Wonderful
Such a great story! Never before would have linked Vatman and TOGOM, but honestly Susan, you figured it out--gave us an amazing story--and even found a happy ending for Barry and Clois!
. Like I said while beta'ing, Barry and Cloise were really, IMO, the icing on the cake. LOVE them together--and never
ever would have thought of it! Wonderful job
...
Clark sighed, then pushed himself off the couch. “Well, that was too good to last,” he seemed to say to himself.
I really enjoyed how your wrote Barry throughout both sections...parts like this, where the reader knows what he's talking about--but the comment seems to go under the radar to the other characters--I definitely liked. Details like this add
so much and you are great at layering them into your story
.
Lois cut him off again. “I’ve been blind to a lot of things in my life, but when those bullets hit, I finally recognized the truth.” She looked Superman in the eyes. “I love Clark Kent. And I love you for bringing him back to me.”
EEK!
. Poor, poor Clark. What a complicated way to find out that she loves 'Clark'. But, at least the 'Clark' she's initially talking about is
him 
? And now for Clark to deal with Barry...
"I love her.”
“Not enough to be honest with her."
And this is where Barry earned a lot of points in my book
. BINGO! I mean, I 'get' why Clark had to fake his death,
BUT you don't go around causing pain like what Lois was going through to anyone--
especially when you love that person as much as Clark loves Lois. This was brilliantly direct, to the point, and 'Thank you, Barry!' for throwing it in his face
.
“What the hell is going on here?” Lois shouted from her doorway.
. No kidding! Can not imagine the shock of coming home to this!
Barry pointed at him. “He’s Clark.”
Clark pointed at Barry. “He’s Superman.”
Barry’s voice dipped in astonishment. “I am *not* Superman!”
Clark shrugged. “Well, you could be.”
Barry shook his head. “But I don’t want to be Superman.”
Clark smiled. “It might be nice to have a vacation every once in a while.”
Barry rolled his eyes. “I get paid by the hour."
This exchange was priceless! Love Barry's last line
.
Lois whipped around suddenly to face Clark. “And you! You’ve let me think you’re two different people for two years. You let me believe that you died in my arms!”
my point
. Great job, Lois
.
“No. Stay. I still want you...” Her throat caught on the words that most of her still wished were said under different circumstances. “Here. I still want you here.”
“And I want to be here. With you. Always.”
“You should know...” Lois took a calming breath to gather courage. “Even after all of this...” Lois’ voice got very quiet. “I still have feelings for you.”
Clark caught his breath, then asked, “Like a brother?”
Lois looked away and admitted, “No, not like a brother.”
His eyebrows raised just slightly and the hint of a smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth. But he bit his lower lip to contain it. Then he said, “I’ve lied to you once before. After Lex...when I took it back. I’ve never stopped.”
Lois looked up and into his eyes. She caught his meaning – thought back to that time and what had led up to it. “Oh,” she said as she remembered the confessions she had made to both halves of him. A look of guilt crossed her face. “I understand why you didn’t tell me right away.”
“Lois...” He seemed to say her name as if he treasured it. Clark placed his hand over hers; the connection felt like them – like what they were and what they could be again. She didn’t pull away.
Lois dared to look deeply into Clark’s eyes, wanting to see him without any deception between them. What she saw there, combined with what she felt inside, gave her hope that they could get past the hurt they had both caused the other.
There's my WAFF
. Awwwwww...
Barry stopped breathing; his hands came up to caress her face. And he watched her eyes – her beautiful, luminous eyes – as she gazed back at him. An emotion was hiding there – the emotion he had always hoped he’d one day see.
He bent forward, captured by the ingrained feelings for her that he had had his entire life. Barry kissed her, pressing his lips passionately against hers.
Barry felt her body freeze in surprise for a moment, but then her arms wrapped around his back and she leaned into his embrace. He darted his tongue across her lips, and she responding by parting her lips and moaning a soft sigh. And he was thrilled, because kissing was fun.
They broke apart slightly and Barry slid his hands down to encircle her waist. His eyes widened with delight as he told her, “Lex Luthor lied to me about that lifespan thing, too. And I’ve been around for a lot longer than two weeks.”
Her eyes lit up and sparkled, and her mouth turned into a smile with the brightest of wattages – a smile that could recharge him as effectively as the light of the sun. For the first time ever, Barry felt complete.
He smiled and confessed to the love of his life, “But I’m not Clark Kent. You can call me Barry.”
Awesome! Literally,
everyone got the happy ending here
.
Love the story, Susan--amazing job!
Laura
