Okay, first off, I'm still retired. This doesn't count. I had mentioned previously that I'd committed myself to a project before my retirement was official.

This fic was rejected for that project, so I thought I'd just delete it from my hard drive. But, someone (who will remain nameless, lest others chastise him/her for their actions) 'suggested' that I should post this anyway.

I was okay with that from the standpoint of 'waste not want not' (don't ask me what that means), but since I think only three or four people ever read the Future series I'm not sure how much mileage I'll get from this.

Okay, I posted it, and that means that any comments can be posted here.

Tank the still Retired (who reminds everyone that this does not affect his status as retired)

Tank, what a good prologue....where's the rest? We can always use a new Alt Universe story

I have to say it makes me very sad to think about Lois. Can I ask WHY Mr. Wells didn't use his time machine to send her to Paris for Clark's little sojourn there? Five years should be nothing

If there isn't a happy ending for everyone, you did a great job of expressing the feelings and reasons.

Trenna (the 5th person to read the Future Series?)

Retired, my left foot! Hah!

This was great, Tank. It's been a while since I read - and enjoyed - the Future series, but I was able to follow this quite well.

I thought this was great, and quite possibly cried out for a sequel.... So, get writing!

Irene

what? only 3 or 4 people read your future series? That means 50% of your readers are related to me by blood. Meclone2 and I read your series faithfully. Hmmmm....

Interesting premise. I wonder how this Lois's going to turn out.


metwin1

Well, Tank

I rarely comment on anything anymore, but I have to agree with everybody else. Where's the rest of the story? (and I *did* read the Futures series, BTW)

Laura

Hi,

Great part!



I love the "Future Serie".

See, now I want to know more.

MAF

Great story, Tank. For some odd reason, i don't remember reading the Future series, so I've got something new on my list. I understood the story without reading the sreries. I have to groan, though.. techno-vampire Vad Or? "*metallic breathing* Clark, I am your father"??? :p

I, for one, do not believe in your retirement.. me thinkest thou doth protest too much! Besides, when you turn out stories like this, we *can't* let you retire!

tank... i'm sorry. this just won't work. you can't just post that and say it's done. not fair. it's not a vignette. it's a teaser. get writing!

even though i haven't read the future series (missed out on a lot of stuff when i went afk for a year or so a while back... got a lot of catching up to do, and never actually got to it...), i really enjoyed this part. it may actually have been more fun seeing things explained this way (being as clueless as lois) than if i'd known what had happened and was just witnessing her reactions.

so, great job.

and, i'm glad you're retired. gives you more time to write.

Paul

Well, I'm (almost) lost for words. <g>

You don't like making it easy for our heroes, do you?

I'm also trying to decide whether to be mad at you for making me cry.

Poor Lois.

Oh and I loved the revelation with Perry removing her glasses. A great twist on an old tradition there.

As someone who is also retired, I can agree with Paul's assessment that it definitely gives you more time to write....

LabRat

Tank,

I am going to keep this simple... I read and loved your future stories(as if you didn't know that they were a huge hit

Aw, Tank...I cried my way through the Future series and I cried my way through this vignette. That was just... ...lovely.

And if you can see your way out of retirement, of course, we'll be waiting for the next installment. :p

Best,
Sherry

See, I told you you should post it!

Wow, I didn't realize that many of us were really one person. That's the only way to put us all together and still only come up with 3 or 4.

And I agree with everyone else. MORE!!!!!!!!! (Hey, that's your line, isn't it? <eg>) This is by far not a vignette -- it's a teaser!! You big tease, you!

Loved it, btw. It was so sad to see Lois have to give up Clark. Now, you have to show us how she gets her happiness, too. Now. Please?

Bethy

An unexpected ending.
While I was reading your fiction, my all thoughts were that I wanted to tell you if you don’t let the real Lois and Clark together, you would be (only a joke)! Because I opined that you wrote a sadness story, I couldn’t close with a story that Lois and Clark aparted from each other finally!
Apparently, I was wrong, you got me!!! When I saw the end, I was !Not bad!
Great fiction!

For a man that claims to be retired you sure write good stuff, Tank (and not enough). Count me in on the list of having read the Future Series and I love to see there's more to it. But you can't leave it here!! I want more!!!

There are far too many quetions left now. Will Lois find her happiness once more? What is the other universe like? Will you cut Lois' hair? Is the other Lois going back to her orignal hair color? What wil happen to Perry and the secret?

So come on, give us more to read. This is too good to be left like this.

Saskia

Tank

I'm another one who has read the Future series and loved it.

WOW! WOW! This is superb.

Tricia

Tank,
I agree with Irene
It's been a while but I followed this easily.
Very good continuation but
This is very sad - and I think you need to continue it.
merry

What a rotten thing to do!

I should have known better than to read this, tho, so I suppose it's my fault I've got my heart broken, along with Lois... still a rotten thing for you to do, tho, Tank.

PJ

Thanks all for the comments, though I am a bit surprised.

After all the requests for a sequel to 'To Protect and Serve' I thought sure there would probably be one or two requests for more of this story. Imagine my surprise that there were none. Oh well, I guess that just lets me off the hook. After all, I am retired you know. (And no that does not mean I'm retired from working so I can write more. I'm still a forty plus hour a week working slob).

Wendy mentions that this story (and the previous series) can't have a happy ending. Funny, I thought it did. The Future series was a story about loss and redemption after that loss. Of course, you have to have a loss in order to overcome it. While Clark (and by rights altLois) would always miss what they'd lost, and cherish the memories of those days, they did finally manage to put their lives back together and find happiness with each other. It's how people survive in the real world too.

I think we can imagine, from the vignette set up, that Lois will also have that chance to find happiness after her loss. Let's see, Lois goes to this altworld. Becomes friends with that Clark. They go through many adventures and finally, after a time, become romantically involved. They live happily ever after... yawn. No one would want to read that. It's too predictable.

Pam, I'm surprised you don't like this. I always thought that the reason you didn't like the concept of the Future series was because our Lois had to die to facilitate the storyline. Here I give you Lois back. You should be thrilled... right?

Seriously, I actually wrote this as a tease for Wendy. She was someone who had always encouraged me and supported the Future series. I wasn't sure I should really post this because I was concerned that it might, in a sense, invalidate the Future Series. As I said, that was a story of two people facing terrible loss and needing each other to achieve their redemptions. But someone badgered me incensently (I think she mentioned it twice) to go ahead and post it, so being the marshmellow that I am, I did.

But as for more?

Tank the RETIRED (who says, in answer to Saskia's question, Lois would, of course, choose to cut her hair... it would only be logical)

A woman after my own heart!

BTW, Karen, I hadn't sounded out the phonics for Vad Or, so I was highly amused by your comment. See here for another parody/tribute.

I haven't had the chance to read "Protect and Serve" yet, Tank, so I hope it hits the archives soon. In the meantime, how about a continuation of this?

Retired. Shyeah, riiiight.

Hazel

Will be included in tomorrow's upload, Hazel, which means it'll be on the Archive this coming Sunday.

LabRat

It's probably too late now. Everyone has already forgotten this story.
But, if some of the gentle readers are truly serious about wanting to see more of Lois' future adventures in this alt world she is looking at, see my post in the fanfic related forum.

Tank the Retired (who figures that it's been long enough since anyone read the vignette that everyone will have forgotten )