As always, all feedback welcomed.

Joy,
Lynn

That was just awesome. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks for sharing.

Serves him right! I just have such a hard time feeling sorry for Tempus; can't imagine why.

Thanks for the laugh, Lynn!

Oh this is a fantastic twist!

/whispers: I got a tad confused when they arrived on Earth. Figured that Tempus had returned to the future, but am now thinking he traveled to our Metropolis. But why did Kal-El then travel back in time? You see?

And on a different note: While reading, I had the following twist pop up: Tempus convinces the Council of Aldruses that they should use their technology to save Krypton. After all, it would be unfair that they get to live in Utopia while Krypton perished.

Thanks for the treat, Lynn!
Michael

There Is No Spoon, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. BTW, your moniker is intriguing.

AntiKryptonite, Tempus really is the villain we all love to hate, isn't he?

Darth Michael, thank you for giving me the opportunity to say something I hadn't been able to work into the story. Here's the timeline:

Tempus traveled back in time to when Kal-El was a baby to save Krypton. Kryptonians observed earth remotely for about two decades. During that time, Kal-El spotted and fell in love with a young Earth woman who had recently been hired by a certain newspaper. It is in large part because of her that he agrees to leave his planet of origin to reside in a foreign land.

He arrives on earth in the mid 1990s. Wells convinces him to take a brief trip to the future to capture Tempus. After Tempus is incarcerated, Kal-El is then returned to the past, where he woos Lois.

I think this story has some interesting possibilities for an alt-beginning, but work is keeping me too busy these days to put in the time necessary for a lengthy story. (My recently posted "Echolalia" is probably about as long a story as I am likely to write any time soon, and that one flowed as I wrote it.)

I like your story twist. It would have added yet another layer of irony. I wish I had thought of it!

Joy,
Lynn

I love it! Great irony.

For a second there, I thought Kal-El had sent Tempus back to the 1866 insanity ward.

Ah, so Clark still finds his Lois, only as Kal-El. That would be an interesting story. How would he have done it? Wooing an Earthling as a peace-loving Kryptonian? Hhhmmm. Possibilities. Interesting possibilities.

I love ironic ending stories, especially as they're so tough to write well.

You wrote this one well.

Cute!

Very nice.

So many possibilties - a League of Supermen, one in love with Lois. How will she choose?

Good job.

Corrina.

Tempus gets some of his own right back at him! What a great little story. Thanks ever so for the chuckle.

Mouserocks, right back atcha. Glad you liked it.

Virginia, I know you have no paucity of ideas for fanfic, but if ever your muse should decide to go on holiday, you are welcome to explore the possibilities presented here.

Iolanthe, thank you. If you want to write irony well, it helps to have a warped mind.

Laura, thanks.

Corrina, hmmm... I had been thinking that only Kal-El would be showing interest in Lois, but this does offer possibilities. Two super men competing for her attention. Hmmm... That also gives me ideas for having an alt-universe story which would involve Clarks from two different universes competing for a Lois' attention. I wonder whether that has been done before?

Morgana, Tempus did get what he wanted: a world without *a* Superman. (It doesn't have just one, it has a bunch. Hmmm... What would be the collective noun? A bunch of Supermen? A gaggle of Supermen? A flock of Supermen? Got it! A strength of Supermen!) Glad the story made you chuckle.

Joy,
Lynn

That was so awesome! You have an amazing ability to offer such wonderful, complete little story gems in one bite sized mouthful.

Serves Tempus right - he winds up with a hundred fold Supermen for his troubles. Tempus may hate irony - but I LOVE it!

Deadly Chakram,

Thank you so much. What a positive spin you put on things! What I see as insufficient creativity, time, or patience to write a long story, you see as an "amazing ability" to write a short one. I like your view better.

Joy,
Lynn