Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Concrete Jungle Love - Updated - Part Three

Part Three


"Jimmy" and "Pete" had been dropped off in the middle of what appeared to be a corn field. As soon as they exited Wells' time machine, he de-materialized immediately, but not without leaving a circular impression where his machine had flattened the growing plants. The two Supermen reasoned that this would be the mark of their meeting place, 24 hours hence.


"It seems really quiet around here, for a world that was supposedly overrun with rogue Kryptonians, doesn't it?" commented CK.


"Calm before the storm, especially in Kansas," retorted Clark. "Any good *farmboy* knows that."


They both smiled at the expression *farmboy*; although Clark's Lois had never described him that way, he had heard CK's Lois refer to him as "farmboy" repeatedly when he had visited their world.


"There's where Ma and Pa used to live," Clark said, pointing to the ruins of a yellow farmhouse about ½ mile away. "It looks like it's been deserted since Wells spirited them away. I wonder what the New Kryptonians thought when Kal-El's earthy parents disappeared?"


"I don't know; I'm sure they noticed, but were too busy executing town folk to really care," responded CK.


"Are they truly that barbaric? It's frightening that this is our heritage, isn't it, CK?"


"Yes, and I had the unfortunate experience of having dealt with them, both on New Krypton, and when they traveled to *my* earth. Some were really good people; however, the lure of power, acquiring these enhanced abilities while on earth, was too strong for others that were much weaker in character. If they're still here, we should be able to spot them flying, or using their powers in some fashion," CK stated. "Let's investigate."


They quickly lifted off, faster than the human eye could see, to get a bird's eye view of the remainder of Smallville. What they saw made them stop dead in the air. (Detailed in "The Third World of Concrete Jungle Love: Joe and Mary Lang's Story").


~~~~~


The Loises decided that if they were going to travel back to the 1970's, they needed to dress accordingly. Realizing that bell-bottomed jeans, halter and tube tops, and long hair, parted in the middle, would be in fashion, they felt ill-prepared to jump in Herb's machine with their current attire. "Mary Lang" came to the rescue, as usual.


"It just so happens that Clark never threw out his parents' clothes; after they passed away, he left everything in the house almost intact to preserve their memories. I didn't feel comfortable disposing of them, either. This world’s Martha died when Clark was 10, in 1976; let me see what's there that you gals can use," she suggested.


"We'll help you," said the Loises.


Several minutes later, Lois and L/L were pleased to find several pairs of bell-bottomed jeans (Martha was in her latter thirties when she passed); they found several 70's-period tops to go with them, and they parted their hair in the middle, adorning it with scarves.


Martha and Mary laughed. "Wow, we had those same clothes back then. This is hysterical," Martha said. "It's amazing how your other-world twin is exactly like you, but still a bit different."


"It sure is," Mary agreed.


Lois and L/L agreed that they would tell whoever asked that they were twin sisters, Martha and Mary Kent, visiting San Diego from Smallville. They called out to Herb that they were, finally, ready to start the journey.


"My, it's like a masquerade ball around here today," he remarked, smiling at the two women dressed in 1970's-period clothing. "Double L, you've never time-traveled before; you may expect a little discomfort and you may be a bit woozy when we arrive. Lois has traveled with me, alas, many times."


Lois rolled her eyes. "Yes, *too* many times, I'm afraid. Don’t worry though, you'll be fine. A glass of soda will ease your queasy stomach afterwards."


"Whatever. I have to do this; it's the only way for me to find out if that scumbag Thorul lied to me. Let's go!" she asserted.


Wells' time machine was in a state of "continuous improvement ". If he set the mode for multi-dimensional travel, then it had to materialize in exactly the same spot in the parallel world. However, when he set the machine for time travel, he could specify what part of the world he wanted to arrive in, as well as what era. He had an onboard satellite directional system similar to On Star®. He clicked on the city he wanted to arrive in with the mouse. He could even fine-tune it so the machine landed in an alley or in the forest!


He set the machine to land in a wooded area of Balboa Park, near the world-famous San Diego Zoo. When the ladies were strapped in, he hit the "enter" button with the mouse, and soon, they were adjacent to a treed area in a park. Wells had set his machine for them to arrive at early evening, after sunset, so no one would spot their arrival. He set the camouflage/cloaking device that would ensure that the machine would not be visible.


"Welcome to San Diego, May 16, 1973," Wells announced to the Loises.


L/L had a headache and felt slightly off-balance, gripped with waves of nausea. Lois, who had several of these trips under her belt, was mostly fine.


"Double L, let's get you a glass of seltzer or a soda somewhere. You'll feel much better," she suggested. "The queasiness passes fairly quickly."


"Uh-oh! I don't think I have any money that is 30 years old with me… what if they notice the date on the bills?" L/L croaked out.


"Fear not," said Wells. "With all of my trips, I have collected currency from various time periods. You leave me one of your twenty dollar bills, and simply swap it for one dated 1973 or earlier." Herb brought out a metal money tray, and astonished the Loises with his wide selection of the various styles and denominations of currency valid for the various decades he had visited. Thankfully, the two Earths used the same "dead presidents" on their bills!


"Wow, Herb, you really do think of everything," Lois exclaimed. "I never knew you had all of this, all of the times I've traveled with you."


"In my line of work, my dear… it's a necessity," he smiled. "Let's go get Double L that soda, shall we?"


They found a roadside stand selling ice cream and soda, complete with folding chairs and card tables. Used to paying at least $1.00 for a can of soda, they were pleasantly surprised to find that they could buy two sodas for $1.00. They had also forgotten how heavy soda cans were back then! Herb opted for an ice cream sandwich.


"So, since we don't have computers here, how do we try to track down the Thorul family?" L/L asked Lois.


"The library will have city directories. They list people alphabetically, as well as by street. They also list your present occupation, at least as of the last census bureau information. San Diego County is huge, so we'll have to go to the best library in the city," Lois stated.

"What about UCSD?" L/L suggested. "I would think a great university like that would have everything we would need. Let's try there first."


"Great idea, but what if you need a student ID card to get in there?" Lois inquired.


"Herb, you have any fake ID's in that time machine of yours?" she joked.


In response, Wells rolled his eyes at her. He had learned that technique from Lois Lane herself.


"As long as we don't try to check anything out, they're not going to need to ID us, Lois."


"You're probably right. OK, I'm game. Let's hope the library's open until 11:00 p.m. And it's probably final exams week; the semester is just about over," Lois replied. I guess we're going to need to hail a cab to get there."


It was about an 8-mile ride to the posh suburb of La Jolla where the main UCSD library was located. The ladies noted thankfully that San Diego cabbies were a tad more sedate than those in Metropolis. Their stomachs had been upset enough for one day!


"Do you want me to wait?" asked the cabbie, waiting for his fare to be paid.
Herb paid the required fee, and gave him a modest tip.


The driver looked at the cash in his hand, and quipped, "I guess not," and drove off.


The three of them stopped a glazed student who had obviously been studying too much, and asked him to direct them to the quickest way to get to the campus library.


Soon Herb and the Loises were entering the building and heading towards the
Reference section. The city directories were divided by town. In the San Diego area, there are several cities; all are considered part of San Diego County: La Jolla, National City, Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Visa, Lemon Grove, and El Cajon. Each one of the trio grabbed a directory, and started perusing through them for the last name of "Thorul".


Ironically, it was Herb who got lucky. "My word, ladies - I do believe I have found a 'Lena Thorul' in Coronado. It says that her occupation is that of a front desk reservations clerk at the famous Hotel Del Coronado."

"That means that Lenny is probably a student at Coronado High School!" yelped L/L. "Herb, what day of the week is May 16th? I'm completely out of sync here."


"I do believe it's Wednesday evening, Ms. Lane," he replied.


"This is so cool. We left on a Friday night, and we can go back the same night, even though we can spend a month here if we want!" L/L exclaimed. "It'll be like we never left!"


"May I remind you, Ms. Lane… that it's never a good idea to spend any length of time in the past, lest you inadvertently alter history? And we need to pick up your respective spouses in 24 hours hence!" he admonished. "I have to get you back to Smallville, and then I must place the time machine in the exact spot I left them in order to have a proper rendezvous with them."


"OK, OK. I frankly don't want to have to wear these 70's clothes much longer anyway. So we're going to Coronado High School tomorrow," crowed L/L. "We have to come up with some excuse why we need to see their yearbook. Usually, the underclassmen are listed in their homerooms alphabetically. If he's there, then I'll know he wasn't lying to me, and that he's not some gross, frog-eating clone," she ranted.


"What if he went to a private school?" suggested Lois.


"If his mother is a desk clerk, I doubt she has the money for the tuition," L/L reasoned. "Ok – new idea. Let's go to the Hotel Del Coronado. Maybe we can strike up a friendship with his mother. Woman *love* to brag about their sons. Maybe she works the night shift. Can we get a room there? I have no credit at all, since I've been considered dead for the last ten years! And, I doubt that any of *your* credit cards will work in this time period, Lois." It was a full "Lois Lane babble", and her twin understood every word.


Lois nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, the issuing financials institutions won't even exist for decades, what with all of the bank mergers, at least in my world, in the 1980's and 1990's."


"Well, the Hotel Del is a really classy place," L/L said. "Classy equals 'big bucks'!" She turned to Wells. "Herb, what do you have on you for cash?"


"Ms. Lane, thankfully, I always carry more cash than I believe I'll need. That is, before I decided to time-travel with two Lois Lanes. I'm afraid this endeavor might break the bank," he lamented. "You see, when I first started this time-traveling business, I found that coin dealers place a high value on the money of my era, especially when it is in pristine condition. I have been able to exchange coin worth virtually nothing, in *my* time period, for sizeable sums!"


"Wow, Herb. I never thought about that. Very clever of you," LL commented.


Another cab ride later, with yet another ticked off cab driver (Herb just didn't understand the concept of tipping 15-20%), and soon, the three of them were stepping onto the bricked sidewalk leading to the entrance of the glamorous, reddish-orange and white, world-famous Victorian hotel.


"Wow, how beautiful this place is," breathed Lois. "When I get back to my world, I'm going to have Clark take me to the one in my world some weekend, for a second honeymoon; Martha and Jonathan can watch the kids. It looks so romantic."


"Yes, it's the largest wooden Victorian building in the world," stated L/L. "And the beach is one of the best in the country. Years ago, pre-Congo, I did an article about this place for the DP. It was a real 'fluff piece', not my usual hard-hitting exposé, but the perk that sealed the deal for me was that I got to stay here for a weekend. Let's go up to the front desk and see if Lena Thorul is on duty tonight."


A blond woman, slightly older than the two Loises, was waiting on several guests checking in. Her name plate indicated that she was indeed "Mrs. Thorul". The three of them waited patiently, as they were next in line.


"May I help the next guest?" she called out.


Lois marched up to the counter, which had a rich, very shiny wood veneer. "Yes… 'Mrs. Thorul', is it? I was wondering if you had a suite available for a one night stay."


Used to seeing reservation clerks click away on their laptop computers for available reservations, Lois was somewhat taken aback with the archaic method Mrs. Thorul had to employ – checking index cards, one for each room in the hotel – to determine the availability of her request. <Thank God for modern technology. How did we survive without computers? Yikes!>


"We have one suite left. Ocean view, two bedrooms and one shared bathroom," she finally said. "Will that be acceptable?"


"Sounds perfect," gushed Lois. "Herb? What do you think?"


"Will you accept cash?" Wells inquired, smiling at her.


"Why yes, of course," she replied, beaming back at him. "We don't accept checks, after all."


L/L and Lois both wore twin-like smirks on their faces. A cash payment for a hotel stay, in their time, would be considered odd. But, in the early 70's, not everyone had a credit card. The world wasn't plastic-happy back then. If you had a "Master Charge®" back then, you were really something special!


"That will be $200 plus California taxes, for a total of $232.00," she informed him. "Are you going to need to purchase a parking space for your vehicle?"


Wells was having a hard time keeping a poker face. After all, he was from a different century, let alone decade, and this figure seemed like a month's – a very *good* month's - salary to him. "No, Mrs. Thorul, we traveled here by taxicab," he managed to reply.


Lois and L/L were whispering to each other that a suite at the Hotel Del in the year 2003 would be more than $1000.00 per night, especially if it had an ocean view, like this one apparently did.


"Very well, then. Please fill out all of the guest information. You will be on our 4th floor."


Wells, using the "Lane eye-rolling technique", opened his wallet and paid for the room in full. He then began filling out the guest register, as directed.


L/L piped up. "Mrs. Thorul, do you have a son named Lenny?"


Lena Thorul stopped what she was doing, and smiled pleasantly back.


"Yes, I do. How do you know him?


<He's going to be my *boss* in the future, lady… and my worst nightmare,> L/L thought.


"I substitute teach sometimes," she said, totally winging it. "He's a student at Coronado High School, right?" <I'm reaching here; I hope I'm right, or she's going to think I'm sleeping with her underage son, and that's how I know him. Ugh. What a thought!>


Lois smiled at her twin. <The two of us really think alike!>


"Yes, yes, he does go to school there. He's almost a junior in high school now. At least, he will be, in the fall," she informed her with pride. "He makes high honors every term. What subject did you say you taught?"


<Oops!> "English, mostly," she replied. <Everyone has to take English… that should be a safe answer.> "I'm looking for a full-time teaching position now, but since there aren't too many openings, I decided to be a substitute teacher in the interim."


"My, my! Well, my Lenny does very well in English. That must be why you remember him," she said. "Does your twin sister here teach school also?"


Lois smiled, not being able to picture herself as a teacher. She had too little patience for that job! "Actually, Mrs. Thorul, I'm a writer. My sister likes to *teach* English; I have written several romance novels. I hope to have one published some day."


"You know, your last name sounded familiar, and I remembered your son's first name, but I can't place his face. Do you have a picture of him?" L/L asked. Thankfully, there was no one in line behind them.


"I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't," she replied, reaching for her purse.


She handed L/L what looked to be a school picture of a 15-year old Lenny Thorul.


"He's turning 16 this summer," she said, "so he's going to get his license and find a part-time job to help me with the bills and such."


L/L noted the curly red hair, the freckles, and the geeky glasses. Based on the picture, she guessed that Lenny didn't have too many friends; he was probably too focused on his academics, being a very serious student. What a contrast to the overly confident, pugnacious, evil man he presented himself to be in the present day!


"Oh, you're not married, Mrs. Thorul?" Wells asked. "You're such an attractive woman…why would someone like you be alone? Oh, dear! What a shame!"


"Yes, my husband passed when Lenny was a baby," she told him.


<Liar!> L/L remembered what Lenny had told her: that Lena, his aunt, this woman talking with them, had moved west when Lenny was born, so that Lex's father wouldn’t know that his wife, her sister, had twins; she changed her name to "Thorul" legally and put "unknown" for the father on Lenny's birth certificate.


Wells, who didn't know the story as well as L/L did, of course, empathized with her portrayal as a widowed single mother and said, "My dear, it must be so difficult to raise a teenager, especially a son, by yourself. How indeed do you do it?"


<Herb… are you looking for a date here? What's up with the flirting? You could be her father!> /L pondered, smiling. By the look on Lois' face, she was thinking the same thing.


"I’m very lucky that my Lenny is a good son. Helps me around the house, even cleans up after himself, does well in school. I couldn’t be luckier," she replied.


"Here are the keys to your suite, number 416. Enjoy your stay at the Del. Please let me know if we can be of further assistance," she continued, noting that finally, there were guests behind our trio waiting to check in.


"Thank you, Mrs. Thorul. It was lovely chatting with you," Wells gushed.


~~~~~


Upstairs in their beautiful, Victorian-era suite, Lois said, "Hey, the Hotel Del in my world is supposed to be haunted. Do you think this one is?"


L/L laughed. "Yes, there are stories about the Del ghost. Again, I know about it from the background research I did for the story I wrote on this place. Apparently a beautiful woman checked into a room here one night, all alone. Everyone thought she was waiting for a male friend to show up. No one ever came. She died in her room. Legend has it that you can see her floating spirit dressed in a white flowing robe at night, down by the beach. Let's go take a walk! Maybe we'll see her."


"You ladies go ahead, I am quite fatigued," Wells said. "I'm really too old for this type of excitement."


"Tired? Really? You sure were playing up to 'Mrs. Thorul' back there," L/L teased. "Herb, was there ever a 'Mrs. Wells'?"


Lois realized that she had *never* asked Herb that, and she had known him a lot longer than her twin had.

"I'm afraid, Ms. Lane, that my work always took precedence over my personal life. But it's sweet of you to ask. And, yes, Mrs. Thorul is quite an attractive woman, isn't she?"


The Lane women giggled. How cute was that - Herb had a crush on someone!


"Lois, let's go chase our ghost by the ocean, and leave Herbert alone with his fantasies," L/L said. At that they walked away, grinning and laughing, sharing a private joke that only twins could understand.


Herb had turned crimson at her remarks; he was grateful for even the briefest period of peace and quiet, as well as a break from two strongest female personalities he had ever encountered!


~~~~~


"It makes sense, now Lois," L/L said, as they walked along the shore.


"What does?"


”Why Lex brought me out to San Francisco that night. His brother was living out here – the West Coast, anyway. They were on the phone that night when I overheard them. Perhaps they even had a meeting later that night, while I was sleeping. I was so naive!"


"Lex had me hoodwinked, too. Let me tell you what he did to me – and Clark, actually – in my world," Lois said. At that, she explained how she had almost married Lex, how he miraculously came back from the dead, the clones… the entire bizarre story.


"Well, it looks like this Lenny Thorul actually exists, so I don't think he's a clone. What's our game plan for tomorrow?" L/L asked.


Lois was frozen, staring down the way, at the surf. "Linda…do you see that?"


There was a white apparition that appeared to be floating over the water.


L/L yelped, "It's her! She exists! It's really the ghost," and took off jogging down the beach, with Lois right on her tail.


When they got there, of course, there was nothing there.


"You were my witness on this… when *my* Clark tells me I'm crazy, you're going to back me up, right?" insisted Lois.


"You saw me running on the sand after her, like a fool! Of course I'll back you up," she agreed.


"So, anyway… the game plan for tomorrow is: we go to Coronado High School and tell the office that we would like a tour, because we're thinking of relocating our family here from Kansas. The thing is, both of us will start the tour, but one of us will take a wrong turn and will go find Lenny Thorul. Agreed?" Lois asked.


"It's a plan," L/L agreed.


~~~~


The next day

"Yes, my name is Martha Kent, and this is my sister, Mary, who lives with me. I have a teenaged son named Clark. My family is relocating to Coronado and I was wondering if you give tours of the high school," Lois asked, trying to speak with a Midwest drawl. <With as much time as I spend in Smallville, it's not all that hard to mimic Martha's accent.>

"Of course, Mrs. – Kent, was it?" the office clerk replied. "Let me find out who's available to show you around."

Shortly, "Martha"/Lois and one of the Assistant Principals, a Mr. Gregorick, were walking down the hallowed halls of Coronado High School, while "Mary"/L/L was, little by little, trailing behind. Lois was keeping the Assistant Principal distracted by asking him all kinds of inane questions. When the moment was right, /LL took a turn down a side hallway. Lois kept babbling about what a good boy her son "Clark" was, and how she expected great things of him. Why, he might even be President some day.

Meanwhile, L/L was walking in a different direction at a very fast clip, hoping she wouldn't be stopped or questioned. She did have a visitor's pass, but she was supposed to be accompanied by proper high school personnel at all times. <Now, if I was a geek, where would I be right now? Hmm… either a study hall or the library. Ah! There's the library!>

Linda/Lois entered the room, and, since no one was at the receptionist's desk, she furtively walked around the various tables and areas. Almost ready to give up, something told her to try the reference room. As she entered, walking around the corner, a head of bright red curly hair, bent down, absorbing the information contained in some very thick textbooks caught her attention.

"Excuse me, are you Lenny Thorul?" she asked him, distracting him from his studies for the moment.

The face that looked up at her chilled her to the bone. The features were largely the same. But the innocence – that startled her. He really did look like a great kid! Even through the thick eyeglasses – he must wear contacts now – there was absolutely no sign of the future demons that would, some day, reside within him. How could a person change so drastically?

"Yes- yes, I am. And you are - ?"

"Mary Kent, of the Smallville, Kansas Press. I'm doing a story on Coronado, the Hotel Del, and the local high school. Would you have time to give me an interview?" <Whoa, I am *so* flying by the seat of my skirt here!>

"Sure, yeah – I guess so. May I ask – why me?" he answered tentatively.

"Well, my sister and I, and another business associate checked in at the Hotel Del last night, and your mother – very lovely woman, by the way – waited on us at the front desk. She went on and on about what a great student you were, how helpful you were around the house, since you don't have a Dad – and I thought – what a great human interest piece this might be, to interview such a stellar student for my article," L/L babbled. <What a lot of B.S., hope he buys all that! And I hope his mother didn't tell him about the substitute teacher who was asking about him!>

"Wow. She said all that?" he replied, looking surprised. "She works nights, so we only get to spend real quality time together on the weekends. My mom's really great, isn't she?"

"She sure seems to be. Do you have a free period when we can get together, or maybe we could meet right after school gets out?" <Holy cow! A son who wants to spend "quality time" with his mother! Lenny, Lenny, Lenny... what *happened* to you?>

"This is my free period; I'm studying because I have some exams today. How about after my last class today, which is about 1:30 p.m.? We could meet by the back door. There are picnic tables there," he explained.

"Sounds great, Lenny. I'm so looking forward to this. See you then."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent, I'll be there. Thanks for asking me."

<In the 70's, women were still largely assumed to be "Mrs." not "Ms.", although women's lib was starting to take hold,> L/L observed. <Thank God it's not like that anymore!>

~~~~~

Back on the high school tour, Mr. Gregorick finally noticed that "Mary Kent" was no longer walking with them. "Excuse me, Mrs. Kent, but your sister appears to be missing. That's against school regulations! Where on earth could she have gone to?" He did not look amused by this breach in school board policy.

Lois looked around and spotted the ladies room. "You know, Mr. Gregorick, I think she must have run in to use the rest room. Let me check on her, and I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting," he said sternly.

At that moment, L/L, flying down the hall, spotted Mr. Gregorick standing by himself, with no sign of Lois in sight. Panicking, she ran into the nearby rest room where she nearly collided with her twin!

"Thank God! He just noticed you were missing!" Lois exclaimed. "Did you find Lenny?"

"Yes, I have an interview with him outside by the picnic tables at 1:30pm today," L/L replied excitedly.

"An *interview*? What's that about? I though you just wanted to make sure he was real and not a – 'ewww – clone', as you would put it," Lois replied, smiling, but expecting some clarification.

"Lois, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get inside the head of my enemy before he's had a chance to turn evil. We have to think of questions to ask him that might give me some insight into him – some weakness, that I can use to turn the tables on him," she explained.

"You *are* good, Double L! You really don't need any help from me - I don't think you're rusty at all. It's all coming back to you!"

"Thanks, 'sis'! Now help me come up with some questions!"

"First, we have to finish the stupid tour with Mr. Gregorick, remember?" Lois said, with sarcasm in her tone of voice, wearing a slight frown
.
"Oh, yeah – right. Let's get this over with," L/L replied, resignedly. They exited the lavatory, noting that Mr. Gregorick's face brightened, seeing both of his school tour victims accounted for.


L/L had arrived at the picnic table 15 minutes early. She wanted to be sure that she didn't miss Lenny, in the event his exam let out ahead of time. In the meantime, she wondered how Clark was doing; wished she could communicate with him somehow. She had been having fun with her twin and Wells on their 70's adventure, but she was missing her man. It was so nice to *have* a man to miss. She thought she really hated the male species, after all those years of watching Congolese women raped and abused by the rebels in Congo-Brazzaville. But Clark, with all of his inner goodness, had won her over in just five short days! That was so amazing.

At exactly 1:30 p.m., a flaming red, curly head of hair wearing thick, black-framed glasses, sitting across from her, distracted her from her daydreaming.

"Mrs. Kent? You look like you were a million miles away," Lenny observed. "You didn't even notice that I had sat down."

"Maybe not a million miles… more like another world away," she replied, smiling. "So what was your exam on?"

"Chemistry," he replied. "I'm pretty sure I aced it."

"That's great! I take it you are one of the top students in your tenth grade class, academically, then?" L/L asked.

"Actually, yes... if I get straight A's on all of my exams, I will remain #1 in my class, grade-wise," he replied, rather sheepishly. "I may graduate from high school a year early. I plan to apply to UCSD, majoring in business, with a minor in psychology. I would love to better understand the inner workings of the human mind. But, I'll only be able to go if I can get a full scholarship, because otherwise, my Mom doesn't have enough money saved."

<Wow, that's interesting. No wonder he's a master at mind games.> "Why do you find it embarrassing to be so smart? You should be so proud of yourself."

"Well, I'm not embarrassed, exactly, but it's hard because when you get good grades, the popular kids don't want anything to do with you."

L/L reflected on her experiences in high school. What he was saying was *so* true.

"But your future will be so much brighter than theirs," she replied. <If you only you weren't going to be an evil monster when you grow up.> "What are your extracurricular activities, Lenny?" <Like blackmail, coercion, murder, perhaps?>

"Let's see... I'm on the chess team, co-editor of the school newspaper, and next year I've being inducted into the National Honor Society," he said.

"Do you play any sports?" <Huh... OK, I can see that... I'm a pawn in his chess game, he buys the Daily Planet, and he's obviously brilliant.>

"No, Mrs. Kent, I'm just too busy helping my Mom around the house, and studying all the time."

"Lenny, where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?" <Every job interview I've ever gone to, they ask that question!>

"Mrs. Kent, this is going to sound a little clichéd, but someday, I hope to be rich and own my own company. My Mom won't have to work anymore, and maybe some of the kids who made fun of me, calling me a bookworm, will work for me, and I'll have the last laugh on them!"

<Bingo! Lenny had to grow up so fast, be a little adult too soon, so he never got to really have any friends; the "cliquey" kids made fun of him. Revenge is his motivator for turning evil. How sad, really.>

"Power can corrupt, Lenny. Remember that. I hope that you'll be the bigger person, and realize that those kids that made fun of you are hurting themselves, because in goofing off in high school, the stars will never burn as brightly in their future as it will in yours. Revenge can be a very bitter pill to swallow." <Wow, I am *so* full of it today!>

Lenny's face lit up a bit. "You're right, I guess, Mrs. Kent. I'll try to keep that in mind. If you don't have any more questions, I promised my Mom I would spend this afternoon looking for a part-time job for the summer so I can help her pay some of the bills."

"I'm all set. It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Lenny. I hope we meet again, someday, when you're rich and successful, as I *know* you'll be," LL said, almost choking on her own words.

"It was great to meet you too, Mrs. Kent. Will you be able to send me a copy of the article when it's published? I would really like to have it for my records, and to show my Mom."

<Uh-oh! How am I going to pull *that* off?

"Sure, Lenny. Why don't you write down your home address for me," she said, ripping a piece of paper off her writing pad, "and I will have it sent to you just as soon as it's approved for printing in the latest edition."

Lenny scribbled his address on the paper, and handed it to her. "Have a good day, Mrs. Kent. You sure are a nice person."

"Thanks, Lnny. So are you. Take care of yourself, and good luck." <Wish you would remember that thirty years from now! It's so awful that a great kid like that turns to the dark side!>

~~~~

Back at the Del, L/L found Lois and Wells stretched out on the lawn chairs on the beautifully landscaped brick patio facing the ocean. They had already checked out of their suite, and were anxiously awaiting L/L's return.

"Hi guys," L/L called out. "Herb, we have to make a side trip to Smallville before we go home."

The look on Wells' face was priceless, "Smallville - in 1973? Goodness, why?"

"I promised Lenny that I would send him a copy of the 'article' I was writing about Coronado High School, focusing on him, and I have to convince the editor of the Smallville Press to publish the article and send him a copy."


"How are you going to do that? No one knows the byline 'Lois Lane' in this time period!" Lois exclaimed.

"No, but you told Lena Thorul that you, Martha Kent, were a budding novelist, and the *real* Martha Kent does exist. She doesn't die until 1976."

You can't be serious? You *are* serious! You're going to try to get the article published using the byline 'Martha Kent'? Why, that's absolutely brilliant!" Lois stated. "You are *so* my twin!"

"Actually, since I told Lenny my name was 'Mary Kent', I thought I would use the byline 'M. Kent'. The trick is going to be to get the paper to publish the article, written by a virtual unknown. It's going to have to be damn good!"

"It's written by a Lois Lane... say no more," replied her twin. "I'll write the part about the high school tour, and you write the part about Lenny Thorul, star student, and our stay at the Hotel Del, since you already did an article about it years ago - or rather, years from now. Wow. This time travel stuff gets confusing. Anyway, the article will be so good, they'll have to publish it!"

"It would probably be safer to just send it in as an editorial – you know, a 'letter to the editor' type of thing - those generally get printed as long as they are well-written, which, as we know, it will be!" L/Lsuggested. "Maybe we'll make the op-ed page, even."

“That works too," agreed Lois.

Wells rolled his eyes again at the two women, so full of energy. It was no wonder that the Supermen would accept no less than this pair as their wives!

After a taxicab ride back to Balboa Park, Wells waited until the area was free of bystanders; he then turned off the cloaking device, making the time machine visible once again. He set the geography control, forgetting that his default Smallville setting was the Kent farm. The trio strapped themselves in, Wells clicked 'OK' with the mouse, and soon, they found themselves materializing right in front of 7-year old Clark Kent, playing outside in the yard which fronted a *very* familiar yellow house!


The Loises screamed; Wells spouted "Oh, dear!" and Clark became all wide-eyed, running into the farmhouse, shouting, "Mom! Mom! There's a UFO outside!" as he (almost) flew out of sight.

Since it was too late to avoid being seen (or heard), Lois and L/L, of like minds, stepped out of the machine and walked toward the front door, nearly colliding with the young Clark and his mother who were running back out of the house. Both Loises gasped at the sight of a thirty-something-year-old Martha Kent. How attractive she was, with long, gently flowing, auburn hair and the same great smile their Marthas had. Clark, of course, was absolutely adorable at age seven. What a little doll!

Wells trailed behind tentatively, letting the Lane women handle this uncomfortable situation.

"Mrs. Kent?" <This will be the only time I'll get to meet Clark's mom. How sad. And how weird, looking at your future mother-in-law, when we're roughly the same age,> L/L realized.

"Yes, I'm Mrs. Kent. Call me Martha. You gals don't look like aliens to me. What are you doing here, on our property, and what is that?" she questioned, pointing to the time machine.

Figuring that it was safe to assume that Martha Kent had to be somewhat open-minded (since her only son came to her via a rocket ship), L/L decided to try the candid approach.

"Can we talk inside – in the kitchen? Without Clark hearing us? This might be a bit much for a 7–year old to take in," she advised her. <Thankfully, Clark's powers really haven't kicked in yet. I think he told me his super–hearing arrived when he was 14 or so.>

"I don't see why not. Why don't you start out by telling me your names; I generally don't invite complete strangers into my home," she replied, winking. "Once I know your names, you won't be strangers any more, will you? You obviously know mine and my son's, as well as his age."

"My name is Linda; this is my twin sister, Lois, and this gentleman's name is Herb. We're so pleased to meet you, Martha," L/L replied.

"Nice to meet you all. Won't you come in for tea and pie?"

"That's very gracious of you, Mrs. Kent," Herb noted, finally locating his speaking voice. "May I say that you have a lovely home here?"

"Well, thank you, Herb," Martha said. "My husband, Jonathan, is out working in the corn fields. He'll be along shortly."
They settled into the aromatic kitchen, their appetites whetted simply by the smell of Martha's heavenly baking.

L/L caught little Clark spying at her out of the corner of his eyes, as if he knew her.

"Honey, don't you know it's not polite to stare?" Martha chided him. "Now, go play outside!"

"All right, Mom, but it's not fair! I never get to hear the good stuff!" Clark said in a whiny, nasal tone of voice.

<Well, he's only seven; he's allowed to have "whining time",> L/L thought, with a visible grin.

After he left, and was spotted riding his pony in the front yard, through the kitchen window, L/L took a deep breath. Since this Martha was technically L/L's mother in law, Lois was letting her take the lead.

"Martha, we know that Clark is not from this earth," she began. "And, believe it or not, we're from the future."

"I think I need to have my husband here," she stammered, turning white. "He needs to hear this, too. Otherwise, he won't believe me!"

As if he had magically heard her, Jonathan marched through the front door, and plowed his way into the kitchen. "Martha? What in tarnation is going on here? What's that contraption on our front lawn, and who *are* these people?" he bellowed. The two Lane women were taken aback by the thirty-something Jonathan Kent's rugged handsomeness. He was a real hottie!

The trio had to give credit to the Kents. They were, as expected, open-minded, as they spun their tale of Krypton, the future, and even telling them about parallel worlds, and that one of the two ladies seated in front of them would someday marry their only son. Of course, they couldn’t tell them about their untimely demise, three years hence, or that their son would be an orphan twice, in one lifetime.

"Martha, the reason I'm here is… you see, in the future, I'm a newspaper reporter, and so is Clark (they hadn't told the Kents about "Superman", or Clark's soon to be developing "powers", not wishing to push their credibility too far). "It is very important that this article, seemingly written by you, be published in the Smallville Press," L/L told her, handing her the finished product, expertly written by the Lane women.

"Why? Who is 'Lenny Thorul'? Why would it be written by me? I'm just a housewife," Martha argued, after perusing through the said article.

"Martha, believe me, you have lots of talents you've barely explored," Lois chimed in. "My mother-in-law, an older version of you, is a talented painter, and a darn good writer as well."

Martha beamed, and smiled at Jonathan. "OK, but still… I'm not clear why I have to be the author on this, and how I should know some high school student from California! I've never been there… how am I going to convince some editor to publish this?"

"Martha, there is such a thing as a 'letters to the editor' page, in the Smallville Press, right?" L/L began, as she was prepared for exactly this response from her.

Martha nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Well," she continued, "all you have to do is submit this with a cover letter stating that you recently visited California and that Smallville High School could benefit greatly if they utilized some of the techniques that Coronado High School employs. As an example, you interviewed one of the top students in the school. Believe you me; they'll publish this without question. It's great human-interest stuff. And, one last request: please send a copy of the article to Lenny's house in Coronado, California. Here is his address," she said, handing her the paper that he had written his address on.

"Why 'M. Kent' and not 'Martha Kent'? Why is it so important? I'm still not clear on this," she said, as a rebuttal.

"'M. Kent' to protect your privacy; and, all I can tell you, without revealing too much of the future, is that this student, Lenny Thorul, will be a key player in our – me and Clark's - future together."

"All right. If it affects Clark's future, I'll do it. Would you folks like to stay for dinner?"

The ladies looked at Herb. "Mrs. Kent - that would be lovely. After that, though, I'm afraid we simply must depart," he responded, smiling and rolling his eyes at the Lane twins. He hated to admit it, but he was having more fun traveling with the two Loises than he ever had before!


L/L realized that she would always remember the strange but amazed look on the faces of Martha, Jonathan and even little Clark as the time machine started to dematerialize right in front of them. How sad that Clark only had three more years remaining with these wonderful people. How much closer she now felt to her husband, having met the fine human beings that had shaped his formative years. Truly their influence had made him the person he was today, and L/L was so grateful that he was her husband; so lucky that Clark actually loved and cherished her enough to wait seven years for her return! She felt tears welling up in her eyes as they materialized back in the present-day Smallville.

Kara and Jared came running over to their mother, screaming in excitement.

"Herb, how much time has passed since we left?" Lois asked, hugging her children tenaciously. She had really missed them, and hadn't realized how much until she saw their sweet faces again.

"Almost 24 hours. I must leave right away to go rendezvous with your spouses. I'll be back momentarily," he advised, as they exited the machine.

"We'll be here, anxiously awaiting your return", L/L said

"Key word *anxious*," added Lois. Again, the machine disappeared from view.

"The first thing we need to do is to get out of these wretched 70's clothes," remarked Lois. "Let's go change upstairs; then we'll tell the Marthas and the Jonathans how we met Clark's parents."

It was difficult to explain to the Kents and the Langs that they were just sitting in this same kitchen, albeit thirty years ago, with Clark's "real" parents. Everyone in the room became choked up, as it truly was a Greek tragedy that their time with Clark was cut so drastically short. Just at that moment, the time machine re-materialized and CK and Clark, thankfully, emerged with Herb. They looked just as silly in their farmer outfits as they had when they left.

The Loises tore out of the kitchen, and literally threw the front screen door open in their excitement at seeing their Clarks, once again. Wells turned his head, as he was uncomfortable and embarrassed by the kissing and hugging going on, and proceeded to walk back into the farmhouse kitchen where "Joe" and "Mary" and Martha and Jonathan were gathered.

While the Clarks apparently had their own bizarre story to tell about their trip, unfortunately, finding a complete cure for Kryptonite poisoning had not been in the cards. "We got some ideas that we're going to share with our own Dr. Kleins that might be a tad helpful," is all that they would say. It appeared that whatever it was that happened over there would probably greatly upset the "Langs", and so little more was said about it. The Loises, however, couldn't wait to share their story, babbling incessantly about the Hotel Del, the ghost they had both seen, the interview with Lenny Thorul, and lastly, meeting Clark's parents.

"Honey, do you remember meeting us when you were seven?" L/L asked her husband.

Clark took a moment to try to reflect on his earlier childhood. Since his parents had died, he had lost many of the memories he'd had of them; the child psychologists told him that this was a coping mechanism. All at once, an image formed in his mind of *his* Lois; how he had been staring at her when he didn't think she'd notice, and how his mother had reprimanded him for it. "Omigod… I *do* remember. The UFO!" he exclaimed. "You guys were the 'aliens!'. I remember going to school the next day and telling Pete and Lana about it, and they didn't believe me! Wow, I blocked that memory out until just now. Unbelievable!" he breathed. "Lois, honey," he cooed, looking at L/L, "I couldn't stop staring at you, and I never knew why. That had never happened to me before. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."

"Clark, do you know anyone over at the Smallville Press?" L/L inquired, completely changing the subject, as only a Lois Lane could. Their lightning-fast minds got bored too easily.

"Huh? Honey… we really were *fated* to be together… we just proved it… and you want to know about the Smallville Press?" he exclaimed. Her apathy at his revelation had poked a gaping hole in his now-deflated love balloon. "That's not very romantic of you," he protested.

"I know, sweets, I love you too; but I *really* need to check their archives for a certain 'letter to the editor' with your mother's by-line!" she responded.

Clark shook his head in amazement. "You really keep me on my toes, honey. Yes, I worked there as an intern in college. You really want to go there, now?"

"Yes, but sweets… you need to change. We're not going anywhere with you looking like 'Farmer Brown'! Please get rid of that awful hair color, too," she instructed. "No offense, Marthas… but … ick!"

"None taken," Mary said. Both mothers laughed. "They do look pretty repulsive!" commented Martha.

"Double-ick for you too, over there," Lois said, referring to her husband. "Please lose that 'Mr. Green-Jeans' look and become that man I love again, huh? You look like the 'Hack from Smallville' that I met ten years ago!"

Several minutes later, two typical-looking Clark Kents re-emerged and greeted their spouses accordingly.

"Sooo much better," L/L cooed, kissing him passionately. "That's my Clark."

"Hi sexy," Lois purred to CK, causing their children to scrunch-up their faces and look away. They always did that when their parents were too lovey-dovey in front of them!

"I hate to break up this lovely party, but I believe it's time that Martha, Jonathan, CK, Lois, Kara, and Jared return to their earth," asserted Wells. "The time vortex requires their presence in their own universe at this time."

Sounding ominous as it did, no one was about to argue with Herb, who had been so gracious as to grant their time and dimension-traveling wishes at will. Everyone kissed and hugged. As a parting gift, Wells went back into his time machine and emerged with two devices that looked like pager-type phones.

"Since all of you have become so friendly, when there is a full moon, you can call each other with these instruments," he stated. "Then you can catch each other up on your lives until the next time we all get together."

"Wow… Herb, that's a wonderful gift," Lois gushed, kissing him on the forehead. "You know, there was a time when you weren't my favorite person," she continued, recalling all of the issues they'd had with Tempus, "but you have earned my respect and friendship now, and even then some."

"Ms. Lane, that's the greatest compliment I've ever received. Thank you so much, my dear. And you two are like the daughters I've never had," he said, giving both of them a hug. "I'll never forget our stay at the Hotel Del. It was quite memorable."

"Just because you had a crush on Lenny's mother Lena," LL teased. "Hey, why don't you go back there and romance her?"

Wells smiled. "Now, *there's* an idea. No, no! Of course I can't do that, it would change history. Don't you go putting ideas in my head, Ms. Lane!"

Final hugs and goodbyes said and done, Wells and the Kent family dematerialized, an aura of sadness hanging in the air.

Lois broke the silence first. "Ok - at least I can be called 'Lois' again, that's a relief! But it was great, having a twin sister for a day. It's so great we can call each other, every full moon!"

Clark smiled, "Yes, I'm really starting to like that Wells guy, after all. He has definitely redeemed himself in my eyes."


"Superman" and Lois landed about ¼ mile from the offices of the Smallville Press, and Lois watched in admiration while her husband spun into his Clark clothes once again. They walked over to the building, entered the lobby, and Clark, flashing his Daily Planet press pass, asked the receptionist if they could be allowed access to their paper's archives. Knowing who Clark Kent/Superman was, the woman was rendered speechless. She got up from her desk, attempting to suppress a broad smile, and walked them over to a secure room. She punched in the access code, which Clark immediately committed to memory, and finally spoke. "Take as long as you would like Mr. and Mrs. Kent. If you need assistance, please come get me." Apparently their marriage was *big* news in Smallville.

"We will do that," Clark said to her, flashing that great illuminating smile her way.

Once inside the archives, Lois went right into her investigative mode, ready to get right down to business.

"We have to check all the letters to the editor from May 16, 1973, on, Clark. You can do this faster than me," Lois conceded. "That's why I'm willing to make you my partner at the Planet," she said coyly, rubbing up against him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Bribery will get you everywhere, Lois," he grinned. They located the hard copies of the newspaper from almost thirty years ago, and Clark began reading through them at super-speed. "Is this what you are looking for?" he asked, handing her the paper.

It was in the "Letters to the Editor" section, dated June 7, 1973. The letter began:



Lois gasped after reading the article. "Oh my God! I didn't write that part," she blurted out. "She knew we would read it again, someday, in the future. She knew it, and she added that part!"

"Honey… what the devil are you babbling about?"

"This last part:

"Your mother wrote that! It was her gift to you from the beyond! What a sweetheart she is… I mean, *was*!" Lois exclaimed. At that, she turned to look at her husband.

Clark's eyes misted over. He had spent so many years trying to file away the memories of his parents in a dark, furtive part of his mind and heart. Today, the cabinet had been unlocked, the drawer was wide open, and a floodgate of raw memories and emotional pain was overwhelming him.

"Sweets, let it all out. I know that you've never really grieved properly for your parents. They were wonderful too," she said, crying with him as well now. "I'm so sad for the lonely, heartbroken child you must have been. If only I could have been there to help ease your pain." Lois and Clark were clinging to each for dear life. They really had "saved" each other from a lifetime of loneliness.

"Honey… you're here with me, now, and, as they say, 'better late than never'," he said, smiling through the tears.

"I wonder if she ever mailed a copy of it to Lenny, like I asked her to," Lois mused. "I'm sure she did. She knew it might be important to our future."

<"Sweets, I can't believe how great of a kid he was. It's so sad that he couldn’t best his inner demons. Must be some real evil lurking in those Luthor genes.">

<"Well, I don't know if any of this is going to help defeat him, but I guess it does give you a bit of insight.">

"Guess it's time to go. Let's ask the receptionist to make us a photo copy of this article," Lois said, as they left the room and headed back towards the lobby.

"Good idea, honey. I think I'll have it laminated. My mother, speaking to me from the past. It's very special. I'll always cherish it, Lois. Thank you, I'm so glad you guys came to visit us that day!"

"No problem, Propaganda," Lois grinned. "It was my pleasure. You sure were adorable back then!" <A little bit of a whiner, but a cutie nonetheless!>

TBC...Monday nite