Yet again you leave us on a cliffhanger - this time literally - and until you're back in Australia!!
There are loads of questions to be answered at the end of this part. Some more lovely L&K moments mixed in too. (BTW, commenting on other stories now, I'm struggling to type Clark instead of Kal, rather than at the beginning of this when it was the other way around!!)
So was she – a quick peek *through* the door had confirmed Kal was in his room.
Lois, he may have been without his jacket, or his shirt, or his... She doesn't quite have the superhero self-control yet!
His mouth found hers with an intensity that caused pulsing darts of heat to carve a canyon through her body. Lois answered his call and moved in closer. He broke away and turned his attention to the desk. “Do you want breakfast?” he said in a voice that wobbled.
“Y.yes,” she replied, still trying to reconcile herself to their separateness when only moments before she had been fully committed to their advancing togetherness.
I love the way you describe their passion gradually intensifying, every kiss getting that little bit harder to stop, even to the point where they have to agree beforehand - 'short kiss?'
He sat down on the chair, but Lois remained standing. She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. “Have I told you how much I appreciate your honesty?” she said.
This has been wonderful about Kal right the way through - and it brushes off on Lois. This Lois has also been very honest and open about her feelings, particularly compared to what we know of her character on earth, and this is no doubt due to the fact that she appreciates Kal's almost unthinking honesty and trusts him enough to reciprocate.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “I wouldn’t lie to you,” he said solemnly.
“I don’t mean lying exactly.”
“Then what?”
I like the way that for all the successes they have in communication, there is stil much scope for confusion, particularly where on earth we use phrases without necessarily meaning them to be taken literally. Kal always takes things literally (it's the only way he can intepret the language, though he is beginning to grasp jokes) and his seriousness is always an adorable trait.
She felt him relax under her fingers. “But I trust you,” Kal said. “There is no reason not to tell you what I feel.”
She dropped a kiss into his hair. “Thank you.
This was simple yet so sweet.
He passed her the remainder of the oatmeal in the bowl and picked up the cup of beverage. “So,” he mused, “If I have a question, I should ask it?”
Lois said opposite him. “Yes.”
Again, I love how now, more than ever, they think of a question and the other answers it. It's so straightforward. I like reading knowing, for a change, that they are likely to be truthful straight away, rather than begin a series of half-truths and misunderstandings that you get in nearly every other love story. (Am I making this sound a bit Tim and Amber Lake?!!! - I hope not, it's not the same at all!)
The thing is, it's unlikely that couples would be able to be this way in a lot of circumstances. The way L&K have found each other is pretty unique, as is the development of their relationship.
As he contemplated her, a steady sprawl of colour crossed his cheeks and drifted to the top of his ears.
I always read sections like this smiling to myself and thinking 'what's he going to ask her next, how is he going to phrase it and how is she going to respond?!' You completely excel in writing these conversations, knowing the characters so well and letting us do the same.
“I love you, Lois,” he said with gratifying conviction. “It doesn’t matter what you can see through.”
This is such a simple, sweet, reassurance, you almost forget the wording is so bizarre!
He shifted in the chair; his eyes scanned the room, then settled into hers. “When we’re kissing ...”
Uh-oh. “Yes,” Lois said, trying to keep her tone even.
I think she's still got plenty to explain before the wedding night!!
“When we kiss and it’s a moving kiss and it goes on for a time ...”
I love him actually calling it a 'moving kiss' when describing it to her. All their kisses now seem to have names - so sweet!
He exhaled deeply, cheeks ballooned. “I want to ... would you totally hate it if when we kiss ... if I touched your lips with my tongue?”
I did, like others have said, think that this was what a 'moving-kiss' entailed anyway, but the way he asked was so adorable. She still managed to pretty much say no, due to her ever-decreasing levels of self-control. I can see her giving in though - if she wasn't so busy being swept off cliffs of course!
Kal’s throat lurched. “It would?”
“On Earth, people who are in love do that.”
“They do?”
“They do.”
From Kal's POV, you can see why he's worried. He's still so afraid of seeming like a freak and without asking her, he has no way of knowing what she sees as normal.
“Yes.” Lois smiled. “So a part of me would really like you to do that and would really like to do that to you ... but another part of me knows that ...” She stopped, unsure exactly how to word the rest of her sentence.
She didn’t need to. “I understand,” Kal said gravely.
For all his innocence and naivete, *that* doesn't need to be explained. He's already familiar with not wanting to stop!
When she backed away, Lois smiled at him. “Short kiss?” she offered.
He nodded and lowered his mouth onto hers with the sweetest of touches.
She could see *through* clothes.
She spent many hours each day with the man she loved.
The man who, she already knew, had a stunning physique.
“Lane,” she mumbled to herself. “You’ve just discovered the definitive meaning of temptation.”
For both their sanity they really need to work out the details of being able to get married!! Hopefully, the cliff-thing will just be a minor distraction, then Lois can come back and, provided he's ok with marrying a woman who can see through walls, can fly, and is seemingly invulnerable they can get on with it!!
Lois picked up the beverage and willed her thoughts to anything other than the volatile combination of having the ability to see through clothes and being with a man whose body screamed ‘look at me’.
Poor Lois, it's a tough life she's got herself!!
Then her thoughts skidded to a halt.
She had read the book to Dom and the little girl had *understood* it.
Oooh, others picked up on this in other chapters. The little clues you left for us are so clever. This fic will be great to re-read and keep going 'oh yeah, I understand that bit now!'
The sensation of being an oddity was quickly receding – overcome by the euphoric realisation this was indeed a truly fundamental tool for any investigative reporter.
I thought she might come to see it that way!
“Nor?” Lois asked, her reporter’s instinct twitching again.
“Nor and Ching.”
“That seems an arbitrary length of time.”
Hmm, maybe Ching's not such a good guy after all, or maybe he's just being led by Nor.
Poor Tek, he's trying so hard to carry on his father's good work, with so little support. Hopefully Kal will be able to eventually change this. There were lots of hints in this part of a brighter future.
“Ard’s birth was extremely long and difficult and she was deprived of oxygen for too long. When she was three years, she still made no indication to communicate. So her father developed the Translator for her.”
There were quite a few answers in this part too, for us and Lois. It's so sad that Tek's family is clearly so influencial, yet all he is officially allowed to be is a servant.
He could move surprisingly quickly for a man with a limp.
Hmm, could the limp for some reason not be genuine?! Is he trying to appear less able and therefore arouse less suspicion in his plans to help build a future for New Krypton?
No one could survive being flung against those rocks.
Will she end up saving Tek too, or has he disappeared underground etc as others suggest? Maybe Tek's father isn't dead? - probably a long shot!
Lois felt a stream of excitement flow through her. They had found water! Kal would be so relieved.
It seems maybe one woman can solve all of the planet's problems, with the help of a strong, fair, well-respected leader.
Lois turned to the noise, but before she had even grasped the danger, the huge wave was upon her and had encompassed her into its folds. It swept her from the cliff and plunged her into the dark choppy water below.
This has to be where she learns to fly. I guess she needed a reason to want to in order to realise it.
Can't wait for the next part. Have a safe journey home.
Em
