continued from previous post

KathyM, I'm not totally averse to the idea of Lois popping Dan in the nose, but he had a different function in this one... maybe the next one, tho! <eg> And the memory trickle seemed to be the best way to manage things -- you'll notice I had her remember his apology before she figured out what he'd done! goofy

KathyB, thanks! Glad it made sense to put Dan together with modern art. Really, I'm not sure where the idea came from; my muse just presented it to me, and hey, it made sense, so I used it... Glad you got the buttermilk line, too! Honestly, a lot of Lois's thought processes were based on mine -- I thought of "good for what ails you" buttermilk at that point, so why shouldn't she?

Thanks, Blayne! Sorry on the punching front -- but I got revenge on Dan years ago wink That one was called "Seeing is Believing."

Shelley, I love those "deer in the headlights" moments, too! Clark is just so cute when he's completely floored. I should also give credit on that memory trickle thing, too -- you are what you read, and I've read a *lot* of Lois McMaster Bujold. Right now, I'm re-reading Mirror Dance, which has one character going through a similar process -- that's probably where I got the water imagery.

Thanks for the comments, Roger. And there's that "punching Dan" idea again... I detect a theme wink Well, there's always the sequel...

Mel, that's a good point -- I've changed it a bit, so that she's thinking about using "unspool" on him but just wants to see his deer in the headlights look first. It wasn't really clear in the series if Clark ever remembered the events in TF -- he did shred Lois's note that CK=S, but that's never been followed up on, so I'm assuming he didn't remember, just panicked at the message! It's implied that a lot of it came back to him in "ATAI," in connection with Tempus's diary, but again, that wasn't followed up on.

Ooh, genius! Thanks, Karen goofy

Kaethel, the idea of Dan shooting himself in the leg was a large part of my motivation in this one, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Even if no one punched him wink

Thanks, Laura -- and have I ever told you I think your sig file is hysterical?

Wendy, "comedy classic"? Methinks you overstate the case... but I'm glad it amused you.

LOL, Pel -- thanks! Hearing that people splash their drinks out their nose is the highest compliment an author can get goofy

Joy, haven't heard from you in ages! Good to know you're still out there, and that you liked this.

Hey, Tricia, I'm delighted you (and everyone) enjoyed this!

And once more, Thanks, Everybody! Your kind comments are greatly appreciated!

PJ blush

"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."

--Stardust, Caroline K