that this was so. Sometimes, the lie is the truth. And who you thought was there is not. It started with the man whom she'd encountered in the cool crytsal sunlight of a late autumn morning. He was walking toward her, one of the many passersby on the crowded sidewalk of downtown Metropolis. Still, she'd noticed him immediately and wondered why he was looking at her. When he got closer, he paused for a fraction of a second, so brief that later she was unsure whether he had, and he smiled at her with that familiar look of someone who knows you well. Aware that she was holding her breath, she tilted her head and waited, certain he was going to speak, caught by the quizzical light in his grey eyes. But he remained silent as he continued walking past her, and, for a moment as slight as a dragon fly's breath, she sensed she'd lost something important. She felt she knew him yet was absolutely certain she'd never met him before. Puzzled, she turned to stare at his retreating figure, lithe and confident as he rounded a corner, disappearing from her view as he vanished into the sunlit ravines of Metropolis's skyscrapers. A light touch on her arm pulled her back. "Hey, Lois, what is it?" "What?" Lois swiveled, turning her attention to the young man beside her. "Nothing, Jimmy. Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew." She smiled at her companion, shaking her head, clearing it, and letting the incident slip to the back of her mind, forgotten. She smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for? We have a story to cover." Jimmy grinned, "Yeah." He automatically patted the leather bag encasing his camera equipment, his eagerness for their first big assignment together at the newly rebuilt Daily Planet infectiousness. "Too bad CK couldn't make this one." "Yeah, too bad," Lois's smooth tone was noncmmmittal. "The Planet's resources are pretty tight right now so I guess we'll all have to take on a little more." "Well, that front page convention shot has my name under it." Jimmy's enthusiasm was contagious. Playfully, Lois jabbed his arm. "Right beside my story of the big breakthrough on world trade, Jimmy." She hoped, anyway. What she privately thought was that the convention was the political equvialent of a dog show, the delegates all trained, sleekly groomed, and skillfully handled. Well, look for the new angle -- wasn't that what Perry always said? Later, in the Lexor Hotel, crammed with a battalion of reporters in the Hamilton Salon which was serving as a temporary press room, Lois listened to the predictably empty speeches of middle aged men. Her impression that this was a dog show returned. Looking at the Foreign Trade Minister of, she had forgotten what obscure country, maybe Canada, mouthing at the podium, she suddenly saw a Russian Wolfhound, its silky silver brown hair framing a narr ow patronising face. Gazing at the other delegates, all waiting obediently for their turn to show, she watched, fascinated as their faces did a canine morph: a couple of eager, antsy terriers, a stolid bulldog, and one elegant but slightly emabarrassed standard poodle. A few lap dogs, too. But not an honest working dog in the group, she thought sadly, remembering a Border Collie she'd know when she was a child. Struggling to suppress a sneak attack of giggles, she continued scribbling notes. That was the story she gave to Perry -- 'the World Trade Meeting: Dog Show in Metropolis'. In it, she had even declared the 'Best in Show': that very athletic, young South American who looked like he might be a football player. Was probably a good retriever. She leaned back in her chair, satisfied, after sending the article to Perry. Yes, she thought. That one was pretty decent. "Lane, my office, now!" Perry's baritone rolled over the newsroom buzz, silencing it, stopping time as all heads snapped up. The buzz returned, it's frequency intensified, as Lois walked the long yards to Perry's office. Why did she always feel like she was being watched these days? Was she? But that didn't make any sense. Perry sounded impatient; maybe he had something new for her. He didn't. He rose from behind his desk, eyes ominous, body in full bluster, and blood pressure rising as he pointed at the story on his computer. "Now what in Sam Hill is this?" "My World Trade article, chief." "No, it's not -- it's a dog story." "Perry, I was making a point. Satire, using some humour." Shocked, Perry looked at her, his mouth slack jawed for a second. Then he spoke. "Lois ... darlin', you don't have a sense of humour." Lois's dark eyes flashed indignantly. "I do so." Perry came from behind his desk. "You've got an hour to clean it up for the morning edition." But his voice was gentle as he added, "Now, Lois, you know we can't go comparing the Secretary of Trade to a pit bull with distemper." "Why not, Perry? That's how he came across -- a bully with no tolerance for the needs of weaker countries." Now she was angry, defending her story. "Then write that, Lois." Turning, he indicated his computer screen again. "But clean it up a bit." He paused. "The dog show ... well ... it just don't hunt." Lois sighed. "Okay, chief." She left Perry's office and returned to her desk where she gazed unseeingly at the story which still haunted her monitor. Then, for some reason, she looked up, and was surprised to see, standing in front of her desk the grey-eyed man whom she'd encountered that morning. Of course, she thought, this is where I've seen him. He must be a new hire at the Planet. "I'm all right, aren't I?" she asked him. He smiled enigmatically and was about to speak just as Clark Kent entered the newsroom and headed for her desk. Turning, the grey-eyed man slipped quietly away, leaving Lois alone with Clark Kent, her colleague and erstwhile partner at the Planet. "Got a minute, Lois?" "Sure," she said, quickly closing her story on the monitor. "Need my help?" Her voice was half teasing, half hopeful. These days she just wasn't sure where she fit -- a new sensation for Lois Lane. Last year the question would never have crossed her mind. If someone had asked her, she would have answered without thinking -- where I decide I fit. But now -- she didn't seem to fit here, although she was trying. Too much had happened in the last year. That guy was right when he wrote you never could go home again. Home. An apartment with fish. She didn't fit with Clark Kent; he was making that pretty clear. So were the altered conditions at the Planet. And Superman -- wasn't there. "Lois?" But she was here. Clark's tentative repetition of her name brought her back. She raised her eyes to his face, and he smiled. "Thought you'd gone missing there for a sec," he teased. "You just haven't got my attention yet, Kent." He grinned as he extended an arm to pull his chair, it's casters clattering over the hardwood floor, beside her desk. Then, his tone hesitant, he said, "This story on the jewellery theft. I think you've met the owner, Alexei MacAdam?" "Yes, a few times. Lex bought my engagement ring from him. Lex knew him socially as well. I mean, we're not talking 'Diamonds r Us' here." She flashed a quick grin at Clark, then continued, "He was there sometimes as a guest." "What was your impression of him?" "Impression? I don't know that I had one. Why?" "Did you like him?" "He was always immaculate, and very smooth. Charming -- I'm a sucker for a European accent. Never could figure out exactly what his was, though." She smiled as she remembered teasing Alexei about that as well as the fact that his name offered no clue. She never had been able to pin him down, though. "Yeah, I liked him." Clark searched her eyes for a second, held them with his own. "Do you trust him?" Lois's eyes widened at that. "Of course -- he's one of the most reputable jewellers in the country. Of course, I trust him. Lex always..." Her voice trailed off -- yeah, she'd trusted Lex, too. Why was Clark even bothering to ask her opinion? "Which means, for some reason you're not quite sure about, Clark, you don't trust him, doesn't it?" she asked softly, intrigued now by what Clark might be on to. --------- tbc ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 10:44:08 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Michele Darvin Subject: Re: Virus Alert Comments: To: truitt22@flash.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I have this file on my hard drive. SULFNBK.EXE Its in C: windows/command.....Am I supposed to delete it, is it not a system file, its been there since april of 1999. You all have be nervous now. Michele ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 15:46:09 +0100 Reply-To: LabRat Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Organization: LabRat Subject: Re: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Carol wrote: > What do you think? It's not too original. S P O I L E R S P A C E Well, it has this reader thoroughly intrigued! Where is Superman? And who's the guy with the grey eyes. I'm hooked! You got me right through the nose...now where are you leading me...? Love the title btw. > Sometimes things are not what they seem. > > It wasn't until it was all over that Lois understood that this was so. > Sometimes, the lie is the truth. And who you thought was there is not. [Yet again, you have an enviable talent for producing an initial paragraph that reels in the reader right from the get go. I'm so jealous. ;)] and, for a moment as slight as a dragon fly's breath, disappearing from her view as he vanished into the> sunlit ravines of Metropolis's skyscrapers. > [And some of your beautiful, trademark descriptive prose. Wonderful.] [Loved the dog show story, the confrontation between Perry and Lois, his contention that Lois has no sense of humour (and the way he informs her of this as though surprised she didn't already know ) and these had me laughing out loud: "Now, Lois, you know we can't go comparing the Secretary of Trade to a pit bull with distemper." > > These days she just wasn't sure where she fit -- a new sensation for Lois > Lane. Last year the question would never have crossed her mind. If someone > had asked her, she would have answered without thinking -- where I decide I > fit. [That's our Lois all right.] [More, Carol, please! And soon! I've been waiting way too long for this one and I'm eager to see where we're heading.] LabRat :) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 07:54:47 -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: Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit No, definitely do not delete it! The virus is a hoax. Nan Michele Darvin wrote: > I have this file on my hard drive. SULFNBK.EXE Its in C: > windows/command.....Am I supposed to delete it, is it not a system file, its > been there since april of 1999. You all have be nervous now. > Michele ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 17:21:08 +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: Alt-Kerths Reminder! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Reminder! :) The nominations for the Alt-Kerths (FOLC sites, music videos, and silly fic) will be **closing** this coming Sunday, June 3rd. We've gotten a fair number of nominations so far, but frankly, we could still use some more, to make this as representative as possible. I suppose some of you are just waiting til the last possible moment ... so consider this your notification that the last possible moment is coming up fast! Anne has created a fabulous form that is very easy to fill in and you can find all the eligible stories/videos/sites listed on her pages too . You are allowed (encouraged!) to send multiple nominations in a category, and you are allowed to nominate yourself, if you like ... you're not allowed to use all five of your email addresses to nominate yourself five times, but that should go without saying ;) You do *not* have to nominate in every category. If you know music videos but don't do Tank Endings (or whatever), please don't let that stop you -- nominate the ones you know, and your fellow fans can cover you on the others. Thank you to everyone who's already participated ... We appreciate you! Let's show all our talented webmasters, music mixers, and fluffy fan writers that we appreciate them, too :) The Management Pam, Wendy & Anne -------------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 10:17:30 -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: Charade: Part 2/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Charade: Part 2 of ? by Nan Smith "Joe said the brakes were tampered with," Clark told Lois, sometime later. "Someone tried to kill us, all right." Lois glanced across the room to where CJ was absorbed with the characters on the television. Clark grinned involuntarily at the sight, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. The baby was sitting alertly in front of the screen, swaying his body back and forth in time to a counting song's bouncy rhythm. She turned back to him, and he could see the faint lines of strain around her eyes. "They weren't very discriminating, were they," she said. "It could have killed CJ and Marta right along with us." Clark shrugged uncomfortably. He had spent the last forty minutes with Joe Pemberton, their mechanic "I'm sure they didn't care," he said. "That makes two 'accidents' inside of a week. Coincidence?" "You know how I feel about coincidences like that," Lois said. "I'm calling Bobby. Maybe he's heard something." "Good idea." Clark removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Who would be after us this time?" "Who *wouldn't* be?" Lois asked rhetorically, picking up the phone. "Maybe one of the thousands of enemies we've managed to acquire along the way, who swore eternal vengeance against us, has gotten out of the penitentiary or something." She punched a number into the phone and waited while it rang. "Come on, pick up the phone...Oh, hello, Bobby. It's Lois...you were? Well, I wish you'd called *before* your afternoon snack!" Clark waited impatiently while Lois listened to Bobby Bigmouth. Their informant seemed to be in an unusually loquacious mood, even for Bobby, for he saw Lois open her mouth to speak several times, only to shut it again as the man continued to talk. At last, she said, "Thanks, Bobby; we owe you a dinner. I'll phone the Hunan House and charge up one of their Imperial Feasts for you, but next time call before you eat. We nearly got killed an hour ago." She paused, listening. "I'm serious. Thanks for the warning. Bye." She shut off the phone, then clicked it on again and punched in another number. "Hello? Yes, this is Lois Lane. I need to charge up the usual for ...right." There was a pause. "For whenever he comes in to collect. Just put it on my account, okay? Right. Bye." She put down the phone and looked up at Clark. "Well, that was interesting." "What did he say?" "There's a new guy in town, according to Bobby. He's been hired to kill us." "By who?" "Bobby doesn't know. He says we've rattled someone's cage and they don't like it. We're bad for business." "Great. Who have we investigated recently?" Their eyes met. "Caribbean Imports," they said, together. "I guess we've gotten too close for comfort," Lois added. She glanced at CJ, still glued to the television screen. "This is serious." "Did Bobby give you the 'new guy's' name?" Clark asked. Lois nodded. "Harriman Jones. He's staying at the Lexor, believe it or not." Clark had raised both eyebrows at the name. "Well, I guess it's a good place to stay if you don't want to be connected with his business. I can't say his name is familiar, though." "Me, either. Bobby said the guy was out of town talent. Clark--" "Just a minute." He removed his glasses and did a quick scan of the room. "Good; no bugs. We should have thought about that before." "We didn't know there was a contract out on us before!" "No, but we should be careful, anyway. I'm going to make a point of scanning the house when we come home from now on--just in case." He glanced once more at CJ. "We're going to have to do something about this contract fast. Look; let's call Mom and Dad. They won't mind taking care of the kids for a few days until we can get it sorted out." ********** "'A few days'?" Lois repeated his words sometime later. "It's taken us months to get as far as we have. What makes you think we can handle it in a few days?" "Well, I figure we're going to have to go at this in a slightly more unorthodox way," Clark said. "Besides, we know a little more about them than we did even a week ago." "True," Lois admitted. "What have you got in mind?" "How do you feel about going undercover?" "Undercover where?" "I'd say we go to the source of all this. The head of Caribbean Imports, himself." "But he knows what we look like," Lois protested. "So? As you've pointed out to me before, 'you see what you expect to see'. If we find a way to get onto his island, maybe as part of his staff or something--not together, of course--he won't expect to see Lane and Kent there. Especially if we change our appearance somewhat, and make it look as if we couldn't possibly be there anyhow." "And how are we going to do that?" "Do you trust me?" "Of course. Do you even have to ask?" "Not really." He grinned briefly. "Okay, we'll have to get Perry and Jimmy in on this, and if you've got any ideas, tell me. This is just a bare outline, so feel free to make suggestions. Here's what I'm thinking..." ********** Tuesday was a bright, fall day, with a brisk wind that gusted through the streets of Metropolis, blowing off hats, whipping the skirts of women's dresses about their knees and denuding trees of their red and gold autumn foliage. It felt strange not to be rushing around, readying the children for the trip to the Daily Planet with them, but Lois felt better knowing that CJ and Marta were safe with Martha and Jonathan Kent on their Kansas farm. Any further attempts on their lives would not include the lives of their children, and she knew Clark felt much more confident that he could protect her alone than all three of them from the unknown hit man. She had been a little surprised at first when Clark suggested the plan he had outlined the night before but on further reflection, she understood. His family was threatened, and he would do whatever was necessary to protect it. If the two of them attacked the problem together, they would undoubtedly be more efficient than either would alone--and, he would be at hand to bail her out in case she got in over her head, as well. A few years ago, Mad Dog Lane would have been furious at the suggestion that she might need help on any assignment, but now the knowledge that she had a partner who worked with her so perfectly that they might really be extensions of each other was reassuring. Jimmy arrived a minute early, and pulled up at the curb as they were descending the steps of the townhouse. The car was his pride and joy, Lois knew. He'd bought it for barely more than scrap-metal prices and worked lovingly on it after work and each day off--when he wasn't dating, of course--until it looked and ran like new. Clark opened the front passenger door for her and stood back, letting her enter, then closed it and got into the rear seat. "What happened to your Jeep?" Jimmy asked as he pulled carefully out into traffic. "It's in the repair shop," Clark said. "Someone messed with the brakes." "You mean somebody tried to kill you?" Jimmy looked worried. "Are the kids all right?" "Yeah. They're staying with relatives until we figure this out," Clark said. "That's what we need to talk to you and Perry about when we get to the Planet." "Sure. I'll do anything I can to help." "Thanks, Jimmy," Clark said. "We're going to need some research done, and maybe more. This could turn out to be a little complicated." "What's going on?" Jimmy asked. "You sound like it's more than the usual whacko out for revenge." "It is," Lois said. "We've got a hit man with a contract on us." Jimmy's lips pursed in a soundless whistle. "That's bad. Do you know who hired him?" "We're pretty sure we know," Clark said. "You know that investigation we've been on for the last six months?" "Caribbean Imports?" "That's the one," Lois said. "We've apparently gotten too close to something, so they're trying to eliminate us." "But you've got a plan, right?" Jimmy asked. "You bet we do," Lois said. "We'll tell you all about it at the office." ********** "You're sure you two can handle this?" Perry was saying, forty-five minutes later. Lois nodded vigorously. "Perry, It's the only way we can get the evidence fast enough to do any good. This hit man--" Their editor held up a hand. "Easy there. I agree." "--has probably tried to kill us twice in--you agree?" "Sure," Perry said. "You're right. And besides, if this pans out, the Planet will scoop every newspaper in the country." Clark had to work to keep his expression straight. He'd figured they could convince their boss to go along with the plan but not without an argument, at the very least. The ease with which they had won their point brought up a suspicion he'd been harboring for months, but he didn't voice it. If it was true, Perry obviously had no intention of saying so and apparently didn't want him to mention it, either. "All right," Perry said. "Let's get started. Jimmy, you know what they need you to find, so get busy. In the meantime," he added, looking straight at Lois, "you stay in the office, out of sight. I don't want this Jones guy jumpin' the gun before we're ready." Lois glanced uncertainly at Clark and nodded. "Okay." "Good. Go on, now. There's no time to waste." "I'm on it, Chief." Jimmy headed for his desk and Lois got slowly to her feet. Perry smiled a trifle grimly. "Just see that you come out of this with a whole skin, you two. Don't worry about me. I'll do my part." Perry lifted an eyebrow at Clark. "You sure came up with a plan fast after you found out about Jones." "Um--" Clark ducked his head. "Not really, Chief. Ever since we found out where Alejandro de Los Rios spends most of his time, I've been trying to figure out how to get close to him. I've been looking for an angle, and I finally found it. For some reason, he periodically invites parties of people to his island, apparently wealthy businessmen and their families. Maybe he's trying to make business contacts, deals--who knows?" He shrugged. "Anyway, it seemed like a reasonable opportunity for us. This only speeded things up a little. The guy has a good-sized staff, and he often brings in temporary personnel--always from the same agency." "It sounds like you've already done some research," Perry said. Clark nodded. "Just some preliminary stuff. I was going to ask Jimmy to start digging into it today anyway but after yesterday, we're going to have to rush the agenda a bit." Perry nodded. "Okay. Just make sure you keep me in the loop as much as you can." He glanced at his watch. "I've got a meeting with the suits upstairs in five minutes. I better get movin'." He hoisted himself reluctantly out of his chair. "I hate these things." ********** (tbc) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 13:36:37 -0500 Reply-To: truitt22@flash.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: timothy truitt Organization: tnt technical services Subject: Re: HOAX -- Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks Genevieve merry Genevieve Clemens wrote: > "Kathy S." wrote: > > > >Demi wrote: > > > > Sorry merry, but this one is a hoax. SULFNBK is a valid system file and > > > > should not be deleted. Everyone running the windows operating system > > > > (either 95,98 or ME) will find it on their hard drive because it's part > > > >of the operating system. > > > Pretty clever indeed! I fell for it, and the file's gone... So, does anybody > > know how I can get it back? > > For information on this recent virus hoax, check out the following web > site: > > > If you have deleted the file, and have Windows 98 or Windows Me, you can > go to the following web site to guide you through reinstalling it. > > > -- > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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: Wed, 30 May 2001 13:38:58 -0500 Reply-To: truitt22@flash.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: timothy truitt Organization: tnt technical services Subject: Re: Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm sorry for the alarm. I've been told it's a hoax by people on this list. So don't delete it. merry Michele Darvin wrote: > I have this file on my hard drive. SULFNBK.EXE Its in C: > windows/command.....Am I supposed to delete it, is it not a system file, its > been there since april of 1999. You all have be nervous now. > Michele ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 12:31:27 -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: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Carol: Miz Rat has pinpointed the characteristics that I love in your writing, and this new story already has me hooked. I really dislike reading in segments though, so won't you hurry to finish it and get it to the archive, please? :) Jude ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 15:10:27 -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: From List Mom -- Re: Virus Alert >No, definitely do not delete it! The virus is a hoax. This is exactly why I don't like to see virus emails and the like posted to this listserv. In the past, I have made exceptions for people who know for a fact they are infected with something, and need to communicate with people they may have accidentally sent attachments to, etc. (that is, their computer sent an attachment with their list post through no fault of their own, etc.), but in general, please do not post such virus warnings here. The vast majority of them are hoaxes, like this one. Besides, before you send any type of "mass mailing" like this, you are supposed to check with the List Mom (aka me ;)) before you post. At the very minimum, expect me to ask you if you've researched the "virus" at the various hoax sites that are out there -- if you haven't, don't expect me to give permission. Oh, and this applies to "this came from my brother-in-law's cousin's friend who is the head of computers at Cal Tech so he knows what he's talking about" ones ... let's face it, those usually turn out to be hoaxes, too, to everyone's embarrassment. ;) Thanks for your cooperation. :) Kathy The Establishment ______________________ Kathy Brown kathybrown91@home.com kathyb@lcfanfic.com KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 15:36:10 -0500 Reply-To: truitt22@flash.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: timothy truitt Organization: tnt technical services Subject: Re: From List Mom -- Re: Virus Alert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I'm sorry Kathy - and all of you on this list - It won't happen again. merry Kathy Brown wrote: > >No, definitely do not delete it! The virus is a hoax. > > This is exactly why I don't like to see virus emails and the like posted to > this listserv. In the past, I have made exceptions for people who know for a > fact they are infected with something, and need to communicate with people > they may have accidentally sent attachments to, etc. (that is, their computer > sent an attachment with their list post through no fault of their own, etc.), > but in general, please do not post such virus warnings here. The vast > majority of them are hoaxes, like this one. Besides, before you send any > type of "mass mailing" like this, you are supposed to check with the List Mom > (aka me ;)) before you post. At the very minimum, expect me to ask you if > you've researched the "virus" at the various hoax sites that are out there -- > if you haven't, don't expect me to give permission. > > Oh, and this applies to "this came from my brother-in-law's cousin's friend > who is the head of computers at Cal Tech so he knows what he's talking about" > ones ... let's face it, those usually turn out to be hoaxes, too, to > everyone's embarrassment. ;) > > Thanks for your cooperation. :) > > Kathy > The Establishment > > ______________________ > Kathy Brown > kathybrown91@home.com > kathyb@lcfanfic.com > KathyB on IRC > ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 23:09:41 +0100 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: New: Fear of Discovery IV Part 1/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I just remembered that I promised Erin I would post this here as well as = on the boards, so here's the first part. I'll post part two in a couple = of days, and thereafter, I'll be posting weekly on Mondays. Hope you = enjoy it, and any feedback is very welcome :) BTW, this contains a lovemaking scene which I hope is suitably PGised. *********** =20 Fear of Discovery IV: Lois and Clark and Clark and Lois ******************************************************* =20 Space and time shifted uneasily. Something unnatural was happening, = something which disturbed the natural rhythm of the cosmos. Another = visitor was making his way through the vortex between universes, and the = fundamentals which held matter and life together took unkindly to the = bending and twisting to which they were being subjected. =20 But the visitor had stayed in a foreign universe for too long, and even = though he knew he had helped a good man rediscover his true identity, he = was weary and desperate to return home. He needed succour; he needed = his wife. =20 ******** =20 'Our' Metropolis =20 Clark's stomach lurched as he landed back in his own living room, = reflecting that inter-universe travel really was no fun at all. He'd = have thought that by now he would have become accustomed to the = disorientation and slight dizziness which accompanied his arrival in a = new universe, but it seemed that, like commercial flying, this was one = form of travel he would never get used to. However, once he'd recovered = his equilibrium, he was greeted by the very pleasant sight of his wife = lounging on the sofa with her eyes closed, a bunch of open Chinese = take-out cartons strewn on the table in front of her. Already he felt = better. =20 "Drop any noodles this time?" he asked casually. =20 Lois' eyes flew open. "Clark!" =20 She stood up and he rushed to envelop her in a tight hug. It was so, so = good to feel her soft body close to his again, to smell her perfume, to = touch her hair, and feel her arms around him holding him close. He felt = like never wanted to let her go again, and he especially never wanted to = leave her like he had this time, not knowing if he would ever get her = back again. H G Wells had dumped him in the alternative universe = without telling him when or how he would return again, and whilst most = of the time he had been too busy to dwell on it, the uncertainty had = always been at the back of his mind. But now he was home, and the = tension he hadn't even been aware of melted away from him in her loving = arms, and he felt complete once more. =20 "Mmmm...I missed you so much," he said into her hair. =20 "I missed you too, honey, but you were only gone for a couple of hours. = What happened?" =20 He released her in surprise. "Two hours? I was gone for days and days! = It seemed like forever." =20 "Really?" She frowned. "I guess maybe time doesn't move at the same = rate between the universes, or something. And come to think of it, when = I came back that first time when Tempus kidnapped me, no time had passed = for you at all, had it?" =20 He nodded. "Almost none, although I still remember that horrible moment = when there was a big Lois-shaped hole in the universe," he said, his = voice letting more of his feelings show than he had intended. =20 "Oh, Clark." She gathered him up in her arms again. "So, was it bad? = How's Clark2?" =20 "He's OK...pretty much. It took us a while to work things out, but = he'll do just fine now." =20 It was a gross understatement of the extreme highs and lows he had gone = through with Clark2, but it would do for now. Later, he would tell her = about Clark2's struggle to recover from the violent murder of Mayson, = his girlfriend, and the difficulty Clark had had in trying to persuade = him to resume his Superman work once more. =20 "And how are you?" =20 "I'm fine too. I just missed you." He held her tight, enveloping her = with his body, wanting to feel every soft curve, every beat of her = heart, and hear her quiet, steady breaths beside him. =20 "It's OK, you're home now," she murmured in his ear. "We've got all the = time in the world to be together." =20 "I know." No doubt she was confused by his clingy behaviour, if she had = only been alone for a couple of hours, but he couldn't help himself. He = had missed her so much... =20 Eventually, he released her gently, but still couldn't quite let go, = entwining his fingers with hers. It was then that she noticed his bag. =20 "What's that?" she asked. =20 Clark looked down at the bag in his right hand. "Oh! I nearly forgot." = He held them up for her. "These are for you." =20 Lois peered through the clear plastic bag to the misshapen lumps of = pastry and screwed up her face. "They are?" she asked in a sceptical = voice.=20 =20 He smiled; yes, this was his Lois, all right. He'd missed her direct, = no-nonsense style. "Yes, but they taste much better than they look, = trust me. They're from Clark2." =20 Lois nodded slowly. "He obviously doesn't take after you in the cooking = department." =20 "Lois! They really are good - you'll love them. And he didn't bake = them - he buys them from somewhere in Scotland." He offered the bag to = her, which she took, holding it up at eye level for closer examination =20 "These from a nation where men wear skirts?" she said, looking at the = contents with distaste. "Figures." She shrugged. "I guess it was a = nice gesture, though." =20 Clark walked her over to the sofa, where he pulled her into his lap, = still wanting to keep her close. Lois dumped the bag of butteries on = the coffee table and turned to him, meeting his lips in a long, deep = kiss. =20 "Mmmm...this is nice," she murmured. =20 "Yeah..." Kissing Lois was always nice - in fact, way, way better than = nice. He'd missed this; their closeness, the way they didn't have to = say anything to understand each other perfectly, the way she seemed to = fill him with extra energy and strength. He could be strong without = her, of course - he'd had to be when he was on his own with Clark2, but = everything was so much easier with Lois at his side. He smiled around = their kiss; the world seemed a much softer, warmer place when he was = kissing Lois... =20 *** "I nearly kissed her... it seemed like the most natural thing in the = world to do." *** =20 It was a sudden, unwelcome flashback to his recent conversation with = Clark2. =20 Clark2 had thought he'd been doing Clark a favour with his confession, = but Clark wasn't so sure. Instead of losing himself in a sensuous kiss = with Lois, he was now wondering what might have happened if Clark2's 'I = nearly kissed her' had turned into something closer; something more = sensuous. Would Clark2 also have been thinking how much better than = nice it was to kiss Lois? And just how close had they been when they = 'almost kissed' - as close as he was to Lois right now? =20 "You going to tell me what happened?" Lois impinged on his wayward = thoughts, and he realised he'd been drifting on auto-pilot, kissing and = caressing without meaning. He pushed the memories away; he didn't want = them spoiling this precious reunion with Lois. =20 He smiled at her. "Soon...but let's just do this for a while." =20 "Suits me..." =20 Where were they when it happened? Was he sitting in the very spot now, = on this sofa, where his double had almost over-stepped the line?=20 =20 =20 He made himself concentrate on his wife; on her sensuous mouth and her = baby-soft skin, and her familiar, welcoming scent. This was what gave = him the strongest sense of being home at last - to caress and be = caressed by Lois, his precious love. He'd missed her so much, through = all those lonely days and nights in the other universe, and although = he'd dreamed about her in his cold, empty bed, his dreams had been a = pale imitation of the real thing. =20 He'd missed her body...=20 =20 He'd tried fantasy a couple of times, when the longing had become too = much to bear, but it just hadn't been the same without her. At last, = she was here in his arms. =20 He undid the top couple of buttons on her blouse and slipped a hand = inside. They could talk about Clark2 later - now, all he wanted there = to be was just him and Lois and some gentle loving. =20 "Mmm..." murmured Lois around their kiss. =20 Her soft flesh under his fingers was like food to a starving man. He'd = missed this so much... =20 *** "I told you once that I don't love her, but sometimes I think that = maybe I do" *** =20 =20 But the memory triggered a sudden aggressive urge to reclaim her as his = own, to reaffirm his rights as her husband, to surge until his seed was = planted and he had restaked his sole claim on her body. It was an = unfamiliar, alien impulse; he didn't make love with Lois because it was = his right, their love was a sharing kind of love. =20 He pushed the ugly thought to one side. =20 "You're so beautiful," he breathed, his gaze roaming over her soft, = smooth curves, her graceful shoulders and her slim, creamy-white neck. =20 *** "I just can't think straight around Lois." *** =20 Clark2 had been defending himself, trying to explain why he had nearly = kissed her. Well, it was no excuse, and neither was that remark about = having been drinking wine - Clark2 was no more affected by alcohol than = he was himself... =20 =20 "Mmmm." He planted kisses around her neck and shoulder, feeling her do = the same in return on his other shoulder. When that wasn't enough, he = moved around to the nape of her neck, and then slowly down to the swell = of her breast. =20 *** "You must have known that I had feelings for Lois." *** =20 =20 Another surge of possessive desire ran through him, and this time blind = need clouded his mind, and he couldn't resist any longer. He lunged = hungrily at her with his mouth and hands, and soon hot desire and = impatience had washed away all coherent thought, and he was taking her = just as his status as her husband dictated he could. =20 She was his wife...*his* Lois... =20 A few seconds of pure bliss flashed by, and then a deep sense of = satisfaction flooded over him. He was home at last, in the arms of the = woman he loved, and she had just given him one of the greatest gifts a = woman could give a man. =20 No-one could take that away from him.=20 =20 He bent down to kiss her again, but felt her face turn away from him. = Opening his eyes, he was shocked to find her distressed and upset = instead of as blissfully sated as he felt himself. =20 ******** =20 Her relief at getting him back so quickly, after only a two hour wait, = had turned quickly into compassion when she had learnt that the time = elapsed for him in the alternative universe had been much longer than = she had been expecting. It was confusing to have a husband clinging on = to her as if they'd been separated for weeks instead of hours, but his = emotion had transmitted itself to her so strongly that her confusion = immediately became irrelevant. He needed reassurance, not questions and = curiosity. =20 So it wasn't surprising that he was more interested in cuddling up to = her than in telling her the details of his visit, especially since they = had always enjoyed a very close physical relationship. Even from the = early days of their friendship, they had been very tactile, and when = friendship had turned into love, they had constantly kept in contact = with each other through casual caresses or other brief touches. So she = had been happy to indulge him, and had enjoyed every second of his = seduction, reflecting jokily that perhaps he should go away more often = if this was the result. =20 But then something had happened. He had switched suddenly from slow = seduction to hungry lust, attacking her urgently and wildly with mouth = and tongue and finger, quite unlike the gentle lover she was accustomed = to. That had been okay, though; his passion had been infectious and she = had been starting to get pretty aroused herself. Even when he had = tipped her onto the sofa and roughly laid her bare for him, that had = been okay. She had complied eagerly, expecting him to be his usual = thoughtful and generous self; always mindful of her needs as well as his = own. =20 Instead he had virtually forced himself on her. =20 She had tried to tell him, but he had smothered her protest with his = mouth, and for the first time ever, she had experienced discomfort. = Even her gasp of shock hadn't stopped him. =20 When she had looked up at him, she had found his eyes shut and a hard, = determined expression on his face, which she had hated, because it = wasn't her loving Clark she saw, but a man intent on achieving his own = satisfaction at any cost. Almost as if he wanted to stake some sort of = macho claim on her body. She had nearly protested, but something had = held her back - maybe his obvious need for her, maybe the thought that = it obviously wasn't going to take long, or that it would be better to = let him finish and then talk. And she had been right: determination = quickly gave way to contorted ecstasy and a brief grunt. =20 It hadn't been so bad that it had hurt, exactly, but she had felt = invaded, not loved. She understood how desperately he needed her, she = really did; she was even flattered, in a way. But Clark had never, ever = been aggressive and selfish in his lovemaking before, and *that* hurt. =20 *********** =20 "Lois?" =20 She didn't answer, her head still turned away from him. =20 "What's wrong, honey?" =20 "Nothing," she replied dully. =20 "Please, Lois. What did I do?" =20 There was a long pause. "I don't know what's worse - the fact that you = have to ask, or the fact that you did what you did in the first place." =20 That stung. He fell silent, replaying the last few minutes in his head. = Not that it was terribly clear...he reached a possible explanation, and = tried to make amends with gentle caresses. =20 Her face swung around and she opened her eyes. "Don't bother," she said = flatly. =20 He froze. What was he doing wrong? =20 "You don't get it, do you, Clark?" =20 He shook his head dumbly. =20 She turned her face away from him again. "You hurt me." =20 Cold shock shot through him. He had hurt her? *Hurt her?* Oh, God... = He replayed their love-making again, and this time it hit him squarely = between the eyes. He had been so selfishly intent on his own pleasure = that he hadn't given her needs a single thought. =20 Guilt turned like a knife in his heart. Who, except the most selfish, = aggressive person in the world, could do what he had just done to Lois? = He reached out with a trembling hand to tentatively stroke her hair. = "Lois...I don't know what to say." =20 "Sorry would be a good start." =20 "I'm more than sorry, I'm...appalled. That I could do something like = that...I'm so sorry, Lois. So sorry. Are you all right? I mean, can I = do anything...?" =20 "No. I'm fine," she answered bluntly. =20 They fell into a stony silence. He tried desperately to think of some = way of making amends, some way to repair the damage he'd done, but guilt = overwhelmed all other thought. Eventually, Lois shifted out from under = him and sat up in a far corner of the sofa. He followed suit, = straightening up at the other end. =20 "Do you want me to leave you alone for a while?" he asked. He wasn't = sure why he suggested that, except that she seemed to be keeping a lot = of distance between them. =20 "No, Clark. What I want you to do is explain why." =20 "I'm not sure." He had an inkling, but he wasn't very proud of it, and = she certainly wouldn't enjoy hearing it. =20 "Look at me, Clark." He turned his head slowly to face her at the other = end of the sofa. Instead of enjoying the sight of her beautiful body, = all he could see were her dull, sad eyes. They tore at his heart. =20 "Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes." She looked away. "Clark, = that wasn't you I just made love with, that was some other person I've = never met before, and I need to know where all that came from. I also = need to know if it's going to happen again." =20 "Lois, I never meant to treat you like that. You have to believe me." =20 "You'll forgive me if I say that's cold comfort right now. I'm taking = it for granted that you didn't mean to do what you did, otherwise we = wouldn't be having this conversation at all." She paused, and then = continued, "Just tell me why - and don't tell me you don't know, because = I know you better than that." =20 Clark took a deep breath. She was right; this needed to be faced = head-on and there wasn't any point in denying the truth. Ever since = he'd returned, Clark2's confession had been hanging over him like a = black cloud. "I was jealous, I think." =20 "Jealous," she repeated emotionlessly. =20 "Yes. Clark2 and I...well, we talked about a lot of things..." his = voice trailed away, uncertain on how best to broach the subject. He had = so many questions running through his mind, starting with why she didn't = tell him what had happened between her and Clark2. But asking her would = be tantamount to accusing her of infidelity, albeit in a very minor way, = and how could he do that when he'd just done the most unforgivable thing = possible to her? =20 "And?" =20 "And...we talked about the times he's been over here...Lois, you don't = want to hear this now-" =20 "Yes, I do. Carry on." =20 "We talked about that time when I was trapped in the time vortex, and = you were trying to get me back. Lois, I understand how it could have = happened, I want you to know that. You were lonely, and there was = someone who looked exactly like me..." =20 "Sorry?" she asked in a dangerous voice. =20 Clark swallowed and looked away from her. =20 "Look at me, Clark!" she insisted fiercely. =20 His eyes shot up to hers and he ground out, "OK. He told me about the = kiss." =20 "Almost kiss," she corrected. She was staring at him in amazement. = "Clark, is this what this is all about? One lousy 'almost kiss'?" =20 "Yes. And the fact that you never told me about it." =20 "Oh. I see. You think I'm hiding something from you. That's nice, = that's very nice. All this time, I thought we'd built up an = understanding, a strong trust in each other, and the moment you find out = something you'd rather not hear about, you assume I'm being dishonest = with you. Is that about it, Clark? Am I right?" =20 "No! No, Lois, I trust you completely - I trust you with my life. = Lois, I love you! Doesn't that mean anything?" =20 "Apparently not." =20 "Lois..." He was handling this all wrong. He was trying to explain = himself, and in the process, was managing to upset her even more. After = he'd hurt her so cruelly... =20 But he didn't understand why she hadn't told him. =20 "We share everything, you and I," he began. "Even the little things. = So when Clark2 told me what happened, I was confused - why hadn't you = even mentioned it? You told me about Leslie Luckaby, but not about = this. So what did that mean - that nearly kissing someone who wasn't = your husband didn't matter to you? And we're not just talking about a = casual kiss here - he made it pretty clear that there was a whole lot = more to it than that. So tell me, Lois - didn't it mean anything to = you?"=20 =20 "No! That's exactly it! It didn't mean anything. We were both tired = and lonely, and I almost kissed him. End of story. Period. New = paragraph, get on with rest of life." =20 Clark couldn't help picking up on it. "He said he almost kissed you, = not the other way around." =20 Lois whirled around to face him with an angry look. "He almost kissed = me, I almost kissed him - what does it matter? Read my lips - it didn't = mean anything. Got it?" =20 "No!" he answered forcefully. "No, I haven't got it. Why didn't it = mean anything?" =20 "Because it just didn't. Life doesn't always come in nice, neat = packages, Clark. Sometimes there are messy, unexplained loose ends = trailing all over the place. You either accept that, or you don't - = it's that simple. Sorry if I disappointed you by not being perfect, but = that's the package you bought into when you married me: messy, = irrational, and, right now, mad as hell!" =20 Clark's rising ire deflated abruptly. He was doing it again: upsetting = her when he had no right to. "I'm sorry, Lois," he replied quietly. "I = never meant to upset you - I don't even know why I'm doing this." =20 "Neither do I!" =20 Silence descended again. =20 ********* =20 How dare he accuse her of being unfaithful! OK, so she hadn't told him, = but so what? There had been more important things to say to him at the = time, like 'thank God I've got you back in one piece, Clark'. Then = afterwards, it had just slipped her mind, because it really wasn't = important. It didn't mean anything. =20 Of course, she'd felt awful back then, and it had scared her that at a = time when she should have been longing to get her husband back, she had = been distracted by another man just because he looked like Clark. It = made her seem shallow and callous, and being confused by the similarity = just hadn't seemed like a valid excuse, even though that was how she had = explained it to Clark2 at the time. She had retreated upstairs to bed = and lain awake thinking about it, wondering how she could have even = half-contemplated kissing another man. =20 Clark had come to her in her dreams then, and she had woken missing him = terribly; lonely and aching for him. She had rationalised her mistake = with Clark2 as anxiety and tiredness, and that was that. She had erased = the memory from her mind. =20 Now Clark was dredging it all back up again, and she resented it. She = resented it like hell. =20 =20 She glanced over at him; he was sitting slumped in a mess of cushions = and discarded clothes, looking as miserable as she no doubt looked = herself. She spotted her blouse half-trapped under his left thigh and = tugged it out to slip back on. He might be happy sitting there naked = and...well, of course, he was as cool as a cucumber, damn him, but = anyway, she was beginning to feel faintly ridiculous. She began = fastening the buttons slowly. =20 "Lois, are you sure you're all right?" =20 She sighed. "Yes, Clark." She looked at his anxious face and relented. = "You didn't really hurt me. It just wasn't very comfortable." =20 "Oh." =20 "What really hurt was seeing your face. Clark, I've never seen you look = aggressive when we make love." A look of pain crossed his face, and she = knew she'd touched a nerve. That wasn't going to stop her though; she = wanted answers and he needed to give her those answers. "Why all the = aggression, Clark? Were you trying to punish me?" =20 "God no!" he exploded. "Never, Lois! I'd never, ever, do that. You = know that, don't you?" =20 "I thought I did." =20 "Lois, please! You have to believe that much. No, it was...like I = said, jealousy. I couldn't stop thinking about Clark2 and what he'd = said to me, and I guess it made me mad, so I wanted to prove to...I = don't know; myself maybe, that you were mine. Not his." =20 Was that flattering? Or did she feel like a chattel? She didn't much = like the thought of him having sex with her as a means of asserting his = rights, but on the other hand, it was sort of nice that he felt that = possessive towards her. Except possessiveness could be dangerous. =20 "So do you still feel jealous? And is this going to happen the next = time another man shows an interest in me?" =20 "No. Lois, I'm not that insecure about our relationship. What we have = is special, and some guy leering at you isn't going to affect that. But = this was different - this was Clark2; me, in another universe. I know = how I feel about you, so I knew how he probably felt about you too. So = am I still jealous? I don't know. I like Clark2, I respect him and = love him like a brother. If you really want to know, I just wish he = hadn't told me about all this, and I really, really wish I hadn't just = spent days and days in a strange world not knowing if I was ever coming = back to you. Most of all, I wish I could erase the last hour and make = it never happen again. But I can't do any of that. I might be = Superman, but I can't turn back time." =20 He sounded bitter and defeated, and her own guilt came back to her. =20 "No, you can't, and neither can I." She drew in a deep breath. "OK, I = think I need to admit that I did feel guilty. Actually, I felt terrible = - I was supposed to be missing you, and yet there I was, getting = attracted to another man. I hated myself for a while." =20 "You did?" =20 "Yes. I practically bolted upstairs away from him, and then spent the = next I-don't-know how long trying to figure out what I'd been thinking." =20 "And?" =20 "And nothing. I have no idea why I did what I did, but Clark - it was a = crazy situation we were in. How many people have to cope with losing = their husband into a time vortex and then having his equivalent from = another universe show up and start living in the house?" =20 He smiled wryly. "Not many, I guess." =20 "Exactly. So, really, it didn't mean as much as we're making of it." =20 "Maybe not, but I'm still not sure how I feel about Clark2. I mean, I = respect him a lot, but..." =20 But there was something he hadn't said. She'd been replaying his words = in her head while they'd been talking, and whenever he spoke about = Clark2, there was one word he never used. =20 "Do you trust him?" =20 "Well, yes..." His puzzlement deepened. =20 "Are you sure?" =20 "Yes, I'd trust him with my life." =20 "Do you think he could ever lie to you?" =20 "No..." he trailed away uncertainly. =20 "Do you think he follows the same code of ethics that you do?" =20 "Well, mostly...it's not so easy for him - he didn't have an easy = childhood, you know." =20 "So...?" =20 "So sometimes he doesn't make the same choices I would, is all. But = basically he's a good guy." =20 "But he might bend the truth now and then to suit his needs?" =20 "I guess." =20 "So do you trust him?" =20 "I...yes, I trust him..." =20 "Clark, forget he's almost your brother, forget he's you in another = universe. Do you trust him?" =20 Lois waited as Clark fought with his warring emotions. She knew what = the answer was, but she wanted Clark to admit it to himself. =20 "No," he answered finally. "No, I don't trust him. Not like I trust = you." He lifted his gaze to her eyes. "I don't trust him, and that's = why he makes me jealous, because I can't be completely sure of his = ethics. I felt like that from the first time I heard a major emergency = and asked him if he wanted me to do the rescue for him. He took so long = to decide, I nearly didn't make it in time. I knew it wasn't fair of = me, to judge him like that when he'd been through so much, but I just = couldn't help thinking that if I'd been in his shoes, I wouldn't have = doubted for one second that I wanted those people saved." =20 "See, that's just it, Clark. You want him to be exactly like you and = he's not. He's a different person, with a different set of experiences, = and you have to accept that." =20 "I know...I guess I was just disappointed. So when he finally got = around to telling me he almost kissed you, I already didn't trust him = and I started to wonder just what he was capable of." =20 "You thought that if I'd let him go further, he just might have?" =20 "Yes." =20 "And then you started wondering if I might have been tempted to let him = carry on?" =20 He nodded unhappily. =20 "So suddenly this tiny little innocent incident became the start of a = steamy illicit love-affair?" =20 "Well, not exactly..." =20 "Not steamy, or not illicit?" =20 "Neither, really." =20 "A sordid little affair, then." =20 "Not sordid..." =20 "OK, just an affair, then." =20 "Not even that, really." =20 "All right, I'm not steamy, illicit, or sordid. Just what exactly am I? = Raunchy?" =20 An eyebrow flicked up. "Could be." =20 "Passionate?" She started inching along the sofa towards him. =20 "Often." =20 "Perverted?" She moved nearer. =20 "Not that I'm aware of." =20 "Inventive?" And nearer. =20 "Sometimes." =20 "Only sometimes?" She placed her palm flat on his chest. =20 "Always," he breathed. =20 "Sexy?" Her hand began smoothing over his warm skin. =20 "Very." =20 "Good." She gave his chest a brief pat and straightened up abruptly. = "Then let's get this mess cleared up and go to bed," she said, replacing = her seductive tone with a pragmatic one. "I'm tired, and so are you." =20 "Lois?" He was frowning at her warily. =20 "It's OK, I think I've forgiven you, as long as you never do it again." =20 "I hope I never do." =20 "Come on, then - you tidy, and I'll lock up the house." =20 ********* Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 01:49:08 -0000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Bethy Em Subject: New Story: Alien Gift (1/?) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed I haven't finished this story yet, but need some nagging to keep writing. I do have a (slight) buffer, and hope to post every week on Tuesday or Wednesday. Tuesday was the plan, but I missed it for this week... Anyway, feedback is very welcome -- suggestions and praise. Questions, too. Bethy Note: This story is set in the Alt-universe – specifically the continuation of the Alt-Universe mythos in Zoomway's "Always Something There To Remind Me." For those of you who haven't read it, here is a brief synopsis (though I suggest you read the story, it's really good and way better than a short synopsis): Superman flies out to an anomaly. As a result, things he touches become split in two, and if the two touch each other, they will annihilate each other. Lois gets split, and the 'copy' runs away to Alt-Universe to spare Clark and her other half the pain of Clark having two wives. She discovers that the Clark in the Alt-universe has given up the Planet because of too many groupies, and instead writes sci-fi novels under the name Clark Lane. Alt-Clark, to explain our-Lois's sudden disappearance, said she left to go back to her husband. So, Clark Lane and copy-Lois pretend to be married and copy-Lois creates a blind Clark Lane persona so he can have a secret identity again. In all the confusion, they discover that the 'copy' is actually Alt-Lois. Tempus had fused her in with our Lois. Alt-Clark and Alt-Lois stay married and live happily ever after. In my continuation, they've been married about a year, and Dr. Klein has given the same 'unable to conceive' bad news, but he doesn't know 'the secret.' Yet. Anyway, hopefully things will be clear in the story. Please let me know if anything needs further clarification. *xxx* denotes emphasis or thoughts. {xxx} denotes telepathic communication. Alien Gift by Bethy Part One Clark arrived home to the sound of someone frantically chopping vegetables and banging pots around. *Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good.* He knew that Lois only cooked when she was ticked, because then she had inanimate objects to take her frustrations out on. That was why they ate a lot of stir-fry, vegetable soup, homemade (or, in other words, home *kneaded*) bread -- foods that required chopping or pounding -- when Lois's life was stressful. Of course, when Lois's life was stressful, that often meant Clark's was, too. For her, stress inevitably led to getting kidnapped, shot at, or otherwise having her life threatened. As a result, Clark's life became more complicated as he had to balance on the thin line between protecting her (which was often necessary) and smothering her (which he had a tendency to do, because of the high volume of incidents in which the first was necessary). Recently, however, Lois's stress came from a different source. "Who do they think they are?" she muttered as she repeatedly slammed the knife down on a poor, defenseless carrot. "'Too dangerous'," she mimicked in a high, snooty voice. "'Dangles over the jaws of death like an hors d'oeuvre.' I mean come *on*!" She gave the carrot a final thwack. "Mmm, hors d'oeuvres sound good." Clark wrapped his arms around Lois from behind and nuzzled up against her ear. She whirled around, knife up in a defensive position. Upon seeing who it was, however, she immediately deflated. "Clark! You should know better than to sneak up on me when I'm mad and wielding a knife!" "Why? It's not like you can hurt me." A mischievous grin flitted about his face. "Oh, you-- you-- C'mere and kiss me, you big lug." She set down the knife and drew him into her embrace. "Ooh, baby, you *know* what I like!" Clark exclaimed when she let him go again. She grinned. "Chantilly lace, and a purty face," she sang. They both laughed. "Now, what exactly had you so worked up?" Clark wasn't sure if he should broach the subject -- after all, she was temporarily calm. But, he decided it would be better to face it now, on his own terms, than have it spill out in the middle of some later crisis. A dark cloud passed over Lois's features as she recalled her earlier mood. She set her chin and made an expression few would dare stand up to. "It's those adoption people again. They don't even have the guts to tell me to my face. Noo, instead, like the slime-sucking wimps they are, they send a letter. A *letter!* Can you believe it? In this time of wonderful, modern technology like telephones, e-mail and fax machines, they send a *letter.*" Irate, she allowed herself to rant off the subject. Clark was a very patient man, and simply rode out the storm. Seeing his uncomplaining face, Lois continued -- on the correct subject. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "You remember Ms. Bailey?" For a second, Clark looked uncomprehending. Then it dawned on him. "From the adoption agency? Wow, it's been so long since we contacted them about adoption that I almost forgot about it." A pause. "I take it we got a reply?" "Oh, yeah. Well, it turns out we have multiple strikes against us. First of all, they have determined that my life is too dangerous to allow me to be a mother. What right do they have to say that? What if I *was* able to conceive with you? Would they take my baby away, tell me I'm too 'dangerous' for it? The nerve!" At this point, Clark decided dinner could wait. He guided Lois into the living room and onto the couch. "It's okay, honey. We'll get through this somehow, and you never know, maybe Dr. Klein was wrong. Anyway, what else did Ms. Bailey have to say?" "Well, she decided that since I -- and I quote -- "dangle over the jaws of death like an hors d'oeuvre" so often, and in situations that usually require being rescued by Superman, our home would not be a 'proper environment' for a child to grow up in. *And,* get this, because I'm always getting rescued by Superman, she thinks that I'm a target for bad guys, and therefore, any child of ours would be, too!" "Well, actually, you are a target." Lois went on without even seeming to hear him. "And did she ever consider that maybe this friendship with Superman is a good thing? That if he is so willing and available to always be saving my butt from sticky situations he might extend the same courtesy to our kids? Of course not! That would be too logical!" Clark felt a bit guilty at the thought that Superman was causing so much trouble for the two of them. It wasn't just the fact that he and Lois weren't 'genetically compatible,' or the adoption process. Nothing by itself seemed to be so bad, but when it all got mixed up together, he wondered when they would ever get a break. First, he met the woman of his dreams only to find out she was in love with his counterpart in another dimension. Then, the secret identity they had so carefully constructed was destroyed the first time he went public. Not to mention the groupie effect that followed, forcing him to leave the Planet and ultimately 'kill' Clark Kent. And Lois had to live for four years fused to her counterpart, never independent, never able to assert her personality. Once she was separated, she still had to deal with her love for a man who, on top of being an alien, had no private life. Fortunately, she had the ingenuity to realize he had another identity just waiting to be used -- that of Clark Lane. Unfortunately, his new identity necessitated his posing as a blind man. Oh, no! What if his 'blindness' was a contributing factor in their adoption roadblocks? Then it would be triply his fault. Three strikes and you're out! One, it was his fault they couldn't get pregnant; two, Superman was an obstacle in the adoption process; and three, so was his blindness. "...and to top it all off, they decided that a blind parent wouldn't be a benefit, because of the 'limitations.' Limitations, my foot! If only they knew what you could really do!" Clark tuned back in to what Lois was saying just in time to hear the incriminating remark. He really was at fault, all the way around. Guilt washed over his features, so strong this time that Lois couldn't help but notice. "Don't you go blaming yourself for all this, buster!" In her slightly abrupt manner, Lois sought to comfort him. "It's not your fault. Remember, I'm the one who helped create Superman...well, sort of. And I'm the one who convinced you to make Clark Lane blind. So, we share the blame here, just as we always share everything, okay?" She put a hand on each of his cheeks and forced him to nod his head. He broke out in a grin and finished the nod himself. Then he sobered. "So, what are we going to do?" Lois sighed, remembering the topic. "I don't know." She picked at the hem of her shirt morosely. "I guess we start over. Well," she perked up a bit, "while we're waiting for inspiration, we can at least eat all that food that I made!" They both laughed and headed out towards the kitchen, content in each other's embrace. * * * "Surprise!" Clark reached into his jacket pocket and drew out an envelope, handing it to Lois. Since this identity required his blindness, he didn't work at the Planet. Instead, he chose to continue with his novels at home, while privately assisting Lois on her investigations. She often expressed guilty feelings at not sharing the byline with him, considering all the work he usually put in, but they always ended up agreeing (or rather, him re-convincing her) that it would be more trouble than it was worth. Because of their separate schedules, they usually met for lunch. On this particular day, so soon after Ms. Bailey had shattered their hopes, they chose to eat at a favorite restaurant -- in nearby Paris. "What's this?" She opened the envelope to find two plane tickets and a reservation slip. "The Agston? You got us reservations at The Agston? Oh, Clark!" she exclaimed, jumping up to give him a hug and a kiss. "Thank you! You are so sweet!" Then a puzzled look crossed her face. "But...well, not to sound ungrateful or anything...what for?" Neither of them had been exactly hard-pressed in the way of finances, and together they were actually quite well off. But they still didn't go on extravagant excursions like this, instead preferring to use Superman Express to go off on short, intimate little jaunts. And never had one of them taken such a liberty with their finances before, without at least consulting the other. "Well, I thought with all the recent disappointments in the kid department, we both deserved a little time off. Free from distractions. And before you ask, I got the plane tickets as cover. We can't exactly advertise that Superman is willing to fly us around at every whim." He smiled contentedly at her enthusiastic reaction. He had hoped this trip would please her, give her a chance to get her mind off of her 'failure' as she would most likely term it. But, he was never sure how Lois would react to having decisions made for her. She sat back down and began poring over the resort literature included in the packet. "Oh, Clark, they have horseback riding on the beach. And massages. Oooh, and the whirlpools! And look, we can go golfing! And water skiing, and..." her voice trailed off as she realized how like an excited child she sounded. She turned a grin up towards Clark, knowing that he was regarding her amusedly behind those dark glasses. "And don't you smirk at me, Clark, I know you're just as excited as I am." "Well, that could be up for debate. But, yes," he hastened to admit in the face of her mock-glare, "I am excited. I already talked to Jim and he agreed to let you have two weeks off from the Planet. And since you aren't in the middle of anything big right now, we leave this coming Friday." "Friday?" Lois looked surprised. "But that's only three days from now! And I'll need to pack, and go shopping, and..." Clark just sat back and enjoyed watching his wife plan. * * * "What do you mean it's not 'till tomorrow?" Clark knew he shouldn't lose his temper, but he was just so frustrated! He worked so hard to plan this perfect trip for Lois, in addition to a distraction, it was also serving as the honeymoon they never had. The flight had been uneventful, except for his usual apprehension when flying the 'traditional' way. When they arrived at the hotel, however, they discovered a glitch in the plans: the resort had them reserved for the *next* day. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't know how it happened." The clerk, beyond flustered, checked the computer yet again. "It says here, Lane, room 472, beginning *Saturday.*" "Isn't there another room we could have until that one is free?" Lois, who had no problem getting in people's faces when necessary, was unusually calm. She was content to just be with Clark. If they couldn't get the right room right away, what did it matter? As fancy as this place looked -- plush carpet, chandeliers in the lobby, valet parking -- she was sure even a lower-class room would be fabulous. "I'm sorry ma'am, there's nothing free. There's a convention going on right now -- we've got executives from almost every single Fortune 500 Company right now." Despite his embarrassment at the Lane reservation fiasco, the clerk was obviously quite proud of this fact. "However, I can offer an alternative for tonight." His expression hopeful, he waited for their response. They looked at each other and, not for the first time, Lois wished she could see behind those sunglasses. *She* didn't mind going elsewhere for the night, but did he? After a moment, he sighed and turned back to the clerk. "Okay, what's the deal?" After receiving directions to the clerk's cousin's 'state of the art, newly renovated' motel, reloading their bags into the rental car, and getting lost twice on obscure back roads, they finally arrived. "*This* is what he calls state of the art? After working at The Agston?" "Shh, Clark, you can't see, remember?" "But--" She put her finger to his lips. "Shush. Let's at least wait until we see the inside." And so they did. True to tradition, Clark carried Lois over the threshold, into what the manager assured them was the best room in the place. They glanced around at the room. It was a typical motel room. A single double bed with a cheap coverlet, a TV directly across the room. A bathroom in the corner, with a shower (no tub) and a sink, no more. "Well, I guess this isn't *so* bad." Clark was trying so hard to regain his usual cheer that Lois almost pitied him. She let out a laugh and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, we're here, and we're together. We'll get into the resort tomorrow, and for now..." She gave a wicked grin. "Well, suffice it to say that I have plans that don't require any benefits other than what we have right here." * * * Lois woke to feel an empty expanse of sheet beside her. *Oh, no. He promised!* Before they left, Clark had sworn that, short of some immense disaster, Superman would stay on vacation as long as they were. She had seriously hoped for some quality time together, just the two of them -- and *no* Superman! Did he really forget his promise so soon? No, that wasn't like him. More likely there had been some disaster that needed some superpowered help. Resigned to the life of a superhero's wife (which, as a matter of fact, was much like that of the spouses of most public servants), she turned over to her other side to try and get some more sleep. A quick glance at the clock informed her that it was only three-thirty. A movement near the window caught her attention and she sat up, alert to defend herself against an intruder. "Oh, Clark, you scared me. I thought you were gone." "Sorry." The word came out briskly, almost cut off at the end. He must be preoccupied. Clark was rarely, if ever, that short with others. Especially Lois. "Honey? What's wrong?" In reaction to his reaction, Lois was beginning to get worried. "I'm not sure." He sighed and turned away from the window and back towards her. "It's just that...I thought I heard something." Puzzled, Lois leaned forward, as though her subconscious reaching out would help to comfort him. "What kind of 'something'?" He shook his head and let out a little laugh. "Nothing. You'd think it's silly." But she could see in his eyes that it was still weighing on his mind. "Clark, you hear a lot of stuff, so this could literally be anything. Now, either it's something embarrassing, in which case...I'm your wife! You can certainly tell me. Or, maybe it's someone needing help and you're worried about breaking your promise. In that case, let me know! Ok? I can be understanding...sometimes." She grinned on that last part. "Or, it's something that you can't identify, and since you can usually identify everything as soon as you hear it, I'm not sure if that's possible. Anyway," she drew a breath, "you can still tell me. So, now, let's start over." She looked him in the eye and repeated her earlier query. "Honey? What's wrong?" Grinning at the way she so concisely listed the possibilities, Clark answered. "Ok, but I'm warning you, it sounds crazy." "That's okay. I figure we can handle a little crazy in our lives." "Well, you know that sound effect on Star Trek? When the ship goes into warp and it sounds like...well, I'm not sure what it sounds like. A ship going into warp, I guess." In his frustration, Clark began pacing in front of the window. Suddenly, he moved over the bed and sat down next to Lois. "Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?" "I...think so. I take it that's the sound you heard?" "Yeah. Well, not exactly, but close." "Do you have any idea what could make that sound? Other than a special effects machine." "No. I've never heard anything like it. I told you it'd sound crazy." He grinned crookedly, obviously trying to maintain his composure. "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do." Lois said matter-of-factly, swinging her legs out from under the covers and sliding her feet into her slippers. She grabbed her robe, stood up, and said, "Let's go check it out." "Lois, are you nuts? It's the middle of the night, we're at a motel -- way outside of town, I might add, where there isn't anything to make strange noises -- and you want to go check it out?" "C'mon, Clark, quit worrying. I'm sure I'll be safe with you." She put her hands on his chest, and looked up sweetly, almost purring the words. "Pretty please?" "Oh, all right." He tried to look sullen, but Lois knew he was just as eager as she to check out this mystery. She poked him in the side to prove that she wasn't fooled, and his face lit up with that brilliant smile she loved so much. "Well? What are you waiting for, slowpoke? Let's get going!" * * * Cautious as always, Clark insisted on going first. He knew that Lois was quite capable of defending herself should she need to, but he was still wary. After all, they *were* at a motel, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night. Lois may not let that deter her in her quest to discover the originator of the noise, but he wasn't about to let her get killed in the process. They stepped out the door onto the pavement at the edge of the parking lot and Clark stopped. Lois banged up against him and let out an outraged huff. "Clark!" Naturally, she whispered his name in a way that would carry practically all the way across the parking lot. "You lout! What did you stop for?" He didn't move and she let out another exasperated sigh. He felt her shove him out of her way in order to see, but did nothing to prevent her. He knew that when she saw what he did, she would be shocked into stillness as well. Sure enough, as soon as she could see, she halted. Pulsating, with a faint, pale blue glow, a...spaceship?...hovered over the blacktop. "What the--?" Lois breathed. "I don't know." He responded. Instinctively, he put his arm around her, drawing her into his protective embrace. Curious as she was, the embrace still felt good to her. Safe. She inched closer to him, then crept forward, bringing him along with her. "Lo--" he protested, but was cut off by a movement from the ship. A flap opened on the bottom and suddenly, a body was dropped onto the ground. It (he? she? Clark couldn't tell, but it looked human) moaned, then lay still. The flap closed and the vessel began to rise. Suddenly, it zoomed away, faster than the human (or even Kryptonian) eye could follow. This time, even Lois heard the "Star Trek Warp" sound. "Wow." Clark broke out of his reverie and raced towards the child -- for it was a child, that much he could now tell. It lay crumpled on the ground, blood streaming from wounds all over its body. Jet black hair, cropped short (though messily), fanned out, blending in with the black of the parking lot, except where it was wet with blood. The blood was similar in color to humans, but a few shades lighter than normal. Clark brushed a lock aside to reveal a swollen, battered face. It was unmistakably a girl's though. She was fine boned, very thin, and appeared about seven years old. At least, about seven human years. TBC... Comments welcome, here or privately at bethyem@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 21:52:04 -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 Story: Alien Gift (1/?) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hmmm, very interesting Bethy! I haven't read Zoom's story, but I followed this one just fine. Can't wait for more! CM ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 01:41:53 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: Re: OT: Question about Divorce Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Okay, here is the situation. In my story, which takes place in Brookly, NY...the main character has filed for divorce from his wife. The property has already been dealt with and now there is the divorce. His wife contests the divorce which ends up bringing it to trial. After the trial is over, the husband will end up being able to file for the divorce because the judge will agree with him. Anyway, what I'm wondering is once the two parties sign on the doted line, how long does it take for the paperwork to process so the guy can offically get divorce and then get remarried if he wishes to? I hope this helps! Thanks, Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 03:39:33 -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: Re: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi Carol, Great to see a new story from you. s p o i l e r s p a c e I love the way you've set this up... very intriguing. Who is this grey-eyed man and what does he want with Lois? Lois also seems to be a bit mystified and out-of-step, but then as the Planet has just been rebui= lt this must be soon after the aborted wedding... so Lois would probably fee= l a bit lost. Love how she likened the delegates to dogs. Pity Perry wouldn't publish it that way. I'm looking forward to reading more. Yours Jenni ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 08:14:46 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: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lab, Jude, and Jenni, thank-you very much for your comments. It's good to know you're interested in this bit. :) Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 08:16:38 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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/31/01 1:43:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, LoisLane9397@AOL.COM writes: > Okay, here is the situation. In my story, which takes place in Brookly, > NY...the main character has filed for divorce from his wife. The property > has already been dealt with and now there is the divorce. Normally, dissolution of property is part of the divorce proceedings, Alexis. If anything, the divorce happens before the property gets divided in a contested divorce. His wife contests the divorce which ends up bringing it to trial. After the trial is over, > the husband will end up being able to file for the divorce because the judge > will agree with him. > You're making it too complicated here. Once the trial is over, the couple is divorced. Unless someone files for divorce, there is no trial. The trial is to decide the divorce, mostly isssues like child custody and division of property. Plus, I am pretty sure that New York has no-fault divorce. In no-fault divorce, the other party can't contest anything except the division of the property and custody if there is a child involved. If someone files for divorce, they will get divorced. > Anyway, what I'm wondering is once the two parties sign on the doted line, > how long does it take for the paperwork to process so the guy can offically > get divorce and then get remarried if he wishes to? At most ten days, depending on the speed of the particular court district. The minute the judge makes his ruling, the couple is divorced. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 12:33:31 -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: OT: Computer virus/hoax website Here is an interesting site regarding computer viruses. Not only does it explain the different kinds of viruses, but it also contains links to various sites that list hoaxes. (Thanks, Marilyn, for passing it along! :)) It definitely seems worth a bookmark! http://www.gladius.f9.co.uk/virus.html Make it part of your routine to check out a "virus warning" you get before sending it out to all your friends. I know I will. Kathy List Mom ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 13:35:50 -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: Charade: Part 3/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Remember, feedback is requested. Charade: Part 3 by Nan Smith It was something over two and a half hours later that Jimmy approached Clark's desk. Clark had been in and out of the office twice during that period and was in the process of writing up one of Superman's more spectacular rescues when the young computer expert set several sheets of printout on his desk. "I think I might have what you want, CK. Look at this." Clark picked up the sheets. "What have you got here?" "Well, apparently they've got a some kind of big shindig coming up in a few days. They've asked for an assistant chef for a two week assignment, and I have the guest list here." "Do I want to know how you got hold of that?" "The guy apparently always makes travel reservations for his guests via the Internet. You don't want to know the rest." "You're right, I don't. Have you found a position for Lois?" "Not exactly. The only position is for the chef. But there's a possibility. Look here." Jimmy extracted a printout of a photograph. "This guy, James Riley, is the new whiz-kid head of Futurevision.com. As you can probably tell, it's an Internet company, and he's the founder. He's one of the people on the guest list, and as far as I can tell, he's never been to Crescent Island before. His company's only been in existence for about a year, but it's been a real success. That's the only picture of him I was able to find, too. Apparently he avoids the media like poison." Clark glanced at the picture, then took a second, longer look. James Riley appeared to be in his early twenties, and bore a superficial resemblance to Jimmy. His hair was shorter, and of a lighter color, but there was a certain likeness between the two. "Jimmy, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." "Look at the stuff I dug up on him, CK. He has a...um…girlfriend." Clark scanned the printout quickly. "Kellie Davenport? Jim, she's not a girlfriend. She's a mistr--companion." "Yeah, I know." Jimmy had the grace to blush. "But she's about five years older than him, and--" He paused, swallowed and continued, "Lois could pretend to--you know--be my girlfriend. I'll do everything you say, and stay out of the way. And I do know computers. It isn't as if I couldn't play the part so you and Lois could do whatever you need to do." He added, "And it *is* kind of urgent." The problem was, Clark realized, he was right. It was an emergency, and they didn't have a lot of time. Still he said, "Jimmy, I hope you're kidding." Jimmy shook his head. "I'm not. Don't you think I can handle it?" "It isn't that," Clark said, "but it's going to be dangerous." "I know. But it looks like the only real option we've got on this short notice." "What does?" Lois's voice said, behind them. Neither man had heard her approach. Clark saw Jimmy grow slightly paler. "Uh, we have a little problem, Lois," he said. "There's only one opening for an employee--an assistant chef." "Well," Lois said, "That's not someone I can impersonate. There's got to be a way to get me on the island, Clark. What were you talking about a minute ago?" Clark glanced wickedly at the suddenly silent Jimmy Olsen. "Well, there *is* one other possibility…." ********** "You're kidding me," Lois said. "I'm afraid not." Jimmy looked apologetic. "Lois, you *know* I'd never try to take advantage of the situation!" Lois looked at Clark, who shrugged eloquently. "This looks like our only shot, Lois." She took a deep breath. "All right, if that's what we have to do, then we'll do it. Is there a picture of this bimbo?" "Um, yeah," Jimmy said, uncomfortably. "Here." He produced another printout. "There aren't many of her, either. This one was taken with a long-distance camera. I enhanced it digitally, and--" Lois snatched the paper, examining the woman she would be impersonating. Contrary to what she expected, Kellie Davenport didn't match the image in her mind of the prostitutes she had met in the course of her job here in Metropolis. She was a slender woman, dressed conservatively, even elegantly, in a black, knee-length dress and heels. Her golden-blond hair was styled in a simple pageboy cut and just brushed her jaw line. Lois ran a hand over her shoulder-length hair. "It looks like I'm going to need a visit to the beauty parlor." "Here's her bio," Jimmy said. "She has a degree in literature from Metro City College." Lois raised her eyebrows, scanning the printout. "Why would a woman with the education she's got pick this sort of career?" "Who knows?" Jimmy said. "I understand computers but there's a lot about people I don't get." "I can relate to that," Lois said. She fixed Jimmy with a basilisk glare. "Just make sure you don't get any ideas, Junior." Jimmy turned bright red. "Lois, you know I wouldn't do that!" She saw Clark hide a grin and couldn't control herself any longer. She began to giggle. "Of course I know, Jimmy, but your expression was priceless. I just couldn't resist." ********** "Okay, you're in, CK," Jimmy said. "I cancelled the request for the chef with the agency and notified Crescent Island that their new guy would be arriving tomorrow. You're Raoul Desrosiers, recently from Paris. I hope you speak French well enough to fool them." "No problem, Jimmy," Clark said. "How about you and Lois?" "Mr. Riley's people think the party's been postponed because of a flu epidemic on the island," Jimmy said. "Lois and I still have to visit the beautician, and we're all set." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess it's time I got a different haircut anyway, but I'm not so sure about the perm." Clark grinned. "Think of it as educational, Jim. The next time Sharon shows up with a new perm and asks how you like it, you'll know what she went through." "It's Alicia, now." "Well," Clark said, "the same principle applies." "Yeah. Oh, well." Jimmy glanced around as their editor approached. "Hi, Chief." "I'm not sure I like this, Jimmy," Perry said, " but I guess you've got to get your feet wet sometime. You follow Lois and Clark's orders to the letter now, you understand me?" At Jimmy's nod, he turned to Clark and continued, "I've got things set up with the financial office--just try not to go whole hog. I have to justify this on my balance sheet at the end of the month." "We'll be careful," Clark assured him. "Lois and Jimmy have to put on a show, but I'm just a lowly assistant chef." "Well," Perry said, "it's a good thing you made cooking your hobby." "In more ways than one," Lois's voice said from behind him. "If he had to depend on me, we'd have starved a long time ago." She stepped up beside Clark. "I've tracked down Jones, Clark. He's staying in room 912 at the Lexor, like Bobby said. He's originally from New York and has a rap sheet a mile long--and good lawyers, unfortunately." "What are you going to do?" Jimmy asked, curiously. "Convince him he's managed to kill us, naturally," Lois said. "Superman's going to help us with that. The guy has to report back to his boss that we're dead, so no one will even consider that we might be on Crescent Island." She glanced at Clark. "But if he gets one scratch on our Jeep, I'll murder him, myself!" ********** "Good as new," Joe Pemberton said, handing Lois the keys to the Kent Jeep. They were standing by the door to the repair shop's office. In front of them, gleaming in the sunlight, sat their Jeep. "Thanks, Joe." Lois glanced at her husband who was standing, hands in his pockets, regarding the Cherokee with a thoughtful expression. "Oh, Clark," Joe said, "your insurance man was here, looking at the Jeep this morning. Asked me a bunch of questions about it. I thought you said you weren't going to call them." "I didn't call them," Clark said, after a short pause. "Did you, Lois?" "No," Lois said. "What did he look like?" Joe shrugged. "Just like anybody. About six feet, give or take an inch, brown hair, I think, brown or blue eyes--I didn't really notice. If it wasn't your insurance man, who do you think it was?" "That's a good question," Clark said. "Was he alone with the Jeep for any of the time he was here?" "Yeah, he was. I had to answer the phone. I was only gone a few minutes, though." Joe looked worried. "You don't suppose he was the guy that messed with your brakes, do you?" "Could be," Clark said, slowly. He turned back to the Jeep and Lois saw him lower his glasses. After a moment, he shoved them back onto the bridge of his nose. "Look, Joe, don't worry about it. If it was just a couple of minutes, I'm sure he didn't have time to do anything serious. He'd have been afraid you'd come back and catch him. Besides, I reported what happened to the police. That's probably who it was." The mechanic hesitated. "I dunno, Clark. I'm pretty sure he said he was an insurance investigator. Mebbe I should look it over one more time, before you take it." It was fairly obvious to Lois that Clark didn't want Joe to check the Jeep over again. She stepped into the breech. "I think I know who it was," she said. "Don't you remember, Clark? Henderson said they're investigating an auto insurance scam some group is running. He was going to check out our accident, too--just to rule it out." "Oh," Joe said. He looked relieved. "Sure, that must have been it." A few minutes later, Clark turned the Cherokee out onto the street. Lois hadn't objected when he'd removed the keys from her hand and gotten behind the wheel, but now she asked, "What's going on?" The corners of his mouth twitched. "I didn't want Joe to spoil our opportunity." "So Jones did tamper with something." Clark nodded. "The front wheel should come loose after while. That's why we're headed for Briar Canyon Road. I think I can stage an accident there and still save the Jeep." "I hope so. I don't think our insurance company would be very happy if they had to replace it twice in two years." "You're probably right," Clark said. "When we skid, just hang on tight, okay?" Lois nodded. "With you in charge, I'm not worried. Not much, anyway." "Good. We've got a tail, by the way. I suspect he wants to be sure, this time." "Where?" "See the blue car about a hundred yards back...wait until he comes around the corner. There." "The Chevy?" "Yeah." Lois watched their pursuer in the rear view mirror for a moment. "I'd like to be able to bring this guy in, too--just as a bonus." "Well, you never know, we might be able to," Clark said. "Stranger things have happened, but right now let's just stick to the plan." He lowered his glasses and glanced at the front left tire. "The wheel is wobbling. I'm going to have to do a little lifting if we're going to make it to where I want to be." "What do you--" Lois was beginning, then she saw what he meant. Clark was floating upward, to hover a few inches above the driver's seat, and now he pressed one hand to the roof of the car. The sound of the wheels on pavement died, and she knew he had lifted the Cherokee slightly so that they floated a fraction of an inch above the surface of the road. Unless someone was watching closely, no one would realize what was going on. Lois glanced in the mirror, noting that their tail was still at least a good hundred yards behind them. From Clark's expression, she could tell that he was concentrating hard on his task as he guided them toward his chosen destination. She didn't speak, preferring not to distract him, but what her husband was doing left her a little breathless. They'd been married just over two years, now, and known each other for much longer, but sometimes he still managed to take her breath away with his abilities. It was barely twenty minutes later that he lowered them to the road again. They were on the Briar Canyon Road. To their left, the ground on the opposite side of the road dropped sheerly away, and two hundred feet below tumbled the water of the Metropolis River, a tributary of the larger Hobbs River, which lay farther to the south. On their right, a cliff wall rose almost vertically, bare rock, dotted by shallow pockets of soil where here and there an adventurous shrub or vine had somehow taken root. "Here goes," Clark murmured, and twisted the steering wheel sharply. The mistreated tires screeched as they veered across the road. Out of the corner of her eye, Lois saw for an instant, the bouncing form of their front wheel hurtling off into space, and then they followed it. It was only by the exercise of a good deal of self-restraint that she stifled a squeak of alarm. Clark had the situation under control, she knew, but he made it look convincing as they plunged over the brink and out of sight of observers. Then they were flying so fast that the river, now only a few feet below them, passed in an indistinct blur to her eyes, and she was sure that it wasn't her imagination that the floor under her feet grew distinctly warm. It continued in this fashion for less than a full minute by her estimation--which, she admitted, might be a little off--and suddenly they were in the dark. She blinked, trying to force her eyes to adjust. They were in a garage, she realized, just as Clark turned on the dome light. In fact, they were in Perry White's garage. She let out the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. Clark glanced over at her, a slight look of concern on his face. "Are you all right, honey?" "Sure." She drew a shaky breath, and then another. "Wow. Even after all the time I've known you, you still manage to surprise me, sometimes." "Sorry," Clark said. "I had to make sure he didn't see us. Now, with any luck at all, he'll think we went into the river. And since he was the only witness--" "No one will report it to the police or anything," Lois said. "I'm glad of that. I really didn't want to explain this to my parents." The door that led to the White's kitchen opened suddenly, and Alice White looked through. "Lois? Clark? Oh, thank goodness, you're here. Perry called me. Did everything go all right?" Clark turned off the dome light and opened his door. "It sure did, Alice. Did you get the things he wanted?" She nodded. "Yes. What's going on? Perry didn't explain anything." Lois opened her own door and slid her feet to the ground, not in the least surprised to discover that her legs were shaking slightly. "It's a long story. We'll tell you about it while Clark does my hair for me..." Alice glanced at the front of the Jeep. "You look like you've been having adventures," she said. "Did Perry tell you someone is trying to kill us?" Lois asked. "No." Alice shook her head and led the way into the kitchen. "He only said you had to hide the Jeep here for a few days. Knowing you, I figured something dangerous was going on. What exactly happened?" "Has Perry said anything about our investigation into Caribbean Imports?" Lois asked. "You mean that company that was involved with the white slavers you exposed back in April?" Alice asked. "I didn't know you were investigating them, but I'm not surprised. Perry never thought they were as innocent as they claimed, and he's not the editor of the Daily Planet because he can yodel." Lois had to smile. "That's for sure. Well, they've sent a hit man after us. We must have gotten too close or something." Alice drew in her breath. "Are CJ and Marta all right?" "Yeah," Clark said. "Superman flew them out to my parents in Kansas. They're safe until we get this figured out." "That's a relief," Alice said. "What happened to your Jeep?" "Oh, that," Clark said. "I told Perry this morning that we were going to stage an accident if we had to, but it turned out that the man trying to kill us cooperated by sabotaging our wheel." He gave her a brief, suitably edited version of the last thirty minutes. "Naturally, Superman had an eye on us," he concluded. "He caught us when the Jeep went off the road and flew us here. The guy probably thinks we're at the bottom of the Metropolis River right now." Alice nodded her approval. "Good. So, what happens now? You can't hide forever; not that I think you're going to--judging by the hair color and the other things Perry told me to get. I've got it in the guest bathroom. This way." They followed her up the stairs. "We're going undercover on the estate of the company's owner," Lois said. Their boss's wife glanced back over her shoulder at them. "You two be careful," she said. Clark gave her one of his brilliant smiles. "We will." ********** (tbc) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 22:33:58 +0100 Reply-To: Yvonne Connell Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Fear of Discovery IV Part 1/? - repost MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Resending this because I've been told, and I've seen with my own eyes, that on the website interface for the listserv archive, the lines don't wrap so it's very difficult to read. ********** I just remembered that I promised Erin I would post this here as well as on the boards, so here's the first part. I'll post part two in a couple of days, and thereafter, I'll be posting weekly on Mondays. Hope you enjoy it, and any feedback is very welcome :) BTW, this contains a lovemaking scene which I hope is suitably PGised. *********** Fear of Discovery IV: Lois and Clark and Clark and Lois ******************************************************* Space and time shifted uneasily. Something unnatural was happening, something which disturbed the natural rhythm of the cosmos. Another visitor was making his way through the vortex between universes, and the fundamentals which held matter and life together took unkindly to the bending and twisting to which they were being subjected. But the visitor had stayed in a foreign universe for too long, and even though he knew he had helped a good man rediscover his true identity, he was weary and desperate to return home. He needed succour; he needed his wife. ******** 'Our' Metropolis Clark's stomach lurched as he landed back in his own living room, reflecting that inter-universe travel really was no fun at all. He'd have thought that by now he would have become accustomed to the disorientation and slight dizziness which accompanied his arrival in a new universe, but it seemed that, like commercial flying, this was one form of travel he would never get used to. However, once he'd recovered his equilibrium, he was greeted by the very pleasant sight of his wife lounging on the sofa with her eyes closed, a bunch of open Chinese take-out cartons strewn on the table in front of her. Already he felt better. "Drop any noodles this time?" he asked casually. Lois' eyes flew open. "Clark!" She stood up and he rushed to envelop her in a tight hug. It was so, so good to feel her soft body close to his again, to smell her perfume, to touch her hair, and feel her arms around him holding him close. He felt like never wanted to let her go again, and he especially never wanted to leave her like he had this time, not knowing if he would ever get her back again. H G Wells had dumped him in the alternative universe without telling him when or how he would return again, and whilst most of the time he had been too busy to dwell on it, the uncertainty had always been at the back of his mind. But now he was home, and the tension he hadn't even been aware of melted away from him in her loving arms, and he felt complete once more. "Mmmm...I missed you so much," he said into her hair. "I missed you too, honey, but you were only gone for a couple of hours. What happened?" He released her in surprise. "Two hours? I was gone for days and days! It seemed like forever." "Really?" She frowned. "I guess maybe time doesn't move at the same rate between the universes, or something. And come to think of it, when I came back that first time when Tempus kidnapped me, no time had passed for you at all, had it?" He nodded. "Almost none, although I still remember that horrible moment when there was a big Lois-shaped hole in the universe," he said, his voice letting more of his feelings show than he had intended. "Oh, Clark." She gathered him up in her arms again. "So, was it bad? How's Clark2?" "He's OK...pretty much. It took us a while to work things out, but he'll do just fine now." It was a gross understatement of the extreme highs and lows he had gone through with Clark2, but it would do for now. Later, he would tell her about Clark2's struggle to recover from the violent murder of Mayson, his girlfriend, and the difficulty Clark had had in trying to persuade him to resume his Superman work once more. "And how are you?" "I'm fine too. I just missed you." He held her tight, enveloping her with his body, wanting to feel every soft curve, every beat of her heart, and hear her quiet, steady breaths beside him. "It's OK, you're home now," she murmured in his ear. "We've got all the time in the world to be together." "I know." No doubt she was confused by his clingy behaviour, if she had only been alone for a couple of hours, but he couldn't help himself. He had missed her so much... Eventually, he released her gently, but still couldn't quite let go, entwining his fingers with hers. It was then that she noticed his bag. "What's that?" she asked. Clark looked down at the bag in his right hand. "Oh! I nearly forgot." He held them up for her. "These are for you." Lois peered through the clear plastic bag to the misshapen lumps of pastry and screwed up her face. "They are?" she asked in a sceptical voice. He smiled; yes, this was his Lois, all right. He'd missed her direct, no-nonsense style. "Yes, but they taste much better than they look, trust me. They're from Clark2." Lois nodded slowly. "He obviously doesn't take after you in the cooking department." "Lois! They really are good - you'll love them. And he didn't bake them - he buys them from somewhere in Scotland." He offered the bag to her, which she took, holding it up at eye level for closer examination "These from a nation where men wear skirts?" she said, looking at the contents with distaste. "Figures." She shrugged. "I guess it was a nice gesture, though." Clark walked her over to the sofa, where he pulled her into his lap, still wanting to keep her close. Lois dumped the bag of butteries on the coffee table and turned to him, meeting his lips in a long, deep kiss. "Mmmm...this is nice," she murmured. "Yeah..." Kissing Lois was always nice - in fact, way, way better than nice. He'd missed this; their closeness, the way they didn't have to say anything to understand each other perfectly, the way she seemed to fill him with extra energy and strength. He could be strong without her, of course - he'd had to be when he was on his own with Clark2, but everything was so much easier with Lois at his side. He smiled around their kiss; the world seemed a much softer, warmer place when he was kissing Lois... *** "I nearly kissed her... it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do." *** It was a sudden, unwelcome flashback to his recent conversation with Clark2. Clark2 had thought he'd been doing Clark a favour with his confession, but Clark wasn't so sure. Instead of losing himself in a sensuous kiss with Lois, he was now wondering what might have happened if Clark2's 'I nearly kissed her' had turned into something closer; something more sensuous. Would Clark2 also have been thinking how much better than nice it was to kiss Lois? And just how close had they been when they 'almost kissed' - as close as he was to Lois right now? "You going to tell me what happened?" Lois impinged on his wayward thoughts, and he realised he'd been drifting on auto-pilot, kissing and caressing without meaning. He pushed the memories away; he didn't want them spoiling this precious reunion with Lois. He smiled at her. "Soon...but let's just do this for a while." "Suits me..." Where were they when it happened? Was he sitting in the very spot now, on this sofa, where his double had almost over-stepped the line? He made himself concentrate on his wife; on her sensuous mouth and her baby-soft skin, and her familiar, welcoming scent. This was what gave him the strongest sense of being home at last - to caress and be caressed by Lois, his precious love. He'd missed her so much, through all those lonely days and nights in the other universe, and although he'd dreamed about her in his cold, empty bed, his dreams had been a pale imitation of the real thing. He'd missed her body... He'd tried fantasy a couple of times, when the longing had become too much to bear, but it just hadn't been the same without her. At last, she was here in his arms. He undid the top couple of buttons on her blouse and slipped a hand inside. They could talk about Clark2 later - now, all he wanted there to be was just him and Lois and some gentle loving. "Mmm..." murmured Lois around their kiss. Her soft flesh under his fingers was like food to a starving man. He'd missed this so much... *** "I told you once that I don't love her, but sometimes I think that maybe I do" *** But the memory triggered a sudden aggressive urge to reclaim her as his own, to reaffirm his rights as her husband, to surge until his seed was planted and he had restaked his sole claim on her body. It was an unfamiliar, alien impulse; he didn't make love with Lois because it was his right, their love was a sharing kind of love. He pushed the ugly thought to one side. "You're so beautiful," he breathed, his gaze roaming over her soft, smooth curves, her graceful shoulders and her slim, creamy-white neck. *** "I just can't think straight around Lois." *** Clark2 had been defending himself, trying to explain why he had nearly kissed her. Well, it was no excuse, and neither was that remark about having been drinking wine - Clark2 was no more affected by alcohol than he was himself... "Mmmm." He planted kisses around her neck and shoulder, feeling her do the same in return on his other shoulder. When that wasn't enough, he moved around to the nape of her neck, and then slowly down to the swell of her breast. *** "You must have known that I had feelings for Lois." *** Another surge of possessive desire ran through him, and this time blind need clouded his mind, and he couldn't resist any longer. He lunged hungrily at her with his mouth and hands, and soon hot desire and impatience had washed away all coherent thought, and he was taking her just as his status as her husband dictated he could. She was his wife...*his* Lois... A few seconds of pure bliss flashed by, and then a deep sense of satisfaction flooded over him. He was home at last, in the arms of the woman he loved, and she had just given him one of the greatest gifts a woman could give a man. No-one could take that away from him. He bent down to kiss her again, but felt her face turn away from him. Opening his eyes, he was shocked to find her distressed and upset instead of as blissfully sated as he felt himself. ******** Her relief at getting him back so quickly, after only a two hour wait, had turned quickly into compassion when she had learnt that the time elapsed for him in the alternative universe had been much longer than she had been expecting. It was confusing to have a husband clinging on to her as if they'd been separated for weeks instead of hours, but his emotion had transmitted itself to her so strongly that her confusion immediately became irrelevant. He needed reassurance, not questions and curiosity. So it wasn't surprising that he was more interested in cuddling up to her than in telling her the details of his visit, especially since they had always enjoyed a very close physical relationship. Even from the early days of their friendship, they had been very tactile, and when friendship had turned into love, they had constantly kept in contact with each other through casual caresses or other brief touches. So she had been happy to indulge him, and had enjoyed every second of his seduction, reflecting jokily that perhaps he should go away more often if this was the result. But then something had happened. He had switched suddenly from slow seduction to hungry lust, attacking her urgently and wildly with mouth and tongue and finger, quite unlike the gentle lover she was accustomed to. That had been okay, though; his passion had been infectious and she had been starting to get pretty aroused herself. Even when he had tipped her onto the sofa and roughly laid her bare for him, that had been okay. She had complied eagerly, expecting him to be his usual thoughtful and generous self; always mindful of her needs as well as his own. Instead he had virtually forced himself on her. She had tried to tell him, but he had smothered her protest with his mouth, and for the first time ever, she had experienced discomfort. Even her gasp of shock hadn't stopped him. When she had looked up at him, she had found his eyes shut and a hard, determined expression on his face, which she had hated, because it wasn't her loving Clark she saw, but a man intent on achieving his own satisfaction at any cost. Almost as if he wanted to stake some sort of macho claim on her body. She had nearly protested, but something had held her back - maybe his obvious need for her, maybe the thought that it obviously wasn't going to take long, or that it would be better to let him finish and then talk. And she had been right: determination quickly gave way to contorted ecstasy and a brief grunt. It hadn't been so bad that it had hurt, exactly, but she had felt invaded, not loved. She understood how desperately he needed her, she really did; she was even flattered, in a way. But Clark had never, ever been aggressive and selfish in his lovemaking before, and *that* hurt. *********** "Lois?" She didn't answer, her head still turned away from him. "What's wrong, honey?" "Nothing," she replied dully. "Please, Lois. What did I do?" There was a long pause. "I don't know what's worse - the fact that you have to ask, or the fact that you did what you did in the first place." That stung. He fell silent, replaying the last few minutes in his head. Not that it was terribly clear...he reached a possible explanation, and tried to make amends with gentle caresses. Her face swung around and she opened her eyes. "Don't bother," she said flatly. He froze. What was he doing wrong? "You don't get it, do you, Clark?" He shook his head dumbly. She turned her face away from him again. "You hurt me." Cold shock shot through him. He had hurt her? *Hurt her?* Oh, God... He replayed their love-making again, and this time it hit him squarely between the eyes. He had been so selfishly intent on his own pleasure that he hadn't given her needs a single thought. Guilt turned like a knife in his heart. Who, except the most selfish, aggressive person in the world, could do what he had just done to Lois? He reached out with a trembling hand to tentatively stroke her hair. "Lois...I don't know what to say." "Sorry would be a good start." "I'm more than sorry, I'm...appalled. That I could do something like that...I'm so sorry, Lois. So sorry. Are you all right? I mean, can I do anything...?" "No. I'm fine," she answered bluntly. They fell into a stony silence. He tried desperately to think of some way of making amends, some way to repair the damage he'd done, but guilt overwhelmed all other thought. Eventually, Lois shifted out from under him and sat up in a far corner of the sofa. He followed suit, straightening up at the other end. "Do you want me to leave you alone for a while?" he asked. He wasn't sure why he suggested that, except that she seemed to be keeping a lot of distance between them. "No, Clark. What I want you to do is explain why." "I'm not sure." He had an inkling, but he wasn't very proud of it, and she certainly wouldn't enjoy hearing it. "Look at me, Clark." He turned his head slowly to face her at the other end of the sofa. Instead of enjoying the sight of her beautiful body, all he could see were her dull, sad eyes. They tore at his heart. "Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes." She looked away. "Clark, that wasn't you I just made love with, that was some other person I've never met before, and I need to know where all that came from. I also need to know if it's going to happen again." "Lois, I never meant to treat you like that. You have to believe me." "You'll forgive me if I say that's cold comfort right now. I'm taking it for granted that you didn't mean to do what you did, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation at all." She paused, and then continued, "Just tell me why - and don't tell me you don't know, because I know you better than that." Clark took a deep breath. She was right; this needed to be faced head-on and there wasn't any point in denying the truth. Ever since he'd returned, Clark2's confession had been hanging over him like a black cloud. "I was jealous, I think." "Jealous," she repeated emotionlessly. "Yes. Clark2 and I...well, we talked about a lot of things..." his voice trailed away, uncertain on how best to broach the subject. He had so many questions running through his mind, starting with why she didn't tell him what had happened between her and Clark2. But asking her would be tantamount to accusing her of infidelity, albeit in a very minor way, and how could he do that when he'd just done the most unforgivable thing possible to her? "And?" "And...we talked about the times he's been over here...Lois, you don't want to hear this now-" "Yes, I do. Carry on." "We talked about that time when I was trapped in the time vortex, and you were trying to get me back. Lois, I understand how it could have happened, I want you to know that. You were lonely, and there was someone who looked exactly like me..." "Sorry?" she asked in a dangerous voice. Clark swallowed and looked away from her. "Look at me, Clark!" she insisted fiercely. His eyes shot up to hers and he ground out, "OK. He told me about the kiss." "Almost kiss," she corrected. She was staring at him in amazement. "Clark, is this what this is all about? One lousy 'almost kiss'?" "Yes. And the fact that you never told me about it." "Oh. I see. You think I'm hiding something from you. That's nice, that's very nice. All this time, I thought we'd built up an understanding, a strong trust in each other, and the moment you find out something you'd rather not hear about, you assume I'm being dishonest with you. Is that about it, Clark? Am I right?" "No! No, Lois, I trust you completely - I trust you with my life. Lois, I love you! Doesn't that mean anything?" "Apparently not." "Lois..." He was handling this all wrong. He was trying to explain himself, and in the process, was managing to upset her even more. After he'd hurt her so cruelly... But he didn't understand why she hadn't told him. "We share everything, you and I," he began. "Even the little things. So when Clark2 told me what happened, I was confused - why hadn't you even mentioned it? You told me about Leslie Luckaby, but not about this. So what did that mean - that nearly kissing someone who wasn't your husband didn't matter to you? And we're not just talking about a casual kiss here - he made it pretty clear that there was a whole lot more to it than that. So tell me, Lois - didn't it mean anything to you?" "No! That's exactly it! It didn't mean anything. We were both tired and lonely, and I almost kissed him. End of story. Period. New paragraph, get on with rest of life." Clark couldn't help picking up on it. "He said he almost kissed you, not the other way around." Lois whirled around to face him with an angry look. "He almost kissed me, I almost kissed him - what does it matter? Read my lips - it didn't mean anything. Got it?" "No!" he answered forcefully. "No, I haven't got it. Why didn't it mean anything?" "Because it just didn't. Life doesn't always come in nice, neat packages, Clark. Sometimes there are messy, unexplained loose ends trailing all over the place. You either accept that, or you don't - it's that simple. Sorry if I disappointed you by not being perfect, but that's the package you bought into when you married me: messy, irrational, and, right now, mad as hell!" Clark's rising ire deflated abruptly. He was doing it again: upsetting her when he had no right to. "I'm sorry, Lois," he replied quietly. "I never meant to upset you - I don't even know why I'm doing this." "Neither do I!" Silence descended again. ********* How dare he accuse her of being unfaithful! OK, so she hadn't told him, but so what? There had been more important things to say to him at the time, like 'thank God I've got you back in one piece, Clark'. Then afterwards, it had just slipped her mind, because it really wasn't important. It didn't mean anything. Of course, she'd felt awful back then, and it had scared her that at a time when she should have been longing to get her husband back, she had been distracted by another man just because he looked like Clark. It made her seem shallow and callous, and being confused by the similarity just hadn't seemed like a valid excuse, even though that was how she had explained it to Clark2 at the time. She had retreated upstairs to bed and lain awake thinking about it, wondering how she could have even half-contemplated kissing another man. Clark had come to her in her dreams then, and she had woken missing him terribly; lonely and aching for him. She had rationalised her mistake with Clark2 as anxiety and tiredness, and that was that. She had erased the memory from her mind. Now Clark was dredging it all back up again, and she resented it. She resented it like hell. She glanced over at him; he was sitting slumped in a mess of cushions and discarded clothes, looking as miserable as she no doubt looked herself. She spotted her blouse half-trapped under his left thigh and tugged it out to slip back on. He might be happy sitting there naked and...well, of course, he was as cool as a cucumber, damn him, but anyway, she was beginning to feel faintly ridiculous. She began fastening the buttons slowly. "Lois, are you sure you're all right?" She sighed. "Yes, Clark." She looked at his anxious face and relented. "You didn't really hurt me. It just wasn't very comfortable." "Oh." "What really hurt was seeing your face. Clark, I've never seen you look aggressive when we make love." A look of pain crossed his face, and she knew she'd touched a nerve. That wasn't going to stop her though; she wanted answers and he needed to give her those answers. "Why all the aggression, Clark? Were you trying to punish me?" "God no!" he exploded. "Never, Lois! I'd never, ever, do that. You know that, don't you?" "I thought I did." "Lois, please! You have to believe that much. No, it was...like I said, jealousy. I couldn't stop thinking about Clark2 and what he'd said to me, and I guess it made me mad, so I wanted to prove to...I don't know; myself maybe, that you were mine. Not his." Was that flattering? Or did she feel like a chattel? She didn't much like the thought of him having sex with her as a means of asserting his rights, but on the other hand, it was sort of nice that he felt that possessive towards her. Except possessiveness could be dangerous. "So do you still feel jealous? And is this going to happen the next time another man shows an interest in me?" "No. Lois, I'm not that insecure about our relationship. What we have is special, and some guy leering at you isn't going to affect that. But this was different - this was Clark2; me, in another universe. I know how I feel about you, so I knew how he probably felt about you too. So am I still jealous? I don't know. I like Clark2, I respect him and love him like a brother. If you really want to know, I just wish he hadn't told me about all this, and I really, really wish I hadn't just spent days and days in a strange world not knowing if I was ever coming back to you. Most of all, I wish I could erase the last hour and make it never happen again. But I can't do any of that. I might be Superman, but I can't turn back time." He sounded bitter and defeated, and her own guilt came back to her. "No, you can't, and neither can I." She drew in a deep breath. "OK, I think I need to admit that I did feel guilty. Actually, I felt terrible - I was supposed to be missing you, and yet there I was, getting attracted to another man. I hated myself for a while." "You did?" "Yes. I practically bolted upstairs away from him, and then spent the next I-don't-know how long trying to figure out what I'd been thinking." "And?" "And nothing. I have no idea why I did what I did, but Clark - it was a crazy situation we were in. How many people have to cope with losing their husband into a time vortex and then having his equivalent from another universe show up and start living in the house?" He smiled wryly. "Not many, I guess." "Exactly. So, really, it didn't mean as much as we're making of it." "Maybe not, but I'm still not sure how I feel about Clark2. I mean, I respect him a lot, but..." But there was something he hadn't said. She'd been replaying his words in her head while they'd been talking, and whenever he spoke about Clark2, there was one word he never used. "Do you trust him?" "Well, yes..." His puzzlement deepened. "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'd trust him with my life." "Do you think he could ever lie to you?" "No..." he trailed away uncertainly. "Do you think he follows the same code of ethics that you do?" "Well, mostly...it's not so easy for him - he didn't have an easy childhood, you know." "So...?" "So sometimes he doesn't make the same choices I would, is all. But basically he's a good guy." "But he might bend the truth now and then to suit his needs?" "I guess." "So do you trust him?" "I...yes, I trust him..." "Clark, forget he's almost your brother, forget he's you in another universe. Do you trust him?" Lois waited as Clark fought with his warring emotions. She knew what the answer was, but she wanted Clark to admit it to himself. "No," he answered finally. "No, I don't trust him. Not like I trust you." He lifted his gaze to her eyes. "I don't trust him, and that's why he makes me jealous, because I can't be completely sure of his ethics. I felt like that from the first time I heard a major emergency and asked him if he wanted me to do the rescue for him. He took so long to decide, I nearly didn't make it in time. I knew it wasn't fair of me, to judge him like that when he'd been through so much, but I just couldn't help thinking that if I'd been in his shoes, I wouldn't have doubted for one second that I wanted those people saved." "See, that's just it, Clark. You want him to be exactly like you and he's not. He's a different person, with a different set of experiences, and you have to accept that." "I know...I guess I was just disappointed. So when he finally got around to telling me he almost kissed you, I already didn't trust him and I started to wonder just what he was capable of." "You thought that if I'd let him go further, he just might have?" "Yes." "And then you started wondering if I might have been tempted to let him carry on?" He nodded unhappily. "So suddenly this tiny little innocent incident became the start of a steamy illicit love-affair?" "Well, not exactly..." "Not steamy, or not illicit?" "Neither, really." "A sordid little affair, then." "Not sordid..." "OK, just an affair, then." "Not even that, really." "All right, I'm not steamy, illicit, or sordid. Just what exactly am I? Raunchy?" An eyebrow flicked up. "Could be." "Passionate?" She started inching along the sofa towards him. "Often." "Perverted?" She moved nearer. "Not that I'm aware of." "Inventive?" And nearer. "Sometimes." "Only sometimes?" She placed her palm flat on his chest. "Always," he breathed. "Sexy?" Her hand began smoothing over his warm skin. "Very." "Good." She gave his chest a brief pat and straightened up abruptly. "Then let's get this mess cleared up and go to bed," she said, replacing her seductive tone with a pragmatic one. "I'm tired, and so are you." "Lois?" He was frowning at her warily. "It's OK, I think I've forgiven you, as long as you never do it again." "I hope I never do." "Come on, then - you tidy, and I'll lock up the house." ********* Yvonne (yvonne@yconnell.fsnet.co.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 18:19:22 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Shadow Fax Subject: Trading Places (Great Story! ) I was happy to read more about the alternate Clark's life because I felt so sorry for him in TA :( Although this story has its tender and poignant moments, it's a comedy for the most part. It features a devilishly ingenius plot, multiple switched identities and superb characterisations. It's a hilarious story and just the thing for anyone who's in need of a good laugh. :-D * S P O I L E R S P A C E * I lol'd all the way through it! :-D The characterisations were marvelous; I loved the part comparing Lois to Bugs Bunny on steroids. I also loved Tempus's masterly letter to Wells - it had me in stitches. I could almost hear Lane Davies's voice reciting the lines. And Tempus's unflattering description of Wells's writing had me *roaring* with laughter! And the part about Jimmy Hoffa! ROTFL!!!!! Just when I thought things couldn't get any funnier, Lois's bad food started a riot at the Metropolis women's prison! OMigosh!!!!!!!!!!! Funny, funny story! Shadowfax ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 20:58:19 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: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/31/01 7:17:02 AM EST, Aerm1@AOL.COM writes: << You're making it too complicated here. Once the trial is over, the couple is divorced. Unless someone files for divorce, there is no trial. The trial is to decide the divorce, mostly isssues like child custody and division of property. Plus, I am pretty sure that New York has no-fault divorce. In no-fault divorce, the other party can't contest anything except the division of the property and custody if there is a child involved. If someone files for divorce, they will get divorced. >> Actually, you're wrong. I looked up this info on the internet and you can contest a divorce, even in New York. I even found a website that listed the steps you can take and the first step was the division of property...then came the divorce itself. My basic question...was not if I can do it the way I've set it up...but the time period between when the divorce proceedings and when someone can get remarried. That was never listed on the website. Anyway, thanks for your help. I'll probably figure something out myself, using all the different time periods I have received from this list! LOL! Alexis ;-.) "Clark's busy, Lois. Why don't you give him a few minutes to freshen up first?" (Cat) {Strange Visitor From Another Planet, LnC} ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 22:35:32 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: OT: Question about Divorce MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit You might want to try this website if you haven't already found it. It talks about some time frames. http://www.silaw.com/divgrnds.html Apparently, New York does not have no fault divorce at all. New Jersey does. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 20:45:15 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debbie Coleman Subject: Re: New Story: Yesterday Upon the Stair, part 1 of ? In-Reply-To: <53.6c30b1a.28478fb6@aol.com> Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I don't have any earth-shattering comments to make, only that I find this premise fascinating and can't wait to see how the story shapes up. I'm never disappointed in a C.C.Malo story, so I know it will be good. Can't wait to read more! Deb on 5/31/01 5:14 AM, C.C. Malo at Ccmalo@AOL.COM wrote: > Lab, Jude, and Jenni, thank-you very much for your comments. It's good to > know you're interested in this bit. :) > > Carol -- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will J.Garcia, The Wheel Deb Coleman debbie@ikos.com debolah@pacbell.net