From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG0107E" ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 22:03:04 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Betty Cheng Subject: Re: Point System In-Reply-To: <20010728.170318.-240849.0.cmoncado@juno.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit That was really funny, Carol! I especially like the part about the awards: > " ... And 2 more points for admitting to displaying awards. I admit to displaying my > awards." Lois was indignant. > "Only under duress." And the notes on cars: > "Doesn't leave nasty notes on badly parked cars - 3 points. I have left a nasty note > on a badly parked car in..." > "Lois..." There was a warning in Clark's tone. > She rolled her eyes. "At least a week." > "That's better." I do have one question though. How come Lois didn't get points for perfect eyesight? Didn't she say she has 20/20 vision in the episode where Lois and Clark first met Trask and Bureau 39? Great short story. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Simba ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 00:11:46 -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: Point System MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey thanks! As for the eyesight thing... She was wearing reading glasses in the first ep so I just kinda went with that. *shrug* Hope it didn't take anything away from it! CM On Sat, 28 Jul 2001 22:03:04 -0700 Betty Cheng writes: > That was really funny, Carol! > > I especially like the part about the awards: > > > " ... And 2 more points for admitting to displaying awards. I > admit to > displaying my > > awards." Lois was indignant. > > > "Only under duress." > > And the notes on cars: > > > "Doesn't leave nasty notes on badly parked cars - 3 points. I > have left a > nasty note > > on a badly parked car in..." > > > "Lois..." There was a warning in Clark's tone. > > > She rolled her eyes. "At least a week." > > > "That's better." > > I do have one question though. How come Lois didn't get points for > perfect > eyesight? Didn't she say she has 20/20 vision in the episode where > Lois and > Clark first met Trask and Bureau 39? > > Great short story. Thanks for sharing. > > Cheers, > Simba ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 13:01:13 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicola Baker Subject: Re: NEW: Point System MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ROTFL!!! I would quote a few of the best, but I can't decide which ones, so I'd only end up quoting the whole story. Nic ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 13:08:41 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicola Baker Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I had *way* too much time on my hands. Seriously, I watched the show from about half way through the second season (but I don't know how many times they'd been through it already...) and then went back and watched the first ones on the next run through. At first, it was that nice Mr Cain that attracted me to it, but that only lasted a couple of episodes - by that time the storyline had me hooked! I think now it is mainly the whole secret identity thing that i like. The sticky situations that just wouldn't happen if he was being totaly honest with everyone (for everyone, read Lois). I discovered the online FoLC community when I went to university - nice cheap, unlimited internet access... which doesn't tie up the phone line. Oh, and 19 and UK. Almost forgot about that bit. Nic ----- Original Message ----- From: April Sycamore To: Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2001 10:26 PM Subject: How did you become a FOLC?? > Hi everyone! I just thought it might be fun to know where everyone is from, > how old they are, and what it was that made them a FOLC! Like what do you > like about it, what made it catch your attention, etc... > > I'm from Utah, I'm 17. I used to watch Lois and Clark sometimes at my > grandma's on Sunday during the last year. Last summer I had to get up early > to babysite and was flipping channels when I saw that it was on! I > remembered that I used to watch it and liked it, and I've been hooked ever > since!! I just think it's so romantic and Clark says the sweetest things. > It's so funny to see how Lois' character changes!! > > So---how about you??? > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 08:12:26 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: lcfic Subject: Message Board Index Update through July 27 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi FoLCs! Lots of activity again this week! Check it out on the L&C Message Board Index and Links page at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/7378/lnc.html New stories this week: AND BY THE WAY: BETHY CHOICES: CRYSTAL WIMMER DATE WITH SUPERMAN, A: GERRY DON'T TUG ON SUPERMAN'S FRIENDS COMPLETE VIGNETTE THANATOS DUET: SHAYNE TERRY FASCINATING INFORMATION LEX LUTHOR JOINS THE MBS AND SEVERAL OTHER FAMILIAR CHARACTERS RESPOND VARIOUS FASCINATING INFORMATION AND ITS AUTHOR A REPLY TO LEX LUTHOR KAL-EL HASTY WORDS COMPLETE VIGNETTE TANK WILSON I STILL LOVE YOU (REVISED ED.): CHRISTY LANDRUM INTERVIEW, THE COMPLETE VIGNETTE THE LURKER (POSTED BY CAROLM ON BEHALF OF AUTHOR) ONLY ONE, THE COMPLETE VIGNETTE TRACEYLYNN PHONECALLS FROM THE EDGE COMPLETE VIGNETTE NERDGIRL PURPLE CHAOS: EMILY M. HANSON WEEKEND FEATURE: DIANE WOUNDED ANGELS KESTREL73 (AKA LOTE TREE) New part(s) posted: ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND, THE: ERIN KLINGLER ALIEN GIFT: BETHY CODE OF HONOR: DAWN FIELD FEAR OF DISCOVERY IV: YVONNE CONNELL FOR BETTER OR WORSE: JESSI MOUNTS IMBALANCE PHIL ATCLIFFE AND WENDY RICHARDS IN DREAMS: KAYLEE LONELY IS THE MAN: JONWOLFFE SECOND THOUGHTS: WENDY RICHARDS STRANGERS III: MISSY GALLANT UNIVERSAL UNION: JENNI DEBBAGE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW: CAROL MONCADO Completed stories this week: CHARADE: NAN SMITH ENEMY WITHIN:PART THREE (PU: 2/2 (REALLY!): WENDY RICHARDS FRIENDLY LITTLE GAME OF.... , A: CAROL MONCADO New TOC's FOR BETTER OR WORSE: JESSI MOUNTS SECOND THOUGHTS: WENDY RICHARDS SERIAL VENGEANCE: TANK WILSON WOUNDED ANGELS KESTREL73 (AKA LOTE TREE) Added to the Archive this week: At the Airport by Shidrati Ali Full Circle: Book 2 by Crystal Wimmer Green Card by Wendy Richards The Hand That Rocks by Christy Landrum Insanity by Shidrati Ali Enjoy! Dawn & the Index Crew __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 09:20:20 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Diane Trim Subject: Weekend Feature: 2/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Thanks to your encouragement, I've written some more on my fic. I'm hoping that I've figured out the formatting and that it's easier to read this time around! Diane --last time: There it was again - - that nagging feeling that she was forgetting something or missing something. Lois stared at Clark. “What?” he said, straightening his tie again. She studied him. “Nothing.” But the way she said “nothing” made him squirm. *** Part II Helen Worth frowned briefly at the LNN anchorwoman on the TV screen, paged her secretary, and pressed “off” on the remote control. She tucked her fashionably-cut, blonde-highlighted hair behind her ears and straightened her desk before Ms. Hart entered the office. “Yes, Ms. Worth?” the secretary said. Judy Hart was a plain woman of 30 who combed her hair in a short, efficient style, wore practical black pumps, and concealed a pistol beneath her blazer. “Juliette Brioche is in the hospital,” Helen said slowly, looking Ms. Hart in the eye. Ms. Hart nodded. “Shall I visit her, Ms. Worth?” “No,” Helen said. “I think I’ll do that myself. Please tell Hank to cut some flowers for me—yellow lilies and monkshood, I think. Have him put them in the garden room.” “Shall I speak with your . . . contractor?” Helen pursed her lips in thought. “Yes. When you meet with Nigel, make sure we’re still on schedule. Tell him I will tolerate no more incomplete work. That will be all.” “Very well, Ms. Worth,” Ms. Hart said and left the office. *** “Lois! Clark! My office, pronto!” Perry White bellowed. Clark stood up, brushed the lunchtime crumbs from his lap, and followed Lois, who was already several steps ahead of him. She beat him to the open chair again, so he stood, leaning against the wall. Perry cleared his throat. “Uh, kids, I sure hope you don’t have plans for this evening.” He smiled broadly and pulled something from his pocket. “’Cause I have two tickets for the hottest dance in town.” Lois rolled her eyes. Men and their sports metaphors. “Perry, the Big Dance was over a month ago in March. Remember? University of Metropolis dropped out in the first round. Little Lamar University, some nowhere Texas school . . . ” “Darlin’, this ain’t college basketball, this is the Belle Society’s annual ball.” Perry stared at her as if she were a rookie. “You know, the kick-off event for your story?” “Oh.” Lois blinked. “Oh, that. Isn’t’ what’s-her-name, that woman with some interior decorating show hosting it?” She looked from Perry to Clark. “You mean Helen Worth? My mom is a big fan of hers. She watches that Worthwhile cable television station all of the time. Helen Worth can do it all - - cook from scratch, arrange flowers, decorate houses . . . ” Clark said, then noticed Lois’s scowl. “I am so tired of that woman! ‘Helen says to do it like this.’ ‘I want a house just like Helen’s.’ Who is she to dictate how women should live their lives and decorate their homes? I mean, am I a lousy person because I buy take-out food and stock my fridge with frozen entrees? I don’t think so!” Lois ranted, gesturing with her hands. “Helen Worth is the antithesis of the women’s movement. I mean, come on! Everything from scratch? Who has time for that?” She pointed accusingly at Clark, then at Perry. “I’d bet you two would love a Helen at home, wouldn’t you?” Clark looked at Perry helplessly, then started to mutter, “Uh, no . . . ” Nothing, however, would stop Lois’s tirade. “ . . . and another thing! Who in their right mind would watch an entire half-hour show about making a bed? Making a bed! Not only would that bore a normal, thinking woman to tears, but it’s making a bed, for Christ’s sake!” Lois sat back, satisfied. “Really. Helen Worth for 30 minutes is too much; let alone 24 hours a day. Detesting her is a matter of principle.” Perry cleared his throat. “Well, Lois, if that’s how you really feel, maybe these tickets . . . ” “Not on your life!” Lois jumped up and snatched the tickets out of Perry’s hand. She turned to Clark. “Go rent a tux - - not that musty one you dug up last time, something nice. Meet me at the Press Club at 7:00. We’ll go over our notes there and then go to the ball.” She turned to leave. “Uh, sure, Lois,” Clark began, uncertainly, then he smiled. “It’s a date, then.” She turned around, a small smile on her lips. “Seven,” she said and headed for the elevators. *** “Louis. This is Lois.” She was cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear while painting her toenails. Her hair was wrapped, turban-style, in a towel and she was wearing a fuzzy blue bathrobe. “I’m fine, thanks. Listen, Louis, do you know any guys who deal with surveillance equipment?” Lois shook the bottle of pink varnish and described the equipment she needed. She dipped the brush in the nail polish and painted a toe. “Yeah, I guess you could say it’s for a story I’m working on.” Lois started on the other foot. “Really? Is he good? I really need an expert - - someone who has the best technology.” She capped the bottle of polish and wiggled her toes. “Yeah? How soon can I get the equipment? Can I have it before 6:00?” Lois went into the bathroom, opened the mirrored cabinet and put away the polish. “Great. Have him stop by. Can he show me how it works?” She closed the cabinet, wiped the fog off the mirror, and peered at her reflection. “No, Louis. I know you know guys who know guys, but I really don’t need any protection. I can take care of myself.” Lois opened the cabinet and took out her tweezers. “Thanks, Louis. I owe you.” She turned off the portable phone, closed the cabinet, and plucked a couple of stray eyebrow hairs. “Clark Kent,” she said to herself, “I think I’m on to you.” *** Lois was sitting at one of the large tables in the back of the Metropolis Press Club. She had pushed the napkins, silverware, and condiments aside and spread her research over the table. If it hadn’t been for her red evening gown and cascading hairstyle, no one would have known she was waiting for her date. Clark wound his way past the other diners to Lois’s table. She was reading the latest issue of Worthwhile Living when he stopped next to her and put his hand on her bare shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. Clark couldn’t help the weak feeling in his knees. She took his breath away. “Hi,” she said. “Uh, hi.” Clark paused, searching for something better to say than ‘hi.’ “Lois. You look beautiful,” he managed. “Thanks.” Her smile was bigger now and she cocked her head to take a better look at him. “You look pretty good yourself.” Lois patted the chair next to her. Clark sat down. “Have you ordered anything yet?” “Just a glass of wine. I’ve been doing some research while I was waiting.” Lois reached across the table and started to gather her files. “Here, Lois, let me help you,” Clark offered. “No, it’s O.K., Clark. It’s my mess. Why don’t you take a look at the menu?” She handed him the card. Lois arranged the files in her briefcase, then took out a large, black pen. She twisted it around the middle and dropped it under Clark’s chair. Clark winced in pain, covering his ears. “Ugh! What the heck is that noise?” He put his fist to his furrowed brow and shut his eyes to the pain. “Where is it coming from?” Lois looked at him in disbelief. He was beginning to sweat. Quickly, she bent over and picked up the pen, shutting it off. Clark’s features relaxed and he shook his head. “Wow. What a noise.” He blinked and looked at her. Lois was staring at him, wide-eyed. “What did you hear?” she asked curiously. Clark pushed up his glasses. “Um, didn’t you hear anything, Lois?” She raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Nope.” “Hmmm.” Clark pretended to be mystified. “Maybe it was just me.” He looked at his watch. “I bet I forgot to take my medication. Excuse me, Lois, I’ll be right back. If the waitress comes, order me a glass of white wine, please.” Lois, sitting alone once more, picked up the “pen.” She twirled it around in her fingers thoughtfully. It looked like the instrument had done its job. *** Clark leaned against the wall in the men’s room, still trying to sort out what had just happened. Lois cleaned up some papers, dropped a pen, and then a terrible noise made his head hurt. She picked up the pen and the noise stopped. “The pen,” he thought and he lowered his glasses to look through the wall and at Lois. Lois was twirling the pen, a habit she had when she was thinking. Curious, he x-rayed the pen. Under the shell was a complicated mass of tiny circuits and no ink at all. His partner had complex spy equipment, but he had no idea why. *** Clark returned to the table, unsure of what to say to Lois. But, he needn’t have worried. Lois smiled warmly at him as he approached. “Better?” she asked in a concerned tone. Her mind, however was working an entirely different tack. “How can I get him nearer?” she wondered. “Yeah,” Clark said weakly as he sunk down in his chair. Lois moved closer to him and her knee touched his under the table. Both felt a little electric tingle at the unexpected contact. Instinctively, Clark moved his knee away, but Lois’s hand on his thigh stilled him. Clark’s eyes met Lois’s questioningly. He cleared his throat. Was she really coming on to him? Seeing his uncertain reaction, Lois squeezed his thigh and smiled at him reassuringly. Wow. What a solid, muscular leg. Pushing her hand against his leg, she leaned over the table, reached for her glass of water with her free hand, and took a sip. “I, uh, I think I’m going to try the salmon. How about you?” Clark was trying to recover from what he’d just seen. When she had leaned over the table, Lois’s low-cut gown gapped suggestively between her breasts. That, on top of the burn marks he was sure were on his leg, was almost too much. He blinked and tried to regain his composure. “Uh, yeah. Salmon sounds good.” Lois turned in her chair to get a better look at Clark. “Where could it be?” she wondered. Her hand left his leg and moved up to his cheek. She ran her fingers lightly up the side of his face and into his hair, which she smoothed up and behind his ear. Her fingers remained there, gently searching, probing his hair, nudging his glasses. Clark closed his eyes, savoring her delicate touch. Lois frowned as she came up, literally empty-handed. The waitress arrived and broke the mood with a light chuckle. “How is the happy couple this evening?” she asked, setting down a pitcher of water. Clark cleared his throat, pushed up his glasses and said, “Fine, thanks, Mary. How’s your husband?” He tensed slightly as Lois’s hand again found its way to his thigh. “Hank? Oh, he’s fine, I suppose. Loves gardening for his employer more than at his own home, but I guess I can’t complain when that paycheck comes in! So, what will you two have for dinner?” Clark looked at Lois for a moment, seeking her consent to order for both of them. She nodded and rubbed his leg in encouragement. He ordered their dinners and said, “We’d better stick to the one glass of wine, don’t you think, Lois?” She sighed. “Yes, probably,” Lois said and slowly removed her hand from its place on Clark’s leg. The waitress left and Lois said, “Well, partner, I guess the date part is over - - for now. Let’s form our plan of action.” She dug in her briefcase and came out with a list of people attending the ball. “I’ll take Henry Stump, that gardener guy.” She put an “L” next to Stump’s name. “And Abby Brocade, the interior decorator.” Clark readjusted his position in his chair and studied the list. It was hard for him to switch gears from “date” to “business” so quickly, but if Lois could do it, so could he. “O.K. Well, I’d like to interview Mel Lathe. Dad and I used to watch his ‘Midwestern Woodworker’ show when I was growing up. I’ll also take Susan Taylor, the seamstress. Mom’s a big fan of hers.” “Right.” Lois put a “C” next to each of those, and an “L” next to Abby. “Now, for Helen Worth.” “Hmm,” Clark murmured in thought. “She’ll be a tough one. Helen Worth doesn’t give personal interviews - - not even in her own magazine.” “Well,” Lois’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll just have to use any and all means necessary.” Clark looked at his partner. Was that why she had brought the spy pen? What was she up to? *** --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 14:54:42 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Something New and Different... Comments: To: nfic@yahoo.com, lncfanfic@yahoogroups.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Heyya FoLCs! I've been trying for the better part of a week to think of an adequate way to announce this... and I'm still at a loss. Well - when all else fails - go straight to the point! With the help of countless others, I've begun a new site for FoLCdom. This site follows closely in the tradition of Writer's Showcase, in that it features the most well-known authors in our midst, but it differs in one way. Rather than featuring the author specifically, this site features the author's FAVORITE STORY, along with the explanations of how, why, and what was behind it's writing. It is my hope that this site will give us some insight into the minds of those authors we so love to read, and perhaps inspire others to join their ranks and write a bit themselves. So, with that said, I'd like to present THE AUTHOR'S MIND... This week's featured author is Dawn Field, telling of the inspiration (and perspiration) behind What If I Never Left Krypton? Come read-all-about-it, at: www.geocities.com/authorsmind/main.html Thanks so much, Crystal Wimmer Manager, The Author's Mind... Come take a look into the Author's Mind at: www.geocities.com/authorsmind/main.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 16:03:00 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: Dean Cain on Fox News Live In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" So did anyone actually cathc him on FNC? If so, are you coming to LAFF? If so, bring the tape? Thanks, Carolyn >I've seen two advertisements for Dean to be interviewed on Fox News Live, >but can only tell you it is supposed to be tomorrorw between 9AM and 4PM >EDT. According to the ad, he is promoting a Ripley's believe it or not >program. > >Fox news Channel does have a website, but it still had items for Thursday. >So you might want to check http://www.foxnews.com/live/ before you head >out so you can set your VCRs. That site should provide link to Guests and >topics with an approximate timeline. And of course breaking news could >postpone or otherwise delay the interview. > >Certianly has been a while since I've seen him on TV (outside LNC!) > >Nancy >-------------------------------------------------------------- >nancym@charm.net ..... (future) http://www.charm.net/~nancym/ >The Kitties Page ........... http://members.aol.com/Mysnats/ >My Sister's Karaoke Site ............ http://karaokeklub.com/ >-------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 16:04:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: Dean Cain on Fox News Live In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" >On Fri, 27 Jul 2001, Nancy Merckle wrote: > >> I've seen two advertisements for Dean to be interviewed on Fox News Live, >> but can only tell you it is supposed to be tomorrorw between 9AM and 4PM >> EDT. According to the ad, he is promoting a Ripley's believe it or not >> program. > >It is now listed for 11:48AM > >Nancy >-------------------------------------------------------------- >nancym@charm.net ..... (future) http://www.charm.net/~nancym/ >The Kitties Page ........... http://members.aol.com/Mysnats/ >My Sister's Karaoke Site ............ http://karaokeklub.com/ >-------------------------------------------------------------- 11:48 am on Saturday EST? Carolyn ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 16:21:13 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Dean Cain on Fox News Live MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 07/29/2001 4:04:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, cschnall@MED.CORNELL.EDU writes that Nancy wrote: << >It is now listed for 11:48AM >> well, that would have been just about right as he arrived at FOX studio about 11:20. Unfortunately, he didn't actually air live. He was gone probably about noon and by 12:30 his segment had not aired. Don't know if it aired later in the day or not. Our VCR's were only set for 11-12 though Carolyn could hear the station from outside the studio till 12:30. --Laurie (wondering why Carolyn is at work on Sunday afternoon) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 15:30:38 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Cindy Leuch Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed I'm 24 and from Iowa, and I've been a fan of the show ever since it first aired. I didn't become a FOLC, tho, until over a year ago, when I first found fanfic. It inspired me to write a fic, then I started hearing from FOLCs, who mentioned this list and the boards, and I jumped in head first. And that's the reader's digest version of events. Looking forward to seeing a lot of you at LAFF in a few days! GO CYCLONES! Cindy Leuch isuleuch@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 16:45:28 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carolyn Schnall Subject: Re: Dean Cain on Fox News Live In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" >In a message dated 07/29/2001 4:04:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, >cschnall@MED.CORNELL.EDU writes that Nancy wrote: > ><< >It is now listed for 11:48AM >> > >well, that would have been just about right as he arrived at FOX studio about >11:20. Unfortunately, he didn't actually air live. He was gone probably about >noon and by 12:30 his segment had not aired. Don't know if it aired later in >the day or not. Our VCR's were only set for 11-12 though Carolyn could hear >the station from outside the studio till 12:30. > >--Laurie (wondering why Carolyn is at work on Sunday afternoon) When I checked the tape, it was all news.... I had to come back and finish one last thing but I am going home now, thanks Laurie:) Carolyn ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 15:38:39 -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: Weekend Feature: 2/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit You call that a good place to end?! You are evil. Wonder what Lois is up to with the whole leg thing (unless I missed something?) and can't wait to see what else she has planned! CM (Who wants more soon!) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 19:54:36 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Something New and Different... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Coming out of recent lurkdom... << Rather than featuring the author specifically, this site features the author's FAVORITE STORY, along with the explanations of how, why, and what was behind it's writing. >> Great idea, Crystal! I read Dawn's comments on her fic and am anxious to see other writers discuss the inspiration behind their writing. I know that's a topic I enjoy reading about published authors (and movie directors & screenwriters) and I'm sure reading about fic writers will be as interesting, if not more interesting, as there's no payment involved in writing fanfic. Are you taking suggestions for writers to feature? I can surely think of several fics/authors whose inspirations I would be interested in reading about. Christy attalanta@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 18:32:51 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Sorry if you guys think this is a dumb question but what is LAFF? Something fan fiction? Is there something going on in a few days? >From: Cindy Leuch >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? >Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 15:30:38 -0500 > >I'm 24 and from Iowa, and I've been a fan of the show ever since it first >aired. I didn't become a FOLC, tho, until over a year ago, when I first >found fanfic. It inspired me to write a fic, then I started hearing from >FOLCs, who mentioned this list and the boards, and I jumped in head first. >And that's the reader's digest version of events. > >Looking forward to seeing a lot of you at LAFF in a few days! > >GO CYCLONES! >Cindy Leuch >isuleuch@hotmail.com > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 18:37:56 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: Re: Weekend Feature: 2/? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed This is such a good story, I love it!!! You've got me on the edge of my seat, and I can hardly stand to read what happens! The only thing better would be to see it!! april >From: Carol L Moncado >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: Weekend Feature: 2/? >Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 15:38:39 -0500 > >You call that a good place to end?! > >You are evil. > >Wonder what Lois is up to with the whole leg thing (unless I missed >something?) and can't wait to see what else she has planned! > >CM (Who wants more soon!) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:36:14 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit LAFF stands for the Los Angeles FoLC Fest, a sort-of annual get together in LA by a bunch of Internet FOLCs. I'm not going and I never have, but I know it's a bunch of fun for the lucky people who've managed to make it. I hope they have a great time this year, too :) because I'm looking forward to seeing reports from the field ;) Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ ~~God answers knee-mail~~ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 18:43:05 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Really? That is so cool!!! What do they do at the Folc Fest?? That is so unfair, I wish I could go it would be so much fun!If only I lived in L.A!!! That makes me so mad--sorry--I just wish I could go!!! >From: Pam Jernigan >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? >Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:36:14 -0400 > >LAFF stands for the Los Angeles FoLC Fest, a sort-of annual get together in >LA by a bunch of Internet FOLCs. I'm not going and I never have, >but >I know it's a bunch of fun for the lucky people who've managed to make it. >I hope they have a great time this year, too :) because I'm looking forward >to seeing reports from the field ;) > >Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net >http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam >http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ > >~~God answers knee-mail~~ _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 10:54:45 +1000 Reply-To: jenerators@optushome.com.au Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jen Stosser Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit April, Just thought I'd mention that you don't have to live in LA to go to LAFF... I don't and I'm going this year! (yay! Less than 24 hours before I hop on the plane!) Jen (in Oz, near Kansas by way of Smallville ) jenerators@optushome.com.au -*- This message is umop ap!sdn -*- -*- Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM -*- Photos of David (9) and Megan (6) on the Stosser Family HomePage: http://www.geocities.com/j_stosser -*-Please sign our guestbook! -----Original Message----- From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of April Sycamore Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 10:43 AM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? Really? That is so cool!!! What do they do at the Folc Fest?? That is so unfair, I wish I could go it would be so much fun!If only I lived in L.A!!! That makes me so mad--sorry--I just wish I could go!!! >From: Pam Jernigan >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? >Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 20:36:14 -0400 > >LAFF stands for the Los Angeles FoLC Fest, a sort-of annual get together in >LA by a bunch of Internet FOLCs. I'm not going and I never have, >but >I know it's a bunch of fun for the lucky people who've managed to make it. >I hope they have a great time this year, too :) because I'm looking forward >to seeing reports from the field ;) > >Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net >http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam >http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ > >~~God answers knee-mail~~ _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 21:09:26 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: Re: LAFF (was Re: How did you become a FOLC??) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit April, I just found the LAFF website (thx, Jen!), you might be interested to check it out... http://www.geocities.com/aviatiko.geo/LAFF2001.html Just remember, drool and keyboards don't mix ;) Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ ~~God answers knee-mail~~ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 19:24:43 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: Re: LAFF (was Re: How did you become a FOLC??) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed thanks!! >From: Pam Jernigan >Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" > >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: Re: LAFF (was Re: How did you become a FOLC??) >Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 21:09:26 -0400 > >April, I just found the LAFF website (thx, Jen!), you might be interested >to >check it out... > > http://www.geocities.com/aviatiko.geo/LAFF2001.html > >Just remember, drool and keyboards don't mix ;) > >Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net >http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam >http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ > >~~God answers knee-mail~~ _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 19:23:00 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Diane Trim Subject: Re: Weekend Feature: 2/? In-Reply-To: <20010729.155558.-178829.0.cmoncado@juno.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Carol: Thanks so much for reading my fic and enjoying it! Evil? Let's call it cruel. Diane Carol L Moncado wrote: You call that a good place to end?! You are evil. Wonder what Lois is up to with the whole leg thing (unless I missed something?) and can't wait to see what else she has planned! CM (Who wants more soon!) --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 19:15:45 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Melisma Subject: OT: LC nfic list mom, are you there??? In-Reply-To: <20010730022300.24240.qmail@web13303.mail.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Some troll just posted a totally offensive (to me, anyway) invitation to another list. I didn't think such things were legal on our lists! Melisma (still in shock under her Rock) Visit my rock at http://www.intergate.ca/personal/melisma/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 22:49:42 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: Re: OT: LC nfic list mom, are you there??? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/29/01 7:28:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time, melisma@INTERGATE.CA writes: > Some troll just posted a totally offensive (to me, anyway) invitation to > another list. I didn't think such things were legal on our lists! > > I agree, Melisma, but unfortunately these things happen. :( There was a problem like that on a Dean list. It wasn't as graphic as this last email but it was annoying nonetheless! ;p~ Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 03:50:20 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Merckle Subject: Re: Dean Cain on Fox News Live In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Sun, 29 Jul 2001, Carolyn Schnall wrote: > So did anyone actually cathc him on FNC? I set my VCR for 11:45 to 12:15 and they broke into it for live coverage of the sentencing of the kid who killed his teacher and got 28 years. I never did see Dean, and when I went back to the website, the information was gone. I had thought they might reschedule, but I haven't seen anything with him, and I do watch Fox News a lot. Nancy -------------------------------------------------------------- nancym@charm.net ..... (future) http://www.charm.net/~nancym/ The Kitties Page ........... http://members.aol.com/Mysnats/ My Sister's Karaoke Site ............ http://karaokeklub.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 07:04:54 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Re: Something New and Different... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/29/2001 7:55:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Attalanta@AOL.COM writes: << Are you taking suggestions for writers to feature? I can surely think of several fics/authors whose inspirations I would be interested in reading about. >> Because this was a fairly new concept to FoLCdom, I had to start somewhere . I selected authors from the Writer's Showcase because 1) I was fairly sure they'd be amenable to helping out... they'd done it before and; 2) They were popular within the fandom. Keep in mind, this is ONLY a starting point, so if you didn't get an "invitation" e-mail, it's not a slight... I sent out 15 invitations, and received 7 positive replies asking for additional information. Hense, this project may go more slowly than the 1 per week that I'd hoped for... these things take time . Additionally, many authors were willing, but begged NOT to be first . They wanted to see an example of what was going up, and I'm sure they also wanted to see how it would be received. I would be more than happy to accept recommendations for authors from the list as well. However, the stories themselves will be chosen by the authors. The reason for this is simple... writing is often a very personal, and some stories an author may not be willing to share. If you'd like to suggest someone, please send their name and e-mail address to me, and I'll be happy to issue an invitation. I have about 30 that have not been sent out yet... The invitations I sent were random, sent to both new and older writers. Some of *my* favorites weren't on that list , but you can be sure that I'll be sending an invitation as soon as I have an indication of the "flow" for the website. I didn't want to be bombarded with 50 authors wanting to know why they were in que for next February ;) Finally, keep in mind that authors (most especially fanfic writers) have real lives that make even this size project a challenge. Many are at LAFF, and others have family or job obligations (or both). I'm am VERY grateful to Dawn for not only being so quick, but also so willing... she was brave enough to be first, and that's a wonderful thing! Hopefully this will all come together :) I know I can't wait to see what's behind the stories I've loved for so long! -Crys- Manager, The Author's Mind... Come take a look into the Author's Mind at: www.geocities.com/authorsmind/main.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 07:35:55 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Re: OT: LC nfic list mom, are you there??? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/29/2001 10:50:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time, LoisLane9397@AOL.COM writes: << > Some troll just posted a totally offensive (to me, anyway) invitation to > another list. I didn't think such things were legal on our lists! > > I agree, Melisma, but unfortunately these things happen. :( There was a problem like that on a Dean list. It wasn't as graphic as this last email but it was annoying nonetheless! ;p~ >> God Bless the delete key :) -Crys- ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 08:44:33 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Adam Labotka Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well lets see, how did I become a FOLC. Well first I'm 22, from Illinois and male . I watched the show on and off in it's original run starting during = season 2 but I didn't catch it regularly. Then the show kind of = disapeared on me it seemed and I forgot about it. Then December 1999 I = was getting up at like 6 am due to heartburn for a week and I would flip = channels looking for something on. I came across Lois and Clark on TNT = and was hooked again. Then about the time that the end came up and they = were about to start over, I came online to find out info and see if the = last episode was really the last episode. I found fanfic, started = reading, eventually found my way to zoom's boards and IRC. And that's = how I became a FOLC. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 10:34:48 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Crystal Wimmer Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gosh... this goes back a few years . Normally, I'd skip this question - as most everyone knows me anyway - but I drifted away for awhile and came back to a ton of new names and faces. In addition, I've really enjoyed reading these and learning about the FoLCs around me. FoLCdome snuck up on me. It was the last part of 1997, I believe. I was working at home, running a daycare, and had difficulty finding anything on television for my after-school kids. I couldn't stand one more disney special, but neither were the "adult" shows appropriate. Finally, we all decided on "Superman"... I got Lois and Clark, and the kids got to watch their favorite comic-book hero. Meanwhile, my husband *insisted* that we replace my perfectly acceptable Apple IIc with an IBM computer... this meant I had to learn to use a mouse :P~ Be that as it may, I wandered online and tried to get used to the computer world. I ran a search (because that's what newbies do), and L&C happened to be on at the time. Surprise! Talk about a thousand links! I started with one, and moved on from there. Somewhere in the midst, I ran across the Krypton Club and it's fiction... wow, stories about my newest obsession! Yes, I was hooked. I fell in love with Chris Mulder's stories there, and Zoom's as well... and then wandered off to find more fanfic. In doing so, I discovered the "round robin" fascination, and set about downloading mIRC and learning to IRC. Now THAT is a story I won't elaborate on ... much profantity, much anger, and much frustration. At least now I know what the Undernet is . It took me a while to find my way to the RR group, but along the way I did start talking to KathyB and many of the others online... that was amazing! It was like meeting celebritites . Gradually, I started writing some myself, and from there made my way into a whole new group of friends. #loiscla was still running strong, and I got to know several of the FoLCs that way. When everyone was talking about the blooper reel, I shamelessly begged... and through that, I met Anne Ciotola. Months later, when NEFF (the New England FoLC Fest) was scheduled, I decided it was a great way to meet the people I'd become online friends with... that was October of 1998. I never said I was a bright person . I few from my home near San Francisco to the east coast... I met up with Anne en route to the Fest, and drove from Newark to Boston with both her and Misha (I'll never forget Misha standing in that airport with a big "Crystal?" sign) . We had a blast at the fest, and have remained fast-friends. I got to meet with many of the New England FoLCs, and then later with a few of the Southern California FoLCs (summer of 1999). That summer I also moved to the East Coast myself, and was thrilled to take all of my "friends" with me... the computer was the last thing packed into my car, and the first thing unpacked . Along the way I even called Anne for computer-help when we had to buy a car in Nebraska to travel the rest of the way. Yeah, that's another LOOONG story. In the spring of 2000, the world came crumbling down around me. Who was there for support? None other than the North Carolina FoLCs... cheering me up, and generally making sure I was okay. Once a FoLC, always a FoLC . I was able to be in on the ground floor of the Kerth ceramonies, the nFic Archive, and even the Writer's Showcase... and now, I'm doing my own little part for FoLCdom with the Author's Mind. I may not have been around at the beginning, but I plan to be around until the bitter end . Frankly, I don't think there will be one :) I won't say I haven't drifted away from FoLCdom from time to time... Real life is notorious for intruding on hobbies, and my marriage has always caused interruptions in my online endeavors. Still, demanding family and job aside, it's the FoLCs I keep coming back to. Yes, I write in other fandoms and I've developed other interests... but you never really stop being a FoLC. Well, that's the condensed version . I used to consider myself a "new" FoLC, but so many have joined since 97 that I'm really one of the older ones now (albeit nowhere near an Original FoLC). I guess I'm just an in-betweenie :) -Crys- Come visit my site at: www.geocities.com/cryswimmer/CrysMain.html Manager, The Author's Mind... Come take a look into the Author's Mind at: www.geocities.com/authorsmind/main.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 09:24:41 -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: Valley of the Shadow, 6/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Here's more! COmments appreciated! Thanks to Missy for BRing and Nan for the invaluable medical advice - even though I didn't go with the chicken pox!*BG* CM (who has a 50 page cushion, but not the next two segments! AHHH!) ***** >From part 5: Jimmy sighed. He looked out the window of the conference room and saw the dejected Clark Kent sitting at his desk. It was his first day back after being kidnapped in an effort to get to Superman. Clark was reading what appeared to be an email. He abruptly stood and walked aimlessly toward the conference room. Lucy and Jimmy shared a look. Whatever he had just read, it didn't look good. Part 6: ***** It had been all Clark could do to come to work that day. He missed Lois desperately. To sit at his desk and see hers so close and so empty was almost more than he could handle, but it was something he had to do. The pictures that sat on both desks were almost too much. Lois had one of the two of them that they had taken on the beach on their island in the Caribbean - a close-up of their laughing faces - and his was a professional one they had done about a month earlier. They looked so happy. But even so, he couldn't afford to lose his job on top of everything else. Besides just missing Lois, something else was bothering him, something he could quite put his finger on, but he couldn't help but think that it had something to do with the baby. His powers had been slowly returning. He was grateful that he was almost back to normal, but he was going to have to come up with an explanation about where Superman had been for the last few days. It would be so much easier if Lois was here to help him. After he left the Planet the day before, he had run down some leads in regards to his disappearance, but so far, nothing was materializing. After he booted up his computer, he noticed a new email from his wife. There hadn't been another one since that first night and the couple of times he tried to call Ellen's he'd gotten an error message from the phone lady. He clicked eagerly on the email, hoping that this one would explain everything. Clark - This is another email that is not easy for me to write. I have been doing a lot of thinking the last couple of days. I have to tell you something and I really don't want to see you while I do it. Things have been difficult between us for a long time now, you know that as well as I do. The baby is part of the reason why. I hope you are sitting down as you read this next part, because I know it will be hard for you, but I know that in the long run, you'll agree with me that it is for the best. The baby is gone, Clark. There is no baby anymore. I'm sorry to tell you this in an email, but you need to know. Things just aren't working out for us and the baby was another complication. It's better this way. You and I both know it. I won't be back at work for another two weeks. By then, maybe you'll understand. Lois Clark stood up and started walking, unsure of his direction. He opened the door that seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of him and entered the conference room. He didn't even notice Jimmy and Lucy sitting there. He placed his hands on the table and lowered himself slowly to a chair. Jimmy and Lucy shared a another look. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. But did he know? By unspoken agreement, Lucy hung back as Jimmy approached his friend. He placed a hand on Clark's shoulder. "CK, what's wrong?" Clark stared at the table and answered in a voice that left doubt that he was aware his surroundings. "The baby. The baby's gone." Tears spilled over onto Lucy's cheeks. Jimmy gulped hard. He didn't know how to deal with something like this. Clark continued to speak, unaware of what he was doing. "I haven't seen her in almost three days. I knew something was wrong. I think I even knew that something was wrong with the baby, but I never dreamed the baby could be gone. What happened?" He looked pleadingly at Jimmy. "Please, someone tell me what happened." Jimmy took a deep breath. "We're not sure, Clark. Ellen told Lucy that Lois had a D and C, a procedure that empties the contents of the uterus as part of an abortion or a miscarriage." A tiny glimmer of hope came into Clark's eyes. "A miscarriage? You mean Lois lost the baby?" As horrid as that would be, he couldn't believe that Lois would consider the alternative - she had told him she wouldn't. Jimmy took another deep breath. "That's not what it sounded like, CK. I'm sorry." It was frightening to see a grown man cry, something else that Jimmy had never had to deal with, but now he had no choice. Clark lowered his head to the table and sobs wracked his body. It explained so much to know that the baby was gone, but to think that Lois would actually take the life of her baby, of their baby, was just too much. It overwhelmed him and he did the only thing he knew how. He cried. Several minutes later the door to the conference room opened and the gruff editor walked in, his intended reprimand cut short by the sight before him. Clark's head was on the table and his shoulders were shaking with now-silent sobs. Lucy sat in the chair across from him, tears running down her cheeks. Jimmy stood behind Lucy, hands on her shoulders, swallowing hard and looking generally helpless. As soon as Jimmy saw Perry, he squeezed Lucy's shoulders and walked to Perry's side. In quiet tones, he told the editor what had happened. Perry's face turned grim as he tried to comprehend what he was told. Finally, he went and stood next to Clark as Jimmy returned to Lucy's side. "Son, why don't you go on home?" Clark raised his head and took a swipe at his face with the backs of his hands. "Thanks, Chief." He had no idea what he would do when he got there, or if he would even make it all the way home, but he couldn't stay here. As much as he hated them, he almost wished for a large natural disaster or two that required Superman's assistance. At least then he would be too busy for his tortured mind to dwell on the events of the day. After Clark left, the other three sat to discuss what had happened. Perry was adamant that the news not get out. Lois and Clark would tell whoever they wanted, whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Until then, the rumor mill was to be silent. Lucy and Jimmy nodded. Perry took a brief call and then informed Jimmy that he was to deliver Lois' laptop to Ellen's. The three shared an anguished look as they left the room to attend to their respective duties. ***** Lois had spent most of the first two days after her miscarriage sleeping and crying. She had eaten a couple of times; Lex had brought by some incredible food, but she hadn't actually seen him. And she hadn't seen or heard from Clark, no matter how many times her mom had called him. She had seen him on television earlier that day, as Superman at the scene of a mudslide in Asia and later at a large earthquake in California, and heard his lame excuse for being gone for a few days. At least his powers were back. She knew how happy he'd be about that. He didn't apologize for not giving into the demands of kidnappers or anything else, saying he knew the situation was under control and that he didn't want to give the kidnappers any excuse for hurting his good friend, Clark Kent. She had been worried about him, hoping that he felt better, but now that she knew that he was back in commission as Superman she knew he was more than well enough to come be with her - if he wanted to. Lois had talked to Perry for a minute earlier in the day. He had seemed cold and distant and something that she couldn't place. He had agreed to send Jimmy by with her laptop for her. She needed to get back to work, but she couldn't face going in to the Planet yet. She informed Perry that she had been through a traumatic emotional experience and that she was taking two weeks of her vacation time. She was going to try to get some work done, but she wasn't coming in for another week and half. Something still didn't feel right. It was more than just losing the baby, more than just losing Clark. She didn't know what made her think she was losing Clark. Probably that she hadn't seen him in about three days. But there was still something bigger, something deeper, that was wrong in her life - she just didn't know what it was. There had been periods of dreamless drug-induced sleep followed by horrible nightmares that included her baby mocking her and Clark lashing out, telling her what a horrible person she was to kill her own baby. She tried to convince herself that she hadn't killed her baby - intellectually she knew that - it was just one of those things - but convincing her heart was another matter. She sighed. Jimmy would be here in a few minutes. ***** "Hi, Jimmy." Lois opened the door to see her young friend standing there. "Lois." He pushed passed her and set the bag on the table. "Here's your laptop. Perry says not to bother coming in for two weeks, if that's what you really want." He looked around in irritation. "Anything else?" Lois sat on the couch. "Please. Sit. Talk to me." Jimmy sat on the edge of the chair. "Sure. What?" "Um, well," Lois was starting to feel uncomfortable, picking up some vibe she didn't understand. She looked at her hands. "Have you seen, Clark?" She was hoping that he hadn't. That maybe Clark was still sick and really hadn't gotten any messages. Even though she knew there was no way that could be true, not with the man in blue around. "Yeah. He was in today. For the first time since the kidnapping." "Really? Did he say anything?" Lois wasn't sure what to hope for. Jimmy took a deep breath. She sure was being vague. He decided to just take the bull by the horns. "He knows, Lois. And so do we. Your mom told Lucy and Lucy told me. Clark found out, too, but I'm not sure how." "And he doesn't want to see me?" Jimmy stood and walked to the door. As he started to walk out, he turned. "Lois, I don't think he wants anything to do with you." He paused. "And I don't blame him." Lois watched him leave and then gave in to her tears. ***** An hour later, Lois finally pulled herself together, wiped her tears and decided it was time to get to work. Even if Clark didn't want anything to do with her, she still wanted to know who was really behind his kidnapping. While she waited for her computer to boot up, she went to the kitchen to get the last piece of the chocolate cake Lex had left for her and a glass of milk. She was glad her mom didn't like chocolate all that much - it was that much more cake for her and she needed all the chocolate she could get these days. She opened her email program and was surprised to see an email from Clark. After what Jimmy had said it was the last thing she expected. She opened the file eagerly, noting it was sent the same day she miscarried, and she hoped to find an explanation for his absence. Lois, This isn't easy for me to say. I talked to your mom earlier and she told me what was going on. I know we've had problems lately, so maybe we should just take some time apart to sort through everything. I won't be at work for a few days, in fact I'm thinking about taking some time off, so don't try to contact me there. I'll be in touch in a few days. I don't want to use my work email for this, just in case, so I got another account to use. I just wish you had another one so that this could stay our business and no one else's. No one needs to know what is going on but us. Clark As she read the email, it was obvious that he knew about the baby and just wasn't going to do anything about it. She even noticed his new email address. He really didn't want anyone to know. The tears started to flow again as she put down the empty cake plate. She walked into the spare bedroom and curled up in a ball, crying herself to sleep again. ***** Clark hovered just outside his apartment. He didn't know what fates had decided to produce a mudslide and earthquake, but he was grateful. For several mind-numbing hours, he hadn't thought about Lois or the baby. He x-rayed the apartment to see if Lois had been there, but there was no sign that she had. He flew inside fast enough that any nosy neighbor wouldn't notice and sat wearily on the couch. A complication. That was what Lois had called the baby. He didn't understand what she meant. Of all the things the baby had been, a complication had never been one of them. There had been some problems, sure, but one of the first things Lois had said to him when she found out that she was pregnant, was that she would never consider an abortion. The pamphlet he had picked up from her desk was sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up and stared at it. Could it be? Could she have really been planning this for a while? Without even talking to him about it? She had told him so many times that she truly believed a big part of marriage was complete and total honesty and they had vowed to always talk to each other, no matter what. Apparently, she had gone back on that. Ellen had told Lucy that Lois had an abortion. He got an email from Lois telling him the baby was a "complication" that she'd taken care of. There was the pamphlet he had found. It all added up. Lois had an abortion. Deep inside, he desperately wanted to believe that it wasn't true. That even if the baby was gone, it had been some kind of accident or something, not an abortion, but even as he wished it were true, something told him the evidence pointed towards an intentional ending of the pregnancy. It was hard for him to think in clinical terms. This wasn't some abstraction - this was his child. His child and Lois' child. He hadn't told her because he knew she'd be mad, but he really couldn't help hearing the baby's heartbeat almost a week earlier. He had even snuck a peek with his x-ray vision. There, inside of Lois, was this tiny little person that even looked like a person, just really small. He knew that Lois hadn't heard the heartbeat yet, and that she wouldn't have an ultrasound for over a month, so maybe it was easier for her to regard this child as something of an abstraction. He stood and went into the kitchen, hoping that a cup of tea would help soothe his frazzled nerves. He searched for the bag of tea and was completely shocked by what he found. There, in the kitchen drawer, was another pamphlet from the Reproductive Clinic, this one strictly about the performance of abortions. And stapled to it was an appointment card. The date the appointment was made was one day the week before and the date of the appointment was the previous Monday. So while he had been sleeping, trying to recover from the kidnapping and the Kryptonite, Lois had been at the Reproductive Clinic, taking care of a "complication" in her life. Thinking he had been cried out before couldn't stop the tears that came from knowing what had happened to his child. ***** "He hasn't called, Mom." "I know, sweetie." "You're sure he knows?" "He knows." "You actually talked to him and told him that I miscarried the baby?" Ellen rolled her eyes. "I told you, Lois. He knows." Lois sighed. It was now Friday and she hadn't talked to Clark all week. She had read his email and really didn't expect anything different. But all the same, all she wanted was for Clark to show up and fly away with her into the clouds, but it wasn't going to happen any time soon. There was a knock on the door. Ellen opened it to reveal a dashing Lex Luthor. "Hello, Lex." She extended one hand. He bent over to kiss it, never taking his eyes off of Lois. "Good evening, Mrs. Lane. Are the two of you ready?" Lois sighed as she stood. She really didn't want to go out with her mother and Luthor. She felt like a third wheel, though she would be happy if her mom had finally found someone again. "I'm ready." "Lois, these are for you. Only the best. Straight from Belgium." Lois looked inside the package. "Thank you, Lex. These look wonderful." She put the truffles in the refrigerator and the three of them left the apartment. ***** Lois sat on the edge of the bed in the spare room at her mother's apartment. A silent tear ran down her cheek. The evening had been nice, with Luthor paying as much attention to her as he did to her mother. It had only been slightly uncomfortable when he held the chair for her and called her "mon petit chou" - a French term of endearment. He seemed more attentive than he had the previous evening when her mother had made dinner for the three of them. The worst part was that she found herself rather enjoying it. She missed Clark something awful, but something about Lex was drawing her in. She picked up the phone for the umpteenth time and started to dial her apartment. She desperately wanted to talk to her husband, to hear his voice. She had even called the answering machine and his voice mail when she knew he wouldn't answer, just to hear him. She tried to imagine him doing the same, but somehow the image just didn't come. She finally stood and went into the kitchen to indulge in a chocolate truffle or two. She looked at it a little oddly after the first bite, but soon reveled in the delectable chocolate decadence. They reminded her of the ones that Clark brought her a couple of times. They had come from Belgium as well. She took another large bite, determined to put Clark out of her head for the rest of the night. ***** Clark did the same thing he had done every night since his powers had returned. His last stop for the evening, before returning to the lonely apartment, was to check in on Lois. Tonight, he wished he hadn't. Friday had been difficult enough as it was. One more day at work without Lois, without any new leads on his kidnapping. Fortunately, he had "followed" enough Superman rescues that Perry was happy with him. And Perry had been more than understanding with his emotional state. He had gotten to Ellen Lane's building just as Lex Luthor was leaving the apartment. He had kissed Lois on the cheek and told her to have a good evening and enjoy the truffles. Lois hadn't pulled away or given any other indication that she didn't welcome the attention. In fact, she had been smiling just a little. Clark turned, a deep sadness settling over his face and in his heart. He flew aimlessly over the city and was somewhat shocked when he found himself just outside Luthor's penthouse. He didn't know quite what drove him to do it, but he felt compelled to confront the man. He stood on the rail of the balcony as he watched Luthor pour himself a drink. Finally, he spoke. "I would have thought you'd have someone to do the little stuff for you." Lex looked in his direction, one eyebrow raised. "I would call the police to arrest you for trespassing, but you'd probably fly off before they arrived." Clark stepped onto the balcony itself. "Probably." "So, to what do I owe this honor?" "I came to tell you that I know who you are and to warn you." The light sound of his voice and slight shrug of his shoulders was contradicted by the seriousness on his face. The carefully calculating smile on Lex's face vanished and his expression became studiously blank. "Who you *really* are," Clark stated, assuming what had become the classic Superman pose. "I know that you were behind Clark Kent's abduction and the attempt to blackmail me." He really had no proof, or even any idea why he felt that Luthor was behind the kidnapping, except that he made no secret of his hatred for the superhero. "Well, it's an interesting theory, Superman, but I'm afraid that's all it is." Lex refused to be intimidated. He looked Superman straight in the eye. "What exactly are you threatening me with, again? Because if I were the one behind the unfortunate incident with Kent, then I would have access to Kryptonite and you would be a fool to mess with me. Besides, I believe I could make a case for harassment if you don't leave and harassment is illegal. It wouldn't do for you to get some dirt on your cape, now would it?" "Like any other citizen of the planet, I must obey the law, I am not above it and I *will* leave momentarily. You, it seems, believe you are." "I hold a certain position in this city," Lex said, pulling a cigar out of a small box. "Yes. And there is nothing that would please me more than to see you dethroned and behind bars like any common criminal. And that day will come," Superman promised. "Well, I trust not." Lex had supreme confidence in his ability to keep his hands clean. "But, as they say, let the games begin!" Clark turned to leave, but came back to look Luthor directly in the eye. "Oh, and one more thing, stay away from Lois Lane-Kent." "I don't believe I know a Lois Lane-Kent. Now Lois Lane, I know. She seems to need someone since her husband abandoned her after she spent so much time and energy trying to rescue him from the fiends who held him captive. If she needs me, I will be there for her." Lex knew the cutting words would find their way back to Clark. Superman gave Luthor his best menacing look and rose a few feet above the balcony railing. "Stay away from her, Luthor." He turned to fly off, but remembering his first conversation with Luthor on this very balcony, he turned back and called, "if you ever need to find me, ...all you have to do is look up." With that he soared off to find a place to be alone with his thoughts. TBC ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 10:57:42 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 07/30/2001 9:44:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, alabot1@HOTMAIL.COM writes: << Well first I'm 22, from Illinois and male . >> Yes, and Adam is getting quite an education in the ways of women as he hangs out in an IRC channel that is clearly dominated by women who aren't shy about talking about the sorts of things that women talk about when men aren't present. This sweet mid-western boy is learning things that most young fellows his age never hear about. Naturally, we hope that this will help some lucky girl one day when Adam meets his soulmate. ;) --Laurie (who just likes to tease Adam) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 12:41:52 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Okay, Crystal convinced me to weigh in on this one :) I watched the pilot of L&C when it first aired; my husband has been a Superman fan for decades and he was very interested to see what the new version would be like. I guess I liked it, I can't really remember Again with him, I tuned in next week to see Strange Visitor ... and decided I didn't want to watch this show I really connected with and empathized with Clark ... and that poor boy got kicked around emotionally, both by his oblivious partner and by the universe in general. I didn't figure I needed that in my life I kept taping the show for my husband (He worked nights then, and was sleeping in the evenings, so I'd tape the show Sunday night and he'd watch it Monday morning when he got home, which was usually while I was getting ready for work), so I'd catch parts of first season episodes here and there (including The Foundling, which just increased my determination not to get too involved). We were both put off by the new Jimmy at the beginning of Season 2, and I don't even think I was taping them for him anymore by that point. I caught the last half of The Eyes Have It, and thought it was funny ... but the preview (for the Phoenix) said that Lex was coming back from the dead. Good grief, how stupid! I tuned out again Then a few months later, I was channel-surfing, and caught the last twenty minutes of Tempus Fugitive. Wow. Seriously, wow. Lois knew Clark was Superman, and she was kissing him, and sure, they reset it at the end of the episode, but ... wow. I'd already been online (CompuServe) for B5 fandom, so I knew exactly where to find L&C fans. Based on their ecstatic comments about the episode (and who was this Dan Scardino they were all whining about?), I was desperate to see the whole episode; desperate enough to ask around at work if anyone had a tape. Thankfully, someone did :-) and I got to see the whole episode... I laughed my butt off over that "hello, duh" scene I was a FOLC from that moment. I found fanfic (I believe someone sent me one of Leigh Raglan's fanfic compendiums), began chatting on the CServe message board with all the enthusiasm of the newly-converted, and had written my own first (very short) fanfic within another month or so. I've pretty much been here ever since, tho it did take a while for me to really segue from the backwater of CompuServe to the big bad Internet I've met tons of wonderful people, mostly online but a number in real life, too, and I have yet to meet someone I didn't like. :) (I had cause to be especially thankful for my FOLC friends during the non-wedding ARRGH; we watched the episodes in groups for mutual support ) (and I admit I couldn't resist one joke; my husband & I bought some little plastic frogs and hid them in the bottom of a bowl of popcorn I don't remember the episode, probably DJ or Seconds) >>In the spring of 2000, the world came crumbling down around me. Who was there for support? None other than the North Carolina FoLCs... << Hey, we love ya :) So when are you coming back to visit again? >>. I may not have been around at the beginning, but I plan to be around until the bitter end . Frankly, I don't think there will be one :)<< Amen, sister. Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ ~~God answers knee-mail~~ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 18:34:49 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nicola Baker Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > I laughed my butt off over that "hello, duh" > scene Oh, I know the feeling! That has to be one of my favourite scenes! Nic ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 11:45:49 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Diane Trim Subject: Re: Valley of the Shadow, 6/? In-Reply-To: <20010730.092854.-319373.0.cmoncado@juno.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Carol: I finally had a chance to read all of your Valley of the Shadow posts. What a terrific premise! You had e-mailed me First Night, which I loved, but I'm liking this just as well (I'd like more WAFF, but I still like it.). S P O I L E R S P A C E I can't belive that Ellen could be so conniving! Instead of being self-centered, materialistic, and bossy, you've added an element of cunning as well. She makes a wonderful Iago, but I hate to see L & C suffer. Your story makes for great reading, even though I'm so irritated with Ellen I can hardly stand it! More! More! Diane Carol L Moncado wrote: Here's more! COmments appreciated! Thanks to Missy for BRing and Nan for the invaluable medical advice - even though I didn't go with the chicken pox!*BG* CM (who has a 50 page cushion, but not the next two segments! AHHH!) ***** >From part 5: Jimmy sighed. He looked out the window of the conference room and saw the dejected Clark Kent sitting at his desk. It was his first day back after being kidnapped in an effort to get to Superman. Clark was reading what appeared to be an email. He abruptly stood and walked aimlessly toward the conference room. Lucy and Jimmy shared a look. Whatever he had just read, it didn't look good. Part 6: ***** It had been all Clark could do to come to work that day. He missed Lois desperately. To sit at his desk and see hers so close and so empty was almost more than he could handle, but it was something he had to do. The pictures that sat on both desks were almost too much. Lois had one of the two of them that they had taken on the beach on their island in the Caribbean - a close-up of their laughing faces - and his was a professional one they had done about a month earlier. They looked so happy. But even so, he couldn't afford to lose his job on top of everything else. Besides just missing Lois, something else was bothering him, something he could quite put his finger on, but he couldn't help but think that it had something to do with the baby. His powers had been slowly returning. He was grateful that he was almost back to normal, but he was going to have to come up with an explanation about where Superman had been for the last few days. It would be so much easier if Lois was here to help him. After he left the Planet the day before, he had run down some leads in regards to his disappearance, but so far, nothing was materializing. After he booted up his computer, he noticed a new email from his wife. There hadn't been another one since that first night and the couple of times he tried to call Ellen's he'd gotten an error message from the phone lady. He clicked eagerly on the email, hoping that this one would explain everything. Clark - This is another email that is not easy for me to write. I have been doing a lot of thinking the last couple of days. I have to tell you something and I really don't want to see you while I do it. Things have been difficult between us for a long time now, you know that as well as I do. The baby is part of the reason why. I hope you are sitting down as you read this next part, because I know it will be hard for you, but I know that in the long run, you'll agree with me that it is for the best. The baby is gone, Clark. There is no baby anymore. I'm sorry to tell you this in an email, but you need to know. Things just aren't working out for us and the baby was another complication. It's better this way. You and I both know it. I won't be back at work for another two weeks. By then, maybe you'll understand. Lois Clark stood up and started walking, unsure of his direction. He opened the door that seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of him and entered the conference room. He didn't even notice Jimmy and Lucy sitting there. He placed his hands on the table and lowered himself slowly to a chair. Jimmy and Lucy shared a another look. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. But did he know? By unspoken agreement, Lucy hung back as Jimmy approached his friend. He placed a hand on Clark's shoulder. "CK, what's wrong?" Clark stared at the table and answered in a voice that left doubt that he was aware his surroundings. "The baby. The baby's gone." Tears spilled over onto Lucy's cheeks. Jimmy gulped hard. He didn't know how to deal with something like this. Clark continued to speak, unaware of what he was doing. "I haven't seen her in almost three days. I knew something was wrong. I think I even knew that something was wrong with the baby, but I never dreamed the baby could be gone. What happened?" He looked pleadingly at Jimmy. "Please, someone tell me what happened." Jimmy took a deep breath. "We're not sure, Clark. Ellen told Lucy that Lois had a D and C, a procedure that empties the contents of the uterus as part of an abortion or a miscarriage." A tiny glimmer of hope came into Clark's eyes. "A miscarriage? You mean Lois lost the baby?" As horrid as that would be, he couldn't believe that Lois would consider the alternative - she had told him she wouldn't. Jimmy took another deep breath. "That's not what it sounded like, CK. I'm sorry." It was frightening to see a grown man cry, something else that Jimmy had never had to deal with, but now he had no choice. Clark lowered his head to the table and sobs wracked his body. It explained so much to know that the baby was gone, but to think that Lois would actually take the life of her baby, of their baby, was just too much. It overwhelmed him and he did the only thing he knew how. He cried. Several minutes later the door to the conference room opened and the gruff editor walked in, his intended reprimand cut short by the sight before him. Clark's head was on the table and his shoulders were shaking with now-silent sobs. Lucy sat in the chair across from him, tears running down her cheeks. Jimmy stood behind Lucy, hands on her shoulders, swallowing hard and looking generally helpless. As soon as Jimmy saw Perry, he squeezed Lucy's shoulders and walked to Perry's side. In quiet tones, he told the editor what had happened. Perry's face turned grim as he tried to comprehend what he was told. Finally, he went and stood next to Clark as Jimmy returned to Lucy's side. "Son, why don't you go on home?" Clark raised his head and took a swipe at his face with the backs of his hands. "Thanks, Chief." He had no idea what he would do when he got there, or if he would even make it all the way home, but he couldn't stay here. As much as he hated them, he almost wished for a large natural disaster or two that required Superman's assistance. At least then he would be too busy for his tortured mind to dwell on the events of the day. After Clark left, the other three sat to discuss what had happened. Perry was adamant that the news not get out. Lois and Clark would tell whoever they wanted, whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Until then, the rumor mill was to be silent. Lucy and Jimmy nodded. Perry took a brief call and then informed Jimmy that he was to deliver Lois' laptop to Ellen's. The three shared an anguished look as they left the room to attend to their respective duties. ***** Lois had spent most of the first two days after her miscarriage sleeping and crying. She had eaten a couple of times; Lex had brought by some incredible food, but she hadn't actually seen him. And she hadn't seen or heard from Clark, no matter how many times her mom had called him. She had seen him on television earlier that day, as Superman at the scene of a mudslide in Asia and later at a large earthquake in California, and heard his lame excuse for being gone for a few days. At least his powers were back. She knew how happy he'd be about that. He didn't apologize for not giving into the demands of kidnappers or anything else, saying he knew the situation was under control and that he didn't want to give the kidnappers any excuse for hurting his good friend, Clark Kent. She had been worried about him, hoping that he felt better, but now that she knew that he was back in commission as Superman she knew he was more than well enough to come be with her - if he wanted to. Lois had talked to Perry for a minute earlier in the day. He had seemed cold and distant and something that she couldn't place. He had agreed to send Jimmy by with her laptop for her. She needed to get back to work, but she couldn't face going in to the Planet yet. She informed Perry that she had been through a traumatic emotional experience and that she was taking two weeks of her vacation time. She was going to try to get some work done, but she wasn't coming in for another week and half. Something still didn't feel right. It was more than just losing the baby, more than just losing Clark. She didn't know what made her think she was losing Clark. Probably that she hadn't seen him in about three days. But there was still something bigger, something deeper, that was wrong in her life - she just didn't know what it was. There had been periods of dreamless drug-induced sleep followed by horrible nightmares that included her baby mocking her and Clark lashing out, telling her what a horrible person she was to kill her own baby. She tried to convince herself that she hadn't killed her baby - intellectually she knew that - it was just one of those things - but convincing her heart was another matter. She sighed. Jimmy would be here in a few minutes. ***** "Hi, Jimmy." Lois opened the door to see her young friend standing there. "Lois." He pushed passed her and set the bag on the table. "Here's your laptop. Perry says not to bother coming in for two weeks, if that's what you really want." He looked around in irritation. "Anything else?" Lois sat on the couch. "Please. Sit. Talk to me." Jimmy sat on the edge of the chair. "Sure. What?" "Um, well," Lois was starting to feel uncomfortable, picking up some vibe she didn't understand. She looked at her hands. "Have you seen, Clark?" She was hoping that he hadn't. That maybe Clark was still sick and really hadn't gotten any messages. Even though she knew there was no way that could be true, not with the man in blue around. "Yeah. He was in today. For the first time since the kidnapping." "Really? Did he say anything?" Lois wasn't sure what to hope for. Jimmy took a deep breath. She sure was being vague. He decided to just take the bull by the horns. "He knows, Lois. And so do we. Your mom told Lucy and Lucy told me. Clark found out, too, but I'm not sure how." "And he doesn't want to see me?" Jimmy stood and walked to the door. As he started to walk out, he turned. "Lois, I don't think he wants anything to do with you." He paused. "And I don't blame him." Lois watched him leave and then gave in to her tears. ***** An hour later, Lois finally pulled herself together, wiped her tears and decided it was time to get to work. Even if Clark didn't want anything to do with her, she still wanted to know who was really behind his kidnapping. While she waited for her computer to boot up, she went to the kitchen to get the last piece of the chocolate cake Lex had left for her and a glass of milk. She was glad her mom didn't like chocolate all that much - it was that much more cake for her and she needed all the chocolate she could get these days. She opened her email program and was surprised to see an email from Clark. After what Jimmy had said it was the last thing she expected. She opened the file eagerly, noting it was sent the same day she miscarried, and she hoped to find an explanation for his absence. Lois, This isn't easy for me to say. I talked to your mom earlier and she told me what was going on. I know we've had problems lately, so maybe we should just take some time apart to sort through everything. I won't be at work for a few days, in fact I'm thinking about taking some time off, so don't try to contact me there. I'll be in touch in a few days. I don't want to use my work email for this, just in case, so I got another account to use. I just wish you had another one so that this could stay our business and no one else's. No one needs to know what is going on but us. Clark As she read the email, it was obvious that he knew about the baby and just wasn't going to do anything about it. She even noticed his new email address. He really didn't want anyone to know. The tears started to flow again as she put down the empty cake plate. She walked into the spare bedroom and curled up in a ball, crying herself to sleep again. ***** Clark hovered just outside his apartment. He didn't know what fates had decided to produce a mudslide and earthquake, but he was grateful. For several mind-numbing hours, he hadn't thought about Lois or the baby. He x-rayed the apartment to see if Lois had been there, but there was no sign that she had. He flew inside fast enough that any nosy neighbor wouldn't notice and sat wearily on the couch. A complication. That was what Lois had called the baby. He didn't understand what she meant. Of all the things the baby had been, a complication had never been one of them. There had been some problems, sure, but one of the first things Lois had said to him when she found out that she was pregnant, was that she would never consider an abortion. The pamphlet he had picked up from her desk was sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up and stared at it. Could it be? Could she have really been planning this for a while? Without even talking to him about it? She had told him so many times that she truly believed a big part of marriage was complete and total honesty and they had vowed to always talk to each other, no matter what. Apparently, she had gone back on that. Ellen had told Lucy that Lois had an abortion. He got an email from Lois telling him the baby was a "complication" that she'd taken care of. There was the pamphlet he had found. It all added up. Lois had an abortion. Deep inside, he desperately wanted to believe that it wasn't true. That even if the baby was gone, it had been some kind of accident or something, not an abortion, but even as he wished it were true, something told him the evidence pointed towards an intentional ending of the pregnancy. It was hard for him to think in clinical terms. This wasn't some abstraction - this was his child. His child and Lois' child. He hadn't told her because he knew she'd be mad, but he really couldn't help hearing the baby's heartbeat almost a week earlier. He had even snuck a peek with his x-ray vision. There, inside of Lois, was this tiny little person that even looked like a person, just really small. He knew that Lois hadn't heard the heartbeat yet, and that she wouldn't have an ultrasound for over a month, so maybe it was easier for her to regard this child as something of an abstraction. He stood and went into the kitchen, hoping that a cup of tea would help soothe his frazzled nerves. He searched for the bag of tea and was completely shocked by what he found. There, in the kitchen drawer, was another pamphlet from the Reproductive Clinic, this one strictly about the performance of abortions. And stapled to it was an appointment card. The date the appointment was made was one day the week before and the date of the appointment was the previous Monday. So while he had been sleeping, trying to recover from the kidnapping and the Kryptonite, Lois had been at the Reproductive Clinic, taking care of a "complication" in her life. Thinking he had been cried out before couldn't stop the tears that came from knowing what had happened to his child. ***** "He hasn't called, Mom." "I know, sweetie." "You're sure he knows?" "He knows." "You actually talked to him and told him that I miscarried the baby?" Ellen rolled her eyes. "I told you, Lois. He knows." Lois sighed. It was now Friday and she hadn't talked to Clark all week. She had read his email and really didn't expect anything different. But all the same, all she wanted was for Clark to show up and fly away with her into the clouds, but it wasn't going to happen any time soon. There was a knock on the door. Ellen opened it to reveal a dashing Lex Luthor. "Hello, Lex." She extended one hand. He bent over to kiss it, never taking his eyes off of Lois. "Good evening, Mrs. Lane. Are the two of you ready?" Lois sighed as she stood. She really didn't want to go out with her mother and Luthor. She felt like a third wheel, though she would be happy if her mom had finally found someone again. "I'm ready." "Lois, these are for you. Only the best. Straight from Belgium." Lois looked inside the package. "Thank you, Lex. These look wonderful." She put the truffles in the refrigerator and the three of them left the apartment. ***** Lois sat on the edge of the bed in the spare room at her mother's apartment. A silent tear ran down her cheek. The evening had been nice, with Luthor paying as much attention to her as he did to her mother. It had only been slightly uncomfortable when he held the chair for her and called her "mon petit chou" - a French term of endearment. He seemed more attentive than he had the previous evening when her mother had made dinner for the three of them. The worst part was that she found herself rather enjoying it. She missed Clark something awful, but something about Lex was drawing her in. She picked up the phone for the umpteenth time and started to dial her apartment. She desperately wanted to talk to her husband, to hear his voice. She had even called the answering machine and his voice mail when she knew he wouldn't answer, just to hear him. She tried to imagine him doing the same, but somehow the image just didn't come. She finally stood and went into the kitchen to indulge in a chocolate truffle or two. She looked at it a little oddly after the first bite, but soon reveled in the delectable chocolate decadence. They reminded her of the ones that Clark brought her a couple of times. They had come from Belgium as well. She took another large bite, determined to put Clark out of her head for the rest of the night. ***** Clark did the same thing he had done every night since his powers had returned. His last stop for the evening, before returning to the lonely apartment, was to check in on Lois. Tonight, he wished he hadn't. Friday had been difficult enough as it was. One more day at work without Lois, without any new leads on his kidnapping. Fortunately, he had "followed" enough Superman rescues that Perry was happy with him. And Perry had been more than understanding with his emotional state. He had gotten to Ellen Lane's building just as Lex Luthor was leaving the apartment. He had kissed Lois on the cheek and told her to have a good evening and enjoy the truffles. Lois hadn't pulled away or given any other indication that she didn't welcome the attention. In fact, she had been smiling just a little. Clark turned, a deep sadness settling over his face and in his heart. He flew aimlessly over the city and was somewhat shocked when he found himself just outside Luthor's penthouse. He didn't know quite what drove him to do it, but he felt compelled to confront the man. He stood on the rail of the balcony as he watched Luthor pour himself a drink. Finally, he spoke. "I would have thought you'd have someone to do the little stuff for you." Lex looked in his direction, one eyebrow raised. "I would call the police to arrest you for trespassing, but you'd probably fly off before they arrived." Clark stepped onto the balcony itself. "Probably." "So, to what do I owe this honor?" "I came to tell you that I know who you are and to warn you." The light sound of his voice and slight shrug of his shoulders was contradicted by the seriousness on his face. The carefully calculating smile on Lex's face vanished and his expression became studiously blank. "Who you *really* are," Clark stated, assuming what had become the classic Superman pose. "I know that you were behind Clark Kent's abduction and the attempt to blackmail me." He really had no proof, or even any idea why he felt that Luthor was behind the kidnapping, except that he made no secret of his hatred for the superhero. "Well, it's an interesting theory, Superman, but I'm afraid that's all it is." Lex refused to be intimidated. He looked Superman straight in the eye. "What exactly are you threatening me with, again? Because if I were the one behind the unfortunate incident with Kent, then I would have access to Kryptonite and you would be a fool to mess with me. Besides, I believe I could make a case for harassment if you don't leave and harassment is illegal. It wouldn't do for you to get some dirt on your === message truncated === --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 17:20:03 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: LC nfic list mom, are you there??? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/30/01 4:36:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time, JCWimmer@AOL.COM writes: > God Bless the delete key :) > > -Crys- > > > > AMEN to that, sister! LOL! ;) Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 15:20:03 -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: Valley of the Shadow, 6/? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Carol L Moncado wrote: > Here's more! > > COmments appreciated! > > Thanks to Missy for BRing and Nan for the invaluable medical advice - > even though I didn't go with the chicken pox!*BG* > > CM (who has a 50 page cushion, but not the next two segments! AHHH!) > > ***** > Don't worry about that, Carol! I'll probably use it myself, someday. It would be great for a comedy vignette, sometime, if I do say so myself! Nan ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 16:31:25 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: How ironic!!! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Hey everyone, I was watching the Pilot yesterday, and guess what I noticed? Well you all know Dean will be in the movie Rat Race soon--well when clark flew home to his parents and was outside with his dad this is what jonathon said: "You're the one who wanted the RAT RACE!!!!" I just think that's so ironic! april *(who wonders if people think she's a monkey since they call her ape)* _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 18:48:45 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alexis W." Subject: Re: How ironic!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 7/30/01 3:32:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time, ape130@HOTMAIL.COM writes: > "You're the one who wanted the RAT RACE!!!!" > > I just think that's so ironic! > > april *(who wonders if people think she's a monkey since they call her ape)* > > > > > Great observation! I didn't remember that quote and I've seen that show many, many times! LOL! ;) Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 08:08:32 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Tull Subject: Trouble getting to Zoom's New Board Is anyone else having problems getting to the board? I keep getting the following message. The page cannot be displayed The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Please try the following: Click the Refresh button, or try again later. If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. To check your connection settings, click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the Connections tab, click Settings. The settings should match those provided by your local area network (LAN) administrator or Internet service provider (ISP). If your Network Administrator has enabled it, Microsoft Windows can examine your network and automatically discover network connection settings. If you would like Windows to try and discover them, click Detect Network Settings Some sites require 128-bit connection security. Click the Help menu and then click About Internet Explorer to determine what strength security you have installed. If you are trying to reach a secure site, make sure your Security settings can support it. Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the Advanced tab, scroll to the Security section and check settings for SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, PCT 1.0. Click the Back button to try another link. Cannot find server or DNS Error Internet Explorer James ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 09:27:05 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Laura Moore Subject: Re: Trouble getting to Zoom's New Board MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I am also having trouble. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 14:42:59 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: James Bishop Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey everyone, First a bit about me... 19, male, journalism student from Hull, England. When did I become a FoLC? Well I started watching the show back when it first aired on BBC1. I was already a Superman fan so I was looking forward to this new show. The show had me hooked and I watched it regularly (only missed one episode in the first three seasons) but by season four my attention was drifting and I didn't watch all the episodes. I got myself hooked again in the summer of 98 when Sky One showed the first three seasons during the holidays. I taped all but one episode and would watch them again and again never getting bored. Then the christmas of that year I got a modem as a present. A few weeks later I stumbled across Season 5 and 6 then TUFS, the archive and this list :) So I've been an online FoLC for about two and a half years. I've wrote one fanfic which I posted on here about two years ago and posted a rewrite on Zoom's message board last year. I also take part in some LNC rpgs on yahoo clubs. I intend to write more fanfic eventually and post more often on here :) James ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pam Jernigan" To: Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 5:41 PM Subject: Re: How did you become a FOLC?? > Okay, Crystal convinced me to weigh in on this one :) > > I watched the pilot of L&C when it first aired; my husband has been a > Superman fan for decades and he was very interested to see what the new > version would be like. I guess I liked it, I can't really remember > Again with him, I tuned in next week to see Strange Visitor ... and decided > I didn't want to watch this show I really connected with and empathized > with Clark ... and that poor boy got kicked around emotionally, both by his > oblivious partner and by the universe in general. I didn't figure I needed > that in my life I kept taping the show for my husband (He worked nights > then, and was sleeping in the evenings, so I'd tape the show Sunday night > and he'd watch it Monday morning when he got home, which was usually while I > was getting ready for work), so I'd catch parts of first season episodes > here and there (including The Foundling, which just increased my > determination not to get too involved). We were both put off by the new > Jimmy at the beginning of Season 2, and I don't even think I was taping them > for him anymore by that point. > > I caught the last half of The Eyes Have It, and thought it was funny ... but > the preview (for the Phoenix) said that Lex was coming back from the dead. > Good grief, how stupid! I tuned out again > > Then a few months later, I was channel-surfing, and caught the last twenty > minutes of Tempus Fugitive. Wow. Seriously, wow. Lois knew Clark was > Superman, and she was kissing him, and sure, they reset it at the end of the > episode, but ... wow. I'd already been online (CompuServe) for B5 fandom, > so I knew exactly where to find L&C fans. Based on their ecstatic comments > about the episode (and who was this Dan Scardino they were all whining > about?), I was desperate to see the whole episode; desperate enough to ask > around at work if anyone had a tape. Thankfully, someone did :-) and I got > to see the whole episode... I laughed my butt off over that "hello, duh" > scene > > I was a FOLC from that moment. I found fanfic (I believe someone sent me > one of Leigh Raglan's fanfic compendiums), began chatting on the CServe > message board with all the enthusiasm of the newly-converted, and had > written my own first (very short) fanfic within another month or so. I've > pretty much been here ever since, tho it did take a while for me to really > segue from the backwater of CompuServe to the big bad Internet I've met > tons of wonderful people, mostly online but a number in real life, too, and > I have yet to meet someone I didn't like. :) (I had cause to be especially > thankful for my FOLC friends during the non-wedding ARRGH; we watched the > episodes in groups for mutual support ) (and I admit I couldn't resist > one joke; my husband & I bought some little plastic frogs and hid them in > the bottom of a bowl of popcorn I don't remember the episode, probably > DJ or Seconds) > > >>In the spring of 2000, the world came crumbling down around me. Who was > there for support? None other than the North Carolina FoLCs... << > > Hey, we love ya :) So when are you coming back to visit again? > > >>. I may not have been around at the > beginning, but I plan to be around until the bitter end . Frankly, I > don't think there will be one :)<< > > Amen, sister. > > > Pam Jernigan / ChiefPam / jernigan@bellsouth.net > http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam > http://personal.rdu.bellsouth.net/~jernigan/ > > ~~God answers knee-mail~~ > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 14:50:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phil Atcliffe Subject: NEW: Imbalance Part 15 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 [A little late today; sorry, but that's the holiday malaise for you... Anyway, after checking out 344 Clinton Street and refraining from doing anything horrible to a clueless real estate agent, Lois is more than ready for some breakfast -- which Clark promised they would have in Paris! Well, have we ever known him to willingly break a promise like that? But, of course, our heroes are still getting to know one another -- which, with *these* two, means that a certain amount of subtle (or less-than-subtle) probing is inevitable... Now read on:] ***** "This really is a beautiful city," Lois exclaimed as Clark walked with her along the Quai des Tuileries after breakfast -- well, lunch, really, by Parisian time, but a good selection of croissants and pastries can be found in France no matter what the time of day -- in a caf=E9 on the Rue de Rivoli= . Lois had been tempted to stop and browse in some of the shops and market stalls they passed, but she knew they had to get back and go to work. He'd obviously noticed her interest, for he'd grinned at her. "If you're very nice to me, Lois, I'll fly you back here for a shopping trip some day soon." "Depends what you mean by being 'nice' to you," she told him, a little warily. "Nothing too difficult," he assured her as they reached the riverside. "Just help me launch Superman when the time is right, and help me protect my identity as Clark Kent. That's very important to me." Lois briefly wondered at this statement; it wasn't the first time he'd referred to his strong urge to keep Superman's real identity secret. She remembered his comment on the evening of their first meeting, about having come from some place where everyone knew who Superman was. Perhaps it was time that Clark Kent answered some questions.... "Clark," she said firmly, drawing to a halt at a viewing-point and turning to face him, "just where do you come from?" He looked surprised. "I told you -- Krypton." "No, not that. You said you came from Krypton to Earth as a baby. But you told me a lot of other things, too, such as that you worked at the Daily Planet, and that where you were before everyone knew who Superman was. So, wherever that was, it's not here." He smiled, and she was puzzled by the amusement in his expression. She was investigating him, and if he didn't give her some answers, she'd try to find them by another means -- and he was *smiling*? But he rearranged his features when he saw her expression. "Sorry, Lois. I was just thinking that I was right about you. You are a *great* reporter, and I should have expected that you wouldn't just accept what I'd told you without trying to find out more." He turned towards the river, watching the water-taxis in silence for a moment or two, then glanced back at her. "Yes, there is more. But, as I told you the other night, you're not ready to hear it yet. By that, I mean that it's going to be even more incredible for you to believe than what I've already told you, and it's not going to be as easy to prove as the Superman stuff, because I have no proof to give you. So, if you don't mind, I want to ask you to wait. I *will* tell you, but just not yet." Lois wasn't satisfied with that explanation. She glared at him. "You don't know whether I'd believe you or not until you *tell* me. But one thing's for sure -- the longer you don't tell me, the more I'm going to believe that you're hiding something." He sighed. "I'm not hiding anything, Lois. I *will* tell you everything. Just... not yet." She knew when to stop pushing. Clark could believe that she'd given up, but she intended to use whatever other means were at her disposal in order to find out what she wanted to know. "Okay, Clark. But remember, I'm waiting for answers." "And you'll get them. For now--" He stretched a little, then turned away from the river. "--I think it's time I flew us back. Ready?" She nodded, and they walked together to the little back street where he'd landed, almost an hour earlier. It was still deserted, and he beckoned for her to come close to him. "I'm going to have to take off very quickly," he told her. "Can you hold on tight -- maybe keep your eyes shut? -- because this is going to be *very* fast." Lois nodded again, allowing Clark to wrap one arm tightly around her waist; she put her arms around his neck... and suddenly, they were airborne. It was a good thing she had a strong stomach, she thought, given the force of his upward motion; but within a second or two, he was slowing, and, once above the clouds, he shifted his grip so that he was holding her in his arms rather than pressed against him. This was more comfortable, more like the outward journey, so she allowed herself to relax against him and proceeded to enjoy the flight. "You okay?" he enquired after a short while. "Sure! You're so lucky, to be able to fly," she was unable to resist adding.= She saw a flash of his white teeth as he grinned. "Well, any time you want a ride, you only have to ask." "Don't be too hasty," she recommended him. "I might get too used to this." He merely smiled, but then changed the subject. "Lois, we can't really talk now, but I want to know more about someone you were responsible for putting in jail." "Who?" "Lex Luthor," he told her. "Him!" Lois virtually spat. "Why do you want to know about him?" "Your articles on him made fascinating reading," Clark answered easily enough. "I've never come across anyone quite so amoral as that guy. And the way you exposed him was pretty smart work, especially as the police seemed to have no idea what he was up to. I'm not at all surprised that you won awards for that." "Oh, if you want to know how I caught him..." she drawled, wondering whether he'd guessed that there was more to the story than she'd written in the Planet. "Well, that, too, but... well, Lois, it occurred to me, from reading your articles on the man, that there was more there than you were letting on. I... couldn't help wondering why you disliked him so much. Okay, he's a criminal, but... well, what you wrote came over as kind of personal." Lois caught her breath; just what was it about Clark Kent? No-one had ever asked her that before. It *had* been personal; but no-one else, not even Perry, had seen that. Why Clark Kent? *Did* he have mind-reading abilities? She stared at him; he met her gaze, enquiring brown eyes steadily gazing into now-scared ones. "Lois...? What is it?" She was barely able to restrain a gasp. "Can... you... read my mind?" He stared at her... and then laughed. "Lois, whatever gave you that idea?" "Your... powers. I... wondered if you had some sort of telepathic abilities you hadn't told me about," she told him stiffly. He shook his head. "Well, if I do, it's news to me, too! I have to admit that I have... wondered about that, though, because of something the Globe showed me. But, whether or not Kryptonians as a race have -- or *had* -- some kind of telepathic ability, I can honestly say that *I* can't read anybody's mind, including yours." Lois still looked doubtful -- and scared, so he tried again to reassure her. "Lois, I mean it. Really, I promise you. I *can't* read your mind." 'I might wish I could, but no such luck...' "Look, I'm just a reporter, like you -- well, other than being Superman, of course -- so anything I might have said which was close to the mark is probably just intelligent guesswork, combined with a bit of luck -- nothing more." She grunted, not entirely convinced, but willing to let it go for now in the light of his obvious sincerity -- or what she *hoped* was sincerity. "Was I right about Luthor?" he asked softly. "Yes," she admitted. "There was more to it." "Will you tell me? Not now, not here -- I have to concentrate on flying, and anyway, we don't have time. But tonight, maybe?" She hesitated, and he saw that. "Look, Lois, I'm not trying to be nosy about you or your personal life. But we're going to be working together as partners, and I think it's important that we understand each other. Luthor's probably the biggest crook you've exposed, and we're trying to get to Intergang now. It might help us work together if I understand what the real issues were with Luthor." Reluctantly, she agreed. "Okay. Tonight. After work. We can talk at my place." "I'd like that," he told her. "If you want, I can bring take-out from anywhere in the world." She was determined not to let him see just how much his perspicacity -- if that was what it really was -- had shaken her. Tilting her chin, she frowned at him. "Show-off!" His only answer was a shout of laughter. ***** Nigel closed his notebook with a snap. He'd seen enough. Now he knew when to strike and where to strike; how, he'd already decided -- in fact, that was why he'd spent so much time working out when and where. He turned and walked towards the stairwell leading down from the roof. As he did, his chosen "weapon" -- or a candidate, at least; it would require a little computer hacking to ascertain precisely which one would be assigned to the task -- passed between him and the sun. He didn't notice its shadow sweeping over him; he was too busy planning his next move, and the sudden chill that its passing brought was as fleeting as... as Lois Lane's life. ***** After a busy, though not very exciting, day, Lois returned to her apartment. Clark had said he would go to his hotel, change, then get dinner before returning. She'd told him her likes and dislikes and was intrigued to see what he'd come up with. She'd barely been home ten minutes when there was a knock at her door; she opened it to find Clark, dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt, carrying containers from which came a very appetising aroma. Dinner turned out to be a selection of Indian dishes, with pilau rice and various side dishes, and was delicious. It was almost a shame, Lois thought, that it had come from Calcutta, since she wouldn't be able to add the restaurant to her list of take-out suppliers. Having packed up the empty containers afterwards, Clark leaned forward in his chair and caught Lois' gaze, his expression suggesting that he didn't intend to allow himself to be sidetracked. "So, Lois, what was the deal with Luthor?" She sighed, wondering whether there was any way she was going to get out of having this conversation, but acknowledging that it was unlikely. She'd never told anyone just why she hated Lex Luthor so much, and she didn't relish having to do so now. But Clark Kent clearly didn't intend to take no for an answer. "Okay, but it's a long story," she warned him. "I have plenty of time," he assured her, thus removing her final let-out. "Right. Well, I'd had my suspicions about Luthor for a long time -- wondering why his companies always seemed to win the best contracts, why his competitors almost always went out of business not long after they'd crossed swords with him, why he just seemed to get richer and richer... and why nothing was really known about his past. I'd tried to get interviews with him in the past, but his PR and private secretary always fobbed me off -- like they did everyone else who tried. I did meet him once or twice, and he was always charming, but *always* completely unwilling to talk about anything related to his business interests. He also hit on me a couple of times," she added dryly. "But I made it clear I wasn't interested." "Hit on you?" Clark was frowning. "Yeah, you know," she told him impatiently, but then realised that he was starting to look annoyed -- though not at her, she thought -- and wanted her to elaborate. "It's not important. I knocked him back, and that's all there was to it. But at the same time, I started to investigate him properly." She paused, getting up to make some coffee, more as a delaying tactic so that she could collect her thoughts. "Anyway, it wasn't easy to find out anything about him that wasn't already in the public domain. Most stories written about him were based on the press releases his PR put out, and they were so completely *anodyne*, Clark! You'd think the guy was so squeaky-clean, he never even went to the bathroom! I was sure there had to be more, but I couldn't find any trace of him beyond about ten years ago. So I wondered where he'd come from." Remembering the questions she'd asked herself more than four years earlier, she repeated them for Clark. "Who is Lex Luthor? Who were his parents? Where did he go to school? Where did he go to college? What was his first job? He claimed to be a self-made man, so he had to make his money from somewhere. There was no inherited wealth." She paused, bringing the coffee over to the table. "So you tried to find people who knew him when he was younger -- who'd worked with him, gone to school with him?" Clark asked; this was standard technique in an investigation. "What about bank records, company acquisitions, early backers?" "Nada," she answered flatly. "That was the weird thing. I even looked for a record of his birth! There was no trace of Lex Luthor earlier than about ten years before I started looking." "So...?" Clark prompted. "Lex Luthor isn't his real name?" "That was my guess," Lois agreed. "But I had no way of finding out what his real name was -- and anyway, simply changing your name's not a crime -- so I started to look at some other things, and then I noticed that a lot of people who'd turned up dead in Metropolis over a period of several years could be connected to Luthor in one way or another: they worked for a Luthor company; held an important position in a competitor company; had shared a platform with Luthor at some event. Some of those deaths were recorded as suicides -- they weren't all murders. And many of them had been 'solved' -- but then, the hired killer who'd been arrested for the murder would turn up dead." "So you began to wonder whether Luthor was behind any of those deaths?" "Yeah. I mean, I know it all sounds so far-fetched to imagine that the third richest man in the world, a billionaire and self-styled philanthropist, would be involved in murder, but it was all highly suspicious." "But you couldn't prove anything, right?" "Right." Kent's questions and interjections made it sound as if he was very familiar with this kind of frustrating investigation. "Anyway, I wasn't getting anywhere, so I shelved it for the time being. There was another big story -- Space Station Prometheus... You've heard of it?" "Yeah, I know about it," Clark answered, saving Lois the need to explain. "Well, the Messenger transport exploded, but the weirdest thing was that, just before it did, I had this crazy guy come to see me, to tell me that it was going to blow up." Lois explained about Dr Samuel Platt's visit to her at the Planet, and how, subsequently, she had proved that the explosion was sabotage. Then, tragically, Platt had died; the police had insisted it was suicide, but Lois was convinced he was murdered. "The day after he died, his wife and daughter came to see me to thank me for trying to help him. His daughter, Amy, was in a wheelchair, Clark. She was only about eight! And Mrs Platt was taking Amy on the next transport shuttle to Prometheus, because, with the scientific advances which would be possible in space, it was possible that Amy might be able to walk." "So... what happened?" Clark's voice was now wary. "Well, I should have guessed what was going on," Lois replied miserably. "I mean, Luthor was pushing his own private space station -- Space Station Luthor -- which he was hoping that the Confederation of Nations would adopt instead of Prometheus. Anyway, I wrote the story of the sabotage, and the next shuttle to Prometheus was declared trouble-free and ready to go. I went down to the launch-pad -- I wanted to smuggle myself on board, but I was recognised and thrown out. I stayed to watch the lift-off, only... it lifted off, but it exploded when it was only a couple of hundred feet above the ground." She stopped abruptly, trying to control her shaking voice. "And everyone on board was killed." "Including Amy and her mother," Clark supplied quietly. "Yeah." "And then?" Clark prompted. "And then... I started asking myself who would gain from Prometheus being scrapped. And the only answer I could come up with was Lex Luthor -- because of his own space station plans. The other thing I discovered was that Dr Antoinette Baines, who was a senior scientist in charge of the shuttle project, was killed the night before the explosion; the helicopter she was in just blew up! The police forensic scientists couldn't explain the explosion, but the officer I spoke to suspected foul play. And -- well, then I got lucky. Someone who worked for Luthor told me Luthor'd been having an affair with Baines." "Ah -- the pieces started coming together," Clark murmured. "Yeah. It took a while, but within a week or so, I had enough evidence to prove that Luthor was behind the shuttle explosions. And then, once a couple of tongues started to loosen -- and I started looking in the right places -- I managed to link him to a number of other crimes as well. Then I handed it all over to a police inspector I know. Once Luthor was arrested, his respectable fa=E7ade crumbled completely and more and more dirt kept piling up. I got a whole bunch of exclusives out of it, but there was *so* much -- everything from the space business to gun-running to high school kids! It was hard to believe that one man could be so dirty..." "Yeah, I read the articles you wrote about him," Clark said dryly. "And, given what you've just told me, I can understand your feelings about the guy. To arrange to blow up a space shuttle, not caring who was on it, who got killed... to kill an *eight-year-old girl*, for God's sake...!" Clark's response surprised Lois; although other colleagues had been aware of the people who had been killed on the shuttle, not one had expressed sorrow or anger at the callous murder of a child. That was why she'd always been reluctant to explain exactly why she loathed Lex Luthor so much. Yet Kent, for some reason, not only understood, but felt exactly the same way. And he hadn't even met the Platts! "Yeah, you got it," she told him quietly. "So that's why I got more of a *personal* sense of satisfaction in toppling Luthor from his throne," she added sarcastically. "And now he's in prison, and likely to stay there for the rest of his life. Which couldn't be long enough for me." ***** [You hardly expect *me* to disagree with that, do you? But there's more to come in this conversation; after which, it's time for Nigel to do more than just plan... ] Phil ---- "Phil Atcliffe, Dr, Sir, Phil Atcliffe. Fanfic writer, mad scientist, friend of Lois and Clark, and now, it seems, co-creator of a time machine!" -- Kath Roden "[...] an incredible icon for our generation." -- Kristin Drew "No, I don't believe [them], either." -- Fred Dagg -- Whether you believe them or not , you can e-mail me at atcliffe@perdicas.fsnet.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 15:23:37 -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: Imbalance Part 15 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > [it's time for Nigel to do > more > than just plan... ] Excellent as always. Interesting to see how the space shuttle/station stuff went with no Supes around to help out! CM (who is worried about the snippet above, but glad Lois has Superman around now.) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 14:21:35 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: lcfic Subject: Re: Something New and Different... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii [Additionally, many authors were willing, but begged NOT to be first .] If I had known that was an option, that's what I'd have done! [I'm am VERY grateful to Dawn for not only being so quick, but also so willing... she was brave enough to be first, and that's a wonderful thing!] Thanks, Crys :) Don't know how brave I was ... :) Thanks again for doing this. I'm looking forward to seeing the "behind the scenes" for some of my favorite fic, as well. Thanks! Dawn __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 17:32:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Marilyn L. Puett" Subject: Be a "Smallville" writer http://www.wpix.com/entertainment/ent.html Big ideas for Smallville? If you were a staff writer for upcoming show Smallville, what plots would you develop for the man of steel? Tell us! Here's your chance to let them know what you'd like to see on the new series, "Smallville." How about Lois Lane????? ;-) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 19:05:37 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: question (again) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Hello everyone I have a few more questions!! Sorry--what is IRC?? Which episode was it that Lois said, "Chumpy?" Thanks! april _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 19:07:17 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Sycamore Subject: Teri in SNL Comments: To: afolcslife@yahoogroups.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed I just watched Teri in Saturday Night Live yesterday, and it was the funniest thing I've ever seen! I laughed so hard I thought I couldn't laugh anymore!!! She was great in it, I loved her outfit at the very end with those sparkles!! april _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 22:21:40 -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: question (again) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Honeymoon in Metropolis merry April Sycamore wrote: > Hello everyone I have a few more questions!! Sorry--what is IRC?? > Which episode was it that Lois said, "Chumpy?" > > Thanks! > april > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp