Heartbreaking, Sara. And so beautiful. Your story is so full of the unsaid; like how Brian's accident really happened, for example. But that doesn't matter. What echoes now is the miraculous memories of the little boy, and the constant, painful reminders that he is no more. And there is the guilt, and the blame, and the silence, and the door that closed between Lois and Clark. And the small crack as the door opens a little.
The title is so innocently meaningful. The little boy died when Clark was gone because he had had to run off to buy some fabric softener. And afterwards, Lois wasn't able to do the laundry any more. The little boy's scent was the last thing left of him, and she couldn't wash it away. But finally she did, and then she was ready to set off on a long journey that would hopefully bring her back to Clark.
So beautiful, Sara. And so reverberatingly sad.
(And please forgive me for saying it: thank you for posting a deathfic where the person who dies doesn't have to be Lois.)
Ann
