If you have any stomach at all for elseworld stories, meaning you can cope with an alternate story where the soulmates don't end up together... just like HG Wells said sometimes happened.....

...then you absoulely must run to the archive and read the new addition: It Might Have Been by Ray Reynolds.

This type of story isn't for everyone, and even Ray realizes that. The disclaimers pretty much tell you how it will end. But it's worth the ride, really it is.

Don't let his disclaimers turn you off. Claims of "I'm not a writer" are to be ignored. No one can put together a story this bittersweet and this deliciously long unless they have some writer inside them. :-)

Remember The Butterfly Legacy? Same type of story, in that it has angst, tenderness, and addresses the all imporant what if. Yes, the ending might displease some. But if you can bear to explore the possibilities, please do so. Keep the kleenex handy.

Not a writer? Hrumph and Humbug! What ELSE do you call a published author?

Enjoy!

Jackie

I'm a fan of Lois & Clark but I like this story for numerous reasons. The ending made me think there might be a possiblity for a real happy ending for all concerned. it's not that I don't like Pam but it is well known that Lois and Clark are soulmates so following that logic, Pam and Lois might be twin(rare) soulmates and Lois might jump dimesions to find the right soulmate etc. Anyone care to input their two cents?

I've read the story and sent Ray a personal email since there was not a thread for it. I am one of those people who cannot bear the thought of Lois or Clark being with anyone else but each other. However, I decided to read this story and I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess I was sort of over Lois when she turned Clark down in the park and thought she deserved what she got.

I liked Ray's story for a number of reasons. First, it was not over the top...love and lust immediately. It was first a gradual developing friendship that later became love. It's what Clark needed.

Pam was not a risk taker, she had a version of blonde hair and blue eyes, all unlike Lois. She was patient and kind and not a Superman worshipper. Truth be known, she wanted Clark so badly, she could taste him, sort of like Lois wanted Superman. Pam was close to her family and they were loving, unlike Lois and her dysfunctional family. Pam wanted to settle down and have kids...Lois didn't. Pam had also saved herself...for Clark...like Clark saved himself for her. I thought that was precious! Lois had initially given hersel away freely only to find that it wasn't the thing to do, yet starved the man of herself who deserved her body. Pam wasn't nearly as good of a reporter as Lois but it didn't bother her. She didn't have to be the best.

Ray put a lot of thought into creating someone who was totally different from Lois, yet Clark fell in love with her.

There were times when I was in tears...for Clark...hurt for him, and then there were the happy tears when he was finally happy. I think his love for Lois was giddy...almost school-like, but more subdued and mature when it came to Pam.

I love Lois, but I am glad that she finally got a dose of her won medicine!

But, no way do I want too many of these stories floating around!

I noticed the description of this story right away on the archive and I want to read it. I just haven't had time yet. It sounds like I'll really like it. I also don't always like non-Lois stories (although some people might not believe that since Lois is dead in my WIP), but I do like to see the stories of moving on with one's life and I do like the occasional non-Lois story. I've said before that I don't particularly like the idea of soulmates, but if you go with that premise, it still doesn't mean that those two people would actually end up together especially if only one person realized that the person 'was meant for them'. Of course, at the point that she was going to marry Luthor, Lois knew she loved Superman - she just didn't know that he was Clark I'm going to try to read this one right away.

Well, as i guess people know I'm a Lois and Clark fan so the story's not for me. But the author was up front in his warning about that at the beginning. What I thought was interesting is the ending

''''' spoiler space, although i think the ending is implied by the author's warning and so perhaps the spoiler space isn't necessary.....
.
.
,
,

which leaves Lois unhappy, punished for having rejected Clark, while Clark gets a new love. No soulmates implication btw. Just a lonely , miserable Lois

c.

Well, I read the warning and the ending. I'm going to read the rest over the next few evenings - after I'm done with everything else, that is.

S
P
O
I
L
R
R

S
P
A
C
E

A good story for people who want Clark to live happily and Lois unhappily ever after.

Ann

I just don't see this as the "Lois miserable forever" story that some of you do. No, she doesn't end up with Clark. But she also has grown up a LOT in the story, and will no longer be so darn gullible when it comes to men. Who's to say that she won't find a nice guy someday? Heck, Clark might even set her up with someone!

Just because the story ends as it does doesn't mean it's the end of the story. The old Lois didn't want what Clark offered, and part of her reaction to it being unavailable now may be simply that it IS unavailable, not because she actively wants it. The old grass is greener syndrome...

Getting involved in her charity work will expose her to many new people and experiences. She'll no longer being hanging with the "right crowd" because she has to for Lex, or to keep her cover. And she'll continue to grow through her efforts to make restitution for Lex's sins. All of this will continue to broaden her horizons and make her appreciate what she does have in her life and how much she has to be thankful for. That change in internal attitude, in turn, will make her more attractive to others, which sets her up for true love.

This isn't the end for Lois. It's the end of the Lex chapter. There is a huge difference, in my opinion.

Jackie

No, but it's the end for Lois and Clark, and that's the point.

or she could enter a convent.

C. wrote:

She has Lex's money now. She could BUY a convent.

Ray, thanks for the acknowledgement. You've added a good deal of good stuff since I saw it last, and as far as I can tell it helps the story along.

Well, I've finished the story, and I really like this else world exploration. I'm glad that Clark was able to give his heart to another. I can hope that maybe Lois might be able to one day give her heart to another, too.

Well, I've finished it, too, and I liked it. But I don't feel that the end is truly the end of it. For Lois, it is a new beginning, and she has to deal with the same issues Clark has - finally - put behind him.

So is Ray a published author?

He published his story on the archive, an archive that even has editors! To me, that makes him a writer.
Jackie

Oh, okay, I understand.

I'd like to thank Jackie for starting this thread and recommending my story to the readers on this board. I knew when I wrote it that this story would appeal to a limited audience and that has proven accurate. Of course I didn't write it for the accolades I wrote because I "needed" to tell it. The people who have read it and provided feedback enjoyed it and that is all an author can ask.

I will admit, I wanted Lois to suffer some consequences for her actions of first season, especially the Luthor wedding actions. I don't hate Lois but I feel she got away with an awful lot. I felt that if Luthor hadn't been so darned obvious about his need to possess her Lois would have married him, then what would Clark do?

I also don't like the soul mates theory as defined on the show. I feel it limits the potential stories that can be told if Lois and Clark ALWAYS end up together. I also feel that there can be more than one person for each of us, one who can fulfill our soul if we can only find them. Lois being married forced Clark to look again and he was able to find a new love, though he still had feelings for Lois.

I also felt that Lois could find love again even though Clark was no longer available. I feel she's learned a lot, about herself and about love, over the course of her marriage. She's going to have to be careful the next time, due to her money of course, but when she finds someone they are going to be good for her.

Again, thanks very much, everyone for commenting and reading my story.

Ray

Although I'm obviously a L&C shipper, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. After Clark became disillusioned, it was nice to see Clark find someone who was "right" for him at the time. Pam was someone who clearly helped him heal and helped him find happiness. For that, I don't have a problem that Clark and Lois didn't end up together.

I have to admit that Lois was soooooo arghhhh in that late first season (I can't even come up with a good way to say it), that I often had the "she deserves whatever she gets" feeling, just like Ray. In that way, this story serves a very good purpose. Lois didn't pay much of a price in canon, but in this story she did. Realizing exactly what she gave up and all its implications made for the perfect ending.