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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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Well, I guess that was predictable. After all, with a title like ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife,’ there really did need to be a ‘wife’ at some point.  ML 
She was in such a good mood she let all the pedestrians in the crosswalk get to safety before taking off again.
- CC Aiken, The Late Great Lois Lane
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Just got time for a quickie now, but ML, you've got to change this: “Forty-three! Number forty-three!” Elvis bellowed from the back of the room.
Lois smiled as she rose to her feet. “So... how about it number forty-three? Wanna get married?” Nooooo!!! Lois and Clark can't be number forty-three! Not when they were so close! Don't you know that forty-two is the magic number? The ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything, if you only know how to frame the question? Let me copy an excerpt of what Wikipedia says about number 42: 42 (forty-two) is the natural number following 41 and preceding 43. The number has received considerable attention in popular culture because of its appearance in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything". What do you think Wikipedia says about number 43? It says some stuff like this: Forty-three is the 14th smallest prime number. The previous is forty-one, with which it comprises a twin prime, and the next is forty-seven. 43 is the smallest prime that is not a Chen prime. It is also the third Wagstaff prime.
43 is the fourth term of Sylvester's sequence, one more than the product of the previous terms (2 × 3 × 7).
43 is a centered heptagonal number.
Let a(0) = a(1) = 1, and thenceforth a(n) = (a(0)2 + a(1)2 + ... + a(n-1)2) / (n-1). This sequence continues 1 1 2 3 5 10 28 154... (sequence A003504 in OEIS). Amazingly, a(43) is the first term of this sequence that is not an integer.
43 is a Heegner number.
43 is a repdigit in base 6 (111).
43 is the largest natural number that is not an (original) McNugget number.4 15 17 7
5 19 13 6
20 9 2 12
14 0 11 18
This is the smallest number expressible as the sum of 2, 3, 4, or 5 different primes:
43 = 41 + 2
43 = 11 + 13 + 19
43 = 2 + 11 + 13 + 17
43 = 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 17. It's the 14th smallest prime number! It's the third Wagstaff prime! It's a Heegner number! It's a repdigit in base six (111)! It's the largest natural number that is not an (original) McNugget number! It's 41 + 2! Please, ML! Do you want Lois and Clark's wedding to be the ultimate answer to the question about life, the universe and everything? Or do you want it to be a repdigit in base 6 and the largest natural number that is not an original McNugget number? Please, ML! You've got to give Lois and Clark number 42 in that wedding line! 42! 42! 42! 42! 42! 42! Pretty please with 42 on top? In an astronomy forum I like to visit, there was a thread called "Ask an Astrophysicist". One of the questions was, "what is the meaning of life?" The astrophysicist answered, of course: 42. Did you think I didn’t know? Please let Lois and Clark get married as number 42, ML!!!! Ann (Great part, btw)
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Excellent! The table still wasn’t cleared. She really should be thinking about doing a couple loads of laundry soon. And then there were those follow-up stories Perry wanted done. Maybe it wasn’t too late for her to... Brilliant. This is exactly the sort of psychological defense mechanism she would use. She should be out having fun, experiencing the world, playing the field. Considering the field Lois originally played, she would undoubtedly be better off sitting on the sidelines. Of course, I'm not sure how much of Lois' "history" Alt-Clark knows. But either way, it's hard for me to imagine Alt-Clark being willing not only to let, but to enable Lois to "play the field," given both the intensity of his feelings toward her and his own history. (He isn't "our" Clark, after all, and is a lot more insecure than ours, especially when it comes to people he cares about suddenly not being there.) “Lois, you’re twenty years old. I’m thirty.” Funny, the age difference didn't seem to bother him before. “This can’t possibly be how you dreamt your wedding would be,” Nope. Being married with an Elvis impersonator as officiant would be Perry's dream, not hers. “But what I failed to take into account was that I would have undoubtedly stepped in horse dung when I got out of the carriage in front of the drafty castle; the people lining the streets would have turned into an angry mob; the doves would have left droppings on all my guests; my prince would likely have turned out to be the biggest crime lord in Metropolis and the police would have invaded my wedding with arrest papers, interrupting the Vienna Boys Choir anyway.”  “I’m not getting weddinged today,” she said softly. “I’m getting married. What a perfect way of phrasing it. And as she’d looked into his eyes and seen his love for her reflected back as he’d said those words, their surroundings had faded and her heart had swelled and she’d become that princess riding up to the castle in her horse-drawn carriage to marry her prince. Awww.... Have I mentioned lately how much I am really enjoying this story? Joy, Lynn p.s., I second Ann's request to change their number to 42. And to be honest, when I read that 42 had been called at the Elvis chapel, I had assumed that that would be them, in part for the reasons that Ann mentioned. (A piece of trivia: 6x9=42 in base 13.)
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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LOL, Ann's right, ML. Unless you're fully away of the Hitchhiker's Guide and intentionally chose a less than perfect number to symbolize that this is not the perfect wedding Huh, some form of permanent commitment brewing? Well, I guess that was predictable. After all, with a title like ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife,’ there really did need to be a ‘wife’ at some point. Actually, no, I did not see that coming. It was more something like this: “Then I want to get married.”    Lois raised her hands in the air in surrender. “Okay, wherever you are, you can come out now,” she said, glancing around the room. “I know I’m on Candid Camera.” She turned towards Clark. “That’s what this is, right. The whole... time travel, flying, other planet thing. This is just some elaborate Candid Camera set up. Okay, well, ha ha, you got me. It’s over.” *Now* she's having nervous breakdown? Me thinks she just hadn't fully appreciated her own conclusions until now. I wanted to come back to sav... meet you. Oops? The problem wasn’t that they were enemies in 1997. The problem was that she didn’t survive until 1997.
She let out a slow breath. Less than ten years. That was why he was back here. Ta-da! “No, you don’t understand,” Lois said, stopping him as he began to move towards the door. “Twenty-four hours,” she said, glancing at her watch. “Come back here at noon tomorrow.” “So... Steak and cheese or vegetarian?” she asked, gesturing to the bag.
“Something tells me that’s a rhetorical question,” Clark answered, turning his attention to the bag while she began fixing coffee. Hmm... Why do I think that Lois could just as easily be the one wanting the steak? But maybe it was all part of the whole superhero package. Maybe he would be offering the same for anyone. And maybe last night had just been... whatever. She had offered herself to him on a silver platter, after all. Maybe she was just taking this... thing between them far more seriously than he was. Well, obviously that must be the case. Definitely. Clark is just timetraveling to get laid That I’m interested in playing the field, always knowing that I’m doing nothing more than ‘playing.’ Clark's right, Lois. You could meet so many guys that could be better for you than Clark. There's Claude's experience you could learn from. And there's Lex's money. Do you really want to tie yourself down to a farm hick? “And yet you came back in time to save me. So... why? Why me?” Oops? And I keep mentioning protection and a kid and LOL. And now she can actually state 'Clark Kent' on the birth certificate. And it's just too bad that M&J aren't around anymore. Otherwise, she could drive out to Smallville in Hackcounty, Kansas, and demand that Clark get his joyriding butt back here because his future self has made a big nono in Lois's bed. Michael, who's not convinced that EoD posting is a schedule suitable for those poor readers who are suffering from heart conditions after consuming too much MLfic.
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Pulitzer
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Michael wrote: Michael, who's not convinced that EoD posting is a schedule suitable for those poor readers who are suffering from heart conditions after consuming too much MLfic. I know I was one of the people who had initially favoured EoD, but I now second Michael's request. The semester is well underway now and things have settled down at work that I have enough time to read nightly. And this story is so riveting that I don't want to have to wait so long between parts. Is there any chance that we could convince you to switch to nightly posts?  Joy, Lynn p.s., Please?
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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Sooooo... now they're married, which will presumably be applied to 1987 Clark, though he doesn't know it. And 1997 Clark has sort of failed to mention to Lois that if she survives to meet him when he arrives in 1993, he's going to be engaged to Lana and not know who she is (though I imagine it won't take long for 1993 Clark to decide who's right for him). Yeah, 5b's conversation is going to be fun. 
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Features Writer
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Features Writer
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Please let Lois and Clark get married as number 42, ML!!!! is it a little crazy insane that this is what I thought too???? “His molecules are realigning themselves as the timeline adjusts itself. They would happen shortly after he did something that caused changes to the past. As the ripples of the past finally catch up to his own time, he would have to change to reflect those realities. It’s happening in the future, too. People don’t remember them, however, because after one has gone through, their memories are immediately readjusted to edit out the change. Your memories are not affected, I suspect, because you are in the past. But your body is still going through the changes that your world is experiencing.” believe it or not, this makes a ton of sense....good time travelogue.  I loved that you used the story of Jacob and Rachel for Lois to demonstrate her point. My worry is that Lois might try to hunt down the Clark in her timeline to hurry up the reunion. She's been known to be impatient. What if when that happens he's not the same guy she fell in love with? What if she dies trying? "if you send the robot back in the past to kill him so he'll never be your enemy, then you'll never send the robot back, but then he will be your enemy so you WILL have to send the robot baaaack...BOOM!!!" gir's head explodes
Jayne Cobb: Shepherd Book once said to me, "If you can't do something smart, do something RIGHT!
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Merriwether
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OP
Merriwether
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Nooooo!!! Lois and Clark can't be number forty-three! Not when they were so close! Don't you know that forty-two is the magic number? The ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything, if you only know how to frame the question? Please let Lois and Clark get married as number 42, ML!!!! I second Ann's request to change their number to 42. And to be honest, when I read that 42 had been called at the Elvis chapel, I had assumed that that would be them, in part for the reasons that Ann mentioned LOL, Ann's right, ML. Unless you're fully away of the Hitchhiker's Guide and intentionally chose a less than perfect number to symbolize that this is not the perfect wedding Okay, okay. They can be number 42. Would you believe that I'd never even heard of any of this? is it a little crazy insane that this is what I thought too???? Obviously not since I'm the only one who, it seems, has never heard of this. So... in the final copy, Lois and Clark will be married as number 42. Funny, the age difference didn't seem to bother him before. I don't think Clark was exactly thinking before. Michael, who's not convinced that EoD posting is a schedule suitable for those poor readers who are suffering from heart conditions after consuming too much MLfic. Is there any chance that we could convince you to switch to nightly posts? Problem is that I've now discovered how handy it is to post every other day. The story was fully edited when I started to post. But I find the two days between postings very handy to continue to tweak the story. I think posting every day would be a bit much. I suspect I'll have to do one or two more days of consecutive posting to meet my deadline for getting this posted. But doing it every time would be a bit difficult. Sooooo... now they're married, which will presumably be applied to 1987 Clark, though he doesn't know it. Actually, no it wouldn't apply to 1987 Clark. To get married, the law requires that you do two things. The first is to sign and file the necessary documents and the second is that you verbally make your commitment in front of the appropriate witnesses. Although 1987 Clark's signature appears on the papers, 1987 Clark has never given those commitments verbally in front of witnesses. Which, of course, leaves the interesting situation of 1987 Lois being married and 1987 Clark being single. ML
She was in such a good mood she let all the pedestrians in the crosswalk get to safety before taking off again.
- CC Aiken, The Late Great Lois Lane
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Which, of course, leaves the interesting situation of 1987 Lois being married and 1987 Clark being single. 
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Columnist
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Columnist
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42 (forty-two) is the natural number following 41 and preceding 43. The number has received considerable attention in popular culture because of its appearance in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything". I so did not know this either - I have always wanted to read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but never have the time. I didn't really expect them to get married, however by your logic and the title of the fic, I did kinda of think that Lois needs to become Clark's wife at some stage. “And yet you came back in time to save me. So... why? Why me?” What an ending .... and what a conversation that will be! I don't think Lois will be too happy Clark met some alternate version of her and because of that meeting had to find and save his Lois. Sooooo... now they're married, which will presumably be applied to 1987 Clark, though he doesn't know it. This isn't good, right????  Anyhow, still enjoying the fic and looking forward to more!
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Excellent part!! Though I was getting cozy with the idea of them hanging out in 1987, now I want to get to the part where they meet in the future! For a moment she was distracted by the feather-like touch. But she quickly gathered her thoughts. “You never met me before I died, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And yet you came back in time to save me. So... why? Why me?” (I'm so proud of myself--I FINALLY figured out the quote thing!) So, this will definitely be the harder question... how next to explain alt-universes etc. Good luck, Clark! 
Reach for the moon, for even if you fail, you'll still land among the stars... and who knows? Maybe you'll meet Superman along the way. 
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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“But what I failed to take into account was that I would have undoubtedly stepped in horse dung when I got out of the carriage in front of the drafty castle; the people lining the streets would have turned into an angry mob; the doves would have left droppings on all my guests; my prince would likely have turned out to be the biggest crime lord in Metropolis and the police would have invaded my wedding with arrest papers, interrupting the Vienna Boys Choir anyway.” This was just so right. Maybe there is a fairy-tale wedding, but the tough part is living the next day. And the next. And the next. You describe the realities of life so well, ML. The good thing is that, even though this wedding was perhaps not what Lois had dreamed about it, the days after can (possibly) be blissful. Of course, that depends on what's going to happen to Clark after he gets back to 1997, and what's going to happen to Lois. Can the time stream be restored? I can't wait for more.
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
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does Lois know that Clark was engaged? or are we about to get to that part?
and how about a n-fic chapter for the honeymoon night!
~I Love this tragic sometimes magic awful beautiful life!~
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Features Writer
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Features Writer
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and how about a n-fic chapter for the honeymoon night! That or their first night the night before. It would be a different perspective, Clark being gifted with Lois's virginity, though it's never been discerned if Alt Clark had been a virgin on the show.
Jayne Cobb: Shepherd Book once said to me, "If you can't do something smart, do something RIGHT!
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Beat Reporter
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So what's involved in "filing the necessary documents" to get married? I recall filling out stuff about name, address, mother's maiden name, etc. I don't recall showing ID, but I figure we must have. (They do want to be able to positively identify you for tax purposes, no?) 1997 Clark couldn't show his 1997 driver's license or passport, so he must have used something like a birth certificate. So in a practical sense, if the issue ever came up, who would believe that it was a time-traveling Clark Kent from the future, and not this actual Clark Kent who actually lives here? Just sayin'....
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Merriwether
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OP
Merriwether
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Enjoying the comments and speculation. And thanks so much for your feedback. When reading it, I often find myself amazed by the number of different directions this story could have gone. After all, when I was writing it, I could only see it going in one direction. and how about a n-fic chapter for the honeymoon night! I'll think about it, but probably not. I have to be in a particular mood to write nfic. And I need an idea that I feel can't be said in pg-13. And, unfortunately, neither of those things are true at the moment. That or their first night the night before. It would be a different perspective, Clark being gifted with Lois's virginity, though it's never been discerned if Alt Clark had been a virgin on the show. On the other hand, if someone else has an idea for a scene, go for it. However, you may want to wait until the end so that you can better fit it into the story. So in a practical sense, if the issue ever came up, who would believe that it was a time-traveling Clark Kent from the future, and not this actual Clark Kent who actually lives here? Just sayin'.... Good point. I can just see it now. "Your honor, really. It wasn't me who made those vows. It was a future me from 1997. Wait. What are those men in the white coats doing here? Really, you're honor. I don't need to go to the funny farm. I'm perfectly sane. It's all the fault of my future self." Anyway, next part... tonight at midnight. ML
She was in such a good mood she let all the pedestrians in the crosswalk get to safety before taking off again.
- CC Aiken, The Late Great Lois Lane
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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Coming in late, so I'll just add my $.02 on a few things ... I think there would be a lot fewer divorces if more couples realized they were getting married, not weddinged. Beautifully put! More, please! Kathy
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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so yeah, you're the only one who didn't know about this. Thanks for rubbing it in. Anyway, I'm working on getting the next part ready. I'm hoping to have it up by midnight, but it's going to be tight. Still, I'll do my best. ML
She was in such a good mood she let all the pedestrians in the crosswalk get to safety before taking off again.
- CC Aiken, The Late Great Lois Lane
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