Wow, I loved how heroic Lois was in this story, DJ!
“So it's like they're powered by Kryptonite or it's being fed into them somehow.” She reached through the bars and started feeling around on the other side of them.
“What... are you... doing?” he grunted, pulling himself to the center of the cage. He wanted so desperately to get away from the source of his pain but, while the center of the cage was the furthest point away from any of the bars, he wasn't sure the pain was any better. Now it just seemed to be coming at him from all directions.
“I'm looking for the source,” she explained absently, still feeling around. “Lex has to have something feeding the Kryptonite into this cage.” She scoured the outside perimeter of the cage, feeling along all the edges and surfaces. Halfway around the enclosure, she stopped abruptly and looked up.
There was a cable coming down from the ceiling that attached to the top of the cage.
Yes! Brilliant thinking, Lois!
“How did you even end up here? I thought you promised that you would stay away? That you would be careful?”
“Like you?” he managed to tease and then let out a raspy cough.
I have to steal Jen's comment here:
*snicker* We think of Clark as cautious sometimes, but really he'll always be a gold medalist in the Reckless Olympics with Lois.
And I loved that Lois persuaded Henderson to declare Superman innocent of any wrongdoing. And I liked that Lois, too, shared her knowledge with the public of what had actually transpired
very judiciously!
But even with all of the facts and information at Henderson's disposal, it had taken Lois several more hours to convince him to help her with a cover-up story.
She convinced Henderson to help her with a cover-up story! That's my Lois! Clark, do you realize how lucky you are to have her?
“I don't know, Lois,” he huffed. “But somehow I get the feeling that it would be even bigger than if Elvis walked through my door right now, eating a donut.”
And then, as if on cue, Clark walked through Perry's door... taking a bite out of the glaze donut he was holding.
<insert groan>
<“I didn't lie... I only hid certain facts...”>
That's what she had told Henderson. She had hid certain facts about Superman. Was that any different than what Clark had done?
Possibly. But, if she was honest with herself, he wasn't the only one guilty of being duplicitous.
Hey, come on, DJ! That is not the same thing and you know it!
If it wasn't so dark out, he would have sworn she was blushing. As it was, he couldn't really tell. But by the sweet smile she had on her face, he was willing to bet he was right.
How sweet! I love her smiling and blushing.
“If I'm not mistaken, isn't "gluttony' one of the seven sins?” she explained. “I didn't seen you hitting any all-you-can-eat buffets the past couple of days.” She flashed him a teasing smile. They had a long road ahead of them, but they were going to have to learn to laugh again and let go of what had happened if they wanted to move past it and not obsess over it.
Hah! Do you remember, DJ, that I mentioned in a previous FDK thread that I was looking forward to seeing him being gluttonous?
Clark returned her smile and shook his head softly. “What if "gluttony' isn't about food?”
Lois furrowed her eyebrows in bemusement. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I've never been able to get enough of you,” he admitted softly. This time her blush was deep enough that he could make it out clearly.
“And let's hope you never will.”
That's adorable, DJ. I do think it would have worked even better as a closing remark of an nfic. But, quite apart from the fact that you don't write nfic anymore, it would have been difficult to squeeze any sort of "feel-good" nfic situation into this fic, so soon after Clark's near-rape of Lois when he was being controlled by Luthor.
Anyway, great story, DJ!
Ann
