Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic repost - Lois Lane - Mother of Utopia - Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 1 - 2 / 4

* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
/ denotes telepathic communications./

Please see author’s notes at end for explanations of Sidereal time, TTEMPO, TaDT, Multiverse identification and the Kryptonian naming convention. These are all integral to this story and future stories and will probably be included, in some form, in each.

As always comments are welcome. ken.janney@kjanney.com


re-post Lois Lane – Mother of Utopia
Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 1
By Ken Janney

Previously -

Thinking back on what he had done in previous years, his years, not historical years, his personal years!?!?!?! Thinking back to what he had done in his 1905 and 1912 personas, that’s better, he could now see where he had made some mistakes.

Herb thought, <I am going to have a full time job just correcting the mistakes I made in the past. Yes, this time I can use past because it accurately reflects what I mean. It means both my personal past, 1917 Herb looking back at what 1905 and 1912 Herb had done and also because he had done a lot of them in the past, past – uh, history, gracious me, there I go again, just when I thought I was safe. When my 1895, 1905 and even 1912 personas thought he was simply doing research or lending a helping hand there were things going on that he just was not ready to learn and now it’s up to me, the 1917 persona to see to it that they, the previous me's, uh, Herbs, uh, personas in fact didn’t find out that they didn’t know just as much as they thought they did.>

The problem was that the acts had already been committed and now he, his later self, needed to correct them.

Herb finished his musings, “It all started with a letter received on June 1, 2454 at TTEMPO headquarters addressed to me.”


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 1 - Herb Visits
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Universal Locator Designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120
Local designation – Prime
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* * * * * * * * * *
June 30, 2031 AD 7:30 PM local time (Sidereal)
Metropolis, New Troy
* * * * * * * * * *

Herbert George Wells, the 1912 persona to be specific, parked his vehicle around the corner from the house and secured it so that it couldn’t be stolen or inadvertently sent on a trip by someone fiddling with the controls. As he turned away from his ‘Time Sled’ he gave it an affectionate pat and then turned on the cloak. Even though there was a new device, the TaDT, for moving through the time stream and the dimensional planes as well, he still liked his original machine for trips of this type. He liked the ‘feel’ of travel in his old device compared to the new portal device. You could observe changes and adjust your ‘course’ to a certain extent, even stop off for a ‘side trip’. With the new portal device you simply step through from one time or universe into the other, that’s all … about as exciting as stepping through a door. It didn’t have enough of a ‘hands on’ feel for him.

Herb was confident that Lois and Clark were still here; his careful reading of their history had told him that. There were, of course, differences in the time lines of the multiverses, which is why TTEMPO had started using Sidereal time as the standard or Universal time measure since it was based upon the movement of the planets and stars and not based upon some arbitrary event. As he walked the short distance that would take him to 348 Hyperion Ave., he mused about the reason for his being here. There had been some things about this universe’s Kent Family History which had struck him as somewhat … odd, hence his current trip.

Since the founding of the TTEMPO - Time Travel Enforcement and Multiverse Protection Organization - in the mid 2400s by himself and a group of scientists from that era, he had been laboring on producing a new, comprehensive, history of the Kent clans which would document all of the genealogy and list the significant events and contributions of the various members. He had already compiled one for universe Alpha 023 x Gamma 025 x Tau 036 called ‘*the* Alternate universe’ or Alt 1, as if it was the only one, by the ‘Original’ Superman and his family since it was the first one they had interacted with.

As Herb strolled along the walk approaching the house he was thinking, <“I really should have chosen an easier universe to start with. Alt 1 with its missing Lois and all of the trouble that brought about had been a real headache. It came out alright in the end though, with a little help from me, well, not exactly me, a later me, the 1917 me but still me. I don’t know exactly what he did, or I did, will do, he will do, did, will did. He chose to send me on another mission while he dealt with that particular problem. Oh my, this non-linear time travel gets so confusing, especially when you meet yourself, your later self, no, older self because it could be later and be a younger self. I’m even talking about myself in the third person, like he’s someone else and not me, uh, later me. My head is starting to spin. Well, anyhow it all worked out in the end, thank heaven.>

The ‘Original’ Superman’s universe being also Herb’s home universe is simply called Prime, actual coordinates Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120. He had been in the process of updating the Prime universe’s Kent Family History when he had come across the inconsistencies which had caused him to think that there was a mystery here that needed to be investigated. After all, he was a Science Fiction author and didn’t like mysteries, especially those he didn’t create himself. As he finished his musings he found that he was on the steps of the house which was the object of his trip. <For me it’s been a few years, subjective, since I’ve seen them. I wonder if they will remember me?>

Herb reached up and knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to be answered. <Let’s see, the Lois of this time should be in her early sixties as should Clark. It has been a while since I have seen them, about twenty five subjective years to them. I wonder how they will react to seeing me?>

Just as he finished that thought he was astonished at the apparition who appeared when the door was answered and he was greeted by a stunningly beautiful blond woman of about 25 – 35 years of age. She was wearing a smart dress suit in dark burgundy, a short jacket over a dark red silk, scoop neck blouse (which showed off an ample amount of cleavage), a very short burgundy skirt and high heeled pumps in red, which showed off her legs quite nicely.

Before speaking she thought, <Uh oh, it’s *him*. This will be a real test. At least he isn’t carrying the soul tracker. Which one is he? What could be his reason for being here? Is this the one that the 1917 Herb warned us about?> “May I help you?” she said after looking him over coolly.

Herb was speechless for a few seconds. <This *definitely* is not the individual I was expecting to meet at the door. Who could this be? Have they moved already?> After clearing his throat Herb removed his Derby hat and held it in both hands in front of him as he replied, somewhat hesitantly, “Uh, Yes, Uh, I would like to speak with Lois Lane-Kent if you please.” It was evident just how affected he was by this turn of events by how rapidly he started spinning his hat by shuffling his hands around the brim.

“*I’m* Lois Lane. Am I supposed to know you?” she replied distantly.

Herb's hands froze in mid motion. <What did she say? She’s Lois? She doesn’t look like Lois. Lois should be in her sixties and a brunette. Could this be her daughter?> To say that Herb was taken aback by this statement is to engage in understatement. Herb was stunned and simply stared at her in disbelief as his hands resumed their shuffle around the brim of his hat moving even faster than previously.

<It looks like it’s working so far. Let’s see just how far we can go.> She put a look of comprehension on her face and suggested, “Perhaps you mean ‘Mama Lois’?”

<Could that be the explanation? Is she simply named after Lois? But, to have the very same name, how could that be?> After clearing his throat again Herb found his voice and stammered his replied, “Uh, if ‘Mama Lois’ is in her early 60s and a brunette, then, yes, I mean uh, ‘Mama Lois’. I, uh, I’m an old acquaintance of hers.”

<This *must* be the one the 1917 Herb warned us about..> “Won’t you come on in then and make yourself comfortable in the living room while I get her?”

“Yes, quite, thank you.”

She took Herb’s hat and placed it on a table in the foyer. She then escorted Herb into the living room and saw to it that he was comfortable before she exited and proceeded upstairs.

After a wait of something over 15 minutes an older but still very attractive Lois Lane came down the staircase. She was dressed in a gray pinstripe business suit, which matched the color of her hair, a jacket that came to below the waist and a skirt that fell well below the knee. A white blouse with a high neck and frilly collar and gray ribbon tie and low heeled shoes completed the ensemble. As she was descending the stairs she projected a thought, /Clark, he’s here./

The return thought carried with it all of the warmth that she had come to love about this man, /Who?/

Putting all of her love into the return thought she sent, /1912 Herb. What are you doing right now?/

He replied, /Just finishing up on that wreck. Jon’s here, I’ll let him finish up. I should be there shortly. Keep him entertained until I get there./

With a mental chuckle she replied, /Okay, I think I can manage. Make sure you clean up before you come in./

As she came to the bottom of the stairs Lois approached Herb and held out her hand in greeting.

Herb, at sight of her thought <This is more along the lines of what I expected.> Herb stood up and took her hand in his. Not too surprisingly her hand was still firm. He really hadn’t known what to expect of someone in her sixties but what he found was a vibrant woman who even at that age was very attractive and energetic.

She said, “Herb, sorry I had to make you wait, I wasn’t exactly presentable. It’s been a long time since you’ve visited us. If you don’t mind my asking, which one are you?”

“Ah, yes, time travel can be somewhat confusing. I would be, let’s see, actually I would be the 1912 persona. Yes, quite, 1912. It even confuses me at times.”

Lois asked, “To what do we owe the honor of this visit? More trouble in the alternate universe that you need us to help with?”

Herb said, “No, not this time.”

Lois thought, <If that’s not it, what brings him here? Oh, no not…> Getting a worried look on her face she asked, “Is Tempus on the loose again?”

“My gracious no, not this time. This is more on the lines of a *social* call, if you will.”

At this response the release of the tension which had been building up in her body was evident in her posture and the release of the breath which she had unconsciously been holding, <That’s a relief. He called this a social visit. We haven’t seen him since I was pregnant with Jon. Wait a minute ... that was the … 1914 version. This non-linear time travel is *really* confusing. In the past we saw a later version than the one standing here with me. We hadn’t chosen the baby’s name at that time so maybe we can still pull this off.> Releasing Herb’s hand and looking quite relived at this news, Lois explained, “Clark’s out on a rescue right now, but should be returning shortly. His activities are more of a ritual now than necessity since the kids have assumed most of his responsibilities. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.”

After they had both taken seats Herb began explaining the reason for his visit, “I have been in the process of updating the Kent Family History and I have identified some problems, or inconsistencies, as it were, that I would like to have your help with. Actually, I might have just met the explanation for one of them. The, uh, young lady that answered the door identified *herself* as Lois Lane. I must admit to being ... well … *puzzled*. I thought you were the only one.”

At that Lois laughed. After a few seconds she began her explanation. “Herb, her name *is* in fact Lois Lane. Our eldest son, CJ, followed in our footsteps and went into journalism. His fiancée was also a journalist and they were both slated to start working at the Planet. They decided that the tradition of a Lane & Kent byline at the Planet was something that should be continued so they took advantage of a New Troy law which says that the name you put on your marriage certificate would be your new married name. It saves the cost of going through a legal name change so, when they were married they became Lois Ellen Lane-Kent and Clark Jerome Kent, professionally: Lois Lane and Clark Kent. They intend to encourage their children to do the same thing when their time comes.”

“Ahhh, I seeeeee! That indeed does explain how there is a succession of Lois Lane-Kent and Clark Kents at the Daily Planet. I had noted in the Family History that there was an unbroken line of Lois Lanes and Clark Kents at the Daily Planet stretching into the mid 2300s and wondered how that could be possible. That would explain it nicely!”

At his statement Lois got a somewhat startled look <Very interesting> she thought, but quickly controlled it and managed to change her expression into a more neutral one as they heard a whooshing sound and Superman entered from the kitchen.

Superman appeared to be approximately sixty years of age, graying and showing some wrinkles but still with that killer physique in the spandex. It looked as though Dr. Klein’s prediction that his aging process would “stabilize and sloooowwww”, so that he would age at a dramatically slower rate than Lois had *not* been borne out. He appeared to be aging at the same rate as a normal earth human. There *had* been that incident with Veda Doodsen where he had given up some of his life force for Jimmy. It appeared as though that had actually had an effect on him. When he saw Herb he spun out of the suit and into jeans, casual shirt and running shoes. He reached for Herb’s hand in greeting. “Herb, it’s so good to see you. So, what brings you around? I hope it isn’t another problem in the alternate universe.”

“No, as I have been explaining to Ms. Lane, this is more in the nature of a social visit. I have been in the process of updating the Kent Family History and had some questions. Ms. Lane has been kind enough to have provided the answers that I was looking for.”

Lois asked “Herb, while we chat, would you like a cup of tea?”

“That would be delightful, my dear!”

As Lois disappeared into the kitchen, Herb turned to Clark and asked, “How exactly are things? How many children do you and Ms. Lane have at this point in your life?”

“Well, Herb, as you know, we weren’t sure that we would even be able to have children and, in fact, we didn’t for some time after we were married. We were starting to lose hope of ever having children of our own and were considering adoption. Within our first year of marriage we had asked Bernie Klein to determine if a Kryptonian human/Earth human hybrid pregnancy was possible. Bernie and Lois’ father, Sam Lane, both had looked over the data from the studies that Bernie had done and came to the same conclusion that a Kryptonian human/Earth human pregnancy was not possible. Apparently, at that point in time that *was* the case. The actual reason for this though was the fact that Lois’ body needed to be ‘conditioned’ by exposure to my aura in order for her to conceive and it took longer than that for the exposure to prepare her body to accept a pregnancy. The aura actually made some very subtle changes to her physiology.”

Lois called out from the Kitchen, “Herb, do you want Oolong, English Breakfast or Earl Gray?”

“Earl Gray would be delightful! Thank you!”

“Do you want milk or Lemon for your tea?”

“Milk, if you please. Thank you!”

“Sugar, honey or artificial sweetener?”

“Sugar will do nicely. Thank you!”

What Herb couldn’t see since the door to the kitchen was closed was that after filling the tea pot with water Lois simply looked at it for a few seconds and it started to boil. She was careful to do everything else at normal human speed so that Herb wouldn’t suspect. She projected a thought to Clark /Be careful on how much you say. Remember what Herb 1917 said. “Too much information too soon is not good.”/

Clark replied in the same fashion, /I’ll be careful. You just be careful you don’t give away the fact that you have powers now./ Clark returned to the conversation with Herb, verbally, “It was just about three years after we were married that we had our first child, Clark Jr. or CJ. A year later we had Jonathan Joel. Two years after Jon we had Lara Martha. Then we had the twins, Celeste and Sean. Then came Jessica, James Perry (Jimmy), Lucy Ellen and Sam. It may seem as though we have an extraordinary number of children but we decided that we loved them and as long as we were able to we would continue to enlarge our family. The fact that birthing Kryptonian children was exceptionally easy on Lois, physically, was another inducement. Other than being extraordinarily tired for the first two months with only moderate morning sickness it is an easy pregnancy. Something to do with the aura the child develops after the first two months in the womb.”

“Can you go into any more detail on that? This is just the kind of information that would be important for the history.”

“No, actually, I can’t. I’m really fuzzy on all the details. Bernie Klein would be the person you would need to speak to for those. He ran all kinds of genetic and metabolic studies on all of us. He is retired from S.T.A.R. Labs at this point, but I’m sure he would be more than willing to talk to you.”

Lois came back in with the tea on a tray and placed it on the coffee table. After each had prepared the tea the way that they preferred the conversation devolved into general topics and about the family. Herb told them something about TTEMPO, how it was founded and what its mission and goals were and the invention of the TaDT. Clark and Lois sat together on the sofa. Clark’s arm was draped casually across Lois’ shoulders and Lois was leaning into him. Herb was seated in a comfortable wing back chair across the coffee table from them.

Clark said, “You know, Herb, you are lucky you found us in. We’re moving next week. Of course, we will be keeping this house, partly for sentimental reasons, but mainly because Jon and his family will be moving in. We recently purchased the old Delfino mansion out on Wisteria Lane. It had been untenanted for some time and was a real buy. With the royalties we derived from our book sales and movie rights we were able to purchase and remodel it and it is just now ready for occupancy. It will give us the room we need for our current family needs, since CJ and his wife will be living with us. It will also give us room for hosting relatives when they come to visit and if the kids return home when they have finished schooling and until they marry.”

Lois took up the narrative, “The nice things about the new Kent homestead are that it is out of the city, privacy fenced, wooded and will afford easy access from the air for the family with secrecy and security.”

“Jon has been married to a lovely girl, Jennifer, for a little over 3 years and they are expecting their first child.” Lois said with some delight and a very large smile on her face “I’m going to have my *first* grandchild, I’m gonna be a *Grandma*!! That feels almost as good as when we had our first *child*. I can hardly wait. I feel like a kid again waiting to open my Christmas presents (which I always found and opened early). This is one present I’ll have to wait for though, she’s due in 3 months. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, but of course you already know, the Kryptonian genes are dominant and will pass down through the generations so we are going to have a *super* grandchild in more ways than one.”

By way of explanation Clark added, “We had been concerned with the possibility of genetic dilution with succeeding generations and eventually our descendants losing the powers. Bernie relieved us of our concerns on that point some years ago.”

Sitting his cup down on the table Clark continued the tale, “Each of the children has been given Kryptonian names as well as our family names. For instance Jon is Kam-El and Lara is Myel. We didn’t want the Kryptonian name to be anything like their Earth name. We gave them Kryptonian names because of continued interaction with New Krypton. We have good relations with them now; in fact some trade is carried on, mostly High Tech and commodities.”

“CJ and Lois, the girl that answered the door, live with us.” Lois added, “They started at the Planet just as we retired. CJ is out on a stake out right now or you could have met him.”

Resuming the narrative, Clark said, “CJ has adopted a suit exactly like mine and when I retire, he will be Superman. Jon, when he had attained mastery of his powers, adopted a suit very similar to mine, the difference being the main color of the suit is black instead of blue and he took his Kryptonian name Kam-El as his super identity. I personally can see why he prefers to use his Kryptonian name when in the suit as opposed to ‘Son of Superman’ or something like Ultra Man or Amazing Man especially since neither of those would go with the “S” shield on his chest and it helps with the separation from his real identity. Since not very many people know my Kryptonian name is Kal-El they don’t realize the family relationship. Almost everyone thinks that with the improved relations he came here from New Krypton to help out. He is a research scientist working at S.T.A.R. Labs. He started as Bernie Klein’s assistant and was mentored by him.”

“We are very proud of him.” Lois added as she also set down her empty tea cup. “He’s every bit as good as Bernie was and is carrying on with his work. One of the things he’s working on is an antidote for Kryptonite poisoning.” After setting her cup down she had relaxed back against the couch and leaned in slightly toward Clark who draped his arm tenderly across her shoulder. She reached up and entwined her fingers with his.

Clark resumed, “Lara, who is the spitting image of Lois, on the other hand took on the suit of her mom and the name Ultra Woman II instead of her Kryptonian name. She is proud of being the daughter of the original Ultra Woman and lets everyone know it. She was recently married and is now living in LA. She has a position as a junior partner in a law firm out there. Her husband works for the same firm. Their specialty within the firm is negotiation of trade contracts with New Krypton firms. Her senior partners in the firm don’t know why she has such clout with the New Kryptonians but she is able to negotiate deals no one else can. All she can do is smile sweetly and claim that it has to be her charm. However, we know that the El family name still carries some clout on New Krypton and as Myel the daughter of Kal-El she is given special consideration. As a result of this we expect she will move up in the ranks within the firm rapidly.”

Lois picked up the narrative at this point, “We expect that they will have the same problem having children even though she is the one with the aura since it is a fundamental genetic incompatibility. At least now we know the cause and that the only thing needed to resolve it is time and physical closeness. When it comes to that when any of us find their soul mate physical closeness isn’t an issue.”

Clark finished with, “We don’t want to be separated any longer than is absolutely necessary. I am not necessarily talking about sex either. I am just talking about being together, holding hands and exchanging little affectionate touches, that kind of thing. In fact, anything that keeps us within three feet of each other.” Realizing that they had done just that; Clark raised their entwined hands by way of example.

Lois again picked up the story, pride evident in her voice as she spoke. “The other five children are still in various stages of schooling. The youngest, Sam, has just graduated from High School, Valedictorian of his class I’ll have you know. It’s a shame we didn’t know you were coming. He is an Eagle Scout and is away at a Scout Jamboree right now or you could have met him.” Lois laughed and said as an aside, “We always called Clark the ‘Boy Scout’, now it turned out that all of our kids have been involved in scouting for real! Anyway, he has already been accepted at MetU for the fall semester. He wants to get his MBA and work for the Superman Foundation.”

Herb had been looking back and forth at them as they exchanged leads on telling the tale. He was slowly getting a broader and broader smile as he followed the exchange.

Like receiving the baton in a relay race it became Clark's turn so he picked it up at this point, “The twins and Jessie are sharing an apartment near MetGen where the twins are completing their internships and will soon be MDs. Sean has chosen Emergency Medicine as his specialty, he has already been offered a position in the ER at MetGen, and Celeste has chosen Family Practice. They also plan to work with Jon on the Kryptonite antidote problem because of their knowledge of Kryptonian anatomy and physiology.

The conversational baton once more changed hands and Lois added, "Jessie has just graduated Pre Med and will be starting an internship at MetGen in September. She has chosen Obstetrics/Pediatrics as her specialty.”

It was Clark's turn again, "Jimmy is following in the footsteps of his Godfather, namesake and Uncle, Jimmy Olsen as a Computer Science major. Jimmy Olson married Lois' sister Lucy and they have three children of their own so our kids have some non-super cousins. Our Lucy is a Child Psychology major at MetU. Jimmy and Lucy are both living in the dorms.”

“The only ones that have found their soul mates, so far, are CJ, Jon and Lara. The rest aren’t in any rush to get married.” Lois finished up and looking at Herb asked “What do you find so amusing? You have this big smile on your face.”

“Forgive me, my dear, it’s just that, the two of you…It’s like watching a ping-pong match or like observing two people with one voice. It’s like you are finishing each other’s thoughts. Like the two of you are *really* one!”

Lois looked up into Clark’s face with a very loving look and said, “You know, Herb, we came to that conclusion a *long* time ago. Would you like to see some pictures of us and the kids?”

Herb nodded in agreement as he finished a sip of his tea and sat his empty tea cup down. “That would be very nice.” Unlike a lot of people when you asked if they wanted to see some of your family pictures, he wasn’t just being polite, he sincerely wanted to see the pictures of the super family.

Lois got up and went over to a book shelf and grabbed a photo album. “There are even wedding pictures from CJ and Lois’, Jon and Jennifer’s and Lara and Mike’s weddings in here.”

She handed the album to Herb who paged through it. Clark got up and joined Lois next to the chair. They stood beside the chair, arms around each other, and explained who was who as Herb went through the album. Giving little anecdotes about the situations depicted as they went. Since most were from the children’s non-super period it was a lot of ‘normal’ family stuff. Herb was looking closely at a picture of Lois and one of the children and noticed a piece of jewelry which attracted his attention. He asked about it. “I see that you are wearing the El family crest as a piece of jewelry. Aren’t you taking a chance on compromising Clark’s secret identity?”

“Not in the slightest Herb. They are being sold commercially. Anyone can buy one. Each and every member of the Superman Fan Club wears one. I have to admit that mine is not one of those but no one would be able to tell the difference. Here I’ll show you.” Lois pulled a pendant on a chain from under her blouse and displayed it for Herb.

“It is lovely, my dear.”

“Yes, Clark <a Clark> had is specially made for me. The blue stones are Star Sapphires, my birthstone."



“I rarely take it off. I look on it like it’s my Kryptonian wedding ring.”

Herb asked, “These wedding pictures are very interesting. Who is it in this picture?”

“That is a picture from CJ and Lois’ wedding. They had a small wedding. She simply wore a semi-formal gown and CJ wore a dark suit. The picture was taken in front of the chapel where they were married. The other kids had formal church weddings.”

Herb asked, “Why the difference?”

“That is something of a sad story.” Lois answered “Cecily, now Lois, was an only child and lost her family in a tragic accident when she was young. She wound up in a decent foster home until she was of age so it turned out OK. In view of her lack of family it was decided that they should have a small, private ceremony rather than a large church affair.”

After looking through the album Lois returned it to its shelf and they resumed the conversation, “Clark and I retired from the Planet three years ago. We had been co Editors-in-Chief for ten years. We had told the suits upstairs that the only way either of us would take the position was if we *both* did. We had seen what would happen if either of us took it separately and we didn’t want that to happen again. We were appointed to that position when Perry retired. When we retired we completed the books we had started while we were there. We wrote a history of our time at the Planet, outlining the major investigations we had done. We actually did a separate book just on the Luthor exposé. Then we did a first person ‘Tell All’ (which really wasn’t) about Superman. We were very careful with that one. It still turned out to be a best seller. That was the one we sold the movie rights to. They have made a couple movies from some of our adventures and there is talk of a TV series.”

After a while Herb felt that he had enough data to add to their history book so he bid them good night. As they escorted him to the door, Lois and Clark expressed their pleasure at seeing their ‘old friend’ and extended an invitation for a future visit. As Lois handed Herb his hat he thanked them and expressed his disappointment that he had been unable to meet any of the children, other than their daughter-in-law and asked that they express to her his pleasure in meeting her, to which they said that they would. Herb had had such a pleasant time and actually had so much information dumped on him that he didn’t even occur to him to wonder that he hadn’t seen the younger Lois after she first greeted him at the door. There was one other thing that really didn’t register because of the information overload. That was the fact that the *only* picture of CJ in the album was the wedding picture.

After Clark closed the door behind Herb, Lois sagged against him in relief. She hadn’t really realized just how keyed up she had been during the visit. She gave a relieved sigh and asked, “Whew! Do you think we pulled it off?”

Pulling her into an embrace he replied, “I sincerely hope so.” Then he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

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