I'm still loving this, CC.
Not sure how much I have to add this time to what's already been said, though. Seeing Lois talk about Utopia was really fun, all the more so because she's echoing what a lot of people (including you) have been saying in the comments folders.
I was also gratified to see that they weren't going to blindly, naievely trust that the bones actually were Tempus's. If they hadn't done that, I'd have been sure he was still alive. Now... I suspect he is, but I'm open to the other possibility.
I'm also hoping that, whatever happens when L&C go home, Utopia will have become a better place for their having been there -- both because of their direct influence in the future and because of subtle changes to the past. Maybe, if Utopia does come out better the next time around, there won't be any reason for Tempus to snap.
BTW, I, like many, love Tempus's new name and origin. Great job.
Oh, yes, and ditto Chris on the reaction to "Thank you for reading." I've said it before, I'll say it again. Thank you so much for writing this and sharing it.
I can honestly say that reading this story has continuously been one of my high points for the last few weeks, if not longer. I'm starting to feel like we should be paying you or something. I'm trying to be better about commenting, but really... it feels weird to get entertainment this good and know that it's free. I don't know. Maybe you could sell advertizing space in the comments folders or something?
One more thing. Something Kathy said just sparked a really odd idea.
Of course, if they're upstairs doing what I think they're doing, they may have an early start on this whole family thing anyway, which could mean a whole new branch of the family. [Lol]
I doubt it's going to happen, but let me run with this for a sec. Lois gets pregnant in the future. L&C are found. L&C have to be returned to the past for the sake of the timeline. That also means that most, if not all, of their memories will have to be wiped. That means that Lois can't be returned pregnant. They're certainly not going to do anything to the baby. So, they have to wait (or transfer the fetus to an artificial womb or something). L&C can then be sent back to their proper time.
Now, though, there's another problem. What can they do with the baby? Sure, the family would be happy to take care of it, but it wouldn't really be right. It's out of place. It's first generation. It wasn't supposed to be born in that time. It really should be raised by its parents.
The thing is, the peacekeepers have a time portal. So, the baby could be sent back to its parents at virtually any point in their lives. Now, you'd want to send it to a time when L&C are happily married and ready to at least start thinking about kids. You wouldn't want to wait too long, though, because they have to have the time and energy to raise another child. So, not in their old age, and not when they have a bunch of other kids running around, and probably not when the kids are teenagers (because then the gap would be too big for comfort). For L&C's emotional well-being and that nice bit of symmetry, and because the baby is, technically, their first born, it might be nice to send it to them at a time when they want kids but think they can't have them.
Now, you'd want them to be completely sure that it was their child. At the same time, you can't risk letting them know too much about the future. So, clearly, the best solution to the whole thing is to send the baby back to just that point I mentioned (when they're ready to have kids, but don't think it's possible) and leave it comfortably in a crib inside their home, wrapped in a Superman blanket with a note attached saying, "Lois and Clark, this is your baby."
Doing so might even manage to save Utopia from coming apart. You know, send the baby from a dying world to good parents who want a baby but don't think they can have one, secure in the knowledge that they will take care of him and he'll grow up to fulfill a great destiny.
Makes sense, no?
Paul
