Wow, this was very good. I was drawn into the story right away and was following along on all the details -- really intrigued by how Lex was waffling between terror and arrogance, which as a weird combination but completely worked and made it seem more real. But then, the moment he was thinking about Superman and then saw that Clark was there, that's the moment I was completely and totally involved in this story. I admit, I may have laughed just a bit when Luthor noticed that Clark was looking a bit predatory. And of course he would think that Clark was afraid Lois loved Luthor more than him. The real moment that made me fall in love with this story, though, is when Clark knowingly and PURPOSELY reveals his secret to Luthor...and Luthor, still wanting to destroy Superman (or rather, justly reveal him, in his mind) takes in the breath that will kill him, which is so ironically fitting -- and so telling of Luthor's entire downfall -- that I had to reread it a few times.
My favorite line is Luthor's description of Clark: "...the model of mid-western blandness. His face usually seems to wear either a smile that hints that he knows a secret none of the rest of us know, or an expression of firm determination to accomplish something he deems important." That's so perfect! And I love that Clark isn't HAPPY about Luthor's death, but the sun is certainly shining. He might be too good to be vindictively satisfied that Luthor's gone, but I'll feel triumphant enough for the both of us.
Great story! Thanks for sharing!
