Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Ghost Of A Chance 17/20

This story really wasn't supposed to be THIS dark or depressing, I promise. It just...kind of...spiraled. Anyway, as you can see, I do know how many chapters it's going to be now, and the end is definitely in sight -- hopefully it's a good one!

My goodness! You never stop, do you? What kind of an ending is that?! What are you trying to do to me?

This update is incredible. I've never seen writing like that-definitely my favorite thus far. This is one of those chapters that could have easily become over-dramatic and incredibly sappy, but you put such a psychological spin on it that it felt real. What you did made Lois's terror stand out in a great way. I love the desperation and the glimpses of Perry.

Of course, I also feel obligated to chew you out for nearly killing Clark. Or does mostly dead count as just plain killing.

I almost feel like those flashes of the past he's been having are what they say about seeing your life flash across your eyes before you die. But (and I couldn't find the exact line to quote, so bear with me here) what Clark says about him trying to hide and protect himself through the memories makes me think that his ability to deal with that greatly affects his will to survive, and with Clark so hurt, that's probably what things have boiled down to. But it is interesting that he feels he had nothing left to live for. There are so many things! His parents, Jimmy (and yay to more Jimmy! Having that outside perspective balances things out a little), Perry, Superman. I know it hurts a lot, but that shouldn't affect his desire to stay alive! Live, Clark, live!

She lied. She lied when she said she wanted to try to find an us with Clark. But she told the truth when she said I didn’t know it could be like this. She wasn’t telling the truth when she said It’s not enough, but she wasn’t lying when she said I’m sorry on the rooftop.

Clark knows Lois better than anyone. But with that much vulnerability, it makes sense that he would let his uncertainty cover any subconscious knowledge of what might have happened, for the fear of being wrong. But in the end, he knows Lois, and with the number of subtle hints she gave I expected and am glad he caught on to that. Even if it did take desperation to come out!

I felt as if I had a rope wrapped around my middle jerking me this way and that, as I read this chapter. What is real? What is imagined? What is hope? What is dreaded fear? It's all so tangled up. Poor Clark; he's already had his heart broken by Lois and now stomped on (literally) by Doomsday. How can he come back from that? Why would he want to? Let's hope that this isn't suicide by Doomsday. Let's hope there's a tiny ray of sunshine left for Clark that he doesn't feel that his life is worth ending.

Beautifully written. Emotionally raw. I like what AnnieL said about the flashes being Clark's life flashing before his eyes. It made so much sense about why it starts in Smallville with sights and sounds and pies from his childhood.

Please resuscitate Clark and give him a second change at finding happiness. If for no other reason, is that even thought a small part of him hates Lois, he'd never want to be the reason she fell apart. (I didn't say it was a good reason.)

Well written chapter for something that's hard to write. Visually, if a scene like this is on tv, it's easy to understand what parts are real and what parts are dreams/memories/unreal - it can be done by changing the lighting, for example. It's much more challenging to do it only with words, and it's a complement to you that it was clear in reading this chapter exactly what was happening. Brava!

In an earlier chapter, I faulted Lois for believing Tempus. Now I fault Clark for believing him. There is no proof that Doomsday exists and kills Superman in every timeline or universe, and it's defeatist of Clark to believe that just because Tempus, a known liar, has said it's true. I hope Clark continues to fight through it next chapter and eventually comes out on top.

Thank you, Annie -- I'm so glad this chapter worked for you! I'll admit that I worried quite a bit while writing it that it would be a bit too much, so this was very encouraging to read. Clark was seeing the important places (and people) in his life, but in the end, you're exactly right: he was really trying very hard to find a reason to live. And even though it didn't seem like he was finding one, he found it in the clues his subconscious mind had been storing up for him, showing him the truths behind the lies. And yeah, I love Jimmy; this scene was actually a deleted scene that didn't fit in an earlier chapter, but I was excited to be able to place it here.

Sorry for such a roller-coaster of a chapter, Virginia! Clark has been pushed to the very extremes throughout this story, but the reason I really love writing stories where my favorite characters are...um...well, tortured ...is because I love seeing their inner strength go that much further. It's the picture of the man beaten and falling six times but getting up seven times.

Thanks so much, groobie! I'm so glad the chapter was clear enough for you! And yeah, Clark didn't have a lot of reasons to completely believe Tempus, but I saw it as more of the fear that haunted him in the face of such a destructive monster. Plus, he's not in the best frame of mind, either, so he's a bit more pessimistic in his thinking than usual! Hopefully, we can change that before the end...

WoW!

The seesawing back and forth between images started out slowly and then took me sown a wild path of twist, turns and sudden stops! But this is what happens when the body is in shock, the mind tries to compensate.

Doomsday has always scared me, the one creature that killed Superman. With all that's happened it is hard to imagine the story turning out well for any of our favorite characters. But than again, that's what makes writing so intense, the infinite possibilities of 'what if'?

Only a few more chapters to go!

I do love the idea of what-ifs, Morgana! I'm glad Doomsday didn't scare everyone off -- he's such a frighteningly unstoppable opponent, and I've always wanted to see him in the L&C universe (at least in fanfiction; seeing Dean Cain face such a monster probably would have destroyed me emotionally).