Thanks for reading, y'all! Does my old bones some good to read feedback on my baby.
Amy, that dual personality thing would've been fun to play with if I'd only thought of it some months ago. I'm glad you've (sort of) accepted Lex as a not-bad guy, since that's what I've been aiming for all along. And yes, danger has just walked down the stairs and asked for a meeting. Of course, Nigel doesn't know what he's stepping into, but then our quartet doesn't know what they're stepping into either.
Beth, we'll have to see about a sequel. A lot can happen in two parts.
Interesting, Ann, that you assume that Lois will be a victim. And its noteworthy that you picked out some of the dialogue between Clark and Lois that I did the most work on. It's hard to keep the reader's attention during exposition, especially emotional exposition. I'm glad you weren't bored.
A note about Orion's belt: That's one of the two or three astronomical figures I can pick out myself. As often as I've gazed into the heavens (and I like learning about astronomy, so keep telling us stuff, Ann!) I have never been able to figure out how anyone can see Virgo or Taurus or Diogenes with a lamp or whatever. I just don't see them. Of course, I don't think that spotted shirts and striped pants clash, either. It appears to be a mental deficiency on my part. But I put that in as a conversation starter. Clark and Rebecca needed to talk about Lana, so there you go.
Maria, I'm so sorry to read about your illness! I hope you get better all of a sudden and feel great again. I've missed your comments. And thanks for the note about the boat name. I did not know it was considered bad luck. Maybe Lex won't change it after all. Of course, maybe he won't have the opportunity to change it, either.
Next chapter up tomorrow! Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
