Coming back (hey, it is Sunday) to reply to your wonderful comments and also post the new part.
First of all, I'm really, really delighted you guys are enjoying this so far and that you took the time to tell me so. Feedback is really what's going to keep me going here. This week was so busy for me that I barely had time to sit at the computer, which is why I didn't write a single word. I still have quite a buffer, but I really don't want to get to the point where I'm in a panic for fear of not having the next week's post ready on time. At least, not just yet.
Gabriele, you raise issues that made me think long and hard actually. It's part of the reason why it took me so long to get started on Belonging.
Why would Lois return to Lex after being with Clark?
Well, here's my reasoning, which I'll try to develop throughout the fanfic (up to you all to tell me whether I succeed or not
)
Lois is just regaining some of her self-confidence and independance after being completely controlled by Lex. He isolated her (and in this premise he succeeded) then married her, presenting himself as the only anchor in her life. So she married him. She realised belatedly that the life he had to offer was not the life she originally wanted. However, leaving him meant being alone, and loneliness is what Lois fears most (deep inside, that's how I perceive her vulnerability).
Okay, so now she's with Clark. Well, sort of. Granted, they made love. But then they fought the morning after, and even though they made up before Lois left Paris, Clark doesn't represent stability for Lois. After all, he did leave. She wants to be with him, she loves him, but then she also wanted to be with Lex and thought she could fall in love with him. She made a mistake once and is afraid to make it a second time.
The other thing is that while she's not happily married, Lex is not showing his true self with her. He's still the smooth man she dated and agreed to marry. She doesn't know anything about his dark side, though deep down she knows something's just not right and he intimidates her a little. More and more because of her guilt and for other reasons that will be developed in following chapters.
I've ready a good deal of stuff on unhappy marriages, and very often it's hard for the spouse to leave, even if they're ready to admit that their marriage was a mistake. It's like admitting failure, and Lois got enough personal failures in her life to be very reluctant to admit another one.
So that's basically my reasoning so far. There will be other elements keeping her trapped for a while (but I can't reveal those yet). But I'm up to any suggestion!
Nicole, I just wanted to give you a HUGE hug. Your post came in one morning when I was feeling rather low, and it cheered me up SO much! Thank you thank you thank you!!! You're an absolute star!
Sas (and others
), I'm glad you like Dave, but I'm also worried that you like him. Just... don't kill me, all right?
Part 3 up in a minute!
Kaethel
