Just popping in to say... Ann has anyone explained to you about the Brutal Youth episode as well? I know you haven't seen the show Ann so this may be something you didn't know. Forgive me if I am pointing out something you were aware of.
In the show it is basically stated that Dr. Klein believes that "Superman" is going to live for a very long time.
From the script:
LOIS: Superman won't... age?
DR. KLEIN: Oh, of course he will. He's not immortal.
LOIS: So he _will_ age... but just not like you or... me?
DR. KLEIN: It's all speculation, you understand, but I think it's safe to say that long after you and I are dead and gone, Superman will still be in his prime, fighting for truth, justice --
LOIS: -- and The American Way
A lot of the fics explore this. Obviously even if Clark keeps Lois safe until she is 100 she is going to die from old age if nothing else. You see a lot of fics exploring this and seeing him cope with it. It is obviously something he and Lois have spoken about and worked out together... but still such a hard burden to bear to know that unless something happens to you that you will have a much higher chance of outliving your spouse... and then to actually see it.
It isn't an easy subject to explore but as with every aspect of the show it something that the authors here are going to do. I think the reason Lois may be shown as the one dying so much is just because the show set it up that way. Not to say I don't think we should also explore it the other way around. How will Lois react when she expected to be the one to go first? Only to lose him and not be prepared for that?
It is an interesting concept indeed. I know for you it isn't something you desire to read... but for a few of us it is somewhat comforting and healing to read a story where the characters are trying to work through the death of a love one and to see them come out of it okay. It's somewhat like a light at the end of the tunnel for some of us. To know that if our favorite characters can live through it... we can too. To know that even our favorite heroes (and by this I mean Lois as well) have cracks as well and not everything is perfect.
I don't but I'm rambling now... but I felt I should give you a reason why I personally read them. It isn't often that I will sit down with one... but when I do, it isn't so much as I'm doing it to get some sort of joy out of it but that I'm looking for a comrade who understands my pain.
