I really enjoyed this story and it's companion piece. I find that because of the episodic nature of the show, the emotional aftermath of events often got swept under the rug. There is feeling and depth, but it's necessarily limited. Here, though, you've done a great job of exploring the actual impact that Luthor's death would have on Clark.
I like the emphasis that the priest made about Superman's humanity. The term ends up being rather loaded when you're dealing with aliens, but I feel that Superman, of all people, needs to embrace his humanity in order to keep him grounded. Sure, he has a lot of responsibility, or rather has taken on a lot of responsibility, but he's not omnipotent and is still fallible. Beyond that, I think my signature quote from Batman sums it up nicely. The world would be in for a lot of trouble if Superman were to stop viewing himself as human.
This story also gets at the heart of one of the things I like about fiction: being able to explore moral questions in hypothetical situations. I think doing so enables us to ask ourselves whether we ourselves are good people and what that actually means. Every time we discuss the morality of these characters and their actions, it says more about us than it does about them.
Thank you! Glad you liked it! Like you said, fan fic is great for getting the opportunity to stop and really examine a specific moment in time, or the emotional fallout of something like this. I really wish the show had had the chance to show how Lex's death affected Clark - and you know he's not the type to just brush it off so easily. He's too good a person for that.
I think it's easy with Superman to focus on all the ways he really is human. Particularly with the model that L&C provided, where Clark being Clark was stressed so much.
And yes, I love your siggy quote.
