Next part will be up very soon, but I thought I'd respond to the kind comments of the readers first.
Christina, thanks for for the "Aw." I'm glad these moments came across as sweet. I want you to hold on to the sweetness, okay? That "beginning of the end" thing may or may not be as accurate as you'd think.
Mike, I hope you stay with me to the end. I know I can count on you to root for Lois in any situation.
Groobie, I'm glad you liked the sweet look at the marriage. Every relationship has its good moments and tough ones, too. And Marta's "link" with Lois - whatever it is - will show up again very soon.
About the "soft WHAM" I mentioned at the start - I meant that it would not drop in out of the blue as a huge surprise. It's coming.
Virginia, I'm glad you liked the scene with Lois and Marta. When I heard (on the show) Lois describing her 98% score and her dad's reaction, I wanted to punch the man. No child is perfect in any area, and telling a child that she has to be perfect to receive Daddy's love is so very destructive. I firmly believe that part of Lois' drive to be the very best (and part of Lucy's apparent willingness to accept far less than the best) is due to Sam's attitude. That's one reason I added his conversation with Clark at the wedding. I'd like to think he'd learned something over the years.
As far as how Clark performs his Super-duties while being general editor, it's a question that is valid but is more germane to Clark's life than to the "moments" the two of them shared. I chose to gloss over such things to keep the focus on the relationship and to keep the word count down. When I sent out my beta request, I guessed that the story would total about 32K words. It's up over 75K now.
Sometimes Polly and Trope just won't shut up.
Why is Jon floating by age 10? I think it's partly because he knows he can and will, unlike his dad, who was quite surprised by the phenomenon. And it's partly because he was born under a yellow sun, not a red one, and has been acclimated to Earth since conception. Comic book physics, indeed.
LWhite, thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
One more note, Christina. I watched my father (from afar) slowly slide away from us for about four years before his death to a point just three months before he died when I'm not sure he knew my name. It was painful for all concerned, as any death from illness would be irrespective of the length of time involved.
It will get worse before it gets better. But it will get better, I promise.
