Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK - The Time Traveler's Wife - Part 4b

Okay, I’m really curious to see who you guys think Clark is going to name. And on what evidence? And will he be right?

ML

Is Bob too obvious? because when he's stealing filters I gotta wonder if he's actually using them for mixing chemicals...

anyway, I was SO glad Clark was there for Lois when Paul was giving her hell. And I loved Cat's contribution, you wrote her perfectly how she was(better even) on the show. What I really think is cool is how Lois is meeting up with these other ladies before they have a chance to hate her, and in fact maybe becoming a support structure for each other.

Very well done!!

TEEEEEJ

How scummy can you get? Of course, Stafford is a *politician*.



And Paul is showing his true colors too! Wow, Clark's presence in his past is really bringing the rats out before they harm Lois.

I agree with TJ. Bob it is. He is stealing filters on a regular basis because he is too cheap to buy his own when he needs them to make GHB. As to why Bob would punish Lois for writing about the football players' exams, I don't know really. Bob isn't a football player. Okay, so Bob is definitely the source of the GHB, and he must have given it (or sold it) to the football players. Perhaps he needs the football players as a source of income?

So yes, I think the guilty person is Bob, but there is something strange about Russel, too. But, well, he wasn't home for Christmas. (On the other hand, how can Linda know that? She is a freshman, isn't she? And she isn't supposed to have known Russel until she met him at this university? Did Bob just tell her that he wasn't home last Christmas and Friday even though he was? And he was the one who distracted Lois so that someone else could put the drug in her drink, wasn't he?)

I don't know about Paul, either. His behaviour is so... Could he be involved in the whole thing? He seems to be friends with Bob, or is that just my impression? And Bob, I'm sure, is the source of the GHB.)

I suddenly thought of another possibility. BOb is definitely involved in something here, but it is hard to see why he would attack Lois for the football players' sake. Perhaps he worries about Lois's journalistic ability and her investigative skills? Perhaps he isn't worried about Linda, because she wasn't able to write this story herself, just steal it? Perhaps he thought he could break Lois and scare her away from him by making her helpless by spiking her drink and then telling some angry footballers to take advantage of her?

Ann

P.S. Great portrait of Cat, great part in general. I loved Clark stepping in to protect Lois against Paul. And I loved Lois's investigative deductiveness.

I don't know where to start. Oh yeah, I think it was Kathy who mentioned the BttF-reference could be a hint that revising the future could work it self out o.k. On the other hand, you mentioned that Gerry suggested the inclusion of Doc. Brown which gave me the feeling BttF canon isn't your specialty. So, would you use the concept of bettering the future through changing the past as a major outcome in your story? And OMG And I find it interesting that there was no mentioning of Paul in Clark's future. All the other guys, he met again.

Poor Clarky-puh. Holding a spitting and hissing Lois close to him to keep her from scratching the face off her editor should be quite disconcerting for him

I repeat my question: How many stories? And would getting them published on the Daily Planet's frontpage be a sufficient substitute?

It could just be Cat being nice. Or it could be more.

While I do understand the difficulty of editing a story part a day, I do have to emphasize that it's Sunday today. So, next part tonight at midnight? Yes. Please? /Adds cherry/

Michael, wondering if it wouldn't be less stressful to just find the Word-document in ML's computer and reading the whole thing in one session.

I'm thinking about the remarkable fact that the footballers were more angry at Lois than they were at Linda, even though it was Linda who got the credit for the article that might just possibly ruin some of these footballers' careers.

I don't think it would be natural for the football players to be angrier at Lois than at Linda about that article that exposed their cheating. I think somebody must have told them that it was Lois and not Linda who was responsible for that article, even though it was Linda who got the credit for it.

Who would have told them that? And why? I think the person responsible must have feared Lois because of her investigative skills, whereas that same person may have dismissed Linda as a bit of an airhead and as a person who posed no threat to anyone.

I think Paul must be involved. I think he knows that Linda stole Lois's story. But Linda is his girlfriend, so he will protect her, at least for now. I think he made sure that Linda was not at the party where Lois was drugged.

I still think Bob is the person who fears Lois's skills. I think he and Paul and just possibly Russel may be in cohorts here, although I don't know what Russel would get out of it. But I think Paul and Bob are friends, and Bob worried about the article that Linda got published, and Paul told him that it was really Lois who had written it, and Bob got scared of Lois's ability and decided to break her as a reporter. He made sure the footballers got angrier at Lois than at Linda about that article, and then he spiked Lois's drink and tipped off some football players that they might have some fun with her now.

Ann

First of, I must admit I didn't think I was going to be reading this story . The title -and I know it's unfair -put me off, because I didn't like the movie and, also, because I was anticipating this to be a much longer ride. I know, flimsy reasons... But for what it's worth, I gave it a peek and haven't been able to stop reading and really looking forward to each new installment. And I thought it was only fair to start posting fdk.

I'm also going to put my money on Bob. It seems a little obvious, but if the shoe fits...

I'm hoping we get to read about Lois telling Clark she know's he's a time traveler. Whatever he might be expecting from her, I'm pretty sure that's far from it. Btw, I love this Lois. I see cannon Lois in her, same traits, same drive, without the years of experience to completely shape her up, but 100% in character. Loving her!!! And Clark...what's there not to love?

Another terrific part.

That is assuming that a single individual is responsible for both incidents; not necessarily a safe assumption.

You really have Cat pegged!

Oops.



The next part will be dropping very soon, right?

Joy,
Lynn

Delightful part. However I wonder why Clark wasn't collapsing again as the future was changed again?

Did having that story in the Planet change things so much that Paul's reaction is NOT a change?

My money's on Bob as the supplier. IIRC, he's even a chemist.

Oh, I definitely want to see the conversation between Perry and Paul when it comes time for the follow-up....

Again, I'm enjoying the speculation.



Actually, Russell is Linda's step-brother.

Oh, I know that feeling! I had a headache almost the entire time I was writing this story.

Uhh... no. ML didn't intentionally use the names of porn-stars. ML doesn't even know that those are the names of porn-stars. On the other hand, ML isn't particularly upset if they are the names of porn-stars.

Well, I'm glad you finally decided to read it anyway - and that you're enjoying it.

Thank you. That was exactly what I was trying to do. Well, that and giving her a bit more stable home life so that she didn't have the scars from that to deal with.

Good point. Maybe they are going to go completely off track here in their assumptions.

Well, assuming there is any connection between Clark's attacks and changes to the future (and that's a pretty big assumption ), I'd say that when Lois had her story published in the Daily Planet, it set off a chain of events that included Paul's reaction to it - so Clark would have already suffered through that particular change.

On the other hand, were Clark to fulfil his threat to splash Paul's name across every paper in the country on charges of sexual harrassment... I suspect he would have another attack - well, assuming there is a connection between Clark's attacks and changes to the future, of course.

Again, thanks for the comments. And keep speculating. Next part will be up Monday at midnight.

ML

Uh, let me rephrase. 'ML did not intentionally use names that one would associate with a male porn star because of their hints to sexual prowess, certain body parts, or otherwise more or less cleverly disguised hints at their activity.'

Not. Funny.

Michael

Oh, well if that's what you meant... guilty as charged.

However, that brings up a good point. There are a number of names in this story which use the Lois and Clark tradition of using names which hint at other names.

For example: Steve Job is now Steve Spartin.

But... did anyone notice any other names that hint at other people? There are three to this point that I can think of off the top of my head.

ML

Loved your characterisation of Cat, and this line is my favourite:

My money is also on Bob as the supplier and Paul is definitely somehow involved - he has a personal agenda against Lois and is accusing her of stuff he would probably do to get a story published - i.e. sleeping with a woman at a paper.

And I also think Clark gets headaches when he realises that he has changed the future (and I also think that you are going on the theory that changing the past to make the future better ).

Hope I can wait until Tuesday when it'll be up here!

The combination of the supplier being known as "Einstein" and the odd coffee filter pilfering behavior makes me think it's Bob. My memory is telling me he was also a chemist on the show, so that would be added evidence. But, of course, Ryan is also incredibly intelligent and has probably taken enough chemistry in high school and college to figure out how to mix something up, so the coffee filters could just be a red herring. Russell having attended MIT, a top science school, before transferring to Metropolis could also be a clue ... or another red herring. So you've clearly done a good job of setting up multiple suspects in the story, ML. Thank goodness we only have to wait a couple more days to find out Clark's theory!

I didn't notice any other interesting character names, but I did notice Clark making several more slips of the tongue about being a reporter himself. I'm kind of proud of myself for catching the early ones, since I have a feeling it's going to be a plot point later on.

And once again, Paul is proving what an incredible jerk he is. Not for getting mad at Lois for going to the Daily Planet -- that's an immature but understandable defense mechanism after the humiliation of having a story he turned down being deemed front page news by a major newspaper -- but for his first reaction being to accuse Lois of sleeping with someone to get it printed. What planet do these guys live on?? It's bad enough the Beta Beta guys and the football players use this rumor to attack a young woman who inconveniences them, but now Paul, too?

Is this the only track their minds have? They truly can't think of *any* other reason a woman might succeed, or another insult to hurt at someone in anger? Or is this a clue that Paul has been influenced in some way by the football players or Beta Beta guys? (Or maybe Bob, in particular?) Or is Paul just so completely *insane* that he would accuse PERRY WHITE, a man he presumably would love to get a job from himself one day, of sleeping with a 20 year old college freshman?

On the other hand, this might solve Lois's problem of being offered a stringer position for the DP while still working for the I&Q -- if Paul fires her or otherwise makes a show of refusing her stories, she's free from that obligation. And I would be amazed if her journalism degree hinges on being printed in the student newspaper when her stories are being picked up regularly by one of the most respected newspapers in the country. The fact that she offered them to the I&Q first and had them turned down would most likely cause the J school admins to turn on Paul, not on her. That story getting out would be a major embarrassment.

Can't wait for the next part!

Kathy

I just had a thought... Okay, that came out wrong Anyway...

Paul is in front of NTU's journalism faculty board: "Mr. Benson, What is the reason that Ms. Lane did not print her Pulitzer Price winning story in the Ink & Quill?"
"I assume, that's because I turned down her offer of sex in exchange for the rights to the story. Apparently, Perry White didn't."



Michael

I'm not sure if this was ML's angle, but liberal media is about the most sexist of organizations on the planet and I'm pretty certain they have made abundantly clear that a working woman can only get anywhere by sleeping with someone rather than by hard work and/or talent, so Paul's response was completely understandable. What I love is Clark's knowledge/capability to turn it around on Paul; I mean with ML's writing you can almost feel Paul shriveling up in the full glare of Clark's academic fury. I only hate that Lois took Paul's accusation so personally, again because of ML's writing, I really feel for Lois and was so relieved Clark was there to hold her up. With a foundation for what a good man is supposed to be, she'll hopefully avoid the rotten ones that ruined her view of men to start with. This story makes me a lot more optimistic about how Lois is going to turn out even if she loses her "guardian angel" in the end.

Uhh... I think you give me too much credit, shimauma. I know nothing about sexism in the media. I just needed lots of bad guys to keep you guys guessing about who the real bad guy(s) is/are.

Again, I'm loving the speculation. Hope the truth doesn't disappoint you.

ML

Wow. You've just insulted every woman who has ever successfully worked for a media outlet. Considering I know some of them, I'm sure they will be extremely shocked to learn that they've slept their way to their position.

Kathy

HOLD UP there! *I* didn't say that every woman that has worked for the media slept their way to the top, I said that's what the liberal media thinks. Have you ever listened to keith olberman, chris matthews? Even Andrea Mitchell? They have made very clear in the last couple of years that a woman can't get ANYWHERE on her own substance. Hell, I've even seen some quotes from NOW and various other "feminist" organizations that have belittled an empowered woman. Paul works for a college media organization; if he were a real live person, I wouldn't be shocked in the least if *he* thought the only way a woman can get anywhere is by sleeping around, but I *NEVER* said that's what I think and I'm very surprised you would think that's what I said.