If I were to be interrogated about this part, it would go something like this:
Interrogator: Sue, did you, or did you not, seek out Lara this past weekend and then deliberately try to weasel the second part of this story out of her early?
Sue: Yeah, I did. And I'd do it again.
I: That's reprehensible! Trading on your friendship with an innocent author to get access to their stories!
S: But have you read Lara's stories? Do you have any idea *why* I'd want to read them and might resort to somewhat devious methods to do so? Allow me to explain!
I: Make it good.
S: Okay. I'll give you a few examples.
Exhibit A: Lara writes some of the funniest and wittiest dialogue ever. She's especially good at Clark's doublespeak, whether it be innuendo or hints at his secret identity:
"I'll be back before you can blink," he replied from halfway across the room, waving a hand in the air.
and
"If we ever manage to make sense of this...pile of..." She sighed and gestured at the papers scattered across the table. "Platt's report..."
and
"You've been in Metropolis what, a week? And already you know all the best places?" Lois asked, dubious.
Clark tapped the side of his nose lightly. "Sources, Lois. Sources."
: Her Clark and Lois smolder with unresolved sexual tension:
"I hope you haven't made dinner plans," she said in a rather frustrated sigh. "We're going to be here all night."
"I am all yours." He flashed her a warm smile and he could have sworn that she'd blushed.
"Careful," Lois found herself saying, "I might hold you to that."
"I'm counting on it," he told her, holding her gaze until she looked away, visibly flustered.
I love that scene - and I especially love Lara's remake where Lois doesn't dismiss him immediately. Mmmm. And then Lois can't help staring again…
"Well, it's my business, looking beyond the external," she explained, a smug look on her face. Although, in this case, she would have been content to simply look at his very nice external features - broad shoulders, friendly smile, and chocolate-brown eyes that always seemed to have a spark of mischief to them.
For a moment, he seemed satisfied with sitting there and letting her look, saying nothing at all. Until finally Lois realized she was staring and she looked away, eyes wide.
: She neatly paces her stories. She doesn't waste time with pages of inner dialogue or exposition. She shows us what's happening - a you-are-there feeling that is like being plopped down in the middle of an episode. Consider the entirety of this part - using snappy dialogue and a few short expository sentences - Lara has taken us through Platt's notes, speculated on Dr. Baines, whet our appetite for Bruce Wayne's appearance, given the Clark the idea for a disguise, and established that both characters are immensely attracted to each other.
Exhibit D: Her Lois and Clark are so damn believable. I read them and I can perfectly hear the characters on the show in my head:
Clark had just barely made it past Lois's desk when she noticed him. "Where have you been?" she asked, a touch of displeasure in her voice.
"Oh, I just remembered I had to stop by the b--"
"And what on earth happened to your suit?" She frowned at him, perplexed. What could he possibly have done in the last five minutes or so that would have gotten him covered in dirt?
That is so *exactly* the Lois of the first season (my favorite!).
Exhibit E: The Batman: No one else writes him like Lara. In other stories, she's taken him from a two-dimensional cartoon character and made him into a complicated person who absolutely belongs in Superman's universe. True, he hasn't had any "screen time" yet in this story, but we're already forming opinions about him.
Clark let out a small chuckle. "Given his reputation, I bet he goes for anything in a skirt."
It was Lois's turn to laugh. "You do realize that 'anything in a skirt' is broad enough to include Scottish men, for instance?"
Does this mean I can see the next part early?
