Las Vegas’ Kerth Ceremonies
Or
Lois & Clark meet Susan & Casey
By Pat (angelsgmaw) (patup2000@cs.com)
Rated: PG
Submitted: July, 2012
This was a challenge way back in 2009 to merge L&C with Desperate Housewives and Las Vegas. It festered, grew, and the idea refused to go away. Finally, in torment, I decided to take it on as a project. This is a mistaken-identity/cross-over fiction about early fifth or sixth season Lois & Clark meeting a very early first season Susan Mayer of Desperate Housewives and Casey Manning of his few episodes as owner of the Monticeto Casino in the third season on Las Vegas.
This is totally a home grown story of three different shows from TV that are set in different times. There are also names in the story of other people who are there strictly because of their name recognition. They are not current to the 1990s, 2000s, or later. The blended trio of shows are meant to show a 30 year-old Lois and Clark with a 40 year-old Susan and Casey. Most of the other names should be taken the age they portrayed on television, not their current age. I just took what they portrayed and ran with my muse to create this tale. I promise not to injure any of them and to return them to their owners with just a little extra wear. Their appearances can not stick to canon on their shows, because of the differences of the shows. So, we will try to blend them as much as possible and get more personality as the story rolls. OK?
The *********** divider might mean a jump in time or just signify a division of different settings happening in this story, but I’m sure you’ll be able to pick up on that when it happens. <BG>
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“Oh, what fun! The Kerths are going to be awarded in Las Vegas this year. I can’t wait to go out there and just relax. Plus, we will be coming home with no less than three more Kerths, I hope. I’m just wondering if we’ll sweep all five categories where we have been nominated.” Lois Lane Kent was babbling all over about the trip to Las Vegas at the end of the week. She had been there before, but never with her husband, Clark. The two of them would have so much fun being tourists and getting a little action at the poker tables. They were also looking forward to seeing reporters from the other newspapers who were also counting on being awarded the coveted Kerth Awards for Journalistic Excellence. Lois grudgingly admitted that she and Clark were not the only good journalists, but preferred to dwell on the fact that they won awards because of their hard work and the way their writing styles meshed so perfectly.
Lois had been shopping earlier in the day and picked up a beautiful turquoise-colored, floor-length dress with crystals across the bodice. She knew that it would knock her husband’s eyes out when she got all dressed up for the award banquet. And, she was counting on being in the spotlight often and having her photograph appear on the front of the Daily Planet as a winner of many awards with Clark. She giggled a little to herself as she thought how pleased he would be when he finally saw her in the new dress.
“Clark, can we stay an extra night or two since we don’t have to use conventional airlines to make this trip?” Lois loved their method of traveling.
“Honey, as much as I would love to take you out there under the power of SupermanExpress, we have to go traditional on this trip because of the others who will be traveling with us. But, yes, we can stay a bit longer and maybe even come back with some of Vegas’ winnings. I figured I’d surprise you with the fact that I have already cleared our schedule with Perry. Then again, I don’t care whether we win or lose while we’re out there, all I can think about is getting you alone in a hotel room.” Clark reached over and pulled Lois into a tight embrace. “There’s something about hotel sex that makes my motor run.” Clark smiled at Lois and the way he raised his eyebrows told her volumes.
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Susan Mayer was startled to open her mail and learn that she was a nominee for the coveted Kerth Award for the illustrations she had done in a series of children’s books titled “A Rabbit’s View of the World.” No one was more surprised than Susan that her illustrations were being featured on the editorial page. The children’s books were stumbled onto by an editor who discovered that she and her husband laughed more at the book than her three-year-old daughter. She took the book to work and introduced it to a senior editor who immediately recognized that it was amusing and well illustrated. The Rabbit seemed to have something pithy to say about everything , and when teamed up with the front page of the paper it made Susan’s illustrations have adult humor when applied to current events.
Susan re-read the letter to see if she had missed any of the details. She was thrilled! In the letter there was mention of a room being reserved for her at the famous Montecito Resort and Casino where the awards ceremony was going to be held. Julie could stay at her friend’s house and Susan could have adult time in Las Vegas. She might even meet a handsome man there who would show her a good time and make her smile.
As Susan opened her closet to look at what she wanted to take with her, it occurred to her that she would need a new formal for the actual night of the awards. She wondered if Bree would allow her to borrow the beautiful dress she had worn to the New Year’s Eve party at the Country Club. She and Bree were about the same height and size, so it would save her some money if she could borrow the dress. Maybe then she’d have some spare change to spend in the slots, or even at the poker tables. She pulled a few things out of the closet and put them across the chair while mentally packing her bag.
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Casey Manning was restless. His ex-wife, Sam, was giving him a rough time about the fact that he had shown up unannounced at his casino. He had purchased the Monticeto Resort and Casino when the previous owner had died and it was left to a Charity for the Blind. The best part of the deal was that he could gamble when he felt the urge and, if Lady Luck frowned upon him, at least his losses swelled the casino’s profits. According to Casey, that was a win-win situation. He was ruthless about business. He had gone from a working stiff to a multi-millionaire overnight, but not without a lot of sweat involved. As a result of purchasing the Monticeto, Casey was now considered a billionaire. His only weak spot seemed to be his ex. He was still smarting from her desertion of their marriage, while keeping the perk of occupying the owner’s penthouse suite. Since Casey was into peaceful co-existence instead of making her leave the owner’s penthouse, he had checked into the 19th floor Presidential Suite. It was only a three-room suite, but it was large enough for the weekend visit which was all he planned to stay. He had settled into this suite because of the wonderful Jacuzzi and nine-headed shower that were so perfect for relaxation at the end of a hard day. It also had a very large California King bed in the main bedroom that was dwarfed by the huge room. Casey felt very comfortable there.
As Casey sat at the desk looking at his laptop, he wished for the umpteenth time that he could make peace with Sam. He reached across the desk for the phone, but put it back just as soon as he realized that calling his ex and pleading with her for another chance wouldn’t change anything. Being a billionaire had not made his life any easier. He sighed as he wished he had someone who would look into his eyes and tell him sincerely how much he was loved.
Meanwhile, business still called to him as he sat there. This coming week, the Monticeto had a high stakes poker tournament involving some of the wealthiest players in the world, a convention of the Million Dollar Roundtable of Insurance Brokers, and the Kerth Awards booked. There was a long list of people who were looking forward to a weekend in Las Vegas and had chosen the Monticeto for their destination.
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“Lois! Clark! My office now!”
Lois and Clark stopped the progress toward their desks and instead marched toward Perry’s office. It was still early and the bullpen had not filled up with people coming into work yet, so their footfalls sounded loudly as they moved toward his office. “Shut the door behind you, please,” their editor said as he moved to sit down behind his desk.
“Good morning, Chief,” said Clark. Lois mumbled the same. Both stood at attention before the desk waiting to hear what Perry had to say. They were anxious to wrap up unfinished articles and return home.
“We’ve tied up the loose ends in all the articles that we are working on, so Lois and I thought we’d come in and try to turn in the extra fluff that makes the weekend news. Both of us have an article or two for you, and unless there is something else going on, we are about ready to leave for the Awards.” Clark hoped that he would not have to stay too long at work, as he wanted to do a tour of duty as Superman before they left for the airport.
“That’s not exactly why I called you in here. I know that you, Clark, have something about a school bus fire and a Superman rescue of someone who fell into Hobbs Bay. And, Lois, I believe that you even did a flower show review this week? You must really be looking forward to going to Vegas to do something like that without a grumble,” Perry said while shifting the paperwork on his desk. “But, the real reason I called you two in here is that I wanted to tell you that I’m so proud of you being nominated for five Kerths. FIVE! If you win them all, it will mean between the two of you individually as well as a team, you will have won twelve Kerths. That’s bragging rights to any organization! I know that there is a possibility that you will not get all of them, but anything over three and we are in the lead. I just wanted you guys to think of that as your names are being called out tomorrow night. We are all so darn proud of you both!” Perry looked up at them with a big grin on his face.
Lois and Clark looked at each other and the same grin broke across their faces too. Clark slipped his hand into his wife’s hand and squeezed. They were just as happy as could be to get nominations this year. Last year they had only been nominated for one award and had not won it. This year there was a real possibility with the quality of the stories and the smooth writing style of the team that they would win.
“Well, don’t just stand there. I believe you have a few stories to turn in before you get out of here.” Perry was still grinning, but he had to editor them out the door someway, and it seemed that gruff was easier than hugging them. Clark turned and let go of his wife’s hand as the two of them went back out into the bullpen toward their desks.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think Perry WAS actually proud of us,” Lois said with a huge grin on her face. “He used the word, and we didn’t even get an Elvis story this morning.”
Both of them sat at their desks, booted up their computers, and in a short time had turned in the stories to Perry. About an hour after they had arrived at the Daily Planet they were returning home to finish their packing.
Lois had kept her dress hidden from Clark so that the first time he saw it would be when she was getting ready to go to the awards banquet. She wished there was some way to hide it even longer so that the first time he saw her would be at the Kerths, but she knew that her hubby would be getting dressed in his tux at the same time as her so there was no way to prolong the surprise.
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