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CC!!!! More added later, when I've digested it.  ...okay, digested now. CC, thank you thank you thank you for that lovely reaction that Lois had -- that split second of mind-racing when Jor-El was speaking. Those thoughts that went through her head are exactly why I'm such a fan of LnC. I was a Superman fan long before I discovered LnC, only I wasn't, really. I was a fan of "Lois and Clark" -- that is, the dynamic that LnC summed up with "stronger than me alone." Yes, I admired Superman for his values and morals, but it was the Lois/Clark thingy that I loved. That's why LnC is the Superman genre that I most enjoy. Lois' thoughts -- that Superman needs her, that she's got to be there for him, that he needs her help to be the person that he is -- that was absolutely perfect. So thanks.  Moving on to dear Mags... ) I can't quite figure out *why*, unless it's to make sure nobody of Andrus or Doc Klein or Herb temperament goes time-travelling to meet Tempus and teach him how to avoid being "not nice!" (still love that line) Wonderful, wonderful section, CC. Thanks again for Lois. And LOL at her bow on the veil thingy. "Okay, I'll consent to the HEA jazz, but NO BOW ON THE VEIL!" Classic Lois. Hazel
Lois: You know the deal.
Clark: Superman gets the guys in capes, Lois and Clark get the guys in suits.
-- Action Comics 827
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Simply marvellous. He was super-powered, yes. Strong and gifted. Able to do what no one else was...
But he was just one person. One person, who alone carried the legacy of an entire world on his shoulders. One person who only days before- at the colonists’ launch- had taken on responsibility for his adopted world as well.
No matter who he was or what he could do, how could one person operate under that kind of weight?
He couldn’t. He wouldn’t be able to. Not without someone to share it with. Not without a partner. She had said it to him that first night, and now she felt its echo whisper in her heart.
"You're going to need help." Yes, this is really Lois: This, however, was an entirely different kind of need. It was hard to imagine its scale and scope. If they managed to get back to their lives, what Clark would need from her would be life-changing, all encompassing. It would require everything she had to give. And no doubt much more than that, many times over.
It's too much, an all-too familiar voice inside her head insisted. Too hard. Too complicated. Too risky...
But she was good at hard. Great at complicated. Hell, risk taking was what she did best. Maybe not in matters of the heart, exactly, but still, it was the ordinary which so often tripped her up. Ordinary, every day relationships had always been something of a mystery to her, something she couldn’t quite seem to manage the way everyone else did.
But her life with Clark would be anything but ordinary. So... maybe, just maybe, that made her uniquely suited to being the partner of a superhero. It's relly amazing how you manage to turn from serious to hilarious: “But there will be no hair bow on the wedding veil,” she murmured to herself. “A girl’s got to draw the line somewhere.”
Gabriele
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Pulitzer
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Had she ever really been needed? Aww. I almost shed a tear there. That really is sad, you know. Anywho, one more comment. Lois opened her eyes, looked into the face of Clark’s father, and before she could talk herself out it, she decided. She silently promised Jor-el to be family to the son he had been forced to abandon to the stars. To help him as he steered his course.
And to love him as she did so. LOVED that part. Loved it! It made me melt into a waffy puddle. Looking forward to Saturday!! JD
"Meg...who let you back in the house?" -Family Guy
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Kerth
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You were right CC! He fainted 
"Practice up your shielding spells...and remember to duck if you see green light coming your way." Harry Potter to Wizengamot in OotP trial A Bad Week in the Wizengamot
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Don't worry Silas. Your great...grandmother has as much genes with you as your 7th cousin (or something like that).
But now you have met Lois, you simply can't be satisfied with anybody less. So...Silas isn't like to live in Utopia. Could Mr Wells take him along to adventures to another universe where there is Lois without Clark /somtehing wernt amiss).
And *where* is Mr Wells?
Gabriele
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Pulitzer
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Yeah, it works.  Seriously, CC, with every section I fall deeper in awe. I want what you have! ) - and then that ingenious, totally genius twist that to The Family Tempus is only a myth. And that explains why Elise has to be kept so much in the dark about her husband's work as a Peacekeeper. I thought all he (sorry, his name completely escapes me  ) meant was that he couldn't tell her details of what they did to keep Tempus under control. I didn't realise that he was hiding from her the fact that Tempus actually exists! And so she has no idea whatsoever that, if Tempus succeeds, she and all of her family could... simply cease to exist. What a horrible, horrible position for him to be in!  I don't know how I'm going to survive when you take your two-week hiatus!  Wendy
Just a fly-by! *waves*
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Pulitzer
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Just great. “He uses my filing system,” he was dimly aware of Lois commenting with some pride. . It's the little touches like that that add the humor and reality to the story. Just keep up doing...whatever you're doing.  Artemis
History is easy once you've lived it. - Duncan MacLeod
Writing history is easy once you've lived it. - Artemis
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Beat Reporter
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“And makes some other things more confusing,” said Clark with great sympathy. At this point, he knew a thing or two about confusing. LOL!  This must be the understatement of the year! “But there will be no hair bow on the wedding veil,” she murmured to herself. “A girl’s got to draw the line somewhere.” LOL again!
Lois: Well, I like my quirks. I think they make me unique.
Clark: You certainly are unique.
Clark: You're high maintenance, you know that?
Lois: But I'm worth it!
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Okay... laying down on the bed with the laptop for this part. Figure it's a safe bet - can't fall out of the chair that way. Now... if for some reason (so shocked I roll off the bed or rolling from laughing too hard) I fall off my bed and hurt myself... you have reader's insurance, right, CC? I'm just asking. It's okay if you don't... I'm sure extra story parts before everyone else sees them might make me feel better... Lois felt Clark go slack against her. She slipped an arm around his waist, and he leaned in close enough for her to feel his shaking. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, her face blushing hotly even as she registered the words, hoping suddenly he hadn’t heard them. Oh wow!! That is... just more sweet that I have words for! On her other side, Silas stood at mute attention, eyes wide and unblinking. Glancing between the three men, as she did, Lois could now see similarities which were impossible to miss. You know... fascinating choice to have this from Lois's perspective. His presence went beyond ethereal. In the moment, in the room, he seemed as real as they did. And Lois would swear he looked right at her, if only fleetingly. But in that glance had been... recognition. WOW! That's just... wow! Clark seemed unaware of the tears on his cheeks. Lois blinked hard against her own. His hand found its way into hers, clinging tightly. And she understood. OH!!!!!!!!!!! GAH!!! *snuffle*!!! Something she would have sworn she was incapable of. In the face of a big story, a huge story, she had relented. Instead of looking across the desk and seeing her Pulitzer, she had seen...him. You know how I said your Lois POV choice was fascinating? I lied. It's brilliant. Inspired! One person, who alone carried the legacy of an entire world on his shoulders. That is one heck of a sentence right there. No matter who he was or what he could do, how could one person operate under that kind of weight?
He couldn’t. He wouldn’t be able to. Not without someone to share it with. Not without a partner. She had said it to him that first night, and now she felt its echo whisper in her heart.
"You're going to need help."
Lois closed her eyes for just a moment and let it all sink in.
Had she ever really been needed? WOW! WOW! WOW! *This*, my friends, is why we didn't get much from Lois before. All of it before... though emotional, was really all just intellectual realizations and revelations. She really hasn't seen it til now. None of it, even after she accepted the veracity of the whole thing - Utopia, the Museum, the marriage, the legacy... she really didn't truly understand until now. Now, it's her heart's turn. This is her heart and her soul realizing her place in the world. Realizing that she does *belong* somewhere. That she's needed. Wow, CC... I'm just blown away by this! And I can't believe I've just waxed on like that... but really, there isn't any other way to say it. This, however, was an entirely different kind of need. It was hard to imagine its scale and scope. If they managed to get back to their lives, what Clark would need from her would be life-changing, all encompassing. It would require everything she had to give. And no doubt much more than that, many times over. You know how I said there wasn't another way to say what I was going on about? That's it. Right there, up above. Lois opened her eyes, looked into the face of Clark’s father, and before she could talk herself out it, she decided. She silently promised Jor-el to be family to the son he had been forced to abandon to the stars. To help him as he steered his course.
And to love him as she did so.
“But there will be no hair bow on the wedding veil,” she murmured to herself. “A girl’s got to draw the line somewhere.” WOW! So great. So wonderful. So sweet! And then.... LMAO!!!!! The bow. “God, he weighs a ton! He doesn’t look it.”
“Dense molecular structure. I got him, don’t hurt yourself.” Wow... see... more smart dialogue! For an instant, he considered faking it. Keeping his head rolled to the side and simply lying there until they lost interest and went away.
But if they really were Lane and Kent, the actual ones, in the flesh, and they wanted something from him, they wouldn’t leave him alone. Ever. LOL!!! So very true and so very smart of Silas to know that. “Passed out cold, and your Gramps and Gram were worried about you.”
“Lois, don’t tease him.” Have I mentioned this dialogue is just SO fun?! Great stuff!! “Well... no,” Silas acknowledged. “And I researched that quite a bit my freshman year in college.” LOL! And AWWWW! Poor guy! And... they have alcohol in Utopia?? “Drugs don’t affect me, Lois,” Clark cut-in firmly. “At all. In no way. My mind is... scramble proof.”
Lois uttered something that sounded like “...not how it looked when you met Cat Grant.” ROTFL!!!! Before they could get started again, Silas cleared his throat noisily. “Ok. I’m finished freaking out. What can I do for you both?” LOL!!!!! Poor guy! <G> At their nods he grimaced and shook his head, immediately sorry he had done so, as the dizziness returned. “That isn’t possible. Tempus isn’t real. He’s just a... a... fictional character. Like the boogeyman or... the Loch Ness Monster. The bad guy in one of those stories told around the campfire to scare little kids. There is no such thing as a Tempus.” OMG!!! That's... brilliant! And... oh so scary!!! Now what are they going to do? Donuts! That's what they should do! They should get donuts! “No way,” said Silas, aware that his heart was pounding unnaturally hard. “No way. You’ve got it wrong, somehow. Tempus isn’t real. He isn’t. He can’t be! If he was then... then... the world as we know it is... is... oh... dear God...” He paused, unable to compute the consequences of a real Tempus.
“What?” Lois prompted. OH NO OH NO!!!!!!!! “He uses my filing system,” he was dimly aware of Lois commenting with some pride. LOL!!! That's great! And that she's proud of him... very sweet! “More like *endangered*... on the verge of... extinction.” Silas lowered himself slowly into his chair, studying the determined and calm face of the man in front of him.
Superman.
He didn’t know how he hadn’t seen it before. How many holograms were there of this man on record? How many personal family photos had Silas seen over his twenty years? Hundreds, maybe thousands.
But it was all in the expression, Silas realized now. In the eyes. In the solidness that radiated from them. Things that couldn’t be captured in vids and holophotos, no matter what their quality. He looked so capable standing there. So smart! And I love it! Goes hand in hand with the non-recognition of Clark as Clark. And it also means that Clark's growing into his role more and more. Maybe it was seeing his father, or maybe it's because he's feeling a little paternal himself. Silas hoped with all his heart he was a capable as he looked. That he was everything legend heralded him to be. God help them all if Superman couldn’t save them. And wow... what a line, that last one! And thank *you*, CC, for saying *those* three little words. Though... I'm a bit worried about this two weeks thing... you sure you can't have a proxy? I mean, you wouldn't want to come back from vacation and find us all dead from the suspense, right? In the immortal words of... well, you... I'm just saying...  Sara
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Top Banana
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How do you write every part so much better than the last?  Too many awesome things to point out. Loved Silas' reaction to the news. Loved Lois' introspection...dead on and soo wonderful, truly worth the wait (and I can see why you did it). Silas finally seeing that Clark = Superman and wondering how he ever could have missed it. All just  And Tempus as Utopia's bogeyman..so totally believable. ~Liz
Lois: Can I go?
Clark: No.
Lois: Oh come on, Clark, why do we go through this? We both know I’m going to go.
Clark: Then why do you ask?
Lois: I’m trying to be nice.
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What can I say that hasn't been said? gush gush gush, LOL, and all that. Love Silas, Andrus (yeah even Andrus, cause every adventure party's gotta have a Joxer) Those little touches that have been mentioned. Story continues to rock and leaving us amazed and envious.
I love it CC!! Keep going!!
TEEEEEEJ
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Pulitzer
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Wow that was great! Poor Silas LOL! This is a very intersting story. I can't wait to find out how they get out of this mess. Laura
Clark: “If we can be born in an instant, and die in an instant, why can’t we fall in love in an instant?”
Caroline's "Stardust"
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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OK, I promise I won't turn into Sara but I just have to quote a few parts for this one. Lois felt Clark go slack against her. She slipped an arm around his waist, and he leaned in close enough for her to feel his shaking. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, her face blushing hotly even as she registered the words, hoping suddenly he hadn’t heard them. Well, I hope he heard them, because I stopped breathing, then sighed, then had to mop up the puddle of WAFFy goo I'd melted into before I could read on. Just ... loved that. So much. This whole scene, really. The way she realizes how affected both the men are. The way Clark cried! And she wiped his tears! Oh, God! I can die happy right now. Well, except then I'd miss the rest of this story, so I'll somehow manage to stay alive. She understood him in a way she might never have if she hadn’t been here to witness this. Or maybe she understood him in a way she one day would, was destined to, given years to know him, to know them, to learn his heart. She understood they fit, just as their hands did. More melting ... my heart did this funny achey-happy thing ... so great. Had to pause a moment to reread that a couple times, just to savor it. Lois opened her eyes, looked into the face of Clark’s father, and before she could talk herself out it, she decided. She silently promised Jor-el to be family to the son he had been forced to abandon to the stars. To help him as he steered his course.
And to love him as she did so. She loves him ... she feels it ... she knows. Again, this is just so gosh darn wonderful. And we're not even halfway through the story yet! Yay! (And the hairbow rejection was priceless. Had to add that. <g>) OK, skipping the quoting now to summarize ... Andrus looking for Herb -- LOL! And how Madge puts the double meaning in her words. Yes, Andrus, there is truly no one better to leave Utopia at this critical juncture. L&C's banter while Silas is regaining consciousness -- brilliantly done. Just fabulous dialogue. Funny and charming; you hit it perfectly. And, of course, Silas's wonderful, "OK, I'm finished freaking out. What can I do for you?" LOL. I think that was his Lois gene coming through loud and clear. <g> But back to quoting, for one final note ... “That isn’t possible. Tempus isn’t real. He’s just a... a... fictional character. Like the boogeyman or... the Loch Ness Monster. The bad guy in one of those stories told around the campfire to scare little kids. There is no such thing as a Tempus.” OK, so ... my mind is spinning furiously here. Which is probably a really bad idea, because I have this fear that by mentioning this I'm either going to screw up the story completely or guess some big plot twist from later in the story which will piss CC off ... or I'll be totally off the mark and thus expose myself as a really bad guesser. Decisions, decisions. Hmm ... OK, I'll say it anyway. See, I'm thinking *not* that the real man Tempus has been erased from Utopia by being written off/dismissed/propaganda-ized into a comic book character. I'm thinking that instead, the real man we know as Tempus has just chosen to go by this name out of a keen sense of the ironic because he sees himself as a crusader (or a bad guy, take your pick ). After all, we know Tempus is *from* Utopia -- he grew up in it, assuming what he's said about himself to Wells is true. Which would mean that the real man we know as Tempus has another name, a secret identity ... like John Doe (heh) ... or John (dare I say it?) Kent ... OK, I didn't really say that out loud -- you just dreamed it -- but if I had ... wow, talk about your black sheep. This is really getting fun. And I'm totally going to die having to go two weeks without it. Kathy
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Features Writer
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Whoa...
I opened up this thread and was reading through everyone's comments before adding my own gushing, but after reading Kathy B's, I'm going to have to go lie down.
What an idea. I think I love it.
Kathy
"Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter." - Babylon 5
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Hey, CC, remember when you worried that the globe scene wouldn't work for anyone? This whole section is just amazing. Kathy, that's an interesting theory you've got going there... but wouldn't that be a really elaborate way to commit suicide? Granted, Tempus likes those grandiose and over-complicated schemes (why use a flyswatter when a nuclear weapon will do?), but still... PJ
"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."
--Stardust, Caroline K
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Merriwether
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You believe in a cause, you're willing to sacrifice your life for it.
Now whether that fits with Tempus's huge ego -- he does seem to have a strong self-preservation streak -- is certainly arguable.
But you gotta admit, it's a pretty cool theory. <g>
Kathy (digging herself in deeper ... and deeper ...)
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Top Banana
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Well, when the feedback thread is longer than the actual post, there's really not much to add.
The thought that Tempus could be a black sheep of the Lane-Kent family is interesting, but wouldn't he cease to exist if he eliminated Lois and Clark??
Good luck Andrus finding Herb <g>!!!
To Saturday!
Chris
"Together we are stronger than each of us is apart"
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Merriwether
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I love this part. I really do. It is so wonderful that I am tempted to do a Sara and quote the entire thing in bite-size chunks, suitable for savoring. I will restrain myself, and only quote some of it . . . The first scene. Incredible. This fanfic has had many many wonderful scenes, but I challenge you to top this one. Clark's reaction -- great. Poor Silas -- well, lesser evidence wouldn't convince him, so it's Big Huge Whammy time! *giggle* And Lois. *happy, WAFFy, teary smile* Is just so absolutely, perfectly Lois. Every bit of frustrated wanting-to-make-her-get-with-the-program angst paid off. And in spades. But no bow!  On to Andrus and Marge. That scene was written with a perfectly delicate touch. Brava.
Do you know the most surprising thing about divorce? It doesn't actually kill you, like a bullet to the heart or a head-on car wreck. It should. When someone you've promised to cherish till death do you part says, "I never loved you," it should kill you instantly.
- Under the Tuscan Sun
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Beat Reporter
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This is, as I said earlier, another definite "keeper"-- already on my list of all-time favorite stories. I loved the way Lois and Clark have meshed into the classic partnership/friendship/soul-mates thing they do so well. And they've done it without really realizing it; that is, they started out with disbelief and some animosity, at least on Lois's part. And even Clark didn't originally define what he felt for Lois as love - it took him awhile to realize that what he was feeling for her was love. So here they are now, just a few days into this whole situation, and they have evolved to the point where they finish each other's thoughts, and they interact as if they've been together for years. Errr... actually, I guess they have been together for years, huh? 200-plus of 'em. Anyway. My husband and I do that back-and-forth banter: when one of the girls does something we don't like, or is being stubborn, or whatever, one of us will say to the other, "She gets that from your side of the family." So And THEN she suggests he might be a Kent descendant!? As Pam says, Tempus is fond of over-the-top plans, and he does love irony. It could be true. What with the time-traveling and all its paradoxes, he may feel he can circumvent the If-Utopia-Ceases-To-Exist-Then-Tempus-Who-Was-Born-There-Ceases-To-Exist-Which-Means-He's-Not-There-To-Cause-This-Whole-Thing-In-The-First-Place... You know, I think I just wrote the verbal equivalent of the Mobius strip, CC - no end to the paradox loop. As rivka says, Make sure you have an adequate supply of nice, sharp, new pencils and some tempting, blank writing paper with you on your trip... or a ballpoint pen and a steno pad... or a blunt crayon and some TP... so you can keep writing! ~Toc
TicAndToc :o)
------
"I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three."
-Elayne Boosler
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Pulitzer
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CC, I have to agree with KathyB and TicandToc. That is exactly what I thought when Silas stated that Tempus was a comic book character.
How terribly creative and such a wicked twist!
You just keep getting better and better. By the time you posting the last several sections, we will need to be wearing sunglasses to read your brilliance!
James
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