Interesting tale, and tightly written. I considered it poetic justice that Jimmy, who was so critical of both Clark (for "cheating" on Lois) and Lois (for being blind about her husband's infidelity) had the same thing foisted on him.
But I'm confused on some things - why did double-Clark have no memories at first but double-Jimmy did? Where did the doubles appear, since they didn't seem to be in the same place as the originals? Did the originals have those doubts and fears sucked out of them into the doubles, or were the doubles simply copies of those parts of themselves?
It was good to see Jimmy and Lucy get back together at the end. They both learned some important things about themselves that will help them deal with their relationship with each other.
An evil thought just crossed my mind. What might have happened if a pregnant woman had touched the black crystal? Would the double be pregnant? If so, what negative characteristics could be sucked out of an unborn child? Not saying you should explore that theme, just that you could if you got a visit from one of my muses. (I hope you don't. They're scary at the best of times.)
I'm glad that little Jon is doing well. If something bad had happened to him, I don't know how the FoLCs would have withstood that. And it's a good thing that Clark knows how to get rid of Kryptonite now. It's not foolproof, but it will be a big help to him in the future.
Signing off now. You've not only provided to us all an entertaining story, but you've nudged my muses into some kind of action. I just hope it's good action.
Keep on processing those words!
